Western Hunter

<p>by R. Cade Powell for Western Hunter</p> <p>This past hunting season, I upgraded several backpacking items that were long overdue. Calling them âlong overdueâ might be the understatement of the year. I have my kids to thank for the demise of one of my items although I wasnât nearly as enamored with them at the time. Imagine my surprise when I walked in the front door from a long day at work to find all four of them stuffed like tube sausage in my sleeping bag. They had just watched the Jamaican bobsled team on âCool Runningsâ and the two oldest girls had somehow convinced their younger sisters to be âdriversâ up front so the older girls could be the âbrakemanâ in the back. Keep in mind that theyâre all crammed and zipped up into one sleeping bag. I think the âdriversâ were just extra padding when they hit the bottom of the runway. After I quit laughing I noticed the huge tear in my mummy bag my dad had given me as a gift 25 years ago. It never ceases to amaze me how kids only need 30 minutes to ruin something that has survived my abuse for a quarter century.</p> <p>Although I will never admit it, I was grateful my old mummy bag would be retired from any future backpacking adventures. Iâm convinced it was warmer sleeping on top of that bag than inside. The loft and insulating properties had been gone so long that I canât even remember them in the first place……….</p> <a href='http://westernhunter.net/big-agnes-fish-hawk-and-q-core-pad-review/olympus-digital-camera-221/'><img width="150" height="150" src="http://westernhunter.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/23-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="Big Agnes Fish Hawk" /></a> <a href='http://westernhunter.net/big-agnes-fish-hawk-and-q-core-pad-review/olympus-digital-camera-222/'><img width="150" height="150" src="http://westernhunter.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/32-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="Q-Core pad" /></a> <p>I wonât tell you all the ins and outs of my search for a new bag. That would be like giving you a play by play of hiking up a trail: left footâ¦â¦right footâ¦â¦left footâ¦â¦breather. I will however, try and give you my interpretation of the view from the top of the mountain: Big Agnes Fish Hawk 30 with Down-Tek and a Q-Core insulated sleeping pad.</p> <p>Most of my lightweight hunting excursions tend to be late August through mid-October and a 30 degree bag is ideal for me in those conditions. Iâm 6’4 and 230 pounds so I like a bag with a little more length and âwiggleâ room inside. I also have a thing for down. Some of the new technologies that make todayâs synthetic insulations are unbelievable but given a choice Iâll take Mother Natureâs best: down. When Big Agnes added Downtek water repellant down to their lineup, I was hooked. Go to www.Down-tek to learn about this amazing new product. The Fish Hawk has the extra length and âwiggleâ room I was looking</p> <div id="attachment_10962" style="width: 305px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="http://westernhunter.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/42.jpg" rel="lightbox[10958]"><img class="wp-image-10962" src="http://westernhunter.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/42.jpg" alt="Pad sleeve with easy access. " width="295" height="221" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Pad sleeve with easy access.</p></div> <p>for. My bag has 13 oz. of 650 fill Down Tek and comes in at a scant 2 lb 12 ozâs. Add in 25 oz for my Q-Core pad and I am still packing less weight than I was with just my old bag. My bag compresses in the stuff sack until itâs smaller than a volleyball or about 1/3 the size of my old set-up.</p> <p>You can tell that the design team for Big Agnes spends A LOT more time on the mountain than I get to. Every detail of my bag and pad was well thought out.</p> <a href='http://westernhunter.net/big-agnes-fish-hawk-and-q-core-pad-review/olympus-digital-camera-224/'><img width="150" height="150" src="http://westernhunter.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/52-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" /></a> <a href='http://westernhunter.net/big-agnes-fish-hawk-and-q-core-pad-review/olympus-digital-camera-225/'><img width="150" height="150" src="http://westernhunter.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/62-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" /></a> <a href='http://westernhunter.net/big-agnes-fish-hawk-and-q-core-pad-review/olympus-digital-camera-226/'><img width="150" height="150" src="http://westernhunter.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/72-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="Pillow pocket with my DownTek coat." /></a> <p>My favorite features include: integrated pad sleeve to ensure youâll never roll off your pad again; built in pillow pocket that held my Core 4 Element Elevation jacket; collar seals to block out drafts; zipper tube that insulates the length of the zipper; and the Insotect Flow construction to evenly distribute heat. In the past year Iâve spent 10 nights backpacking with this setup. Most nights were in the 30âs and 40’s and I was very comfortable.</p> <a href='http://westernhunter.net/big-agnes-fish-hawk-and-q-core-pad-review/olympus-digital-camera-232/'><img width="150" height="150" src="http://westernhunter.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/132-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="I was grateful for the weight and space saving features of my Big Agnes system on a weeklong 2013 NW Wyoming elk hunt" /></a> <a href='http://westernhunter.net/big-agnes-fish-hawk-and-q-core-pad-review/olympus-digital-camera-227/'><img width="150" height="150" src="http://westernhunter.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/82-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" /></a> <p> </p> <p>Iâve also used this bag and pad in a weekâs worth of nights camping at the truck. 1 night of truck camping was below zero and one night that was in the single digits. Nights like those tend to accentuate any flaws your gear might have. Although I had a little more insulation than I do on a 25 degree night, the Fish Hawk and Q-Core pad surpassed all of my expectations.</p> <p>Over the 4^th of July my family hiked into the Cloud Peak Wilderness in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming to fish for golden trout.</p> <a href='http://westernhunter.net/big-agnes-fish-hawk-and-q-core-pad-review/olympus-digital-camera-220/'><img width="150" height="150" src="http://westernhunter.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/110-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="A lightweight bag and pad will are necessary so youâve got the room to carry some of lifeâs more âpreciousâ gear." /></a> <a href='http://westernhunter.net/big-agnes-fish-hawk-and-q-core-pad-review/olympus-digital-camera-233/'><img width="150" height="150" src="http://westernhunter.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/142-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="Cloud Peak Wilderness, Wyoming." /></a> <p>Our desired lake sits right at 11,000 feet. I donât know what the evening temps were but the lake was still half frozen over. To make sure all my girls could make the 8 mile hike in, I packed the majority of the weight, including 3 sleeping bags stuffed in my pack. NONE of them were my lightweight Fish Hawk. I guess thatâs part of being a dad but Iâm willing to bet money that my girlâs will be getting an early Christmas present from this old man.</p> <a href='http://westernhunter.net/big-agnes-fish-hawk-and-q-core-pad-review/olympus-digital-camera-228/'><img width="150" height="150" src="http://westernhunter.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/92-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="My youngest daughter couldnât quite make the last mile into our Golden trout lake so we âsettledâ for the scenery and fishing around base camp." /></a> <a href='http://westernhunter.net/big-agnes-fish-hawk-and-q-core-pad-review/olympus-digital-camera-230/'><img width="150" height="150" src="http://westernhunter.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/112-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" /></a> <a href='http://westernhunter.net/big-agnes-fish-hawk-and-q-core-pad-review/olympus-digital-camera-231/'><img width="150" height="150" src="http://westernhunter.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/122-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" /></a> <p>A couple weeks before our big backpack trip my two oldest were at our church girlâs camp. One of them raided my hunting room and snuck my gear with her. All she will say about the whole incident is that was the best sheâs ever slept while camping. âAMAZING!â, to be exact. I immediately inspected my gear for signs of summertime bobsledding. None was found. Amazing indeed!</p> <div id="attachment_10970" style="width: 590px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="http://westernhunter.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/122.jpg" rel="lightbox[10958]"><img class="wp-image-10970" src="http://westernhunter.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/122.jpg" alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" width="580" height="435" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">3 days – 2 nights – 19.7 miles. Back at the trailhead after our adventure, all of my girls were asking for a Big Agnes bag and pad!</p></div> View the full article

