ISOutdoors
AUGUST 2014
enjoying the outdoors and sharing it with you
AUGUST 2014
CONTENT - Dog Day - Bow Hunting Pronghorn - Avoiding Color Confusion - Crankbaits For All Depts. - Teach Young to Fly Fish - Destination Nation - Hiking and Camping With Canine Brock RAY
Mark FRANKS
Don KIRK
Anna JONES
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If you are looking for a rumple, then plan a trip for striped bass at a tailwater river. by Ed Rivers
Summer fishing fun is never hotter than when you zero in on striped bass in a tailwater river. There is no mystery why striped bass stack up like cord wood in tailwater rivers. Mr. Lineside’s love for chow is never met more efficiently than anywhere else. Tailwaters are the water immediately below the turbines of large hydro stations where water boils
Interstate during releases. All manner of sh life in the upstream impoundment is sucked in, chopped and minced in the turbines, and then jettisoned downstream to the waiting striped bass. Striped bass stake out prime feeding spots. The bigger and meaner the lineside, the better chance it has it in terms of gorging at the smorgasbord in the churning current. During the summer when water is pulled to create electricity to power air conditioners, striped bass gather in seasonal high numbers in tailwater rivers. At this time big and small striped bass cluster in the deepest holes in the river; but those holes often are evenly spread throughout up to ten miles downstream from the dam. Tailwater river stripers school up during water releases, often moving in tightly compressed bunches through the increasing current to locate in prime feeding areas. There may be few such locations in smaller tailwaters and a dozen in larger ones such as along the Tennessee or Ohio rivers. If you catch a 40 pound blue from a honey hole, odds are that within a week or two another leviathan striped bass will occupy that vacant spot. Finding such spots is a bit of a hit or miss proposition even if
you are aided considerably with a quality depth nder, good memory, and plenty of time to learn the bottom of the tailwater river. You also need to learn to read the current. After you read current, you know where lots of striped bass might be so you can sh those spots to see what kind of structure lies below. That usually determines how many stripers can be there. Tailwater striped bass prey feed on live and dead forage sh. When bait sh such as alewives and shad pass through dam turbines they are either stunned or chopped into bite size munchies striped bass relish. In most tailwater rivers it’s rarely necessary to use anything but cut bait. This can be as simple as using a dead 5-inch gizzard shad with its tail removed to keep it from spinning. Use a #4 o to #2/0 sturdy hook. There are lots of snags in these ows, so bring lots of hooks. Weight your rig with 8-ounce bell sinkers that have a swivel on top. Egg sinkers don’t
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One of the most unique of all bowhunts, the whimsical pronghorn antelope is a quarry that is perfectly suited for getting your bowhunting season off with a bang. The first step is finding an outfitter who understands the watering secrets of the pronghorn antelope on their hunting land. After feeding in the warming light of morning they require a drink of water. In many of the dry ranchlands where these animals are abundant most water
holes are not naturally occurring. Rather, they are often the result of windmill pumping efforts. Outfitters excavate pit blinds around these water holes where two to three times a day a pronghorn antelope will come to quench their thirst. If you can shoot an arrow into a pie plate at 20 to 30 yard distances, when hunting here
Bowhunting For Pronghorns You can jump start your hunting season with a late season antelope hunt. by Brock Ray
your odds of killing a record book pronghorn antelope buck are no worse than 50/50. Pit blind hunting for pronghorn antelope is sometimes called cake walk easy, but it is anything but a sure thing. For starters, the weather needs to cooperate, which fortunately in the desert of northwestern Colorado it usually does. As a rule of thumb, the drier it is,
the better the hunting is. Dry weather makes these animals more dependent than ever on the water holes. Light rain or even a day of rainfall rarely impacts predictable pronghorn antelope movement patterns to the water holes. Conversely, when several weeks of heavy rain occurs it creates standing water and abundant drinking opportunities for the pronghorn which reduces visitation to the water holes. Pit blind
