Bushnell Trail Cam 72% Off : The deal of the CENTURY

Hey guys!

This is a little different than what I normally do but I had to post this up for everyone.

If you are in the market for a new trail cam you have to give this link a look!

http://www.shop.bullmountainoutdoors.com/Bushnell-Trail-Sentry-50-MP-Trail-Camera-with-Night-Vision-BUS119305C.htm

Bull Mountain is a site pretty similiar to camofire.com. I haven't had the opportunity to test this camera but at 72% off you really can't go wrong! I spent all of my money on gas and groceries for my scouting trip (pics pending) last weekend so I'm not going to be taking advantage of this one, lol. There is a limited number so hop on it as quick as you can and let me know how it works!!!

A Note from Alan Lotton, VP of Marketing at Sims Vibration Labratory (LimbSaver)

Hey guys,

I got this comment from Mr. Lotton at Sims (LimbSaver) a couple weeks ago and just wanted to post it up! I am very honored to know that people read what I write so thank you all! This is a lot of fun and I hope to keep doing it for a long, long, time.

I can't emphasize enough. . . these Simbs Labratory guys are in touch with their customers. Very cool.

Matt,

It’s been refreshing reading a few of your product reviews… Most reviewers push the commercial side of the message, ultimately negating the intended impact of the message/review. Your reviews connect with the consumer, who are looking for creditable testimonials to support their buying decisions. In my opinion, your reviews are right on-track with a non bias focus on products features, product value and performance expatiations. I look forward to reading more of your reviews in the future, and thank you for supporting LimbSaver products!

Best regards,

Alan

Alan Lotton
Sims Vibration Laboratory
Vice President of Marketing & OEM Sales
50 West Rose Nye Way
Shelton, WA 98584
360-427-6031 Corp Office
360-427-4025 Corp Fax

Southwest Desert Weekend Scouting Trip: Bucks, Bulls, and Binos

Hey guys!

Welcome back to the work week. Lame, huh?

Fortunately for you I have some stories from my weekend to revive you from your afternoon coma! So run over to the coffee maker, pour yourself a cup of that cold joe, nuke that baby for 45 seconds and sit back down!

You know, another great part of hunting, fishing, and exploring the outdoors are the friends you make and the network you build along the way. It seems to me that people who enjoy the great outdoors in any capacity, can relate. Maybe it's just who I am, but it seems like if I run into any given person in Sportsman's Warehouse or a guy on a 4 wheeler in the middle of nowhere I'll always find myself having to drag myself away from a two hour conversation about that starts with what flies are working or the debate between mechanical or fixed broadheads and ends up with an open ended invitation to have a beer around a camp fire anytime. I love you people.


I made the trip down to Southern Utah once again and spent some time roaming the hills with my friend Trevor Hunt. If you grab a dictionary and look up "legendary mule deer man" you'll see a picture of Trevor. If the dictionary picture isn't enough to convince you, check his blog out:

The man himself, holding a 40" wide, 268" buck that he guided. On the reg, boys, on the reg.

http://www.trevorhuntoutfitting.blogspot.com/

Trevor is from my hometown and is every bit as crazy about the mountains as yours truly so it's really only a matter of time before every animal in the state catches a whiff of us at one point or another. . . but I digress. . . back to the story.

Being that I live six grueling hours from my elk unit, Trevor has been nice enough to share some trail camera pictures with me to keep my blood pumping during the that I spend away during the week. He has several cameras set up to catch the buck of a lifetime but every now and again one of those elk wanders in for a drink. Needless to say, getting those pictures in my email has probably decreased my work production by a good 38%.

Early Saturday morning we made our way out to a spot and glassed a group of nine bulls as soon as our eyes hit the hillside. "I call this place Disneyland," Trevor said without pulling his binos down," because it's my happiest place on earth."

Due to the unwritten "I'll bury you out here if you breathe a word of this spot to anyone" laws I have some great pics but I'm not going to show them to you all. We spent the next hour and a half glassing new bucks and bulls from the same spot. 17 bulls and 14 bucks in the same basin is pretty tough to beat.

