Western Hunter 2023 November/December by westernhunter

T h e l eg e

n da r y

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VOLUME 22 • ISSUE 6 • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

WHM

ADVENTURE Our readers share their best stories 10 Forged in Fire ~ Cliff Nordyke 16 Bedded, Down! ~ Tyler Turco

GEAR TACTICS INFORMATION ADVENTURE

22 Misery Equals Memory ~ Brooke Barnes 26 Don’t Wait! ~ Brad Aboltin 32 Unbreakable Bonds ~ Jaxon Fowler

WHM

GEAR • TACTICS • INFORMATION Insights for the Western Hunter

Cold Weather Heat Gear ~ Colton Bagnoli & Chris Denham

Western Hunter Gear Gift Guide ~ WHM Staff

Unconventional Bowhunting ~ James Yates

Super Slam: Black Bear ~ Fred Eichler

Take Your Ladies Hunting ~ Mike Duplan

WHM

Unsupported Shooting Positions ~ Colton Bagnoli

Westward Whoa! ~ George Bettas

The Lost Art of Secret Spots ~ Nick Gehring

Garmin Alpha 300i and TT25 ~ Kyle Greene

DEPARTMENTS More info for your hunting arsenal

6 From the Publisher ~ Chris Denham 8 The Big Picture ~ Levi Sopeland 36 Gear & Product Highlights: Kuiu Encounter Clothing Line ~ Colton Bagnoli

88 Health & Fitness: Reduce Lower Back Pain ~ Matt Ward 94 The Wild Kitchen ~ Lindsay Persico 98 Dialing It Back ~ Chris Denham

WESTERN HUNTER

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SCAN TO SKIP THE READING

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iven the warm temperatures across the West, it doesn’t feel much like the holiday season, but that is the reality. Halloween is upon us, Thanksgiving is on a few weeks away, and before you know it, Christmas will be here. The holiday season will be followed by the application season, followed by the preparation season, and then it is hunting season again. Such is the calendar of the Western Hunter. All the weather forecasting agencies are calling for a classic El Niño winter for the West, which should mean warmer-than-normal temperatures with higher-than-normal rainfall for the southwest and dryer conditions for the northern Rockies. We will always take more moisture in the Southwest, and given the effects of last year’s brutal winter, the northern states could use a break. Given that this issue lands in late October, it may seem a bit early for a Gear Gift Guide. But, in my opinion, the earlier you think about what you

Western Hunter Gear Gift Guide – Page 42 might want, the better the odds that you might actually get that cool gift. The vast majority of our readers are men, so hopefully, your wife or significant other reads Western Hunter as well. If not, it is up to you to make sure she gets the hint if one of these items makes your shortlist. Be creative or be overt, just be proactive!

MOUNTAIN HUNTING

IS WHAT WE DO

On a more serious note, I do want to encourage you to spend quality time with friends and family this season. I have heard this said a thousand times in my life, but each year I gain a deeper sense of its meaning. At my age, it is a grim reality that I lose friends and loved ones at a much higher rate than in my younger days. In the words of the modern American poet Kenney Chesney, “Why you think we call the present the present? ‘Cause there ain’t no better gift than here and now.” Welcome back, George Bettas! George is fighting a tough medical condition, but he hasn’t let that slow him down. He is a true inspiration to all of us at Western Hunter. Along with George’s article, we have a perfect blend of entertainment and education in this issue. Usually, there are a few articles that I want to highlight, but I won’t do that this time – just read them all! ~ Chris Denham, Publisher

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ANNULI COLLECTIVE | STEVEN DRAKE

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On the Cover: Cliff Nordyke’s Desert Bighorn

PUBLISHERS Floyd Green, Chris Denham

ASSOCIATE EDITOR / ART DIRECTOR Randy Stalcup randy@westernhunter.net

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Colton Bagnoli colton@westernhunter.net

MARKETING/ADVERTISING Chris Denham chris@westernhunter.net Dave Bond 602-695-8282 dave@westernhunter.net

GRAPHIC DESIGN Randy Stalcup

EDITORIAL STAFF Colton Bagnoli – Shooting/Gear/Hunting Editor Nate Simmons – Backcountry Editor Remi Warren – Hunting Editor Mike Duplan – Hunting Editor George Bettas – Hunting/Conservation Editor Fred Eichler – Hunting Editor James Yates – Archery/Hunting Editor Kyle Greene – Hunting Editor Nick Gehring – Taxidermy Editor Lindsay Persico – Health & Fitness Editor Matt Ward – Health & Fitness Editor Dave Bond – Field Editor Ben Britton – Field Editor Kevin Guillen – Field Editor Douglas Morales – Field Editor Pedram Parvin – Field Editor Levi Sopeland – Field Editor

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Cliff Nordyke, Tyler Turco, Brooke Barnes, Brad Aboltin, Nick Fowler

Printed in the USA info@westernhunter.net

WESTERN HUNTER

THE BIG PICTURE

Levi Sopeland

WHM

WESTERN HUNTER

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FORGED IN FIRE WHM

A brutal sheep hunt in the unforgiving Arizona desert

Cliff Nordyke Arizona, 2022

hen I saw the AZGFD charge hit my card, I couldn’t have been more excited. As I shared the news with friends, I was informed that the unit I drew was one of the hardest hunts in Arizona. I told my best friend and longtime hunting partner Jeff Petersen the news. We are avid DIY hunters. I quickly became aware that we might want help on this hunt. I listened to podcasts, scoured the internet, and spoke with other hunters who had drawn that area. Jeff and I talked logistics and thought it best to get some pricing from outfitters for the area. Sticker shock was my first reaction after talking with a few different outfitters. They were all saying the same thing – access and water were the main issues, and the cost to get all of that in place was high. 10

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After explaining my situation to Larry Johnson at Sundowner, we came up with what I thought to be the perfect solution. Sundowner would provide a guide and packer for five days until they had to leave for an elk hunt. They would also provide horses back to camp, pre-season scouting, and water drops at three locations that would last Jeff and me for 14 days. The perfect combination of DIY and some needed help. I was still hesitant, thinking we could do it, but Jeff volunteered to pay half the cost. Done deal. I was introduced to our guide Brian Bitter – a great guy who truly loves sheep hunting. We were in constant communication. He was sending photographs of rams in the area, adding to my excitement. www.westernhunter.net

The Plan

We would horse pack into the first camp on the Southeast side of the mountain range. Then, we’d hunt from the first camp for four days and then hike to Camp Two on day five while Brian and Hunter Rush headed back to the vehicle, ending their five-day commitment. Jeff and I would hunt from Camp Two until the water ran low, then move to Camp Three. Everyone was sure we would have a ram down and be hiking out together.

The Reality

A wild rodeo with mules throwing their packs and Jeff getting bucked off his horse put us behind schedule. After regrouping, everything came together, and we made it to Camp One. We got a quick camp set up and headed off to glass for rams until dark. I spotted a ram just before dark that Brian put at about 160". We put him to bed. Back at camp over dinner, we decided to take that ram in the morning. Dreams of that ram were negated by the serious cough I had developed and the chest cold that had me in a vise. We were up early and in position. Unfortunately, the Ram did not cooperate. He had moved on during the night. We scoured every canyon, hiking about 12 miles that first day. My boots, which have about 300 miles on them, for the first time gave me multiple huge blisters on both feet. Everyone donated their Moleskine to help me get through. My cold and feet progressively got worse, and I was coughing up fluid nonstop day and night. Everyone helped by offloading some stuff from my pack to theirs, making my pack much more bearable and easier on my feet.

Emerging Doubts

Still confident, we spent three days hiking and glassing, averaging about 10 miles a day. There was nothing I could do but lace up my boots and go. I’d bring a camp pillow to cough in to minimize the sound. We glassed up some rams here and there but nothing that was a shooter. We decided to move to Camp Two. On the fourth night around the campfire, my friends held an intervention. Given that the choice was mine, everyone thought we should break camp and pack out together the next day. That would allow me to see a doctor to get my feet worked on and something for my chest. A once-ina-lifetime hunt was about to slip away. As sick as I was, I thought it was easier to stay than leave and try to make it back later.

The last part was slow going as we got into position 160 yards above the ram. The ram was watching our area and the least amount of movement would be required. info@westernhunter.net

WESTERN HUNTER

After a morning of glassing with no mature rams to be found, we said our goodbyes to Brian and Hunter. The guide and packer that had become our friends during the pain of this hunt. Jeff and I hunted the area for three more days. Glassing canyon after canyon, from sunup to sundown, ten miles a day, never seeing a mature ram. On the evening of the eighth day, we decided not to glass. I was in a bad way, and Jeff knew I needed that extra rest and we needed a new gameplan. We planned to hunt a mountain from east to west first thing in the morning. A final give-it-your-all push for this area. That evening at dusk, the entrance to the pass lit up. Border Patrol agents were running after a

WESTERN HUNTER

group of drug cartel smugglers. They had come in from both sides of the pass along with a helicopter. Eight border agents ended up in our camp. There were not going to be any sheep in that canyon for quite a while. We decided to take the grueling hike to Camp Three the next morning. We spent three days hunting hard out of Camp Three. Glassing for three solid days and not even seeing a ewe was physically draining and an emotional gut punch. I was slowly coming to terms with the fact I may not get a ram and there was nothing I could do about it.

Regrouping

My feet were in bad shape and my cough had gotten worse. On the morning of the twelfth day, Jeff and I hiked out. The Arizona desert had won. It had beaten us down and crushed me physically and emotionally. It was my tag, but Jeff knew and felt the pain. Two friends walked out, contemplating the defeat. We didn’t speak while hiking back to the truck. We tried to stay upbeat, but we were sad, dejected, and drained. For both of us, it’s always been about the hunt and the time we get away from everything and not about the harvest. For the first time, that was not the case. I wanted a ram to memorialize this hunt. Something to show for the pain we had gone through. Jeff had to catch a flight, and the first thing I did was see a doctor. My feet were cleaned up and I was put on antibiotics. Within a few days, I was feeling much better physically and emotionally. It was then that I told my wife, “I’m going back! I’ll park the truck, carry my water, and hike in.” I don’t take defeat well, and there were still some days left in the season. Brian texted me when he got cell coverage after finishing his elk hunt. He told me Jeff and I were the topic of conversation during the elk hunt. I gave him a quick synopsis of what had happened and let him know I was going back. If the Arizona desert was going to beat me, it would be when the sun went down on the last day. When Brian got back into coverage I got a call. He told me, “I’m going with you! I’m not going for Sundowner. I’m not going as your guide. I going as your friend.” He cleared his schedule, and we made plans to head back out. We would meet at Brian’s house at 2:00 AM Friday. When I arrived, Hunter Rush and Ransom Rush were there as well. Larry from Sundowner called me. He told me he heard all the stories from our hunt and said, “No one deserves a ram more than you.” Everyone wanted to get this done. We were now four friends heading out on a sheep hunt. www.westernhunter.net

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My cough was much better, but my feet were still bad. That hike crushed me. It seemed it was all starting over again. The desert was not going to give us a ram. We set up camp and glassed till evening. I ate quickly and went to bed early, exhausted. The next morning the whole valley was fogged in. Hunter and Ransom went south and Brian and I went north. After about two hours, Hunter texted us. He’d found a shooter ram. This time, we were only two miles away. We went through our camp on the way. I dumped everything but my gun, and we double-timed it again. Hunter talked us into position. The last part was slow going as we got into position 160 yards above the ram. The ram was watching our area and the least amount of movement would be required. Settling into the position, we were able to place a shot that dropped him right where he stood.

Forged in Fire

This hunt was going to be harder than the first one. We had to carry our water in with us and make trips to the truck for more if necessary. Anything nonessential was left behind. It never rains in the desert, so that meant no tent rain fly, rain gear, no extra ammo. With only the essentials, our packs still tipped the scale around 70 pounds.

Team Effort

I was feeling much better, but I was still in bad shape. Friday morning, Brian and I hiked into the mountain range in the dark from the northwest, and Hunter and Ransom dropped the truck off and hiked in from the southwest. We planned to glass the canyons, work our way toward each other, and set camp for the night. After two hours of glassing, Brian and I got a text from Hunter. They had spotted three rams. Two of the three were shooters. The bad news was that they were six miles south of us. We grabbed our packs and double-timed it. My feet took the worst of it, but with the adrenaline rush, we pushed through. We missed them by about three minutes. They had crossed over the top of the mountain and had not come back.

I can’t look at a ram and score him. Up close, I knew he was big. Brian said it was a monster. We would have to measure him later. There was a lot of work to do, and we were a long way from camp and the truck. It was an emotional moment for me as everything came together – the reflection that everything we had gone through had come to a close. I was sad Jeff was not there for this part of it. We took a lot of pictures, cleaned the ram, and packed all our stuff. It was going to be a long day to get the ram and our camp back to the truck. This hunt put us through Hell; by far the hardest hunt I have ever done. We danced the dance and paid our dues. The rams that come out of here are special. Their thick, red horns are forged here. After all, when it was done, the desert had smiled on us and given us a gift – the largest ram taken in that unit. A beautiful, very symmetrical ram grossing 182 1/4" with a net of 181 1/4". Emotions were high, and I had to reflect on everything I learned from this hunt. Roy Bennet said,“Your hardest times often lead to the greatest moments of your life.” There were many great moments during this hunt. The continued strengthening of a longtime friendship and the new friends that were made were the most valuable. In the end, the Arizona desert wasn’t done with us just yet. Taking the King comes with a price. It wouldn’t be an easy pack out. It gave us a final goodbye by opening the skies and dumping a hard, cold rain on us as we made our way out.

CRITICAL GEAR Rifle: Christensen Arms - Weatherby 30-378 Scope: Leupold 4.5-14x40 LR Clothing: Kuiu Binoculars: Leica Geovid 10X42 HD-8 Rangefinder Spotting Scope: Swarovski BTX Pack: Kuiu 7200 Tripod: Outdoorsmans Tent: Kuiu Mountain Star

WESTERN HUNTER

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THE TIP OF THE SPEAR ISN’T A SPEAR AT ALL

BEDDED, DOWN! WHM

Tyler Turco Montana, 2022

Stealthy tactics help a lone elk hunter avoid the traffic in a crowded area

originally planned my Montana elk hunt with my friend Quade, who later found out he would be helping his father-in-law on a once-in-a-lifetime Montana moose hunt the same weekend we planned to head into the backcountry for elk. This meant I would be hunting solo for the weekend and Quade would join me later on that week after moose hunting. I loaded up my gear and tried to go light, as I would be backpack hunting.

The first afternoon, I packed in camp and did some glassing. I was surprised to see the amount of hunters in the backcountry, but wasn’t discouraged. That evening I spotted a couple of elk, but they were too far to determine if they were bulls or cows. Being mid-September, I assumed if there were cows, there should be a bull around. The next morning I headed out in the direction where I had glassed the elk from the evening prior. I was greeted by horse hunters in the dark who passed me on the trail, but I had hopes that we were not heading to the exact same area.

High Traffic

That morning was windy and I didn’t hear any bugles. I reached a glassing point where I could see where the elk disappeared the previous evening, but I did not spot any elk. I worked my way through different timber pockets to look for sign and figure out where the elk were. After a slow day, I hiked to a different glassing point to see if I could spot any elk to pursue for the next day. That evening I spotted a small herd a couple miles away that appeared to have a mature bull with them. I was encouraged and excited to have a game plan for the next day, but knew I had to get up considerably earlier to beat the hunters on horses.

The next morning I got up at 3:30 AM and hit the trail by 4:00 AM. It didn’t quite feel like your average backpack hunt, but I knew I had to do it if I was going to get first crack at these elk. While putting down some miles on the trail, I was pleasantly surprised to hear some bugles. I was still about a mile or so from where I had watched the elk herd from the previous evening’s glass, but I was not about to walk past elk bugling in the dark. They were close to the trail on a mostly open ridge side, so I was going to have to use the darkness to get close and hopefully be within range of one when the sun came up. The herd was scattered all over this ridge, and there were multiple bulls. I started working my way to the growliest bugle I could hear. As the sun came up, I could see a bunch of cows and a smaller fivepoint bull. I was using some calls, but they were in such open country it was going to be hard to convince the herd bull to come. The five-point did come in to 40 yards, along with ten cows, but I passed on him as I could see a decent six-point bull 150 yards behind him. I tried calling, but the big bull wasn’t going to come. I attempted to stalk in closer every chance I got, but as the sun got higher I could hear the horses coming up the trail. They had also heard the rut party going on and had started calling.

Elk Roundup

It was now daylight and the elk were working their way up and over the ridge, as they could see the horses down below. I followed the elk to the top, but they were long gone by the time I got up there. The horse hunters had circled around the ridge and were below me now on the backside of the ridge. I decided to sit down, pull out the spotter, and see what happened. I watched as they spooked a sow with two cubs out of the timber, but no elk. I was in a good vantage spot, so I decided to eat some lunch while I glassed and tried to locate some more elk.

I had waited about 15 minutes when I started seeing the bull rise to his feet. As the bull stood up I drew my bow, but he was facing straight away from me. info@westernhunter.net

WESTERN HUNTER

As I was posted up glassing, more and more horse hunters came riding in. There was a horse or several horses on almost every ridge in every direction. As discouraging as it was, I was able to glass a herd of elk bedded down in the timber about two miles away, and there were no horses headed in their direction. With these elk as my only play for the afternoon, I started hiking that way. My original plan was to sit at the bottom of the timber and hope they fed out in my direction, but when I got to the edge of the timber I could hear some bugles coming from the timber. I knew if I could keep the wind right, I might have a chance at getting in range of these elk, so I started heading up through the timber.

I had waited about 15 minutes when I started seeing the bull rise to his feet. As the bull stood up I drew my bow, but he was facing straight away from me. I tried to take a step to the left to see if I could get a quartering-away shot, but it was too tight. After what felt like forever, the bull turned to the right, broadside, and offered me a perfect shot. I settled my pin and let it fly, watching as my arrow disappeared in his side and he swung around to the left. The bull had no idea I was there or what had hit him. He ran 20 yards and stopped. I did not have a clear window to shoot through, and I didn’t want to risk spooking the bull, so I patiently watched and waited as he tipped over right in front of me. I went over and found my arrow that made a perfect pass through and could see my bull lying there. I could tell he was big but did not know how big. This bull had it all! He was a big 7x7 with great mass and long main beams.

Bedded, Down

I went slow and glassed ahead of me to ensure that I didn’t spook any elk. My wind checker was constantly out as I crept closer to the sound of a bugle. Once I figured I was pretty close to the bull, I dropped my pack quietly and nocked an arrow. There was a small bench above me, and I slowly stalked up and over the edge. From there I could see antler tips. I honestly could not tell what I was looking at or which direction the bull was facing because of the tall grass. All I knew was that this bull was big and a for-sure shooter. I grabbed my rangefinder and tried to get a read off his antlers, but with the grass it was tough. I ranged the tree he was bedded under at 36 yards and got ready for the shot when he stood up. As I waited, the bull ripped off a couple of bone-chilling bugles from his bed. It was so cool to experience a bull at this range in his bed. About 150 yards away, I could see the rest of the herd moving around and could hear some other bulls in the herd, but this bull was bedded off by himself – a perfect scenario for me. I knew my best shot opportunity would be when the bull stood up. 18

WESTERN HUNTER

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Wet Work

The work really started after that. Taking trophy pictures is always tough alone, but I did what I could and then got to work breaking down the bull. As I was quartering the bull, the sow and cubs I had seen earlier that day walked right up to me at 15 yards. I shouted and they took off, but now I had to worry about the bears getting to my meat. I took a load with me that night along with all my gear. As I was loading up, a huge rain and lightning storm blew in. I only had my rain jacket with me since I packed as light as possible, and as a result I got absolutely soaked that night hiking back to camp. I was on the verge of hypothermia as I shivered half the way back. I quickly stripped down once I reached camp and climbed into my down sleeping bag. I was able to warm up and get some rest that night. The next morning, I was in a bind. I only had one set of clothes and they were soaked.

I started a fire and began to dry out everything. Quade was due to show up that morning at the trailhead, but there was no way I could get there with the sloppy conditions and wet gear. The whole morning was spent drying clothes and boots. I was going to try to wait for Quade to go back in for the next load of meat, but the bears from the night before had me worried. Once my clothes and boots were halfway dry, I loaded up and headed in for the next load. I was pleasantly surprised to find the bears had not got to any of the meat. I got back to camp that night in the dark to find Quade sleeping. I had to wake him up and show him the bull. I recounted the story of the hunt and then went to bed. The following morning Quade and I headed in to get the last load of meat to camp. It was another rainy day, but we got all the meat de-boned and back to camp. From there we loaded up camp on our backs and the meat on the bike and cart. After a couple of hours of pushing the bike and cart down the trail, we finally got the bull in the cooler. I’m grateful that Quade was able to help me pack out my bull and we didn’t lose any meat to bears or spoilage!

