Crisp October weather makes for pleasant hiking, whether you're enjoying fall colors or hunting for game. A little extra consideration for your feet can help make sure the pleasant walk doesn't turn into an agonizingly painful ordeal.

A blister occurs when a small area of skin is repeatedly rubbed with enough force to injure underlying cells. These injured cells secrete clear fluid or blood under the skin creating a tender vesicle. If the force and friction continues the vesicle will often break to form a painful erosion. Blisters can be prevented. The main points to consider in blister prevention include: reduce pressure points, minimize friction, and keep skin dry.

One of the easiest ways to reduce pressure points is to wear properly fitting shoes. The right size and the right width is essential. Consider the thickness of sock you plan to wear with the shoes before you make your purchase. You'll need more room for thick wool hunting socks than you would with thin dress socks. Take time to "break-in" the shoes by wearing them around the house. This will give you a chance to discover any pressure points on your feet that you may need to pad when you actually hike in the shoes.

There are several ways to minimize friction and the resulting damage to tissue. Coating feet with petroleum jelly or A & D before applying socks lubricates the skin and helps to reduce friction and the chance of blister formation. Although cotton socks were long thought the best footwear, it's been found that cotton fibers swell from sweat, become more binding, and in fact contribute to friction blisters. Synthetic socks like acrylic and polypropylene and wool socks are more resilient than cotton. The extra bounce these fibers have help to diminish friction.

Placing moleskin, a bandage, or sports tape on popular blister spots can help reduce friction and pressure to tissues. Double layer socks, with the inner layer of a wicking fabric, can also help to prevent friction on the foot itself.

Prolonged moisture against skin softens the outer layer and reduces the ability to protect against injury. Thus, wet feet injure more quickly. Once again, cotton socks are not the best choice since they absorb foot sweat and result in constant moisture exposure. Synthetic socks made of acrylic, polypropylene, or wool actually wick moisture away from the skin. If your feet sweat heavily, plan on a complete sock change. The wet socks can be hung from your pack to dry. Or you may try a dusting of corn starch in your socks and shoes to help keep feet dry. Some claim that soaking the feet in epsom salts reduces the amount of sweating. And lastly, the military claims using a heavy-duty antiperspirant on the feet will reduce moisture and the incidence of blisters. Take the time to experiment to find out what works best for you. Prevention is always the least painful and least expensive medicine!

If you do happen to get a blister, treatment depends on its size and location. Small blisters usually heal with minor treatment. Stop the forceful friction and/or cushion the site and do not open the blister. The epidermal roof acts as a natural barrier to infection. Larger blisters--more than 1 cm in diameter--may create additional pressure and skin injury, so consider draining them.

The following guidelines should help you safely drain a blister while minimizing the risk of infection. (Keep in mind that any time you puncture or open the skin you also open a path for bacteria to enter!)

~ Swab blister area with rubbing alcohol and let air dry.
~ Sterilize a needle (sewing needle works) for 10 seconds in a flame.
~ Puncture the edge of the blister near the skin. The smaller hole the better.
~ Apply gentle pressure to squeeze out fluid.
~ Do not remove or rub off the top of the blister.
~ Apply antibiotic ointment, but avoid alcohol or iodine.
~ Cover with sterile gauze or bandaid.
~ Discard needle into sturdy plastic or metal container.
~ Wash the area with soap and water at least daily and apply new ointment and bandage.
~ If pus or redness develop, seek medical attention.

Although blistered feet can turn a leisurely stroll into a limping nightmare, you have the power to avoid or at least minimize this agony. Plan ahead with proper footwear, quality socks, and adequate moisture protection. Until next time...Maggie.

Have you visited "Crazy Captions" lately? Check out this month's photo and the hilarious captions we've received so far. Don't forget to send us YOUR "Crazy Caption"! The more the merrier! http://www.backwoodsbound.com/funphotos.html

BUILDING A TEEPEE CAMPFIRE

Chilly fall evenings call for cozy warm campfires. A teepee fire is the very best fire for quick lighting. It puts out a tremendous amount of heat, even with a relatively small fire, and is quite easy to maintain around your campsite.