After we had seen all we could see in that spot we decided to go for a quick trip to a canyon neither one of us has visited yet this year.

The Southwest Desert unit is pretty unique in that it's not only huge and remote but the temperature swings are incredible. When we got out of the truck it was 45 degrees. By the time we were moving to our second spot it was in the low7 0's. . . .at 9:30 A.M. I was yet again reminded that I'm really going to need to have some camo that can adapt to the quickly changing condition when my hunt rolls around. I'm hoping to give the Core 4 and the new Badlands stuff a try when the time comes.

As it turns out our previously unexplored canyon yielded some great bulls and I was able to snap some "range modest" pics using. . . . . the sweet Zeiss glass I'm carrying this season and. . . . my cell phone. Yes folks, thank God for the tiny computers we all now carry around in our pockets. This should speak to the quality of the Zeiss product: due to the clarity and lack of distortion of this glass my cell phone took an incredible picture through one of the eye pieces. Check  it out:

I was able to spot these guys as they were laying down for the day. We glassed them for an hour undetected, found their water, and set a camera up. Stay tuned for some sweet up close and personal pics! I never got a good look a the the one laying down in the shadows but from what I can tell he's a stud.

I wore my Under Armour Speed Freaks and was impressed with them once again. My feet were very comfortable in the morning when it was pretty chilly and stayed that way as I was hiking in the hot late morning sun. I'm going to give them some more time before I put my name on them but so far I'm very impressed: light, breathable, comfortable (they feel like a pair of running shoes), and sturdy.

I'm  heading back this weekend and am excited to show you guys an up close photo of both of these bulls. I named the standing bull "Moby" because of the huge whale tail on his right side.

I've been shooting a ton as well and will have some reviews about my arrows and rest this week!

ALSO, I made a contact at Wack Em broadheads (another Utah based company) and am working on getting some awesome new blades to let you guys know about.

Thanks again, as always, for reading and stay posted!  A big thanks for Trevor for all the help to this point! I'm looking forward to more time in the hills. The hunt starts August 18 and there is plenty more to come before then.

As a parting gift, here are a few pics from Trevor's hit list, enjoy!

Badlands Bow Hunters: A Very Cool Indoor Range in SLC

Hey guys! Happy Wednesday!

I wanted to quickly tell you all about a very cool indoor range my friend Eric and I visited yesterday that is definitely worth a visit for all of you slackers that still need to tune and or sight in your bow up to 40 yards.



Bad Lands Bow Hunters is located on 2827 S 2300 E in Salt Lake just off of I-80.



Throw your bow in your truck and swing by after work, you'll be glad you did! Inside the front door they have a pro shop if you're needing some tune up work done on your bow, arrows, broad heads, rest, sights, etc.  After you've spent your paycheck on the newest accessories (they also deal PRIME bows) make your way to the back of the building to test your skill and lock those pins down using any of the 12 shooting lanes.

Inside the range you have the ability to move a dozen 3d targets and trees around to set up different scenarios and angles.

Even though they close at 6:00 P.M. on Tuesdays, owner George Mattena was nice enough to let us in for an hour at 6:05 P.M. You guys already know how highly I value customer service so it means a lot when I can say that George treated us like we were old hunting buddies, although we had never met.

If you know someone that is interested in getting into the sport this would be a great place to take them. . .  a relaxed, safe, and controlled shooting environment. If you don't own your own own equipment George and the boys also have rental equipment for your Robin Hoodedness pleasure.

Maybe you just finished with a "Rambo" marathon and just want to go shoot arrows at stuff. . . .. here's your place.

For all you dirt bags. . . . .at $6/hour, $35/month or $300/year this place is a hell of a lot cheaper than poaching AND you won't get you ass kicked by me.

The turkey hangs from a garage door track that runs it back and forth across the range. George called it the "arrow killer".

Big antlers to simulate buck fever.



