tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14533373330488801262024-03-14T01:50:28.911-04:00Stack'em Up's Outdoors BlogA chronicle of my hunting, archery, fishing, kayaking, and outdoor pursuits. I will discuss strategy, methods, and do some gear review as well. I hope to share my experiences and lessons learned along the way.Stack'em UPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625625407406491857noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-81463571868643179502009-11-20T12:26:00.009-05:002009-11-20T14:01:58.290-05:00Deer Season 2009: Challenges A Plenty<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Swbeqx_SDJI/AAAAAAAAAPg/L0o_T8rdghQ/s1600/stacklogo5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 153px; height: 129px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Swbeqx_SDJI/AAAAAAAAAPg/L0o_T8rdghQ/s320/stacklogo5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406253229259492498" border="0" /></a><br />So far, this deer season in Michigan has been full of challenges for me. Between working out of town, coming home from work in the dark, and helping my Grandpa get beans out and wheat planted, I haven't been able to spend as much time in the woods as I wanted to. The weather this fall has also been atypical, unseasonably warm with temps peaking in the 60's throughout most of October and November. The plentiful amount of late rain has also put the farmers behind schedule, with more than half of the corn still standing. As most Midwestern hunters know, deer love to hide out in corn fields and who can blame them. They have all the food they want as well as the security of heavy cover to keep them safe from predators. The rut has been tough to time this season, with it lagging a bit behind from previous years, but as the corn keeps getting cut and weather starts to cool down, the deer have been starting to become more active. Within the past couple weeks, I have witnessed bucks starting to chase does. Some buddies of mine have started to see bucks locking down does within the past week and by now the rut is looking like it may be starting to taper off a bit.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >NOVEMBER 12</span><br /><br />This was the first chance I really had to get out hunting as I got off work early for once. The temps were in the 50's and the weather was sunny, not your normal November day. By the time I had all my gear around and made it to my hunting property, I was in stand by 2:30 in the afternoon. The stand I was hunting from that afternoon was set up on the intersection of three major ridges that had deer highways <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">criss</span>-crossing it. The stand is located about 80 yards from an alfalfa field and is in a travel corridor to this food source. After an hour in the stand, I noticed 2 does to the north of me, traveling along a field edge 150 yards away, definitely out of bow range. The action slowed a bit from there until about 4 o'clock. A doe with her two fawns filtered their way into the field and started to feed there the duration of the evening, about 80 yards away.<br /><br />While watching these deer, I heard some leaves crunching to my east. There had been <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">squirrels</span> running around the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">forest</span> chaotically all afternoon, but this sound was not <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">produced</span> from them. I slowly turned my head to see a deer making its way just below a ridge, about 50 yards out. As my eyes filled with the sight of the deer, I quickly noticed some light colored objects hovering above it's head....this was a buck! The buck had average sized antlers, and from what I could surmise a typical 8 point frame with <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">decent</span> tine length. The rack wasn't the widest in the world, as it eclipsed it's ears by a few inches on either side. The buck was well filled out around it's neck and had some sag to it's belly, this was an indication to me that the deer was at least 2 1/2 years old which was a definite shooter for me. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Unfortunately</span>, this buck was on a mission and focused in on his destination. He didn't even glance at the does feeding in the field and made his way across the alfalfa, and out of sight.<br /><br />This told me that the group of does in the field were not in estrus yet, as this buck would have probably checked them out. Another <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">possibility</span> was that a hot doe had been through there earlier, but I can't imagine it the case because this buck never once sniffed the ground. Despite not having any deer creep into bow range, I witnessed my biggest buck on hoof while out hunting, a success in my eyes.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">November 14</span></span><br /><br />With the day off work, I was able to get into the field again before bow season wrapped up. Gun season starts the 15<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">th</span> in Michigan, so this was my last chance to hunt lightly <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">pressured</span> deer before the orange army deployed into every nook and cranny in the woods. My girlfriend, Julie, got out of work fairly early, so she was able to accompany me on this hunt. We decided to set up shop in a double blind that was located in an small woodsy island in the middle of the alfalfa I had hunted near 2 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://midwestwhitetail.com/"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 144px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SwbdfyJFzfI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/8PCdOSrmtcw/s320/mwlogo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406251940810444274" border="0" /></a>days before. We had the video camera up and rolling with the hopes of tagging a shooter buck on film for <a href="http://midwestwhitetail.com/">Midwest Whitetail</a>. The nice buck I had saw days before passed within 30 yards of the island, which gave me hope we might be set up to intercept him. I laid down a trail of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Tink's</span> #69 from where the buck had entered the field and essentially traced his path it. I also hung a scent wick saturated with estrus urine nearby as well as deployed a scent canister on a hill, which I hoped would carry the scent back into the woods where I had sat before.<br /><br />With the scent laid out, we climbed into the stand and set up the camera arm and camera. We patiently waited all afternoon for deer to show, however it we got skunked. Not only did the buck refuse to come to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Tink's</span> ball, but the does that <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">fed</span> in the field on a regular basis were absent. As darkness crept in, we broke down the filming equipment and exited the field. Despite a no show by the deer, this was still a fun time. Being in the woods is always special and even more so when accompanied by someone who is special to you. I was really hoping to team up and lay some brown down, but things don't always work out that way. The temperature was a bit balmy for November, with it climbing into the 60's which probably shut the deer down until nightfall. Not only that, but numerous hunters wait until the days before gun season to spruce up their blinds, which may also shut down the deer.<br /><br /><br />So far, the season was off to a slow start, but there is still plenty of time ahead to fill my tags. Stay tuned for continued updates on my deer season in progress.Stack'em UPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625625407406491857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-8597328898249238622009-09-14T12:50:00.012-04:002009-09-14T14:02:44.643-04:00CO Elk Success (Without a Kill) Part DeuxWe awoke Day 2 in our modest (read <em>shitty</em>) camp on the valley floor. Being that we stayed in the cool wet river bottom, everything was covered in dew and the dampest it got all trip. We aired the tents out for a bit, said fuck it, packed them up wet and planned to get where we were going quick, set them up, and them dry out there. Figuring out where we were going was easy at first. During the morning piss, we realized we had slept directly on top on the trail we lost the day before! My 1 man tent was literally sitting with it's center along the trail we head facing the trail junction ahead and my feet pointing to the truck! The trail was even marked with orange surveyor's tape. How could we have missed this?<br /><br /><br /><div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq6ASahY53I/AAAAAAAAADA/zn8F8ab_Mz4/s1600-h/100_1984.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381379658599688050" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq6ASahY53I/AAAAAAAAADA/zn8F8ab_Mz4/s400/100_1984.jpg" border="0" /></a>We took our camps on our backs to head out. Its amazing how the pack only seems to get heavier as the trip goes on, especially after yesterdays battles with treetops and swamps. Our newly found trail was a godsend... for about 20 minutes. Then it reached the junction with the trail we were supposed to take up the 1000' to the drainage we wanted to hunt. Or should I say dead ended at the trail junction. There was nothing in any direction except the one we came. We wandered around looking for the signs of any trail for a while before fully committing to climbing the canyon wall sans trail. It seemed easy enough at first, go that way, up. About 10 slips and trips, 5 with near death experiences, 3 or 4 hours and a few gallons of sweat later, we reached our summit, which happened to be a valley floor. But it was what we were looking for. Daryn had beat Ryan and I there by a could 20-30 minutes, damn that machine. I didn't really help when he let us know "that definitely wasn't the hardest thing I've ever done, but I can tell it works a different muscle group then my mountain bike." It worked a different muscle group then my LIFE! But there was no room or time to complain, I knew it would hurt going into this and that was the point. Go where no-one else will go. Distance yourself from the crowds. We were definitely doing that.</div><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq6A1Y6MLfI/AAAAAAAAADI/b1GV9wnguVA/s1600-h/100_1993.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381380259462262258" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq6A1Y6MLfI/AAAAAAAAADI/b1GV9wnguVA/s400/100_1993.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div></div><div>From the valley floor, it was instantly noticed most of the area had been engulfed in a very hot burn in the last decade or so. I also knew this going in, well at least that there had been a couple burns in the area, that may or may not have torched this drainage I planned to hunt on my desk at work (funny, that's where I am writing this blog from!) But all wasn't ugly, we spotted our first wallow fairly quickly, and there were a few stands of green pines in the creek bottoms wandering throughout the valley floor. All surrounded by the devastation of a wildfire. "That's okay" we said, "I read somewhere that burns were a good thing." We were clueless and it was becoming more apparent, but who gives a shit, we are, we are doing this, we are <strong><em>elk hunters</em></strong>.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq6BCk8hxQI/AAAAAAAAADQ/n69auP_zSG8/s1600-h/100_1991.