krp

Just one bullet, deer/elk, then the 140 gr TSX. I also like that a horndy 139 sp will hit same poi as the TSX in three rifles in the family. Just deer would be the 120 gr ballistic tip, actually a sturdy little bullet, or the 120 TSX for more sturdiness. H4350 or H414, just work up to 2800 fps with the 140 and it'll be all good. Kent

When I start in a new area, first I check Google earth for terrain and see if it shows any springs or tanks, remember there's alot of springs not shown. I'll narrow down a few different areas in the main area and spend different trips on reconnaissance, in the spring is fine. Check out the shown water and access and basic huntability. You will get a feel how permanent the water might be, I trust nothing completely but springs are more reliable than tanks. I will check water on a trip right before the hunt or take enough water in that I can turn around and get back out if needed, That's something you should do anyway. Many springs even in wilderness areas had been improved by man at one time or another, so are fairly permanent. During exploring you could very well find a spring unnamed and have to just watch it during different times of year to get a feel. One of the reason I give a good area a few years of work. I don't remember one time that I found an area on a map or google earth and didn't find a better more secret area close, off the radar. All this means is you get to explore during different times and when you do hunt and take a good animal it was a complete experience. Sorry for the quick responce, I have to go. Kent

24B has a decent Wilderness. It's all about water, personal water sources, permanent, not temperary. It's about the prehunt prep, prehunt scouting of access, water, country, campsites and then animals. Once you're in an area, those are the animals you can hunt. It's not about killing the biggest animal in the unit, he could be found next to pavement more likely. It's about research, backcountry hunting, self reliance, hunting the animals in the area you choose. What I like about it is. Start scouting spring/summer in new country, putting a pack on for a few trips, also can evaluate equipment and basic skills, quick overnight afternoon to morning trips to beat the heat. Aug, start scouting for animals, bowhunt deer, bear hunt if I want. Usually after this I've narrowed an area down for rifle or dec/jan archery. Continue scouting and prepare campsite, cache possibles if desired and pump/cache water from nearby source. You can just bivy into a new area blind. I would never do that on the hunt itself, no way to carry enough water for a 4 day min hunt with all the equipment and optics/weapon, full gear ect. Hoping to find water could be disaster. I bivy while scouting and confirming water sources, I carry min equipment for just one or two nights and enough water to get in and out if needed. I usually do this as a 2 or 3 year project for one area, then move on to start again, even if there are still great animals where I'm at. That's the fun of it, the exploring on multiple trips before the hunt. Evaluating if the country can sustain you, can you learn to live in it. Have fun. Kent

Slick Trick, mucho cheaper also. Kent

I bought the J104 a few years before the 107 was availible, there was no adjustments on the suspension. I lucked out and it fit my back fine and have packed 70 lbs with no pack issues. I did get it for the scabbard and run a bladder in the sleeve, the weight of the gun and 3 to 5 liters of water up against my back could be key to my success. The stays need to be adjusted on any pack for your shape, same with my backpacking packs. If I was buying now I would get the 107 for ease of fitting. I would say these are mainly gun packs and if that's your focus they are very good. Since I archery hunt mostly I have went another direction but my brother still uses the 104 and loves it. My wife loves her X1 and I use a MR Nice frame with an X1 combo at times, best of both worlds. Here's the 104 with about 70 lbs of deer, optics, gun, water, pack and misc. 4 miles out hands free. Kent

Love it! Wasn't able to go on my backcountry coues hunt this year, broke my leg elk hunting. Thanks for taking me along on your hunt with the story and pics. Kent

Welcome pilgrim, (in a John Wayne voice) Kent

33 late dec Kent

I agree with the first one, bird in the hand and all. Kent

Food, calories are king. Your body will crave certain things with all the exertion put out, take extra and a good variety. I'm not an oatmeal eater and it's a big plus that you are. I get the nature valley sweet and salty cereal bars, thay double as a sweet also. Get the small summer sausage, once you cut them open you need to eat them or they will go bad in 4 or 5 hours if it is warm, they will stay fine until cut even warm. Jerky is good and I either/or for lunch, it's hard to eat the same thing every day for 4 days. In cool weather I will also take cheese sticks for the sausage but not in warm. Top ramen adds alot to any lunch. Crackers, Oreo cookies, hard candy, mixed nuts. Repackaged in ziplocks for individual potions. Mt house meals aren't fantasic but eatable for dinner and a hot meal before bed will keep your spirits up. I add a fruit cup and hard roll. If I'm hunting out of a base camp and not moving, sometimes I will bring canned stew, beans, tamales for the main course, and peanutbutter and hard rolls for lunch. It's more weight and bulk on the trip in but will get eaten and I only have to carry it once. Depends on the trip. Don't lock yourself in to only 4 or 5 foods for an extended trip. I can go on just jerky, trailmix, cereal bars and water, but it seems I'm fighting cravings and lose concetration after a little while. Short scouting trips that's about all I take. Powdered drink mix and coffee bags if you want. Kent