CRITICAL GEAR Bow: PSE Nock On Evo NTN 33 Arrows: Gold Tip Pierce Platinum Broadheads: Bloodsport Gravedigger Backpack: Stone Glacier Sky 5900 Binos: Vortex Diamondback 12 x 50 Spotter: Vortex Razor HD 27-60x85mm Calls: Phelps Unleashed Tube & Amp Diaphragms Boots: Crispi Nevada Sleeping Bag: Nemo Disco 15 Tent: The North Face Sleeping Pad: Klymit Static V

info@westernhunter.net

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Brooke Barnes

MISERY EQUALS Colorado, 2022

A family braves subzero temperatures and reaps the rewards

ate-season mule deer hunts can come with diverse challenges, including variable weather, snow, extreme temperatures, and unpredictable rut conditions. It can be perfectly brisk and sunny, inviting bucks to chase their does around while enjoying the warmth of the sun. On the other hand, weather can turn on a dime and become an obstacle in your pursuit. On this particular hunt, that is exactly what happened. The weather turned and created some big challenges for us. The first half of the hunt was perfect; brisk, sunny mornings with lots of deer and added warmth to the cold temperatures. Unfortunately, the right buck hadn’t given us the opportunity and the weather was just about to turn. Day five of this hunt brought only socked-in skies which made it near impossible to glass. It snowed the entire day, making it more difficult to see, let alone hunt. We decided to spend the day stocking up on some supplies and preparing for the morning to come.

Human Icicles

We were staying in an enclosed trailer with a buddy heater for warmth, which had worked perfectly so far, but that didn’t last. We curled up in our sleeping bags and got the heater started for the night. I woke up two hours later to water dripping on my face; the heater had shut off. However, it had gotten 22

WESTERN HUNTER

MEMORY

warm inside the trailer. That added heat had caused condensation to build on the ceiling of the trailer which was dripping on me and some of our gear. After about an hour of trying to get the heater started by airing out the trailer, switching heaters, switching propane tanks, and switching hoses, nothing worked. We finally gave up, wiped what water we could off of the ceiling, and crawled back into our bags. I’ve had some rough nights on the mountain, but this goes down as the absolute worst. Not only was it below freezing outside, but some of our stuff was wet and we had no way to warm up. When the alarm went off in the morning, it was bittersweet. We were so ready to get out of the freezing trailer, but on the other hand, we had a 45-minute drive to our hunting spot on four-wheelers. I think most people thought we were crazy to be driving four-wheelers during the frigid mornings up to this point, let alone the frozen conditions of this particular morning. www.westernhunter.net

Tough Going

As I was getting up, I noticed that half of my pillow was solid ice because water had leaked on it during the night. While getting dressed and attempting to leave the trailer, we tried to open the door, but it was stuck. The water had leaked down into the door, forcing us to pound the door open. It was one of those mornings where it was completely dark, the air burned like ice on your face, and the silence was deafening. No other camps were up and stirring, no lights coming up or down the road, and no movement of life. I tried to take a video with my GoPro, but it died within seconds, saying that it wouldn’t record below zero degrees. We started the four-wheelers up, but when we went to put them in reverse, the brakes were frozen in both machines. After battling ice-covered... everything, and all of the obstacles it had caused for us, we got all the way to the top of the ridge and realized we couldn’t go any further because the snow on the top was way too deep for the wheelers. Stubbornly, I tried to go for it and got stuck in the first 20 feet. Frustrated and feeling a little down, we commenced to figuring out what we were going to do. Almost the whole area we were hunting was now inaccessible. After deliberation, we decided to hunt our way back down to the low stuff where we knew a bunch of does hung out and hope that they would be attracting bucks by now.

Capitalizing

We got about two hundred yards down the road and spotted some deer. “There’s a big buck!” Jake said excitedly. With these conditions and only two days left to hunt, there really wasn’t much hesitation. We parked the wheelers and snuck down the hill. Finding a good spot to shoot was hard because the brush was really tall in some places, and there was about three feet of snow on the ridge. We ended up finding a clear spot and stacking our packs on top of the snow, which still sunk. I propped my gun up on my gloves and was able to get just high enough to get the shot off.

“ I started glassing where the buck was when I shot and instantly saw the deep red trail in the snow.”

I ranged the deer at 550 yards. Jake told me to shoot if I had a shot, and at that moment the buck stepped out from behind the brush. I slowly rested the crosshairs on his shoulder and focused on my breathing. BOOM! The gun went off and the buck ran into the next set of brush. “I think you missed,” Jake said. I felt so good about the shot that I didn’t believe I could have missed him. His does all ran up and over the ridge, but no buck. I started to feel better about it.

n B rooke ventured out into

the harsh conditions and was rewarded with a great buck.

Jake decided to go over and look for him, in case he ran out, then I could take a second shot. We thought it would only take him about 20-30 minutes to get over there. My dad couldn’t wait, so he followed Jake down the canyon. After more than 40 minutes, I started to wonder where they had gone. They had to go down the canyon and up the other side, but they hadn’t even come out of the bottom yet. Feeling good about the shot, I decided to run up to the wheeler and grab the rest of our gear, anticipating that I would have to go and meet them. After grabbing what I needed, I realized I was up much higher and could see more. I started glassing where the buck was when I shot and instantly saw the deep red trail in the snow. My emotions went sky-high as I realized I had definitely hit the buck. Hopefully, he was down in the brush. At about that time, I saw Jake start making his way up the other side.

He was able to get high enough and call me from his phone. He and my dad had gotten themselves trapped in a jungle of nasty, thick, snow-covered brush on their way down, which is why it took them so long to get to the other side. Needless to say, they were a bit grumpy at that point. But that all changed when I told them that I could see blood. I was able to guide them into the blood, and about 15 yards from there, my buck was lying in the snow. As I walked up to that buck, I was feeling on top of the world. Despite all of the challenges we had over that entire week, and especially those from the previous night, it had worked out. We had seen no one else on the mountain that morning.

Misery Equals Memory

CRITICAL GEAR Rifle: Remington 270 WSM Tejas Spotting Scope: Vortex Razor 20-60x85 Binos: Vortex Viper 15x50 Backpack: Mystery Ranch Pintler Camo: Sitka Knives: Havlon Boots: Lowa Renegade Mapping System: OnX Maps

WESTERN HUNTER

“The harder the hunt, the more it means,” is something I tell people often. The example I give is my biggest buck to date. Granted, he isn’t too much bigger than the deer I killed on this hunt, but he is bigger. That hunt is one of my least memorable hunts. The reason was that the actual hunt was over in about an hour. We showed up the night before, woke up opening morning, and shot him in the first 20 minutes of light. Don’t get me wrong – I loved the hunt. I am very thankful for that buck, but because I got very lucky and the hunt was over so quickly, it just isn’t quite the same as a hunt like this one. You remember when you suffer, you’re miserable, and you have to work extremely hard both mentally and physically to get it done. On this hunt, I believe it was all about our willingness to not give up. To force ourselves out of comfort and warmth, to go out in freezing temps, ride four-wheelers, and hike in multiple feet of snow. To be the only group in camp to go out that morning and the only group (not in an enclosed side-by-side) on the mountain. We killed this buck because of our dedication and persistence on this hunt. It will undeniably go down as one of the toughest, most miserable, most memorable, and most rewarding hunts I’ll ever be a part of. www.westernhunter.net

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DON’T WAIT A sheep hunting adventure inspired by an aging hunter

Brad Aboltin

Alaska, 2022

heep hunting was always in my blood. Since I was a child there was something that drew me to it. After starting to big game hunt at age 12, I had this magnetic pull to sheep hunting. Being naïve, I thought hunting exotic sheep would be something similar. I quickly found that it was not even close to what I wanted to experience. As I matured, I realized that those childhood dreams of chasing sheep weren’t going to be easy or cheap. I applied as soon as possible for desert bighorn sheep in my home state of California. Knowing that the odds of ever getting a permit were few and far between, I knew I needed a plan. I had allowed the logistics and cost of one of these hunts to hinder me, thinking it would never happen. But I always knew that a Dall sheep was one that stood out from the rest.

Don’t Wait

Fast-forward to 2019, and I had an opportunity to hunt alongside an older gentleman whom I had known for several years. He had drawn a California desert bighorn sheep tag, in a new unit after applying for over 30 years. Now, he was 82 and had some health issues that would make the hunt even more difficult. We ultimately were successful, but it was hard. The words he spoke to me really sunk in. “I wish I would have made a point to go sheep hunting when I was younger.” Those words made me think about how long I had waited to hunt Dall sheep and whether I would feel the same when I turned 82. After that, I went to the Wild Sheep Foundation convention with the mindset of booking a hunt, but I didn’t. Maybe it was the doubt, the cost of the hunt, the logistics, or the fact I just didn’t feel like I connected with any of the outfitters. I went home, thinking I’d wait a year while researching for an outfitter. Then, while looking through Instagram one day, Kokanee Guide Service popped up. I started talking with Justin Dubay, the owner, and it didn’t take long for me to connect with him. A few key things for this hunt were that I wanted to get to know my guide while waiting for my hunt, for it to be someone who lived in and had experience in Alaska, and I really wanted to hunt the Alaska range. 26

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After a conversation with Justin, I decided to book a hunt for Dall sheep for August 2023. This would provide the time to save money in order to go. As the months rolled by and my hunt approached, I was offered to move it forward to 2022. I declined. After a few more months, I was again offered the opportunity to go in 2022 with the same season dates. It felt like it was meant to be, a calling to go a year early, which turned out to be a blessing.

Battling Injury

I had heard of the harsh winters and the extreme die-off in the area of Alaska that I was going to be hunting. Therefore, I trained harder to increase my percentage of success. About five months before I was scheduled to leave, I overtrained and caused an injury to my knee. Coming home from work one day to see my knee swollen had me thinking my hunt was over before it started. After getting an MRI and seeing a specialist at UCLA, I was told that I had a patellar contusion so severe that I had fractured my patella. The doctor put me on the couch for 6-8 weeks, which allowed me very little time to physically prepare for my hunt. I was still able to ride a stationary bike and work my upper body. It was that or cancel my hunt, which wasn’t an option. After all the setbacks, August 5th came and I was boarding a flight to Alaska. I couldn’t believe it was happening. Even though my knee wasn’t 100 percent, I knew I would deal with whatever happened. After flying into Alaska, I was picked up by my guide and outfitter Justin Dubay.A Cessna 206 took us to a holding area for the evening to be transported by a Piper Cub plane to be even more remote.

Long Way In

On August 7th, I woke up to beautiful Alaska. We were hopeful to get a ride in the Cub in order to start hiking into our hunting area, but the weather, in true Alaska fashion, didn’t cooperate and we were held up until the later part of the day. While it was much later than expected, we were able to get to our destination that day, set up camp, and get some water. The next day was going to be a long hike in just to start scouting and glassing before the season.

info@westernhunter.net

WESTERN HUNTER

On August 8th, we hiked most of the way and set up a camp for the evening with the plan of moving closer the next day. The hike was long but amazing, as we saw a huge bull moose and caribou. The next morning, we awoke to fog and decided it was best to wait to not spook anything we couldn’t see. In the afternoon the fog lifted, and we packed up and moved into the drainage. Opening day – the day so many sheep hunters look forward to. We started our morning with a very steep hike to the top where we could run ridges to cover the area quickly. Once we got to the top, we spotted the first group of sheep. After watching them for a while and looking over the area, we went back to where we saw a ram off in the distance and watched him to see what he would do for the evening. Now, with a game plan for the next day, we headed back to the tents to get a good night’s rest.

Just Shy

The next morning, I woke up even more excited, thinking this was going to be the ram that I would get the green light on. We went up the drainage and about mid-morning were able to put our eyes on him. Unfortunately, Justin said he was about 3/4 of an inch shy of being a legal ram. As he was barely sub-legal, the decision was made that what we had hiked in two days, we would hike in one. We needed to move to another area and would lose a day of hunting due to the regulations in Alaska. August 12th, we awoke to rain; it rained most of the day to the point we doubted we were going to see the Cub picking us up, but about that time, here came the Cub! We had to move quickly, one at a time with a small window in the weather. With the excitement of this new spot and the gut feeling that it held a legal ram to call mine, we started up the drainage on August 13th, covering the area and hiking up and around a waterfall. Trying to be as quiet as possible with shale falling and rocks slipping out from under our feet was difficult. As we crested over and side-hilled an area, a ram came out of nowhere. He was 250 yards away, and I thought I’d have some time to get ready, but as soon as Justin saw him, he knew he was a big legal ram and told me to shoot. I felt slightly rushed, but the ram was now at 450 yards. I tried to get set up on him and took a shot, but I missed. The ram ran up the shale mountainside towards the peak which put him at over 700 yards – too far for me to take a shot. Morale dropped, not only for me but for the group. It was a tough shot but a clean miss. I couldn’t help but feel like that was my one and only opportunity to kill my first sheep. We spent the rest of the day trying to relocate the ram and search the areas we could access that day. On August 14th, we had good weather and decided that we would continue our search for this ram. We hiked up and around the mountain, but we still couldn’t turn him up. We went back to camp, weighing our options and wondering where he could have gone. We had one more area to check, but it would mean hiking over a glacier.

WESTERN HUNTER

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Didn’t Wait

On August 15th, we were fogged in and couldn’t take the risk of hiking blind. Around mid-morning the fog burned off, so we took off and covered ground. As we were working up the drainage towards the glacier that we would have to traverse, Justin spotted sheep. He peeked around the corner and said that it was a band of five rams, and they were feeding up towards the peak. We quickly backtracked and went up a cut where we could peek over at them. As we watched them, Justin said that two of them were legal rams, but then they all bedded down, with the largest ram in the middle of the smaller ones. We were 450 yards away at this point but couldn’t get closer as we were pinned down. We ended up waiting over three hours while the weather rolled in. We knew when we had the opportunity, we were going to have to act fast! So, this time, I got prepared. Finally, the rams stood up and started to move around. The target ram disappeared behind a cut in the mountainside, but once he showed himself, Justin ranged him as I got into the rifle. He called out the range of 522 yards. I adjusted my turret and told him I was ready. As soon as I squeezed off the shot, I heard Justin say, “He’s hit!” Oh, what a relief it was to hear those words. Even though he was hit and later determined he was hit well, I believe that if an animal is still standing you should shoot again to not let it suffer. So, I did and hit him again as he was wobbling. The emotion that I had just killed my first ram flowed over my body. I couldn’t believe that I achieved something I had dreamed about for so many years. It was an amazing feeling to be able to pick him up. We enjoyed the moment and then started the hard work of packing him back to base camp. We enjoyed the evening and celebrated, but that wouldn’t be the end of the story. The next day, we had about a fiveminute notice that we were getting picked up by the Cub. The camp was a yard sale, but we were able to go to the lodge and regroup.

Eventful Return

CRITICAL GEAR Rifle: Gunwerks ClymR 6.5 PRC Scope: Leupold Mark 5HD 3.6-18x44 w/CDS Turret Bullet: Berger 6.5mm 140 grain Elite Hunter Binos: Swarovski 12x50 EL Rangefinder: Revic BR4 Sleeping Bag: Stone Glacier 15 degree Chilkoot Backpack: Stone Glacier Terminus 7000 Boots: Hanwag Alverstone ll GTX w/Sheepfeet Insoles

WESTERN HUNTER

After getting back to the lodge, we ate and organized everything and were picked up by a Cessna 206, but Alaska had another plan for the end of this hunt. During our flight back, the pilot Rob said over the headset “I hope you boys brought your tents, we may be sleeping alongside an airstrip.” Around that time, we had to make an emergency landing on an old mining strip and stay there for a couple of hours, hoping that the weather would clear. Then Rob said,“Hop in, I have an idea.” So, we went to see if there was another option to get around the storm, but there wasn’t. It seemed like the storm was closing in around us. He knew of another outfitter’s cabin that we could hole up in for the night. We landed at their airstrip and were greeted by the guide, client, and packer after their successful hunt. We stayed the night, and it turned out to be an amazing experience. We ate Dall sheep steaks, potatoes, and bacon, and even celebrated with some beer and whiskey while we all told stories. What would normally be a several-hour flight ended up taking 30 hours, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. It was a great experience, and the only regret I have is waiting. I am very fortunate to have taken a ram in Alaska with the previous winters being so harsh on the herd. They have even closed the unit I hunted to all non-resident hunters. I must thank Justin Dubay at Kokanee Guide Service for being an amazing guide and outfitter, Calvin Connor for doing an amazing job capturing the whole experience, and my wife Sydney for always being supportive and helpful through the ups and downs of this hunt. www.westernhunter.net

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A father creates lasting memories with his young son

Jaxon Fowler By Nick Fowler New Mexico, 2022

n April 22nd I checked my New Mexico profile as well as that of every other member of my family. Jaxon was the lucky one awarded a New Mexico non-resident youth antelope tag! When my wife picked our kids up from school, I ran out to meet them. Before the kids could even get out of the car, I opened the front door and exclaimed,“I have great news, someone in this car drew a New Mexico antelope tag!”When I announced that it was Jaxon, I could see the delight in his eyes and all over his face.“Dad, we are going hunting in New Mexico!” he shouted.

I closely watched my son and saw him flinch and jerk very hard as the firing pin dropped on an empty chamber. The Creedmoor was not shot again. There we were at the beginning of July, and with his first big game hunt only a month and a half away, I was feeling some serious pressure.

Practice, Practice, Practice

The planning and preparation began that day. Being too young to hunt in our home state of Idaho, this would be Jaxon’s first big game hunt. I had to decide what caliber rifle to put my young son behind. My initial choice eventually reared its ugly head as the wrong choice. I decided on my heaviest rifle, my Bergara HMR chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, and put on a suppressor and aftermarket recoil pad, doing all I could to ease the felt recoil my son would experience. When you weigh 53 pounds, recoil really adds up! We made numerous trips to the shooting range and Jaxon seemed to shoot the setup fairly well. He definitely blew up more milk and juice jugs than he missed. However, I started to notice a disturbing trend; each time we went to the range, the number of shots he wanted to take was decreasing. So, I tested him. I worked the bolt on an empty chamber and told Jaxon to shoot one more. 32

WESTERN HUNTER

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“Can you put it on his shoulder?” I asked. “I’m on his shoulder,” he calmly replied. “Okay squeeze the trigger.”

For our next trip to the range, it was my Bergara Ridge 22-250 that he would shoot. He was visibly nervous for his first shot, but after he took the first shot and was able to actually see the milk jug explode in his scope, he was a totally new boy. He never again asked if he could be done shooting in any more trips to the range. His flinch went away, and his love of shooting was back. My next concern was bullet selection, I had only shot Hornady Varmint Express 55-grain V-Max out of this rifle; it is my predator/varmint rifle. I was very leery about the performance of this bullet on an antelope. Time to take matters into my own hands. I have a good friend who had worked up two different loads for his own Bergara Ridge 22-250. One with Hornady 68-grain HPBT and another with the Hornady 73-grain ELD-M. I opted for the few extra grains of bullet weight and a bullet I am very familiar with, as I shoot a 147 ELD-M out of my 6.5 PRC. Handloads were made and a new MOA chart was created and confirmed. The vast majority of Jaxon’s practice was at 100-200 yards, but we did get him out to 400 yards and he shot very well. In the time remaining before his hunt, he put his time in at the range, and I knew both he and the setup were very capable. It simply would come down to how he handled himself in the heat of the moment when he was presented with a chance to take a shot at an antelope.

A Pain in the Ear

On our first day of travel, we made it to Moab, Utah. Up early the next morning, we were not long into our drive and Jaxon was complaining about his ear hurting. As the morning and miles rolled on, he mentioned and complained about it more and more.“Dad, I have an ear infection. It feels jut like last time.” Luckily, I was able to find a doctor’s office in Alamosa, Colorado. Three hours later we were again headed to New Mexico with an Amoxicillin prescription for his double ear infection.

Finally in His Unit

We scouted as much as we could that evening and found a buck I felt was a potential shooter come opening morning. We found a spot in the middle of a vast expanse of state ground to spend the night. Jaxon crawled onto his air mattress in the back seat of the truck, and I turned in on my sleeping pad in the bed of the truck. A restless night ensued. I could hear Jaxon crying in the back seat of the truck around 12:30 AM, so I got up, opened the door, and rubbed the back of his neck and under his ears. After a few minutes, he fell back asleep. We were up early, covering ground and taking inventory of as many bucks as we could. This was the day to introduce my young son to shooting prairie dogs. I knew this would be an opportune time for both Jaxon and me to practice getting set up quickly and correctly if the right pronghorn buck presented himself the next day. When you are consistently hitting prairie dogs from 100 to 150 yards, an antelope will seem easy. Talk about a fun confidence booster for a young boy.

Put a Buck to Bed

How often in life the best-laid plans can be foiled! We spent the last two hours of light watching a great buck in an area I felt was huntable. The buck bedded in an ideal spot where we could come in behind and above him to set up for a shot at first light. It was not to be, however, as a small group of bovine bulls bumped the antelope out of his bed, into parts unknown.

Option Two

I was confident this area held more shooter bucks. My main concerns were the type of terrain and our chances of getting close enough for Jaxon to shoot. Had I failed my son? We did not have a well-laid-out game plan for opening morning. We were going to start his first-ever antelope hunt by playing with the cards we were dealt when the sun came up. info@westernhunter.net

WESTERN HUNTER

Later, as I lay down on my air pad in the bed of the truck, I was struck with the magnitude of what tomorrow meant. My little boy would be on his first big game hunt! I am always excited, nervous, and anxious before any opening day. But this night, this night was different, more special than the many preceding pre-opening nights. This one took all those feelings and emotions and ramped them up to a whole new level. I knew sleep that night would be elusive.