Interstate hunting gives bowhunters all of the advantages. Concealed from sight in dim light surrounded by intense, reective sunshine, it is impossible for the keen-eyed pronghorn antelope to see you there. Add to this the advantage of knowing these animals need to come to water to drink a couple times a day, and you have a wonderful bowhunting setup. In terms of intelligence, most wildlife behavior experts rate the pronghorn antelope well behind the white-tailed deer and the elk. The creatures of the wide open spaces of the western United States seem to rely on keen vision and hearing and a herd mentality where their incredibly nervous disposition is one of their most important assets for survival. While their popular name, pronghorn antelope seems to imply these animals are antelope, in reality they are not, at least in the same sense that a gazelle or impala are true antelope. The nearest genetic relative these animals have in North America, is the Rocky Mountain goat, another animal that is remarkably undistinguished for it intelligence. One of the smallest animals classi ed as big game, pronghorn antelope average
weight is 80 to 110 pounds. In my opinion their venison is good, somewhere in quality between whitetail and snapping turtle. The inky black, pronged horns of these animals are really not a horn at all, at least not in the technical de nition of the term. These so-called horns are really a super ber of hair which is shed annually and then re-grown. Pronghorn antelope are highly gregarious herd animals. When seen in groups of 5 to 15, you will notice that while some of them are grazing or watering, others are looking about, quickly moving their heads from side to side to detect trouble. Pronghorn antelope have a reputation for being as curious as they are nervous. One of the oldest methods for getting within shooting range of these bounding animals is staking a white handkerchief to a stick atop a hill where it will blow in the breeze. Sooner or later noisy pronghorn antelope will circle around, their curiosity aroused by
Interstate this new moving object in their world. Early season bowhunting for pronghorn antelope can be accomplished in three ways. There are always opportunities to spot-and-stalk wherever these animals reside. It is tough but can be done. These are very sight and audible oriented, relying on their noses far less than an elk or whitetail. When stalking, moving slowly with the sun to your back, using natural cover to hide you is usually the best approach during the early days of the hunting season. Windmill platform hunting is another popular method used by archers. It is a variation of water hole hunting, and o ers the advantage of seeing lots of animals moving about the sagebrush. Windmill platform hunting is fun--if you want to know how venison felt when the Indians were sun baking it into jerky. When windmill platform bowhunting you should always have two quarts of water and a quart of sun-block 100, or is it two quarts of sun-block 100 and a quart of water. Well, take along two quarts of each just in case. Pit blind bowhunting for pronghorn antelope is the easy way to go, just ask any-
one who has tried to spot-and-stalk or sit atop a windmill parching their brains. Of course, these cool, shaded abodes are not without hazard. While you are seated there looking out at the pronghorn antelope milling about in front of you like an Easter Day parade, remember that you do not have an exclusive lease on that comfortable blind. You are subject to acquiring roommate with diamondback-pattern hide and a rattler on its tail. Before entering a pit blind thoroughly check. Pit blinds are also more con ning than treestands. Bowhunters accustomed to pulling their bows by pushing the bow upward and the string down will discover that a pit blind does not have enough overhead space to permit this. Truthfully, if that is the only way you can draw your bow, you probably are shooting more poundage than your muscles can comfortably pull. A good rule of thumb for pulling a hunting bow is it should be possible for you to comfortably draw it while raising it between your legs. If you cannot do this, either reduce the poundage of your bow, or spend a few afternoons each week at your local gym pumping some iron.
