The Gear Hound

The Military’s Energy Bar: Does It Live Up to the Hype?

I just received two free Hooah! Energy Bars, the meal replacements created by that connoisseur of cuisine, the Department of Defense Combat Feeding Directorate.  Ray Scott, the former bass fishing pitchman, is now marketing the energy bars to the public. The New York Post called this fine staple: “the biggest military advancement to hit the mainstream since the Hummer.”  The bar has the endorsements of eight tournament pros, including top anglers such as Davey Hite and Mike Iaconelli.  Ray Scott has even claimed that by satisfying his sugar cravings with the Hooah! Bar, he lost almost 15 pounds. 

I’m sure these bars offer lasting energy without taking up much space in your pack, and may be a vast nutritional improvement over candy bars. The problem is that the apple cinnamon bar (Ray’s favorite) has the complex flavor of cardboard, grit, and shoe leather, while the chocolate bar has the delectable taste of chalk.

Just think of it. A weight loss aid that is the greatest advancement since the Hummer with eight great anglers’ endorsements…. Maybe the Hooah! Bar will change the world as we know it. Only time will tell.  For more info go to hooah.com

What’s your favorite high energy snack?

Grizzly Gear: What You Need to Know about Protecting Yourself

If you’re planning a trip to Alaska this summer, you’re undoubtedly thinking about the big brown furry carnivores that you may have to share the stream with. What to do in a bear confrontation is often the subject of intense debate, but everyone agrees on the basics: 

• Keep an exceptionally clean camp.
• Create enough noise to avoid surprising a bear in the bush. 
• Never corner a bear. 
• Always be particularly cautious around sows with cubs. 
• And the most important rule with grizzlies: Never, ever run from a charging bear. That will only trigger the animal’s predatory instinct to chase you. And believe me, you can’t outrun a griz.

As for protection, if you are fishing with a guide, let him carry the firearm.  Shooting a bear can become a complex legal issue that will probably require you to employ an attorney, or spend some time under the supervision of state or federal officials until the event is resolved. You should, however, carry bear spray (udap.com). Remember that you cannot bring it on a plane, so have it shipped to Alaska, or purchase it over the counter in any sports shop once you get there. For more information on bear behavior, visit www.udap.com/safety.htm .

Check out this photo of my fishing buddy, Tom Johnson, getting an eyeful of a sizeable boar grizzly on the Moraine River.  If you have a bear story, please tell us about it. Hit the comments bar below.

Excellent Exhaust: The Dyno Delivers on Its Promises

I love my truck. Dubbed the Duck Truck by Slaton White in the Octboer 2004 issue, it’s a 2000 Chevy Tahoe that’s been substantially modified. I’ve hunted and fished across the country in it, and it’s still going strong (click here for White’s review).

One modification was the addition of a DynoMax stainless-steel performance exhaust (www.dynomax.com). To date, the Dyno has about 80,000 miles of mud and snow under its belt, and a few rocks have tickled its steel belly. At low RPMs at slower speeds, it rumbles just enough for great tone, but it’s almost as quiet as a stock muffler when running on the highway. It has delivered on the promised improved fuel economy, extra power, and slightly lower engine temperatures.

Sadly, corrosion recently caused it to fall off the truck. I remembered that it had a lifetime guarantee, so I called the company and pled my case with no reference to the muffler’s rugged past. The customer service rep asked for proof of ownership and the year it was installed, and then sent me a brand new $350 replacement.

I give the folks at DynoMax an A+ for standing behind their product. Here’s a picture of my truck and my daughter, Rebekah, when she was 13 on a fishing trip in the Green River Valley, Wyoming.

What’s the best modification you’ve ever done to your rig? Hit the comments bar to let me know.

Sole Support: Why "light hikers" aren't good on rocks

As the Field & Stream “boot guy,” I have tested and now own more footwear than you could use in a lifetime. It’s a little obscene, actually. I kind of feel like Imelda Marcos, wife of the ousted president of the Philippines; she left 1,200 pairs of shoes in the presidential palace when they hastily departed in 1986. But I’ll bet she didn’t have any Danners! Over the years, and after so much testing, one of my pet peeves about footwear is those Nike, New Balance, and even Columbia boots that claim to be light hiking shoes, but simply have no support. Most of them are just rugged-looking tennis shoes. 