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381380486031590658" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq6BCk8hxQI/AAAAAAAAADQ/n69auP_zSG8/s400/100_1991.jpg" border="0" /></a>After some more painful walking we found a flat spot to call home and pulled out the wet tents to dry which we packed what seemed like a year ago. After a nap we climbed a few hundred feet of the canyon wall behind us to see what we had for hunting grounds, and to listen for an elusive bugle. Bugles we had, an idea of where they were coming from... well we were shy on those. It seemed with every bugle, the three of us pointed in completely different directions. Whether it was the wind, the landscape, or just three deaf idiots, we couldn't agree on where they came from but it didn't matter. We had come these 1000+ miles on my ridiculously inexperienced skills and had landed, in Colorado, somewhere within earshot of elk. SUCCESS.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq6BhcUUOlI/AAAAAAAAADY/Eo8pWNzNGP4/s1600-h/100_2000.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381381016291392082" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq6BhcUUOlI/AAAAAAAAADY/Eo8pWNzNGP4/s400/100_2000.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>The next morning we climbed to a small knoll in the middle of the drainage with, in hindsight, absolutely no cover, to see if some bull or cow would be dumb enough to show its face. They weren't. We wandered a bit, Daryn obviously wandered the farthest, and let us know the entire drainage we were sitting in was burnt as far as he could see. Great, well maybe my location wasn't the greatest. Do elk live in fire pits? We hoped so! We slipped into our tents under a full moon and got ready for the next day.</div><br /><div> </div><div></div><div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq6CPB0DMmI/AAAAAAAAADg/oG1gf2zf9CI/s1600-h/100_2014.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381381799450718818" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq6CPB0DMmI/AAAAAAAAADg/oG1gf2zf9CI/s400/100_2014.jpg" border="0" /></a>Today, now Monday, we gathered a days worth of gear to climb out of yet another drainage, this time to reach the dot on my map marked "glass." What appeared to be a point overlooking the drainage we were camping in as well as another with hopes of spotting our quarry from afar. That's what you are supposed to do right? Glass? Well that's what we read so that's where we went. Any hike up a 500-600 ' climb sucks but it was alot easier without a pack. we reached the top and then had about a 2 mile walk around the rim of the drainage to the outcropping we wanted to glass from, along with another 500 feet of climb to put as at 10500'. They said "go high" this early in the season, we were confident we were there. </div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq6Cih9AwQI/AAAAAAAAADo/wMv-cBDZ2-k/s1600-h/100_2022.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381382134495756546" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq6Cih9AwQI/AAAAAAAAADo/wMv-cBDZ2-k/s400/100_2022.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>We took a nap after kicking up a mule deer buck with a couple does and then got set to glass. That lasted for maybe an hour until the ever darkening skys decided we were too comfortable. As the sun went behind the clouds, the temp dropped a good 10-15 degrees, when it started raining another 10 degrees, when it started to <strong>hail</strong> the mercury shrunk once again. We hunkered down in the rocks, hell it might as well have been pride rock from The Lion King we were so exposed. Everything became less futile and more humorous when our peak was struck by lightening and Ryan and I scurried to (somewhat) lower ground by Daryn to avoid it. Many good jokes about the "Dateline Photo" were told as we watched Dickey fight the wind. Emergency Ponchos (read garbage bags with arm holes) weren't meant for hail storms at 10,5 in the Rockys. Ask Dickey, he's got one with no hood and a rip down the side to prove it. Daryn faired well for having nothing but the flexibility to wedge between the boulders to protect him. I made out the best in my poncho in the fetal position huddled against the granite.<br /></div><br /><div>The weather broke after 45 minutes or so and we ran for the cover of our tents to ride out the rest of the storm. This pretty much ruined any hopes of real glassing in the evening and I don't even remember what we did the rest of that evening. Whatever it was, we called it elk hunting and it most definitely wasn't hunting elk.<br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq6DL3ZUA5I/AAAAAAAAADw/IIxTXAeFGkM/s1600-h/P1010218.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381382844626240402" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq6DL3ZUA5I/AAAAAAAAADw/IIxTXAeFGkM/s400/P1010218.JPG" border="0" /></a>I made up my mind at this point that we needed to move our camp to the top of the ridge overlooking the drainage we were currently sleeping in to make it easier to glass and find the elk we were searching for. After a little convincing in the morning, I got the others to join and we saddled up and headed back up again. During this hike is when I realized we had insanely over packed food. Heck, my pack was now the heaviest, by ten pounds, and we had enough food between the three of us to feed the whole group for another month. I'd been backpacking before but only for shorter time frames. I assumed on this trip I would force myself to choke down 3000 calories a day as I would be burning at least that. Well that proved all but impossible at the weight I had to carry only meant I would be burning more, and eating less!</div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq6D0lL0OoI/AAAAAAAAAD4/PeGM0Gk0J5Q/s1600-h/100_2023.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381383544112429698" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq6D0lL0OoI/AAAAAAAAAD4/PeGM0Gk0J5Q/s400/100_2023.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>We had found what appeared to be an empty outfitters or drop camp the day before, and it would be a good place to work out of. A fire ring, flat ground, and nails in the trees were some of the luxurious accommodations our new camp offered. Top notch. It also offered an inordinate amount of flies (more on that later). We set up our new camp and headed to the point marked "glass" once again. Hoping the weather would hold out and we could finally get a visual on some Wapiti being that it was already Tuesday... We would do just that...<br /></div><div> </div><div>More to come...</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-87943758798914778612009-09-13T16:28:00.012-04:002009-09-13T17:56:28.913-04:00CO Elk Success (Without a Kill) Part 1Yes, you read that right. We returned from our over the counter CO elk hunt this year with all our tags in hand ready to make a delicious bowl of sou. But the trip was so much more than that, dare I say still a success? The learning experience was intense. The sense of accomplishment felt while driving out from a trailhead no one else drove after walking out the miles that no one else walked in can only be experienced, not described. I'll give you a breakdown of our trip here as well as my reflections on lessons learned.<br /><strong></strong><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><strong></strong> </div><div><strong>ALERT: This will be long and rambling!!!</strong><br /></div><div>This trip started about 8 or 9 months ago with the planning stage involving a trip for Deryder and myself to go on and as it grew and became a reality, the chance that Mike wouldn't make it do to a necessary surgery loomed. Ryan and Daryn hopped on board and we charged forward hoping Deryder could make it until the week of our departure arrived and Mike's absence became eminent. My first lesson of backcountry hunting was learned before I even left home. The intense amount of effort needed to pack and prepare for this trip was more than could be completed in my 2 hrs after work each night, I called the boss, took that extra day off work on Friday to prepare and stayed up until 1 AM Thursday night prepping and packing my gear. </div><div><br /> </div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq1mTDh7W_I/AAAAAAAAACY/cmxGnYd3ris/s1600-h/100_1959.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381069607328766962" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq1mTDh7W_I/AAAAAAAAACY/cmxGnYd3ris/s400/100_1959.jpg" border="0" /></a>After sleeping in and a late breakfast with the girlfriend, I departed on my 14hr journey to elk country, hoping to meat Dickey and Daryn who had already begun there 20hr drive to our rendezvous point. The drive was no doubt long but the adrenaline and excitement of nearly 8 months of preparation made it easy and, before I knew it, I as there in Steamboat Springs within 20minutes of Ryan and Daryn's arrival. So far the plan was going well, it may be 4AM but everything was going well. We rolled into a La Quinta and got some rest before the 11AM checkout and our official departure into Elkville, USA.<br /></div><div><br />Saturday didn't begin until about 1100 with another late breakfast as our official last <em>real</em> meal and my chance to finally share the details of the hunt I'd carefully planned with Ryan and Daryn. You see, I hadn't had a chance to review my maps or discussions with biologists with any real detail with these guys until the morning we were set to take the woods. I felt the entire hunt rested on my shoulders. Was the drainage I'd pick going to be a hit or a dud. Either way there would be no-one to blame but myself. Our entire elk hunt was riding on the map scouting and research skills of a guy who had never map scouted, never researched public land, and never hunted elk. We were definitely cautiously confident. After grabbing Daryn's tag at a local Sports Authority where the lady ringing it up at the register let us know that "you had to get pretty close" to shoot an elk with a bow, we were on our way to the trailhead we'd never seen in the mountains we'd only dreamed of. A scouting trip this far from home with minimal vacation and a demanding job just wasn't feasible this year. Is it possible I could put us on elk from my comfortable office and apartment 1000 miles away? We'd soon find out. </div><div><br /> </div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq1lefsSyyI/AAAAAAAAACI/nmjZtzHeE0g/s1600-h/P1010211.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381068704355371810" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq1lefsSyyI/AAAAAAAAACI/nmjZtzHeE0g/s400/P1010211.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div>The road in to the trailhead was increasingly difficult and tight, Jeeps are much smaller than lifted RAM 1500s. On the way in we passed many experience their version of an elk hunt, usually including outfitter tents and horses. If no horses, they substituted a Quad or two. I was glad we had chosen a Wilderness area for our hunt to weed out most of these folks. No motorized equipped allowed in these parts and hopefully that would separate us from those we passed on the way in. </div><div><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br />After a couple hours of some careful negotiations with a few trees and rocks, we were at the trailhead. To our surprise, we were at the trailhead alone. Yea, I am sure the road had a lot to do with that but, we were also fairly confident that most of the other hunters we passed on the way in weren't willing to leave behind the comforts of their generators and wood stoves in exchange for the wilderness.