Outdoorsman's Diary

[Doc]

I guess this is the time of year folk buy diaries.

I am surprised how few diaries include the moonstate - I suppose most people nowadays see this as irrelevant. Better diaries do give the moonstate, but very few give sunrise/sunset times. Of course this will vary on your location, but even a rough guide is better than none at all.

Of them all, the best diary I have found is the Eley Shooters Diary - available from your local gunshop:
-it is small and tough
-it has a pencil and ribbon bookmark
-it has not only moonstate but times of moonrise and moonset
-it has sunrise/sunset times (for London I presume)
-it has shooting seasons
-there is a huge amount of information on ballistics, proof marks, shot sizes, pellet energy needed for clean kills, range judging, legal advice, etc, etc- mainly useful for the shooter but of some interest to many folk here.

Recommended.

 

[sam_acw]

I think a bushcrafter's almanac would be a wonderful idea. It would need to be a fair effort to produce it but I've slowly started accumulating notes and ideas

 

[Doc]

Could be done.

Lulu makes self publishing cheap.

The Eley diary has 208 pages. Lulu can print a 208 page, 4.2" x 6.9" book for under a fiver.

Might be a good project for 2010

 

[Tor helge]

In Norway you get this. Almanakk for Norge. It contains calendar with moonfases, church days and so on. Moon and sun up/down and south/north, harbour times. Hunting and fishing regulations. Starmaps and planet positions, and lots of other information.

The Almanakk has been published since 1804. I buy one each year. Mostly for its hunting and fishing information, but also to know the moon phases and calculate high and low tide.
It cost 49 NOK, about 5 pounds.

Tor

 

[Wayland]

That looks useful.

We used to be able to get almanacks in the news agents but I haven't seen one for years.

 

[John Fenna]

Did "Old Moores Almanack" die a death?
Did it forsee its own end?

 

[Tadpole]

Did "Old Moores Almanack" die a death?
Did it forsee its own end?

Amazon has them still

 

[Wayland]

That was the one.

I couldn't remember the name of it.

There were only a few useful pages but you could rip them out and bin the rest.

 

[Chris the Cat]

I think a bushcrafter's almanac would be a wonderful idea. It would need to be a fair effort to produce it but I've slowly started accumulating notes and ideas

Do it mate! Fab idea,I'll take two!
C da C

 

[John Fenna]

I think a bushcrafter's almanac would be a wonderful idea. It would need to be a fair effort to produce it but I've slowly started accumulating notes and ideas

Put me down for one!

 

[OliveDrabnotDPM]

Likewise. A great idea. I'll have one too.

 

[Tiley]

I'm interested! I'll have one.

 

[johnnytheboy]

Doc, just a quicky, i know for fishing/hunting why moonrise would be used but what do us bushcrafters need it for? I have always been really interested in how the moon affects things esp fishing

 

[Kerne]

I just checked out Lulu.com

http://www.lulu.com/uk/

It certainly seems doable. The only problem would be satisfying everyone with the sort of information required. (And, of course, assembling the info).

I'd be up for one.

 

[sam_acw]

So, the next question - what sort of things would people want?
I must admit I've already jotted some ideas and written a few words on the subject here.

 

[Doc]

Johnny, the main point about moonstate is visibility at night. With clear skies and a full moon, setting up camp after dusk is much less of a problem.

At this time of year geese will flight during a full moon. In fact it does not have to be completely full.

Night vision scopes work much better with a bit of moonlight too.

Sam, as well as sunset/rise and moonstate there is quite a bit of interest in simple astronomy and many folk are interested in meteor showers, and which planets and constellations are visible. Tidal data would be good too but I rather doubt it would be feasible - too many locations and the data is often copyright.

Some natural phenomena -like the arrival of pinkfoot geese- are predictable to within a week or two.

Foragers might like data on what is available when.

Hunting and fishing seasons of course.

An 'aide memoir' on tree identification and tracks would be good.

Spine charts for making arrows perhaps - or maybe this is too much a minority interest?

First aid especially CPR - there is a lot of evidence that skills degrade over time (though bad CPR is likely to be better than no CPR).

Addresses of suppliers and relevant charities.

Magikelly did a Yearbook for Song of the paddle though that was more like an A5 magazine than an almanac. He might be able to tell you how much it cost to print. of course with Lulu it is print on demand so it doesn't leave you with Thoreau's problem - he famously stated that he had a library of around 1000 books, 800 of which he wrote himself (nobody bought his first book, and he had all the remaindered copies )

 

[Wayland]

Some weather lore would be useful as well. Stuff like cloud types and associated weather and winds.

Perhaps a page or two on animal tracks?

 

[bothyman]

Did "Old Moores Almanack" die a death?
Did it forsee its own end?

We always used to get that when I was young for some reason.
I must try and get hold of a copy and see if it's the same as I remember it.
But then I didn't really know what it was for ???

>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Moore%27s_Almanack

It seems there are/were two versions

MickT

 

[w00dsmoke]

I think this is a great idea. A sunrise sunset diagram (year) would be better than a table as you can see the arcs for sunrise and set for the length of the year. The book The Badger by Neal and Cheeseman by Poyser has a very good one inside.

There is so much else that could go in, I can almost visualise not just a diary but a whole new UK bushcraft practical guide... with UK inspirational quotes under woodcut prints celebrating (I think we all too often don't and look to the other for insiration) our natural heritage rather than another countries!

 

[bothyman]

our natural heritage rather than another countries!

I've got to agree with you on that one.

People always seem to turn to other countries for information .
It could be a case of the common man in this country has always had restricted access to the outdoors .
But it's all there if you look,