Joe, go for it. If I know the area I will cache water during scouting trips. I usually camp within 1/2 mile of a source so it is handy for personal use. I bring in a collapsible 5 gal container you get at Walmart or SW for a few bucks and a filter pump. While scouting I fill up the container and hang it in a tree where I'm camping, I usually pick a spot that is thick and off the main paths. I will also take in a few items and put them in a waterproof kayak bag and tie it up in the tree. Extra cheap poly tarps, rope, an old sleeping bag, cheap tent, canned food is a treat sometimes, stew, beans , fruit, even spam, pans, cheap stove, lantern, propane. Stuff I wouldn't haul on an in and out trip. Things that I can use during scouting if I want to run in for a quick evening and next morning trip or emergency. If my wife didn't come on some of the trips I wouldn't bother with most that stuff, but you get the idea of what you can do. Figure a gal min for each person per day, will need to resupply every couple days for two people. Here's my cashed camp I had some years ago. My wife and daughter like to come sometimes if I make it a little comfortable. Here's my run and gun camp, 46 lbs with all the optics, gun and 2 liters of water. As you can tell I'm addicted, I scout areas I will probably never hunt just to get out. If I can help you in any way let me know. 35B is a great unit to get back in and hunt. Kent

Absolutely, some of us here do this every year. Logistics is the key and serious planning. It's getting kinda late but you will have time to plan if you work at it. Knowing the country firsthand is important, best routes in, the three most important things are water, water, water. Where is it, how many soures do you know for sure about, purification system, carrying/storing system. Is this a unit that has alot of Illegal traffic and is this area used much, what's the odds of being found. Equipment is important but I wouldn't let not having the best stop me. You need good Backpacking boots, backpack, shelter, sleep system. Everything else can be stuff that you will upgrade later. Since I broke my leg in a freak accident helping on an elk hunt last month, I will have to get SPOT if I want to go solo again, my wife's orders, she may not let me anyway. You do not want to be in the backcountry with something wrong with a lower extemity, believe me, it's no fun getting out. I have equipment you may borrow if you decide to do this and I can help with planning. It's exteemly rewarding, something everyone should do once. Kent

Chad, good deal. Heck I just looked for curiousity sake, haven't looked at the BL version in a while. It's 59.99, a penny cheaper. Buy from Amanda, Buy from Amanda, Buy from Amanda............ Kent

Arizonaelite, that's funny. I have the Brunton 15X51 and they are the same dimensions as my Minox and fit fine in the smaller version, no need for the large. Kent

Kevin, it does well with dust and water. The top snugs over even if I don't snap it shut. If I'm hiking I keep it unsnapped with just the lid over to keep out dirt and rain but easy to grab. Here it is with my 8X32s, you can see the top shaped to fit snug. I was skeptical that the square of fabric you see on the log in the harness, would rub on my back when I had a backpack on, especially a heavy one. No problem, I've used it with a Greagory, Mystery Ranch and Eberlestock packs. Kent

I forgot to say, Buy it from Amanda right on this site. A shameless plug. Kent

I have the AGC, wear it with a full pack backcountry hunting, wear it with a day pack. Works great, I have the smaller version and it holds my Minox 10X52 HGs very well, plus my gps, camera, headlamp, batteries, keys, ID. No more bounce while I walk or dragging if I'm crawling for an animal. I have the AGC because Badlands used to make it until they decided to change it just enough to get by the patent and make their own version. Stuff like that irks me. Badlands is less money but not USA made or as well made, stuff like that is becoming important to me also. Kent

Amanda, I wasn't real sure myself how each of us in the family would have this shake out, but so far it's just made us stronger. My daughter said meaner. Like she's ever been mean in her life. Bret's buddies like to all come over every couple weeks, they don't even know why. My wife is now the mother of 5 more sons. Get's quite a laugh. My daughter is a High school teacher with a SUV, well not anymore. She searched and found a Blue on Blue GTO which they made less than 1000 of and bought it. She now has the fastest car of any teacher at her school. Bret has alot of spare parts so she wanted to install an exhaust he had in our garage. Came over Sunday and wanted to do the work herself with her husband and one of Bret's friends helping. She did a great job. A sister's love. So far so good at home but I can't seem to get enthused over any of the hunting trips I have planned even though I've toned it way down this year. I'm going with a guy on his first ever elk tag this fri. 23N bull, 15 tags. Killer hunt and I know the unit extreemly well. I'm not excited though I've tried to make myself be. He's counting on me and I hope I don't blow it for him. I just have to dig deeper. Kent