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381070346536592946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq1m-FSzpjI/AAAAAAAAACg/aDadbTke1xc/s400/100_1971.jpg" border="0" /><em>---Alone at the trailhead...</em></div><div><br />After we took our time getting our gear together and enjoying being the only vehicle at the trailhead, we headed off up the creek drainage from there. Quickly the trip turned from perfectly planned to that "eh?" stage. The trail disappeared into swamp grasses quickly within a 1/2 mile of the trailhead, as we attempted to follow where we thought the trail was supposed to go, based on a Garmin Topo Map on my GPS, we found our selves a couple hundred feet above the creek bottom fighting through the most difficult combination of blowdown and burn I could have ever imagined. Every step required concentration to balance the overweight (we'll touch on this later) pack to avoid tumbling through a shredder of tree tops and granite. </div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381073199322414178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq1pkIv8vGI/AAAAAAAAAC4/dMatNgsw9mQ/s400/100_1982.jpg" border="0" /><em> ---This is photo from Day 2 in which you can see the blowdown we hiked through the previous day on the other side of the canyon...</em></div><div><br /><div>We fought on like this for a couple hours before setting down the pac<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq1o1xxJLpI/AAAAAAAAACw/2U8JpTWKTj8/s1600-h/P1010216.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381072402879426194" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq1o1xxJLpI/AAAAAAAAACw/2U8JpTWKTj8/s400/P1010216.JPG" border="0" /></a>ks on a rock outcropping and looking out over the valley wondering how in the hell we would get where we needed to be at this pace. We reviewed the much more accurate MyTOPO map at this point and realized the GPS map had us on a wild goose chase after a trail that never left the creek bottom and never crossed the creek. After some planning for the morning, we headed to what looked like a clearing below to set up camp for the night as the sun was only an hour or two from setting. After high balling the first camp in favor of getting back on the right side of the creek for the next day, we setup camp on the only, semi-flat semi-dry area. We'd try again in the morning, and hope for the best. This was a sparse camp at best and we would hope for better luck in the morning. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Spirits were still high despite the tough day. Heck we'd even taken time to pose for what would later become known as the "Dateline Pohoto" you see below. We had only planned on getting to the trailhead by tonight and, despite a few extra miles under our boots, we had made it a mile or so in with hopes of cutting some time of the next days hike and hopes of a good afternoon of glassing or hunting on Day 2. We were alone in Elk country and couldn't be happier.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381072028084822162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sq1of9jJYJI/AAAAAAAAACo/XOXfRDZ7-5o/s400/100_1977.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div> More to Come....</div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-78984904443992434852009-09-02T00:21:00.001-04:002009-09-02T00:22:54.374-04:00Weather 2<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sp3zEhwpFeI/AAAAAAAAAB4/Lm7ilgkBA-c/s1600-h/weather.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376720789257655778" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 313px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Sp3zEhwpFeI/AAAAAAAAAB4/Lm7ilgkBA-c/s400/weather.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div>It's amazing how things change in 24 hrs!!!</div><br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-2812392552284442622009-08-31T10:36:00.004-04:002009-08-31T10:39:46.138-04:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/SpvgeMq3dKI/AAAAAAAAABw/IaJHwCFASW4/s1600-h/weather.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376137389598536866" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 304px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/SpvgeMq3dKI/AAAAAAAAABw/IaJHwCFASW4/s400/weather.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/SpvgYtxMgdI/AAAAAAAAABo/aDvkJP9Qzzs/s1600-h/weather.gif"></a><br /><br /><div>Well I know these things aren't accurate this far out but it could end up being a very interesting trip with this forecast. These temperatures are 5 -10 deg warmer than what we will be seeing in the hills. But on the good news side of things, there might me some snow up high and I haven't seen snow in a while, so that'll be fun too! Could get the animals moving just a bit if it is significant.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-83903943689305815572009-08-30T11:21:00.015-04:002009-08-31T14:51:59.259-04:00Geared Up- Elk style<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SpqhNxN1N2I/AAAAAAAAANQ/K6dmpuqdv5I/s1600-h/stacklogo5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 113px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SpqhNxN1N2I/AAAAAAAAANQ/K6dmpuqdv5I/s320/stacklogo5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375786363141830498" border="0" /></a><br />With the big elk trip looming less than 5 days away, I figured I better make a run to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Cabela's</span> to round out my gear (I about had a coronary at the checkout counter). <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Dbo</span> put together an awesome spreadsheet gear checklist that helped tame the swirling cloud of information that was chaotically consuming my brain. My duplicate hunter's safety card found it's way to my mailbox yesterday (you need to carry it in the field in Colorado) and my tag should be here tomorrow morning which should complete the checklist and I will be officially geared up.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;">Shell: Under Armour <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Ayton</span> Jacket and Pants</span><br />Lightweight and built tough, Under Armour is a quality product. The jacket and pants both feature <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">UA's</span> moisture <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">wicking</span> system, to keep you dry. The jacket <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">fea</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SpqhaukLF7I/AAAAAAAAANY/Edfn57gJHi0/s1600-h/uajacket.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 179px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SpqhaukLF7I/AAAAAAAAANY/Edfn57gJHi0/s320/uajacket.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375786585768531890" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">ture</span> 2 zip pockets that vents down each side along where your ribs are. The shell is tightly woven and water <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">resistant</span> and the interior is fleece lined. The pants feature <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">reinfor</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SpqhpMdKfhI/AAAAAAAAANg/_ZW6coLNq7o/s1600-h/uspants.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 251px; height: 188px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SpqhpMdKfhI/AAAAAAAAANg/_ZW6coLNq7o/s320/uspants.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375786834310364690" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">ced</span> construction at critical points: <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">belt line</span>, knees and cuffs. They have duel cargo pockets, as well as side front pockets. These are also fleece lined to help on those chilly days. There are zippers run the length of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">calfs</span> to aid in easy removal over boots. Both jacket and pants are in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Realtree</span> AP.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Base Layers: Under Armour Heat Gear Long Sleeve and Le</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">ggings</span></span><br />Another <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">UA</span> product, Heat Gear transfers moisture and body heat away from your skin. They are compression fit to help support muscles and stimulate blood flow. I was lucky to pick these up at a closeout price and had to dig through the racks to find some that were "closeout priced." I plan on ditching the jacket if it gets too warm and these layers are built to stand alone, except maybe the leggings, I'm not sure if <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Dbo</span> or Daryn want to see me trekking around the Rockies in skin tight leggings!<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;">Socks: Under Armour Performance Crew</span><br />Cotton is a big no no in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">backcountry</span> and these are made of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">synthetic</span> materials that are designed to transport <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">moisture</span>. They also are reinforced and padded in all the critical contact points to help fight off blisters. They also are designed to lift and support the arch of your foot, making your hike a whole lot easier on the ole feet.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Underwear: Off brand poly blend<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: left;">I picked these up without the intentions for back country use, however they are perfect. As mentioned before, cotton is a big no go and these are made of a poly blend to transfer moisture and not stick to you like glue.<br /></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Scent Control: Hunter Specialties Scent-A-Way Kit</span><br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(192, 192, 192);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span></span>I originally was going to stock up on Dead Down Wind products but could not pass up this deal. The Hunter's Specialties Scent A Way kit inlcuded everything needed to remain undetected by a slobbering bull at 20 yards.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SpqkvobFzMI/AAAAAAAAANo/7W255p_Vzo0/s1600-h/scentkit.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SpqkvobFzMI/AAAAAAAAANo/7W255p_Vzo0/s320/scentkit.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375790243431959746" border="0" /></a><ul><li>Laundry Detergent</li><li>Liquid Body Soap & Shampoo</li><li>Field Body Foam</li><li>Lip Balm (SPF 15)</li><li>Anti <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Perspirant</span> Deodorant</li><li>Scent-A-Way Spray</li><li>Scent Safe Storage Bag</li><li>Fresh Earth Scent Wafers<br /></li></ul><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Water Bottle: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Nalgene</span> Type with Survival Kit</span><br />I found a sweet combo kit that included a steel capped water bottle that happened to be stuffed with emergency survival gear, well at least enough to make it through a night or two. For the price of a bottle alone, I was able to upgrade to this kit for a few bucks more. It's contents include:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Spql_mRCFEI/AAAAAAAAANw/S2WvPjThVsw/s1600-h/waterbot.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Spql_mRCFEI/AAAAAAAAANw/S2WvPjThVsw/s320/waterbot.