Even at a young age, I was trying to decide what the best caliber for a hunting rifle should be, though my first real hunting trip was several years in the future.

I had trouble understanding why the supposed experts couldn’t agree on one caliber that was best for everything until I grew up and learned there was no such caliber.

Each of the experts formed their opinions on the hunting they normally engaged in, and usually preferred different calibers for different conditions and game being hunted. They all had favorite calibers they enjoyed hunting various game animals with. However, they would switch to something else when the game got bigger or more dangerous and when the distance to the target increased.

For example, Jack O’Conner is known for favoring the .270 Winchester and proclaiming it close to the perfect all-around hunting rifle. However, when Jack hunted Alaskan brown bears, he switched to a .30-06 Springfield or a .375 H&H. He wrote about Alaskan brown bear hunting with both calibers.

Bob Milek, who for several years was the Western Field Editor for Petersen’s Hunting magazine, always wrote very well thought out articles on hunting deer, pronghorn, elk and black bear. He preferred the .257 Roberts and wrote more articles about that caliber and the other quarter bore cartridges available than any other gun writer.

On the other hand, Milek admitted that the .257 Roberts had real limitations as the range stretched out past 300 yards and the target was elk or moose.

When it came to deer or pronghorn, though, Milek swore by the .257 Roberts. He took his shots at 300 yards or fewer and claimed that nothing he ever shot with it got away. Milek was also a crack shot and knew what his rifle was capable of. He always stated that 200 to 250 yards was the maximum distance that the .257 Roberts should be used on elk or moose.

About 1960, Milek started writing more articles about the .25-06 and the .257 Weatherby Magnum. He felt that both cartridges offered flatter trajectories and better penetration of game at long range when deer, pronghorn, elk or moose were the targets.

The .257 Roberts had a muzzle velocity of about 2,987 feet per second when Milek loaded it with a 100-grain spire point bullet. It has about 2,822 feet per second when he loaded it with a 120-grain spitzer bullet.

The .25-06 has a muzzle velocity of 3,230 feet per second with 100-grain spire point factory ammunition and 2,998 feet per second with 120-grain factory spire point ammunition.

That may seem like a small difference, but the .30-06 case that the .25 -06 utilizes will hold more powder than the .257 Roberts case. Thus, loaders and reloaders can work up safe loads that generate more feet per second and more foot-pounds of energy out to 400 yards. Even so, because of the lighter-weight bullets that the quarter bores use, it is recommended that the .25-06 be used for medium-sized game out to about 350 yards or less.

The .257 Weatherby Magnum has a muzzle velocity of 3,602 feet per second with a 100-grain spire point commercial bullet and 3,305 feet per second muzzle velocity with a 120-grain Partition commercial bullet.

The .257 Weatherby ammunition is made only by Weatherby, as far as I can determine, and costs $72 for a box of 20 rounds for the 100-grain spire points and $98 for a box of 20 120-grain Partition rounds.

Still, because of the lightweight bullets that quarter bores use, even the .257 Weather Magnum is considered a medium game cartridge out to 400 to 450 yards.

Milek admitted the superior ballistics of the .257 Weatherby. But to my knowledge he never embraced the Weatherby offering in .257 caliber because he felt that the long throat of the Weatherby could have an adverse effect on accuracy.

He wrote, “Any time a bullet has to travel unsupported for the distance it does in a .257 Weatherby chamber, it isn’t going to enter the rifling perfectly straight and accuracy will be effected.”

If you have a .257 Roberts that you really like to hunt with, it appears to be a good varmint cartridge with its mild recoil. The .257 Roberts also is an acceptable cartridge for thin-skinned big game such as deer, or heavy boned medium-sized game like sheep, black bear and caribou out to 200 yards.

However, if the range gets much over 300 yards, the .25-06 and the 257 Weatherby seem to be better and more humane choices. That’s if you prefer the small .257 caliber cartridges with less recoil than the 7mm and .30 caliber big game cartridges.

Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He was a member of the faculty of Texas A&M University for 25 years. There he taught orienteering, marksmanship, self-defense, fencing, scuba diving and boxing. He was among the first DPS-certified Texas Concealed Handgun Instructors. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.