Follow these steps:
Bunch up a ball of frayed bark, dried grasses, and tiny twigs from a pine tree, evergreen, or other available tree along with your fire-starting materials if you have them.

Lay very small twigs and sticks -- not much larger than kindling -- against one another and over the ball to form a teepee shape.

Leave a small opening through which you can place the match to ignite the fire. Continue adding more wood, gradually longer and thicker (up to the width of two fingers).

Maintain the shape of a teepee at all times.

Once the teepee is built to your satisfaction, carefully strike a match, shield it from the wind, and place it next to the waiting ball of kindling to ignite it.

The perfect fire every time!

A typical summer Saturday morning at the fuel pumps brings tournament anglers together early in the morning scurrying to be the first to the lake. As I fuel up my boat the question gets asked, “How’s the bass biting?” I respond with truthful humility, “ Been great we are catching lots of keepers every day and today should be no different.” With a glimmer of hope in his eye the burly angler asks, “ What you catching them on?” I reply carefully, “Finesse worms with split shots and drop shots.” The burly man says, “ I can’t throw that finessey type stuff, I don’t even have a pole that light. Besides that, if they don’t bite my jig and pig they ain’t bass enough for me.” I say to the unconfident man, “How about a jigging spoon, that’s what we are catching the big ones on.” He gruffly replies, “I ain’t jiggin no dang spoon all day.” I shake my head and know he’s a lost cause. “Well good luck then!” I say, knowing he’ll need it.

This is the typical Macho Bass Man Attitude! This man dreams about throwing his extra heavy action, double fast taper, flipping stick, with #50 pound test spider wire. Horsing that bass out of the brush, flying into the boat before it even twitches. The bass is so stunned from the reaction that it lays there motionless until the angler tosses it in the livewell.

Get real, Macho Bass Man! Fishing has changed a lot over the period of a few years. Along with the growth of the sport and fishing tournaments that silly little green bass has become conditioned to the easy presentations that the Macho Bass Man offers. No matter what people think, bass aren’t smart. They just become conditioned to presentations that are slammed in front of them every day. Bass are like any other animal in this sense. Dogs are a perfect example. To teach a dog to do something you do it repetitively. You think your dog is smart, but it is just conditioned to react the way you want when you present it with a certain object or food.

Meanwhile in my office (ZX250 Skeeter) my clients and I are moving in on the next honey hole. I point to the underwater tree. One client drops a jigging spoon down to a tree in 105 ft of water. “Am I on the bottom already?” my client asks. “Set the Hook!” I shout. And wham! The medium action Grandt Rod is doubled over. Drag stripping the #8 test line. I shout to my other client, “Drop your spoon now! Drop, drop, drop, (line stops) set it! Wham! There goes his rod, another doubleheader on the jigging spoon.

Before you know it 2 - 3+ pound plus spotted bass twins are lifted into the boat and high fives are going around. This is very typical of the jigging spoon action. Double headers are the norm. I think to myself, “Boy if that guy at the gas station could see us now.”

Jigging spoons, Drop Shots and Split Shots are all techniques that require you to leave the Macho Bass Man attitude at home. I use these deepwater techniques on Table Rock Lake Reservoir near Branson, Missouri. They demand a desire to learn new tactics and lower your self to the finesse fisherperson’s level. Did I say lower? I meant raise your self to the level of the finesse fisherperson. Learning new techniques means change and for a lot of us change is difficult.

Do-Nothing Finesse fishing is a skill I, and others have refined over the past few years and it puts bass in the boat. Most fish this method with a drop shot. This rig works very well. There has even been some controversy over this type of fishing. Some call it trolling or strolling. In my opinion it just an excuse to use against a method that is very effective. I use the split shot rig the same way. I lower it to the depth the bass are located at and just hold it there. Typically on any guide trip with a husband and wife, the wife catches the most bass. She has the patience to just hold the split shot steady. All of a sudden I hear, “I got one!” When the bass bite the finesse worm there is a subtle tap or nothing but a steady pull. You give the bass time to eat the worm then rip them lips!

