The Woods

Hammock Camping

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I’ve been thinking this summer of doing more hammock camping. The idea would be to pack a small day pack with some food, the hammock, matches, flashlight, and maybe a backup battery pack for smartphone (for music/entertainment). I would hike back along a trail somewhere, find a place to spend the night along the trail, build a fire, cook on a small lightweight frying pan.

I did something similar for Memorial Day Weekend 2023, when I camped up on Cole Hill State Forest. It was a lot of fun, not too much work to set up and take down. Some nice sunsets and evenings in the woods, with a very simple camping set up and good meals cooked over a small open fire. I should consider other state forests and land around where I can do something similar.

I’ve stayed away from doing a lot of backpacking in the past, because i have memories of camping in Boy Scouts, where a night in the woods meant a heavy pack, loaded down with gear, and a tired back after hours of walking int he wilderness. But I don’t think I need to bring big pack frame with me for most trips, I could go much lighter, and camp much more minimally especially during warm summer nights.

Hammock Camping on Cole Hill

How Much Tigers Weigh and Other Interesting Striped Cat Facts

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How Much Tigers Weigh and Other Interesting Striped Cat Facts

We're seeing a lot of talk about tigers in the news right now thanks to the hit Netflix documentary series "Tiger King" about the captive breeding of these big cats. We won't dig into that show, or its colorful characters and weird conspiracies here.

We have noticed that people have plenty of burning questions about this cat species and today we will attempt to answer them.

Coyotes, rats, others, adapt amid human isolation trends in urban areas — Furbearer Conservation

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Coyotes, rats, others, adapt amid human isolation trends in urban areas — Furbearer Conservation

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic currently sweeping through North America, stay-at-home mandates in all major cities are leaving city streets far more empty than normal; and its got many urban-adapted wildlife species making more brazen moves in mankind’s absence.

Its clear the change in societal patterning is having a ripple effect surpassing just the focal point of a virus spread.

While much of the American populous is practicing social distancing, other creatures are taking full advantage of the dampened human presence in urban settings.

Leading the next fur renaissance? — Furbearer Conservation

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The Wily Coyote: Leading the next fur renaissance? — Furbearer Conservation

Let’s face it, the fur industry hasn’t been what it was decades ago. The decline in an American “fur boom” through the 1990’s has coincidentally coincided with an increase in wildlife conflict across North America; especially with one wild canid in particular. The coyote has managed to outlast and outwit mankind’s old-world attempts at eradication and broad-scale control. It has also been quite the topic of discussion from coast to coast over the last few years. Few critters can lay claim to the adaptability and resiliency the coyote has cast upon rural and urban America.