In prepping for my familyâs 20 mile backpack trip into the Cloud Peak Wilderness of Wyomingâs Bighorn Mountains I only had 2 major concerns: sleeping bags and water! This was my girlâs first backpack trip with me. I have a lightweight Big Agnes sleeping bag and they all have heavy âtruck campingâ bags. I couldnât afford to just go out and drop cash on 4 new bags for this trip so we would make do with what we had. A couple of my kids are still fairly young and couldnât carry a full pack with sleeping bag and pad. My older 2 had smaller packs with insufficient space for a big sleeping bag so I was nominated as the beast of burden. My pack was big enough that I ended up with 3 bags crammed inside. One bag was big enough for my youngest 2 daughters to share so that left my wife to pack her own bag and one daughter to pack my lightweight bag. By the end of the trip I was wishing Santa would have been a little more pro-active over the years. Loading up at the trailhead Cloud Peak Wilderness, Wyoming With our bag problem âsolvedâ it was time to focus on water. Iâve been using a Katadyn Hiker Pro Microfilter for many years and am impressed with its size, speed and utility. I am typically solo on my backpack trips and the Hiker Pro is perfect for those situations. With 5 additional hikers, this trip would be different. We were planning on setting up a base camp 7 miles in and then hiking up to the surrounding lakes above timberline to fish for golden trout. My Hiker Pro filter would be perfect for those day hikes but I also wanted to make sure there was ample water for everyone around camp without spending all our time filtering water. I jumped on the Katadyn website and saw an awesome solution to my dilemma: The Katadyn Base Camp. Basically, it is a heavy duty bag with a filter placed inside. Fill the bag with water, roll down the top and elevate. Gravity will filter the water out of the attached hose valve and into your desired container. The bag holds 6 liters of water and the whole system tips the scale at 11 ounces. Katadyn shows output at ½ Liter per minute. Creek crossing with my most precious cargo!) Katadyn Base Camp Once we arrived at our destination, my girls were so excited to try out the newly arrived Base Camp. They ran to the creek while I finished setting up our tents. Filling with water in Paintrock Creek I believe itâs still a smart idea to filter all drinking water â even frigid run-off at 11,000 feet elevation. By the time I finished putting on the rain fly, they were filling water bottles. Every water bottle they could find! My girlâs verified that all 6 liters of the Base Camp can, in fact, be emptied in less than 3 minutes. Just to verify their findings they would run back to the creek and fill it again! The Base Camp is easy to use, fast, lightweight and tough. It also meets industry standards for reduction of bacteria (99.9999% Klebsiella terrigena) and protozoan cysts (99.9% Giardia and Cryptosporidium). We hung it on a tree in camp where it filtered 5 or 6 full loads in 3 days. It was the perfect solution for our family outing. Optimus Elektra FE comes with a Crux Lite gas stove, FE (fuel efficient) heat exchange pot, piezo ignitor and clip-on windshield all weighing in at just 16 oz.) The Base Camp Filter was an absolute hit on our family backpack trip but would I use it on my solo hunting trips? YES! I have several hunting locations where the Base Camp will be very efficient. During early season deer hunts there is a small lake 1,500 vertical feet below where I camp. I typically only come off the lofty peaks to stalk a mule deer or to filter water. By filling the Base Camp and carrying it up to camp, Iâll ensure an extra 2-4 day supply of water. Now Iâll only have to come off those lofty peaks to stalk velvet bucks! For this trip I also packed an Optimus Elektra FE cook system for all of our cooking. The Cruz Lite stove really will boil 1 liter of water in the FE Heat Exchange pot in just over 3 minutes â at 10,000 feet! I was truly amazed and will be writing a review shortly. Rainey and I pondering âWhatâs for Dinnerâ along the trail.) None of my girls had eaten freeze dried food before. We packed a couple brands but the hit of the trip was Natural High in Chicken Teriyaki and Natural Highâs Cinnamon Apple Crisp for dessert. I will be sampling some of Natural Highâs new products throughout this hunting season and will report in on what I find. View the full article

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Say Cheese?Why I hate smiling for field photos When I first started hunting way back around 1980 (and was packing the old C110 pop-in film cameras), I always felt awkward smiling with dead stuff. At first, it might have been attributed to being a shy kid in front of the lens. I mean, just try and get a 13-year-old boy to smile at anything⦠As I got older and graduated both school and into 35mm, turning that frown upside down didnât seem to get any easier. In that stage of my life (my twenties), I donât know if I thought I was just being a Clint Eastwood tough guy, or if I even knew why, but the thought of smiling with dead stuff just didnât seem to be working for me. With the digital age, and little more maturity by then, I began to manage an ever-so-slight upturn of the olâ mustache, but still, it just didnât seem natural. However, at this point, I was in the hunting industry â as an Editor no less â and it sort of seemed mandatory. Looks that could be characterized as smiles began to sneak into my photos, though I could never profess to have the amazing sparkling white grill as my colleague, Randy Ulmer, whose amazing smile seems as large as his incredible trophies. Now, as a 41-year-old, I absolutely treasure my field photos, perhaps more than the headgear adorned by the animals in them. However, posing for those photos – to this day – makes me feel as awkward as a teenager posing with a girl for a âfirst-dateâ photo being taken by an overzealous mother. All joking aside, during a long cold night in a tent a couple months ago I got to thinking about why I was so averse to flashing a big cheesy grin. Was I abnormal? Was I just a big olâ toughie? Or a jerk? The more I thought about it, the more I came to a realization. We all react differently to different events, and we donât all even react the same way each time. Hunting is pretty darn important to me, and I have a deep respect for the game I pursue. I try to keep from getting âtoo spiritual and over the topâ about it, but hunting is a big part of who I am, and I know I wouldnât be a hunter by definition without this game to pursue and eventually to kill. But the killing to me has always simply been necessary to complete the process. I get no joy out of the act. As such, the act of smiling after a kill just doesnât seem to work well for me. My mind often drifts to everything it took to get to that point âthe actions of the immediate days as well as the years of effort â and I think I have conflicting emotions right then that leave me silent. I feel gratitude for the luck; good fortune of my success; some sadness that his life has ended and that the chase is over. Itâs equal parts happiness, sadness, relief, and gratefulness. I see that mature buck or bull as the ultimate friend/foe/adversary/prize, and for whatever reason, I just often feel that smiling isnât appropriate for me. Thatâs not in any way to say itâs inappropriate for someone else. Again, we all react differently to different events. Iâll give you an analogy. When Iâm watching football, Iâve always had a lot more respect for the guy who, when he scores the touchdown, immediately turns and hands the ball to the ref rather than the guy who makes a spectacle of himself. Iâve always admired it when they simply act like itâs time to prepare for the next play rather than dancing a jig in front of their opponent. All this isnât some motto I dreamed up to live by; itâs just the way I naturally react to the situation. So, when someone says, âWhy donât you smile more in your field photos?