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Articles by Tom Claycomb
Scouting for Fall Hunts Original
A lot of hunters think they don’t have time to scout but the fact of the matter is that you’re going to scout. You either scout preseason or you waste the first two to three days of your hunt scouting. I understand the dilemma that you’re in. Most hunters are lucky to have two weeks of vacation. You can’t justify hunting for a week and using the other week scouting thereby leaving no time for family vacations. So, what do you do? What if you use family camping trips for scouting?
Buck PakLite Processor Review: A Lightweight Hunting Knife Put to the Test
The Buck Paklite Processor knife is a thin profiled processing knife that is comfortable to carry in the backcountry. IMG Tom Claycomb When I first pulled the Buck 636 Paklite Processor knife out of the box half of me was attracted to it and half said it has the shape to be a good boning knife, but it is way too stiff. I was headed up to the Sawtooth Survival Gathering to conduct two Knife seminars and conduct a demo processing a goat so the half that attracted me to it brought it along.
Buck 110 Folding Hunter LT Review: Classic 110 Feel, Half the Weight
BUCK 110 FOLDING HUNTER LT KNIFE The original Buck 110 Folding Hunter is one of those knives almost every outdoorsman recognizes. It is sturdy, simple, and built around a proven lockback design. The downside is weight. The classic 110 weighs about 7.2 ounces, while the Buck 110 Folding Hunter LT drops that down to about 3.2 ounces by using a lightweight molded nylon handle. That is the whole appeal of the LT version.
BUCK Knives Bantam Knife
Knife addict Tom Claycomb goes camping with the BUCK Knives Bantam Knife Line. BUCK Knives Bantam Knife Line Review Idaho – I guess we all get stuck in a rut after a while. Or maybe it’s not a rut. Maybe after experimenting around it’s just that we final decide on what we like. With that said, if you’ve read many of my articles then you know that I favor a 3 ½-4 inch blade on most of my knives. It’s not a right or wrong, it’s just what fits my hand.
Upcoming Shows
Heather is the face of Otis, which is the nation's leader in gun cleaning supplies. Love dealing with her. Heather is the face of Otis, which is the nation's leader in gun cleaning supplies. Love dealing with her. Love Henry lever actions. Due to Henry's, the lever action market has resurged big time. Love Henry lever actions. Due to Henry's, the lever action market has resurged big time. Meeting with UMAREX Airguns, a premier airgun company that I do a lot with.
AKASO Sight-300 a True-To-Life Color Night Vision Sight ~ VIDEO
Opinion I have really been getting into hunting at night for the last 10 years. I do a lot of predator and hog hunting and that is when they are both the most active. So, if you want to be more successful, you’ll do best hunting at night. Today, I’m going to cover a new night vision monocular named the ASAKO SIGHT-300. Even if you have NV or Thermal Imaging scopes on your rifles, you’ll want an NV monocular. Think about it a moment. You never go hunting without a pair of binoculars, do you?
Smith’s Sea Hunter Curved Fillet Knife | Review
If you’re looking for a heavy-duty fish filleting knife, look no further. You’re going to like the Smith’s Sea Hunter Curved Fillet Knife. It is stout enough that I’d also recommend it for trimming the fat cover on a brisket or slicing a ribeye into steaks. It has a stout, thick blade. It’d be a great fillet knife for fish with coarse scales and thick bones that you have to cut through, like redfish and big stripers.
TRUE Syk 4" Fillet Knife
I recently received a True 4” SYK Fillet Knife to test. I took it on a Redfishing trip in Louisiana with Native Adventures, but didn’t have an application to test it on that week, since we were catching big fish. But two weeks later, I had a crappie fishing trip in Oregon. I thought this was the trip that I’ll test it out on. On the Oregon trip, I caught half a cooler of nice crappie in 4 ½-hours.
Smith’s 8” EdgeSport Boning Knife | Gear Review
I love the Smith’s 8” EdgeSport Boning Knife. I’m not stating that you can’t get by in life without it in your knife arsenal but on certain jobs it just makes them more pleasurable to perform. In fact, quite a few of our jobs. Let me list out some of these jobs.
At the Ready Magnetic Mounts for Pistols | Review
I attend most of the big shows and have conducted seminars at most of them, but I also love the smaller shows. I was reminded of this last week when I conducted five seminars at the GATCO Show (God and The Great Outdoors) in Tyler, Texas. I love the smaller shows because I always meet two or three entrepreneurs who invented an out-of-the-box item that is unique and impressive, and this year’s GATCO Show was no exception.