Opening Day

Arising well before sunlight, I got Jaxon up and ready. We set up the spotting scope, and with binoculars in hand, we began looking over antelope as soon as it was light enough to see. I turned up two big bucks, and I told Jaxon “It’s time to go.” Our approach, to my dismay, garnered the attention of a herd of local beef cows that felt it was necessary to run up and circle around us. So much for remaining incognito. We finally reached the bottom of a large berm. We stayed low and crossed the depression of a pond. I then began getting everything set up for Jaxon to take a shot. I set up the tripod with the rifle secured in it, quickly realizing it was far too low due to the height of the grass and sunflowers. I ranged the closer buck, which I felt was the lesser of the two bucks, at 235 yards and the better buck at 350. I got Jaxon set up behind the gun, kneeling on the pad. He was still too low. I scooted in each leg of the tripod to increase its height; now it was too tall, above his shoulder. My nervousness and heart rate were rapidly increasing. I slid back down the bank and grabbed my EXO pack. I placed the pack on top of his pad where he knelt.“Dad, I don’t see any grass in my scope,” he whispered. As the buck was feeding, he was walking in and out of shooting lanes for Jaxon. I kept moving the tripod, trying to get set up in a lane between flowers and over the lush grass. During a couple of very intense minutes, the nearer buck had continued his advance toward us and to our right. I asked myself if I was really going to ask my seven-year-old boy to not shoot the good buck, now at around 200 yards, in hopes of him making a shot on a great buck at 350 yards.

Unbreakable Bonds

I took another quick glance through my binoculars at the closer buck. He gave me a bit of a quartering-away view, and I instantly knew I had made a mistake. Jaxon needed to shoot this buck! I quickly dialed the Leupold scope back down from 350 to 200 yards. Moving the tripod and adjusting Jaxon was simply too much movement. The buck pegged us. He turned and quartered towards us. I knew the two most likely outcomes. The buck’s curiosity would cause it to walk straight to us, decreasing the size of Jaxon’s target even more, or worse, the buck would pull the eject and be gone.

“Can you put it on his shoulder?” I asked. “I’m on his shoulder,” he calmly replied. “Okay, squeeze the trigger.” The muffled sound of the shot was followed by the unmistakable THWAP! of a bullet hitting home. The buck went about 30 yards, stopped, and began to tip over.“Do I need to put another one in him?” Jaxon asked anxiously.“No, he’s going down!” I replied excitedly. As soon as the buck fell over and disappeared in the long grass, I turned to Jaxon and told him “You just killed an antelope!” He quickly wrapped his arms around me, squeezing with all his adrenaline-fueled might. In that moment I had such a strange conflict of feelings. My son had just done something so big, so grown up, so mature, yet I could feel him, my little boy, his little body so tightly pressed against mine. I was filled with such an immense sense of pride for what my young son had just accomplished. I felt deeply fortunate and grateful for this amazing moment we were sharing together. We excitedly recapped what had just happened, and then we packed up all our gear and headed out to his fallen buck. This turned into much more of a process than I care to admit. I had, in my sheer jubilation of the moment, completely neglected to mark where his buck had expired. So, we gridded in the very tall, green grass until we came upon his New Mexico antelope buck. After pictures and getting the buck dressed and in the cooler, it was now time to begin our long journey back home to Meridian, Idaho. We made it as far as Moab, Utah that day. The hot tub felt extra amazing that night! This was not an easy trip – 2339 miles driven, 50 hours and 38 minutes of driving in the truck traveling to the hunt and back home, and time spent scouting. Two nights in a hotel and two nights sleeping in the truck... I sure hope we get to do it again someday!

CRITICAL GEAR Rifle: Bergara Ridge 22-250 Scope: Leupold VX-3i LRP 8.5-25x50 Ammo: Hornady 73-grain ELD-M hand loads Binos: Leupold BX-5 Santiam HD 10x42 Spotter: Leupold Gold Ring 12-40x60 HD Rangefinder: Leupold RX-2800 TBR Boots: Crispi Pack: EXO Mtn Gear Knife: Goat Shooting Rest: Bog Death Grip

WESTERN HUNTER

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WESTERN HUNTER MAGAZINE

GEAR & PRODUCT p HIGHLIGHTS KUIU Encounter Clothing Line By Colton Bagnoli, Hunting & Shooting Editor

UIU released their NEW Encounter system as a purpose-built clothing line for stand or stationary hunting. As a late-season whitetail deer hunter in Montana, I spend much of the season glassing from vantage points and watching creek bottoms below. While I don’t sit in a stand often, this clothing line appeals to my winter glassing senses. These un-insulated softshell outer layers and fleece mid layers feature an ultra-quiet, low-sheen outer material, with a bonded jacquard fleece interior for increased warmth while maintaining optimal breathability and temperature regulation. The 100% double-knit polyester outer is treated with DWR for added water resistance. The Encounter series includes a vest, jacket, and pant, as well as a mid-layer fleece Zip-T and base layer fleece bottom. The outerwear layers are designed and sized accordingly to fit over a base layer and mid-layer fleece, all in the same size. Features include a safety harness port for the jacket and vest, magnetic closure pockets, pit zips for added ventilation, and quiet slide zippers. The full-featured pants offer adjustable and removable suspenders, magnet closure pockets, and lower-leg zips for easy on/off and fitting over boots. All zippers are YKK on both the jacket and pants for added durability and seasons of use. For more information on the Encounter line and other KUIU products, visit KUIU.com. p

KUIU ENCOUNTER JACKET AVAILABLE IN: VIAS, VALO, VERDE, ASH, AND BLACK

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KUIU ENCOUNTER 200 FLEECE ZIP-T AVAILABLE IN: VALO, VERDE, VIAS, ASH, AND BLACK

KUIU ENCOUNTER VEST AVAILABLE IN: VERDE, VALO, VIAS, AND ASH

WESTERN HUNTER

KUIU ENCOUNTER 200 FLEECE BOTTOM AVAILABLE IN: ASH AND BLACK

www.westernhunter.net

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Gear for the Western Hunter

CENTRAL HEATING

GEAR TO KEEP WARM & COMFORTABLE WHEN COLD WEATHER STRIKES

COLTON BAGNOLI

uch of the big game hunting season in the West revolves around late summer and early fall during the warmer months. For the few northern states like Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and the Dakotas, hunters are offered late season hunts for rutting mule deer and whitetail. With normal day time temperatures averaging in the 0 to 32 degree range, having the right gear can exponentially increase your effective time in the field, which translates to higher odds of having opportunities to fill tags. Battery powered, heat gear has reached its most lightweight and effective technology yet and offer outdoorsmen and women some great options to stay warm in subzero temps. Ororo and Savior are two companies whose products I have had great success with on my late season hunts.

Ororo Classic Heated Vest $169.99

My wife introduced me to the Ororo Classic Heated Vest a few winters ago when she began wearing one on her winter ski trips. I was initially skeptical of how well the vest would work and last, but after her first winter of raving about it, I purchased a vest for the following winter season. The vest uses a small rechargeable battery that is stored in a pocket on the inside and is removable by unplugging it from the vest cord. The zippered pocket securely holds the battery during use. The heated core is woven throughout the vest to evenly distribute the heat, keeping your core temperature just right. There are four heating options, and you can select by pressing the Ororo emblem on the chest.

Savior Heated Mitten Gloves $139.99

They say, “With age, comes wisdom.” After decades of freezing fingers while holding an aluminum tripod head while glassing and “manning up,” I finally wised up and invested in heated mittens. The extra warmth added by this small heating system makes the sub-freezing glassing sessions not only manageable but surprisingly comfortable. The Savior Heated Mittens are soft and comfortable and offer plenty of dexterity for manipulating a tripod head and binocular focus ring while keeping your hands toasty warm. I used these gloves for two years during late-season deer and elk hunts in Montana and carried them over into ice fishing season through March. The simple charging system, left plugged in overnight, gave me 4-6 hours of usage in temperatures ranging from -10 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. With four heat modes, the colder days and higher heat settings led to shorter battery life, as expected. These mittens are a great tool to add to your arsenal if long days of cold, late-season glassing are in your future. I know I will always have a pair (and the charger) in the truck and my pack for all my late-season hunts going forward. For more information visit Saviorheat.com.

This vest has kept me warm while sitting still and glassing during cold winter mornings when worn under my puffy or insulated coat. The extra warmth lasts around four to five hours on the lowest setting, which I found to be the right amount of heat for morning glassing in below-freezing temps. My vest has lasted and worn very well after two full winter seasons of use hunting, trapping, ice fishing, and skiing and has become a piece of standard issue winter gear for me. Check out the full line of Ororo apparel at OroroWear.com.

WESTERN HUNTER

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Gear for the Western Hunter

I CHRIS DENHAM

t was a beautiful late fall day. The three-day storm that dumped about 10 inches of snow had finally cleared, rendering blue skies but frigid temperatures. I had multiple layers so I felt prepared, but an hour into the glassing session I couldn’t even feel my feet! My lack of activity and the frozen ground seeping up through my soles progressed from a slight annoyance to misery. I vowed to myself to research a solution, which led me to Fieldsheer. Fieldsheer has been pioneering mobile warming products for decades. They have a full line of battery-powered products that will keep you warm from head to toe. The genius behind their entire line is their proprietary mobile app that allows the user to quickly change heat settings and check battery charge levels. The power is supplied by lithium-ion batteries which are the kings of light weight and rechargeability. For more information on their products, visit Fieldsheer.com.

BT Heated Insoles $149.99

The first time I looked at these heated insoles, I couldn’t figure out how they connected to a battery. It wasn’t until I opened the box that I believed the battery was built into the insole. Like all Fieldsheer products, you have complete control over the heat setting, with a battery life from two hours to seven hours depending on your chosen intensity. The insole offers a medium level of arch support, so if you have custom orthotics they may or may not work for you. If that is the case, I recommend their socks. I feel they are best suited for those long days in a blind or stand, not necessarily best for a 12-mile pack-in trip.

Agarics Pullover Jacket $229.99

The Agarics quarter-zip pullover is a full-featured jacket constructed from a four-way stretch, wind and water-resistant polyester fabric. The built-in neck gaiter and thumbhole sleeves help to conserve the heat generated by the 7.4volt lithium battery. The eight-hour battery life will keep you toasty even on the coldest days. The heat settings can be controlled by either a touch control button or from the mobile app. You can even charge your cell phone from the jacket!

Merino Heated Socks $79.99

These are not your grandfather’s cheap polyester socks from the ‘80s! These merino blend over-the-calf technical socks are extremely well-made. Depending on which heating level you choose, the battery will provide up to 11 hours of service on a single charge. The battery is contained in the calf portion of the sock, so it is easy to recharge them in the field from an external battery. I recommend buying two pairs so you can carry a spare set of batteries for cold days and alternate the socks each day.

info@westernhunter.net

WESTERN HUNTER

GEAR GIFT GUIDE Western Hunter Gear Gift Guide

CHRISTMAS GEAR GIFT IDEAS FROM THE WESTERN HUNTER STAFF Eberlestock Recon Bino Harness $129.00 Eberlestock.com Pedram Parvin

The Recon bino harness was specifically designed with modularity and durability in mind. As hunters we all know that some hunts require more accessable gear than others, and the Recon can be easily scaled up or down with all of their available modular accessories. My favorite feature is the large front zippered pocket, because it allows for an actual useful and organized storage area that I can get to quickly. It’s quiet, durable, extremely functional, and it’s my personal favorite chest harness on the market.

The Hunting Horseman – George Bettas $49.95

WesternHunter.net Chris Denham

George Bettas started the Hunting Horseman column in Elk Hunter Magazine back in 2011, but his passion for hunting with livestock began many decades before that. This book (275 pages) is compilation of all the of Georges articles from both Elk Hunter and Western Hunter, plus commentary from his friends and family. From backcountry equine medicine to advanced packing techniques, this book has it all for the beginner or the seasoned horseman.

Canyon Cooler Outfitter 125 $460.00

CanyonCoolers.com Dave Bond

I have been using Canyon Cooler products for years, and just recently picked up the largest cooler in their long running Outfitter Series (125 quart). This cooler is indestructible (Grizzly Bear certified) and is large enough to hold an elk quarter or an entire Coues deer. Along with keeping ice for days, it also comes in handy as an extra place to sit in camp.

Garmin inReach Mini 2

$399.00 Outdoorsmans.com Levi Sopeland Back in the good-old-not-so-old days, there was a tree near the road to my favorite hunting spot that was known as the “phone tree.” For whatever reason, it was the only place for miles to get cell service. That meant to send a text to a family member or anxious girlfriend, we’d have to drive up, download or upload the message, and wait there to hear back. Not anymore. Now, I’m a Garmin man. This tiny clip-on device is basically a cell service range extender for anywhere in the world. Get one of these to keep your spouse happy and your local Search and Rescue on vacation. 42

WESTERN HUNTER

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Western Hunter Gear Gift Guide FHF Mtn Rifle Case

Outdoorsmans Carbon Innegra Tripod – Standard

This isn’t your average soft case and it’s truly in a class of its own. Not only does the Squadron laminated nylon, waterproof XPac, and YKK Aquagaurd zippers make it extremely water resistant, but this case fits perfectly inside most hard cases, allowing you to have a great soft case when you travel for a hunt. The unique features don’t end there – unzip it all the way and you have a nice prone shooting mat, and you can feel confident around water knowing this case will float.

The Carbon Innergra Gen 2 tripod is hands down the best-made piece of gear in the hunting industry. It checks all the boxes that you need for a tripod and more. It’s lightweight, extremely durable, easy to use, quick to deploy, sturdy, and folds compact. Plus these are 100% manufactured right here in the United States. If you are a serious glasser and spend hours behind the optics every season, this is an investment you’re going to want to make.

$375.00 FHFgear.com Kevin Guillen

$1399.00

Outdoorsmans.com Ben Britton

Turtlebox Gen 2 Portable Speaker $399.00 TurtleBoxAudio.com Pedram Parvin

This Gen 2 speaker has really changed the game for outdoor enthusiasts, fishermen, and hunters alike. This brute of a portable speaker is 100% dustproof and waterproof, has over 20 hours of continuous use in battery life, and also functions as a power bank for your phone and camera. It features bluetooth connectivity, and can be paired with another Gen 2 speaker to have true left and right audio. This has gotten more use in my household than any other gear I own!

FLEXTAILGEAR Sleeping Pad Pump $25.00 Amazon.com Levi Sopeland

This demonic-sounding, ultra-powerful pump runs on an impressive USB chargeable battery that will inflate a big sleeping pad in about a minute. It runs for about 10 minutes continuously, but even my math-challenged brain figured that works out to 10 inflations between charges. It even doubles as a fairly respectable lantern. I wouldn’t root for China to win, but in this category, somebody from there is dominating.

Benchmade Taggedout Carbon Fiber $375.00 Benchmade.com Chris Denham

A man can never have too many knives! Even though I own over 100 blades, every year Benchmade figures out how to make a few new models that I must have. The new Taggedout Carbon Fiber stole my heart this year. The orange 3.5” CPM-MagnaCut blade is the perfect combination of strength and corrosion resistance, and the carbon scales keep the weight down to a scant 2.4 ounces. info@westernhunter.net

WESTERN HUNTER

Western Hunter Gear Gift Guide Peak Design Capture Clip $74.95

PeakDesign.com Ben Britton

I’ve been carrying my DSLR camera with me for a few years. At first, I was struggling to take as many pictures as I wanted because my camera was shoved down in my pack. While looking through the minimal feasible options that also work with a pack and bino harness on, I found the Peak Design Capture Clip. This minimal shoulder mount clip attaches to my shoulder strap and easily gives me quick access for picture taking. Plus it’s an Arca-Swiss plate that easily attaches to most tripods.

AntlerTech Custom Faux Bronze Sculpture Prices Vary AntlerTech.co Mike Duplan

AntlerTech has come out with an ingenious gift idea for the hunter.A 3D printed Faux bronze sculpture can be created from any buck through a digital scanning process. Currently they have two options with a standing and bedded mule deer sculptures where a custom and personalized work of art can be created. These mule deer sculptures are created from scans of lifesize mule deer mounts done by award winning taxidermist Ben Neilson and are anatomically accurate and beautifully reproduced. The antlers of your choice are added digitally and a 3D sculpture is made and finished with a real bronze finish complete with a patina that adds to the beauty. For more information on this unique and personalized gift idea, go to antlertech.co for information and contact.

Sitka Mountain Pant

$209.00 SitkaGear.com Levi Sopeland It’s no secret that we devote a lot of ink in this magazine to discuss pants. I’ve been fortunate enough to quietly test many of the popular dedicated hunting trousers on the market, and there are some very interesting ones. However, the first set of leg covers I ever bought has proven time and time again to be the one. At first glance, the Mountain Pant appears to be extremely simple, but after careful inspection, it still appears that way. It’s a comfortable, durable set of knickers that keeps me warm when it’s cold, only a little sweaty when it’s hot, and doesn’t pill up when I walk through cat claw.

Kifaru Sheep Tarp $150.00 Kifaru.net Brody Layher

Nine ounces – you can’t carry nine extra ounces in your pack? What if you get caught in a late afternoon rainstorm while glassing? What if you need to make an extra large vestibule for your buddy’s gear because his tent sucks? What if you need to make some shade for your afternoon nap while you wait for that buck to stand up out of his bed? For only nine ounces, why would you be uncomfortable? 44

WESTERN HUNTER

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IT’S A NO BRAINER...SORT OF...

Anyone who spends much time in the woods knows that gaiters are the only way to ensure dry feet. But those who know want a breathable, waterproof, easy on/easy off, never give them a second thought, convenience and comfort... and they want them to fit over any boot. And it doesn’t hurt if they’re practically bullet proof. What’s there to think about?

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Western Hunter Gear Gift Guide White Duck Regatta 360 Tent

$890.00

WhiteDuckOutdoors.com Kevin Guillen

Whiteduck did their homework with the materials they chose for the Regatta 360. I was highly impressed with the quality of the canvas and the toughness every seam and potential weak point was sewn with. My favorite part of this tent was the great airflow throughout the tent at night when we raised all of the canvas walls, leaving just the mesh and a nice 360 degree view. Setup is easy, and the included mallet is a nice touch.

Sheep Feet Standard Full Length Custom Orthotic $265.00

SheepFeetOutdoors.com Ben Britton

If you have a hunting partner who won’t shut up about their foot pain, or maybe you’re that guy, I highly recommend looking into the orthotics from Sheep Feet. I’ve put a lot of miles and a few seasons' worth of hunts on mine and have been blown away at how comfortable my boots have become. They send a foam-filled box that you mold to your feet and they make the insoles from. Now my Crispi hunting boots feel like I'm walking around in a comfy pair of tennis shoes.

Therm-a-rest Neoair Xlite NXT MAX $229.00 Thermarest.com Brody Layher

Sleeping pads by Therm-A-Rest have been at the top of the food chain for quite a while now. The Xlite series has brought the perfect balance of R value and weight. The problem has always been that if you moved as much as an inch while you’re sleeping, everyone within a mile radius was startled awake by the nails-on-a-chalkboard-type crinkling noise. Luckily, with the NXT series, they’ve fixed that. Now the pad is whisper quiet with all the benefits of previous generations.

Outdoorsmans Mountain Couch $49.99

Outdoorsmans.com Kevin Guillen

Get your cheeks off the hard ground and start sitting on the throne of pillowy comfort that is the Outdoorsmans Mountain Couch. I’ve spent hours sitting on this overkill glassing pad and will not leave home without it now. This isn’t intended for the ultralight backpack hunter. This is designed for the hunts where you’re only a few miles from camp, or when you just want to add some comfort to your camp stool. Either way, your ass will thank you.

Montana Knife Company Speedgoat $225.00

MontanaKnifeCompany.com Pedram Parvin

The fixed-blade ultralight Speedgoat is available in either 52100 ball bearing steel or Magnacut stainless steel and weighs in at only 1.7 ounces. It has an overall length of 7.75 inches with a blade length of 3.75 inches. The Speedgoat handle is wrapped in 550 paracord, which can be easily repurposed in the field for tying antlers to your pack, hanging game meat, or even replacing a broken shoe lace. Best of all, this durable knife is completely made in America! 46

WESTERN HUNTER

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Western Hunter Gear Gift Guide Ridge Belts MTN LITE

$32.00 RidgeBelts.com Chris Denham I’ve tried dozens of belts over the years that all work well until I put on a heavy pack on top of it. I tested the new Ridge Belt this spring and can say it is the best all-around belt I have every worn. The silicon material can be cut to any length, and molds to your hips for a secure and comfortable fit. The buckle is stout but low profile, so it doesn’t snag on my hip belt buckle and weighs only 5 ounces.

Swarovski EL 10x42

$1999.00 Outdoorsmans.com Brody Layher Since 1999, the EL has undoubtedly been the premier piece of glass in the industry. The NL Pure has taken some of its shine, but they still rise above 99 percent of all other binoculars that have come since then. The timeless dual bridge design and crispy edges will always have a place in my heart. They also just became a whole lot more affordable.

