Recent content by Michael McCord1

Hot, dry falls also mean you need a lot more water for the ground to saturate, swell, and seal good enough to hold water than what it would take to fill it under normal conditions, whether it comes from a cloud or a pump.

More ducks (CRP) is how we fix it. Populations have been declining for 15 years or so. I’m due north of you on the Cumberland and it’s hardly worth getting out of bed locally anymore.

I came upon a family of otters while wade fishing about 15 years ago. When I climbed onto their rock pile, the adults started growling and I conceded the spot.

I have a pfiel drawknife or whatever brand woodcraft carries and it’s been good. My flexcut tools have served me well too.

Keeping a dog in shape is nigh impossible in this heat and humidity

Whichever one can be done in the AC

I’m using a hard set UV resin and building it up in coats. Getting it smooth and level is the challenge. Next one I’ll probably try doing a skim coat thinned with the heat gun before sanding.

I used a piece of aspen my guy brought back from up north since it had some significance to the project but you could use about any kind you want. I made a couple others with curly maple. The resin does a decent job of stabilizing it. I’d go with as thin as you can with the bandsaw and still...

I tried it with a feather from a mallard wing speculum but the feather lost its iridescence when I saturated it. There might be a way to coat it on the front end though. I’d probably use a rump feather on a turkey since it will have more interesting patterns and distinctive tips by subspecies

Gotta counterbalance Eric’s perfect workspace with mine. Made a “last grouse” bookmark for one of my hunting mentors today after the passing of his Gordon setter last month. This was from her last bird. I encapsulate the feather, build it up, sand, and finish.

If I was mounting something on the outside of a fiberglass hull, I’d add a block to attach to so I don’t further compromise the actual hull.

I’d pass on yellow/tulip poplar. I’ve never heard of it being used to build a boat and basically that’s what a decoy is- a small, duck shaped boat.

In the parts of the US, poplar means yellow poplar aka lireodendron tulipifera; in others, the populus genus, including popple, cottonwood, etc. Yellow poplar might grind ok but it’s harder than you’d want to use for hand tools. I don’t know that any of them are very water/rot resistant.