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375791617242436674" border="0" /></a><ul><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Carabiner</span></li><li>Multi Function Tool</li><li>Multi Function Whistle/Compass</li><li>Flashlight + Batteries</li><li>Survival Blanket</li><li>Hand Warmer Packets</li><li>Candle</li><li>Waterproof Matches</li><li>Emergency Poncho</li><li>First Aid Kit</li><li>Zipper Lock Bag</li></ul><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Boots: Hi <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Tec</span> Nova Lite Mid Top</span><br />I got these for a great price and after trying on over a dozen pairs, these had the most bang for<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Spqn0-V8WZI/AAAAAAAAAN4/3y-NWvYXXxc/s1600-h/P1010171.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 179px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Spqn0-V8WZI/AAAAAAAAAN4/3y-NWvYXXxc/s320/P1010171.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375793633750178194" border="0" /></a> the buck. They feature waterproof construction, breathable removable sock liners, and a carbon <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">outer</span> sole. They have <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">flexure</span> grooves on the treads in all the right spots. What sold me on these was the fact that they are lightweight, offer ankle support, and felt like an athletic shoe. The tongues are also sewn into the rest of the boot to keep <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">debris</span> at bay.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Headlamp: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Cabelas</span> Alaska Guide Xenon</span><br />I picked this up on clearance for almost half off. It features <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">Lexan</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">lense</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Kraton</span> bezel, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Xenoy</span> body, and game safe night vision in green color <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">leds</span>. It operates on 3 AA batteries and weighs in at only 8 oz. It has <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SpqozJE4K6I/AAAAAAAAAOA/b1m0Wh6rv8c/s1600-h/P1010170.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 188px; height: 141px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SpqozJE4K6I/AAAAAAAAAOA/b1m0Wh6rv8c/s320/P1010170.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375794701783280546" border="0" /></a>a 60 yards range, 32 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">lumens</span> and runs 5 hours on Xenon or 120 hours on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">LEDS</span>. As you can see from the picture, it also has my crooked tailed cat's approval.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Face <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Camo</span>: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">Camo</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">FX</span> </span><br />I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">received</span> this in a gift pack from <a href="http://www.bowcast.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">Bowcast</span></a> and will be putting it to good use. It is non greasy, and washes off easily with water. The face paint comes in an applicator similar to a stick of deodorant and features 3 colors, brown and 2 tones of green.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Misc. Gear on Loan or Mentioned by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">Dbo</span></span><br /><ul><li>Badlands 4500 Internal Frame Pack</li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">Minox</span> 10x42 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">Bino's</span></li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">Therma</span> rest Lite sleeping pad</li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">Kelty</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">Gunnison</span> 2 Tent</li><li>Mountain House Meals</li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">Primos</span> Pack Bugle and various mouth calls</li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">Piranta</span> Z Knife</li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">Rapala</span> Fillet knife (for boning)</li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">Garmin</span> H GPS</li><li>Bushnell Range Finder<br /></li></ul><br /><br />I cannot thank <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">Dbo</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">Deryder</span> enough for all their hard work put into planning this trip. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">Unfortunately</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">Deryder</span> has a baseball sized hole in his back from recent surgery and we're still hoping he can make it out somehow. I would like to thank <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">Dbo</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">Deryder</span> for loaning me all the gear that I did not have, it made it way easier on the ole wallet and made this trip possible.Stack'em UPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625625407406491857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-68236019557264910562009-08-30T03:09:00.005-04:002009-08-30T03:41:31.920-04:00Practice<div><div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/SpopoN5uyfI/AAAAAAAAABY/1-lvk3dphMU/s1600-h/100_1946.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375654876123417074" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/SpopoN5uyfI/AAAAAAAAABY/1-lvk3dphMU/s200/100_1946.jpg" border="0" /></a>Well what does all that gear look and feel like on your back? Today was the "practice run" getting everything into the pack, figuring out the best arrangement for everything and making my last "cut list" on what will not be coming along. Here's the final product: One beautiful Badlands 4500 ready to rock and roll into Wapiti Country with nothing but "THWAAACK" on its mind. It will definetly be the heaviest pack I've ever lugged around but it's also the longest trip I've ever backpacked, and the first one that's required my hunting supplies to come along. My lanky frame makes the thing look small, but that is a standard issue door with a standard height door knob in the second picture. No camera tricks here either, it's that tall.</div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Spop35aoXLI/AAAAAAAAABg/7U63s57MmaQ/s1600-h/100_1947.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375655145502170290" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_B3UuOcIUwxI/Spop35aoXLI/AAAAAAAAABg/7U63s57MmaQ/s320/100_1947.jpg" border="0" /></a>I bet it looks a whole lot better covered in blood and sweat after the second trip back to the truck transporting a downed majestic bull and kicking one tall guys ass who was hauling it out.<br /><br /><div>I also just learned you are allowed to buy a second over-the-counter elk tag in CO, an anterless tag. Could anyone even fathom two guys packing out 2 elk in a week, let alone 3 or 4. Hell, we're just hoping to have the chance to sling an arrow at a calf!!!</div><br /><div>In other news, after falling victim to my ussual last minute tinkering, the Katera XL and I are finally building some confidence again. At the conclusion of the second shooting session in my weekend two-a-days of today, I slung 4 arrows from odd yardages. They were from apx 23, 35, 46 (the distance that brought down the blacktail last year), and 72 yrds (I lasered the last one). All four hit within about 3 or 4 inches of their mark, and the last long one was the best shot of the bunch. I hadn't even shot past 60 yet! (I know it's luck but let me be, I'd rather be dumb and happy than smart and depressed) I wasn't easy getting back on mark, I'll be needing to buy some more slick tricks to have sharp blades ready for the moment, they seem to get dull after bouncing of granite, and it doesn't help that I lost a couple arrows either. Someone is going to be really preplexed at how so many broadhead-tipped arrows ended up in a field across the street from a 240 store, 1.5 million square foot mall!!</div><div> </div><div>T-5 Days!!!! </div><div> </div><div>(Insert Prayer here that Deryder "finds a way" to make it out there with us.)</div><br /><div>And I'm supposed to work this week!?!?! I am going to be the least productive guy the railroad has ever seen. </div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-89109085225896311732009-08-18T00:49:00.006-04:002009-08-18T01:49:39.204-04:002009 Elk Country GearWell with all the talk centering for the next couple weeks on Elk season, I'd though I'd drop a highlight reel of some of the gear RD and I will be rocking in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Nat'l</span> Forest this September (17 Days Away !!!!) Stay tuned for gear reviews, but most of this stuff <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">has</span> already been tried and approved with the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">dbo</span> seal of approval so here we go...<br /><br /><br /><strong>Shelter</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://content.backcountry.com/images/items/medium/BAG/BAG0137/TIGN.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 180px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 198px" alt="" src="http://content.backcountry.com/images/items/medium/BAG/BAG0137/TIGN.jpg" border="0" /></a>Big Agnes <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Seedhouse</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">SL</span>1 - This will be one of my new additions to the gear list. During the indoor trial in the living room, it's setup should be pretty quick, although the loop system for the poles will make it impossible to do the rainy-day-special setup: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">fastfly</span> first then add the tent body clipped in underneath, the design requires the tent body to be setup first, getting wet in the process. Other than that, it'll be a little short on room for the 6'6" man but should be just enough to suffice. Very light (2lb6oz) I look forward to giving it a whirl.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2666/121/16/2312615/n2312615_52144379_6274151.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 477px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 391px" alt="" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2666/121/16/2312615/n2312615_52144379_6274151.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Kelty</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Gunnison</span> 2 - This is my standby backpacking tent that will <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">probably</span> come along on loan to Ryan and Daryn for a close and c<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">udley</span> two man shelter. It was cheap and everything about it is easy. It weighs in at a little heavy 5lb3oz (2lb9oz/ man). Although its 92x58 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">floor plan</span> is roomy as far as most 2 person tents go. Tent setup is ultra quick and simple and the vestibule space is a pure luxury! Gets a little cozy with two big boys but <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">that's</span> the way it works in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">backcountry</span>. You gotta be willing to cuddle man!