Stump-Fire, Wetterlings & Lunch?

Odd combination? Not really.

I enjoy a decent lunch when I'm bummin' around the backwoods and I really like my Wetterlings pocket axe, I'm not a fan of cooking over a campfire on the ground. It's not really hard to do or challenging I just prefer cooking off the ground, so I decided to combine my favorite lunch fire, which I call a "stump-fire", my pocket axe and lunch!

I am really fond of Wetterlings whole line of axes but particularly their Hunters Axe and their small axe. Wetterlings is actually owned by Gransfors Bruks, from what I understand they bought Wetterlings a few years back. The Gransfors axes as well as Wetterlings are made in Sweden, hand forged in the old way. While these axes are similar they are not identical, the Gransfors come with a little more polish and fine finishing while the Wetterlings is slightly less so it is still fully functional and a fine piece. At roughly half the cost of a Gransfors they are also a great bargain.

My Small axe and Small Hunters axe:

The small axe, I also call it a pocket axe, is 10 1/4" overall with a 5 1/4" axe head and a 2 3/4" cutting edge it weighs 1.2 pounds. It is a very nice small and handy package.

The small hunters axe is 15 1/4" overall with a 5 7/8" axe head and a 2 7/8" cutting edge, it weighs two pounds four ounces.

Both are nice in the hand, both arrived shaving sharp though having hand axes that sharp is certainly not necessary.

From Wetterlings:

The history of Wetterlings started over 100 years ago. On a spring day in 1882 the engineer Otto Wetterling disembarked from a train in Storvik Sweden. For several years he had studied the production of axes in the USA. His brother, Sven Axel Wetterling had earlier started producing axes on a small scale in a forge in Storvik. His company was named S. A. Wetterlings Manufacturer, or, in short, S. A. W.

Otto Wetterling immediately became supervisor. Using ideas gained from the new country, and craftsmanship and experience from the old, the brothers created a piece of legendary industrial history. Since then the forge has been in uninterrupted use for almost 125 years.

Today, 10 people proudly continue the tradition of producing world class axes. The forge is in Storvik twenty kilometers west of Sandviken. An area in Sweden where people since time for the vikings have worked with iron.

Wetterling Axes are hand forged from quality Swedish steel alloyed from iron, carbon, silicon, manganese and vanadium. Hand forging uses presses that deliver many blows, making the axe edges stronger than if they were drop forged. The special axe steel alloy makes high quality hardening possible. After grinding, hardening and tempering, the Wetterling axes keep a Rockwell hardness of 57-58. These are the main reasons the Wetterling axes hold a keen edge with good "string" longer than most axes.

The handles are lathed from American hickory. The best stress capacity and resistance to blows make hickory the wood of choice for good axe handles.

An axe from Wetterlings is made to last. With a little care, your axe could last forever.

I prefer stump-fires for quick backwoods lunches, I find them easier to build, nicer to work from, require less maintenance and are easier to cook over. Pretty simple concept really, and if you live near old logging country you'll find plenty of stumps. In my case when coursing my own backwoods I've got several lunch and campsites where I have easy access to stumps.

Using my small axe I cut, chop, and carve out the center into the rough shape of a bowl, including a channel cut on one side that allows good air access as well as a good spot to use the firesteel, more on that in a moment. Here is what the stump with the axe work done looks like:

Once I have the rough bowl shape I put in a layer of Birch bark, doesn't take much and where I live it is quite abundant. On this I lay in my tender, more small slivers of Birch bark, ground leaves, and in this case some cuts of cattail as seen here:

Using the axe I just trim about a 1/4" to a 1/2" off the cattail, it'll expand if it is dry and look like this:

Once you have this you lay it in with the rest of the tender, all in place it looks like this:

Using the small axe and my firesteel, couple strokes is usually all it takes, get the coal, blow it a bit and shebang, fire!

Feed this with twigs, more Birch bark and so on till it's running good. Add a few larger pieces and let it burn down into the bowl.

This will burn down into the bowl making a nice bed of coals, the edges of the stump are still good and solid, this makes a nice cooking platform.

Now, those lovely treasure boxes provided by my chickens just this morning, on my way out.

All down hill from here, the small Wetterlings axe is approved for Backwoods Kitchen USE!

Like I said, nothing quite like a good backwoods lunch, something to be said for enjoying it having made it with tools that have become close friends. The Wetterling Small Axe is a joy to carry and use, something that is always on my side when I go backwoods bummin'.

P.S. The leather blade cover for the axe also doubles as a handy pot holder seen here.

Bummin' About the Backwoods

Was a great day to be out, wind a little high out of the south but was an outstanding day. I decided to check out the old beaver pond a pretty good piece into the back country behind me. Believe there is still a young beaver in there though there was a lot of pretty old beaver sign. The pond has shrunk over the years. Still, it was good to see fresh sign.

After moving across the old beaver dam I headed north and deeper into the backwoods. Found some really nice fresh buck rubs, followed the line to a bedding area I didn't know was there. Will make for some nice midday stalking.

Archery season for deer opens on the 18th of September. Really got the fever now, leaves are turning, weather is changing, fall is rolling in with winter right behind. I love this time of year.