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by Roger Brown, the Bass Coach How many of you anglers who walk into tackle shops, discount stores, K-Marts, WalMarts, etc., go straight
to the sporting goods department, then look for the shing rods sticking up in the air in order to zero in on the shing lures and plastic baits section? When you get there, you start looking over all of the enormous selections of all the di erent baits and di erent colors that
are o ered by the many bait companies that are on the market today. You’re not really sure of exactly what is needed, so “The Big Question” comes to mind; “What colors do I really need?” This is especially true when looking over all the plastic baits. Well, let me tell you a little secret that most anglers don’t know—you don’t need a multitude of colors in your arsenal. That’s right! You don’t need every color that you see! Now, some anglers may say, “well, my partner and I
use this certain color on this certain body of water, and it catches a lot of bass,” and others may say, “I saw this magazine article from one of the top pros, and he said to use this yellow, spotted, halfstriped, 7-inch, curly tail, oating thinga-ma-jig plastic made by so & so, and I saw a picture in the magazine of the 14 lb. bass he caught o it, so I’ve really got to have some of these.” Now before we get started, let me explain something to you—the bassin’ Industry is a multibillion dollar business in today’s world, and is growing more and more every
day. Most of the Pros that lecture at “Bass Seminars” have an obligation to their sponsors to demonstrate, promote, and advertise their sponsored product. (Nobody gives anything for free anymore!) For example, attend one of their shing seminars and just see if they don’t try to sell you on a “certain product,” or the technique that they may use with this “certain bait.” There are more outdoor TV shing shows, outdoor magazines (related to freshwater shing), bass tournament organizations, bass shing sites (on the world-wide web), bass shing clubs, bait and tackle manufacturers, bass boat manufacturers, rod companies, reel companies, and it goes on and on and on, than there ever were before.(That’s probably why bass shing is considered the Number One outdoor sport.) And ALL these companies are in the market to make money. Products Galore It’s not so much the bait, or color, or
technique used to catch the bass during the lming, they say. They just want to show you how much bass all of these “certain baits” can actually catch! But do they really? That’s called marketing. Take a look at the packages of most of the baits today: they have to look appealing on the shelves to the consumer (this is called packaging). Just keep this in mind—most of the baits on the market today are made and packaged to catch anglers more than sh. Now, I’m telling you this because you have to decide which of all the di erent products and, especially, all the multitude of colors to buy. Okay, let’s get back to the colors.First of all, I want you to understand that I am NOT saying that a certain color of plastic
Interstate bait will or will not work under any speci c circumstances, but I AM saying that you don’t really need any more than approximately two-dozen colors of plastics to catch bass on any body of water throughout the United States. Now stop and think a minute! Without exaggeration, there are—on today’s market—thousands of colors and combinations of colors when it comes to plastic baits. Remember what I just said? I said only two-dozen colors, and not hundreds of di erent colors! What a money saver, right? And if you usually sh deeper than 20 feet most of the time, you don’t even need to have that many colors. The reason is, because the deeper a colored bait drops through the water, the less the color of the bait is visible. That’s right, the deeper it goes down into the water themorethe color spectrum starts to diminish. In other words, if you had a multi-colored plastic worm and you cast it out letting it drop to a 25-foot depth, the colors of that multi-colored plastic worm would be shades of grays and blacks in that depth of water. So why buy hundreds of di erent colors of plastic baits, when they all lose their
color at deeper depths? Makes no sense to me!Probably the most important factor to keep in mind when shing with plastics is that the presentation of the bait counts more than the color.I teach my students presentations, techniques, as well as colors that they can use anywhere, so they can be highly e ective when it comes to catching bass on any body of water. For more information on colors, baits, presentations, techniques, equipment, and just about anything you might want to learn about bass shing, you owe it to yourselves to enroll in my Three-Day “OnWater” Bass Fishing School. You will not only learn what equipment, baits, and bass-related items are really necessary to have, but also how much money you can actually save yourself by knowing what not to buy when it comes to baits and equipment.
