FIeld Gear

If you’re a serious waterfowl hunter, you own the boat, the blind, the dogs and the decoys. Successful duck and goose hunting demands good stuff. Here are some neat products I’ve uncovered that could help make your fall and winter pursuits more enjoyable this year.

High Definition Decoys from Final Approach
In its quest to produce high-definition, realistic decoys, Final Approach has contracted with noted wildlife artists to create proper poses, feathering and color schemes. In November/December ’07 I reviewed the Last Pass HD Field Honker Canada decoys designed by bronze sculptor Doug Eck. This year I want to give equal time to working-duck-decoy artist Marty Hanson.
    Three years ago Hanson struck a deal with FA to create standard and oversized Mallard/Black Duck decoys in both field and floating models. Those were so well received that this fall the company is bringing out six-pack offerings of Blue-Winged Teal ($60) and Wigeon ($70), a Puddle Duck Pack (two each Wigeon, Bluewings and Black Ducks for $70)) and a 12-pack Bluebill spread ($120). The new one-piece designs (including the head and keel) come with an equal mix of drakes and hens in two postures. According to Hanson, “We’re building more models and hope to expand the line to include every species in demand.”
    Hanson, who has specialized in restoring high-end wooden decoys for more than 30 years, says the FA work takes a long time. Although he normally works with northern white cedar, which he logs himself in Wisconsin, Hanson makes the FA masters from tupelo, which is better for casting. “Each decoy takes a month or a month and a half to make,” said Hanson, who works with 100-year-old hand tools. “I want them to be realistic, and that means incredible detail in both the carving and the painting.”
    Upon completing each master, Hanson takes it to a plastics molding company, which makes a copy for shipment to China. A Chinese company then produces the decoys from the American model. “I would never send the master overseas,” Hanson said, “because I’d likely never see it again.”
    Realistic poses in the oversized Field Mallard/Black Duck lineup include an active drake, feeder drakes with short necks and long necks, a drake runner, a snuggle-head hen and an active hen. The Floating Mallard/Black Duck collection also has six poses: active drakes looking right and left, a snuggle-head drake, a snuggle-head hen, a squawker hen, and a stretched-neck swimmer hen. Various combinations in four-, six- and 12-packs are available. The new Teal, Bluebill and Wigeon models each come with two unique postures.
    Bushnell Outdoor Products, 800-423-3537; www.fabrand.com.

Boot Duffel from Duluth Pack
Question: What’s worse than wearing wet waders? Answer: Having to pack them away in the gear bag for the trip home or having to smell them in your car as you drive. Now from Duluth Pack comes the Boot Duffel, a smartly designed soft luggage bag with a separate compartment for wet or dirty clothes, shoes, boots or other stuff you want to isolate. The company, in business since 1882, is an American icon for premium leather and canvas outdoor goods that are made in the US and last a lifetime. More than 20 years ago I bought an Original Duluth Pack for canoeing and camping, and it still looks good while providing yeoman service.
    The Boot Duffel, which is not a new product but one that merits consideration, is also ruggedly overbuilt. It’s made from 18-oz canvas with 5.25-oz leather trim and rolled carrying handles that attach with brass rivets. D rings accommodate a webbed shoulder strap. Heavy-duty nylon zippers provide full access to the top and reveal the drop-down lower storage area.
    Overall dimensions are 18" (h) x 20" (l) x 12" (w), qualifying the Duffel as an airline carry-on (empty, the bag weighs a little less than 4 pounds). The waterproof bottom compartment will tote a pair of chest waders or a pair of knee-high boots with room to spare. The spruce-colored model I ordered is especially handsome with its dark-brown leather trim. Also available are navy, black, khaki, burgundy and olive drab. Price: $190.
    The company that began business as a purveyor to Boundary Waters adventurers continues to expand its market reach. New products I’m considering for review include daypacks; gun cases; and trap, skeet and sporting clays cartridge holsters.
    Duluth Pack, 800-777-4439; www.duluthpack.com.