Update on the cedar arrows...

Yep, they work just fine.

Cedar & Longbows

So long as the new moon returns in heaven a bent, beautiful bow, so long will the fascination of archery keep hold of the hearts of men.
– The Witchery of Archery Maurice Thompson 1878

While I enjoy my longbows and their simple majesty, the warmth of the wood and the beauty of the extravagant grain patterns, it is the mystical flight of the feathered arrow that truly mesmerizes me.

Long ago I started building my own arrows. I've tried about every shaft material known, from aluminum, carbon, fiberglass, and several types of wood I keep coming back to cedar. Certainly the modern mass produced with incredible tolerances shafts are perfectly straight, perfectly round and perfectly well perfect. The reality is for me, I cannot shoot better than cedar shafts can be shot. That is to say, I can shoot as well with cedar arrows I've built as I can with more modern materials. I love the smell and warmth of cedar, I like working with it and I love the way they fly. To be sure, modern materials fly every bit as well, they just lack a certain something for me and since I shoot just as well with all materials, I shoot what I like the most.

I'm not an artisan, first to admit it.
I do make a serviceable arrow that I am not afraid to put down range.
I know there are folks who build nicer arrows and I am sure there are other ways to do it. What follows is how I do it, it's what works for me and how I like to do it.

Shafts-

I like tapered cedar. Why a tapered shaft? A shaft tapered on the nock end allows the arrow to pass through paradox with less lateral movement of the point end. This allows the arrow to recover more quickly. The tapered nock end also moves the center of gravity forward yielding a better flight characteristic. The taper also reduces pressure on the bow from the nock end of the arrow greatly reducing feather wear and tear. The rear taper also helps getting weight forward of center which also helps with flight.

In my case all of my bows draw the same weight, so all of my arrows are shafts/arrows are matched to that, spine weight of 60-65 pounds. I'm not going to explain spine, FOC and numerous other terms in this segment. If you are unfamiliar with the terms, GOOGLE is your friend.

Start with staining. In this case I'm using Cabot Redoak. I don't cut my arrows to length until after they are finished and read for point or broad head mounting. This gives me several inches on the end of the shaft that I can use to handle the shaft, by hand while dipping or staining, and when hanging to dry.

Hang to dry, in my case I hang 'em close to the wood stove in my shop, speeds the drying time up dramatically. Just some bowstring stretched tight and some quick-clips or clothespins do the trick.

Once the stain is dry, I dip them in a water based acrylic sealer. This stuff is great as it has no flash point, no odor, dries extremely fast and is very easy to work with. I've only found this particular type at www.3riversarchery.com and I highly recommend it. I use it in conjunction with a large dipping tube. After dipping hang to dry again, just like after staining.

While the first coat of acrylic is drying I'll usually go ahead and get my nocks, feathers, points and so on together and ready. I cut my own feathers so I put the drying time to good use.

In this case I'll be cutting feathers in the low profile banana fletch pattern. I have severa little chopper feather cutters in different patterns but I've really fallen for the banana fletch. Seems the industry is all about smaller and smaller feathers or vanes, I just really like the banana fletch.

Pretty simple to use. Load the full size feather into the cutter, align the points and square up the whole thing. Whack it with a mallet and out pops a perfectly cut feather every time.

-At this point the first dipped arrow is dry, usually hit it with some steel wool and re-dip it if it needs a second coat. If not I'll go ahead and put the nock on.
When I do put the nocks on I usually put on the cap.I used to go to the trouble of cap dipping, the practice of dipping the final 8 to 10" of the arrow into a colored paint. Time consuming and messy for me. These cap wraps are adhesive backed vinyl type material. Very easy to apply, quick, no mess, catching visually and last a long long time. In the five years of using them I've never had one peel off or fade. I have arrows five years old that still look new. Another great product.

Once I've cut the feathers I go to the Bitzenburger fletching jig, a tried and true jig that's been around for a very long time. I've had mine for close to twenty years and it still functions flawlessly. Pretty basic to use, once you have it set up. Place the cut fletch into the clamp, apply your adhesive or fletching tape, make sure the nock adapter is set correctly. Place the arrow in the jig, mount the clamp magnet and boom, perfectly placed fletch.



At this point I want to talk about adhesives. When I got started I used Bohning fletching glue and while it worked and I used it for years it wasn't ideal. Couple years ago I decided to try Bohning Fletching Tape, basically a very thin two sided tape with a thin filament backing. You strip the filament off with a sharp knife after you have applied it to the feather. I was skeptical in the beginning, but after building upwards of twelve dozen arrows and using them in all kinds of weather I must say I am thoroughly impressed with this product. Use is a breeze, no drying time, holds like you wouldn't believe. GREAT PRODUCT!

Finished fletching:

Time to cut to length and taper for the head.


I like the Tru-Center taper tool. I don't remember when I got mine exactly, or how many dozens of arrows I've used it on. Suffice it to say, it's a good tool that will last for a lifetime of arrows.