Stone Glacier Cirque Lite $239.00 StoneGlacier.com Brody Layher

The age of fleece and flannel is dead and gone. If you’re not wearing a hybrid active insulation piece on all your backcountry excursions, you’re losing out on comfort. This new piece from Stone Glacier gives you 60g of PrimaLoft gold on your chest, back, and arms with grid fleece from your love handles up through your pits. It won’t make you overheat on that final pull up to a big buck, but it also won’t let you freeze while you wait for him to stand.

Klymit Klymaloft XL Pad

$210.00 Outdoorsmans.com Levi Sopeland It was a difficult day when I discovered that bringing my king-sized mattress camping was impossible, but I have been delivered by my new best friends at Klymit. I bought this pad with my own money, and I wouldn’t sell it to you for double. It’s enormous when inflated, and it has nearly four inches of foam padding on top. I have slept on floors, cots, rocks, and more with it, and I’ve even backpacked it many times. I rarely go anywhere without it. Do yourself a favor and check out the final boss of away-from-home sleeping. info@westernhunter.net

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THE FILM FESTIVAL IS BACK! Great new prize opportunities, a bigger audience, and a new ruleset, will make this ﬁlm festival one you won't want to miss out on.

Learn More and Submit a Film at: FILMFEST.WESTERNHUNTER.NET

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SHOOTING & FIREARMS

UNSUPPORTED SHOOTING POSITIONS TRAINING UP FOR THE WILD WEST

COLTON BAGNOLI

HUNTING & SHOOTING EDITOR

ositional rifle training has become a hot topic over the last five years with the growth of PRS (Precision Rifle Shooting) competitions. While shooting your rifle from a variety of positions isn’t new, the idea of creating a workspace with gear to support your rifle and body has created a new market for rifle training and shooting schools. With competition being as tight as ever, shooters have evolved to get the next edge over the field by improving their ability to shoot accurately and quickly from any field position they are given during a course of fire. Hunters engaged in this style of competition have been given a monumental advantage over hunters shooting rifles from the bench all year long, impressing their friends with tiny groups shot on paper. Training is no longer shooting from a bench. 50

WESTERN HUNTER

To grow and improve your shooting abilities in the field, one must forego the bench and all the things they are comfortable with and start missing targets. By missing targets in the field positions (standing, kneeling, sitting, and prone), we force ourselves to learn new techniques in breathing and trigger control. When you shoot off a bench, you can get sloppy with your shooting form. The bench is comfortable to sit at, and we can brace the rifle up with bags and lead sleds to help eliminate wobble in the reticle and reduce the felt recoil. Many shooters use the highest magnification to help see a larger target area with minimal movement in the reticle. For shooting small groups on paper, this method is ideal and works great for load development. But after we have settled on a load or chosen the box of factory ammo and zeroed the rifle, the reality is that we should stay off the bench. Getting used to seeing a reticle bouncing all over the place when you’re trying to settle on target is the best form of training before the season. If you don’t train for this, it will be pure chaos in the field when your crosshairs are covering fur or hair and bouncing all over. I would venture to guess that the amount of missed shots or wounded animals could be reduced by half or better if hunters dedicated themselves to training with their rifles more frequently and removed the bench from their shooting completely.

An easy way to start down the path is with a simple drill of shooting three to five shot groups each from prone, sitting, kneeling, and standing positions. Recently the “Kraft Drill” has become a popular YouTube drill amongst precision rifle shooters and competitors. It’s nothing new, just a revisit to something that has been done for a long time by many riflemen. The Kraft drill includes the use of support (typically a tripod) for the rifle in the kneeling and standing positions which is great, but I recommend starting from unsupported shooting positions. In 99% of the hunting applications where I have seen others have to shoot standing, kneeling, or seated, or had to myself, using a support like a tripod or sticks was not an option. It’s usually a follow-up shot on wounded game that is rapidly evolving. Making this shot is crucial and oftentimes is the deciding factor in whether you recover the animal at all. Making contact with a follow-up anchor shot is a must. Prone I start my version of this drill by shooting at 50 yards (graduating to 100 yards) on 1", 2", 5", and 8" Shoot-N-C targets. These are great sizes, and on an 8x11 sheet of white paper, they contrast very well. I start by shooting from the prone position on the 2" target and work up to the 1". I focus on building a solid rest with my rifle between the bipod and rear www.westernhunter.net

The seated position can be a stable position to drop into for a rapid off hand shoot. If time allows, wedge a shooting bag or a rolled up jacket under the right knee to add stability and comfort. The author carries this ultralight bag clipped to his pants with a carabiner for rapid deployment.

Body alignment is crucial for recoil management and target acquisition. In the Prone position the rifle should be aligned in the shoulder pocket, to align with the center of your hips.

support bag. I then fire my three shots with a focus on breath control, trigger control, and accuracy – not speed. This one is the simplest and most common shooting positions for every shooter, but I often see shooters with poor body positions. Be sure to align your body directly behind the rifle, not off to the side at an angle. Despite people on TV shooting this way, it is incorrect. The angled body position doesn’t offer any recoil management for followthrough to spot your impact or to re-engage the target. You’re going to be off to the right and high when you look back through the scope (righthanded shooters) due to the rifle pushing through your shoulder. If you’re a right-handed shooter, align your body directly in line with the rifle so the rifle recoils directly into your shoulder pocket and forms a line from the muzzle down through your body, following the side of your spine and down through your right hip. With a wide stance to your legs, this offers the most stability and best recoil management for faster target acquisitions.

The rifle is tucked into the author’s shoulder pocket, on the clavicle. Elbows are bent and at equal angles to the rifle. The head is up and comfortably resting on the stock, not in an unnatural, kinked or contorted position.

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Sitting Next, I transition to sitting, where I rest my elbows on the inside of my knees and brace the rifle, maintaining as much bone structure contact as I can with minimal “muscling” the rifle into position. It’s important to align your body to the target so that your torso is not twisted to the left or right to stay on target. If your hips are out of position, then your core muscles will have to engage and twist to get the sight picture you want. With these muscles engaged, you are going to shake and have a difficult time maintaining accuracy, regardless of how many sit-ups you can do. It requires some time to get your hips aligned properly so you have a natural point of aim on the target without flexing your core and twisting your body.

Once you find the sweet spot, it will be an “Ah ha!” moment. You will find that you can just hover the reticle on the target with minimal wobble. Your breathing will only raise and lower the reticle on the target – not off to the side or at an angle like when you’re twisted and your core is holding you in place. Once you have the correct positions, dry fire a few times and see how your body settles on target. Once you’re ready, fire three to five shots on the 5" target, working up to the 2" target as you improve. Kneeling The kneeling position is where most shooters start to fall apart as contact with the ground diminishes and the reticle wobble is doubled. It all comes down to aligning your body properly to

In the kneeling position, sitting on the inside of your ankle or back of the heel adds stability. I prefer the inside of the ankle as it is much more stable due to the foot being flat to the ground not raised and on the tips of your toes.

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Standing Shooting a rifle from standing, unsupported by sticks or tripod is the scariest shooting position of all. We have zero stability when standing and wielding a rifle on a target, trying to control breathing and time the reticle as it races around the target. Every breath jolts the reticle a couple of feet on the target, and your pulse moves the rifle even more when you hold your breath. When tracking game, the odds of taking a standing, offhand shot increase dramatically. That shouldn’t be the first time you try shooting your rifle in this stance. I would advocate shooting five to ten rounds offhand during every range session. It should be part of your regular training in some capacity when it comes to being a well-rounded rifleman. A few tips that will make shooting offhand a little easier are: Back down your magnification power on your scope, don’t hold your breath, and lastly, don’t death grip the rifle.

When tracking game or traveling from A-B, you should always have your optical magnification backed down to the lowest power. This will allow fast target acquisition and make the reticle appear more stable and less wobbly. These shots are often well under 100 yards, more frequently under 50, so 2-5x magnification is more than ample to execute an accurate shot. Most shooters have a bad habit of holding their breath when they shoot, regardless of shooting position. This is a bad habit.You should always breathe to keep ample oxygen flowing to your brain to keep everything running properly. When oxygen levels get low, your vision starts to degrade, so make sure you take deep slow breaths when behind the rifle and always break your shots at the bottom of your breath cycle. This is easy when shooting in a prone position. Start decreasing contact with the ground, and it becomes more difficult, so it requires practice. Although it’s not a common shot, if you find

Angled view of the kneeling position resting on the inside of shooters ankle

keep that natural point of aim. This is where the reticle hovers on the target with minimal to zero input from large muscle groups. These are mostly your core and back when in the kneeling position. It comes down to you getting into the kneeling position while resting your butt on your heel – or the inside of the ankle for those who roll their right leg out and sit on their ankle. This is the most stable of the kneeling variations. Crawl, walk, run is my rule with shooting. As your shooting improves, take away stability and adapt around it. The core principle is the same in all of these positions. You must start by aligning your body to the target and balancing bone-tobone contact with minimal muscle engagement to hold the rifle on target. This is where the real training part comes in, and it’s not always comfortable to miss. Back to my initial statement, you have to start missing targets to develop your shooting. You’re going to miss a lot of 8" circles at 100 yards in the kneeling position. A lot. This is where growth happens. If you’re not missing and changing what you’re doing, you’re stagnant. You’re going to have missed opportunities if you return to the easy way of shooting off the bench. Work up to the 5" targets as you progress. In the next issue of Western Hunter, Colton will break down the best way to incorporate a tripod into these shooting positions to help add stability and increase your ethical shooting range.

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Standing with a forward leaning stance helps stabilize the rifle and allows for better recoil management compared to standing flat footed with equal weight distribution. Wrapping the sling around your forearm will help stabilize the rifle.

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yourself taking a standing, unsupported shot on game, things have gone south, and now is not the time to figure it out. Shooting 8" Shoot-N-C targets at 50 yards allows you to start figuring out your stance and breathing control. This is when we work on throwing the rifle up quickly and improving target acquisition. When I was guiding hunts for elk, I noticed many hunters were unable to shoot accurately from the standing position on bull elk standing broadside at under 100 yards. Their inability to even find the elk in the scope was frustrating at times. Often, it would go something like this: “Where is he?!” “He is the giant yellow horse standing in the opening right in front of you at 75 yards!”... “Where?’’... “Right there!”... *Elk runs away after four minutes*... “Oh, there he is. I see him!” Make it a Habit Work on finding the target and controlling your breathing is really a dryfire drill that can be worked on at home with an empty rifle. Just working on this one skill set alone will improve many aspects of your shooting, regardless of shooting position. Locating game quickly in the optic is key, as you can not shoot what you can not see. At your next range day, give these four shooting positions an honest run and help increase your odds of success in the field in many common hunting scenarios. In the next issue of Western Hunter, I will break down the best way to incorporate a tripod into these shooting positions to help add stability and increase your ethical shooting range. As always, help keep the gun conversation alive by emailing me at Colton@ westernhunter.net with your questions or suggestions for future product reviews. Follow me on Instagram @papwinkle to see my posts and reviews regarding all things precision rifles to help make you a better rifleman. And remember, “Only accurate rifles are interesting.” – Townsend Whelen

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The author regularly shoots this drill with a TS Customs 22 RF rifle built identically to his hunting rifles stock. These groups were shot cold at 75 yards to get in field realism.

WESTERN HUNTER

n The author killed this monster

desert three point using the “Spot and Dog” tactic discussed in this article.

UNCONVENTIONAL BOWHUNTING

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR BOWHUNTING UNCONVENTIONAL SEASONS AND TACTICS

JAMES YATES

HUNTING EDITOR

WESTERN HUNTER

s western bowhunters, lots of us dream about bedding a lone, big buck in the shade of a ribbon cliff in an open, alpine basin. The kind of spot that’s perfect for a stalk, where the warm thermals blast up in your face as you stalk the buck from above. That’s the dream, but it often isn’t the reality. For many of the places and archery tags that I have hunted out west, this is actually the exception and not the norm. You heard me right – in most of the places I have personally bowhunted, it’s rare to find bucks bedded in the open in stalkable spots.

“Well, James, however do you kill big bucks if you can’t spot and stalk them?”... and my answer to you is... this article. In this article, I am going to focus on unconventional seasons and tactics to pursue and kill big bucks. Most of us think of August and September as the classic western bowhunting months. The days are long, the weather is warm, and it’s very conducive to getting into the alpine looking for highcountry velvet bucks. These hunts are very pleasant and just plain fun. Unfortunately, they have become www.westernhunter.net

very popular and can be hard to draw due to the pleasant weather. It’s the nicest time of the season to be in the mountains, and the spot-and-stalk tactic, where applicable, is extremely effective. There are many instances out west where the odds are better to draw a muzzleloader tag or a rifle tag for a particular unit compared to its archery tag. Because these tags can be harder to draw, I choose to focus on tags that are draw-able every year even if I have to hunt during a different season or use some unconventional bowhunting tactics to be successful. Bowhunting in the Cold and Snow The opportunity to bow hunt out west is still substantial. There are many less-desirable units/ tags (thick, marginal glassing, etc.) that are easy to draw or are still over-the-counter; there are bow hunts that take place later in the year that present challenges but also have good opportunities; and there are extended archery units that are overly crowded, yes, but at least you are still hunting. There are plenty of opportunities to bow hunt if you are willing to look out of the box. For unconventional archery deer hunts, there are two things we need to consider: season and tactic. Pushing out of the typical bowhunting months of August, September, and early October can present some challenges that need to be overcome in order to be successful. The first is obviously cold, stormy weather. Many areas in the Rocky Mountains will start piling significant amounts of snow in October. Rifle hunting in significant amounts of snow can be difficult, but bowhunting in it can feel downright impossible. Fortunately, a lot of the later-in-the-season bow hunting opportunities revolve around the mule deer rut, which means deer are grouped up, more active, easier to find, and more distracted. Sounds like a cake walk, right? Well, it’s not. Bow hunting during the mule deer rut in the Rocky

Options can be limited during a morning hunt if there is crunchy snow on the ground. Setting up on a cliff above an active game trail is a great spot because you can likely still glass and you are able to ambush hunt silently.

Mountains brings new challenges. As mentioned above, the snow can make bowhunting really difficult. For one, and probably the most obvious, hiking around in significant snow is very tiring and is very slow going. If the snow has developed any sort of crunchy crust to it, approaching a deer can be next to impossible because every step sounds like a landmine going off.

In the mountains in November, daytime temperatures generally get above freezing (especially on south faces), which means snow begins to melt. However, that partially thawed snow freezes solid at night, and as a result, it is very crunchy the next morning until the sun softens it again. This daily cycle makes getting into bow range very difficult. I have learned to not force stalks in crunchy snow in the morning. I wait to make a move into range until after the sun softens the snow in the afternoon. The most ideal situation for a morning hunt in crunchy snow is an ambush spot with a view so you can also glass. For example, I have a couple of spots on my local range where I can sit and glass above a 20-foot cliff. Deer regularly move along the base of the cliff because it creates a sort of funnel. The benefit here is that you are in a position to shoot a buck without having to move in the crunchy snow, but you aren’t sacrificing your view/glassing ability too much, either. Similarly, I have a couple of tree stand locations in groves of aspens, where I can glass big, south-facing hillsides above me, but I am also in a static hunting position for the morning when it is too noisy to move around. I have found great success bowhunting in the late season after snowstorms. Deer tend to be more active after snowstorms, and they are certainly more visible, but more importantly, the new snow will help quiet down the crunchy snow. Deep snow can make it difficult to get around, but nothing quiets down a bowhunter’s stalk like 12 inches of fluffy powder. I watch the weather religiously in the late season and try to plan my bow hunts for after snowstorms. Hunting smarter in the late season is using tools like a side by side or snowshoes to help you get into an area or quickly cut the distance on a target buck you’ve spotted.

Bowhunting in the mountains during the late season is unconventional and can be downright miserable; being prepared for the circumstances is essential.

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I don’t typically wear long underwear because I tend to overheat in them, but I do like down overpants that I can zip on and off for use while glassing. Similarly, a down hoody jacket and windproof shell are critical for glassing in the cold. Last year I picked up the Sitka Blizzard AeroLite Parka and bibs, and they were a godsend on my late-season hunts, where I experienced temperatures and wind chill of 20 below. The Blizzard parka combines a Gore-Tex shell and a synthetic puffy into one. The parka is cut long so it doesn’t ride up and it eliminates drafts; it is the warmest jacket that I have ever worn.

Snow often brings other difficulties as well. Getting around in it is tough, obviously. Don’t be afraid to strap on some snowshoes or utilize a snowmobile or OHV (if legal) to cut distance. Obviously, a snowmobile/OHV and snowshoes actually are much too loud to bow hunt with, but they are great tools to use to get into an area, and then proceed to get close on foot. Layering for Late-Season Mountain Hunting Hopefully, I’m painting the right picture here – that hunting in the mountains in November can be cold and snowy. In fact, it can be downright miserably cold, especially if you are not moving much because you are glassing or ambush hunting. In order to be effective, it’s absolutely mandatory that your clothing layering system is dialed. Unlike a typical late-season treestand environment where you are able to wear the warmest clothes (regardless of weight), in the mountains, gravity keeps you accountable for the weight of your layers, so you can’t just pack whatever. I am not going to go over my entire layering kit, but I will give some high-level pointers, starting with the boots. I like an insulated boot – 400gram Primaloft or equivalent. The Crispi Wild Rock GTX fits the bill perfectly and has been absolutely fantastic for me. It’s reasonably stiff (3 out of 5 on the Crispi Stiff Rating), and the outsole is really grippy in wet, snowy conditions. Over the top of the boot, a quiet boot gaiter is very important. These things keep snow out of your boots, which in turn

The Sitka Blizzard AeroLite gear was a godsend on several late season mountain hunts last year. It helped me weather conditions as low as 20 below. Notice that I am sitting on my pack to keep my body insulated from the cold snow.

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Insulated over pants like these Kifaru Lost Park Pants are critical to staying warm while glassing in the late season.

keeps your feet dry. For pants, I like a pant with waterproof fabric on the butt and knees like the Sitka Timberline. Pants with waterproof butt fabric and a glassing pad (more on that later) are critical to keeping you dry and insulated from the cold when you are sitting in snow.

Glassing Pad For a glassing pad, I carry a thin sheet (1/4") of Evazote foam that measures 28" wide and 70" long. This pad weighs 6 oz, is very durable, and is extremely versatile. I can completely customize how big and thick it is by folding it in different ways, and I have the ability to lay on it with it completely unfolded. The other benefits of a pad like this are the ability to wrap it around you to break the wind and that it can also be used as a splint by wrapping it tightly around an arm or a leg. Especially in the late season, the versatility of this pad could get you out of some hairy situations or even save your life.

A versatile glassing pad like this 1/4" evazote pad is a critical piece of gear during the late season to help keep you comfortable, dry, and insulated from the cold ground.

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Keeping Gear Dry Other factors that need to be considered when mountain hunting in the snow: keeping your gear dry and free of accumulated snow is a challenge. If you are hunting when it is actively snowing, snow will get inside your peep and bow sight scope housing. I have had this happen several times, and regrettably, one time I was drawing back on a giant, typical four-point. I couldn’t see through my peep and scope housing because they were filled with snow, so I had to let down, and of course, the buck ran off.

Keeping your bow free from accumulated snow is very important. During heavy snowstorms I place my bow completely inside a big moose quarter game bag to keep snow off everything. I also use the Sitka bow sling and sight cover extensively in the late season.

Keeping your bowstring and bow sight covered is very important to keep accumulated snow out. Another piece that is critical to keep dry is your mechanical broadhead. Depending on the type of mechanical, water can get inside of them, freeze, and cause them to not deploy on impact. This exact thing happened to me on a December elk hunt with the Ulmer Edge broadhead. I shot a cow elk (pass through and double lung), but the wound was only a pencil hole opening (I verified the wound when I recovered her after a very long blood trail). I did find the arrow as well, and the broadhead had deployed when it hit the hard ground, but it did not deploy through the elk. Unconventional Tactics Crunchy snow may dictate how you hunt in the late season, and thick cover/inability to bed bucks can affect how you hunt in certain units in the early season. My go-to bowhunting area is thick. It has wildly thick oak brush in the low and mid country, and thick aspen and pine forests in the upper elevations. Unfortunately, our mountain range only has a few areas that actually get above the timberline. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of open slopes up high in my unit, but bucks rarely bed in them, even in the early season. Even if you are hunting in the higher open basins, most of the time, bucks will descend or traverse to treeline to bed. Once bucks get to treeline, they disappear for the entire day, and most of the mature bucks do not re-emerge until after dark. This makes spot-and-stalk hunting nearly impossible. Also, for whatever reason, the deer on my home range tend to bed up for the day way earlier than bucks I have hunted in many other units. So,

Keeping your gear dry is critical, so when you draw back on a big buck you can make the shot without any surprises.

this fact makes it hard to spot a buck from across a basin and then move to cut him off before he gets to treeline. This actually can be a good tactic, but it requires that you guess which trails the bucks are going to use that day and pick a glassing spot that is very near to that trail. Otherwise, don’t even bother glassing, and just sit in ambush if you have a decent pattern on the bucks. Escape Routes Ambush hunting, in its various forms, is the name of the game in my home unit, but ambush hunting requires a lot of scouting and knowledge of the unit to be successful. I have lived in the unit for nearly my entire life and have done a tremendous amount of scouting throughout the summers to be able to learn the deer’s habits. Ambush hunting is obviously most effective when you have an area that forces the deer to act a certain way. The way the deer use the terrain may be dictated by

The author killed this great 35" buck in an escape route from one of the buck’s primary feeding features. A month’s worth of scouting this buck, identifying these features, paid off big time.