Shooter’s Choice Universal Gun Cleaning Kit | Gear Review
The Shooter’s Choice Universal Cleaning Kit is a nicely stocked, full-service gun cleaning kit. It has pretty much all of the items you will need to clean all of the popular calibers. Ok, I’m old school, so I really like that it has two 5-piece screw together brass gun cleaning rods. The smaller rod covers calibers .22 up to .270, and the larger diameter T-handle and rod sections are for .30 cal. and larger.
Smith's Campaign Pocket Knife
Shortly after I became a writer, my editor assigned me an article on the best hiking boots. I sheepishly told her that I didn’t know that much about the top 5-10 different models/manufacturers. She went on to teach me a valuable lesson. She said, “Tom, you’re never going to be an authority on every topic that you write about. In those instances, interview and quote an authority.” Oh, that’s a good idea.
Smith's Ecesis Pocketknife | EDC Gear Review
When I first opened the box on the Smith’s Ecesis Pocketknife, my gut feeling was that it was going to be a skinny blade, weirdly designed knife. However, when I flipped open the blade, I blinked and had to reconsider my first judgment. If you’re looking for a thin-profiled EDC, read on. I favor a 3 to 3 1/2 inch blade on my EDC, and the Smith’s Ecesis Pocketknife has a 3-inch drop point blade. So that falls within my desired range.
Sharpen Serrated Blades with Smith's Diamond Retractable Sharpener
I’ve conducted a million Knife Sharpening seminars, been on Pro-staff or sponsored by at least 10-15 knife companies, written knife product reviews for AmmoLand, helped design knives, and yet I just realized, I’ve never written an article on how to sharpen a knife with a serrated edge. Serrated edges became popular in the outdoor world. Probably 15 years ago? 20 years ago?
OUTDOOR EDGE VANTEX 4-Piece Hunting Knife Kit | Review
At SHOT this year, Karen Lutto Leatherwood showed me around the Outdoor Edge booth. One item that stood out to me was their Vantex 4-Piece Kit. The kit contains all of the knife designs to skin and process your big game. Let’s start with the carrying case. It comes with a canvas roll up case which I like. When rolled up it is 12” long by 3 ½” wide and 2 ½” thick and is held closed by a Velcro patch plus it has a strap to ensure it stays closed.
Umarex AirJavelin FishR Bow Fishing Arrow Airgun | Review
I’ve bowfished since 1979, so I was intrigued when I saw and shot the Umarex AirJavelin FishR airgun at the SHOT Show. Well, last week I finally got my hands on one. Umarex had some guns they wanted tested so they suggested that fellow airgunner Abby Casey and I get together for some hunts. One thing led to another, and she was soon smoking the highway down from Montana to meet up with me in Idaho. I lined up four hunts for us, but today’s Product Review will be on the Umarex AirJavelin FishR.
Buck 110 Auto Elite Folding Knife, “Wow, that knife is sweet daddy!”
Tom reviews the Buck 110 Auto Elite Push Button Pocket Knife Opinion; this excellent article first appeared on AmmoLand News in April of 2024 and appears here now with fresh updates. While at the SHOT Show, I set up a meeting to discuss Buck Knives’ new products this year. Later, I had dinner with them to discuss their new product line further. One big ticket item is always their 110 Auto Elite knife.
Go View 10x34 ZOOMR Binoculars
Over the years, I’ve zeroed in on what I look for in binoculars. Of course, where you live and what you hunt determines what you choose. If you hunt out of a blind in Texas, then you can justify a heavy set of 10×50 binoculars. But if you live in Idaho and are scrambling up mountains all day, elk hunting, then you’ll want a 10×42 to reduce weight.
Knives of Alaska Rib Cage Spreader | Gear Review
Editor’s Note: This article contains graphic images of animals being field-dressed and prepared after hunting. On a Writer’s hunt last year, Charles Allen, the owner of Knives of Alaska, told me that he had invented a rib cage spreader, and we tested it on that hunt. After the hunt he had a few tweaks he wanted to make to end up with the perfect chest spreader. Last week we were on another hunt and he handed me the perfected version that he had named the Knives of Alaska Rib Cage Spreader.