I used Kimsha Quick-Stick for the point adhesive. I like it better than normal hotmelt or fereltite because it does not get brittle in extreme cold. Other hotmelts I've tried tend to get very brittle when it's super cold. I live in Northern Minnesota, it get's a wee bit cold here. The Kimsha stick remains somehwhat flexible in any temperature.

Final set in the quiver.


















First group with the new set, about 24 yards was the shot distance. As you can see the group wasn't bad with 2 that were slightly out. In the second image you can see the Woodsman broad heads where they exited the worn out bear target. All of them wreaking havoc through the hear/lungs area. Can't ask for much more than that.

Steger Moosehide Mukluks

"STOP RUINING YOUR WOOL SOCKS", my wife shouted from the laundry room.

I've got this thing for spot and stalk hunting, and usually once I've gotten into one hundred yards or so I slip my boots off and finish the stalk in my socks. Another reason in my opinion to wear heavy wool socks, not only are they warm they are quite durable. Still ticks the better half off though.

So earlier this year I was looking into suitable footwear, something to help me save socks that would also provide extreme stealth as well as all around protection. Generally speaking there are three types of boots in my closet. Danner, multiple flavors mostly all uninsulated; Schnee's pack boots, and Gander Mountain's 18" Fanatic with 1,000 grams Wool Plus insulation & 200 grams Breath Right Ultra insulation. When it comes to boots, I've gone through more than my fair share in search of the elusive perfect boot. Many have come close but usually just not quite right for everything. Once I accepted that I started buying rather specific purpose built boots.

I live in northern Minnesota where temperatures can get pretty extreme on the cold side of things, I also drop into the Dakotas from time to time for mule deer and antelope. Winter before last we hit a new record here, -47F with 35 to 45mph wind. Now that was cold!

Back on track, sock saving and stalking.
I decided to try a pair of Steger's Mukluks, I'd seen the ads for them on the billboards between my home up north, on the way to the Twin Cities. I had noticed they were right here in Minnesota, Ely Minnesota to be exact. I also went to their website;

http://www.mukluks.com/

While browsing around there I found a very intriguing story.

"Camuks™ rubberized sole style was originally developed by Steger Mukluks for the 1989/90 Trans-Antarctica Expedition. The 6 International members of that expedition team had to endure temperatures ranging from 30 F above down to minus -50 F over a 7 month period. We successfully kept their feet warm and comfortable in these survival boots during this entire expedition. Last fall one of the Trans-Antarctica Expedition Managers contacted us and asked if we would make another pair of the rubberized mukluks for him. He’d been hunting in his original pair from 1989 for the past almost 20 years and decided it was time to ask for an new pair, and by the way....would we put a camouflage gaiter on them with StrapLocks instead of the leather laces and ties? The result is Camuks™. We’ve intensely tested Camuks™ over the past year for durability, waterproofness, blend into the terrain, lightweight, warmth, quiet....very quiet... and a sole that allows you to feel more of the ground than any other boot on the market. We believe there isn’t another pair of hunting boots or survival boots on the market that can rival Camuks."

Well I had to take a look at them, so that weekend the wife and I drove the short drive down to Ely. See I was interested in the foot material, rubberized moosehide? They take a moosehide, and apply this strange rubberized compound to it, increasing durability while maintaining superb flexibility. It also meant additional scent control, for those of you that hunt you understand scent control.

Here is a link directly to the Camuks.
http://www.camuks.com

We were greeted at the door with a smile and the service after that was everything you could want. While I was there for a specific product my wife and I enjoyed exploring the store. Very nice products and I've promised myself to go back for a pair of their -100F mits, a story for another time eh.

Well I bought a pair of the Camuks and I've been wearing them off and on since then. Been kinda warm this year so until recently I had not had a chance to put some real mileage into them. We just had our first frost of the year two nights ago and we've been barely into the 50s since, with lows near freezing or so all week. I love this time of year!

I'm a traditional bowhunter, have been for years. Love my longbow and cedars, stump shooting is one of my favorite hobbies. So I strapped up the Camuks and started my rounds. Covered about five or six miles a day for the past week. What follows are my initial thoughts and I am planning on a deep winter review as well.



Quiet.
Just flat quiet, I figured they'd be quiet since they were very soft. They kind of envelop rocks, twigs and so on and they really let you feel the ground before you put all of your weight down. SUPER light weight too! They weigh 1.37 pounds each, a far cry from the Schnee's at nearly 5 pounds EACH!




The soles are, for lack of a better word, "gummy", traction was quite good. In addition the open tread did not pick up debris, mud simply sloughed off. The sole sort of just wrapped around objects, even if a twig or small branch broke it was muffled.



The uppers were a nice soft fabric, breathable but water resistant, much like a set of gaiters except they were soundless when they touched or rubbed against something.




The wool insert is removable and every bit as heavy as the Schnee's version. I bought an extra set so I can trade them off every couple days, gives the damp ones time to dry, and at only $6.00 a set!!! I couldn't resist. They are also made in Ely Minnesota.



I'm quite pleased with the boots so far, I'll definitely know more later in the year. Our early season archery opens on September 18th and I will certainly be wearing these.

As for the practice, it went well too!



They also passed the up on the work bench in my shop test.