Here’s the rule: If you pick up a boot in the store and can twist it more than half an inch, you are holding a pair of light-duty, flatlander, no support boots that should not go near rocky terrain. The key to support on unlevel ground is a shoe that will cradle your entire foot, even when much of your sole is not in contact with the ground. If the boot is soft and flexible, it can’t hold your foot steady on a rock. It’s that simple. What’s the best pair of boots you’ve ever owned, and why? Please hit the comments bar and let us know.

A Big Bass Secret: The Lure the Record Chasers Use

For patiently putting up with my rants, I offer you, my loyal bloggers, one of my deepest, darkest fishing secrets: The dozen or so guys in southern California who fish every day of the spring with one goal in mind—breaking George Perry’s 1932 world record for largemouth bass—are not throwing jigs, spinnerbaits, or even giant crankbaits. Ninety percent of them are casting one bait, 90 percent of the time—the Huddleston Deluxe Rainbow Trout Swim Bait (huddlestondeluxe.com). 

Ken Huddleston is one of the most meticulous and innovative lure manufacturers on the planet. His baits are not promoted by bass pros because he won’t give them away or pay the pros to use them. He doesn’t advertise (not even in F&S). And every serious double-digit bass angler would like to keep his lures a secret. They are the finest swim baits you can buy; the top California anglers line up to pay for them.

For all you fishermen who don’t use giant swim baits, Huddleston makes an astonishing crawfish bait called the Huddle-Bug (huddlestondeluxe.com/generic48.html). Smallmouths love it.

Spare the Rod: Tips for Cleaning and Care

Tighten-Up
Seat your rod ferrules firmly.  At least twice a day, just reach up and make sure your rod is tight and lined up.  Words to the wise:  A loose rod will soon be a broken one.

Clean Connection
Clean and lubricated ferrules will only come apart when you want them to.  After three or four days on the water, take a Q-Tip soaked in rubbing alcohol and clean the inside of the female ferrule and the outside of the connecting male.  Dry with a soft cloth, and finish the male with a very slight coating of candle wax.

Down on the Ground
Never lay your rod flat on the ground, not even for “just a minute.”  Expensive rods have a secret magnetic field that draws large, heavy-footed individuals (and coolers) to mysteriously connect with high priced carbon fibers. I really don’t know why, but no one ever steps on a cheap rod.

Puppy Love
Beware of dogs, especially puppies.  I was in a fishing camp in Canada a few years ago and left my five Loomis rods in the boat overnight. What, me worry? The next morning I went down to the boat and found every rod handle chewed to varying degrees of destruction.  Three camp dogs had jumped into the boat and spent the evening gnawing away on the cork handles as if they were rawhide giblets. To get through the trip, I had to duct tape all the grips back together. The guys at Loomis took it pretty well.

Muffler Claims: The Difference Between Factory-Speak and Reality

Back in April, in response to my blog “Rip-off ATV Muffler: Why it’s Better to Buy Earplugs,” in which I questioned Kolpin’s claim that its Stealth Exhaust system “quiets ATV noise by 50%,” I received an astute comment from Brian: “Decibels are measured on a logarithmic scale,” he said, “so a six decibel reduction in noise could very well be 50 percent of the sound.” Brian is absolutely correct…logarithmically speaking.

But my point was to reference what I could personally hear.  Yes, the difference may technically be 50 percent, but I couldn’t detect that with my ear, and $230 is a lot of money to spend if the noise reduction is barely discernible. Furthermore, I can buy a stainless-steel exhaust for my Chevy Tahoe for $190 and it will fit perfectly.

The noise that ATVs produce is rightfully one of the strongest negative criticisms levied against us. It is unpleasant, to say the least, when an ATV disturbs an angler or hunter in a wilderness setting. All I’m asking for is a muffler that will dramatically reduce the perceived noise output of an ATV. The tested muffler didn’t, 50 percent or not.
      