<br /><br /><br /><strong>Sleep System</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://www.moontrail.com/images/P/helium-08-main-01.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 142px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://www.moontrail.com/images/P/helium-08-main-01.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Marmot Helium 15deg Long Sleeping Bag - This thing is a work of pure <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">genius</span> for a long bag at 2.1lbs!!! Super light, Super Warm, User friendly. It can't be beat! Expensive but an easy way to let dollars save you pounds. It has yet to let me down.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Exped</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">SynMat</span> 7 Pump Deluxe - Super Big and comfortable. My ability to get a good nights sleep is one place I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">don't </span>care about dollars or weight, I'll take whatever it takes to let me sleep. Being a side sleeper is tough in the hills but this pad <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">allows</span> me to do so comfortably. At almost 2.5 lbs it is heavy, but compared in comfort to a similar weight <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">thermarest</span>, it blows them away with its 2.8" thickness. I tried the closed cell, tried the self inflating but nothing lets me sleep like I do at home like this thing.<br /><br /><strong>Cooking and Water</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Jetboil</span> PCS - If you know what it is you already <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">outta</span> know it's the greatest and there is no other option for <strong>Mountain House </strong>meals. Speaking of Mountain House, I eat these things when I run out of food at home. They are that good and I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">usually</span> end a meal in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">backcountry</span> wondering why I don't eat these things everyday at home! They are delicious!<br /><br /><br /><br />Potable Aqua w/taste <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">neutralizer</span> - <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Super lightweight</span>, tastes great. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Nuff</span> Said.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Other Neat Stuff</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://www.seatosummit.com/products/display/1">Sea to Summit <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">eVent</span> Compression Dry Sack</a> - Everyone with a down bag always wished there was a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">truly</span> lightweight way to store that bag in a waterproof sack to avoid compromising their precious down. Until now the dry bag option was like carrying a rubber sack that completely eliminated the weight advantage of the down sleep system. This stuff sack made of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">ultra lightweight</span> (as well as waterproof and breathable) <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">eVent</span> fabric cures those ales and really gives an extra sense of security knowing you can take on a monsoon and still <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">ahve</span> a dry comfy down bag.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.seatosummit.com/images/products/Pocket%20Soap.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 243px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 261px" alt="" src="http://www.seatosummit.com/images/products/Pocket%20Soap.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Sea to Summit Pocket Hand Wash - This is another great innovation from the Sea to Summit folks. Picture a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Listerine</span> Breath Mint Strip for your hands. It is small dry leaves of soap much like the breath strips. Add water and they foam right up into a sudsy hand soap, that is also biodegradable and safe for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">backcountry</span>. I don't know what I use to do without them. Not necessarily scent free for hunting but nothing a few pine needles can't counter act.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.sitkagear.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Sitka</span> Gear</a> - If you've tried it, I don't need to say anything. If you haven't, my last statement should say <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">enough</span>. Worth it's price tag, and that says <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">alot</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">because</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">that's</span> what the price tag says...<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">ALOT</span>!<br /><br /><br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">Danner</span> Pronghorns - Been <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">alot</span> of talk about these too but I have never had a boot 'just feel right' like these <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">Danners</span> did. My first high dollar hunting boot and probably my last. I'm not saying nobody makes anything better or comparable, I'm just saying I'm so happy with these that I don't care.<br /><br /><br />Badlands 4500 - May very well be on it's maiden voyage with this 8-9 day hunt. Risky, I know, but hopefully it holds up to its reputation. I'm a little nervous heading to the woods with a pack I haven't had the chance to trial. Oh well.... It'll look good with 2 or 300 inches of bone <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">hangin</span> out of it whether or not my back hurts! One first glimpse takeaway, no <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">waterbottle</span> pockets, which means whatever you fit in the bladder is all you got... Something about drinking out of a hose that isn't as refreshing to me as pouring it out of a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">nalgene</span> all ov<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">er</span> myself while trying to get a sip. Guess I better get used to it.<br /><br />Nikon <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">Fieldscope</span> 20-60x60 - Hasn't even shown up on my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">doorstep</span> yet. Hopefully it helps and falls into its price range in performance like I expect it to. More on this one later or post-hunt.<br /><br /><br />Steiner Predator C5 10x42 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">Binos</span> - Very impressive in recreational use and out on coyote and pig hunts here in CA but yet to really be tested. Another on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">ethat</span> should have a good report post-hunt.<br /><br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">Havalon</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">Piranta</span>-Z Knife - The best $40 spent in hunting supplies. This is the folding knife that holds the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">replaceable</span> scalpel <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">blades</span>. Comes with a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">twelve</span> pack of these things and truly designed for the task of cutting flesh where sharpness and precision could not be <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55">more</span> important. Makes amazing fast work of skinning and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56">caping</span>. I like it, you'll like and SUPER light at 2 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57">ozs</span>. Shoot it only weight 3.15 is with 12 spare blades and a holster!!! That can't be beat!<br /><br /><br />Well <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58">that's</span> a "short" list to get the juices flowing, any questions on any of the gear let me know and I'll give you my opinion, for <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59">what</span> its worth. I'm not a professional but I know what works for me and hopefully that's enough for others and will help with their own gear selections.<br /><br /><div id="labels-container"></div>Hopefully Dickey will finalize his gear list here in the next week and we'll be on a roll... AND BUY YOUR TAG ALREADY!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-2235578799169522792009-08-16T13:27:00.005-04:002009-08-18T00:44:53.404-04:00Midwest Whitetail- New Season to Begin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://midwestwhitetail.com/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 144px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SohDemXiUGI/AAAAAAAAANI/zFoMlxAinDk/s320/mwlogo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370616748613718114" border="0" /></a><br />I am lucky and proud to have the opportunity to work with Midwest Whitetail this upcoming hunting season. For those of you who are not familiar, Midwest Whitetail was founded by none other than Bill Winke last season. The show is delivered online, free of charge, on the website and has a semi-live format. This is unique because it follows hunter's through their season in real time, with shows airing only days after the hunts take place. Midwest Whitetail experienced great success in the inaugural season, which took place on Bill's farm in Iowa. In fact, three hunts from last years show made it onto the new volume of <a href="http://realtree.com/">Monster Bucks</a>. This season, each state in the Midwest will have it's own show, and I am thrilled to be part of the Michigan Pro Staff. The Michigan portion of the show will be hosted by Tony Hansen, editor of Michigan Out of Doors magazine. On Monday August 17th, Midwest Whitetail will launch it's new format with Promo shows from each state. Be sure to sign up at <a href="http://midwestwhitetail.com/">Midwest Whitetail</a> to recieve email alerts whenever new content is added to the site.Stack'em UPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625625407406491857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-2886936555315201042009-08-16T13:14:00.002-04:002009-08-16T13:27:00.233-04:00Elk on the Horizon<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SohBUqbIrJI/AAAAAAAAANA/-SH1Eo7Jhsc/s1600-h/stacklogo5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 115px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SohBUqbIrJI/AAAAAAAAANA/-SH1Eo7Jhsc/s320/stacklogo5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370614378880609426" border="0" /></a><br />With fall right around the corner, many of us will have some great hunts to look forward to on the horizon. In just a few weeks, I will be heading out to Colorado in search of my first elk. A few buddies and myself have decided to go all in on a week long back-country excursion with our bows and backpacks into the high country of the Rockies. Having never hunted outside of my home state of Michigan, I am stoked to have the opportunity to chase some elk western style. I already have giant 6X6 elk haunting my dreams, slobbering in a rut crazed state of oblivion. This type of hunting is new to me, however I welcome and embrace the challenges that will be presented. I have been a bit overwhelmed with all the decisions, strategy and gear selection for the trip. I still need to make a run to Cabela's to round out my gear, but I will be posting my gear selection process as well as reviews as they filter in within the next few weeks. Stay tuned for all the elk crazed excitement!Stack'em UPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625625407406491857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-77038247532680747522009-07-21T16:17:00.014-04:002009-07-21T17:20:27.743-04:00Catfish Fever<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYi0NXoRpI/AAAAAAAAALg/zMzeky5RgpY/s1600-h/stacklogo5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 115px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYi0NXoRpI/AAAAAAAAALg/zMzeky5RgpY/s320/stacklogo5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361010686768465554" border="0" /></a><br />Well, after attempting to fish the Grand River in Grand Ledge for catfish when it was flirting with flood stage, I scored a little bit of redemption on a recent return trip. The water was a whole lot calmer, as it flowed along at it's normal summer pace. The sun was gleaming down, warming the air well into the eighties, and I was optimistic some channel cats would be boated.