â, I guess youâll know why. I should reiterate that just because this is how I feel doesnât mean I expect everyone else to feel that way. Iâll also say that Iâm perfectly happy to see other people smile, and it doesnât ever strike me as odd or inappropriate at all. Now, Iâll say this. There are exceptions to every rule, and I can think of two for me. First, when my children take their first deer, I have a feeling you wonât be able to wipe that smile off my face with 40-grit sandpaper. Second, Iâve hunted my entire life with the hope of taking a truly exceptional mule deer; not just a nice big buck, but something amazing, like a 200-inch typical or a 240-inch monster. If that day ever comes, I may just lose control of my faculties for a moment and bare those pearly whites. Or not; who the heck knows. View the full article

Practical and important tips that lead to success If youâre lucky enough to have an archery elk tag this fall, itâs time to get yourself and your bow in shooting shape! The earlier you get started, the better off youâll be. Iâd like to go over what I do each summer to get ready for elk hunting. The way I prepare for early fall hunts has changed quite a bit over the last 15 years. Back when I was competing weekly in 3-D tournaments, I didnât take my preparation for hunting season nearly as seriously as I do now. Five months of tuning and maintaining my target gear burned me out on archery. So, when fall rolled around, I just grabbed my hunting bow, slapped a few accessories on it, picked up a handful of arrows and headed into the field. I just wasnât as well prepared as I should have been. Things are a lot different now. I spend two solid months getting my gear ready to hunt. A lot of bowhunters will spend only the last month before season working on their gear. However, by that time, Iâm already finished tuning and grouping. That way I can save the last month solely for working on my shooting technique. Increasing the IncentiveIâm motivated to start early because of a broadhead tournament we started about 12 years back. We developed the shoot to encourage ourselves to develop more accurate hunting setups and also to force us to get our gear ready earlier. The first year we had the tournament it was just me and a couple of friends with a friendly wager. Now, it has grown into a formal competition â complete with serious bragging rights. Itâs no coincidence that this tournament takes place a month before we all start hunting. 18 Perfect ArrowsIn preparing for the broadhead competition, I spend a lot of time shooting long distances. I also work hard on my gear so that itâs perfectly tuned. One of my highest priorities is putting together 18 perfect arrows. I start with three dozen and shoot them repeatedly with broadheads attached. I have each arrow numbered, and as I shoot, I record where each one hits on the target. I do this at 100 yards to exaggerate any inconsistencies. If an arrow consistently hits outside the group, Iâll turn the nock and try again. If that doesnât solve the problem, I replace the broadhead with a different one and keep shooting. Once I have a broadhead and arrow combination thatâs hitting right in the center of the target, I mark them as âgamersâ and they remain a pair for the entire season. Mark ItWhen the bow is hunt-ready, I mark everything that could move with a marker, so if it moves, Iâll know right away. I then remove all the screws, put Loc-Tite on the threads, and replace and tighten them. Next, Iâll put just a dab of epoxy overlapping the edge of each screw head; if it moves, there will be a crack in the epoxy. I put a custom string on my bow early on (I use Winnerâs Choice). A good custom string is pre-stretched so that after only a few shots, the strings are set. I take special care to precisely mark my cams and my peep sight so I can tell quickly if theyâve moved even slightly. When Iâm finished, my bow is bombproof. Real-Life Shooting After the broadhead competition, I turn my attention away from the long shots and focus on practicing real-life hunting shots. I practice awkward shots and the occasional quick shot. Target-range form is only a starting point for true hunting accuracy – very few of my shots on elk are taken while standing up straight on level ground. When youâre elk hunting, youâll often face shots where you have to lean out from behind cover. Youâll be surprised how much this simple change in form affects your accuracy, so you need to practice this kind of shot. The same holds true for kneeling shots and twisting and turning shots. I also practice sitting shots. Just outside my door in Colorado is a 37-degree slope (very steep). I shoot a few arrows per day at a target Iâve packed up the mountain. Once a week I scramble up the hill with my bow and shoot all the arrows back down. This gives me great angle compensation practice on uphill and downhill shots. It also helps me perfect my uphill and downhill shooting form. I spend quite a bit of time shooting in the wind and rain â conditions that drive most archers indoors. I want to know how the elements affect my accuracy. Iâve killed elk in some very ugly conditions. Without this kind of practice, itâs less likely I would have made those tough shots. Change in ElevationIâm fortunate that I spend my summers at 9000 feet elevation. So, once Iâm sighted in, Iâm good for almost all the mountain hunting I do at similar elevations in the early fall. If you live at sea level, youâll have to re-sight your bow once you get to elk hunting elevations. The air is thinner as you go higher and that reduces the drag on your arrows, so they hit high. If you shoot a large-diameter arrow with big vanes and a large broadhead, you may shoot several inches high at 40 yards at these elevations. Thatâs one of the reasons I prefer small vanes, low-profile broadheads and small-diameter shafts (I currently shoot Easton Injexion arrows, fletched with Plastifletch Max by AAE, and tipped with an Ulmer Edge 125-grain Stainless Steel broadhead.) Parting ThoughtsTen years ago, I missed shots that I can make today. When I face tough shots in the field now, Iâm more prepared and confident. I have a better understanding of what I have to do to compensate for the environmental conditions and my own tendencies. Thereâs a lot more involved in proper preparation than simply dusting off your bow and spinning a couple of arrows. The last few months before hunting season is the time to pull everything together. Your bow should be set up perfectly, with everything locked in place. Finally, get yourself into great shooting shape, and the best way to do that is through lots of challenging, realistic practice. Like what you read? Western Hunter and Elk Hunter Magazines feature articles just like this on in each and every issue! Choose your subscription below and don’t miss out on a single article! Sale!1 Year of BOTH Elk Hunter and Western Hunter $29.99 Select options Sale!1 Year of Elk Hunter Magazine $19.99 Select options Sale!1 Year of Western Hunter Magazine $19.99 Select options View the full article