They even have an elevated lane to simulate shooting from a tree stand.



A look down Eric's sight picture.

Swing by Bad Lands Bow Hunters and give it a try, it's the best $6 you'll spend this month I guarantee it. They are closed Sunday and Monday, Open from 12-6:00 P.M. on Tuesdays, 12:00-9:00 P.M. Wednesday-Friday, and Saturdays from 1:00-7:00 P.M.

They also have group, youth, and scout rates and shooting leagues. Give George a call at 801 487 3665 or shoot him at email at Geoge@BadLandsBowHunters.com with any questions!

Please check out the Bad Lands site at http://www.badlandsbowhunters.com/

They also do Hydroprinting, which I will leave a review on as soon as I get something done! I'm thinking about taking my shotgut in to get the entire thing done in Mossy Oak.



LimbSaver Products and Customer Service: A Resounding A+

Hey guys!

I had a great experience with a company the other day and have been excited to tell you all about it ever since.

As you know I have been spending every last spare dime on hunting stuff for my upcoming elk hunt. One of my purchases was a new sight for my bow. I shopped for a good two weeks and after seeing some excellent reviews and finding a great deal I decided on the Elite Prism 5 Pin Sight by LimbSaver. Though I was completely unaware they made sights prior to my research, I liked what I heard about them and decided to take a chance. Keith Dunlap wrote the review that actually tipped the scales for me, check it out:

http://www.bowhunting.net/artman/publish/KeithDunlap/Field_Evaluation_LimbSaver_Prisim_Bow_Sight.shtml

I have had the sight for four weeks now and I'm very impressed with it to this point. I'm going to save my full review until after I've had a chance to bounce it around on the 4-wheeler and crawl through the sage bush with it on my hunt but I am going to make a comment on the outstanding customer service they provide.

As I'm in the process of getting all of my pins dialed in I've done a lot of tweeking with the sight. Moving 5 pins around I failed to tighten one up after moving it and after a two hour shooting session the other night realized that my bottom pin was hanging loosely within the sight housing. . . . . . I had lost the adjustable allen screw that holds the pin to the housing. 



The allen screws in question.

"Great. . . " I thought. "Looks like I'm going to be shooting 4 pins this year. . . . " I even personally guaranteed my shooting partner that there was no way in hell LimbSaver was going to send me that one little screw.

After the sun had set and I was done shooting (even though the light gather system on my sight was still working like a champ and my pins were still blazing) I made my way back to the house and found the original box that the sight had came in. I found their customer service email and fired off a quick email explaining my situation. . . . . "What the hell? It's worth a shot."

To: Sales@limbsaver.com

From: Matt9Messerly@gmail.com

Friday, July 6, 2012 9:21 P.M.

"Hello!

Hey I have an elite prism sight that I absolutely love but I have somehow managed to lose a piece!

I have the 5 pin model and realized while shooting tonight that I have lost the allen screw off the back of my bottom pin and it is just dangling in place!

Help!"

To my surprise I received this email early the next business day:

To: Matt9Messerly@gmail.com

From : Corey Paulsen Coreyp@limbsaver.com

Monday, July 9, 8:34 A.M.

"Hi Matthew,

Sorry to hear you lost a sight screw. I will be sure to send you a replacement. Please send me your address and I will get one set you way.

Thank you for choosing LimbSaver.

Corey Paulsen"

I emailed Corey my address and had the teeny tiny screw I thought I was never going to be able to replace in my mail box four days later. Free of any charge.

Bravo, Corey and LimbSaver!

You guys have a customer and my recommendation for life.

Whether it be a bow, rifle recoil pad, archery sight, gun oil, hand gun clip, etc. please give LimbSaver a look on their website at http://www.limbsaver.com/ . Their products are great and their customer service is even better.

Zeiss, Badlands,Core 4 Element, and More: Reviews Soon to Come

Hey guys!

Just wanted to let you know I'm busy beating some stuff up and will post some new reviews shortly!