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Interstate
Crankbaits are one of the easiest lures to use because they have the action built into the bait. The places you use by Bonita Staples (Courtesy of www.crankbaitcentral.com) crankbaits, how you di erent styles available, some with add your technique to that built-in acrattles, some with longer lips that dive to tion, and your retrieval speed can make 16 feet. The Smithwick Deep Suspending the di erence between you and the Rattling Rogue and the Rebel Deep Minother anglers on the lake. now run about 10 feet and the Bomber We will start with the long, slender minnow-type baits typically called jerkbaits. You can do more with this bait than just jerk it through grass. There are several
Deep Runner Long A will get down to 16 feet. These work great along the edges of grass, along tree lines, creek channels or shing for suspended bass in open
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Interstate water. Since they suspend, or oat up, you can crank them down and stop, then crank again. This action can entice bass when the shing gets tough. At this point I had better back-up and give you some ground rules. When I refer to a speci c depth that a lure will run, it is based on using 12- pound line. If you use lighter line it will go deeper while a heavier line will go shallower. The further you cast a lure, the better the chance it will reach the proper depth and the longer it will be in the right depth zone. You need to match the rod to the bait you are casting. The heavier the bait is, the sti er the rod needs to be. I like the Falcon LFC-1-176 rod or Falcon FC-4-17 for the lighter crankbaits. It’s also best to cast side arm, so you keep the bait closer to the water and are not a ected by the wind as much as if you cast overhand. When you crank back, keep your rod tip down close to the water. This is less tiring on your arms. The rst four or ve cranks need to be fast and then crank in a medium speed, steady retrieve, stopping when the lure hits something and then starting up again until you get the lure back to the boat. Some of the medium-diving baits are the
Bomber A series, Bagley’s Kill’r B, Bill Norman’s Deep Little N and DD-14, Storms lightnin’ Shad, Excalibur Fat Free Shad, Rapala Shad Rap and Manns 10 and 15 Plus. When I say that these are mediumrunning baits, I’m referring to the eightto 14-foot range. That does not mean that you can’t sh them in shallow water. One of the best techniques, is to throw a Bomber 6A or 7A or a Norman DD-14 up near shore and let it dig into the bottom all the way back to the boat. The lure bouncing o of the bottom, darting from side to side will trigger a strike when a steady retrieve from a shallow runner won’t work as well. The deeper divers like the Mann’s 20 and 30 Plus, Bagleys DB3, Excalibur Fat Free Shad, Bill Norman’s DD-22 and DD22+4 and the Storm Deep Lightnin’ Shad are for the 16- to 30- foot range. You can work the treetops along creek channels and long points or submerged roadbeds. These are harder to crank back and will wear you out if you try to crank too fast.
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Interstate Keep your rod tip down and reel back at a slow, steady speed. After you cast the lure out, reel quickly about ve turns. This will get the lure down to the right depth and then you can slow down to a steady, easy, slow speed back to the boat. You need to use a long rod, 7-1/2 to 8 feet (Falcon LFC-4-18 one-piece rod) to get the distance on your cast to get the full depth that these lures are capable of reaching.
I left the most universal crankbait to the last and that’s the lipless crankbaits. These baits can be used from shore to just about any depth you want to sh. The best known is the Bill Lewis RatL-Trap, then the Cotton Cordell Spot, which is now the Super Spot and the Rapala Rattling Rap which is now the Rattlin’ Rapala. Some newcomers are the Berkley Frenzy Rattl’r, Bagley’s ShadA-Lac, Mann’s Maniac and Luhr-Jensen Sugar Shad. They come in sizes from 1/8ounce to 1-1/2 ounces with the 1/4-, 1/2and 3/4-ounce sizes the most commonly used.
If you learn how to work these baits in grass, treetops, laydowns and stickups, you’ll be surprised at the numbers and sizes of bass you can catch. Throw close to shore, hold your rod tip high and start reeling as soon as the bait hits the water. You can work these baits over the tops of grass, rip it through the grass or stickups, down the side of a laydown or just about anywhere you can put a spinnerbait. As far as colors, I prefer to stick to natural bait colors, shad, shiner, perch and crawsh, but some of the new photo nishes and colors like retiger might make a di erence under certain applications and conditions. I’ve worn the nish o of a few of these crankbaits in Tennessee shad over the years. Experiment and take chances, especially in places where other anglers aren’t throwing them. It might surprise you how well they will do.