In 1855, a clothing manufacturer named Oliver Winchester became the largest stockholder of the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company, which was developing the Volcanic Lever Action Rifle.

The rifle had only limited success and the company fell into bankruptcy. Oliver Winchester and his partner, John M. Davies, purchased the company’s assets and reorganized it as the New Haven Arms Company in April 1857.

With the help of Benjamin Henry, the New Haven Arms Company developed the .44 Henry round and a lever-action rifle loosely based on the Volcanic that could use the new round. It retained only the general form of the breech mechanism and the tubular magazine.

Thus, the Henry rifle of 1860 was born and was used by some Union army units in the Civil War. The Henry rifle ensured success for New Haven Arms and established the lever-action repeater in the firearms market.

In 1866, a dispute between Henry and Winchester over compensation prompted Winchester to reorganize New Haven Arms again into the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Winchester completely redesigned and improved the Henry rifle design, creating the 1866 Winchester rifle, which fired the same .44 caliber cartridge but had an improved magazine and loading gate.

In 1873, Winchester introduced the Model 1873 in 44-40 WCF (Winchester Center Fire). The 1873 Winchester became known as the gun that won the West.

The 1873 was followed by the 1876 Winchester, which was a little larger and chambered longer to fire .45-60 WCF, .50-95 and the .45 70 Government cartridges. However, the 1876 Winchester rifle would not handle the .45-70 Government cartridge, so Winchester Repeating Arms developed the Model 1886 Winchester rifle.

Oliver Winchester and his son didn’t live to see the 1886 rifle’s introduction as Oliver died in December 1880 and his son died four months later.

In the early years of the 20th century, Winchester Repeating Arms met heavy competition from John Browning designs manufactured under license by other firearm companies. The race to produce the first self-loading rifle saw the development of the Winchester Model 1903, Winchester Model 1907 and Winchester Model 1910 rifles.

Winchester ws a major producer of the .303 Pattern 1914 Enfield rifle for the British government and the similar .30-06 M1917 Enfield rifle for the United States during World War I. Working at the Winchester plant during that war, John Browning developed the final design of the Browning Automatic Rifle. Browning and Winchester engineers also developed the .50 caliber machine gun and its 12.7 x 99 ammunition. The commercial rights to these new Browning guns were owned by Winchester.

During World War II, an eight-man team designed the U.S. M1 Carbine, produced the M1 Garand and was the first manufacturer of the M14 Rifle.

After WWII, Winchester started having financial difficulties, and by the 1960s, the cost of skilled labor was making it unprofitable to produce Winchester’s classic designs, as they required considerable handwork to finish.

Although the Model 70 rifle in various calibers was one of America’s favorite hunting rifles and several of their shotguns were well-received, lever-action rifles with tubular magazines required bullets that were blunt enough not to set off the primer of the cartridge in front of them in the tubular magazine during firing. American hunters were starting to favor bolt-action rifles that fired longer, more streamlined bullets.

The Model 94 Winchester lever-action rifle in .30-30, which came out in 1895 and was the first Winchester smokeless powder cartridge, sold well into the 1950s and ‘60s, earning the distinction of America’s favorite deer rifle for the first half of the 1900s.

On Jan. 16, 2006, Winchester announced it was closing its plant New Haven, Connecticut where Winchester rifles and shotguns had been produced for over 140 years.

On Aug. 15, 2006, the Olin Corporation, the owner of the Winchester trademark, announced that it had entered into a new license agreement with Browning to make Winchester brand rifles and shotguns.

In the summer of 2008, Fabrique Nationale d’Herstal resumed production of Model 70 rifles in Columbus, South Carolina. Later in 2010, Fabrique Nationale d’Herstal resumed production of the 1894 lever-action rifle. So most of the Winchester firearms of the past are now available again, although at high prices.

I feel fortunate to have three Winchester rifles and a shotgun that were produced between 1935 and 1955. A company that has been manufacturing rifles and shotguns for 151 years has got to be doing a lot of things right.

Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He was a member of the faculty of Texas A&M University for 25 years. There he taught orienteering, marksmanship, self-defense, fencing, scuba diving and boxing. He was among the first DPS-certified Texas Concealed Handgun Instructors. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.

Generally, when I go to the shooting range, I like to pick a shooting station, where I unload the firearms I plan to sight in or just practice with and mind my own business until I’m done.

I’m not anti-social, but I usually assume that others are more interested in their shooting rather than spending their time socializing with other shooters. At any rate, I think most of us go to the range to shoot instead of socialize. We all do communicate up and down the line of shooters for safety concerns and to decide when it is safe for people to go down range to retrieve or set up targets.

Avid shooters are really a friendly bunch for the most part, and they do notice what others are shooting and doing at the range. From time to time, someone will wait until I stop shooting to ask me about what I am shooting or what kind of flash suppressor I am using on one of my hunting rifles or AR-15s. All I have to do is explain that I have muzzle brakes, not flash suppressors on my rifles, and a conversation that lasts from five to 10 minutes ensues.

“Well, they sure look like flash suppressors,” is the usual reply.

Actually, muzzle brakes do look like some kind of flash suppressor to those who don’t know the difference. They even do a pretty good job of suppressing the flash that normally follows the bullet out the muzzle of the barrel.

The difference lies in the purpose of a muzzle brake. The purpose is to control recoil, barrel rise and side-to-side movement during shooting, which is caused by the torque of the bullet being forced down the barrel by the burning powder. The advantages are less recoil, less upward and side-to-side motion while firing, quicker realignment of the sights on the target and better accuracy.

When a rifle is fired, the pressure from the burning powder forces the bullet and the gases behind it forward and out the muzzle. The muzzle brake has holes in the top and the sides of the muzzle brake. As the pressure and gases enter the muzzle brake, much of it is directed upward and to the sides of the brake, thus countering barrel rise, side-to-side movement of the barrel and felt recoil.

The bullet, which has already achieved its peak muzzle velocity, simply continues toward the target. Some of the better muzzle brakes have holes that direct the pressure and gases up and slightly back, as well as to the sides and slightly back, which further counters the backward movement of the rifle or its recoil.

One visual difference between a muzzle bake and a flash suppressor is that the holes are usually more numerous and appear only on the top and sides of a muzzle brake. Holes on the bottom of a muzzle brake would allow pressure and gases to be directed downward, which would allow more barrel rise.

As far as reducing felt recoil, there are good muzzle brakes and better muzzle brakes. Muzzle brakes do reduce felt recoil. Those muzzle brakes not only direct pressure and gases up and to the sides but are also more effective at reducing felt recoil.

Most companies that produce muzzle brakes will try to exaggerate how much their brakes will reduce recoil. Just to give you an example, Weatherby makes its own muzzle brakes that they claim reduce muzzle rise better than any of its competitors.

Maybe they do, but they also claim that the normal recoil of about 38 foot-pounds of a .300 Weatherby Magnum will be reduced to about 18 foot-pounds with one of their “Weatherby Accubrake” muzzle brakes installed. I own a .300 Weatherby Magnum with the muzzle brake installed. Felt recoil is definitely reduced, but it is still a little more than a .30-06’s 18 to 20 foot-pounds of recoil.

In all fairness, muzzle brakes do have a couple of disadvantages. They add an inch or two to the length of the barrel and they are loud. I have had a couple of people at the shooting range move down one more station because my .300 Weatherby was too loud for them.

They might have done that even if I didn’t have a muzzle brake, but it seemed to bother them with the sound coming out of the side of the brake as well as straight down the barrel. Most people at the range are either familiar with muzzle breaks or they just figure I’m shooting a gun that is far more powerful and loud than would ever be needed in North America.

Muzzle brakes are not for everyone. Whether they are practical or necessary often determines whether they are used or not. Professional guides who have to be right by their client during the shot hate them and some concessions ban their use.

Like many things in life the better designs are very good at what they do.

Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He was a member of the faculty of Texas A&M University for 25 years. There he taught orienteering, marksmanship, self-defense, fencing, scuba diving and boxing. He was among the first DPS-certified Texas Concealed Handgun Instructors. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.

Traditionally, American gunners have not displayed a fondness for .26 caliber rifles, or 6.5mm caliber as it is called in Europe. Like wayward sons, the 6.5mm sits between .25 and .277 calibers, neglected and hardly noticed from a nation of .30 caliber enthusiasts. At least this was the case a decade ago.

There has certainly been a parade of mediocre European military numbers such as the 6.5 Italian Carcano, the 6.5-50 Japanese Arisaka, the 6.5x53R Mannlicher and the 6.5×58 Portuguese Vergueiro.

The Swedish 6.5×55 on the other hand is still enjoying some success because of the relaxation of import restrictions of military rifles in the 1980s. The 6.5mm Remington Magnum, introduced in 1966, offered .270 class ballistics with a 120-grain big game load with about 2,400 foot-pounds at the muzzle, and was easy on the shoulder.

The other indigenous 6.5mm caliber, the .264 Winchester Magnum introduced in 1960, is based on the .375 H&H case, necked down to fire a 6.5mm bullet. It is a pretty accurate cartridge with muzzle energy listed at 3,040 foot-pounds, but the bore of the 6.5mm barrel doesn’t handle the pressure generated by the powder capacity of the .375 case efficiently, and there have been issues with limited barrel life.

Alexander Arms really boosted the popularity of 6.5mm cartridges when they manufactured the first AR-15 platform rifle in 6.5 Grendel in 2003. Wilson Combat and others followed suit and added the 6.8 SPC to their lines of AR-15 platform rifles.

In 2007, Hornady’s Dave Emary introduced the 6.5 Creedmoor for serious hunters and competitors. The 6.5 Creedmoor has a muzzle velocity of 3,010 feet per second and retains 2,078 feet per second at 500 yards with a 140-grain bullet and a ballistic coefficient of .585. It still has 1,346 feet per second at 1,000 yards.

The 6.5 Creedmoor was designed for both hunting and competition. It has given competitors a very flat shooting round that can be used at 1,000 yards. It is not a NATO round, and NATO rounds dominate high power matches and the Creedmoor isn’t allowed. As a hunting round, the 6.5 Creedmoor is an easy-on-the-shoulder, hard hitting, accurate round for midsize game out to 600 yards.

Leave it to Weatherby to not be outdone in the 6.5mm hunting rifle market. The 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum has been on the market for a couple of years, and according to the company, it is now one of their most popular big game rifles.

They even have a video they show on Facebook of one of the grown Weatherby boys hunting mountain sheep in Alaska with a 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum.

Weatherby offers three bullet weights for the 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum: 127 grains, 130 grains and 140 grains. They all cost $98 for a box of 20 rounds. The 130-grain bullet has a ballistic coefficient of 571 and leaves the muzzle of a 26-inch barrel at 3,476 feet per second with 3,487 foot-pounds of energy. It retains 2,557 feet per second with 1,887 foot-pounds of energy at 500 yards.

The recoil of the 6.5-300 Weatherby should be pretty substantial, and I would think barrel life would be around 10,000 rounds. However, it hasn’t been on the market long enough to make a definitive statement concerning barrel life. We will just have to wait and see unless some facility decides to run a test.

Just for comparison, I do my long-range hunting (400 yards or more) with a .300 Weatherby Magnum. I use a 180-grain Spire Point bullet with a ballistic coefficient of .425 when I use Weatherby’s commercial cartridges. I get a little slower bullet at all ranges out to 500 yards and quite a bit more energy at all ranges out to 500 yards than the 6.5 calibers offer.

I do get about 6 inches more drop at 500 yards when both are zeroed for 300 yards than the 6.5-300 Weatherby. However, when I load my own cartridges for the .300 Weatherby, I get a much flatter trajectory and way more foot-pounds of energy at all ranges.

I suspect that the 6.5-300 Weatherby’s use of the .300 Weatherby case uses more powder and generates more pressure than the smaller 6.5 bore can efficiently handle, and the problem would be exacerbated by trying to hot rod the cartridge by those who load their own cartridges.