Reviews to come include:

A sweet pair of Zeiss binos, compliments of my over trusting friend Dan Millard.

Badlands 2200 Pack

Badlands Binocular Case

Some sweet Core 4 Element camo

Beman MFX Bone Collector Arrows

Ripcord Code Red Fall Away Rest

Under Armour Speed Freak Gore Tex Boots

I'm not a big believer in guys taking a pack for a 15 minute leisurely stroll through their back yard and raving about how durable it is on their blog. That being said, I'm going to push everything I have to the limit and make sure it performs before I recommend it to you guys. I like to actually USE this stuff before I say anything about it; some reviews will come before others. In the meantime, I'm having a lot of fun using this stuff. 

Ok, ok, ok. . . here's a sneak preview.

A Crisp White Cross in the Charred Dust: A Memorial to Fallen Heroes

On June 3, 2012 two very brave men lost their lives when their Lockheed P2V-7 went down behind the fire line carrying 1,600 gallons of fuel and 2,000 gallons of fire retardant, bound to be dropped to suppress the White Rock Fire burning along the Southwest border of Nevada and Utah.

The story went National and there was much talk about these two men and the conditions surrounding the accident. The loss of a life is always sad but this one hit close to home with me as I have friends that are wild land fire fighters and I am very familiar with the area. In fact, that specific are of the state is where I spent many weekend with my family, killed my first elk, and have been making weekly trips to scout for my upcoming archery elk hunt.

Last weekend my father and I made a trip out to the area to look for elk and take a look at the damage that the fire had done. Having seen the aerial photos of the fire I knew which road we needed to take to get along the southern border and was interested to see how the fire had changed the familiar landscape.

After a couple hours of driving from my fathers house in Cedar City we were on a small winding dirt road entering the southwestern corner of the White Rock burn. The fire ultimately left a 6,270 acre scar on the land and a hole in the hearts of countless family members and fellow firefighters.

As we made our way through the scorched black earth and the remnants of pinion and juniper trees I couldn't help but think about the two men that I had never met as I saw a perfect line on the other side of the road that was still thick with trees and brush. . . . covered in orange fire retardant. As we drove deeper in to the burn, having seen the aerial photographs, I was aware that we were approaching where I thought the crash site might be. It was then that something up ahead caught my eye, amidst the charred trees and black ground there was something white, pristine, and untouched.

Capt. Todd Neal Topkins and First Officer Ronnie Edwin Chambless, both from Boise, Idaho, lost their lives on this hillside. This memorial is there to commemorate their service, dedication, hard work, and spirit.

The feeling of being in that spot was surreal. It was an overcast day but being early evening the sun was beginning to peak through the high clouds as it approached the horizon. As I bent down to take this picture the sun was shining through and creating a very bright contrast between the cross and the burned ground around it. It was quiet. . . . .beautiful. . . . . and intense. Behind the cross sits a piece of the plane and some small tools salvaged from the wreckage. I knelt in the charred dust and said a small prayer before I left; asking that Todd and Ronnie know that I appreciated their hard work, that I will always think about them and their families every time I make the trip out there, and that their comrades worldwide be protected. I dropped a tear in the dust for some souls that I had never met.

I'd like to say thank you to all those that have fought, or continue to fight, these fires. You don't get much attention but please know that you are absolutely appreciated and admired by many.

As my father and I got back in the truck and drove away I thought a lot less about all of the problems and worries that have been plaguing my mind. . . . . and simply enjoyed the beautiful place I was in and the company of the man I was sharing it with.

The rest of the day was incredible.

 

William Joseph Knows How to Make a GREAT Pair of Waders

For a couple years now I have taken more then my fair share of verbal abuse from friends, fellow fisherman, and elderly couples exercising their dogs along the banks of the Provo River for my skin tight, suffocating, sweat inducing neoprene waders during the months of June and July.

Being equal parts stubborn and poor I simply deflected their pointed and sometimes hurtful criticism by out fishing them.