Chevy Love: What Makes the Perfect Rig?

A great hunting and fishing truck must have plenty of room, offroad capability, towing power, and most important, it must never leave you stranded. The infamous turkey and deer hunter Ray Eye has what I consider to be the consummate hunting truck—a 1997 Chevy Suburban. Ray’s only modification to his war wagon was the addition of a front and rear receiver wired for a 9,000-pound winch for those times when the going gets a little too sloppy.

To date, his ‘Burban has racked up an unbelievable 297,000 miles. As of May 1st, it’s still purring strong with its original engine, which has never blown a head gasket, needed a valve job, or even required a new oil-pan seal. There has been some morphing of the interior fabric amid massive amounts of dust, and the windows are only operable by the driver (which suits Ray just fine). A slight odor that smells vaguely like a long-dead animal keeps his kids from driving the beast (which also suits Ray just fine). Of course the outside of the truck has numerous battle scars, including scratches, dents, and a bent rear bumper from a too-close encounter with a tree. But Ray still has lots of love for his rig, and says she has at least another year left. All I ask is that he get the window switches fixed so I can get some fresh air.

Hit the comments bar to tell us about the best hunting & fishing truck you’ve ever had.

Cast Your Vote: What gear do you love, and what gear do you love to hate?

Every spring a few of my hunting and fishing compadres get together to cook fish, fowl, and ruminants from the previous fall’s harvest.  This year, as we sat around a massive BBQ on my buddy’s driveway, devouring venison stroganoff and drinking Bud Light, I took an impromptu survey of the group’s most loved and most hated gear.  Here are some of the findings:

Steve Sinnett
Best: Orvis stocking foot Guide Waders.  “I’m 6’5” and they’re the first waders that actually fit me.  They really seem to breathe and they don’t ride up in the crotch when I bend over.”
Worst: Fingerless neoprene gloves.  “These things really suck, my hands are always cold whenever I wear them.”

Pete Bettonville
Best: Hunter Specialties Butt Pad. “I can sit just about anywhere in the woods for a long time without moving, and my behind is always dry.”
Worst: An ultra light Diawa Spinning Reel.  “The reel’s bail spring broke the second day I had it.”

Mike Neely
Best: Oneida Extreme Eagle Bow with a Pollington red dot:  “It’s ultra quiet. I can hold the bow at full draw for longer than any bow I’ve ever owned. The red dot has made a dramatic difference in my ability to site a target.”
Worst: Mad Dog Breathable Camo jacket.  “I sweat in it so much, I think it’s leaking.”

Hit the comments bar to tell us about your favorite and least favorite piece of gear.

Price Check: How Much Should a Turkey Gun Cost?

Regarding my blog on April 21, about using a Benelli M2 for turkey hunting, David asked why I would buy a high-priced gun like that. Good question. And the answer is, I didn’t.  The hunt I went on in Texas was for writers to test out products for possible review. The manufacturers send us out in the field and often hand us gear that costs more that many of us might normally spend.  The Benelli M2 with the Bushnell red dot that I tested in Texas  costs around $1300-plus dollars. 

Now, I actually have a Benelli M2 that I set up as my waterfowl gun and I love it. The reduced recoil is a welcomed attribute as I reach the core of middle age and nurse a torn rotator cuff. The gun is actually the first $1,000 auto that I’ve owned.

As for my home turf turkey gun, it’s a Remington 870 Express that I bought for $180 back in 1990. It has been spray painted several times and had some custom choke work. The gun has killed more than 50 turkeys in five states.

In the next few months, I will install the permanently mounted Bushnell red dot that I tested in Texas. My homebody M2 will remain scope-free for duck hunting, and yes, my less-than-$200 Remington will remain my main implement for long beards. Check out the photo of my 870, which appeared in the March issue of Field & Stream in 2002. Hit the comment bar and tell us how much you think a good turkey gun should cost.