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4 Pro Tips For Setting Up A Great Hunting Expedition Camp

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4 Pro Tips For Setting Up A Great Hunting Expedition Camp

Whether you are planning an expedition, hunting elk in the Rocky Mountains or white-tail deer in the wildlands of Virginia setting up camp is one important step that can not be overlooked. The relationship between having an ideal hunting camp and the success of a hunt can’t be underestimated. Setting up an ill-equipped and poorly organized hunting camp can exaggerate even minor inconveniences of being away from the comfort of your home.

Below are a few tips to help you set up a great hunting camp.

1. Choosing a site

*Safety should be your first consideration when choosing a site to set up your camp. The further away you are from civilization the higher the risk of something happening to you. Keep this in mind when choosing your site and take into consideration the animals that may live in the forest around you.

*Your site location should not be too close to game trails. This prevents the risk of having a wild animal wander into your site and also lessens the possibility of scaring away the exact thing you may be hunting.

*Avoid setting up under things that can fall at any moment. This includes dead tree branches or rocks.

*Consider terrain. You might set up camp under clear skies only to wake up in a flooded depression. Choose a location that is fairly level to avoid being in such a situation.

2. Proximity

Setting up a campsite for the fun of it is very different from setting up a hunting camp. When setting up a camp just for fun you will want to be near great scenery for great photos, this is just not a priority when setting up a hunting camp.

*You will need to be close to fresh water for drinking which is important for survival.

*Find an area that increases your chances of a successful hunt. You do not want to set up camp that is too close or too visible to where you plan on doing the actual hunt as this could spook the game out of the area.

*That being said, you also want to set up in an area that is close enough so that you can be in your hunting position without wasting too much time. Remember, if you do take something down, you will have to haul it back to camp.

3. Storage space

It is close to impossible to carry all your belongings every day when you go hunting. It is therefore vital that you have enough storage space for your extra gear as well as your food.

*First, you will need to separate the cooking area and the sleeping area. You should not take food into the sleeping area. This will reduce the risk of animals getting close to you when you are sleeping if they happen to wander into camp.

*Ensure all food and meat is hang in bags at least three meters from the ground and a few meters from the sleeping tents. Hang any game you gave scored off the ground and away from the camp area.

Campfire at the hunting camp

4. Keep the camp area clean

*The first thing you should consider is setting up a toilet. It should be away from the living area and away from the water source. If you plan to stay in the camp for long, dig a deep trench that can accommodate all human waste. When you leave the site make sure you bury all human waste.

*Do not leave your garbage lying around. Make sure you burn all your waste or carry it back home for proper disposal.

*Clean up your campsite and the area around it before you go. Leave it cleaner than when you got there. Keeping the forest around you clean ensures happy hunters, campers, and animals for years to come.

Now with these tips, you are ready to go on a whitetail hunt.

Detailed Plan For Biosecurity And Health On Poultry Farm

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Detailed Plan For Biosecurity And Health On Poultry Farm

If you own and run a poultry farm there are a number of considerations you have to make with regards to any visitors to the working site. Protecting your livestock should be a priority at all times, and an unwelcome visitor, or a visitor entering an area of your poultry farm that they are not supposed to, can cause untold harm to your poultry in the form of illness, disease and possibly death as a result. Without a proper biosecurity plan in place and specific and detailed processed for visitors to your poultry farm, the health of your animals will suffer, and with it so too will your productivity levels and profit.

There are a few things that you should definitely have in place as part of your biosecurity on a poultry farm. These include a biosecurity plan and specific biosecurity officer with knowledge of all processes planned, a line of separation to protect your poultry, and a buffer area around the perimeter.

A Detailed Plan for Biosecurity on Your Poultry Farm

It is a central part of any successful farm to have in place a thorough and detailed biosecurity farm. For this you should put together a list of what is required for your poultry farm specifically, the number of animals you have on the farm, number of workers, potential visitors and the exact equipment and procedures used for each working aspect of the poultry farm, from hatching and feeding, to cleaning and preparation. A thorough biosecurity plan will include all of the following points and include the three central tenets of biosecurity that your poultry farm should adhere to.

One of the biggest dangers to the health of your animals is the movement of people, the movement of equipment used on site, and the procedures used to handle any manure or mortalities. Avian flu and other diseases can be spread easily if a plan is not followed to the letter in order to maintain high standards of biosecurity.

Have a Specific Biosecurity Officer – The person you choose for this role will ideally have experience in working with poultry, and have veterinary knowledge or be able to easily consult with someone who does. The biosecurity officer will be tasked with building the specific plan for your poultry farm; training individuals who either work on the farm or visit it regularly and they also have the authority to enforce any required action to follow the plan.