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Teaching Youngsters to Fly Fish by Kandy Cane Odds are you remember the time you were rst taught how to y sh. I was mentored by my grandfather, PawPaw Cane. He grew up y shing the waters around Jackson Hole where he made a living running an auto junk yard. When I was only seven years old he passed along to me an old Fenwick made, berglass rod and o we went to the river. By day’s end I had caught my rst trout on a dry y. Taking your children or grandchildren y shing is a rewarding, outdoor family activity that can make a di erence in the rest of their lives. If they learn some key skills beforehand, children as young
as I was when I started can be landing trout with y rods with surprising ease. Introducing kids to y shing takes some planning. Always choose a stream where getting along banks and riverbeds is safe and easy for those with short legs. Laurel and alder brush-free stretches of water are essential, as fetching ies from the trees is frustrating enough for adults, much less kids. Feeder streams and those that cut through meadows are perfect starter waters for little tikes because stream ows are typically slower and shallower. Just as important as where you start to teach y shing, is out tting that child with the correct tackle. Matching young anglers to a y rod that ts them is
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Interstate crucial. Most y rod manufacturers o er novice-level rods tuned to the beginner’s skill set. Some y rod companies design down-sized versions youngsters may nd advantageous. The y rod grip should t easily in their hand, and rod length should be no more than one and a half times the child’s height. A comfortable rod for kids spans somewhere between 7’ 6” and 8’. Fly rod design di ers greatly. Some blanks have a lot of backbone which makes them rather sti , while others ex through their entire length. A good rule of thumb for choosing a y rod action is to go with a more exible rod for novices whereas expert y casters may enjoy success with more rigid rods. As they progress you can move them to rods with greater loading capacity, but for now, go the spaghetti rod route, which usually is the lower end of the scale in terms of price. The same is true of y reels. For stream trout y shing, the cheapest single action y reel holds line and functions in the same overall identical way as one cost $500. If you part with a few extra dollars, then put it into buying a really great y line.
Fly line selection is critical for casting ease. Virtually everyone starts out with a versatile oating line. I recommend a good weight forward line that is brightly colored line so it will hold your students’ attention and teach them how to read water. For generations y shing sages have advocated casting motion arching between a ten o’clock and two o’clock swath overhead. But for children, you need to me more exible (no pun intended) when it comes to back casts. In my experience, with young, starting out y shing, they should stop their backcasts somewhere near the twelve o’clock position, or directly overhead. And the forward cast should land lightly upon the water every time. While we all do it more than we should, when teaching kids to y shing false casting should be avoided. Before going to the water, a little dry land shing practice comes rst. Extend their y line tautly down in the grass before the student holding their y rod in hand with the tip pointing to the far end of the y line. Teach your child to raise their rod to the twelve o’clock position with a crisp, deliberate motion, wait for the line to load, and then drop it back down where it lay in the grass
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Interstate previously. Explain to them the need for keeping backcasts high. Be patient, because everyone starting out y shing does not understand that rhythm is more of the key than is the power stroke. Once a child masters this simple casting technique without a leader and y, they are ready to go shing.
tern and the correct time is quite important. On the other hand, if you knot on a #22 Light Cahill, they may not see the y on the water once it is cast. I recommend starting them out y shing with a highly-successful, brightly-colored attractor pattern such as a Royal Coachman or Bivisible.
Fly selection is key if beginning y rodders are going to catch sh. While the contents of a well-stocked y box will certainly be of interest to youngsters, you know that using the right y pat-
It’s a well known fact that women are better y shers than are men, and who better to teach the next generation of y shers than you?