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cliffs, rockslides, cover/clearings, human presence (hiking trails, roads), water, etc. Learning how deer navigate these features in your area both when relaxed and pressured/escaping is your best chance to ambush a mature buck. I have personally had the most success identifying regular escape routes from feeding features. I’ve found that bucks that get bumped while feeding more often do a predictable thing than bucks that get bumped out of thick bedding areas. I have killed two trophy bucks on escape routes from feeding features. In both incidences, these bucks were lightly bumped from below, and both worked up, diagonally across a feeding feature to the nearest treeline. I anticipated this from the hunting pressure and was well-positioned to intercept the bucks and make the shots. Most often, I don’t have to force a bump play because there are generally other overly eager hunters in the area, but I am not opposed to using a partner to lightly bump a buck while he’s feeding in a well-designed ambush play. That is actually how I killed one of the bucks mentioned above. My partner Ty dropped down and lightly bumped the bucks, and the big one came nearly right to me on a well-used trail, heading for timber. Ambush Hunting Pinch Points I have never personally done this, but several of my friends have killed bucks by sitting above small cliffs that act as funnels from feeding to bedding areas. This has been a highly effective method for them. Inevitably, if they sit above their cliff consistently, they kill deer. The key to ambush hunting is consistency. The more mornings you can be in position, the more likely you are to kill.

Consistently sitting pinch points, like this cliff with a game trail at the base, can definitely pay dividends when the unit is too thick to put bucks to bed.

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Marking up photos like this before a stalk is important to ensure that you and your partner are on the same page once you have separated and are only able to communicate via signals.

In general, the more times you can be hunting during the morning and evening, the better off you will be. For instance, on my home range, I would much rather hunt 20 mornings during the season and come down to work after the morning hunt than simply hunt five full days straight. If you are limited by your time off work or your family situation, prioritizing the number of mornings you are in the field is paramount (in your area, maybe the evenings are more effective, but you get the point). Bowhunting Battleship If you are able to hunt with a partner, one of the most effective ways to hunt mature bucks in areas where they don’t bed in the open is to get on opposite sides of a basin/canyon to glass for each other and then use signals to communicate with one another. One of the most effective ways to do this is to take a photo of the area and discretize the photo with an alpha-numerical grid (kind of like the board game Battleship). Using the grid as a reference, you can communicate to each other using signals where bucks are feeding at first light from opposite sides of the basin. Hunting like this, it becomes very possible to cut off bucks before they make it to treeline to bed for the day. This method works well on my home range where bucks feed on open faces but descend/

traverse to big forests to bed. Most of the time I hunt solo on my home range, so it is nice when I have a partner to be able to employ this method. Spot and Dog I do a lot of bow hunting during the mule deer rut. In Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Colorado, that generally means hunting in the cold and snow, but in Arizona and New Mexico, that means hunting in mild conditions. Regardless of conditions, when I hunt mule deer in the rut, one of my go-to tactics is something I call “Spot and Dog.” A lot of people are familiar with this tactic in association with elk hunting during the rut. The concept is to spot the herd and then slip in silently and trail or “dog” the herd waiting for the herd bull to be on the periphery of the elk and make your move then. To try to slip inside the herd to kill the herd bull is kamikaze and would almost certainly result in blowing out the elk, so paralleling the herd and waiting for the bull to slip up is a much safer tactic. A herd of elk often feeds into the wind, and it can be fairly predictable where elk are feeding to, so you can anticipate this and stay with the herd. The same concept goes for deer in the rut. Deer on their rut grounds (secondary ridges, foothills, sage flats, etc.) will often behave like elk, feeding into a prevailing wind as well.

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you). Once the does leave, the buck gets up out of bed quickly and trails his does. He will often get up and immediately leave straight away from you, leaving you with no shot opportunity. However, if you are in position 90 degrees to the herd and the direction of the prevailing wind, you will likely have a broadside shot at the buck as he walks by trailing his does.

During the rut, instead of sitting on a bedded buck with the wind in your face (where he’ll like get up and move straightaway from you), try getting slightly ahead of the deer and 90° to the prevailing wind so that when the buck gets up to trail his does, you’ll get a broadside shot as he walks by.

Lots of hunters will bed a buck with his harem during the rut, and their first inclination is to stalk the buck in his bed. There are so many eyes and ears during the rut that this can be very risky. If the buck is bedded on the periphery, it can be safe. If you stalk in with the buck on the periphery and are able to shoot him in his bed, by all means, take the shot. If there is no clear shooting lane, you are

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better off backing out and positioning yourself just ahead of the deer at 90 degrees to the direction of the prevailing wind. The reason for this is that if you were to stay put in your position on the bedded buck with the wind in your face, often what happens is the does get up and start feeding into the wind (so with the wind in your face, they move straight away from

Conclusion Bow hunting out west is more than just spotting a buck, bedding him, and then stalking him. Sure, this tactic is very effective in the right area, but in many areas out west, this doesn’t work because the areas are too thick or have marginal glassing. I have found that units with good spot-and-stalkable country are getting harder to draw as well. Personally, I have opted to hunt units that I can draw every year, even if I have to hunt during a different time of year or employ some unconventional tactics. The good news is if you want to bow hunt bucks every year, you still can if you are willing to think out of the box. Don’t be intimidated by late seasons, thick country, or areas that are difficult to glass or bed bucks. I have had a lot of success hunting later in the year or using the unconventional tactics that are discussed in this article, and there is no reason why you can’t find success in these same situations.

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North American Super Slam Series

BLACK BEAR n I took this black bear at a waterhole I was sitting at when it came in for a swim.

A TRULY MYTHICAL NORTH AMERICAN PREDATOR Besides the spiritual connection, for many, the Black Bear also represented a resource for clothing, bedding, food, fat, bone tools, and jewelry. Out of all the tribes, the Ute Indians’ respect for the black bear is legendary. I was first told this by a local game warden Bob Holder who also holds black bears in high regard after working with them for over 40 years. The Ute Indians perform a bear dance that was first documented in the 15th century by the Spanish Conquistadors.

FRED EICHLER

HUNTING EDITOR

ative American tribes had long respected and revered the black bear before any Europeans ever came to this continent. It was an animal that, to many indigenous people, represented courage, strength, and protection. It’s easy to understand why they were held in such high esteem. Most of the time, they forage peacefully and try and avoid conflict. When provoked, however, they can elicit terror. Black bears are featured prominently in the mythology of almost all the North American tribes. 62

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Harsh Lessons My respect for black bears dates back to the first time I ever hunted one with a bow. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I had a rather intimidating first experience that was my own fault, entirely. My buddy Blye and I were helping an outfitter set up bear baits and get his camp ready in exchange for hunting ourselves. When it was our turn, we each picked a bait site and went in to hunt. When the first bear came into the bait, he was aggressive. He approached the bait huffing and intentionally stepping on branches to announce his presence. He would pop his teeth occasionally and

A beautiful, big, cinnamon black bear I took a photo of in a Colorado meadow.

look into the brush at what I assume was another bear that I couldn’t see. I waited until I had a good angle, drew my bow back, and took the shot. My arrow went through the bear fast, and he reacted by growling loudly and biting at his side before jumping into the thick brush. www.westernhunter.net

North American Super Slam Series

I captured this blond bear on camera right outside my back door as it was sneaking up on one of my 3D archery targets.

Best I could tell, it was right on the border of being a lung shot or one in the liver. Between the thick hide on the bear and my excitement, I wasn’t sure. The bear disappeared almost immediately and I didn’t hear the tell-tale death moan. The outfitter had told us to bring a gun when we went in alone to hunt for safety because of the amount of bears in the area. I had brought a single-shot 12 gauge loaded with buckshot to put in the tree with me just in case.

After I shot the bear, I left my gun hanging in the tree and decided to climb down and just walk over and look at my arrow so I could better discern where the arrow had hit based upon the blood. In hindsight, I should have waited a while or just snuck out of the area to give it some time before returning with my buddy to trail up the bear. Instead, I was excited and decided to look right away. I lowered my bow and climbed down to take a look. I had my bow in hand and an arrow nocked

Handgun hunting can be a fun and challenging way to take a black bear. I took this one in Colorado on my ranch.

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as I walked to my arrow. The brush around the bait site was thick, and I had no way of knowing the bear was only a few yards away. I had leaned over to pick up my arrow that was stuck in the dirt when I heard what sounded like someone trying to stifle a cough really close. I was startled and stood up quickly when the very angry wounded bear ran at me from a few yards away. I was running to my stand, only a few yards away, and threw my bow at the bear. I made it to the stand and was going up the screw-in steps as quickly as I could when I realized the bear was right behind me. I reached up and grabbed my shotgun with one hand. I swung it down while cocking the hammer with my thumb and shot it one-handed. The recoil from the shotgun wrenched the gun out of my hand and it went flying to the ground. My shot was not good, but all the pellets hit the bear in the front leg, knocking him off the tree. The bear fortunately died at the base of the tree, leaving me a little shook up but with a healthy respect for black bears. Since that close call over 30 years ago, I have come to realize that my experience was the exception and a rare occurrence. Usually, black bears are only aggressive when they are wounded, protecting a food source, or if it’s a sow protecting her cubs. I will caution that there have been occasions of black bears attacking people and eating them. More people have been killed by black bears than grizzly bears, but that’s simply because black bear populations are much larger and they inhabit more places, therefore black bear and human encounters are much more common.

A spot-and-stalk black bear I took in Colorado with my Bear recurve bow this past year.

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North American Super Slam Series Tactics Since that first bear hunt, I have managed to take black bears with a myriad of weapons, including recurve, compound, handgun, and rifle. My favorite ways to hunt black bears are calling them in with a predator call or spot-and-stalk, although I have hunted them over waterholes, at bait sites, and with hounds. My deep respect for these amazing animals continues to grow the more that I am around them. Calling For calling them, I use a mouth call because, in the places I have hunted, an electronic call is illegal. I have found that calling loudly, aggressively, and non-stop, or as long as I can before I need a break, seems to yield the best results. If you can emulate a doe fawn bleat or an elk calf with a diaphragm or call, that can work great, but I have called most of my bears in using a rabbit call, just squealing loudly and non-stop. When calling black bears, it’s best to have two people and be careful as bears are coming in to eat something or coming in out of curiosity. I like to be set up where I have a little room to see the bear coming and have plenty of time to react. I also advise a heavier gun. For example, although I have used a bow, I usually use a Rossi lever action chambered in .45-70 loaded with Hornady 325-grain FTX bullets.

Calling bears can be exciting! I took this boar in British Columbia when it came into 10 yards before I shot him with a Rossi Lever .45-70 loaded with Hornady 325 grain Flextip bullets.

Pursuit Spot-and-stalking is also a fun and effective way to harvest bears. I have lots of luck using this method in the western states because you can use optics in the more open country to find bears and then try and slip into range. This method is a lot tougher to use in other states or in Canada where thick cover can make it difficult to spot bears.

A spot-and-stalk black bear I took in Montana where I used optics to spot the bear and a Leupold riflescope with a CDS turret to make a long shot across a canyon.

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I like to use good optics to help me cover a lot of ground from one location and I wait until a bear is in a position where I can slip in with the wind in my favor and the sun at my back, preferably. If I’m in a place where the cover is too thick to glass effectively, I will try and target food sources like plum thickets, elderberries, acorns, or even agriculture fields with crops planted like corn or oats.

A beautiful blonde color phase black bear that I took in Alberta Canada.

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North American Super Slam Series NORTH AMERICAN SUPER SLAM

A nice Colorado boar I took over water.

Water Besides baiting, in areas where water is scarce, I find hunting water is a super effective way to harvest bears in the fall. If baiting is the most effective if the weather is right, I would say hunting water holes is my number two most effective way to hunt bears. Tracks around waterholes are a dead giveaway to how many bears are around and the size of the bears. When it comes to targeting large boars, I am looking for a bear’s front pad to be at least 4 1/2 inches wide.

Out of Proportion Oftentimes people grossly overestimate bear weight and size. If you measured all the bears that people claim are 200-300-pound bears, you would find that most are about half that size. The largest black bears are found in the eastern United States. If one were to take the average weight of a mature black bear boar it would be somewhere between 200 and 300 pounds, and for a sow, 130 and 200 pounds. Those numbers can vary based on food sources and location.

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Huge black bear boar that was killing cows in Arizona that I took with my buddy Schylar and some good hounds.

Bears are at their heaviest in the fall before hibernation and can lose approximately 30% of their weight while in hibernation. So, a 300-pound bear in the fall may come out of hibernation in the spring weighing around 210. Black bears also come in several color variations. I have seen red, brown,

cinnamon, and blonde bears and all types of subtle variations in between. A General Store with Teeth Bears also sometimes get a bad rap for not being great table fare. That is hogwash. They are deliA large Saskatchewan black bear I took over bait with my bow.

cious when handled and cooked properly. I have had whitetail deer at friends’ houses that tasted gamey and tough. I’m sure you have, as well. Bear is the same, if handled and cooked correctly, it’s amazing. I will say that fall is the best time of year for harvesting a bear that is delicious with lots of fat. If you like the fat, shoot ’em in the fall. If you like it a little leaner, go for a spring bear. Either way, whether it is required by law or not to take the meat, take it, enjoy it, and by doing so give the amazing black bear the respect it deserves and utilize everything you can. Besides the great meat, beautiful hide, impressive claws, and skull, the fat can be rendered down to make some amazing cooking grease and can even be used to help waterproof your boots. There are all types of methods for hunting bears and all are exciting because of different reasons. My advice would be to try as many as you can to see the challenge in all of them and enjoy the time spent in the woods. TO WATCH A SHORT VIDEO OF FRED SHOOTING A BIG BLACK BEAR THAT CAME INTO A CALL, SCAN THIS QR CODE WITH YOUR SMART PHONE.

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were required as well as knowledge of the preference point system for my hunting partner, Kyle McGovern, to take this magnificent bull elk in 2023 in Wyoming.

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NEW CHALLENGES FOR THE WESTERN HUNTER

GEORGE BETTAS

HUNTING EDITOR

The Good Old Days t wasn’t that long ago that over-the-counter big game tags were readily available in many western states for hunters interested in coming to hunt the West. In some places like Idaho, just three 68

WESTERN HUNTER

years ago residents and non-residents could buy two deer or elk tags to pursue bucks and bulls. Antlerless tags were even more available in many areas. Access to hunting opportunities on both private and public lands was easier, depending upon the state and hunt area. Some landowners enrolled in state-sponsored access programs and others continued their family traditions of allowing friends as well as newcomers access to hunt their properties. Public trails that had been used for years by hunters under “prescriptive” easements where historic use by the US Forest Service as well as the public were common practice. ATVs and UTVs were on the landscape but not anywhere near as prevalent as they are today. E-bikes had not appeared on the scene. Ultralight high-tech clothing and hunting gear were in their infancy of development. Navigation and mapping devices were also in their infan-

cy as were hunting research internet sites. In just the last decade, developments in all of these areas have dramatically changed both the opportunities and obstacles facing hunters planning to hunt our western states. This is especially true for non-residents who want to “go west.” I bought my first nonresident hunting license and deer tag in Idaho many years ago and have hunted mule deer and elk in Idaho as both a nonresident and a resident since then. I hunted Montana as a nonresident for years, and now I’ve hunted it as a resident for almost as long. My first nonresident deer and antelope licenses were easy to obtained and cost $35 each. I have maintained Colorado preference points for both deer and elk for a significant amount of time, although not as long. Twenty years ago, Wyoming and Oregon nonresident tags were not all that difficult to draw. www.westernhunter.net

Idaho big game tags used to be relatively easy to obtain OTC (over-the-counter), and both resident and nonresident hunters could plan annual hunts to their favorite destinations.

Change and Challenges With technological advances in hunting gear, mapping systems, the simplicity and affordability of researching hunting areas on the internet, and the explosion of social media/blogs/podcasts/hunt planning sites and the like, the popularity of hunting the West has increased exponentially. This popularity has brought many newcomers to western big game hunting and created new enthusiasm for “veteran” hunters whose annual recreational plans have included hunting the western states for many years. The end product of these changes is pressure. The demand for big game tags, pressure on access to both public and private lands throughout the West, and pressure on wildlife populations are causing fish and game departments throughout the West to change or modify rules and regulations. These changes have impacted hunting opportunities for both resident and nonresident hunters. Anyone who has lived in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, etc. for any length of time can’t help but notice the huge influx of newcomers moving to these western states. Many of these folks come here to get out of the big cities, work from their homes, and guess what else... for hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation. Residents are quick to blame nonresident hunters for the pressure, especially on public lands and state-managed access areas. As a result, nonresident hunters have been targeted for changes that are perceived to benefit resident hunters and increase resident hunting opportunities. info@westernhunter.net

License Challenges for the Nonresident Hunter Hunters who have hunted big game in the West over the years are well aware of the changes and the challenges of obtaining big game licenses and tags. Preference and bonus points have been the norm for many years in states like Montana, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, etc. Anyone planning on hunting the West took the systems in stride. Unless applying for a “premium” or popular trophy unit, one could draw a tag in a few years as well as have the opportunity to purchase over-the-counter tags in many states if unsuccessful in drawings. Over the past few years, significant changes have been made in the nonresident hunting license/ tag process with a great deal of variability among states. As a result, nonresident hunters must keep up with the changes happening in whatever western states they are interested in hunting because these changes will change when, where, and how they hunt. If you are wedded to a single state, the task may not be as intimidating, but if you are interested in possibly hunting multiple states, the task can be daunting. Hunters who carefully research the various application processes as well as the changes in the landscape where they plan to hunt can add a great deal to the overall satisfaction of their hunt. Idaho and Montana are examples of states where nonresident hunting opportunity changes are happening, largely from pressure from resident hunters to limit nonresident hunter numbers and opportunities. All three of these states, as well as most others, have limits on the number of nonresident licenses that may be sold. Wyoming has always had limited entry areas for its various big game species, but if you are waiting to draw a Wyoming bighorn sheep tag, your wait just got longer, as Wyoming recently limited nonresident sheep tags to 10%. Montana has always limited nonresident tags and has been quite liberal with cow elk and doe tags, but recently proposed changes significantly reduce doe tags available to non-residents in eastern Montana hunting units. The perception is that non-residents come to Montana to hunt for buck deer and will often buy doe tags as a backup in case they do not fill their buck tags. Again, the perception is that this practice results in excessive harvest of does. As the demand for Montana deer and elk tags increases, the number of years a nonresident has to wait to obtain a license also increases. Preference points help non-residents get a “combo” deer/elk license in Montana. Currently, it takes about two years of accruing preference points for non-residents to obtain a combo license. Changes in rules for outfitted clients in Montana give these clients additional preference for deer and elk tags, providing additional opportunities for clients who choose to hunt with an outfitter.

Idaho is an interesting example of where resident pressure for change has changed the entire dynamic for non-residents wishing to obtain Idaho deer and elk tags. Years ago, Idaho went to a “zone” tag for both residents and non-residents in order to distribute elk hunters across its management units. Non-residents could purchase their deer and elk tags on December 1st of the year preceding the year of the hunting season. Residents could purchase their tags in July annually. Residents were further limited with a five-day waiting period before they could purchase a resident elk tag if they had applied for a special limited-entry permit for elk. The Sawtooth unit was so popular among both residents and non-residents that these tags went on sale a day later. There was no waiting period for non-residents, with or without deer or elk tags, who applied for limited-entry hunts. Three years ago, Idaho completely changed its nonresident deer and elk tag process for non-residents. Idaho does not have a bonus or preference point system for its special big game drawings. Its Fish and Game Commission’s goal in revising the nonresident license system was to maintain the Idaho practice of selling over-the-counter tags for non-residents.

When you plan your hunt, you need to be able to negotiate the license/tag allocation systems in the western states.

By law, Idaho F&G is required to use an outside vendor to sell its hunting and fishing licenses and tags. Go Idaho Outdoors handles license and tag purchases. The first step in addressing “nonresident overcrowding” was to place a non-resident quota on each of the deer hunting units and elk zones. This dramatically decreased the number of non-resident licenses for each of these elk zones and deer management units. The next step was an online sales portal for non-residents.

WESTERN HUNTER

Outfitters play an important role in providing hunting opportunities for residents and non-residents throughout the West. Fully guided hunts, as well as “drop camps,” provide opportunities for an important segment of western hunters.

