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It has been another exciting year in articles here at Gritroutdoors, and we’d like to take a quick look back at some of the best from 2016. In the course of the year we’ve ran informative how-to articles, comprehensive product reviews, tasty recipes and more. You can look forward to plenty of exciting articles in 2017, but until the New Year hits, here are our best articles from the year.
How To Articles
We’re fortunate to have a knowledgeable staff of writers here at Gritroutdoors, and in 2016 they shared expert advice on a variety of outdoor activities. In Is GPS Your Only Way Out? Guy Sagi examined the benefits and pitfalls of using a GPS as your primary navigational device. Many electronic devices rely on Global Positioning to operate, but even a thin layer of moisture on the trees above can send your GPS scrambling to pinpoint your location. To wrap up his article, Sagi calls for every outdoorsman to carry an important but extremely affordable backup device – the compass.
In Treestand Safety 101, Jason Herbert addressed one of the most dangerous outdoor activities – setting up and using a tree stand while hunting. Every year far too many hunters end up in the emergency room after a fall from their tree stand, but modern safety devices and practical planning can prevent most of these accidents. Herbert covers everything from tree stand selection to hanging and removal in this must-read for whitetail hunters.
The popular theme of hunting shows up in a different article, How To Select A Compound Bow – The Basics by Rob Boyle. More and more hunters are turning to bow hunting for the challenge and the opportunities afforded by a much longer season, but selecting the right bow for the job can be a fairly intimidating task. Boyle breaks it down into easy to understand sections, and he comments upon brand and model selection and covers some of the basic terms like FPS and ATA. If you’re new to bow hunting, be sure to check out this informative article about bow selection.
Fire is always a popular topic on outdoor blogs, and this year we tackled some of the main emergency fire starting methods and weighed the strengths and weaknesses of each technique. Be sure to read Pros And Cons of Fire Starting Methods if you’re ever out in the bush or hike places where you could potentially get lost. Everything from matches to the fire drill to the fire piston is covered so you can evaluate which methods are practical and which are better saved for the movies.
Pete Rogers is an experienced hunter who calls the warm climate of the Southern US home. In his article Hunting In Hot Weather, Rogers walks us through the unpleasant experience of hunting when the temperatures are extremely hot. From hunting the wind to dressing for success and even mosquito control, we are treated to some of the top tips that have helped Rogers thrive in warmer temperatures. Of course he also touches on proper hydration, which is important everywhere, but it is extremely vital in hot weather hunting.
Product Reviews
Product reviews are always part of a good outdoor blog, and we’ve had some great in-depth reviews of outdoor products at the Gritroutdoors Blog this year. First up, we were treated to an exclusive first look on the Benjamin Pioneer Airbow from the writer / outdoorsman who helped test it in the development stage, Tony Martins. In his article First Look: Benjamin “Pioneer Airbow” From Crosman, Martins discusses the wildly unique Airbow concept that fires full-sized arrows from an airgun type setup. The Airbow is extremely accurate, so much so that Martins has pulled off “Robin Hood” type shots, and the Airbow easily shoots 2 inch groups at 50 yards. Not to be overlooked, the Pioneer Airbow is extremely easy to operate and only takes 2lbs. of force to cock, which makes it an extremely valuable hunting tool for disabled hunters. The Airbow has been out for almost a year now, but if you’re interested in trying this unique hunting tool out, be sure to read this article first.
This year we added a new running and fitness writer to our staff in Mayrena Hernandez. She is an athletic trainer at the excellent Kansas State program, but we get to pick Mayrena’s brain on important running and fitness topics as well. For her first article, Hernandez reviewed the Hoka Vanquish 2 Shoes, but this is not your ordinary product review. To review a shoe properly, Hernandez realized you first must talk about foot type and other important variables that differ between each runner. What we get is part how-to article and part product review that concludes with all the reasons why a Hoka One One shoe like the Vanquish 2 could revolutionize the way you run and train. Whether you’re a casual runner or you’re training for a half marathon, this is a must read for running and training addicts.
Recipes
Staff writer Robin Follette is also our resident outdoor chef, and this year she had some great new recipes to share. Up first, Follette whipped up an interesting fare with ground moose in the Hearty Moose Frittata Recipe. This tasty breakfast or dinner dish is a one skillet meal with moose, vegetables, cheese and eggs that is ready in little over an hour. You serve it like a pie in slices, and it’s sure to be a memorable fare if you’re lucky enough to have moose meat in the freezer. If not, you can certainly substitute for other meats like sausage, venison or wild boar.
Next, Follette turned her attention to an overlooked weed in Dandelions, A Weed We Should Eat. For far too long, the Dandelion has be vilified as pest in the yard, but it is actually a nutritious vegetable that can spice up salads and other dishes. First, Follette offers some harvesting tips – after all you don’t want to eat the weeds in the yard that were sprayed, and then she finishes with two of her favorite dandelion recipes. Those in the mood for a salad will love her Dandelion Greens and Pumpkin Seed Pesto, but if you’re looking for something warm, check out her Dandelion Muffins recipe. You’re sure to impress friends and family with a rare but tasty dandelion recipe.
Bonus – Humor Stories
While we’re serious about outdoor safety and teaching proper techniques here at Gritroutdoors, we also have a sense of humor. We took a detour from our normal content when we ran Tony Martin’s A Well Perfumed Piggy this fall. This memorable and true story is recounted by Martins from years past, and in it he describes his dog Piggy’s fateful encounter with a not so friendly skunk. This is a must read for anyone who camps with dogs…or anyone who needs a fool proof skunk remedy.