by Brock Ray America is blessed with scores of the finest national parks in the world. The national park system began more than 100 years ago, when President Teddy Roosevelt created of Yellowstone National Park. All of the country’s national parks are showplaces of natural beauty and history. The three parks noted are only a few of the best that every American should explore during their lifetime. Great Smoky Mountains National Park The largest national park found east of the Rocky Mountains, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is located at the pinnacle of the Southern Appalachian Mountains on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. The annual visitation to the Smokies exceeds ten million people, making it the most visited of all of the national parks. Activities abound in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, from fishing
for trout in the more than 600 miles of pristine streams in its boundaries, to hiking the fabled Appalachian Trail that traces more than 70 miles along the spine of the park before continuing northward. Rich in wildlife, ranging from otters, black bear, and red wolves to many species of songbirds, the park is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the Northern Hemisphere. It has more than 100,000 species of flowering plants which, when the park was founded in the 1920s, almost caused it to be christened “Wild Flower National Park” Camping is available in large developed campground areas, like Cades Cove and
Interstate Elkmount, where campers and RVs are welcomed (no hook-ups), as well as in scores of backcountry and lesser developed campgrounds. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is open year-round, as is its shing. The park lies between Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and Cherokee, North Carolina. Gatlinburg is famous for its lodging and dining, and for nearby attractions like Dollywood. Cherokee is located in the 54,000-acre Qualla Reservation of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, where attractions abound. One popular attraction is the new, huge, Harrod Casino. For more information, contact Great Smoky Mountains National Park; 107 Park Headquarters Road; Gatlinburg, TN 37738;telephone 865-436-1200. Yellowstone National Park Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is located in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, and is home to a large variety of wildlife, including grizzly bears, wolves, bison, and elk. A geological wonderland, Yellowstone features the Old Faithful geyser. It is
one of a collection of the world’s most extraordinary geysers and hot springs. This is an exceptionally scenic area, and there is much here to treat the eyes, including Yellowstone Lake and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. There is so much to see and do, that it takes a week to make even a whirlwind tour of Yellowstone National Park. Fishing has been a major visitor activity for well over a century. It is what draws many people to visit Yellowstone. Native cutthroat trout are the most ecologically important sh of the park, and the most prized—highly regarded by visiting anglers. Years ago non-native brown, rainbow, and brook trout were introduced to these waters. All o er great sport shing opportunities. Camping is one way of experiencing
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Yellowstone, but not the only one. Huge, developed campgrounds are found throughout the park and around all major attractions. These are operated by the National Park Service and Xanterra Parks & Resorts. The latter operates campgrounds at Bridge Bay, Canyon, Fishing Bridge RV Park, Grant Village, and Madison. Backcountry camping is also available. Xanterra also operates the traditional in-park lodges and cabins at Canyon Lodge & Cabins, Grant Village, Lake Lodge Cabins, Lake Yellowstone
Hotel & Cabins, Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel & Cabins, Old Faithful Inn, Old Faithful Lodge Cabins, Old Faithful Snow Lodge & Cabins and, the most famous of all, Roosevelt Lodge & Cabins. Yellowstone is huge, covering well over two million acres, and has its own road system. It has four major entrance points; the most heavily traveled being the east entrance, which is only minutes from Cody, Wyoming via US 14.
For more information, contact P.O. Box 168; Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190-0168; telephone 307-344-7381. Grand Canyon National Park The Grand Canyon is more than a great chasm carved over millennia through the rocks of the Colorado Plateau. It is more than an awe-inspiring view. It is more than a pleasure ground for those who explore the roads, hike the trails, or oat the currents of the turbulent Colorado River.
Nearly ve million people see the Grand Canyon each year. Most of them see it from their car at overlooks along the South Rim (this includes Grand Canyon Village, Hermits Rest, and Desert View). This is the most accessible part of the park. A smaller number of people visit the Canyon’s North Rim, which is ten miles directly across from the South Rim. The North Rim rises a thousand feet higher than the South Rim, and is much less accessible.The Inner Canyon includes
everything below the rim and is seen mainly by hikers, mule riders, or river runners. There are many opportunities here for adventurous and hardy people who want to backpack, ride a mule to Phantom Ranch, or take a river trip through the Canyon on the Colorado River (which can take anywhere from a few days to three weeks—there are no one-day river trips through the Grand Canyon). The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is open all year and is located on the Arizona side of the Canyon. The South
Rim is closer to Interstate 40 and the transportation centers of Williams, Flagsta , and Phoenix, Arizona. The South Rim also has a local airport and rail service. Since it is easier to get to, the South Rim is very busy and, during the summer season, campgrounds hustle and bustle and are often lled to capacity. For more information, contact Grand Canyon National Park; P.O. Box 129; Grand Canyon, AZ 86023; telephone 928638-7888.