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BY TRACY BREEN Most of us who do a lot of bowhunting in the West are always looking for a way to increase our accuracy. Let’s face it: we have to have our form, our bow and all our gear on the bow dialed in if we want to split hairs at 60 yards and beyond while practicing in the backyard or in the field. In recent years, technology like rangefinders, adjustable sights and more accurate bows have helped us all become more accurate. Now there is a new iPhone App called the UNO from Full Flight Technology that might help all of us shoot even more accurately. The UNO App is designed to help an archer quickly and accurately setup their bow. Here is how it works. You sight-in at one distance, say 20 yards, plug performance data from the shots into the UNO App along with a couple of dimensions measured from the peep at full draw. The app then gives you set of sight marks in your smartphone screen all the way out to 80 yards. You place the phone against the sight housing, line-up the 20 yard cross hairs with the pin that you already set and gap the rest of the pins using the corresponding marks displayed in the phone. With the UNO App, there is no guessing and no moving your pins up and down with an Allen wrench a hundred times until you get it right. The app does all the work for you. The app eliminates human error because there is no traditional “sighting in†required beyond 20 yards. “When you eliminate human error from the equation, you are bound to become more accurate. The longer ranges from 60-80 yards can be tough to sight in because an archer’s group size increases with distance.†said Bob Donahoe, the Founder of Full Flight Technology. “The goal of the UNO App is to eliminate second guessing on pin placement so archers are confident that their bow is set up right the first time.†Full Flight hasn’t ignored single pin shooters as Donahoe offered that “at launch, we expect the app to provide sight marks that single pin shooters can use to create their own tapes in the field. Full Flight is using a crowd funding website called Kickstarter to accept pre-orders for the app and help fund the project. “Our goal is to launch the UNO App by late Summer,†said Donahoe. “For us to do that, we need people to pre-order the app on the Kickstarter website.†How Kickstarter works is a manufacturer, in this case Full Flight Technology, sets a funding goal that has to be reached to bring the product to market. Full Flight’s goal is $25,000. Archers can log onto the Kickstarter campaign page and pre-order the Uno App for $10. Everyone who pre-orders at the $10 backer level or more receives something in addition to the app as a bonus. Those who pledge larger amounts can receive cool gear including the electronic bow tuning device, the Velocitip System, which is the company’s flagship product. There are roughly three weeks until the end of the campaign so now is a great time to visit the Kickstarter website and check out the Uno iPhone App. Can you image spending ten or fifteen minutes to sight in your bow instead of an hour or more? It is amazing how far technology has brought us. The campaign has raised about $10,000 so far. To pre-order the Uno iPhone App or to simply check it out, visit the campaign page here. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/velocitip/uno-the-science-of-archery. About the Author: Tracy Breen is a full-time outdoor writer, speaker and marketing consultant in the outdoor industry. He currently works with a variety of companies including Mathews Archery, Wilderness Athlete, Full Flight Technology and Schaffer Performance Archery. Learn more about him at www.tracybreen.com. View the full article

by R. Cade Powell for Western Hunter As I shut my truck door and mumbled under my breath, my seven year-old asked if I was alright in only the way a kid who is genuinely concerned about you can do. I smiled and said, “I’m alright but I am more grateful that you are fine. Now you know why you have to be buckled in your booster seat in the back!†She just grinned at me with those big blue eyes and in a matter-of-fact tone stated, “Dad, I heard what you said but I won’t tell mom.†Little did she know, but that comment earned her a lifetime supply of blue Slurpee’s! As I pulled back onto the road and pointed the truck toward home, I wasn’t sure how I was going to break the news to my wife. I only had 8 miles to figure it out so my brain was working overtime. I knew Rainey wouldn’t keep a secret of this magnitude very long so that further complicated matters. As the garage door shut behind me, a light popped on in my brain. Maybe it wasn’t a light but more like a low dull glow as my wife has come to expect. Anyway, I finally had a plan. My 7 year old holding some presents for her mom We walked into the kitchen and set the bags of groceries on the counter. Brooke was finishing up dinner at the kitchen stove. As slowly and nonchalantly as a seven year-old and her dad can get, we tried to make a break for it. Brooke shot me a glance as if to ask why I wasn’t putting the groceries away since her hands were already busy. I mumbled something about the potty and continued through the house. I almost made it across the living room when I heard Brooke gasp. “Cade! What happened? Did you wreck the truck?†I just grinned as she pulled the Ford insignia and part of a mule deer antler out of the grocery bag……………….. I don’t think she would have cared as much if the truck wasn’t only 8 months old! They sure don’t make them like they used to. I live in Southern Wyoming where deer, elk, pronghorn, moose, and even range cows are a threat each and every time I get in the vehicle. It’s a risk I’m willing to take to live in such a beautiful spot where I have the opportunity to see those types of animals out my back door. Knowing the hazards and risk of an animal collision with ‘her’ new truck, I had been researching grille guards and replacement front bumpers for over a year. Just that morning, I had parked by a truck that had the exact bumper I wanted. I pointed it out to Brooke and said “we need that bumper especially with our oldest just beginning to driveâ€! They sure don’t make them like they used to After I steamrolled that mule deer buck, I took my truck in for the estimates to begin the process of having it repaired. The local body shop I chose, Barkhurst Collision Center, was an authorized dealer for Ranch Hand bumpers. As we discussed the price of the Ford replacement bumper I asked about putting the Ranch Hand on instead. He showed me the price difference and I had him go ahead and place the order after consulting with the boss. She was like a mother hen protecting her brood and wanted a bumper on each vehicle so her kids would be safer when they were riding with their dad! I went with the Ranch Hand Summit replacement bumper and have been thrilled since I picked my truck up several months ago Why did I choose the Ranch Hand? In my research, I found about 1 dozen different companies manufacturing bumpers and grille guards. The materials used and manufacturing facilities were as varied as the names and promises. Some were start-up companies and some had a few years under their belts. Some were built on American soil and some were not. Some used cheap materials and some did not. The common theme I found between all the companies I researched was their attempt to mimic the top company in the business: Ranch Hand. Ranch Hand was my original choice and every company and product I researched validated that choice. They’ve been the best since start-up in 1986. With over 230 full-time employees and 70,000 pounds of steel used EVERY DAY, it was comforting to know Ranch Hand would be around as long as my bumper. The Summit Replacement Bumper is made in America with 182 pounds of steel mounted to the vehicles frame in 4 places. It is one-piece fully welded construction with a durable black powder coat finish. The main portion of the bumper is manufactured from diamond plate steel and the grille insert even matches the factory grille pattern on your truck. The continuous upright bar adds strength and durability with a Euro bar on top to add strength to the headlight loops. The fit on my 2013 F-150 is such that my truck even retains its manufacturer tow hooks and fog lights required to mount onto my truck as it matched pre-existing holes in the frame. In addition to its rugged construction I think the Summit is the best looking replacement bumper on the market. Winter still has a deep hold on Southern Wyoming. May 11th, the mountains within 15 miles of my house received over 40 inches of snow. Needless to say, I haven’t been able to test my bumper out in the field hunting and fishing. Look for a review this fall that will cover aspects such as: clearance; accessibility to the engine; potential decrease in fuel economy (to this point I haven’t seen any decrease in my MPG’s); added wear to front tires; and anything else I can think of. In fact, if you’ll respond to this blog, or FaceBook pages with questions you would like me to analyze and answer, I’d love to keep notes as I get to hunt and fish across several western states this summer and fall. For any additional questions or to see their full line-up of replacement bumpers, grille guards, rear bumpers, headache racks, push bars and bull nose bumpers go visit the Ranch Hand website at www.RanchHand.com View the full article