Non-resident applicants were directed to access the online license portal before 10:00 AM on December 1st. At 10:00 AM, applicants were placed in a “waiting room” and assigned a number in the application queue.When the applicant’s number came up in the queue, they had 10 minutes to access the shopping cart, select the tag(s) they wished to purchase, and consummate the sale. If the deer unit or elk zone was sold out, the applicant could select from any of the tags/units still available. Some mule deer units sold out in less than 30 minutes! The first year this system was implemented, the website crashed within the first two hours and had to be reset while thousands of non-resident hunters attempted to purchase tags. The computer crashed again in December 2021. There currently is no way for two hunting partners to apply as a party. Applicants sat by their computers most of the day over each of the past three application periods only to lose their connection and have to enter the queue a second time. This meant drawing a number that was thousands of places back in the queue from where they had been. Sometimes the shopping cart did not work, leading to more frustration. Idaho outfitters are allocated “outfitter tags” which they can sell to the non-residents who book hunts with them. They can also have their “booked” hunters apply online to get a tag, saving a spot in the outfitter’s quota. This results in outfitters booking additional hunters or returning unused outfitter tags to Idaho F&G for sale during the monthly returned tag sales which go through the same online process. Currently, Idaho outfitters get about 35% of the non-resident deer and elk tags. By law, outfitters are entitled to 50%, making it even more difficult for the non-resident hunter to get any tags. Idaho Fish and Game is working on improving the online deer and elk tag process but does not intend to abandon the current Go Idaho Outdoors system in the interest of maintaining its over-the-counter deer and elk tag goals. 70

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What’s Coming? Hunting license and tag allocations and sales have changed so dramatically over the past few years that it is impossible to predict what changes are coming. One thing is for sure – anyone planning to hunt the West has to be very diligent about researching and planning where and when they plan their hunts. You can do the research yourself, but if you do not have time and have the money to pay for information, there are also more and more research sites becoming available for a fee on the internet. While doing this research, don’t forget to dig down into new changes such as USFS public land access sites, changes in state-managed hunting access sites, wildlife management areas, and the like. Finally, match your capabilities with where and how you plan to hunt. There is a great deal of hype about lightweight gear and hunting off the grid, but the bottom line is that hunters are not equal in terms of how far we can physically pack a deer or elk quarters. An example is a Marine Corps veteran who drove out to Montana from Rhode Island last

fall to hunt public land with family friends. He had heard of a new public access easement the USFS had obtained in 2020 in the Crazy Mountains. Without looking into the location of the access point and how far it was to public land via the new easement, he headed west. When he arrived, he was surprised to find eight other DIY parties at the trailhead with horses and mules. These folks had researched the access to the area. He backpacked into the public land and after eight days, harvested a bull elk, but complained about how far he had to go from his vehicle to harvest the elk. Prior planning and research of the new access point could have saved him a lot of anguish, even though he did get his bull. One thing is for sure. Hunting the West is going to get more and more difficult each year as the popularity of “going west” increases and states and federal agencies struggle to find ways to meet the growing demand and allocate their big game resources among the various user groups – resident and non-resident.

In addition to obtaining the license or tag you need for your western hunt, you must match your physical capabilities and technical skills with how far you plan to go into remote areas.

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HANDLE WITH CARE

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TAKE YOUR LADIES HUNTING EDITOR

e walked down into the canyon on a game trail through the cedars, boots crunching on frozen clay mud that would later become a dark grey slime as the morning sun warmed the ground. My daughter Erica had been hunting with me before but had yet to take her first animal. Our headlamps bounced bright beams of light through the thick cover, and even though we were walking downhill, we were quick to shed a layer to keep from sweating. Hop-scotch-ing on rocks across the creek and starting the mile-long uphill pull, we were able to click off our lights in the dark grey predawn light and make our way to the glassing point about 30 minutes later. A quick scan of the area revealed nothing obvious, so we began to pick the landscape apart with our Swarovski binoculars, hoping to see the telltale blonde hide of a bull elk in cover. The hillside below and opposite our position held a variety of vegetation types, complete with aspen, pinion pine, Douglas fir, juniper, oakbrush, and cedar. Additionally, there was a small creek that started further up as a spring, giving any wildlife in the area a source of fresh water. This was a perfect location to find post-rut bulls beginning their recovery from the rut – a secure place to spend the autumn in an attempt to strengthen their bodies before the harshness of winter enveloped the landscape. After about 30 minutes of seeing nothing, we were both starting to get chilled, and we layered back up in down puffies, gloves, and stocking caps. I told Erica that quite often this time of year, bulls will be bedded at dawn but get up and move beds when the sun rises and catches them in the sunlight. By late October, these animals have haired up nicely and the intense autumn sunlight becomes too warm to stay exposed. One Shot Suddenly, where there was nothing a moment before, stood a bull, motionless, as if he appeared out of thin air. He had simply been bedded right behind a juniper, and we couldn’t see him. I noticed something unusual about him through my binoculars. He initially appeared to be a younger raghorn bull, but as we watched him, I could see a very lightcolored hide and a head that appeared to be that of an older bull. He had an atypical antler configura72

WESTERN HUNTER

MEMORIES ARE MADE WHEN ADVENTURES ARE SHARED tion as a small six-point on one side with a strangely shaped antler on the other. I told Erica he was probably an older, regressing bull and would be a nice animal to take. She agreed and we started to get her set up for the shot. By now the bull was feeding in a small opening in the heavy cover and was completely unaware of our presence. Erica had been shooting and practicing her skills in the months that led up to the hunt, so I was very confident in her ability to make a good shot. My confidence really didn’t matter because

she was behind the trigger, and her confidence would come from her own internal mindset. This is a critical moment in a new hunter’s path as an unfortunate ending or wounding of an animal can be an emotionally traumatic experience. I had Erica dry-fire on the feeding bull a couple of times and watched her squeeze off the shots, noting a calm, deliberate action, free from flinching. I gave her the go-ahead and pressed the binoculars harder than necessary into my eye sockets in nervous anticipation.

Mike Duplan

MIKE DUPLAN

HUNTING!

Erica Duplan with her first bull elk. This large headed, big bodied bull was an older animal with a skinny body and worn down teeth. His unusual rack could be the result of regression from age or simply an unusual confirmation.

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interest in shooting and hunting, and we started her process of becoming a hunter. She took a hunter safety course with a friend, and we started skillbuilding shooting sessions with a Ruger 10-22, then a Marlin bolt-action .22 Magnum, and then we moved up to a Remington 700 .243 bolt-action rifle. Erica left little doubt in her shooting ability off the bench, but hunting situations required a more practiced approach to become somewhat second nature, complete with muscle memory and a subconscious process that didn’t require thought and instruction.

Mike Duplan

Reconnecting For me, this hunt was incredibly satisfying. Erica’s mother and I had divorced while she was in her early teens, and the fractured lives we all experienced had taken their toll and years to rebuild. It was through hunting and shared time in the outdoors that Erica and I had rebuilt our relationship. The healing power of the mountains is real, and I felt like we had established a place of common ground and positivity by sharing our adventures in hunting, fishing, and hiking. Erica had always been the animal-loving, outdoorsy girl but never would I have called her a Tomboy. Late in her teen years, she started expressing

Mike Duplan

Erica fired, and the bull rocked and stood there. After couple of steps and ten short seconds, the bull’s blood pressure cratered from the internal bleeding secondary to a double-lung broadside hit, and the bull simply tipped over. A clean, one-shot kill, and Erica had both her first elk and her first big game animal. The pride and happiness I felt were almost too much to contain and we shared a big hug. Watching the motionless elk for about ten minutes, we could see no sign of life, so we reloaded our packs and headed across the draw to the downed bull about 275 yards away. It was a special moment to watch my daughter approach her first bull. We were quiet and I could see her marveling at the elk, caught up in the mix of emotions we all experience. We talked about the morning, relived the events, and took photos, memorializing the moment we shared together.

Shooting practice in realistic hunting scenarios promotes confidence and increases firearm handling familiarity. Here, Erica Duplan is shooting across canyon at rocks on a clay dirt hillside at ranges exceeding comfortable hunting distances. This develops confidence for a shorter shot taken in the moment of truth.

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We started shooting off of a bipod from a sitting position, and Erica proved again that she was able to get accuracy and control with her shots. Then we practiced at longer ranges simply to make normal hunting-distance shots seem relatively easy. Adult-onset hunters generally don’t have the weapons-handling experience that many of us possess from our childhood and teen years of toting around a gun, plinking targets, and hunting small game. Familiarity and comfort develop with all that type of exposure, and that experience is not easily replicated in short bursts of practice. It’s a consideration that needs to be appreciated and addressed with patience, understanding, and skill-building. There is no substitute for time and practice. Full Experience Erica’s second bull was taken two years later. The hunt was nearly a carbon copy of the first hunt, except instead of a bull suddenly appearing, we spotted a large bull on the move in heavy cover that disappeared into the thick, green junipers. We could not make him out from our location but instead moved up to the north to a steep hillside that gave us a completely different angle looking into the cover. We spotted the bull bedded, facing quartered away. It was a large target but not optimal for a hunter without a lot of game-shooting experience. I had Erica dry fire on the bull a few times and told her I felt we should wait for him to stand up and hopefully give us a better shot angle. Sometimes patience is required for an optimal shot opportunity, and this is the approach I prefer as opposed to taking a shot that could create a regrettable issue. A quartering-away, bedded shot is unlikely to take out both lungs and is not the preferred angle. Instead, I have learned to be patient and wait for the standing broadside shot if at all possible. Elk don’t go far or live long with holes in both lungs.

WESTERN HUNTER

Mike Duplan

Erica Duplan with her second bull taken with one shot behind the shoulder taking out both lungs. Erica is quite the ammunition conservationist using only one round for each of her bulls. Proof that shot selection and practice really matters.

Mike Duplan

The sun rose higher in the sky, and soon the bull got up out of his bed, standing broadside. I asked Erica if she was ready. A whispered, “Yes” was her answer, and I gave her the go-ahead. She had a solid rest with the gun over a backpack, and she squeezed off a shot, hitting the bull right behind the shoulder. The bull took three or four steps forward and fell over, dying within 10 seconds of the bullet strike. It was another clean, one-shot kill for Erica and a confidence booster for both of us. I had the thought to turn on the video on my phone and filmed Erica as we came up on the bull. This simple act is something I’m getting better at thinking about, and its value goes a long way. Now it’s a preserved memory of the moment we shared, undiluted by the time and distance the years create. The bull was large-bodied and wide and was an impressive sight to behold up close, appearing much larger than I had thought when we watched him from afar. We skinned the bull together, knives working the thick, heavy hide off the elk’s carcass. As I cut and pulled the quarters off, Erica was deboning the meat and prepping it for the pack out. A couple of hours later, we started the laborious process of shuttling the meat sacks and had the bull completely packed out the next day. Since Erica had taken the entire week-long season off of work, we took advantage of the next couple of days and processed the meat ourselves. I took Erica through the entire field-to-table experience, and at the end of the second day, we had a couple hundred pounds of boneless, wrapped elk in the freezer and would be set for months to come. There is great value in going through this process directly, as I feel it does not allow the gap in the “field to table” experience that exists when the processing is done by a third party.

Mike and his wife Shellie Duplan with Shellie’s first bull elk. A cold morning followed by a day with bluebird October skies made a special moment even more spectacular.

WESTERN HUNTER

A Matter of Perspective I think it is very important to understand the mindset that some women hunters have when coming into the experience. This is not to suggest that women aren’t capable of experiencing the desire for and interest in the hunt on the same level as some men, but is an acknowledgment that most women don’t eat, sleep, and breathe hunting like some of us. A high level of passion for hunting does come naturally to some ladies, but many need a mentor who helps them enjoy the shared experience and instills a desire for more. My wife Shellie comes from a hunting family. Raised by her father Terry, a houndsman with a penchant for chasing bears and having an older brother, Terry Jr., who also has a strong hunting drive, Shellie had experience in hunting from an early age. She got away from the lifestyle for a few years until she met me, and I was very interested in sharing this passion for hunting with her. She was also eager to get back to some of her roots and partake in the hunting experience again. www.westernhunter.net

START TO FINISH Can you trace the supply chain of your gear? We can. Each Gen II tripod is sourced, machined, inspected, and assembled right here in the United States. When you call the guys, they are likely taking a break from building these tripods or doing it at that time. This blend of customer service and technical experience means that each one of them is a hands-on expert on our products. OUTDOORSMANS.COM

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the edge off and refresh the mind and body. As I said, my wife is tough and will deal with the conditions, but I also know that the things I do make moments of the day more comfortable, and I know she appreciates and enjoys these touches.

Mike Duplan

Creature Comforts My wife is very tough and has a high degree of resiliency. That being said, she doesn’t enjoy the sometimes unnecessary suffering that I’m willing to put myself through in pursuit of our quarry. I’m fully aware of this, and I try to make things comfortable and enjoyable. A few years ago, we were hunting for a bull in a remote brushy canyon. Snow was predicted for the morning, and we hiked into the location on dry ground with a stiff, cold wind blowing in from the north. Soon, heavy, wet flakes were slapping us in the face, and it was apparent we needed more shelter. We hiked over the other side of the ridge to get protection from the wind and started a fire. I had planned on cold and snow, so I had my Jetboil stove, coffee, and a cup-o’-soup to enjoy in the cold. We sat under a big juniper, shared the warmth of the fire, and spent the next few hours enjoying the time together. The fire and warm food were comforting, and the coffee perked us up. Those simple acts made what might have been a relatively cold and miserable day into a memorable one, even without an elk sighting. I’m also fond of packing a folding, lightweight foam Z-mattress whenever we hit the hills. The places I hunt often require a very early wake-up and moderate hike-in. When you have a soft, clean place to take a late morning nap, it can really take

Sometimes the warm comfort of a small fire, a pad to keep you butt dry and a hot beverage takes a tough winter day and makes it memorable. It seemed mundane at the time, especially when not seeing elk, but memories from a day like this last forever.

Alaska Raw

By Bob Lacher Alaska truly is a sportsman’s paradise. But (and this is a big but) hunting there is extremely difficult and without the right equipment, experience, or enough money it is at times almost impossible. The country is so vast and virtually roadless compared to the lower 48, that without an airplane, horse string or snowmobile most of the state is out of reach. If you want to better understand this then you need to read “Alaska Raw”. Lacher is a native Alaskan and his book a detailed look into many of his adventures. His writing style is incredibly engaging and easy to read and difficult to put it down! From Unimak Island to the Brooks Range using boats, planes and snowmobiles while hunting caribou, bears and Dall’s sheep, these true stories are captivating.

New Motivation I’m at a point in my life where I have gotten a great deal of satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment from the hunts I’ve been on. This isn’t to say that the magic has worn off on me, but honestly, the most satisfying feeling I get now comes from helping my wife Shellie and daughter Erica. I wish my other daughter Kayla was willing to join in with us, but it’s not her thing, and that’s okay. This feeling I have now of enjoying the shared experience more than ever comes in time and with age. It isn’t as easy to embrace when you’re a young man driven by an incredible level of desire and an unwillingness to forgo the high level of effort it takes to be successful. I know because that was me. What I do know now is that time spent with friends and the people I love is simply impossible to put a price on. These times together fuel my soul and create shared memories for us, for the rest of our lives.

The Edge – The Complete Approach to Hunting Mountain Mule Deer By David Long & Mike Duplan

The modern mule deer hunter must be willing to outwork, outthink and outhunt both his competition and the highly educated mountain mule deer buck. In the book “The Edge – The Complete Approach to Hunting Mountain Mule Deer”, authors and mule deer hunting experts David Long and Mike Duplan have collaborated to bring the reader insight into just what it takes to be successful when hunting mature mountain mule deer. “The Edge” will show the steps involved to increase your chance of success and the reader will learn that there is now a year round approach involving, fitness, conditioning and nutrition.

order your copies today at www.westernhunter.net 76

WESTERN HUNTER

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TABLE TO FIELD When you become the owner of an Outdoorsmans Gen 2 Tripod or any other component we make, you can rest assured that it will last. We want your gear to function from day 1 to day 10,000 and beyond. That’s why we take such great care on the front end to deliver an unparalleled product and we oﬀer continued customer support for the life of that product. Spend more time using your gear and less time worrying about it. OUTDOORSMANS.COM

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THE LOST ART OF

SECRET SPOTS WHM

PRESERVING YOUR HONEY HOLE IN THE DIGITAL AGE

and eventually, Hunter Joe’s secret spot becomes a barren wasteland. Joe was good at finding spots, but bad at keeping secrets.

NICK GEHRING TAXIDERMY EDITOR

s a lifelong hunter and fisherman, I’m well aware of the beauty of a secret spot. I’m sure you are as well. There’s nothing quite like the confidence and glee outdoorsmen have as they return to a productive area they are sure very few others are aware of. Over the years I’ve been blessed to partake in many so-called secret spots, and in that time I’ve learned the ever-increasing value of keeping them that way. Most hunters are familiar with the story; Hunter Joe stumbles into a drainage loaded with game, and opportunities abound. Hunter Joe, high on life, tells Coworker Bill of his adventures, and Bill asks to join Joe. They hunt together, and true to his word, it’s a slam-dunk hotspot. Bill tells his buddy, Friends and Family, who either asks to join or tells others. Coworker Bill, being the nice guy he is, shares the wealth. Soon, Friends And Family’s shirttail relative, Everyone And Their Brother, hears about it, 78

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Catch-22 This concept has bothered me for a long time. On one hand, I absolutely love having a few go-to spots where I know I’ll find elk. On the other hand, I am the type of person who likes to share the wealth of outdoor adventures. I enjoy telling stories and sharing photos with friends and family, and I love having them join me whenever possible.

With productive areas becoming harder and harder to find, they’ve become more and more precious. This creates a tenuous balance between sharing the sport I love and guarding what makes me love it. Slow Leak The above example of Hunter Joe might seem like an exaggeration, but it is not. I’ve witnessed it several times. An area I hunt in Colorado illustrates the point. I’m from central Wisconsin. Several years ago, I began hunting an area 1500 miles away that I found through much research, phone calls, and

Taking friends to known hot spots is an enjoyable way to share experiences in the wild. Making certain those friends are good at keeping secrets is pivotal if you’d prefer the area remain a hot spot.

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Realizing your “secret spot” isn’t much of a secret anymore can hit you like a punch in the gut.

map study. Ironically, as we pulled into the trailhead for the first time, there were several other vehicles with Wisconsin plates. Some had decals of familiar schools and corporations. Initially, it just seemed peculiar. After a few years of hunting in that area, however, I found that I met more people from central Wisconsin than from anywhere else in the country. Most of them did not know one another, they just happened to be from the same hometown. One year I ran into an old high school buddy. Another time I met my mom’s cousin! Again, these guys didn’t know each other. As it turns out, back in the 70s, one guy from our town began hunting this particular spot. Over the years he took a few friends, who took a few friends... well, you get the point. Regretfully, I got in on that spot once it was already a popular destination. Had I been one of the early birds, though, I would be devastated at the thought of such a honey hole being trampled every fall simply because someone couldn’t keep a secret. Sadly, it’s getting harder and harder to do just that. Hunter Numbers: The Truth Over the past few years, there has been a sharp increase in good people doing good things in an effort to promote hunting as a way of life. Exciting footage, beautiful scenery, and well-spoken, charismatic personalities are all being employed to lure non-hunters into the sport. The reason for this is that over the last several decades there has been a decline in hunter numbers nationwide, jeopardizing our favorite pastime from being socially acceptable. And yet, if this decline in hunter numbers is true, how is it that these fewer hunters are now packing parking lots to capacity in areas that once were at most sparse with trucks? info@westernhunter.net

Well, the answer consists of two factors. First, statistics don’t always tell the whole story. It’s very interesting to look over national hunting reports and observe a few different trends. For instance, over the last decade, there have been an average of 15,121,200 hunting license holders nationwide. In the preceding decade (2001-2010), there were an average of 14,717,000. Clearly, there’s an upward trend. The good people doing good things seems to be working. However, back in the golden days of the 70s and 80s, the averages exceeded 16 million, hence the recent push to promote the sport. However, what is more interesting to me is that while nationwide numbers have dipped, many local numbers have drastically increased, particularly from nonresident hunters. For instance, in 2010, Idaho sold just over 111,000 nonresident licenses, tags, permits, and stamps. In 2021, Idaho sold over 275,000 licenses, tags, permits, or stamps to nonresidents. That’s a shocking increase in just over ten years! To reinforce this data, a brief look at Idaho’s Hunt Planner as it relates to elk hunting shows a similar trend. It’s incredible to notice that many OTC units have nearly quadrupled in hunter numbers in just ten years. Of course, other units have had some decrease in the amount of hunting pressure due to issues like wolf mismanagement, habitat loss, etc., but not even close to matching the increase in other units. A Lost Art So, where are all these hunters coming from, and why are they crowding certain spots? Well, that’s the second factor. It’s what I call the lost art of secret spots. There was a time when sharing basic information in a casual conversation was completely harmless as it related to giving away your secret

spot. For instance, if in 1970 I told you that I hunted a place called Curley Peak and it was crawling with giant bulls, there wouldn’t be much you could do with that information. Today, type “Curley Peak” into a Google search, and within seconds you’ll have not only a map with a waypoint identifying the location but information galore about the location. Now, type “Curley Peak elk,” and you will find even more helpful information, including websites dedicated to breaking down hunting units and their historical statistics. Now, through those websites, you learned that Curley Peak is in unit 69. Now type “Colorado Unit 69 outfitter,” and you will have instant access to websites of most outfitters in the area, often including up-to-date pictures and recent hunting reports. The same concept applies to finding game processors, wildlife biologists, etc. In other words, what was a casual conversation back in 1970 with little to no risk of giving up a secret spot is today a free ticket to anyone who might be interested. Now, some might ask, “Who would do that to their buddy?” Well, hopefully, not many. But as the saying goes, loose lips sink ships. Beyond that, it’s generally not our own buddies who are dropping the dime on great hunting spots the world over. Remember those good people doing good things to promote our sport? Well, in many cases they may promote much more than a way of life. Imagine watching your favorite hunting personality as he or she seals the deal on yet another trophy of a lifetime. During the episode, you notice a sign in the parking lot saying, “Lake County, Trail #123.” Well, it doesn’t take a trained detective to quickly narrow down the general location of where that particular hunt took place.