I’m only mildly interested in the recent increase in 6.5mm calibers that have been developed over the last decade and the variety of bullets available to reloaders and commercial ammo buyers. But coyote hunting is fun with the 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC and 6.5 Creedmoor with their flat trajectories.

I think that there are many reasons why most long-range shooters prefer .30 caliber rifles in America. I expect the various .30 caliber magnum cartridges to continue to dominate the long-range, big game hunting fields, followed closely by the 7mm magnums, the 30-06 Springfield and the 270 Winchester.

The 6.5’s with their impressive ballistics are simply lost in the crowd between .25 and .277 calibers, and the small diameter bullets are too small and lightweight to maintain sufficient momentum for the long-range hunting of big game.

Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He was a member of the faculty of Texas A&M University for 25 years. There he taught orienteering, marksmanship, self-defense, fencing, scuba diving and boxing. He was among the first DPS-certified Texas Concealed Handgun Instructors. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.

One of the things that can be confusing to hunters is the variety of bullets available and trying to decide which is best. Ammunition companies and businesses that sell reloading products like to give names to their bullets that grab the buyers’ attent…

Starting in January of each year, I start getting ready for the fall hunting season. There really is a lot to think about, including gear that needs to be inspected to make sure it is ready for the next season.

First, I make sure all my rifles and pistols that were carried during last season are cleaned and stored in the gun vault. Next, I examine my tent and make sure it is still in good shape and all the zippers work.

So far, I have had to have a firm in Idaho Falls replace the zippers. I had them replace the old zippers with a little heavier ones to see if they would last longer.

I also take a good look at my boots to make sure they are still waterproof and that the lugs aren’t too worn. I walk a lot when hunting, so my boots have to be comfortable and in good repair.

I also examine my jackets, socks, long underwear, pants, gloves, sleeping bag, sleeping pad and head gear. Anything that needs to be repaired or replaced is taken care of during the winter, spring and summer.

Early in the spring, I start sighting in the rifles I use for hunting, tightening and applying Gun-Tite to scope bases and rings, and I start scouting the areas we like to hunt.

During August, I review my to-do list, including making sure my pickup truck is serviced and ready to go, as well as packing a few things in my large and small backpacks so I won’t forget them.

About a week before October, I make sure I have enough food, water and miscellaneous supplies for a couple three- or four-day trips.

The folks in our hunting group try to pack our large backpacks with no more than about 35 or 40 pounds of gear and our small backpacks with about 15 pounds, excluding our firearms and ammunition.

In order to stay within those constraints, we pack what we have learned we will need, but we also pack many things that have more than one purpose, which helps lighten the load. The large backpack usually contains personal gear, plus some of the food and group equipment. The small pack, or daypack, is stocked each day with water, personal snacks, first aid kit, rain gear, compass or GPS, topographic map of the area, field dressing kit, etc.

In a couple of areas we hunt, we can drive into our camping area, while we have to pack in to our campsite in another area. We want to have what we need to stay oriented, deal with emergencies, handle sudden drops in temperature, inclement weather and unforeseen delays that might occur.

My daypack contains:

• 25 to 30 feet of light cord
• Binoculars
• Compass
• Hand warmers
• Emergency blanket (foil type)
• 50 feet of climbing quality rope
• First Aid Kit
• Topographic map
• Energy bars
• Matches
• Light fleece jacket
• Personal medicine
• Small high-intensity flash lights
• Whistle
• Collapsible saw
• Two skinning knives
• Sharpening stones
• Surgical gloves
• Head mounted flashlight
• Rain coat
• Tarp
• Two bottles of water

We also carry cellphones and two-way radios in case of an emergency. One word of caution though — don’t use cellphones or two-way radios unless there is an emergency. The sound of the human voice bothers wildlife, and the ring tones of cellphones are enough to make game clear out of the area.

You will also be in the dog house with your hunting partners if you use a cellphone or two-way radio for anything but an emergency. You can turn the ring tone off on your cellphone and just check it periodically, so even friends and spouses won’t ruin the hunt if they call. However, cellphones don’t have any service in a lot of the places we hunt.