by R. Cade Powell for Western Hunter. I would like to invite whomever coined the phrase, “Change is Goodâ€, to have their head examined. The old school way of thinking has always served me better than those that are swayed by every new ‘latest and greatest’ product to hit the shelves. I ALWAYS mock the guys who have a new bow and accessories every year but NEVER kill anything with it. “Maybe you should spend more time learning about your quarry and how to hunt, than you spend learning about new products that really don’t help your hunting skillâ€, was my usual line. Three years ago, a good friend, was so excited to show me his new bow, arrows, and accessories that were all released just a month before at the Archery Trade Association (ATA) show. I hesitantly held his equipment as he tried to shove it into my hands with childlike excitement. I felt like the Grinch sucking the Christmas spirit out of a toddler when I handed it back to him with a guffaw. “This is your 4th new bow in 5 years and you don’t have any antlers in the garage to even show for it. Why don’t you learn your equipment and an area instead of running to each new ‘hotspot’ with your new-fangled equipment and never killing anythingâ€, came my sharp reply? The Grinch would have been proud as I pulled out the Old School club to beat his excitement to a pulp. I should have left well enough alone but threw in a sucker punch as I walked away. “I have a personal rule that I can’t buy a new bow until I’ve harvested 10 animals with my old one. Usually takes 3 or 4 years.†I turned and walked away as he stood there, green-faced, looking at his new equipment like a vegetarian that just realized that wasn’t a tofu burger they just inhaled. It was priceless! After passing all of Cade’s criteria at the practice range, it was time to take them hunting I grew up shooting Easton Game Getter II’s in the late 80’s and early 90’s so it wasn’t hard to make the change to XX75’s or the XX78 Super Slam’s, when they hit the market. Along came the carbon craze in the 90’s that I fought like a 2 year-old fights naptime; crying, kicking, and screaming. Didn’t matter. Carbons were here to stay, but I didn’t have to jump on the bandwagon! I continued to shoot my trusty XX78’s for the next 10 years. In 2001, I was given 3 dozen carbons to test out. Since I had finally bought a new bow, I thought I’d give them a try. I shot those arrows (and bow) for the next 11 years. I broke a few arrows, but nothing even close to what I would do in my aluminum days. I even broke down and took them hunting. After I killed a 6pt bull elk, pronghorn buck and mule deer buck, with the SAME ARROW, I was sold. I still had over a dozen arrows left from that first batch of 3 dozen when I sold that bow in 2012 and gave in for a new-fangled bow. I settled on the Mathews Heli’m and accessorized it with a Trophy Taker Smack-down rest and a Spot-Hogg Hogg-It sight (so much for being old school). I then started looking at arrows. The pro-shop kept trying to talk me into these new ‘skinny’ arrows that were so great they would penetrate further, deflect more wind, and hit harder than any arrow I’d ever shot. They would also retrieve themselves from your bag target and place themselves by number in your quiver so I could sit in the shade and sip lemonade. During hunts they would track After passing all of Cade’s criteria at the practice range, it was time to take them hunting my quarry and follow a blood trail like a blood hound and blah, blah, blah, blah. I had already done my homework and knew what I wanted. I could have done without all the sales pitch but I walked out of the shop with not 1, but 2 dozen Easton Injexion 330’s with Deep Six inserts. I had been shooting the Trophy Taker Shuttle-T broadhead for years and wasn’t going to give it up, so I ordered an outsert from Firenock (www.Firenock.com) that fit right over the end of my Injexion and allowed me to attach my Shuttle-T’s. It actually added 30 grains to the front of my arrow and moved the FOC forward where I prefer it. The Firenock outsert fit snug and all my arrows spun correct so I put on field tips and went to the range to start shooting. After my first 10 arrows, I knew something was up with these new arrows. After 200 shots that afternoon I was positive they were the hardest hitting arrows I had ever shot. I had never had arrows penetrate that far into a bag target. It was unreal watching the vanes bury and disappear into my new target. They didn’t penetrate that far into my broadhead target but went further than any other arrows I had shot. Maybe these arrows are the hardest hitting and deepest penetrating arrows I’d ever shot, but how about the wind deflection? I live in SE Wyoming and know a thing or two or ten about the wind. Yup, they deflect the wind too, but how would they do in a hunting situation? Over the past two seasons I’ve been able to put them to the test on both Idaho and Wyoming mule deer. I should have been able to test them on a big Wyoming bull, but I screwed up (punched my trigger!!) and failed that test. The Wyoming bull that Cade punched his trigger on after a 9 hour stal I won’t tell you what my buddy in the beginning of the article said to me when I told him about missing that bull. Let’s just say the Grinch would have turned his head in disgust…………. The best equipment in the world won’t put meat in the freezer and antlers in the garage if you can’t handle the moment of truth The Idaho buck I killed right at dark toward the end of my hunt. You can read that whole hunt (http://westernhunter.net/eye-opening-experience-by-r-cade-powell-part-1-7/) if you’d like but I won’t bore you with all the details other than to say he was further than any animal I had ever shot with a bow. Arrow penetrated through the edge of the shoulder blade angling forward into the offside shoulder. I was a little concerned when he ran off and I couldn’t see any fletchings. Cade’s 2012 Idaho Desert mulie that his Injexion passed completely through both shoulders I walked up to where he was standing and saw my arrow 5 yards (downhill) past his tracks in the dirt. It completely passed through that off-side shoulder as well and was soaked in blood. There wasn’t any wind that evening but for that arrow to pass through 2 shoulder blades, I would definitely say it had more than performed up to my expectations on penetration and hitting hard. That was the end of my bowhunts that year as I had a 13 year-old daughter with a couple tags in her pocket that I needed to save as many personal days as possible for. The next year, after blowing an opportunity on a great public land DIY Wyoming bull, I was back in the badlands looking for velvet bucks. I found an old mature deer one morning that I decided to pass a stalk opportunity on. After pondering on the rest of my fall I decided to go back and try to find him bedded up for the day. My 2nd daughter had just turned 12 and had drawn a mule deer tag and pronghorn tag with her 14 year-old sister in our home state of Wyoming. Needless to say, my fall was going to be busy so I decided to spend the rest of the day looking for him. Found him a couple hours later in an awesome bed and I was able to stalk 18 yards above him. About mid-day, he stood to stretch and my Injexion took him high in the shoulder angling down into his cavity. It almost knocked him off his feet as it lodged low in the opposite side shoulder. He made it 75 yards down the draw before piling up in the bottom. He is my widest mule deer to date and first velvet buck with a 29 7/8 outside spread. I was pretty happy with my “Time-Management†archery buck. Cade’s 2013 Wyoming Public Land DIY archery mulie killed with a hard-hitting Easton Injexion arrow A couple good public land Wyoming desert mulies that didn’t quite make the cut. View the full article

