Outdoors prep a good winter hobby

I had to run into Anchorage earlier this past week to pick up a couple of firearms I had taken to a gunsmith for some alterations. One is a World War II vintage rifle which I had asked be drilled and tapped to fit a scope mounting base for an optics system similar to the type found mounted on these rifles and used by WW II snipers. The second firearm is a blackpowder, cap and ball revolver. A conversion cylinder allowing the use of blackpowder cartridges with this revolver needed some slight deburring and fitting to assure its proper function.

Why do I mention this? I guess, as much as anything, it’s the time of year. Now is a great time to begin getting caught up on repairs or alterations found necessary from this past summer’s playtime! The days are getting shorter and the temperatures are dropping below freezing at night, sometimes staying that way during the day. The still lake waters have a skim of ice on their surfaces, and the rivers’ water levels are low, making fishing a little difficult in either situation. Obviously, the ice isn’t thick enough to allow passage out on the lakes for icefishing.

For the lucky few holding a late-season hunting permit, there are still hunts to plan and trips to be made. For the rest of us, and that’s the vast majority, the hunting season is basically over. We are in that “betwixt and between” time of year – too early to go snowmachining and too cold to go four-wheeling!

What to do until the snows are deep enough to start running the myriad of snowmachine trails our area is famous for? I’ve found this to be the perfect time to get caught up on repairs, alterations, and upgrades to my various outdoor toys and equipment or, at least, get the materials necessary to do the work and plan the project to do when the weather does warms up again.

For instance, I mentioned in a previous column that I was thinking of getting some custom welding work done, followed by a paint job, on my riverboat. I’ll be talking shortly with my friend, Gary Feaster of Greatland Welding, about the customizing and finding out when that job might best fit his schedule. With a firm cost estimate, I can decide how I want to pay for the project so the boat is ready to go for next boating season.

Our RV needs a little maintenance, too. The house battery compartment under the unit needs to be cleaned up and repainted to stop the rusting that’s going on. The bathroom shower cabinet and countertop needs to be re-caulked in spots and I recently purchased a couple of small drawers which can be mounted under the dinning table to organize small items. The radio/CD player also died this past season and I’ve got my eye on a nice aftermarket replacement unit.

The No. 1 thing I want to remedy on the RV is how the water drains off the roof. Right now, water runs to the corners of the small eaves running along either side just below the roof and runs down the sides of the unit in both the front and back, leaving black marks on the sides of the unit.

That’s fine, except on the front end of the eaves, the water drips off the cabin overhang and directly onto the electric window buttons on the cab doors underneath, if open for getting into or out of the cab. I’ve found some eave extenders which should correct that condition. Installation will wait until warmer weather returns because of the plastics and caulking necessary to make the fix.

My ATV is fine except there is rust appearing on parts of the frame and front and rear shelf structures. Again, a little rust-killing acid and some spray paint and the unit will be good to go for a few more years.

I still have some tie-downs to install, plus some traction pads, which protect the flooring from snowmachine skis and tire chains on ATVs in my covered utility trailer. That project I should be able to do with the aid of a portable heater to keep me warm during the work.

All my stuff is in covered, but unheated, storage. I can work on projects as long as the temperature is not a factor, either for me or the materials I need to use.

For the projects which require warmer temperatures, I can check fits and make sure all necessary materials are on hand when things do begin to warm again. With some planning in between times, the projects should go quickly and all the toys should be functional when next “play season” arrives.

OK, so what will keep me out of trouble during the dead of winter, when the temperatures are just too brutal to work with? In addition to reloading all the ammo for other firearms I shot this past summer, there are still lead bullets to cast and loads to develop for that vintage sniper rifle and blackpowder cartridges to manufacture for that cap and ball conversion unit. It’s not hard finding projects to stay busy caring for and “feeding” my collection of Alaskan outdoor “toys.”

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. You can leave him a message by e-mailing sports@frontiersman.com.