A couple weeks ago, after proving that despite my full body sweats and leg enhancing  neoprene waders I could still catch fish in 90 degree weather, I broke down and purchased a pair of V2 breathable waders from my friends at William Joseph.

Below is the post that I made upon making that fine purchase:

"I splurged for a couple new pairs of William Joseph waders; V-2's for myself and Drynamic's for my fly fishing/tying guru mother.
  

The William Joseph V-2





First Impressions: Being that I've been fishing with my old school neoprene's, these things are light and will look a lot less like I'm wearing a skin tight unitard on the water. I tried them on in the store and I'll have plenty of room to throw on a pair of thermal bottoms underneath to keep me warm in the winter months.



The William Joseph Drynamic



Up Side: Light weight, breathable, stylish and backed up by a bomb proof warranty. Remember that Badlands warranty? Guess who makes William Joseph. Yup, you guessed it.

Down Side: Being that I do have some more leg room and less ass definition I'm going to miss all of the cat calls from ladies on the river.   God bless the inherited fictional privilege of a fisherman.





I'm very much looking forward to the review on these: a day on the river is tough to beat. A day on the river with your mom, fishing with the flies that she ties herself. . . . .nearly impossible to beat. Plus, being the superstitious guy that I am if I do happen to get skunked for the fist time in my entire life (fisherman's   fictional privilege), I can blame it on the new waders being unlucky."

I did in fact get a chance to take my mother fishing on the Duchesne River that weekend and we had a great time. How did the waders perform? Flawlessly.

In the past all of my gear has been packed into a duffel bag, lugged out to my truck, and heaved over the side rail with both hands into the back. I fell in love with these waders before I could even sniff the water because due to the fact that they can be rolled up into the size of a shoe box I was able to fit everything I needed into my trusty for mentioned Black Ridge pack. Impressed as I was at this point, the best was yet to come.

The day we picked to fish was particularly hot and temperatures were in the high 80's by the time we hit the parking lot. No, friends, it's not hot in Hannah, Utah early in the morning; we got somewhat of a late start.  I would like to take this opportunity to point out that taking women fishing indeed requires a "little" extra preparation time. For example; if you would like to be fishing by 8 A.M. and you have an hour of drive time, it would be wise to set a small fire under your fire alarms at 3 A.M. so you can be on the water by 10 A.M. Enough education Messerly, on with the review.

I pulled the waders from my pack, slipped (not pulled and pried) them on, rigged up my outfit and was good to go. My mother did the same and then we both assisted my girlfriend Crystal with her neoprenes. Crystal is very good at putting up with my crap but the heat and her waders were soon to deny me of my ever recurring "one last cast and then we can go"; followed by a quick exit from the river and an awkward first ten minutes of the ride home.

The cool built in gravel guards
and my not so cool worn out boots.

The built in gravel guards are very handy and I liked that they were not only going to keep the sand and gravel out of my old wore out boots but that they also partially covered them up. New boots will be purchased and reviewed soon.

The neoprenes and an unfomfortable
Crystal.

Three hours into our afternoon I had yet to catch a fish but I was more comfortable than I had ever been not only standing in the river but working my way up the banks climbing fences, ducking limbs, and squatting down to sneak my Kings River Caddis into tight spots from the bank. I laughed at myself thinking how long I had waited to move to a breathable. Fortunately for me, I felt like I had picked up the best of the best in the process. There was no a cloud in a sky, the sun was pounding down on us and we were comfortable. . . . . well, two out of three of us were comfortable. Crystal, whom was excited and full of energy for hours 1 and 2 was looking annoyed. Her smile was gone, her waders were rolled down to her waist in an effort to stay cool, and she certainly was not impressed when I pretended to be a television news caster and asked her to speak into the branch I had extended toward her regarding her thoughts about fishing for a couple more hours. "I want to go home. There is a swamp inside my waders. Said swamp is not from an outside water source. I am done."

Being perfectly comfortable and dry I wanted to keep fishing. On the walk back to the car my pleas to make one more cast were denied, repeatedly, and not very politely.