Summer is just around the corner. Now is a great time to start thinking about turkey hunting. Every year there is a pile of new turkey hunting gear introduced to the market. In recent years, several companies have introduced turkey decoys that are more lifelike than ever. From feeding decoys to strutting tom decoys and everything in between, there are more options available now than there are days in the week. One decoy that is perfect for hunting in the open country of the West that recently caught my eye is the new Mojo Scoot & Shoot decoy. This decoy is designed to be used while stalking. In open country, you use this decoy to sneak up on a longbeard in the middle of a field or prairie. Crawling on your belly can be very difficult. Calling a bird to the edge of a field or opening can also be difficult. With the Mojo Scoot & Shoot, you go to the bird. The wings make this decoy a little different from most of the other strutting decoys. The wings are flared out, which help keep the hunter hidden behind the decoy as they stalk the live bird. In the video below, you can see that you can make a lot of movement behind the decoy without getting busted because the live longbeard is locked in on the fact that another gobbler has snuck into his area. The video even shows a hunter walking hunched over and sneaking up on a gobbler and not getting busted. By doing this, the hunter is able to cover a lot of ground in open terrain in plain view of turkeys without alarming the birds. When the decoy attracts the attention of the tom and the tom starts coming to the decoy, the hunter sits tight until the bird is within range at which point they set up and shoot. The draw back of this style of hunting is you are often shooting at a running bird that was just spooked. However, as the video shows, in most cases the hunter has plenty of time to get the shot off. This decoy will work well for gun hunters and bowhunters. If you already have a strutting decoy, it would probably work almost as well as this one. The scary thing about this style of hunting is that if another hunter sees the moving decoy, they may mistake it for a real bird. The decoy has orange stripes on the wings to help eliminate this problem. This decoy should probably only be used on private land. One of the keys to bringing turkeys within shooting distance is having realistic decoys. Regardless if you are hunting in open country or heavy timber, good decoys can pay off. In addition to the Scoot & Shoot, there several great options including Avian X, DSD and others. If you are on a budget but want to spruce up your current decoy spread, consider purchasing Turkey Skinz (Awayhunting.com). Turkey Skinz made by A-Way Hunting Products is a cover that goes over the outside of your decoy. Turkey Skinz is the actual skin of a hen turkey that has the feathers attached. When you wrap your decoy in a Turkey Skinz, you get the realistic look of a real hen because your decoy is wrapped in real turkey feathers. This eliminates the shine often given off by reflection from the sun bouncing off a decoy and adds a lot of realism to your decoy. One thing is certain: there are plenty of realistic turkey decoys on the market this spring that will help you bring turkeys in close. About the Author: Tracy Breen is a full-time outdoor writer, speaker and marketing consultant in the outdoor industry. Learn more about him at www.tracybreen.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9WT9qhH-yg View the full article

By: Tracey Breen A high-quality shelter is necessary when hunting in the backcountry. Almost every backcountry hunter knows it; the problem is choosing the right shelter for your needs. Over the years, I have tried a variety of shelters, but in the last ten years, for my needs, nothing compares to a tipi. There are many different brands on the market today. My favorite is the Kifaru. Kifaru tipi’s are made in Colorado and built for the hunter who wants a lean and mean shelter that can take a beating and last for years. One of the best things about a tipi is how lightweight it is. My four-man tipi tips the scales at slightly over five pounds. Most four-man tents are twice this weight. A Kifaru tipi doesn’t have a floor, has only one pole which goes in the center and is made of a lightweight proprietary material that is super strong and tear resistant. A tipi is tough, lightweight and is extremely easy to set up because there aren’t many poles and gadgets needed to erect a tipi. A four-man Kifaru tipi is perfect for two hunters and all their gear. I have lived in my tipi for up to two weeks and it offers many advantages over traditional tents including more head room, the ability to use a wood stove and because it doesn’t have a floor, I never have to worry about ruining the floor or getting it dirty. When I purchased the Kifaru tipi, I also purchased the medium wood stove. The stove is what really separates a tipi from a tent. The stove is compact and can be quickly setup or broke down without much effort. What I like most about the stove is the amount of heat it gives off. A few years ago while elk hunting in the Idaho wilderness, I found myself caught in a blizzard. When I returned to camp, I was soaked to the bone. I quickly warmed up after I got the stove cranked up. I hung my wet clothes by the stove and went to bed. I stoked the fire several times during the night and my clothes were dry in the morning. The stove eliminates the need for a Jetboil or other cook stove. It takes a little longer to boil water on a Kifaru stove than a Jetboil, but having a stove that doubles as a heat source is worth the trade off. I typically make freeze dried food or Ramen noodles on the stove and it works well, especially on really cold nights and the stove is worth its’ weight in gold. The footprint of the Kifaru four-man tipi is 10.5â€x13†when set up, with a center height of 6’6â€. When packed, the tipi measures 6.5â€x 22â€. In my opinion, this tipi and stove combo is the perfect system for the backcountry hunter. After you have tried a tipi, you will likely never use another form of shelter again. If you really want to go lean and mean, check out the Kifaru ParaTarp. This one-man shelter only weighs 1 pound, 13 ounces. About the Author: Tracy Breen is a full-time outdoor writer and marketing consultant in the outdoor industry. Learn more about him at www.tracybreen.com. View the full article

By R. Cade Powell After 31 days in the field last year I hope I can give a fair and accurate opinion of C4E. Those 31 days consisted of a couple days of chasing rooster pheasants and jump shooting greenheads, archery hunting badlands mule deer, backpacking for elk above timberline and belly crawling prickly pear flats for pronghorn. All my hunting exploits last year were in my home state of Wyoming. All of my big-game hunting was public land DIY. Temps varied from over 100 degrees to 15 degrees below zero. Elevation varied from 4,000 feet to 10,962 feet. Elements experienced included wind, rain, sleet, snow, hot and bitter cold. My C4E equipment consists of merino 190 bottoms, merino 190 ¼ zip and zip hoodie tops, Pivot short-sleeve shirt, Pivot long-sleeve shirt, Element pants, Switchback pants, Mid-mountain vest, Element jacket, Torrent rain gear, Stalker beanie, Assault gloves, Talus belt, knee pads, and Elevation Down-Tek jacket. My August pronghorn hunts utilized the switchback pant and pivot short-sleeve shirt. I also had a pivot long-sleeve shirt in my pack for the cool mornings. My daughters, that had the tags, were wearing switchback pants. Temps reached over 100 degrees on several days. Even with the great cooling effect of Merino, I felt it was too hot to wear my Merino layers. I did wear my knee pads in my switchback pants all day long. I never took them out during this 3 day hunt and could walk for miles and not notice them. I did not utilize my pockets on the rear of my Switchbacks for knee pads on this hunt. Our C4E gear performed great as my 12 year-old daughter harvested her first big-game animal on her first big-game hunt It continued to perform well as my 14 year-old daughter harvested her biggest pronghorn in her 3rd year of hunting. 