As obvious as it may seem, shared photos or video of trailheads or signage like this often lead to good hunting areas becoming overpopulated with hunters. Editing out any obvious indicators is an easy way to save a secret spot.

WESTERN HUNTER

Spies Among Us In fact, in many cases, it’s not difficult to narrow down the exact location of a hunt, much to the chagrin of the hunters who once knew that area to be an untapped goldmine. How is that possible? In the latest Disney hit Frozen 2 there’s a quote by Olaf when he’s asked about a saying of his. He replies,“Oh! My theory about advancing technologies as both our savior and our doom?” If you have two young daughters, as I do, and have seen the movie more times than you’d care to admit, you’ll remember that the issue of advancing technologies had nothing to do with the subject at hand. But Olaf’s quote hits the bullseye as it relates to the friction that exists in the hunting world when it comes to good spots remaining good spots. The advancement in technology over the last few years, especially in the form of online mapping resources, has become both a blessing and a curse for many a sportsman. Digital Tools Mapping applications, especially Google Earth, have been the greatest game changers I am aware of in terms of discovering quality areas to hunt. In this sense, the advanced technology is an incredible asset, especially when coupled with a good smartphone that can utilize offline maps. However, the other edge of the sword is that these same tools can easily disclose specific locations to anyone willing to look.

Photos of unique land features like this rock outcropping, when shared with hunters that are familiar with the area, can quickly clue them in to a specific drainage or ridge.

WESTERN HUNTER

Remote elk wallows like this one are often consistent honey holes year after year. Innocently informing another bypassing hunter of its location could easily ruin the spot for many years to come.

For instance, a few years ago I was elk hunting a new area. I had actually become aware of the spot through viewing a hunting show. Having never hunted there, I spent countless hours e-scouting through Google Earth and other mapping apps leading up to the hunt. I felt like I knew the area quite well before I even arrived at the trailhead. During the hunt, we met a handful of other DIYers, most of whom were very pleasant to chat with along the trail. One particular group of hunters was extremely kind and equipped with top-end equipment, including a high-quality camera. In casual conversation, I asked if they had any films on YouTube. They sheepishly admitted they did, so I asked what their channel was, as I was genuinely interested in supporting their films. They shared the name of their channel, we chatted a bit about the hunting conditions, and we went our separate ways. Weeks later, after settling in back home, I looked them up on YouTube. Sure enough, there they were. They had filmed their hunt from the previous year and had some good footage. Did I mention that I was intimately familiar with the unit through Google Earth? In a few short minutes, I could pretty much tell you every spot in that particular unit that they had been hunting. Honestly, I didn’t care where they were hunting, I was simply saddened to realize how easy it would be for anyone else to know as well. A few months later, a new video was posted. I was excited for them, as it included a bomber bull that they had taken. I believe it was their first bull, and it was a dandy. In the film were more impressive video and photographs from the hunt. Again, determining the exact location of the hunt took no time at all, even though I had never set foot near that spot.

Minimize The Damage Now, I’m not sharing this to encourage people to try to scope out other hunter’s hotspots. In fact, quite the opposite. With the increasing ease of accessing information, hunters need to be cautious about what information they share and with whom they share it. With that in mind, I’d like to share some tips to help minimize the chance of your hard-earned secret spot becoming spoiled by the masses. First, as obvious as it may seem, avoid taking people you don’t trust to areas that you value as secret spots. I have a fairly basic vetting process for potential hunting partners: consistently positive attitude, hard work, and assurance that they can keep a secret. It’s also wise to not share specifics with anyone about any area you would prefer others not to know about. Even vague statements can clue a person into your general location. For instance, telling someone what meat processor you used on your last hunt could easily home them in on the general area. Combining that information with other general information you may have shared can dial them in further. Most people are tactful enough not to ask specifically where you were hunting. Instead, they will ask general questions over the course of a casual conversation. “Were you hunting a wilderness area?”“Have you hunted that area before?”“Are there outfitters nearby?”“What kind of elevation are you hunting at?” “Is it fairly open, or really thick?” “How steep is it?” Information like this seems innocent, but when combined with other information, it can seal a secret spot’s fate. When a nonresident hunts the same public land year after year, it indicates that the spot is likely an OTC unit. OTC units can be found easily www.westernhunter.net

KNOW WHERE YOU STAND TRUSTED BY MILLIONS OF HUNTERS For more information on the most comprehensive hunting map app available visit:

ONXMAPS.COM/HUNT

Crafty Spot Snatchers Just last year, a buddy of mine who, by the way, is a great secret keeper, shot a beautiful bull while he and I hunted together. Let’s say he shot it near XYZ City. As we drove home, he mentioned intentions of sharing pictures through social media. Obviously, I had no problem with that, I simply requested that he not give any specific information, which I knew he would be good for. He posted a few pics, and quickly many people congratulated him on his success. One day, another elk hunter friend of his talked with him about the hunt. After exchanging some stories, the friend asked him, “Did you shoot that bull by XYZ City?” My buddy stammered around for a bit,“Uh, um, uh...” shocked at the point-blank question. The look on his face betrayed his eventual escapist answer. Now, with a couple hundred cities to choose from, how had this guy narrowed it down to XYZ? Well, a picture is worth a thousand words... sometimes it’s also worth at least one secret. Sharing close-up photos of harvested animals leaves zero risk of exposing great hunting spots to the masses, while sharing photos with stunning backgrounds may invite a crowd.

on each state’s mapping website, narrowing down the list of potential spots. Elevation often varies from unit to unit, as do topography and habitat. Just like the game Twenty Questions, it’s not hard with today’s advanced technology for someone to quickly clue in on exactly where you’ve been.

When using a phone to take pictures, always be sure to turn off location tags, as these will show the exact location where the picture was taken with anyone who receives the picture.

WESTERN HUNTER

Geo-Tagging The background of a photo is often what make one stunning. This is especially true in the mountains. Bold, jagged rock faces, flat top parks, and miles of dense dark timber all have stories to tell. And I encourage you to tell those stories. Just don’t tell them to the world if you’d prefer they not join you on your next hunt. When sharing photos via social media, it’s risky to include obvious landmarks that can be easily identified. I’m not talking about Mount Rushmore, either. Many mountains can easily be identified by people who are familiar with them, or who have the time to search. If you’re dying to share a picture of your longpursued trophy, do it. We all want to see it and celebrate with you. I’d just recommend that you share one that isn’t the jaw-dropping panoramic showing every nook and cranny near where you shot it. Also, always remember that most phones have location tagging features, allowing viewers to see the

location if the feature hasn’t been turned off. Never share a photo with anyone that has location tags enabled. You may trust the person you send it to, but do you trust everyone they may share it with? Vehicular Discretion Another factor you may want to consider when trying to fly under the radar might be referred to simply as “blending in.” The idea goes like this: Remember that run-of-the-mill dusty truck parked among the other vehicles at a given trailhead? Neither do I. Remember the jacked-up monster truck littered with hunting decals, parked at a 45-degree angle at the base of that obscure drainage? How could you forget? Now, imagine at the end of your trip you stop to fuel up at the local gas station for the long ride home. There are several other vehicles present. Two are proudly displaying monster elk racks. One truck is run-of-the-mill and dusty, the other is a jackedup monster truck. Any idea where either elk was taken? If you’re like me, you’ll have forgotten you ever saw the plain truck.You might also make plans to check out a certain obscure drainage during next year’s hunt. Blending in instead of sticking out goes a long way in keeping secret spots secret. Share At Your Own Risk To be sure, some may say I am paranoid. In some ways, I probably am. I haven’t posted pictures to social media in years. In fact, I’ve gotten to the point where I hesitate to tell others which state I’m hunting, let alone which unit.“Out west” seems to be a safe response. If someone’s trying to pry, sometimes I simply won’t answer at all. When it comes to keeping secrets, I’m fine if people think I’m odd. To quote Abraham Lincoln, “Tis better people think you a fool than open your mouth and erase all doubt.” I’m not sure if Old Abe was much into elk hunting, but with that kind of wisdom regarding secret spots, he’d be welcome in my camp any day.

Displaying a successful hunt for all to see can be very tempting, but for those who are aware of where your truck has been parked the last few days, it can point exactly where to hunt in the future.

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HUNTING WITH HOUNDS

GARMIN Alpha 300i and TT25

A CRITICAL SYSTEM GETS A MODERN UPDATE

KYLE GREENE HUNTING EDITOR

y evolution as a houndsman has been paralleled by GPS tracking technology. When I first started hunting hounds, I was learning and using the old telemetry tracking collars. The GPS tracking systems were just hitting the market, and I soon purchased a Garmin Astro. Using that Astro helped me learn a lot about what my dogs were doing. As the new models became available, I was always upgrading and trying whatever was new. During my hound career, I’ve used almost every GPS and collar Garmin has ever offered. The technology kept getting better, and so did my dogs and I. 84

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When I upgraded to the Alpha 100 and the TT15 collars, I was really impressed. For the first time, I could both track and train my dogs with the same system. It made a big difference in the way I trained and hunted my dogs, and I caught a lot of game using that setup. I feel like that system helped me get to where I am today, and Garmin continues to make things better. In the fall of 2020, Garmin released the Alpha 200i. At the time it was the most advanced tracking and training GPS on the market. It had increased capabilities and was the first dog-tracking GPS to have inReach capability built right into the tracking unit. I immediately started using one, and the 200i has been my primary hunting GPS until this spring when Garmin released the new Alpha 300i and the TT25 track and train collar. The new combo tracks and trains as well as anything I’ve ever used. Garmin increased the battery life, and both update through a Wi-Fi connection, so you don’t need cords and computers to update your equipment. The training functions are still the same as the 200i, and it has new options for grouping dogs and the ability to choose what channel you track your dogs on. With inReach and multiple mapping options, it has never been easier to

track, train, and update your technology. After using the 300i and TT25 for the past six months, I’m very impressed.

GARMIN TT25 COLLAR AND ALPHA 300i

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The inside of the 300i is more advanced than the 200i. It has faster internal processing that makes changing features and map zooming quicker. The main menu has a new favorites bar at the bottom of the screen that can store four shortcuts to the most frequently used options. This allows the owner to customize his/her GPS to their needs. With the new drag-and-drop addition to the screen, it makes customizing your handheld a breeze. The 300i can store up to 20 different contacts consisting of compatible collars or other handheld GPS devices. So, not only can you track your dogs, but you can track your hunting partners as well. It is compatible with the Alpha 10, Alpha 100, Alpha 200, and 550 Pro Plus handheld devices. Compatible collars include the T5, T5X, T5mini, TT15, TT15X, TT15mini, T20, and TT25.

GARMIN ALPHA 300i

Alpha 300i GPS On the outside, the 300i looks just like its predecessor, the 200i. It has the same dimensions and a 3.5" shatterproof, responsive touchscreen with drag-and-drop for icon placement. The screen is brighter than the 200i and still has a screen sensitivity setting for hunting with gloves on. The button configuration is the same, and the SOS button is protected by a spring-loaded cover to eliminate accidental activation. The charging port is still on the rear of the device and has been updated to USB-C.

Battery Inside the 300i is a rechargeable lithium-ion battery rated for 55 hours. This is a huge improvement from the 200i, as it was notorious for wearing the battery down quickly. The battery is removable and can be replaced with a standard or extendedlife battery, so you can carry another with you and switch it out if needed. When I tested my 300i, it lasted 60 hours (about two and a half days) tracking one collar on a 2.5second update. Initially, I was only checking the battery level every 12 hours, but as the battery wore down, I was checking it more frequently until it died. We all know that while hunting you will be using the handheld a lot more to track your dogs, but I believe the 300i would last for two full days of hunting. I have used mine for multiple days of hunting on a single charge.

A new addition to the Alpha 300i is the ability to subscribe to Outdoor Maps Plus. This requires an annual fee of $49.99 to Garmin. It gives you the ability to download topographic maps with increased detail, land ownership, and Birdseye Satellite Imagery. These maps update through a Wi-Fi connection, and with the subscription, you can also view them on your smartphone using the Garmin Explore App. inReach By activating an inReach subscription, you can send and receive messages on the 300i. Garmin offers annual contracts or freedom plans that let you activate and deactivate your device on a monthly basis. Messages can either be sent directly from the 300i or through your smartphone by pairing the two with the Garmin Messager App. If you have the app on your phone, you can send messages through the phone where you have service. When you lose service, all the messages you send and receive will go through the 300i via satellite.

Mapping The 300i comes with TopoActive mapping preinstalled. It has a micro-SD card slot behind the battery which makes it capable of using Garmin Huntview Plus Maps, onX Maps, or Garmin 24K Regional maps which can be purchased separately.

My dogs wind struck a bear off this ridge. After a two mile chase they treed a 200 pound cinnamon bear (photo on the right) in the bottom of this canyon.

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Even in remote places, I have experienced quick turnaround when sending and receiving messages with inReach. Once, I was in the wilderness and sent a message to my wife. In less than two minutes, I received her response on my 300i. When I’m using inReach, I usually use my 300i device to send messages. With the 3.5" touchscreen, it’s just as easy for me to type messages while I’m out in the field, and most of the time I am tracking my dogs and on the move. My messages are usually just to let people know that I’m okay and that I will probably be home later than expected. If you are using the inReach at camp or to frequently text back and forth, I recommend using the app through your phone. Grouping Dogs Within the dog list of the 300i, you can group and store collars. These groups can be activated or deactivated depending on who you are hunting with. If you have a hunting partner who you hunt with regularly, it’s extremely convenient to be able to activate their collars when they are hunting with you and deactivate them when they aren’t. Another new addition to the 300i is that you can share these groups wirelessly. If I store all my dog collars as a group in my 300i, I can share them wirelessly with a friend who has a 300i. This function is extremely helpful if you hunt with groups of friends regularly.

Channel View Another new addition to the 300i is the ability to view and change channels. The channel view feature allows you to view all the different channels dogs are being tracked on. You can see how many people are utilizing each channel and switch channels to minimize interference. This feature will be extremely helpful for competition hunters or people who hunt in large groups where lots of dogs are being tracked simultaneously. TT25 Collars Design For years I used the TT15 track and train collars. I liked them so much that I didn’t want to switch, but when I saw the improvements to the TT25, I finally decided to upgrade. The new TT25 has a smaller battery pack like the mini-sized collars that Garmin offers. Between the battery pack and the GPS antenna is an interchangeable strap that can be replaced or switched to fit differentsized dogs. This allows you to use the same collar on large or small dogs, and it is available in a “rugged” model as well. The power button has been integrated into the battery pack nicely and is protected much more on the TT25. All the parts of the collar have been widened just slightly to allow easy replacement or switching of the dog collar strap. Overall, I’m really pleased with the new improvements to the TT25. Wi-Fi One of the reasons I am so excited about the TT25 is that it will update through Wi-Fi. In the past, you needed to use a USB cord and update the collar using Garmin Express. Now you can update your collars through a Wi-Fi connection using a compatible Garmin handheld. If you have a Wi-Fi source, you can use the handheld to connect Wi-Fi to each collar. Once a collar is connected to Wi-Fi, it will check for software updates. Updating this way is way faster and more efficient than using a computer and cords. Every time I bring my 300i and collar into the house, I turn it on and check for updates. Battery Garmin rates the TT25 standard battery pack for 68 hours of continuous use. You can also add a new extended battery pack to the collar which is rated for 136 hours. These numbers are most likely based on the collar’s slowest update rate. When I

Another bear my dogs treed while using the new Alpha 300i and TT25 collars.

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GARMIN TT25 COLLAR

tested my TT25, I let it run constantly at a 2.5-second update rate, which is the fastest setting. It lasted 30 hours before the battery ran out. This is an improvement from the TT15, and I imagine if I used the extended battery pack at the fastest update rate, it would probably last approximately 60 hours. That’s two and a half days of collar life if the collar is set to the fastest update rate. I am extremely excited about this, and it gives me peace of mind when I take my dogs into the backcountry to hunt. The TT25 also has “sleep” mode which allows you to put a collar to sleep to conserve battery life. This would be helpful while traveling from one hunting area to another. You could put the dog collars to sleep while your dogs are in the box and wake them up when you are ready to hunt again. It would also be helpful if you were in a scenario where you had to leave a dog and return later. You could put the collar to sleep and wake it up when you came back to retrieve the dog. Another new feature is the dynamic update rate. Standard collar update rates are 2.5, 5, and 10 seconds, and 2 minutes. These rates can be easily adjusted on your handheld, and the collar will update location according to the setting you choose. Dynamic update rate changes based on how fast the dog is moving. If the dog is moving fast, it will

GARMIN STANDARD AND EXTENDED BATTERY PACKS

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update quickly, but if the dog is sitting still while treeing or resting, it will slow the update rate automatically to conserve battery life. Lights Inside each battery pack, there are two LED beacon lights that shine off the front corners of the battery. This gives the handler visual aid if hunting in low light conditions with their dogs. These lights are customizable with seven different colors to select from and can be activated or deactivated from a compatible handheld GPS. If you are hunting at night or getting close to a road, you can activate the collar lights so you, other hunters, and drivers can see the dogs.

By setting each dog to a specific color, you can keep track of where each dog is and what they are doing. I absolutely plan on using this function when I’m nearing roads or highways. I don’t put my dogs on leads unless I tie them back to shoot something out of a tree. So, when I am nearing my truck, I call my dogs to heel, then release them when it’s time to load in the box. It’s sometimes difficult for me to keep tabs on all of them, and I look forward to having the added comfort of the beacon lights. Conclusion Technology sure has changed a lot since I first started hunting with hounds. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with the new equipment, but every time I try something new, I am pleasantly surprised. Is it a necessity to hunt with satellite imagery and 2.5second updates on your dog’s location? Not necessarily, but it sure is nice. Over the years, the Garmin dog tracking systems have taught me so much about my dogs and the animals that we pursue. They have helped me train my dogs to handle and hunt just the way I want them to, and I consider them essential for my training, hunting, and the safety of my dogs. I am very pleased with the Alpha 300i and TT25 collars, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.

You can estimate a lion’s age by measuring mm from the gum line to the prominent ridge on the K9 tooth. This lion was 8mm on the front of the tooth.

This old lion was killed on a depredation hunt as a result of killing livestock. It weighed 163 lbs and was missing a claw. Tooth aging suggests it was 8 years old.

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HEALTH & FITNESS

REBUILD YOUR BACK TRAINING FOR STRENGTH AND RESILIENCE TO REDUCE LOWER BACK PAIN

hen it comes to the world of low back pain, it is something that resonates with most people because, at some point in life, if you’ve ever put on a pair of pants, you’ve likely encountered some form of low back discomfort. In fact, it’s worth noting that low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability globally. But the good news is that, in many cases, it can be effecMATT WARD tively treated. However, navigating the myrHEALTH AND iad of treatments and exercises available can FITNESS EDITOR be a daunting task. That’s where I come in to assist you. I want to provide you with the knowledge and tools I use regularly with my patients and clients to help alleviate low back pain and enhance the resilience of this crucial area. Now, let’s clarify something upfront. If you’re experiencing pain, numbness, weakness, tingling, or issues related to your bowel or bladder, it’s essential to stop reading and seek immediate medical attention to determine the cause. However, if you’re looking to address general low back discomfort and stiffness, let’s continue. 88

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I’ve contemplated how best to approach this article because the topic of low back pain is extensive and can be explored from various angles. While sipping on a glass of whiskey, I realized that starting with the basics might be the most practical approach. If you’ve experienced low back pain and are looking to strengthen and make it more resilient for lifting heavy loads or venturing further into the backcountry, here are a couple of exercise programs I recommend. Rather than delving into complex topics like the relationship between hip and lumbar dissociation, articular control in the lumbar spine, and other intricate details, I’ll focus on exercises that can help you transition from pain to addressing primarily stiffness. The Baseline These exercises are best done first thing in the morning and perhaps one or two more times throughout the day. You will also notice these require no equipment and could perhaps be done at moose camp or atop some mountain somewhere if your back goes south. Habit is everything when overcoming low back pain, so get in the habit of taking care of parts of you that are experiencing a little rust. www.westernhunter.net

Pelvic Tilt Exercise • Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. • Inhale and expand your belly, then exhale and gently tilt your pelvis backward, flattening your lower back against the floor. • Hold for a few seconds, then release. • Perform 10-15 repetitions. Bridge Exercise • Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. • Tighten your core and glutes, then lift your hips off the ground, creating a straight line from shoulders to knees. • Lower your hips back down without touching the ground. • Perform 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions. Bird-Dog Exercise • Start on your hands and knees in a tabletop position. • Extend your right arm forward and left leg back, maintaining a straight line from fingertips to toes. • Hold for a few seconds, then return to the starting position. • Repeat with the left arm and right leg. • Perform 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions per side. McGill Curl-Up • Lie on your back with one knee bent and the other leg straight. • Place your hands under your lower back for support. • Lift your head and shoulders slightly off the ground while keeping your lower back pressed against your hands. • Hold for a few seconds, then lower your head and shoulders. • Perform 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions per side.