All of us in our group carry things that others don’t, but our experience over the years pretty much determines what we each carry in our small daypack, and each year most of us look at what we didn’t need and what we think we ought to add for next year while keeping the daypack to 15 pounds.

Make your own list of what you want on your hunting trip, and then weigh it to see what you are subjecting yourself to. If it weighs too much you are going to have a less than good time.

You should also be in good physical condition if you are going to participate in hunting activities. Have a personal trainer help you develop a fitness program for yourself if you aren’t sure what exercises will best prepare you for hunting.

If you bag your deer or elk, the really hard work begins and you have to get it out to where you left your vehicle. The weight you have to deal with can be overwhelming if you don’t plan your trip carefully.

Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He was a member of the faculty of Texas A&M University for 25 years. There he taught orienteering, marksmanship, self-defense, fencing, scuba diving and boxing. He was among the first DPS-certified Texas Concealed Handgun Instructors. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.

Do you carry a handgun when you are hunting. If so, what is the intended use for a it on your hunting trips?Think about it. There should be a good reason for everything you decide to carry with you.Some people actually like the challenge of hunting wit…

I spent the first 10 days of June in Reedsport, Oregon.

The first four days were spent in Coos Bay at the Festival of Sail. The next five days were spent visiting with my daughter and her family in Reedsport and celebrating the birthdays of my son-in-law and nephew.

The last day was spent shooting sporting clays at the Siuslaw Rod & Gun Club, which was named after the Siuslaw River that runs from the mountains through Florence, Oregon, and on to the sea.

To get to the Siuslaw Rod & Gun Club, we had to drive north on Highway 101 out of Reedsport to Florence. Just as we were leaving Florence, we turned west off Highway 101 and drove a half-mile to the gun club.

After checking in, we proceeded to the sporting clays range behind the clubhouse. There, we found a five position range with a small protective shed housing the throwing machine.

In sporting clays, one shoots five shots from each of five positions, which completes one round. A shooter gets only one shot at each of 25 clay pigeons thrown for him. Additional rounds cost more for each round. Most of the members of our group, which consisted of eight of my son-in-law’s friends, shot one or two rounds.

I didn’t think to take my shotgun to Reedsport with me, so one of the club instructors was kind enough to lend me a very nice over/under break open 2-shot 12-gauge shotgun. I was even coached on how to be more successful at hitting the clay pigeons as they came flying out of the throwing machine.

Most of us were poor to mediocre sporting clay shooters and consoled each other with the fact that no one was much better than anyone else.

When my turn to shoot a round came, it started to rain. However, I really didn’t notice because I was so focused on picking up the clay pigeons, leading them a little, and shooting before it got more than 40 yards away from me where the shot pattern starts to spread out.

Because I spend very little time with this type of shotgun shooting, I was satisfied with the hits I managed to get. I really need to practice sporting clays shooting more often, though.

After all of us had shot as many rounds as we wanted to shoot, four of the better shooters who had decided to shoot last stepped up and shot a round. Out of 100 shots between them, I think there were only three clay pigeons that weren’t hit.

It really was a fun day, but I can’t figure out how I got so wet. I looked like I had been through a rainstorm when I finished shooting. If so, I was having too much fun to notice.

Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He was a member of the faculty of Texas A&M University for 25 years. There he taught orienteering, marksmanship, self-defense, fencing, scuba diving and boxing. He was among the first DPS-certified Texas Concealed Handgun Instructors. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.

One of the decisions we all must during any number of activities in the outdoors is what we are going to take with us for snacks to munch on.

If you spend a lot of time hiking or simply moving around the backcountry, you probably know that you need some water and light energy food to keep you going between regular meals.

Some people prefer to take granola bars to keep their energy levels up during the day. When it comes to energy bars, I prefer the ones made by the Isagenix Company. The trouble I have had with energy bars is that I either don’t like the taste or they tend to melt in hot weather.