16 3/8 tall on one side and 15 7/8 on the other! My September archery elk hunt utilized Merino base and ¼ zip top, Switchback pants, pivot short-sleeve shirt, pivot long-sleeve shirt, Mid-mountain vest, Element jacket, and Torrent rain gear. I spent a couple days during elk archery season wearing my Torrent rain gear during rain showers and snow squalls. I never wore it during an absolute downpour so I can’t vouch for it in those situations. I spent 7 nights on the mountain living out of my backpack. Temps were between 84 and 22 degrees over the 2 partial weeks I hunted. All elements were experienced from hot, wind, rain, snow, etc. 32 miles hiked and just over 15,000 feet of elevation gained. I loved being able to shed or replace layers as we hiked/hunted toward where our camp would be at timberline. A couple times, as the temps pushed 80+ degrees, I’d end up in just my merino top. It performed well to keep me cool. It also helped keep my scent to a minimum as evidenced by the cow, calf and 320 type 6 point I had at 10 yards on my hike in. His eyes bugged out at 10 yards as he looked at this intruder that was sharing the steep trail with him. He stepped off following his cow as my partner, 30 yards behind me, cringed when he realized I wasn’t going to release an arrow in the hopes of arrowing the bigger bull we had glassed several hours earlier. C4E could handle everything NW Wyoming high country could throw at it during a September elk hunt. My September archery mule deer hunt utilized Merino base and ¼ zip top, Switchback pants, pivot short-sleeve shirt, pivot long-sleeve shirt. Mid-mountain vest and Torrent Rain Gear stayed in my pack during this hunt. I spent lots of time on my knees and belly as I crawled up to ledges and set up the Vortex Razor spotting scope on my Outdoorsman’s tripod to scour each and every draw. My kneepads never came out of my Switchback pants, in fact, I never took them out during my September elk hunt as well. I hunted 1 ½ days in early September when temps spiked to the low 90’s during the heat of the day. I wore my Merino layers all day. I then came back for a day on the 20th of September. Temps were in the high 70’s and I still wore the same set-up of Merino bases, switchback pants and pivot shirt. I was on a big ridge with many finger ridges running off of it when I glassed my buck as he traded beds during the mid-part of the day. I thought he would only move one draw over to bed. Imagine my surprise when he started over the second ridge and dropped out of sight. I literally backed up and out of sight behind the ridge I was on and ran over a mile to make it to the next ridge in front of him. He crossed it and started for the next ridge as I backed up behind the ridge top and jogged with him. I ended up running a little over 1.5 miles before he decided to lay down for the rest the afternoon. It then took almost 2 hours of crawling and glassing before I spotted 2 inches of the top of his tine below me in his secluded bed. After a short crawl, I was 18 yards above his bed. Wind was perfect and when he stood to change locations, my Injexion took out both lungs. I was grateful for the cooling, moisture wicking, and scent absorption properties of Merino as I laid in the sandstone above his bed. Cade’s velvet mulie also believes in the scent absorption properties of C4E Merino wool bases My next major hunt was on hold until the end of October. My daughter, Paige, had drawn the same mule deer tag that I had. We had to finish up with her volleyball season before we could go chase badlands mulies on her first deer hunt. My gear consisted of Merino base and ¼ zip top, Switchback pants, pivot short-sleeve shirt, pivot long-sleeve shirt, Mid-mountain vest, Element jacket, and Torrent rain gear. Temps warmed up into the 70’s during the day but mornings were brisk enough that I’d wear my Element jacket while I was set up and glassing. Paige was in Switchback pants and even stole my Mid-mountain vest during most the hunt. We found her several mulie bucks but nothing she wanted to pull the trigger on right away. I kept telling her that my first deer was a forkie and second was a doe, but she had been up there with me and knew I could find her a 4 point. We had 30 minutes of shooting light left on our last day when I finally got her on a herd with 3 or 4 decent bucks. She picked out the one on the left, away from the rest of the herd and put a 168 Berger through his shoulder. It was just icing on the cake that it was a big forky! Every kid should harvest a forky for their first deer! C4E performed great on a late October Wyoming badlands mule deer hunt First week of November found me back in NW Wyoming looking for a bull elk with my rifle. I was asked to help a friend of a friend and it turned into a nightmare. I’ll spare you the details other than he harvested his first ever elk – a 310 bull. I saw 20+ 6 points but nothing I was going to hang a tag on. My gear consisted of Merino base and ¼ zip top, Element pants, pivot long-sleeve shirt, Mid-mountain vest, Element jacket, Stalker Beanie and Torrent rain gear. Temps were in the single digits in the morning and warming up to the upper teens during the day. Wind was always blowing but we avoided snow, although there was 4 inches up to 2 feet already on the ground in most places we hunted. It was crunchy so we’d glass bulls at first light and watch them go to the dark timber to bed up for the day. We’d hike around, sometimes up to 3 -4 miles, and sit on the hillside above the timber they were bedding in. The last evening is the only time we had an elk feed out the same way he went in. I wore gaiters and all my gear was great at repelling water, snow, ice. A couple of the big hikes we were really pushing it to try and catch the elk before the entered the timber for the day. I had to take my Element jacket off during one hike, but all my gear wicked moisture and didn’t allow it to accumulate inside my gear making you cold and wet even when perspiring from the exertion. My Element pants with Merino bases were warm enough to sit on the hillside for several hours with little movement. They also performed great during my fast hikes through the snow. My Merino bases, Pivot long-sleeve shirt, Mid Mountain vest and Element Jacket performed equally as well. One afternoon when the wind was howling and we were stationary for several hours, I pulled my Torrent Rain Jacket on to help block the wind. I didn’t own my Down-Tek Elevation Jacket yet but it would have been the PERFECT solution for extra warmth up on that wind-blown ridge. My last hunt of the year was my cow elk tag in SE Wyoming during the last two week so of November. My gear consisted of Merino base and ¼ zip top, Element pants, pivot long-sleeve shirt, Mid-mountain vest, Element jacket, Stalker Beanie, Torrent rain gear and my new favorite Down-Tek Elevation Jacket. Temps ranged from 15 degrees below zero to 25 degrees. Elements were wind, snow, cold, wind, wind, and more wind. This hunt consisted of driving as close as I could to big vantage points where I’d park and then hike up and glass. My Elevation Jacket is too warm to hike very far in or during periods of extreme exertion. It is wonderful for putting on after you reach your vantage point to begin a glassing session. It packs up about the size of a softball so it should never be left out of your pack! One day the temps were in the single digits and it was snowing hard. The wind chill made it well below zero but I was very comfortable as I still hunted through the timber looking for bedded elk. When I came out to big vantage points where I wanted to let my Vortex Kaibab 15×56’s do the walking, I’d pull on my Elevation jacket and could sit for hours while glassing. We packed 3 cows out of a decent sized canyon and my gear performed just as I’d come to expect after wearing it for a full season. Like most of you, I didn’t get to hunt near enough this fall. I also didn’t get near enough time in the backcountry living out of my backpack, but it was worth sacrificing some of my high country hunts to be able to take 2 of my daughters as many days as I could. I’m already more excited to think about what tags they’ll draw this fall than I am my own tags. I do feel like I was able to test my C4E gear in as tough of terrain and weather as most of us will get to see in the lower 48, if you exclude the thorn infested region of the Desert SW. The only mishap I had with any of my gear was with one of my Pivot shirts. I unzipped it too hard and the bottom of the zipper came apart. It took about 30 seconds to get it put back together and luckily I was at home, so a quick job with needle and thread fixed the problem. I had no tears or holes. No leaks from rain, snow or water crossings. I’m 6’4†and 225 pounds and the cut and fit are athletic enough to bend and stretch where I needed to bend and stretch. I drew my bow on 2 different mulie bucks and twice on one bull elk without any concerns from my clothing interfering. I drew hundreds of times during off-season practice so I knew it wouldn’t be a concern on the mountain. Merino wicked moisture and controlled scent for days living out of my backpack. My gear breathed better than any gear I’d worn before. My Elevation jacket didn’t breathe very well when I wore it on a big hike out of a steep canyon. I was hotter than a pig in the ground with an apple in its mouth by the time I got to my glassing knob. I learned to put it in my pack until I got to my knob and needed the extra heat. It was unbelievable for those situations and even became my coat of choice all winter as I wore it to work every day. It does make a ‘crinkling’ sound when the temps reached 15-30 below zero but it wouldn’t bother me during a hunting situation if my Element jacket were over the top of it. All in all, I was impressed with the performance, functionality, fit, and cost of my C4E gear. I can’t wait to try a couple of their new pieces that came out late last fall with Gaitors, Highline Pant and Selway Zip being at the top of my ‘wishlist’. View the full article

