Wildlife Wall Decor

While some might say a welcome sign is a bit of an archaic form of courtesy, in truth it still has a lot of modern appeal.  Welcome signs have existed for centuries and are a part of American culture and several other cultures around the world.  You can find a vast assortment of different welcome signs for use both indoors and outdoors.  One of the most common locations to place a welcome sign is on the front door, or on the side of the house near the front door.  Outdoor welcome signs should be made of metal or solid wood, and be able to withstand inclement weather without fading.  Indoors, you might place a welcome sign on the wall next to the front door, at the top or bottom of the stairs (in split level homes) or at some location visible when entering the house. 

Welcome signs give a home a more traditional feel and might serve to put guests at ease when coming to your home.  In addition, for new home owners, welcome signs make a fantastic gift that can serve to turn a new house into a home. 

Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett both listed the Grizzly Bear and the Brown Bear as a separate specie, and I agree!  Yet many bear experts claim that they are the same.  Now that might be true to a scientist, but I have never seen a Grizzly Bear stand more than 8′ tall and weigh more than 1500 pounds.  The Alaskan Brown Kodiak Bear, on the other hand, can weigh in at 2500 pounds and will stand as high as 14′ tall.  The two bears are even built differently.  I have seen both bears stuffed and both very much alive, and it’s my opinion that they are different.  It’s like comparing a mustang horse to a donkey.  They are similar but not the same specie! 

The habitat of the Grizzly Bear ranges into the northwestern states of WA, ID, WY, MT, and the Dakotas, as well as the western provinces of Canada.   The current population of the Grizzly is estimated near 32,000 with 95 percent being located in Alaska.

How do you stay alive in the great outdoors if you experience an accident or get caught in a storm or blizzard?  What can you do to maintain your body temperature without food or water until you are rescued? To consider this and other survival questions, give yourself a break and read the Field & Stream magazine, Survival Issue, February, 2009.  The information is life saving, and the stories are real!  “The Searchers” is the title of the article on pages 48-57.

Here are a few examples:  On page 50, you find that a 33-gallon plastic trash bag will protect you from chill factor.  On page 52, you learn how to keep your cell phone or locator beacon dry with a Ziploc Baggie.  On page 54, light weight game bags do more than keep the flies off your deer meat, they make great splints and also help to ignite an emergency fire.

This is the kind of reading that just might save your life, or it just might save the life of a dear friend or family member.  SO . . . GET IT DONE!  Friend!

How would you feel about being mauled by a 500 lb Grizzly Bear?  Frankly, my memory would be flooded with the smell of the beast, the rush of my emotions as my body came into contact with his fur, the pain of his teeth on my head, and the cut from claws being raked across my flesh.

This is the forgiving attitude of Ron Leming, an Elk hunter from Wyoming.  He doesn’t blame the Bear for the attack.  Ron’s father had the presence of mind and the skill with the bow and arrow to put the Bear down before it killed his son Ron.  What an experience they had together while tracking Elk for their home’s wild life decor, wall trophy, and/or Elk steaks.

How do we respond?  Are Bear attacks on the rise?  Read about it in the Outdoor Life magazine, March 2009, pages 44-50.  Teddy Roosevelt would say that the Bear is the Spirit of America. 

Sometimes campers, hikers, hunters and fishermen working in or exploring the great outdoors come home with little red chigger bites on their body.  What can you do to get rid of these lil’ buggers, and what do they look like?

For a sneak peek at this wildlife image just visit the Outdoor Life magazine, March 2009, page 7.  Some of the cures listed are very interesting: “Take a bath with two cupfuls of Pine O Pine,” says George Brady of Texas.  Try a hot bath with a cup of chlorine bleach, or dab a little Chiggerex or Chigarid on the red spots.  Have you tried applying Preparation H Hydrocortisone cream, or aloe vera gel, or clear fingernail polish? 

My lifetime cure for bites, small cuts and scratches (handed down by my granddad ) is pure gum turpentine.