Guys; want to fish longer and keep the significant other happier? Buy the waders.

At the end of the day my socks were as dry as they were when I put my waders on: no sweat and no leaks. Although I've definitely caught more fish I have never been more comfortable. There are velcro pockets inside the waders that provide quick and easy access to your camera or cell phone to snap a quick pick or skip a lame song on your Pandora too. These guys thought of everything.

Since that trip I have been four different times and my opinion has only become more and more positive. Just last night I crossed a barbed wire fence and make a pretty awkward dismount from the top wire; as I hit the ground my first thought as to reach for the huge hole that I was sure to find in the shin of my new waders. Much to my surprise, there was no hole. Granted, I'm sure you won't find it advertised anywhere by William Joseph that any of their waders are "barbed wire" and or "idiot" proof, I was yet again impressed.




First fish with the new waders.
Happy and comfortable fisherman.

Again, an over all and resounding, A+ for the William Joseph V2 waders. If you are in the market, take it from a guy that was VERY reluctant to spend the money and make the purchase; I promise you definitely won't regret it.

Target Panic, Words from the Nuge, and A Peak Into My Soul.

Sighting in my new bow for yet another hunt of a lifetime over the last couple weeks has been a great learning experience for me. I didn't realize how "out of the game" I had become shooting the same bow that I killed my first elk with back in 2001. Eleven years is an eternity in compound bow technology.



My first bull in 2001.

 My new set up is sweet but I feel like I'm learning to shoot all over again. Although the technology is what most people would call "better", I'm having somewhat of a mental block moving forward because I haven't really developed a trust and feel for my new stuff.

I was shooting last Sunday and felt my heart racing every time I lowered my pin onto my target. I caught myself flinching horribly when I went to squeeze my release. After flinging two of my new $10 arrows into the woods, amidst some very good shots, I decided I was going to research the weird phenomenon I was experiencing for the first time. It's hard to explain, and it sounds completely insane to anyone that has never fired a bow, but it felt like every time the pin reached my desired target my entire would tense up and the anxiety of either hitting or missing my target seized me in the moment where I needed to be the most calm.

Turns out it's pretty common; target panic. From Olympic archers to hunting legends like Fred Bear and Ted Nugent, many of the world's top archers have experienced it.

Near as I can tell I could write a book on the subject after doing one Google search but I'm simply going to throw up some interesting words from Ted Nugent that I found to be pretty helpful.

1. Be certain your bow is properly set up for your exact draw length and VERY importantly, light enough draw weight for you to draw and hold effortlessly, gracefully, smoothly, in a straight line. The more tension, the more aggravation. Not only will a lightweight bow help you overpower target panic symptoms, ultimately, it will make you a better overall archer. Especially in the field. I shoot 55# and get complete pass thru arrow penetration on nearly every animal including huge beasts like buffalo, eland and zebra. DO NOT SHOOT TOO OFTEN. Only shoot a few, well-disciplined arrows per session. Be sure to stretch and warm up first before each shooting session. I use the BowMaster training device to keep those specialized archery muscles toned.
2. Set up a large, ample arrow backstop, and place a paper plate on it. I shoot each night in the basement. Shoot only perfect arrows at about 5 feet away. By a perfect arrow, I mean well thought out, disciplined arrows. Each and every shot. The goal here is to imprint on our minds a perfectly effective shot procedure through conscientious repetition. Concentrate on total procedure and NOT accuracy. Tell yourself that the middle of the plate is unimportant in itself, merely another sequential element in the shot procedure. Fully concentrate on the nocking of the arrow, slow and easy, 100% eye focus on the center of the plate, smooth, straight draw and anchor, and the most important part of all, a subconscious release using back tension.
3. Here's the goofy part. With step #2 as a guide, shut your eyes and take a deep breath just before the arrow is released. That's right. Shoot with your eyes closed, hence the large, ample arrow stop. As you prepare to draw, begin the draw, anchor, and prepare to release, continue to look square into the center of the plate, but close your eyes before the actual release, and transfer all mental concentration on a "total being" release, tightening the back muscles. Whether you use fingers or a mechanical release, touch off the arrow with the same level of concentration and "squeeze" so essential to firearm marksmanship. Any jerking or punching will translate into bad accuracy downrange. At this point, I, for the most part, was able to release some consistently good arrows, and even take the learned shot procedure to the field. But the target panic beast would rear its evil head and still cause me to flinch or stumble on occasion. So I went the next logical step in my sacred ritual of projectile management and self-control, combining it with the love I have of all things wild and the hunt itself. Like my "Prayer for the Wild things" attitude toward the critters and my powerful relationship with the wild, I decided my shooting could use a little prayer as well. So it was in final agonizing, terminal frustrating desperation that I stumbled onto this unique, wonderful treatment for my painful target panic affliction.
4. As a mind clearing, calming, verbal mantra, throughout the shot preparation and sequence, I slowly say the sign of the cross, my little projectile management prayer. Eventually I staggered the prayer to coincide with stages of the shot procedure. As I concentrate on the "spot" I want to hit, I lift my bow into actual sight picture shooting position and say, "In the name of the Father", then as I begin to draw, "And of the Son", then when I come to solid anchor and my eyes are riveted to the exact point of desired arrow impact, I say, "And of the Holy Spirit," finally I begin to tighten my back muscles, and at "Amen" I touch her off.