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Tactics and Equipment</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYn2l5EoJI/AAAAAAAAALo/iCJIQzBrWqc/s1600-h/P1010011.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYn2l5EoJI/AAAAAAAAALo/iCJIQzBrWqc/s200/P1010011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361016225269063826" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rod and Reel</span>: Pflueger Trion GX 6'6" Medium Action Rod and Pflueger Trion GX-7 Reel<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Line</span>: Berkley Fireline Crystal 8lb.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rig</span>: Thill bobber, split shot, and No. 4 Eagle Baitkeeper Hook<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bait</span>: Chicken Liver, Berkley GULP Chicken Liver<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYoI-Uk_qI/AAAAAAAAALw/nWflmQN8xvI/s1600-h/P1010014.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYoI-Uk_qI/AAAAAAAAALw/nWflmQN8xvI/s200/P1010014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361016541064527522" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tactics</span>: Anchor <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYo2g4qTkI/AAAAAAAAAL4/_3OnLSx3Io0/s1600-h/P1010004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYo2g4qTkI/AAAAAAAAAL4/_3OnLSx3Io0/s200/P1010004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361017323436789314" border="0" /></a>just upstream of fallen trees, dead-fall and log jams adjacent to deep water (5-10ft) and drift bait under a float set approximately one foot off bottom. Most of the better holes tend to be hanging out over 7+ foot of water. The holes that are 5 foot deep seem to be borderline producers, and usually yield smaller sized channel cats. Be sure to probe not only the upstream edge, but the downstream edge as well. Also, let your bait drift out away from the tip of a log jam as channel cats will hold in all these areas to feed.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Results</span><br /><br />I started the day with a pretty slow start. I have always been intrigued <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYrBbDmjsI/AAAAAAAAAMY/TWwmTG_9StY/s1600-h/P1010009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYrBbDmjsI/AAAAAAAAAMY/TWwmTG_9StY/s320/P1010009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361019709873884866" border="0" /></a>whether the artificial catfish baits worked as well as natural bait. So, I picked up some of Berkley's GULP chicken liver imitation for $5.99 and decided to give it a test. My buddy Daryn was using good ole natural chicken livers which run under $2 at most grocery stores. After watching my bobber drift across prime log jams numerous times without a nibble, I was growing skeptical very quickly. Daryn had already boated 3 or 4 nice catfish and I was in danger of getting skunked. So, all faith was lost in the GULP chicken livers and I switched to natural chicken liver. I'm glad I did, because we were approaching the most promising of all our honey holes, a pile of timber adjacent to 13 foot of water just above the Fitzgerald Park Dam. On Daryn's first drift across the timber, he hooked up with a nice 7-8 pounder. Not long after this, a good sized 6-7 pounder started chewing on my bait, and a few minutes later he was boated. We ended the day with seven nice sized cats boated, and a couple of bullheads, o<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYrVmq7xZI/AAAAAAAAAMg/wMGDxc_x_Jo/s1600-h/P1010018.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYrVmq7xZI/AAAAAAAAAMg/wMGDxc_x_Jo/s320/P1010018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361020056589026706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">ne which was covered in leeches. Conclusion: GULP chicken livers do not work as good as natural chicken liver. This is evident when you take a whiff of the open bag of GULP. The aroma is not as pungent as that of a tub of chicken liver that has been festering in the sun for a couple hours, which you can smell a good 6 foot away.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;">Daryn battling a 7-8 pounder at our top producing spot</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;">A nice 6-7 pounder that saved me from a skunkin'</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYsGcALguI/AAAAAAAAAMo/U42op10ZhxY/s1600-h/P1010023.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYsGcALguI/AAAAAAAAAMo/U42op10ZhxY/s320/P1010023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361020895538938594" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;">You never know what might eat chicken liver......A leather-back turtle that devoured Daryn's bait</span><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYpvklzqhI/AAAAAAAAAMA/_bR58wJu_lM/s1600-h/P1010005.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYpvklzqhI/AAAAAAAAAMA/_bR58wJu_lM/s320/P1010005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361018303683996178" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><br /></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">These baitfish also seemed to like chicken liver</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYqNtRpT_I/AAAAAAAAAMI/RACXV-oGaOE/s1600-h/P1010007.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYqNtRpT_I/AAAAAAAAAMI/RACXV-oGaOE/s320/P1010007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361018821411426290" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><br /></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;">Daryn releasing a nice 3-4 pounder</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYtRs3GG7I/AAAAAAAAAMw/2ItWQIQJ2JY/s1600-h/P1010017.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYtRs3GG7I/AAAAAAAAAMw/2ItWQIQJ2JY/s320/P1010017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361022188554427314" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;">Myself bringing a whiskered warrior to the boat</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYuuhizqrI/AAAAAAAAAM4/darC9PViz5I/s1600-h/P1010020.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SmYuuhizqrI/AAAAAAAAAM4/darC9PViz5I/s320/P1010020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361023783244376754" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Stack'em UPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625625407406491857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-54842216216842457442009-07-04T13:32:00.016-04:002009-07-11T14:14:36.188-04:00Flood Fishing Folies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Sk-T0TEzmsI/AAAAAAAAAKI/Bx1QDmjyo9Q/s1600-h/stacklogo5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 115px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Sk-T0TEzmsI/AAAAAAAAAKI/Bx1QDmjyo9Q/s320/stacklogo5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354661008649722562" border="0" /></a><br />A few weeks ago, we had a couple of days of pretty <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SlDuo3v3yyI/AAAAAAAAALY/ENwjVdf9zxw/s1600-h/P1010305.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 246px; height: 185px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SlDuo3v3yyI/AAAAAAAAALY/ENwjVdf9zxw/s320/P1010305.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355042342870436642" border="0" /></a>heavy rain. It had rained for 3 days in a row, so when the weather broke on Sunday, I jumped at the chance to wet a line. A friend of mine, Daryn, called me up and wondered if I was interested in heading out on the Grand River in Grand Ledge, MI to do a little bit of cat fishing.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">WET LAUNCH</span></span><br />When I arrived at the boat launch, it was obvious that the river was close to flood stage. The boat launch ramp was completely under water, and the current was fast<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Sk-U3ri4oII/AAAAAAAAAKQ/lJ_s_0y0sPc/s1600-h/floodlaunch.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Sk-U3ri4oII/AAAAAAAAAKQ/lJ_s_0y0sPc/s320/floodlaunch.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354662166269567106" border="0" /></a> and swift. Daryn showed up shortly after I had arrived with his trusty Starcraft and we assessed the situation. We both agreed that although conditions were not exactly prime, we would FISH ON! So, Daryn hooked a snorkel up to his Colorado, put his waders on and we launched the boat. The gurgling from his exhaust, which was underwater, could only help "call in the fish" I thought. After some careful planning, we managed to bamboozle the boat in the water and we were off fishing.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">TRUSTY OLE TRAIN TRESSEL<br /></span></span></span><br />We decided to head downstream, towards the downtown area of Grand Ledge and see what the river had to offer. Our fishing strategy for river cats is to locate deep holes that are adjacent to structure such as: logjam<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Sk-W-EcbOPI/AAAAAAAAAKY/PCS6EawG4IY/s1600-h/trussle.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Sk-W-EcbOPI/AAAAAAAAAKY/PCS6EawG4IY/s320/trussle.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354664475055831282" border="0" /></a>s, blow downs, and bridge pilings----and drift some nasty, pungent chicken liver in their faces. Normally, this is achieved by setting a float 4-6 feet deep with some split shot about a foot above our bait. However, the current was too strong for our normal tactics, so we had to improvise. Instead, we added about anywhere from 1-2 ounces of weight above our hook, and fished on the bottom. We decided to hit up the ole train tressel bridge as our first target, and Daryn had something that was playing with his bait almost immediately, but the undecided fish would not commit. I had found some soup straining "socks" that I cut into squares to wrap around my chicken liver bait, because chicken liver doesn't like to stay on the hook very well. This wrapping did not seem to be a deterrent, because I had a solid hook up on this offering, however I tied my sinkers on mighty suspect and it came back to bite me, as the fish broke the line off at the sinkers in quick fashion. I could have kicked myself for that one, but hopefully redemption would be had. After these initial signs of a hot bite, things slowed down pretty quickly, so we decided to make a move upstream.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">UPSTREAM SIDE OF </span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">THINGS</span></span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SlDpLKctzcI/AAAAAAAAAKg/VLVzrA4WlaQ/s1600-h/P1010300.