Building a wood shed in the backyard is not as complex a process as some people would tend to think.  Most people would love to have a little extra space in the backyard for storage, and a backyard shed is a great way to accomplish this.  The metal sheds offered from retailers can be ugly and quite expensive, but the truth is you can build a wood shed in your own backyard with just a few simple tools and a few afternoons.  You can purchase all the supplies for a wood shed in a convenient package at most hardware stores.  You will need a few standard tools like a nail gun or electric screwdriver, level, measuring tape, and ladder, but these can be rented if you don’t have them around the house.

If you purchased your wood shed in a package from a hardware store, then simply follow the instructions for assembly.  If you purchased the raw materials, then you can certainly find instructions online.  Once the shed is assembled, don’t be afraid to add some of your own unique style.  Tack some metal wall art to the side of the shed, or put some wildlife images on the doors.  This will give it a rustic appeal that will make it appear much more than a storage unit for gardening tools. 

The northern Idaho streams in the summer months are still frigid.  Therefore, I can imagine how killing-cold the flowing streams are following winter months in the high Rocky Mountains during spring thaw.  Suppose you choose to go Trout fishing in these frigid conditions; be aware of the risks involved.  There is an article in the Outdoor Life magazine, March 2009, page 24, that spells out these risks and gives you steps in avoiding an accident while fishing in fast moving frigid waters.

Always be prepared, be strong, be careful, and be sure to bring home that trophy wall art to decorate your den or office.

There is more to hunting the elusive whitetail deer than just picking out a rifle, ammunition, and tags.  You must be able to see the animal, so get a strong enough scope or binoculars with good range and adjustments, especially if you’re hunting in the dry lands for the Coues Deer found in the Sonora high desert of Old Mexico.

Don’t miss researching this article in the Outdoor Life magazine, June/July, 2008, pages 74-81.  It’s a must read with great scenery.  The story is written by John B. Snow, and the photos are by Jed Conklin.  Once you’ve seen this article, you then realize how difficult it is to see the Coues deer . . . it’s so camouflaged by the landscape.

One of my favorite landscapes in America is the panoramic eastern view of the Grand Teton mountain range.  I visualize a lodgepole pine fence, a log cabin, horses, deer, elk, and buffalo all grazing on green pastures.  A variety of tall evergreen trees enrich the background and finally, snow covered Grand Tetons rise into a partly cloudy azure sky, and this outdoor image becomes my internal place of rest.  The scene is Jackson Hole Valley, where cold water streams and lakes are populated with fighting fish, and both Snake River and Yellowstone River host many sporting and photo events.

Hunting, camping, or fishing in western Wyoming is a lifetime experience one never forgets.  I still remember the sounds of buffalo as they wandered through the campsite just outside my tent.  I could hear their breathing snorts and the rustling snapping of twigs as they gave way to their massive woolly bodies, proving their dominance in this valley.  This experience also brought my soul closer to the native spirits who dwell there continually from centuries past.

When a living experience becomes only a memory, melancholy can sometimes slip into sadness.  One specific event I’m reminded of was when I took my boy on a chartered fishing boat off the Washington State coast at Westport in 1977.  It was a family outing, including my Dad and 14 other fishermen.  I caught the first Silver Salmon, at 16 pounds, around 7:30 AM.  My son caught a 17-pound Silver at mid-day.  Dad had a few bites but no fish.  I had no bites either for the rest of the day.  Approximately six fish total had been caught.  That afternoon, at 3:30 PM, while reeling in and heading for shore, I hooked a 29-pound King Salmon.  It was the largest salmon caught that trip, and a thrilling experience worthy of a book.

Today, there is a different kind of sadness.  Salmon fishing has been suspended off the shores of the Pacific States: California, Oregon, and Washington.  There is once again a recorded shortage of native Salmon making their annual run from their spawning beds in Pacific coastal rivers. 

For more current information, read the article “Farewell to the King?” by Abigail Tucker in the Smithsonian magazine, October 2008, pages 84-95. When you read this, you too will understand my sadness, especially if you’ve have caught one of these magnificient King Salmon.