Friday, April 8, 2011

Promoted! or, Out of the Frying Pan and...

Kandahar Air Field, Zabul Province, Afghanistan

Well folks, my days of running the ECP (Entry Control Points) have now come to an end.

If I had a more satisfying job before this, I would be hard pressed to remember. I always said I had two jobs, the one I was hired to do, and the second - making sure that every single one of the young men and women under my watch make it home to their parents and loved ones. I can say without reservation that as a team, my force protection specialists, and my biometrics team, were on point, kept the bad guys off balance, kept the base secure, and did it without any issues. Of that, I am very proud!

I'm off to a new FOB (Forward Operating Base) in Zabul Province. I've been promoted to Site Manager, so I will be in charge of the civilian contracting component on the base. All the trades, the dining facility, aviation components, and security are within my area of responsibility. Think of it as being the Superintendent of a very large school system... that has a lot of guns. Everything that affects the infrastructure and operations of the base runs through my staff and I.The military doesn't do those things anymore! It is all outsourced to civilian contractors.  Fortunately I have a high speed staff to assist me. (And keep me out of trouble!) I'll be at KAF for a few days getting up to speed, and then it's off to this new adventure!

I wish I had more time to share with you all, but duty calls, and I have to answer.

In the meantime, I have several posts scheduled to pop up every few days. When I hit the ground I'll share more with you!

Be safe, be vigilant, stay alert!

Best regards!
Albert

Things I've Done, and Should of Known Better

Breeding Wild Hogs in Florida!
© 2009, 2010, 2011 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
$g&m f9bd 45kd q!?5.

Folks,
This is from about eleven/twelve years ago when I actually thought I could selectively breed and raise a herd of red colored razorbacks. I have had some good ideas in my days, then I've had some less than auspicious. I'll let you decide which category this falls into!

My dear hog hunting enthusiasts,

In my never ending quest to further the fun and frolic quotient at the Three Bar Spear, I decided to start a captive breeding project. I thought I might share with you some of the things I have learned in the last few months.
Image Credit: berndkru
More Eurasian than not...

1. Pigs bite...hard.

2. Pigs will bite the hand that feeds them...repeatedly if given the opportunity.

3. Don't put your hand in their mouths in order to determine if they have teeth. You can rest assured that they do, even when they are little bitty things.

4. Pigs will eat anything, including your gasoline soaked, foot powder reeking, cow patty smeared footwear. They do not like whole oats though.

5. Do not send your children into a pen with hogs that are over 40lbs. They will eat them too. (Dads, a ten year old WILL clear a 4 foot field fence with room to spare if properly motivated.)

6. When sows are in heat, everything goes to Hell in a hand basket.

7. Boar hogs don't like anyone when the girls are, well you know, responding.

8. Field fence, with posts set 12 foot on center, is barely adequate to restrain a 120lbs hog. 8 foot on center with the addition of 2X6s for reinforcement on the outside, and two strands of barbed wire at 4" and 16" on the inside, might be better.

9. A 300lbs hog pretty much does what he wants.

10. You will love your pigs.

Image Credit: ricksege
Seriously, I have two litters on the way, due sometime in September. From those I'll start culling immediately for confirmation and aggressiveness. I've got one sow that has attitude, but lacks size. This might have been due to poor nutrition as a piglet though. What I need to capture is a good boar and a couple of more sows to fill out the breeding pool. In a couple of years I should have an adequate line going.

I'll try to keep you all posted on my endeavors!
Thanks,
Albert


Those where the days! Those first two litters, quickly turned into more than thirty head of hog! I couldn't sell them fast enough, and I even gave some away. But the real story was my father in law who despite my entreaties and appeals, could not keep himself from feeding them all the restaurant refuse he could lug home! My carefully planned diet, exercise plan, and breeding program was impossible with so much interference. The final straw was his penchant for letting them out of their pens so they could "stretch their legs" a bit more. My neighbor, seizing the opportunity, shot my big breeder boar. He shows up at my doorstep with a picture and innocently asked if maybe one of my hogs got out.

I called the local Sheriff Department and donated all the other hogs to them for their prison kitchen...

Now that is yet, another story!


Best Regards,
Albert “Afghanus” Rasch
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
Albert Rasch In Afghanistan



The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles, Albert A Rasch, Hunting in Florida


Albert Rasch,HunterThough he spends most of his time writing and keeping the world safe for democracy, Albert was actually a student of biology. Really. But after a stint as a lab tech performing repetitious and mind-numbing processes that a trained capuchin monkey could do better, he never returned to the field. Rather he became a bartender. As he once said, "Hell, I was feeding mice all sorts of concoctions. At the club I did the same thing; except I got paid a lot better, and the rats where bigger." He has followed the science of QDM for many years, and fancies himself an aficionado. If you have any questions, or just want to get more information, reach him via TheRaschOutdoorChronicles(at)MSN(dot)com.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

The Range Reviews: American Whitetail King Broadhead Target

The Best Broadhead Target Available Today!
© 2009- 2011 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
$g&m f9bd 45kd q!?5.

As part of my reeducation in archery in general and bowhunting in specific, I decided I needed a new target to shoot at. A cardboard box full of newspaper and more cardboard just wasn't going to cut it any more; it's too easy to ruin expensive shafts that way, and I'm trying to run a professional operation here anyway. It was high time I got something appropriate for the job at hand.
$g&m f9bd 45kd q!?5.
There are many types of targets available, from styrene blocks with plastic wrap that are barely adequate for kids' bows with target points, to very expensive and realistic game targets that will help refine your technique and eye; they even have one that looks like a velociraptor.