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SlDpLKctzcI/AAAAAAAAAKg/VLVzrA4WlaQ/s320/P1010300.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355036334936149442" border="0" /></a><br />Under normal conditions, the upstream stretch of the Grand River from the J.C. Boat Launch can be extremely limiting to fish. This run of the river features a series of rocky ledges that are often less than a foot deep and have been known to crack a few hulls. Fortunately, when the river is high, navigation is quite less hairy in this stretch of river. We located the first rocky shelf, which was tucked away under nearly 5 feet of water, a good sign. We stopped in the one of the first deeper holes we came across, a 13 foot deep pool that had produced for us before. Since this part of the river holds a decent amount of carp, we decided to trade our chicken liver for some juicy night-crawlers. Not long after dropping anchor, Daryn hooked up with a channel cat and officially kicked <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SlDpr6z_cGI/AAAAAAAAAKo/kUSNCUk_cSU/s1600-h/P1010302.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SlDpr6z_cGI/AAAAAAAAAKo/kUSNCUk_cSU/s320/P1010302.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355036897674489954" border="0" /></a>his skunking to the curb. I was starting to get nervous, because the last time I was fishing with Daryn, I ended up taking a skunking and was not eager for a repeat performance. After a while of not luck, we continued upstream in search of the next hot hole. Our next stop proved to be unproductive, so we kept moving upstream, stopping to probe various deeper pools, logjams, and slack water current seams. A few holes up the river, I finally connected with a true beast. It was all I could do to hold on as I was charged head on by a notoriously aggressive Bullhead. Under normal circumstances I would not embrace such an incidental catch, but hey it put an end to my skunking. As far as bullheads go, this one had character, scraped, bloodied and scared from his deep water tangle of a home. Later, we ended up tying off to a pile of dead-fall, and I threw my bait out along a seam in the current and into some calmer water. Moments later, my rod tip was dancing, drag was peeling and I had a legitimate fish on line. I battled the hefty fish back to the boat, and as Daryn was trying to snap an action shot boat side, the golden image of a carp surfaced from the murky water. As I reach down to land the spunky fellow, he decided to liberate himself from my line. After such a tough day on the water, both Daryn and I concurred that it would count for a catch. Our best estimation was that this carp was around 8-9 pounds, a decent fish on a slow day.<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">DODGING DEAD FALL AND DEER<br /><br /></span></span></span>Even though the fishing was pretty slow, there was no lack of action of this fishing excursion. On two separate occasions, we had trees drift by within feet of the boat. The f<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SlDt71JQQlI/AAAAAAAAALI/gts7QKVs1xI/s1600-h/P1010301.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 188px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SlDt71JQQlI/AAAAAAAAALI/gts7QKVs1xI/s320/P1010301.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355041569077477970" border="0" /></a>irst was at least a 30 footer, with all it's leaves and branches still intact, and would have been disastrous if it had passed inches closer to the boat. The second tree had been in or near the river for a while, only the main log was left and at twenty feet it was smaller but no less dangerous. While tied off to a pile of dead trees, a loud crash and splash alerted us. We both looked over to the opposite shore to see a sizable tree falling into the river. With the river being to high, I believe that the roots were not able to hold in the muddy, loose soil. Amongst other things, we saw the carcass of a dead deer drift by. It was almost black in color and had been ripening in or near the river for a<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SlDuQtTNZII/AAAAAAAAALQ/9ALKgYzbjdw/s1600-h/deer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 179px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SlDuQtTNZII/AAAAAAAAALQ/9ALKgYzbjdw/s320/deer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355041927749002370" border="0" /></a> quite some time, as it's pleasant aroma seemed to indicate. On a more positive note, I was able to snap a photo of a doe hanging out in someone's backyard, which was surprising given the suburban nature of the area. Just before we were getting ready to call it a day, an old weather tattered life jacket came bobbing past, which we took as a sign from the fishing gods to pack it in and go get some dinner. Even with the unsavory fishing conditions, we managed to barely avoid getting skunked and had even connected with a good sized fish.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Stack'em UPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625625407406491857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-3643778936311463152009-06-07T11:05:00.030-04:002009-06-08T17:52:52.920-04:00'Yak attack on the Mighty Muskegon River<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si2H-WonLAI/AAAAAAAAAJw/jbvJYp94z04/s1600-h/muskriverlogo2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 208px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si2H-WonLAI/AAAAAAAAAJw/jbvJYp94z04/s320/muskriverlogo2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345077838056205314" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Saturday, I was able to take a float trip with some buddies down the Muskegon River, located in West Central Michigan. We launched at the Croton Dam and floated 14 miles into the town of Newago. The weather was overcast and temperatures topped out in the mid sixties. We had a full moon within the previous few days, so the fishing outlook was good. The water was very clear and moving along at a pretty good clip, 2010 cfm discharge at Croton Dam.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" >Getting Ready to Launch</span><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Sivd8ZS0hoI/AAAAAAAAAHI/6Hg0s20BLoA/s1600-h/musklaunch.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 317px; height: 238px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Sivd8ZS0hoI/AAAAAAAAAHI/6Hg0s20BLoA/s320/musklaunch.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344609412456941186" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;">Mike with his Perc</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;">eption Caster 12.5</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;">Derek with his Wilderness Systems Pungo 140</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;">Jeff with his Ocean Kayak Scrambler </span><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Sive7BdbzRI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/cun05IVDk5s/s1600-h/musklaunch3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Sive7BdbzRI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/cun05IVDk5s/s320/musklaunch3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344610488390765842" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;">Daryn with his Creek Company Pontoon getting in some quick casts</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;">Myself with my Mainstream Kingfish and</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;"> lucky fishing hat</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fishing</span></span><br />The Muskegon River holds a variety of gamefish including Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, and Muskie. Also, the Michigan DNR stocks this stretch of the river with Rainbow, Brown and Brook Trout. The habitat in this area is pretty typical for most river,<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SivkC5Ny-nI/AAAAAAAAAHY/XE_vNDglBB0/s1600-h/darynsmall.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SivkC5Ny-nI/AAAAAAAAAHY/XE_vNDglBB0/s320/darynsmall.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344616121174784626" border="0" /></a> a series of deeper pools and shallow riffles. There are tons of rocks throughout the entire stretch, with many large boulders. While tying on a new lure, I wasn't paying attention downstream and slammed sideways into on of the Muskegon's massive boulders. The durability and stability of my kayak was tested and certified on this particular collision. Mike and Daryn were having good luck throwing small No. 1 & 2 spinners as well as jerk baits such as the Rapala X-rap. The hot color seemed to be a rainbow trout pattern as Daryn and Mike cleaned up using these. Most of the fish caught were rainbow trout with the occasional brook and brown trout thrown in the mix. Daryn also landed a couple nice smallmouth bass on his Hot Steel X-Rap, his go to lure. Mike had the most success throwing out a small rainbow trout spinner.<br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"></span></span><br /><br />My lucky fishing hat didn't seem to help out my cause, as I officially got skunked. Even Derek, who wasn't fishing, managed to catch something.....a trophy sized minnow in his sandal. I employed various tactics such as throwing an X-Rap and small spinners. The fish must have heard I was on the river and decided to steer clear of the Kingfish. No matter what I tried, I was having no luck at all. Even Derek, who wasn't fishing, caught a minnow that swam into his sandal. To make matters worse, I had<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SivnD2V0tLI/AAAAAAAAAHg/_1xPdprlWDY/s1600-h/P1010283.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 198px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SivnD2V0tLI/AAAAAAAAAHg/_1xPdprlWDY/s320/P1010283.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344619436117898418" border="0" /></a> several trout surface or jump within feet of my kayak. They were definitely taunting me. Derek had found a small Panther Martin along the bank, and it was a brown trout colored pattern. Thinking it was an omen, I decided to tie it on and give it a whirl. During a rest stop along the river, Derek even found a Hellgrammite crawling around in his kayak. These little critters are like candy to trout, so I put a hook and split shot on to drift this magical live bait. Unfortunately, neither of these omens panned out for me. Looking back, I believe the problem was the line I was using. I have some Fireline Crystal that worked well for me last season, however the Muskegon is much clearer water than what I normally fish. My line looked like white sewing thread in the water and probably made the leery trout uneasy. I should have tied on a mono leader, which would have made my presentation more subtle.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Results</span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SivpYch0cZI/AAAAAAAAAHo/u-QqTss-c38/s1600-h/P1010284.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SivpYch0cZI/AAAAAAAAAHo/u-QqTss-c38/s320/P1010284.