Picking an elk hunting area based on wildfires By Remi Warren Note: Click here to download the complete, original article Across the West, fires are a significant annual occurrence. Over the last ten years, there has been an upward trend. Millions and millions of acres – much of it public land – is barbequed every year. While the immediate effects can seem devastating, the good news is that wildfires can in fact create excellent habitat for elk. The increased feed can bolster the areaâs big game population and overall health of the animals. This also leads to better antler growth. Elk and Fires The interspersed and sometimes splotchy burned/non-burned areas create what biologist call an edge effect. Fires can increase the abundance of elk forage that can have positive lasting effects for ten years or more, depending on the situation involved within an individual burn. Studies have shown that fires in heavily timbered forests can lead to an increase in the elk population for that area by over 70%. Calf survival to maturity has a lot to do with their relative birth weight. With more available food for their mothers, calves are set up to live longer. Also, in captivity, it has been proven that healthy cows have a higher likelihood that new calves will be born male. Cow elk also first breed based on their body weight, with half the cows coming into estrus at 70% of their mature body weight. This means that healthy populations with plenty of forage may start breeding sooner. This effect can have positive impacts in a fairly short amount of time. Noticeable effects are seen within two to five years, hitting the max benefit around seven or eight years. Picking a Burned Area Because not all burns are equal, there is a science to picking the best area to maximize the potential benefits from a fire. To do this, I look at how the fire burned, how long ago it burned, and what type of range was burned in the fire. Once Iâve narrowed this down, Iâll then pick spots based on the criteria Iâm looking for. When the fire took place. The time that has elapsed since the fire took place, as well as the stage of regrowth, makes a huge difference in picking an area to hunt. An early fire (one that ends in July, for example), can often recover enough to start new succulent green growth for that fall. Just because a fire was recent does not mean that it should be passed over. If you see new growth, resident elk will begin using it that very year. If the fire was late in the summer like late August or September, I will pass that area up for hunting the same year. There likely wonât be enough time for initial regrowth, and the elk wonât be there. Most burn areas reach their maximum benefit around seven years after a fire, but Iâll start hunting them three to five years after the initial fire. This gives the area enough time to start growing the population, increase the number of bulls, and provide good feed to bulls that will now be reaching maturity. In 2006 and 2007, there were a large number of smaller fires across Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah that are now in their most productive years for elk. Now is the time to capitalize on some of these burns. How the fire burned. The best elk habitat is a patchy burn where at least 20% of the area remains unburned within the fire perimeter. Look for fires that have a mosaic pattern of areas completely scorched mixed in with partial burned timber and live timber. As edge animals, elk seldom travel more than 1200 yards from suitable cover. These patchy areas are where I focus the majority of my attention. Type of range that was burned. For overall burn use, itâs better to find an area that has had a fire on a winter range than a summer range. Studies show that elk use burns more frequently in the winter than in the summer. This is because food is more important in the winter months and shelter is more important in the summer. Patchy fires in the winter range can help elk remain healthier even if it is a hard winter. This map is an overlay of all fires over 1000 acres (shown in yellow) from 2001-2009. The red indicates single fires over 100,000 acres within the timeframe. This map serves as a reference and starting point to locate units that have had fires that could be productive hunting now. Remember that itâs covering nine years of fires, so the fire range indicated will be in varying stages of regrowth. This also maps the outer perimeter of each fire and does not indicate areas within the perimeter that remained untouched. Top Six Things to Remember 1. Donât overlook patches of standing burned timber. It may not look like a great hiding spot, but dense standing burns can make elk feel secure enough to use it, and theyâre really easy to see if you take time to glass it. Remember that even some areas that look pretty open can easily conceal elk. Take your time and look these spots over. 2. When calling elk, be in front of the burned tree. If you feel like youâre out in the open in a burn, itâs because you are. Donât let that get the best of you. If a bull is coming into bow range as you call, youâre better off being in front of a tree and using it to block your outline, rather than behind a tree and having to move laterally. The open nature of a burn means your movement is more likely to get spotted, so youâre better off in front of a solid backdrop. 3. Now is always a good time to hunt a burn. If a portion of an area youâre hunting or regularly hunt burns this summer, donât count it out. The new growth will become a magnet for elk in the surrounding areas. Although the area may not reap the benefit of boosting the population in that time, the burn will attract many of the current elk and concentrate a portion of the elk in an area that may be easier to glass than other places. 4. Glass into the pockets of live timber. The majority of elk using a burn will spend their time escaping danger in the pockets of canopy cover that remain. Find a spot where you can get across from this cover and glass into it. You may only be able to see bits and pieces, but youâll likely catch elk moving in it. Watching multiple patches from afar allows you to catch elk when they first move out into the burn to feed in the evenings. 5. Think about the habitat in terms what it was like before the fire. Elk will often use the same place theyâve always used, burnt or not. If there is a place you regularly got into elk before a burn and the spot is now open, elk may still be ingrained to use this portion of their home range. Burns also allow you to see the topography of areas in a new way. Look at the areas they like, notice what makes it unique, and then find other spots that look similar. 6. Watch for falling trees. Burns can be dangerous, especially five to ten years after the initial fire. Standing dead trees will rot, and often the root systems have been partially burned out (yes, fire will burn underground). One good windstorm can put you in danger. These rotted trees can fall surprisingly quiet for their size. Make note of areas where there are a lot of downed trees and avoid them during high winds. If Iâm crossing through a large area of blowdowns, I try to look at the direction most the trees have fallen and walk on the opposite side of trees I know could kill me (two close calls really drove this point home). Also, beware of taking stock through areas like these, especially if you notice significant root burning, holes, and sunken spots. Itâs an easy way to break a horseâs leg. 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