But for those of us stuck in an urban or suburban environment, a big square target is far more practical, and stores easier. What I wanted was the toughest and longest lasting broadhead target on the market. Practicing with what you are going to use is the key to success, and I intend to bring it to the hogs down here. And for that I needed to bend some bow limbs and shoot some arrows.

Make that a lot of arrows.

First date... She's built...

The beauty of Al Gore's Internet is that almost everything is on it. You want to know something, it is probably on the Net. Bowhunting targets are no different. After doing my research, I narrowed in on the King Broadhead Target by Whitetail Deer Inc. I needed something that could withstand repeated strikes with a broadhead and not disintegrate. It needs to absorb all the shooting I intend to do until such time as I get back in shooting shape.

"I will not trade a penny of profit for a customer's satisfaction. Our broadhead targets will out perform any open layer target when shot with broadheads...period."
Ralph @ American Whitetail Inc

That's the kind of thing I like to see. Performance and customer satisfaction before profits.

The King series is designed around a "Multi Layer Density" system. The target is built up from different density layers of foam to create a variable ratio of friction through the target.

The first layer consists of a layer of low density foam on the front. The soft foam is chosen for superior healing properties. The second layer is a medium density layer chosen for its ability to soak up energy and slow the rate of the arrows travel. Both of those layers back up to a layer of high density foam. As the broadhead penetrates and drives through the low and medium density foam, the arrow's energy is absorbed, resulting in far less penetration of the high density foam which ultimately stops the arrow. This results in a very durable target and easier arrow removal.

Whitetail Deer Inc wanted to"build a target that would stop any broadhead shot out of any bow, have unbelievable durability and smooth, easy broadhead arrow removal." I think they have done an exemplary job in putting together a target for bowhunters that performs exceptionally well at a very reasonable price. The King Broadhead Target is less than $40.00 at any of the venues I found; how's that for a bargain!

I used both the Browning Cobra which draws 45# and my new SiegeWorks Creations American Longbow that draws #50 on the King. I'm using my new Muzzy Phantom MX broadheads which, by the way, I'll be reporting on in the near future.

I found that, as expected, field points where substantially more difficult to remove. Broadheads came out with considerably less effort. Having only shot about sixty arrows in a half dozen days at the target, I haven't had an opportunity to see how the long term effects of shooting broadheads at the target will be, but I am keeping a log for future comments.

Pulling field points with care!

If you plan on shooting field points, then you will have to get an arrow lube like PSE Scorpion Venom Arrow Release Fluid. It is formulated to allow the easy removal of arrows from targets. I have not tried it, but the commentaries I have read are positive. I think it was originally developed for 3D targets. Think about it; that arrow shaft must be building up quite a bit of heat as it slows down in the target material. The lube helps defeat the grip of the material on the arrow.

Overall, the target performed as I had hoped it would. It stopped the arrows and something some folks might think very important, it doesn't leave a mess as you draw the arrows out. Some targets leave bits and pieces of themselves every time you pull an arrow. I've pounded the middle left aiming point now, and I have yet to have anything come out.



I only had one thing go wrong, and that was the fabric handle. This is not an important issue for the target. I was lugging the target from point a to b, and the nylon strap let the screw head work its way through. Later on the other side let loose too. Easy fix, two small washers or even a couple of pennies. Back the screw out, lay the strap back down drive the screw through the penny and that is the end of the problem. That will have to wait until I get back home. Again it's my fault it tore out, I sure don't baby anything I own.

I can fix that lickety split.


Register for the
American Whitetail
FREE target give away!


There is one more thing. The good folks at American Whitetail Inc. have a weekly drawing for one of their targets, all you have to do is register.

That's right! Every week, American Whitetail Targets will give away a broadhead target. The give away is open to all US residents. To register, simply fill out the form at their website (Here) with your information. (In the notes section you could put down that you saw it here at The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles...)

So enter, it's free, and give it a shot!

King Broadhead Target
MSRP: $36.95

American Whitetail Inc.
Box 299
Ferdinand, Indiana
47532
Ph. 1-888-233-1976
Fax 1-812-937-4157
Email: Tammy@archerytargets.com


There is a pretty good video on YouTube on the King Broadhead Target




As you can see, the King Target takes a licking and keeps on stopping arrows.

"I can wholeheartedly recommend the Whitetail Inc King Broadhead Target without reservation. It is a well made target, made of quality materials, here in the USA, by bowhunters, for bowhunters. The price is very reasonable and it works as advertised. That my friends, is a good American deal!"
Albert A Rasch
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles


Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
Member: Shindand Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...


The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles, Albert A Rasch, Hunting in Florida


Albert Rasch,HunterThough he spends most of his time writing and keeping the world safe for democracy, Albert was actually a student of biology. Really. But after a stint as a lab tech performing repetitious and mind-numbing processes that a trained capuchin monkey could do better, he never returned to the field. Rather he became a bartender. As he once said, "Hell, I was feeding mice all sorts of concoctions. At the club I did the same thing; except I got paid a lot better, and the rats where bigger." He has followed the science of QDM for many years, and fancies himself an aficionado. If you have any questions, or just want to get more information, reach him via TheRaschOutdoorChronicles(at)MSN(dot)com.