McGill Curl-Up

Standing Pelvic Tilt • Stand with your feet hip-width apart. • Place your hands on your hips. • Tilt your pelvis forward, arching your lower back slightly. • Then, tilt your pelvis backward, rounding your lower back. • Repeat this motion for 10-15 repetitions. Standing March • Stand with your feet hip-width apart. • March in place by lifting your knees towards your chest one at a time. • Maintain good posture and engage your core throughout. • March for 1-2 minutes. Prone Press-Up • Lie face-down with your hands positioned by your shoulders. • Push up with your hands while keeping your pelvis on the ground. • Extend your arms but only go as far as is comfortable for your lower back. • Lower yourself back down and repeat for 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions. As you progress from the world of pain and stiffness, you need to keep progressing. This is a key part of why I believe most people’s back pain is recurring. You haven’t seen it all the way through or had someone tell you that you need to be in this for some long-term change. Getting out of pain is relatively easy, but building a bulletproof back isn’t. Key Principles When Building a Rehab Program 1. Assessment and Alignment Begin with an assessment to determine the individual’s alignment and identify any postural issues contributing to low back pain. 2. Core Activation Incorporate core-strengthening exercises, to establish a strong foundation. Place an emphasis on compound movements like squats and deadlifts which can complement core activation by engaging the core during complex exercises. 3. Functional Movement Integrate functional movements that mimic real-life activities and help individuals regain mobility and stability. 4. Consistency and Progression This is a key point. I wholeheartedly encourage patients or clients to adhere to a consistent exercise routine, gradually increasing intensity and load over time as they build strength and resilience. Once you are ready to move on to the next step and can consistently train, here are two sample programs, one with body weight and kettlebells and one with barbells. Bodyweight and Kettlebell Program: Phase 1 Foundation and Mobility (4 weeks) Warm-Up (5-10 minutes) Cardiovascular Warm-Up: Begin with light aerobic exercise like brisk walking, cycling, or jogging for 5-10 minutes to increase blood flow to muscles.

Cat-Cow Stretch • Begin on your hands and knees in a tabletop position. • Inhale as you arch your back, dropping your belly toward the floor (cow position). • Exhale as you round your back, tucking your chin to your chest (cat position). • Flow between these positions for 10-15 cycles. Child’s Pose • Kneel on the floor with your big toes touching and knees apart. • Sit back onto your heels and extend your arms forward on the ground. • Relax your forehead on the floor and hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute. info@westernhunter.net

Day 1: Core Stability and Mobility Dead Bug Exercise: 4 sets of 20 repetitions per side. • Lie on your back with your knees bent, arms extended toward the ceiling. • Lower one arm and the opposite leg toward the ground while maintaining a stable core. • Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. • Focus on keeping your lower back pressed against the floor. Child’s Pose Stretch: 3 sets of 20-30 seconds. • Kneel on the floor with your toes together and knees apart. • Sit back onto your heels, reaching your arms forward and lowering your chest toward the ground.

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Hip Flexor Stretch

Cat-Cow Stretch: 4 sets of 20 repetitions. • Start on your hands and knees. • Inhale, arch your back (Cow position), and look up. • Exhale, round your back (Cat position), and tuck your chin to your chest. Day 5: Lower Body Mobility and Strength Kettlebell Goblet Squats: 4 sets of 15-20 repetitions. • Hold a kettlebell close to your chest. • Perform squats while maintaining a neutral spine and proper form. Hip Hinge Drill: 3 sets of 30 repetitions. • Stand with your feet hip-width apart. • Hinge at your hips while keeping your back straight, as if you’re trying to touch your toes. Day 6: Ruck (20 lb for 60 minutes) Day 7: Rest or Active Recovery Bodyweight and Kettlebell Program: Phase 2 Strength and Stability (4 weeks) Warm-Up (5-10 minutes) Cardiovascular Warm-Up: Begin with light aerobic exercise like brisk walking, cycling, or jogging for 5-10 minutes to increase blood flow to muscles.

Day 2: Lower Body Mobility and Strength Bodyweight Squats: 4 sets of 20-25 repetitions. • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. • Squat down while keeping your chest up and knees tracking over your toes. • Focus on proper form and mobility in the hips and ankles. Hip Flexor Stretch: 3 sets of 90-120 seconds per side. • Kneel on one knee with the other foot forward. • Tuck your pelvis under and push your hips forward while maintaining an upright posture.

Day 1: Core Stability and Strength Turkish Get-Ups: 3 sets of 3-5 repetitions per side. • Start with a light kettlebell or dumbbell. • Focus on proper technique and core stability throughout the movement. Planks: 3 sets of 30-60 seconds. • Perform standard planks or side planks for core stability.

Pallof Press

Day 3: Ruck (20 lb for 60 minutes) Day 4: Core Stability and Mobility Bird-Dog Exercise: 4 sets of 20 repetitions per side. • Begin on your hands and knees. • Extend one arm forward and the opposite leg backward while maintaining a neutral spine. • Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.

Bird-Dog Exercise

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Day 2: Lower Body Strength Kettlebell Deadlifts: 4 sets of 10-12 repetitions. • Use proper form and progressively increase the weight as tolerated. Kettlebell Lunges: 4 sets of 10-12 repetitions per leg. • Focus on proper form and control during the lunges. Day 3: Rest or Active Recovery Day 4: Core Stability and Strength Kettlebell Swings: 4 sets of 20-25 repetitions. • Use a kettlebell and focus on proper hip hinge and core engagement. Pallof Press: 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions per side. • Attach a resistance band to a sturdy anchor or use a cable machine. • Stand sideways to the anchor point, holding the band handle at chest height. • Extend your arms fully, resisting the pull of the band, and hold for a few seconds. • Return to the starting position and repeat. Day 5: Lower Body Strength Front Racked Kettlebell Squats: 4 sets of 15-20 repetitions. • Focus on maintaining an upright posture and core stability. Step-Ups: 3 sets of 20-25 repetitions per leg. • Use a bench or box to step up and down while focusing on proper form; the bench height should be at the top of the shin.

Barbell-based Program: Phase 1 Hypertrophy and Mobility (4 weeks) Warm-Up (5-10 minutes) Cardiovascular Warm-Up: Begin with light aerobic exercise like brisk walking, cycling, or jogging for 5-10 minutes to increase blood flow to muscles. Day 1: Lower Body Hypertrophy Safety Bar Squats: 4 sets of 10-12 reps • Focus on maintaining good form and proper depth. • Use a safety bar to reduce spinal stress. Romanian Dumbbell Deadlifts: 3 sets of 12-15 reps • Use a moderate weight to target the hamstrings and glutes. • Perform the exercise with strict form to minimize lower back strain. Glute Bridges: 3 sets of 15-20 reps • Place a resistance band around your knees for added glute activation. • Focus on squeezing the glutes at the top of the movement.

Romanian Dumbbell Deadlifts

Front Racked Kettlebell Squats

Day 6: Rest or Active Recovery

Day 2: Upper Body Hypertrophy Bench Press: 4 sets of 8-10 reps • Use controlled tempo and maintain proper shoulder and scapular stability. • Avoid excessive arching of the lower back. Bent-Over Rows: 4 sets of 10-12 reps • Use strict form and a manageable weight to target the upper back. • Brace your core to protect the lower back.

Day 7: Rest or Active Recovery

Day 3: Ruck (20 lb for 60 minutes)

This next program is barbell-based and will require some access to a gym. This is my go-to program for rebuilding a back! After you have finished this next program, you can repeat Phase 1 (Hypertrophy and Mobility) and Phase 2 (Strength and Stability) for another four weeks. Monitor your progress and adjust weights and repetitions as needed. Always prioritize proper form and listen to your body.

Day 4: Lower Body Mobility Dynamic Warm-Up: • Perform dynamic stretches and mobility drills for the lower body, including hip flexors, hamstrings, and calves. Piriformis Stretch: • Hold for 20-30 seconds per side to release tension in the hip area.

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Bent-Over Rows

Box Squats

Day 5: Upper Body Mobility Dynamic Warm-Up: • Include dynamic stretches for the upper body, focusing on shoulders and thoracic spine mobility. Thoracic Extension Stretch: • Hold for 20-30 seconds to improve thoracic spine mobility. Day 6: Rest or Active Recovery Day 7: Rest or Active Recovery Barbell-based Program: Phase 2 Strength and Stability (4 weeks) Warm-Up (5-10 minutes) Cardiovascular Warm-Up: Begin with light aerobic exercise like brisk walking, cycling, or jogging for 5-10 minutes to increase blood flow to muscles. Day 1: Lower Body Strength Box Squats: 5 sets of 3-5 reps • Use a box or bench to control depth and maintain good form. • Focus on explosive concentric (lifting) phase. Trap Bar Deadlifts: 5 sets of 3-5 reps • Use a moderate weight and prioritize perfect form. • Avoid rounding your lower back. Day 2: Upper Body Strength Overhead Press: 5 sets of 3-5 reps • Maintain proper core stability and avoid excessive arching of lower back. Pull-Ups or Lat Pulldowns: 5 sets of 6-8 reps • Use strict form and control the eccentric (lowering) phase. Day 3: Ruck (20 lb for 60 minutes) 92

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Day 4: Low Back Stability Planks: • Perform planks with variations (side planks, stability ball planks) for a total of 5 minutes, broken into intervals. Bird-Dog Exercise: 4 sets of 20 reps per side • Focus on maintaining a stable core while extending the arm and leg. Day 5: Ruck (20 lb for 60 minutes) Day 6: Rest or Active Recovery Day 7: Rest or Active Recovery Conclusion Now, is this the end all be all of programs? No, I don’t think so, but it’s a damn good start that anyone can be consistent with and progress to build success. I would highly recommend seeing a professional for form check-ins, a massage therapist to beat those tissues up, and maybe a chiropractor for a few adjustments here and there. Good luck! www.westernhunter.net

WESTERN HUNTER MAGAZINE

THE WILD KITCHEN p

Balanced Wild Game Meals – Part 2: Recipes By Lindsay Persico, Health & Fitness Editor

n part one of our last issue, I showed you how to isolate the muscle groups into the different cuts of meat from your wild game. We also discussed the best cooking method to utilize each of these cuts in the best manner. Now, we take a look at some of the go-to recipes that I use to turn them into full, balanced meals. Baked Potatoes Ingredients Potatoes – Make one potato per person 1 Onion – sliced Olive Oil Salt and Pepper Aluminum Foil Instructions Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and dry potatoes. Slice in half. Place one slice of onion between the two halves. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap in foil tightly to hold the onion between the potato halves. If you do not have the foil wrapped well enough the oil can drip out during cooking so you may want to place a pan beneath the potatoes while cooking to catch any drippings. Place wrapped potatoes directly on oven rack and bake for 1 hour or until tender. Carefully remove from foil and serve hot.

Tomato Cucumber Salad Ingredients 2 Large Tomatoes – chopped/juices drained 1 Large Cucumber – chopped 1/4 Cup Sour Cream 1 Tablespoon Milk 1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Basil Salt and Pepper to taste Instructions Mix the milk and sour cream until combined and add the basil, salt and pepper. Stir well with the tomatoes and cucumbers. Let sit refrigerated for 30 minutes before serving.

Roasted Veggies Instructions Chop up a variety of your favorite vegetables. Some ideas could include: Carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers or cabbage. Toss the veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper in a ziplock bag. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Place veggies on a baking sheet without overcrowding and bake until veggies are toasted.

Basic Fresh Salad Ingredients One Romaine Lettuce Heart – torn 1 Cup Baby Spinach Leaves 1 Tomato – chopped 1/2 Cucumber – chopped 1/4 Cup Feta Cheese 1/4 Cup Sunflower Seeds 2 Tablespoons Dried Cranberries Instructions Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

A delicious summer dinner of seared elk steak, sauteed onions and green peppers with a side of refreshing watermelon.

Seared, tender, wild game, back loin is a special treat and pairs well with any vegetable. Searing wild game steaks helps to lock in the juices and keep them tender.

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Mashed Baked Sweet Potatoes Instructions Any mashed potato can make a great base to top with a roast. You can also do this with a regular red or yellow potato. Bake your sweet potatoes at 350 degrees until soft and then scoop out the insides and cream in a mixer with a little butter, salt and pepper. Place a pile of the mash on each plate and top with your roast and some of the accompanying juices. www.westernhunter.net

THE WILD KITCHEN p Rice Pilaf Ingredients 1 Cup Long-grain White Rice 1 Tablespoon Extra-virgin Olive Oil or Butter 1/2 Medium Yellow Onion – diced 1/2 Teaspoon Salt 1 3/4 Cups Chicken Broth Instructions Warm the olive oil or butter in the saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until the onion is translucent and soft. Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat with olive oil or butter. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the tips of the rice turn translucent and the rice smells fragrant and toasted. Pour the broth or water and salt into the saucepan and increase the heat to mediumhigh. Bring to a boil. As soon as the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Cook without lifting the lid for 15 to 18 minutes. At the end, check that the rice is tender and has absorbed all the liquid. If not, cover and cook another few minutes, adding a few tablespoons of water if needed. Remove the pan from heat and let it sit, covered, for another 5 to 10 minutes. Wild Game Chili Ingredients 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil 1 Medium Yellow Onion – diced 1 Pound Ground Venison 2 1/2 Tablespoons Chili Powder 2 Tablespoons Ground Cumin 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder 1 1/2 Tablespoons Salt 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cayenne Pepper 1 1/2 Cups Beef Broth 1 (15 oz.) Can Petite Diced Tomatoes 1 (16 oz.) Can Red Kidney Beans – drained and rinsed 1 (8 oz.) Can Tomato Sauce Instructions Add the olive oil and onion to a large soup pot over medium-high heat stirring occasionally for 7-8 minutes. Add the ground venison to the pot and break it apart with a wooden spoon while browning. Cook for 6-7 minutes, until the venison is fully cooked. Add the chili powder, cumin, sugar, tomato paste, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Stir until well combined. Add broth, diced tomatoes (with their juice), drained beans, and tomato sauce. Stir well. Bring info@westernhunter.net

Always pair your wild game with carbohydrates, healthy fats and fiber to nourish your body with all of the elements needed to fuel you optimally.

the liquid to a low boil. Then, reduce the heat to low and gently simmer the chili, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pot from the heat. Let the chili rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Marinades can help tenderize cuts of meat as well as add incredible flavor to recipes.

Carne Asada Ingredients 2 Blade Steaks 1 Jalapeno with seeds for more heat or without 3 Fresh Garlic Cloves 1/3 Cup Fresh Cilantro – chopped Juice of 1 Orange, 1 Lemon, 1 Lime 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar 1/3 Cup Olive Oil 1 Teaspoon Cumin 1/2 Teaspoon Cardamom Salt and Pepper to taste Instructions In a large glass baking dish whisk together all ingredients, aside from the steaks, until combined. Add steak in a single layer, turning to coat with marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Pre-heat grill to medium-high heat. Grill steaks for 7 to 10 minutes per side, turning once for mediumrare. Remove steaks and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain and serve.

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THE WILD KITCHEN p Wild Game Stew Ingredients Elk Roast Fresh Thyme 2 Cups Red Wine 2 Cups Beef Broth 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste Flour – for dredging Salt and Pepper 1 Medium Onion Chopped 4 Cloves Minced Garlic 3 Large Carrots Chunked 6 Small Potatoes Quartered Splash of Red Wine Vinegar Instructions Trim and cut the roast into bite-sized chunks. Coat with flour, salt and pepper. Sear in a hot pan until browned then transfer into your crock-pot. Place the wine, beef broth and tomato paste into the pan and stir and scrape the steak drippings into the sauce until well combined. Tie all the fresh thyme into a bundle with cotton string or one of the sprigs of thyme and place it onto the meat. Add the prepared onion, garlic, carrots and potatoes to the crock-pot. Pour the sauce into the crock and stir it up. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 5-6 hours or until the veggies are soft and the meat is tender. When finished cooking, stir in a splash of red wine vinegar before serving. Additional salt and pepper may be added to taste.

Using a slow cooker or pressure cooker to cook your tough roasts can turn them into delicious and nutritious soups and stews.

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I generally use ground meat for tacos but you can also make delicious steak tacos using sliced roast, steak chunks, or shredded shank that you marinated and cooked.

Bone Broth Ingredients Leg Bones and Joints Cut Water Root Vegetables in large chunks (optional) Salt to taste Pepper to taste 5 Bay Leaves 2 Teaspoons Basil 1 Tablespoon Chopped Garlic Instructions I start by roasting the bones and vegetables. Roasting them creates a more versatile flavor profile. Roast the bones and any vegetables you are including on a sheet pan at 425 degrees for 30 minutes flipping halfway through. Next place the bones and vegetables in a pressure cooker, add spices and herbs and cover with water. Pressure cook on high for 4 hours. Next strain the broth through two layers of cheesecloth. Simmer strained broth on low, uncovered until slightly thick. This can take many hours. If you run out of time you can cool it and place it in the fridge and continue the next day. Taste it and add salt as needed. Once it is beginning to get thicker you cool it just until the fat on top hardens. If you want to remove the fat this is the time to do it when the liquid on the bottom hasn’t become solid yet. You can leave the fat on as well if you wish. Let it finally cool completely and it should be fairly solid. At this point you can cut it and wrap it to store in the freezer. If you have small containers, you can also pour it into those while hot and let them cool individually before freezing them.

Shredded Shank Instructions I start with a shank or chuck roast. It can be thawed or frozen. Simply place it in your crock pot and sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Pour in a cup of water and cover. Cook on high all day or if you put it in at night, cook it on low for 12 hours. I watch the water level to make sure it never dries up. Add water if necessary. The meat will cook and turn into a hard lump of meat... this looks like a failure but it is not! You are just getting started! Keep cooking it. After a few more hours the meat will begin to fall apart and when it is done you will have meat that will shed perfectly, basting in its own juices. This meat is amazing. You can also speed the process up by using a pressure cooker or instant pot. I usually cook the roasts on high pressure for at least 45 minutes depending on the roast size. Larger roasts may need more time. You can season it for BBQ or keep it as it is and put it in tortillas with sautéed onions and peppers, corn salsa, cheese and sour cream. These are the best fajitas and my husband’s favorite dish. If you want to go this route you will need a green, yellow and red bell pepper as well as a large onion. Slice these vegetables and sauté them in a pan with olive oil until soft. Layer the sautéed veggies, meat, corn salsa, shredded cheese and hot sauce or sour cream in your tortilla. Roll up into a burrito or place in taco shells for a great meal.

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DIALING IT BACK CHRIS DENHAM PUBLISHER

THE DUALITY OF HUNTERS

ust last week, I was driving down a county road about an hour after dark. There was no moon, so I couldn’t see anything outside the beam of my headlights. I crested a hill and was partially blinded by a set of truck lights, so I slowed down and dimmed my brights. As I drew closer, I could see the hazard lights flashing, so I slowed down even more in case they needed help. Then I saw the reason. Lying on the opposite side of the road was an antelope buck taking his last breaths. My heart sank. I felt as bad for the driver as I did for the buck. The next day I shot an antelope buck, smiled for pictures, quartered him up, and drove down the same county road with a sense of a job well done. My wife and I have several bird feeders in our backyard. The Gambel’s quail, dove, and sparrows must think we are gods, with an endless supply of seed. The hawks share that sentiment and regularly dive-bomb the yard, creating mass chaos in the avian community. Invariably, one of them smashes into our glass door, leaving a ghost-like imprint on the glass and feathers drifting to the ground.

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Sometimes we can get them back on their feet, but often they are DOA, so our back patio turns into an emergency room or a funeral parlor filled with emotion. Either way, I am hoping to kill a limit the next time I get to hunt them. The ability to show compassion for an animal and, at the same time, be willing and able to kill an animal and eat it is a trait reserved for humans – well, at least some humans. The ardent anti-hunter activist cannot comprehend this. Blame it on Walt Disney, delusional parenting, contaminated school systems, or simple immaturity. Either way, they cannot fathom our way of thinking. To some degree, this knowledge helps me control my frustration over their actions and vitriol. They are never going to understand, nor will they ever accept our right to hunt our own food, so I can’t waste time or resources attempting to convince them. As the words from the Serenity prayer say, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Mike Duplan and I had a similar conversation not long ago regarding wildlife conservation. We both are actively involved in conservation organizations and have been our entire adult lives. We have helped to raise money and have volunteered on work projects to enhance habitat and boost species populations in the West. We have likewise invested thousands of dollars in application fees, trying to obtain a tag to shoot one of these animals. Even as I write this, a part of me understands why some people think we are a bit unhinged! How in the world could we have these apparently conflicting emotions surrounding the life and death of an animal? My ego would like to say that we hunters have reached a higher level of wisdom, but that would be an oversimplification, in my opinion. For me, it is something I cannot explain succinctly. Nobody who isn’t one of us has the patience for the weeklong explanation that is bound to be filled with contradictions. For now, I will my actions speak for me and, at the same time, seek to be understood.

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ADVENTURE AWAITS SEE THE UNSEEN

Western Hunter 2023 November/December

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MISERY EQUALS MEMORY