Umarex Komplete PCP Air Rifle | Review
While visiting the Umarex booth at SHOT, Scott showed me their new Komplete PCP airgun. I had forgotten about it, and then last week, they had me line up two ground squirrel hunts, a FishR AirJavelin fishing trip, and a pigeon hunt. For the ground squirrel and pigeon hunts, they wanted Abby Casey and me to test out the Komplete. The Komplete is listed as a PCP (Precharged Pneumatic) with the thought that the cartridge is the air tank. To me it is a hybrid.
True SYK 9” Serrated Fillet Knife ~ Put To The Test!
I received a True SYK 9” Serrated Fillet Knife to test. The very next week, I had a Louisiana redfishing trip with Native Adventures lined up, so I thought that’d be a good testing ground. I’ve fished in Louisiana since 2002, and here’d be my two bits of advice if you decide to go: If you go fishing in Louisiana, you want to hire a real Cajun guide, not some transport wannabe. You’ll want to hit some local restaurants to experience real Cajun food.
Henry Arms Single Shot Turkey Camo 12-Gauge Shotgun Review ~ VIDEO
Opinion H/T to Henry Arms & Modern Mountain Man for their related video. The Henry Arms Single Shot Turkey Camo 12-Gauge Shotgun is a sweet-looking gun. Once I picked one up and held it, I knew I had to test one out, turkey hunting this spring upon getting my Henry Single Shot 12 ga. I had to get it ready for turkey hunting. The first step was to put on some optics.
Hults Bruk Spika Axe | Gear Review
I was asked to test out the Hults Bruk Spika Axe. I’ve always been intrigued with axes since I was a kid. We bought our first ranch when I was 8-yrs. old. It was run down and we had a lot of fences to build. Luckily we had a lot of cedars which make good fence posts. Dad wouldn’t let me run the chain saw but when he’d drop a tree he’d have me and my brother clean off the limbs with an axe. Hults Bruk Spika Axe Fast-forward quite a few decades.
Otis Technology Airgun Maintenance & Cleaning Kit | Review
Last year at SHOT, as usual I met with my buddy Heather that is the go-to girl at Otis. As you know, Otis offers the best gun cleaning products on the market. She showed me all of their new offerings for 2024 and then we caught up on what had been happening since we last saw each other. Otis Technology Airgun Maintenance and Cleaning Kit In talking I told her that we ought to come up with an airgun cleaning kit.
The Smith & Wesson Spec Ops Carbon Folding Knife
I recently met Keli, the marketing go-to girl at Smith & Wesson, at the 2023 SHOT Show. She asked me if I wanted to test out their new Smith & Wesson Spec Ops Carbon Folding Knife. I’ve had good luck with Smith & Wesson Knives in the past. So, of course, I said yes! The Smith & Wesson Spec OPS Carbon Folding Knife is definitely a tactical knife. It has a 3.5-inch Tanto blade. The last 1 1/8-inches is serrated. Mine came from the factory relatively sharp and the serration edge was really sharp.
Stockman Knives Some Backstory & Explanation of Knife Blade Types
Tom explains why you cowboys and cowgirls need stockman knives in your jean pockets. This excellent article was first published on AmmoLand News in February of 2018 and appears here now with fresh updates. Ok, it’s time to write an article on a knife for you cowboys out there, the Stockman Knives. Of course, just like any group, one knife won’t fit all. I’ve dropped out of the world of rodeoing, cowboying and raising cattle but am still a little active on the sidelines.
Claycomb: Boyz 'n their toyz
This is probably a good testimony to my delinquent behavior every so often... ok, fairly frequently after one of my escapades Katy will roll her eyes and say “Boys and their toys.” Today while on a four-wheeling excursion with some of the men from my Home Bible Study Group, I quoted her “saying” a few times. I never had thought of it but the last 25 years I’ve always carried up a four-wheeler to go on trail rides, pack in bear bait, pack out game, etc.
Claycomb: Scooter's Youth Hunting Camp 2025 Original
Every year I conduct 40-60 seminars at various outdoor shows, stores and events all the way from Texas to Vegas and on up to Alaska. But one of the most fulfilling and fun events I get to participate in is Scooter’s Youth Hunting Camp. It’s a cool deal. To show how popular that it is, last year it filled up with 250 kids in 49 seconds. Wow, that’s unbelievable. Scott McGann started it to help single moms with their kids.
Claycomb: Tricking out a Ruger 10/22
OK, we’re in the middle of the ever-popular whistle-pig season as we type/read this article. It is a low-key fun hunt. I classify it as a low-key hunt because you don’t have to get out of bed 2-hours before daylight like when elk hunting. The weather is mild and they go underground at dusk so you’re not hunting until dark and getting to bed late. Sure, you can grab your rusty ole’ .22 but why not make it a little more special and build a souped-up, cool-looking .22?