Good electronics are the key to this type of fishing. My Skeeter boat is equipped with a Pinpoint 7520 and the perfect match to it a Pinpoint 3700 trolling motor with 5 transducers.

The sensitivity of this unit is so fine that you can see a split shot and finesse worm separated by only 8 inches. I feel confident that my Pinpoint electronics put more bass in the boat for my clients. So confident that I guarantee to my clients they will catch fish.

The key to using good electronics is knowing what you see on that screen. Realizing that what you see is real. The thing that was helpful to me was learning what I was seeing using an underwater video camera. When you use the camera you can tell at what depth the camera is at and then really see what you depth finder is telling you. I was shocked when the guy with the camera dropped the cable and said, ”Holy cow look at all the bass!” I have a lot of confidence in my Pinpoint 7520 and would be lost with out it. Every day we catch bass that we see and sometimes watch them come to the lure and hit it. Some clients say it’s like playing a video fishing game.

Deepwater fishing can be some of the most rewarding fishing you could ever do. All it takes is someone to show you how or have the patience to learn your self. Teaching these techniques has proven to be a successful tactic to use with my guide service. Even the novice angler can learn these techniques readily. These techniques I learned only after getting frustrated getting my butt kicked continually by the lake experts that used these tactics. The years they started doing this the only thing we had that showed fish were paper charts. Now with electronics moving to a superior level some LCR’s can do the same as a paper graph does. Now all you got left to do is, Get Rid Of That Macho Bass Man Attitude.
Rick La Point
Rick's Chauffeured Guide Service
www.strikebass.com

It's October 15th and I hope all of you have received your newsletter. Now tell the truth. How many of you went out bow hunting this past weekend and put out some Tink's 69 Doe in Estrus scent? Why did you do that? There are no does in heat for at least another 20 to 30 days. Did you bang the antlers together and blow on grunt calls? Why? This behavior will not kick in for at least another week or so. These are just some of the common mistakes hunters make when using calls and scents.

Let's look at some of the various calls and scents that are available and talk about the best time to use them so they coincide with the deer's behavior patterns. This will be much more natural to the deer and will make you a better hunter. Now remember, nothing is foolproof, and using Tink's 69 in early October might bring in a curious young buck. But chances are most times it will alarm deer in your area. I can only tell you what I have observed over the years and what works best for me, in the Midwest.

Early October 1st through the 15th - At this time of year, you will start to see some rubs. The bucks are starting to strengthen their necks for fighting. It is best to hunt food sources at this time. If you have a fawn bleat, you can call in does and a buck may be curious, but that's about it. I usually put out some curiosity lures at this time. Primetime 2 Drop Supreme is a good example, it does not scare the deer and they like the smell, they will even come up and try to lick it.

October 15th through the 22nd - Some very lithe rattling, nothing to aggressive and some Lite Soft Grunting is okay at this time. I also use a Trail Drag with Doe Urine on it as I walk to my stand (Notice: I said Doe Urine, not Doe Estrus). October 23rd through the 31st - The bucks are really starting to dislike each other and fights will break out, so a little more aggressive rattling and grunting is okay at this time. You should start seeing some scrapes and if you find an active one, I would definitely set up there. Some Buck Lure, Tarsal Gland, and Doe Urine will work okay at this time.

November 1st through the 10th - The bucks are really searching for hot does and now is the time to use Doe in Heat or Doe Estrus Lures. At this time of year I like to use Doe in Estrus Bleats (the best one I have found is Primos Easy Estrus Bleat in the Can) immediately followed by grunting. This will do the trick and is a deadly combination. This is also the time of year to stay on the stand all day. The bucks will be cruising.

November 11th through the 20th - the rut is in full bloom. I put out tons of Doe In Heat Estrus Lure, Grunt and Doe Bleat like crazy and wait for the big one to arrive. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't, but it is always fun being there to find out.

I should mention that no matter what time of the year, I always use scent elimination sprays (Scent-a-way) etc. And I use Coon Urine on my boots while getting to and from my stand.

I'm Kenny, I hope I help you put a deer in your freezer this year, and as always, will keep you in my corner.