Drs. Foster & Smith Educational Sta Some avid outdoorspeople believe that a dog can appreciate a spectacular panoramic view as muchas a human can. But when bringing your dog along on a
camping or backpacking trip, you need tomake extra plans speci cally for your canine companion. Some things to think about: Preparations Make sure your dog is current on his
Interstate vaccinations, and get a health check and certi catefrom your veterinarian. Also, bring along his rabies vaccination certi cate for proof. Do not forget an identi cation tag with the name of the park, campground, or “Contact parkranger” on it, or include a phone number of a friend or relative who will know how tocontact you. Just as you would not expect yourself to complete a long hiking trek without conditioning,you must condition your dog, as well. Start a training schedule as you would your own – slowly, with a gradualincrease in distance and di culty. Some parks allow dogs on trails, others prohibit them. By the same token, some allow dogs into their campgroundsand public areas, but others do not. Call ahead to your intended destination and nd out what the rules are before youmake plans to bring your dog. Remember a rst aid kit for yourself and your dog. Additional items for dogs might include tweezers or pliers forremoving thorns or porcupine quills,
a sock in case a paw is injured, adhesive tape, and a disposable razor forshaving fur from around a wound. For more information, see our article, Making a First Aid Kit for Your Dog. Speci cs about Hiking and Backpacking Pack plenty of water. Dogs cannot cool o by perspiring like we do. In addition to plenty of water, try a BodyCooler Bandana. This is a bandana that you soak in water and place around your dog’s neck to help him stay cool. Donot use this as a substitute for water. Remember to bring a retractable leash – and an extra one in case one is lost or broken. Leashing your dog on the trailwill keep him safe, and retractable models store away easily without tangling. Pack food for your pet, along with portable dishes. Remember, he may need more food than usual since he will beburning more calories. If your dog weighs more than 20 pounds, he can carry his own things in a backpack as well as some ofyour gear.
Interstate Pack only unbreakable items in your dog’s pack.Make sure to let your dog practice carrying his loaded pack around the neighborhood beforeyou take him on the trail. Start going on walks with just the pack and gradually add items toget your dog used to the extra weight. Pack dog boots if you are going to be hiking in rough terrain, since dog pads are notnormally tough. If you opt for no boots, make sure to check your dog’s footpads every day. Pack a wearable dog carrier to allow little dogs to rest. Big dogs can generally keep up withyou. If you will be near water and plan to swim, don’t forget a life jacket for your pet if he needs it. Also, bring an extratowel for your dog since he may get muddy or roll in something foul. Speci cs on Camping If you intend to drive into the campground and take only short day hikes, you can bring more items with you. Youcan also be less strict about conditioning your dog, although we still recommend a health check beforehand.
Remember that other campers want to enjoy the peace and quiet of an outof-the-waycampground, so leave a persistent barker home with a friend or pet sitter. Pack a lightweight camping crate like the Portable Pet Home if you prefer not to shareyour tent. Pack unbreakable toys like a ball, a Frisbee, and your dog’s favorite soft toy. Bring a pad or your dog’s bed if nights will be chilly. Trail Etiquette Three hard fast rules of the trail: 1. Keep your dog on the trail at all times. 2. Make sure your dog is obedience trained in the basics and understands voice commands.Never let your pet eliminate on the trail. Should an accident happen, be prepared to move the mess o of the trail.The most responsible way to deal with your dog’s solid waste is the same way you would deal with yours – bury it. 3.
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