Claycomb: Night vision and thermal imaging optics Original
To begin, this will be a general article. By that I mean not super detailed. (Not only because I don’t have enough room but because I don’t have enough knowledge!). Today I want to briefly talk about hunting at night with night vision and thermal imaging optics. If you’re a varmint hunter, then you know that the varmints come alive at night. Yes, I’ve hunted them a ton during the daylight hours, but it is a lot more productive to hunt them at night.
5.11 Stryke Pants, for the Range, in the Field and at Church
Tom reviews the 5.11 Stryke Pant and ends up wearing them to church. They are that nice. As I said in an earlier 5.11 product review, I met with Kristen Gooding, the marketing guru for 5.11, at the 2020 SHOT Show, and as you can imagine, I was impressed with a lot of their gear. This leads us to this second review of their 5.11 Stryke Pants. Last time, I reviewed their 2 ABR Pro Pants. After reviewing both options, I can’t really say that I prefer one over the other.
Freq Ultrasonic Game Call | Gear Review
I love varmint hunting and bet I have 7-10 electronic calls, and that’s not including the multitude of mouth calls that I own. Well, I recently heard of a new call named the Freq Ultrasonic Game Call made by Gary Roberson, a well-known varmint hunter in Texas. I became acquainted with Gary Roberson via email years ago when he owned Burnham Bros. calls. I love their little Mini Blaster mouth call.
Claycomb: Flying with guns Original
I thought it might be an interesting column for a lot of you if today we covered the topic of flying with guns. This subject popped up because I talk to a lot of people that are confused about flying with guns. Their confusion ranges from shock that you can even fly with guns to something as simple as not knowing the rules. So, let’s go over the basics. Bear in mind, I am not an authority on all of the rules and regulations. Really, flying with guns is pretty simple.
Claycomb: Night vision optics
To begin, this will be a general article. By that, I mean not super detailed. (Not only because I don’t have enough room but because I don’t have enough knowledge!). Today I want to briefly talk about hunting at night with Night Vision and Thermal Imaging optics. If you’re a varmint hunter, then you know that the varmints come alive at night. Yes, I’ve hunted them a ton during the daylight hours but it is a lot more productive to hunt them at night.
Rocky Outback GORE-TEX Waterproof Wellington Boots | Review
At the recent SHOT Show, I arrived at the Henry USA booth a few minutes early for our meeting. I sat down in a chair to wait and didn’t realize that I had inadvertently set down in the adjoining Rocky Boot booth. This turned out to be a good deal since I was seated by Shelby, their go-to Marketing girl. We got talking, and I was soon checking out their offerings. Wow, they had quite a few models that I wanted to check out and will soon.
Claycomb: Flying with guns
I thought it might be an interesting article for a lot of you if today we covered the topic “Flying With Guns.” This subject popped up because I talk to a lot of people who are confused about flying with guns. Their confusion ranges from shock that you can even fly with guns to something as simple as not knowing the rules. So, let’s go over the basics. Bear in mind I am not an authority on all of the rules and regulations. Really, flying with guns is pretty simple.
Warthog Sharpeners Gut Hook File | Review
If you have a skinning knife with a gut hook then you ought to check out the Gut Hook File made by Warthog Sharpeners. Imagine that at the end of the blade that it had curled up like a wave. Near the tip of the spine there is a concave cutting edge. Similar to the divot on a serrated edged knife. When gut hooks first came out, my first thought was yea, they probably work ok but what about when they get dull? You’re sunk. There’s no way to sharpen them.
Claycomb: Cooking ducks, are they even edible?
OK, thanks to Charles Allen, I finally have a happy marriage. No, he’s not a marriage counselor but he did teach me how to cook ducks. For all of my life, I’ve dutifully eaten the ducks and geese that I’ve shot since I shot them but hated every miserable bite. I’m sure that there are a lot of you duck-haters out there besides me.
Case Smooth Chestnut Bone Trapper | Knife Review
I recently received a Case Smooth Chestnut Bone Trapper folder to test. The old Trapper designed folder is an old school knife design from I don’t have a clue how many years ago. In the 11th grade Richard Jaco and I used to trap beaver. Richard discovered a trapper folder knife and told me how great that they were for skinning our catch. He was so sold on them that he got me one. We ended up using them all the time.