Clenzoil Field & Range Solution
It’s opening day, you’re tucked low in the blind and the mallards are turning back. Two drakes and a hen peel from the flock. Wings back-pumping, feet punched out, they drop into range. You come up and take the first greenhead and then . . . gun jam! Every waterfowler has known—or one day will experience—such frustration. Making sure your gun is clean, well lubricated and protected against the elements is the best way to keep firearm foul-ups from happening. One-step rust prevention and lubrication from Clenzoil Field & Range Solution can help. Coalition forces in Iraq, which have gone through buckets of the stuff, swear by it.
    Clenzoil has a military history. Christian Lenz (hence, “Clenz-Oil”) witnessed fellow soldiers die during the Battle of the Bulge when their guns seized up due to frigid conditions. After the war Lenz became a chemical engineer at Cornell, where he experimented with cleaning lubricants. Clenzoil first came to market in 1948 from batches Lenz made in his garage. What’s different about the product is that Clenzoil contains no silicone or Teflon. It won’t harden. It won’t evaporate. It won’t gum up in sub-zero temperatures or get sticky, even in desert heat to 130° F. As a cleaner, Clenzoil removes dirt, oils, copper, lead and other contaminants. As a lubricant, it provides a thin, greaseless coating that also prevents rust. It doesn’t smell like an industrial-strength solvent; on the contrary, the scent is fresh and clean. Another plus: Clenzoil helps nourish wood stocks and forearms as well as leather scabbards and holsters. And it won’t damage synthetic stocks.
    I tested the product on my Remington 870 pump, an old beater gun that has had its share of malfunctions over the 50 years I’ve shot it. After servicing the gun with Clenzoil, I put it in the oven at 140°. Afterward the action worked just fine. I then tossed the gun in my home freezer for a few hours, took it out, and it performed well. Those experiences sold me. An 8-oz bottle is $13.95. A 5" lamb’s-wool applicator costs $6.95. If you travel, get the One Step Solution Patch Kit for $8.99. It’s pre-saturated with Clenzoil.
    Clenzoil, 800-Oil-It-Up; www.clenzoil.com.

Grabber Heated Gloves
The human hand can take only so much frigid water before numbing cold renders fingers useless. Think schoolboy trapper, ice fisherman, December duck hunter. Heated Hunter’s Gloves from Grabber will restore dexterity and keep hands warm while you wait for the birds to decoy. The unusual product, made from 240-gram brushed Tricot, is both a mitten and a glove. It contains 40 grams of Thinsulate insulation throughout, except for in the fingers. The fingers are protected with unlined brushed Tricot, which is thin and affords a better feel. A rubber pull tab atop each “mitten” lets you instantly peel back the pocket covering to free up your fingers. You also can pull out a bare thumb for working a gun safety. Both the pull-back thumb and pop-top mitten stay put, because they fasten to tiny magnets. The magnets, which look like buttons, are cleverly woven into the fabric to be functional without being conspicuous.
    Designers then added embossed rubber in the palm area to ensure gun grip. The camo pattern is Realtree Hardwood, and the two sizes are Medium/Large and Extra Large.
    Although the mitten/glove is not water-proof or even water-resistant, I like the comfortable soft feel (brushed Tricot is similar to velour or a short-napped fleece), the elastic wrist snubbers and the 2"-long extended cuffs. But the really cool feature is a zippered pocket on the back of the finger area. Slide an activated Hand Warmer into the pocket for up to seven hours of heat that averages 135°. To activate the Hand Warmer, simply expose it to air and then stick it into the mitten. If you don’t need heat for that long, deactivate the Hand Warmer by putting it into a thick zip-lock bag and squeeze out the air. You also can drop the Hand Warmer into your lunch sack to warm a sandwich, and it will extend battery life on a camera or cellphone. The Hunter’s Gloves cost $29.99 and come with three pairs of Hand Warmers. Extra Hand Warmers are $1.99 per pair or less when bought in bulk. Order online and get free shipping.
    Grabber, 800-518-0938; www.Warmers.com.

Tear-Aid Repair Patches
Were it not for duct tape, the joys of outdoor sport would go downhill pretty fast. If you’re like me, you keep a roll of the all-purpose repair stuff in your pickup, your gear bag and on your garage workbench. I can think of dozens of uses for this miracle tape; however, repairing leaks is not one of them. Duct tape is not waterproof. It won’t stick to some materials, and it has little flexibility, curling in heat and cold. Tear-Aid Repair Patches are a better product, especially for duck and goose hunters who need to fix holes and tears instantly. Available in peel-and-stick patches or 30-foot-long rolls, the watertight, airtight fabric holds with the strength of super glue and stretches like elastic. The samples I’ve tested for home use have worked to patch a torn beach ball (vinyl), a leaking lawn hose (rubber) and a cracked water fountain (cement-like composite).
    The two types of Tear-Aid appear to be ideal for those of us who need to patch leaks in waders, holes in blow-up decoys, torn boat seats or portable blinds. Type A sticks to canvas, rubber, neoprene, nylon, fiberglass, aluminum, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane, stainless steel and most other fabrics, including non-oiled leather. It offers 90-percent adhesion upon application and 100 percent within an hour. Type B sticks to vinyl, with 50-percent adhesion immediately and 100 percent within 24 hours. The see-through A and B patches work with all colors and are UV-resistant to inhibit yellowing. They cut simply with scissors, work from –20° to 140° (190° for Type B) and won’t turn gummy. Prices are $25.95 for a 3" x 5' roll and $9.25 per kit. Each kit contains one 3" x 12" patch, one 7/8" x 7/8" patch, one 1-3/8" x 1-3/8" patch, a 12" reinforcement filament for repairing tears at edges, two alcohol prep pads, and illustrated instructions.
    TeaRepair, Inc., 800-937-3716; www.tear-aid.com.