1) Always use lanyard on machetes. I forget how tiring they can be especialy when you haven't used one in a while, and I'm no weakling.
2) Have a good sheath for your machete and all your knives,hatchets,etc.,it is easy to slide on those steep hills and loose dirt.
3) If you thin out the grind on your machete to make it better at skinning and such don't be suprised when it looses a chunk of blade when you use it to hack limbs off of tough trees like hedge for instance.In all fairness that same limb kind of laughed at my sharp hatchet,too.
4) The saw back on that machete worked surprisingly well, even on that old hedge.(I bought a saw back Ontario this year just to see how it would do,not expecting much out of the saw,which is why I chose that one to experiment with the blade thinning to see if it would do double duty as a chopper and a skinner.)
5) Sawing is quieter than chopping.
6) It is unbelievably easy to loose any tool you can't sheath easily or otherwise can't keep on your person (like while doing certain activities such as climbing,etc.)in the woods,especialy on leafy or soft ground,especialy when it starts getting dark. One reason I always like to have a 5-7 inch tough "kabar" type all purpose knife with me in a good heavy duty sheath is that I always have it on me,even while climbing and such.
7) Have a light on your watch so you don't have to light up the whole woods with your flashlight just to see what time it is.I don't like tritium dials and such for the same reason I don't like night sights on my handguns for the most part,you can't turn them off.They are just as easy for anyone or anything else close by to see when it is pitch black as it is for you to see.
These are just some things I thought of while working on a deer stand a few weeks ago with a friend and with my youngest boy.I hope they can help keep someone else from making some of the mistakes I have made and seen made in the past.
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