  

Of course in true Nugent fashion, he ends with , "Do not abandon that ever mystical flight of our awe inspiring arrow, my friends. Snatch that bow outta the closet, back down the draw weight, and begin over again with a new, upgraded projectile management discipline. We must tattoo our psyche with the correct shot procedure to the point where it all comes second nature, even in the wild outback when the beast is in our face, dancing on our raw nerve endings. Control will happen only when we train ourselves to follow a distinct sequence of intelligent, effective steps, in every instance of our arrow flinging lives."



Ted, although he may seem extreme at times, seems like a pretty cool guy to me. He's the type that would rather miss completely than wound an animal, barring a good quick clean kill. I don't have much respect for guys that are happy putting an arrow in something just to see if they will get lucky enough to find it two weeks later after the birds and coyotes have had their way with the carcass; mounting the antlers on their wall as a sign of their supreme hunting skill. You're not a good hunter if you don't make good use of the meat. . .. regardless of antlers.

Sunrise on opening morning 2011



For me, and anyone who hunts for what I believe to be the "right" reasons, hunting isn't really about killing. Rather, it's about being a part of life and the world around me. If you don't feel remorse when you take the life of ANY living thing you should not be doing it. Of course this opinion begs the question, "Then why do it?" The answer to that is not a simple one. . . nor is it one that I expect many people to fully understand. For me, hunting is somewhat of a spiritual conquest; my way of connecting with the world around us. What could be more natural than using all of your God given senses to stalk an animal, with their own God given senses, in a setting where anything can happen? When you really stop to breathe in the experience and appreciate everything from the gravel under your feet, the smell of the sage, the thrill of the chase, and the beauty of the animal. . . . . what better compliment could you give the Guy that created all this stuff than to stop and smile for a second? Once more, it makes it all even more special when you can share those experiences with people you care about.  But even when I am alone, which is the case more often than not, I never feel more "whole" that I do when I'm out enjoying the creation, whether it be on a snowmobile, holding a fishing pole, walking up a mountain, sitting in a boat, or watching a dirt road dust cloud kick up and settle behind my truck.



The first of many Koley trees.

There are people that sit in church and think about hunting, fishing, and being outside. There are other people that spend their time outside and think about God.

This post has turned in a direction that I didn't expect but I dig it! Why not provide a little insight to why I do some of the things I do? The cool thing is, if you don't believe in it. . . that's ok! I'm certainly not going to judge you for it and tell you you're wrong.

With all that being said, I sure am looking forward to another season and more memories.