Build a Line of Separation – To maintain high standards of animal health a line of separation should be built between all individual buildings within your poultry farm. This way there are biosecurity processes that must be followed whenever you enter a new area on the farm, significantly reducing the risk of spreading disease throughout the whole farm in the case of an infection or death of an animal.

Create a Perimeter Buffer Area – This area should be created outside of the separated areas. So, for instance, an outer biosecurity control area should be set up outside the poultry houses. This ensures that any visitors and vehicles that have not been disinfected can still perform necessary tasks in certain areas of the farm, without spreading disease and infection to the important areas.

It does take some time and thought to set up a thorough and specific biosecurity plan for your poultry farm, but in the long-term it is hugely beneficial to animal health, productivity and profits.

10 Safety Tips For Working At Heights

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10 Safety Tips For Working At Heights

Whether your project has you at heights for the majority of the day or only once in a while, your focus on safety during these occurrences is of the upmost importance. It only takes one mistake to have a routine job result in major injury, or even a fatality. Therefore, you must be prepared at all times to protect those who work for you every time they are exposed to heights. Here are some things to consider as you and your employees tackle work at elevated levels.

1. Rails

Whenever you can, utilize rails. Passive protection is the best way to ensure that your workers are safe. This also achieves compliance, since there is nothing they need to do to keep themselves safe besides staying within the railing provided. Rails can be constructed by carpenters on the jobsite; however, be sure that they meet the requirements set forth by OSHA. The rails can also be pre-fabricated from a manufacturer and installed for you. Pre-fabricated railings can be permanently installed, or they can be designed as portable systems to suit your needs. Regardless of which type you decide to utilize, once the rails are in place you will find they are the easiest fall protection system to use.

2. Select the Proper PPE

If you’re going to use Personal Fall Arrest Systems (PFAS), you need to check that you are choosing the proper equipment for the job.  All full-body harnesses that meet ANSI standards will perform the same, despite their cost. However, the price difference can translate into differences in function.  Many times the price variations are due to brand names, but in other circumstances, it is functionality that you may be gaining or sacrificing.

These variations can include extra D-rings, fireproof material, or arc-safe designs. In some cases the more expensive harness will be higher in cost simply because it was designed to be more comfortable. Make sure to do extensive research while decide what it is you need. If you have workers who need to weld at heights, a standard nylon harness is probably not going to match your needs (Kevlar may be the more effective option).

At all times, keep your workforce in mind. While comfort may not be your main concern, it’s not the only thing you need to consider. It is also important to remember that harnesses are not one-size-fits-all. Make sure your workers can properly adjust their harnesses so that they fit correctly.

Lanyards are another item that needs to be properly selected. Each situation is different; you need to evaluate your working conditions, along with the task to be performed, in order to give your employees something that will adequately protect them.

3. PPE Inspections

If not inspected on a regular basis, equipment could fail at any time. When it comes to harnesses and lanyards, they need to be periodically inspected by a competent person, someone who has substantial knowledge of the device, and who can recognize the hazards. This person should also have the authority to correct it. Besides this, however, they should also be inspected by the user prior to every use. In order for this to happen, your employees need to understand what it is they are looking for, what is acceptable, and what to do if and when they find an issue. The inspection should be thorough, however this does not mean it needs to take a substantial amount of time. Even so, this brief, pre-work check could save the life of your employee.

 4.Make sure Everyone Understands Fall Distance and Anchor Points

All fall protection gear is rendered useless if it does not engage before you or your employee hits the lower level. The actual fall distance needs to not only include the length of your lanyard when it is deployed, but it should also factor your body length below the D-ring, along with any sag in your harness and anchor system.  You should count on a good 18.5’ minimum before you’re able to use a 6’ lanyard with a deceleration device. Also, an anchor point must support not only the weight of the person attached to it, but also 5000 lbs. per person. Many fixtures are not going to withstand those forces, so it is imperative that you get the approval of an engineer before establishing anchor points.

5. Ensure the Best Means for Working at Elevated Levels

Just as one harness cannot serve as a one-size-fits-all safety mechanism, neither are fall protection solutions.  In some situations, a scaffold may be the best solution to working at elevated levels. It is recommended that you equip them with rails, making your fall protection much easier. Other times, scaffolds are not a feasible option; in cases such as this, you may find yourself on a lift.

Depending on the lift type, your workers may or may not need to wear a harness and a lanyard. On other occasions, you will need to utilize a ladder, at which point the requirements for fall protection become harder to figure out. In any case, analyze all risks, and try to compensate for them with effective safety precautions.

6. Train

This last point cannot be stressed enough. If you want your employees to work safely at heights, they must be properly trained. Not only is training required by law, but not having training can lead to a lot of confusion, which increases the risk of falls significantly. Falls are the leading killer on construction jobs. Make sure that your employees are armed with the knowledge they need to keep themselves safe.

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