Claycomb: Ice fishing
OK, I’m not a dyed-in-the-wool ice fisherman. I usually like to go 1-2 times each winter and those numbers aren’t set in stone. Deep down I’m always halfway worried about breaking through the ice. That would be miserable! And it doesn’t help a bit when you’re standing by your ice hole and you hear the harmonic sound of a crack coming across the ice toward you.
Smith’s Big Game Bone Hook | Review
For the last 45 years, I’ve worked in big beef packing plants. On the Fabrication side (Processing where the steers are boned out), we use a handheld meat hook in our off-hand to grasp the meat. The first month or two that you are learning to use a meat hook, it is awkward, to say the least, but after you get accustomed to it, it is just like an extension of your hand.
Claycomb: Better get to planning your year
OK, I’m a planner. If you look at my monthly calendar then you’ll see all of my trips, meetings and due dates listed. And if you look at my daily planner you’ll see that I have listed every task that I need to complete for that day. So I’m big on planning so I can be more efficient. You can fit in a lot more projects/trips/get more done if you plan. So with that said I’m going to encourage you to set down and plan out your year to the best of your knowledge.
Claycomb: What caught my eye at the SHOT show
We are just wrapping up the winter show season. If you’re not familiar, this is the slowest time of the year outdoors wise, so all of the big shows are packed into a short time period. This year it kicked off with the Texas Trophy Hunters Extravaganza, then next the SHOT Show, which is the mother of all shows and is held in Vegas. You’d only have 20 seconds if you hit every booth. 55,000 people from all over the world attend. It starts off on Monday with Media Day at The Range.
Claycomb: Show time!
We are just wrapping up the Winter show season. If you’re not familiar, this is the slowest time of the year outdoors wise so all of the big shows are packed into a short time period. This year it kicked off with the Texas Trophy Hunters Extravaganza then next the SHOT Show which is the mother of all shows and is held in Vegas. You’d only have 20 seconds if you hit every booth. 55,000 people from all over the world attend. It starts off on Monday with Media Day at The Range.
CIVIVI Timberbark Fixed Blade Knife | Review
I recently received the CIVIVI Timberbark knife to test, which is a knife in their hunting line. So let’s go through its attributes. First, it came from the factory and was razor sharp. The blade has a drop point design so it is designed for skinning big game animals. You’ll need a clip-point knife to cut the pattern to start the skinning process since the CIVIVI Timberbark doesn’t have a point.
5.11 Ridge Pants, Lightweight Tactical Pants - Review
I guess we all go through a progression as we mature/learn/gain experience. For years I always wore blue jeans on my outdoor adventures. Yes, blue jeans are tough and can hold up to wipeouts, scrapes and are good for riding horses. But the modern tactical pants, for instance, the 5.11 Ridge Pants that I just got are a lot better and more versatile for our outdoor activities. A lot of the tactical pants are water-resistant or at least dry out faster than cotton blue jeans.
Claycomb: Striper fishing on Lake Texoma
I recently had to run to Texas to conduct an Airgun seminar for Umarex, a Lever Action seminar for Henry and a Knife seminar for Knives of Alaska/DiamondBlade Knives at the Texas Trophy Hunters Extravaganza. While there, why not go striper fishing on Lake Texoma! My brother met a young man named Brian that runs Stripers Inc.
Spyderco Wakiita Bunka Bocho Cooking Knife | Review
I just returned from the 2025 SHOT Show. While there I met with the elite knife company Spyderco. We talked over what knives that I would test over the upcoming year. One thing led to another and I was taking home their Wakiita Bunka Bocho to test. As I get older, I find myself liking to cook and eat exquisite wild game meals more and more. Along with that maturing process I also find myself getting partial to using better cutlery. Doing so just enhances the whole cooking process.
Claycomb: Even a 'bad' Texas duck hunt is spectacular
Tom Claycomb lives in Idaho and has outdoors columns in newspapers in Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Colorado and Louisiana. He also writes for various outdoors magazines and teaches outdoors seminars at stores like Cabela’s, Sportsman’s Warehouse and Bass Pro Shops.
Claycomb: Even a 'bad' Texas duck hunt is spectacular
I recently had a fun duck hunt with Charles Allen and Ron Spomer in East Texas in the Trinity River flood zone area (I think that should be close to the proper terminology). If you’ve never duck hunted, you’re missing out on a blast. Duck hunters are in a class of their own. They eat, breathe and live to duck hunt. If you’re not a hunter, it might surprise you how things work in the hunting world. I like to do it all.
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