Dustin, thank you for your reply. I am sorry for the hardships going on in your life and hope for healing, as I did my own son. Life is so tough. My Grandmother used to tell me that every once in awhile a little happiness peeks it's head up in life, otherwise it's a bunch of Sh*T. She spoke true, loving her family was where she found her happiness. The feelings you have, we all have, young, old, it don't matter. Aloneness when surrounded by others. Uselessness, when others see us shining, I've read your posts and seen the shine. Loss so great we want to just quit. Who would care? I'm a loner like you Dad, right? so my son used to say. Hundreds would care, There were over 150 at his quickly thrown together memorial, many I had never met and some from out of state that only met him in person a few times. Each with their own memorial of what he meant to them. The reaccuring theme is, 'Bret helped me so much when I was at my lowest in life, he would use gental words or shake me up with harsh words to get me back on my feet, He knew just what to say'. We still receive some every week from those that were late in learning and look to us to help them in their new grief. I grasp for every word said or written, that's all I have left. I no longer can look in the future with both eyes, the past is all I have for one of them. I only have half a future left, I only have half a soul, my daughter. The half of soul I have left is bloody and painful from being ripped in half. I also have two seperate personallities now, it's hard to explain. One tries to be normal and deal with the world with humor and manners. Heal itself from the pain by returning to normalcy. Not forget but show outwardly that life is going fine. The other is a totally seperate existance, it's raging non stop, even right now. Screaming,"how do you live, how do you laugh, how do you eat, how do you write, your son is dead, your son is dead, fool". You don't want that for your Father, Mother or siblings. I know how you feel about losing him first, it's because you are young and he is still relatively young also. As you both grow older the natural progression is much easier to understand. It's not even close to the same kind of grief. If you left, every friend you have or will have, will lose some of their future also. If you lose a parent, you lost the past. If you lose a spouse, you lost the present. If you lose a child, you lost the future. If you lose a sibling, you lost all three. My Daughter and Son were best friends, these aren't just words but truth. My wife and I were talking to her about how we wanted our's and Bret's ashs to be handled after our passing. She started crying and was angry. "It's not fair, we were suposed to do this together, he was my life's partner," Brea wrote this for Bret's memorial. First of all I would like to thank the support of all our family and friends through this difficult time. And to all the people who have been with us, helped us make phone calls, held our hands, cried with us, and any kind word or gift. We thank you with all our hearts. I am still at a loss for words for what has happened. There are going to be so many things I miss about him. I still don’t comprehend that I will never get to hear my brother’s voice again or receive one of his famous bear hugs. I will not get any more IM’s inviting me to lunch, or saying stupid stuff to make me laugh. I feel so sad that there are going to be so many wonderful things in life he is going to miss, and so many important things in my life he is not going to be there for, I always looked forward to a Sister-in-law and nieces and nephews. Bret would have made a great Dad. My children will never know their uncle Bret, except for in pictures and stories. Bret and I were so close in age, and he grew so fast and I was so small, he quickly out grew me. I am going to miss teasing Bret and calling him my “little” brother. He would just look at me and say,” I am not little”. I eventually just started calling him, ‘Little-Big Bro’. I wish so many things. Mostly that we could go back in time and change the events of last week. I wish I would have answered the phone when he called that night. But I know none of that can be changed. Mostly I wish for peace in my family and that our memory of him will be happy and bring us joy, instead of the reminder of the sadness we feel. Finally I would just like to say, Little-Big Bro, I hope you have found peace. We will love you and miss you the rest of our lives. Brea You don't want one of those written about you. My daughter asked me to make a slide show of her using a song she said was special to her, and how she felt about us as her parents. She said to leave out the outdoor woman pics of her and make it family. Darn. just if you're interested, I don't like other people's slide shows either. Life's a dirty SOB, happiness will find you when it can, but not if you're gone. Death is F'ing final, and no amount of your mother rearranging your things on the shelves will bring you back. Kent

Your Father sounds like so many of the great outdoorsmen that put up with my sorry butt when I was young and up until their passing. I remember every one, miss them and thank them still. My own Father is the only one still around so I'm spending as much time as possible with him now, He's 78. Thanks for sharing your memories. Kent

I know it was for elk, I think antelope, deer/javi/turkey were later, not sure about sheep or buff. I remember going down and filling out a paper to get the point the first year. Not many adults had a HE card, we did to hunt colorado. Few bothered to go down the first year and my friend and I drew a early rifle bull tags, tags 1&2, Hmmm. Kent

1991 Kent

Conservative, width 36 beams 52=104 tines 1 thru 5=180 all trash =32 mass = 58 total=410 gross Conservative. Kent

I cannot use the big roof obj binos, I have to use porros in 15s or my Bruntons. I've used most porros including Steiners and Docters, but not the Zeiss 15X60. The Bruntons are much lighter and work very well and that suprised even myself. I don't take the porros anytime I'm backpacking anymore. It's kinda funny when I'm sitting on a hill and there are 3 Swaros and then my bruntons and I still find animals faster than the others. I just have more experience. Glassing ability isn't a problem with these but durability may be, I've only used them for over a year and about 30 days in the field. I looked at the Vortex 15X50 which I didn't like the overall useability as much and the Zeiss 15X45 which I looked at hard for a weekend and 'to me' was a do nothing well bino and the worst of the three for glassing. The Leica's of course would be nice but too much money right now. Maybe the Kaibab's but a 1000.00 is still pushing it right now. My Minox 10X52s are almost closed together when they are about right for me and the Brunton 15X51s are about the same, maybe 2 paper widths left, if that helps and you can find them to test but not the Bruntons. Kent

Blake, congrats. Great story, would have been neat to have gotten one with a bow. Butchering your own animals brings much satisfaction, just play dumb though when your friends ask if you will do theirs. Kent