Nov 22, 2008 (The Paducah Sun - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Here's a look at a bit of stuff that works for outdoors purposes.
While a lot of people hunt, fish and follow other rustic pursuits just to get away from the likes of ringing telephones, increasingly these communication devices want to come to our attention. The new G'zOne Boulder wireless phone from Verizon has some qualities that makes it want to get out there with you.

It's essentially a telephone with camera and video functions built in, plus it has some of those compatibility features that ascend over my head (like Bluetooth, which I always thought was the lethal condition you get from eating poke berries).

The Boulder, however, starts with a nearly bombproof clamshell sort of frame, built to military specifications and waterproof. It's not wimpy, and while it's neither the skinniest of phones, it still fits in a shirt pocket.

The Boulder has a push-to-talk feature that lets you use it as a walkie-talkie for others with the same kind of unit. For those who like to coordinate efforts from deer stands, etc., it could be the new communication tool.

This sturdy phone also has an electronic compass built in, a comfort for those who might get turned around out there, lose their regular compass but somehow remember to hang on to their phone.

Can't see to find your way? Well, the Boulder also can substitute as a flashlight if you've lost that, too.

If there's a weak area for the Boulder, it's not in its body but rather in its battery life. It's good for just over 3.5 hours of talking before it needs a recharge. But it comes with a cradle charger to keep it juiced.

Berkley's Gulp! Alive! Crazy Legs Jerk Shad is a five-inch, slim and baitfish-profiled soft jerkbait that culminates in a new splittail design, two inward-hooking curlytails. Instead of a plastic as most soft jerkbaits, grubs and such are, the Jerk Shad is made of Berkley's wonder material, biodegradable Gulp! Alive! (their exclamation points) that is a kind of plastic-like, rubbery molded fish meal. Berkley says its guarded concoction disperses scent and flavor 400 times more than plastic baits.

Not only does the shad start as a kind of fish food material, it comes in a screw-top tub of sorts (that lets the baits lie straight, unbent) where it soaks in a clear liquid that they call Gulp juice that recharges or soups up the smell and taste of the bait after its been in the water a while. And the others don't dry out in the packaging.

That dilution thing might not be a problem, because the lure is very, well, alluring at work. The Jerk Shad is action intense, the split tail coming alive with the slightest movement imparted. Rigged weedless and twitched on a semi-slack line, the Jerk Shad can be used with a "walk-the-dog" retrieve while the tail goes wild on its own.

Testing one, the first time I threw a this Jerk Shad in the water, a bass nailed it about two twitches into the experience. The action seems to be as good as any sub-surface sort of jerkbait, and it's probably better than most.

A potential annoyance with the Crazy Legs Jerk Shad is that bluegill and other sunfish cousins are enthralled by the skinny tips of the crazy legs. They wear them out, and the bait is soft and flexible enough that the hard bream bites take off the tips of the skinny, curly legs. Two or three of these bites and the lively part of the crazy legs are amputated.

Which brings up the other disadvantage of the lure. Crazy Legs Jerk Shad might be about as good as live bait, but they also cost as much or more as what you might have to pay for big live bait minnows. You get 18.4 ounces of the baits, which translates to about a baker's dozen, maybe 14 (I forgot to count before I started into them), and the tub retails for $19.99.

There's plenty of times when you're fishing or maybe on a hunting outing or in camp when you wish you had brought your tool box as much as your tackle box or fanny pack. For those occasions when a little hardware would go a long way, the multi-tool could be answer. One that's offered from knife and tool maker Sheffield now is the Angler 17-in-1 Multi Tool.

This thing-a-ma-bob is based on two sides of a butterfly-type handle, each side holding fold-in and out implements. Meanwhile, the two sides, flanked with plastic, textured grips, open up to become the squeezing handle of the larger tools.

The handles work long, needle-nose pliers and wirecutters, which have all kinds of applications. Included in the options are some pretty fishing-specific tools -- hook sharpener, line splicers, fish scaler and hook remover. There is a 3-inch blade that the manufacturer offers as a fillet knife. That would be a little awkward for fillet work on all but the smallest fish, but it's better than nothing, and a 3-inch knife blade with a suitably sharp edge could serve in many other ways.

There are other items that seem to seek out their own projects for all sorts of outdoors circumstances -- 3-inch scissors, 2.5-inch ruler, hard file, soft file, awl, both slotted and Phillips head screwdrivers (always needed when they're never around) and, for good measure, a can opener.

With all that you could probably surgically repair a snapping turtle bite or field-dress and skin a rhino. You can do it for a suggested retail of $26.99, packing around a total package of a mere 9 ounces. The 17-in-1 Multi Tool folds to a compact 4.5 inches.

--While it's under way out in the open counties, small game hunting in the Land Between the Lakes is on hold until Dec. 1, just following the last of the federal area's quota firearms deer hunting. Seasons continue through dates that conform to statewide seasons. In the Kentucky portion, that's squirrel, opossum, raccoon and fox hunting through Feb. 28; rabbit and quail hunting runs through Feb. 10; and bobcat season runs through Dec. 31. State regulations, including bag limits, apply.

All hunters age 16 an older in the LBL must have an LBL Hunter Use Permit in addition to the appropriate hunting license. More information is available by phoning 800-LBL-7077 or 924-2000 or by seeing the Web site www.lbl.org.

--Illinois educators can apply for up to $600 in Schoolyard Habitat Action Grants from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for hands-on student learning experience by establishing wildlife habitat projects on school grounds or other public property. Projects can include such as schoolyard prairie plots, butterfly gardens, nesting platforms or watering stations. Applications can be downloaded on the IDNR Web site, www.dnr.state.il.us/education, clicking on grants. The deadline to apply is Nov. 30. Information: IDNR Division of Education at dnr.teachkids@illinois.gov or 217-524-4126.

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