I still really like traditional trail mix that I prepare myself. The reason I like to prepare it myself is that I can choose the ingredients I like best, I don’t have to have candy that melts in hot weather and it costs me less than buying the same amount of commercial trail mix for my backcountry activities.

Most of what I put in my trail mix are nuts, organic food, dried fruit and crunch. Two other categories that many people like to include are seeds and sweets. Here is a breakdown of each category: 

Nuts: Peanuts, mixed nuts, whole raw almonds, sliced almonds, raw pecans, raw walnuts, unsalted cashews, and raw Brazil nuts.

Organic food: Raisins and organic coconut chips.

Dried fruit: Banana chips, cranberries, pineapple, apricots, mandarin oranges, apple chunks, mangoes and blueberries.

Crunch: Honey almond granola, Rice Chex, Wheat Chex, 7-grain granola and cacao nibs.

Seeds: Corn nuts, dried green peas, raw sunflower seeds, wasabi peas and raw pumpkin seeds.

Sweets: M&M peanuts, regular M&Ms, peanut butter M&Ms, peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, yogurt raisins and dark chocolate chips.

I don’t include all the items listed here in my own trail mix, but many people like things that I don’t prefer. For example, I don’t include items from the seeds and sweets categories. I don’t even include many items from the nuts, organic and dried fruit categories.

The list above is not all inclusive, but represents items I am familiar with.

One pound of my particular trail mix costs me around $7.50 and is enough for two people for most hunting trips. Two pounds that I can share with several others cost around $15.

Whether you choose energy bars, commercial or self-prepared trail mix, it is a good idea to have a snack to tide you over between meals during backcountry activities.

Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He was a member of the faculty of Texas A&M University for 25 years. There he taught orienteering, marksmanship, self-defense, fencing, scuba diving and boxing. He was among the first DPS-certified Texas Concealed Handgun Instructors. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.

If you will are planning a trip to the coast of Oregon the first part of June and are looking for interesting events to attend, I have a suggestion.

From June 1 to 4, the Festival of Sail is coming to Coos Bay/North Bend. This will be one of the largest events in Oregon in 2017 and will include the largest rubber duck in the world and eight historic tall ships.

On June 1, behind the slipstream of the 61-foot tall, 11-ton World’s Largest Rubber Duck, the historic tall ships will sail into port at the Mill Casino in North Bend, Oregon, for the festival.

The eight tall ships will be available to board and tour starting June 2. The ships include Bill of Rights, Schooner Freda B, Lady Washington, Hawaiian Chieftain and Dirigo.

Along with on-board tours and day sails, other activities will include live music, entertainment, educational programs about maritime life 200 years ago, sea shanties, locally curated beer, local food and fun for the entire family.

These ships combine the mystique of Hollywood with a living history of the sea. These ships were made famous in films such as the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise. The Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftain are both heavily researched replicas of vessels that ran the trade routes in the 1800s.

Single-day festival-only tickets start at $9, a single onboard tour pass is $12, a multiple-day pass that includes admission and onboard tours is $20, a day sail is $95 and a Parade of Sail Day Sail on one of the tall ships as they arrive at Coos Bay on opening day is $150.

Those interested in bringing 10 or more people to the festival can email rebekah@drawevents.com for tickets. Those who want to get their tickets early should visit www.festofsailcoosbay.com or call 877-4FLY-TIX for tickets.

For those who are interested in seeing and touring these tall ships, I suggest getting your tickets and any hotel reservations in the Reedsport/North Bend, Oregon, area as soon as possible to make sure you have a place to stay and can see, tour, or sail on these historic ships.

For those driving to Coos Bay/North Bend from East Idaho, it is a long drive.

Plan on 13 to 14 hours to get there. Those flying can fly to Eugene and rent a car to drive the 115 miles southeast to Coos Bay/North Bend.

I have been trying hard to get back to Coos Bay the first four days in June ever since my wife and I heard that the tall ships were coming. We will be there and are looking forward to a great experience.

Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He was a member of the faculty of Texas A&M University for 25 years. There he taught orienteering, marksmanship, self-defense, fencing, scuba diving and boxing. He was among the first DPS-certified Texas Concealed Handgun Instructors. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.