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344621988989399442" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;">Daryn's Nice 16" Smallmouth</span> <span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;"><br />Daryn's Dandy 16" Rainbow</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;">Mike's Eater 11" Rainbow</span> <span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Numerous keeper Rainbows in the 10-11" range were released by Mike and Daryn although some of Daryn's were unverified</span> <span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Mike managed to catch a couple 9" brookies that were released</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="font-size:180%;">A few more pics<br /><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Sivq5SGl2cI/AAAAAAAAAHw/RtaK2yAIBNQ/s1600-h/musklaunch2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Sivq5SGl2cI/AAAAAAAAAHw/RtaK2yAIBNQ/s320/musklaunch2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344623652638153154" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">Daryn's Float 'Toon</span> <span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><br />Daryn custom built his seat platform for his fishing rig.</span> </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;">It is a slick outfit, very stable and fisherman friendly. </span><br /><br /></span></span><br /></span><span><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:100%;"> <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><br /><span><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /> <span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;">Heading down the River</span></span></span></span><br /></div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SivrEdelONI/AAAAAAAAAH4/EUK98YGmFu0/s1600-h/P1010269.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SivrEdelONI/AAAAAAAAAH4/EUK98YGmFu0/s320/P1010269.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344623844670126290" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">Sand Cliffs</span></span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SivrUYK9keI/AAAAAAAAAIA/H6Wq86qijVA/s1600-h/P1010282.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SivrUYK9keI/AAAAAAAAAIA/H6Wq86qijVA/s320/P1010282.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344624118123565538" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span></span></span>Stack'em UPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625625407406491857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-25015446396396610392009-06-07T10:58:00.006-04:002009-06-08T17:46:12.001-04:00Lack of Stack Posts<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si2Fa1PHWwI/AAAAAAAAAJA/cnElSPdGVQs/s1600-h/stacklogo5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 115px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si2Fa1PHWwI/AAAAAAAAAJA/cnElSPdGVQs/s320/stacklogo5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345075028772215554" border="0" /></a><br />Recently, I have been very busy and haven't had much of a chance to post as often as I would like. However, I have some great ideas for upcoming posts, and should be posting more frequently. My camera is back up and running so I will have a lot more photos to go with my posts.<br /><br />I would also like to thank everyone that stops by and takes a gander at my outdoor blog. Please feel free to comment on my posts, and come back often!Stack'em UPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625625407406491857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-37414557976965205892009-05-18T11:26:00.005-04:002009-06-08T17:46:39.916-04:00Mid-Day Turkey Hunt<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si0xQS9wnjI/AAAAAAAAAIg/PfnG0o5-x_g/s1600-h/stacklogo5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 114px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si0xQS9wnjI/AAAAAAAAAIg/PfnG0o5-x_g/s320/stacklogo5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344982488797191730" border="0" /></a><br />Yesterday, I had the opportunity to get after some gobblers. Traditionally, most turkey hunters get into the woods before daylight and try to hunt turkeys as they fly down from their roost. I'm a bit of a non-traditionalist and believe you can be just as effective during the middle part of the day, if you adjust your tactics. There are a couple of techniques that you can use during this time, run and gun or sit and wait. Running and gunning is when you try to locate a tom using yelps or calls such as a crow or woodpecker. Sit and wait is when you set up in an area you know turkeys frequent and call, hoping to draw a bird in or intercept one in travel. I was fortunate enough to have a top notch caller with me on the hunting excursion, <a href="http://buckosoutdoorsblog.blogspot.com/">Bucko</a>. Bucko is 14 and has already taken a pair of toms and participated in turkey calling competitions, which makes him more experienced than me right now. Needless to say, I felt a whole lot better about his calling ability than my own right now.<br /><br />We headed out behind his house to try the run and gun technique out around mid morning. Bucko was hitting his woodpecker and crow calls to try to see if we could get a tom to shock gobble at us. We thought we might have heard a few gobbles from a nearby tract of timber. There was a grassy field that had a pocket of young trees in it close to the timber, so we set up a hen decoy and crawled into the stands of young trees. Bucko hit some yelps and clucks, however no tom showed up. Because of the lack of activity, we decided to try another piece of property that we knew turkeys frequented.<br /><br />At the second property, we decided to employ a sit and wait technique. We set up on a ridge that was bordered by a swamp, a corn field, and a grassy hay field. There was a massive stump, about 3 feet high and at least 4 foot around with a 6 foot section of log laying next to it, and it looked like the perfect spot to set up and conceal ourselves. Bucko placed the decoy out in front of us at 15 yards, and the hunt was on. Not fifteen minutes after we sat down, Bucko had a hen yelping at us. The next hour was pretty exciting, as the hen kept answering Bucko's calls and seemed to be closing the distance. The wind was fairly gusty that day, so it was difficult to judge where and how far the hen was from us. Between gusts, we were able to concur that she was approaching from the edge of the swamp, along a ridgeline. One of our goals was to try to entice a boss hen, because often they will challenge other hens in the area and have a silent tom in tote. Well, it appeared we had found a boss hen, because she was getting all fired up and laid down a gauntlet of calls. She would yelp-yelp, cut-cut-cut, yelp, yelp , yelp. This bird had no qualms about mixing it up. I was really impressed with Bucko's calling skills, as he mimicked her every sound for a solid hour with perfection. After about an hour of turkey talking, we thought we heard a couple clucks within 50 yards, from the direction the hen would have approached from. That was the last we heard of the bird, as she promptly fell silent. What caused her to hang up all of a sudden? Did she catch a glimpse of small movement from us? Was she uncomfortable with something? Looking back, I believe she may have gotten cold feet. Our decoy was set up in a spot, where from her approach it was not visible. I think she was looking for a visual confirmation and there was a cluster of trees blocking the decoy from her. Regardless, I was just as fired up as the ole boss hen was. Once she grew silent, I thought any minute she would pop her head over the hill with a Birdzilla Tom in tote. The anticipation gets the adrenaline flowing, especially when you have have a bird answering you for an hour.<br /><br />As we walking back to the truck, we saw a huge tom crossing a field across the road, as if he was taunting us....you'll never get this, you'll never get this..lalalala. Well, he may have been right on this particular afternoon, but I have a feeling redemption will be had shortly. To make matters worse, I saw about a dozen turkey's in various spots on the drive home. I honestly can say I now have turkey fever, and the only cure is to skewer a nice Tom. With two more weeks to go in the season, I remain optimistic that I will have a chance to let the Hoyt makes things right. I really enjoyed having Bucko out there in the woods with me, that kid can flat out call. His season ended a few weeks back, but I think he would like to see one go down for his own redemption. He was taunted by turkeys just out of range for a week straight, but he hunted them hard and gave it 110%. Even though the day ended without a bird slung over my shoulder, the time spent in the woods made it a success. Also, by getting our youth active and involved in the outdoors, ensures that we will keep the sport going strong for generations to come.Stack'em UPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625625407406491857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-38001143257279130382009-05-16T11:48:00.008-04:002009-06-08T11:43:06.104-04:003-D Archery Practice<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si0xeGtuBaI/AAAAAAAAAIo/vPzzM11ACvM/s1600-h/stacklogo5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 109px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si0xeGtuBaI/AAAAAAAAAIo/vPzzM11ACvM/s320/stacklogo5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344982726026855842" border="0" /></a><br />Recently a friend of mine, Mike, introduced me to a 3-D course in our area, <a href="http://www.countrywoodsarchery.com/">Country Woods Archery and 3-D range</a> (Saint Johns, MI). I have had my bow for a few months now, and jump at every chance I get to practice. Until I made the trek to Country Woods, my practice consisted mainly of shooting at targets from known distances (20-60 yards). I had shot an indoor screen course a few times at another archery shop in the area, Arrowhead Archery (Eaton Rapids, MI), and really liked the concept behind 3-D practice. The screen course features animals in different hunting situations, and your objective is to identify the vital area, and place your arrow within it. After your shot, the "target zone" displays on the screen and your shot is scored depending on where your arrow hits. This really appealed to me because it trains you to identify the vitals on various game animals.<br /><br />Since the weather here in MI has finally broke, outdoor 3-D is a new practice option available. I have shot the outdoor 3-D at Country Woods twice now, and am really impressed at the quality of practice it delivers. There are 30 targets in the course and they are each at varying distances (20-50 yards) within the woodlot. Whitetail deer, turkey, javelina, bear, elk, caribou, mountain lion, and wild pig are among the targets featured at the range. Also, the course features 3 elevated platforms as well as a couple of different blind shots.<br /><br />One of the practice skills that I hope to improve on by shooting 3-D is distance recognition. It is easy to group arrows tightly at a known shot distance, but more difficult if the distance is unknown. Mike and I decided to utilize his rangefinder at the course, but not in the manner most of you might think. Both of us hoped to sharpen our distance gauging abilities, so we would both shoot at the target, and then tell each other what distance we thought the target to be at. Then, Mike would scope the target with his range finder to give the actual distance. Most of the time we both were within 5 yards of our guesses, but a few shots appeared to be closer or farther than expected. This really helps you improve your distance estimation, and I hope to see the results this fall on stand.<br /><br />As mentioned earlier, the ability to identify an animal's vital area is crucial when bow hunting. Like indoor screen 3-D, the outdoor targets feature vital zones which are identified by a series of rings. Each ring corresponds to a given point value, and that is how you score your shots. Not only does this hone your vital zone recognition, but it gives you a way to measure your improvement, plus adds a little friendly competition amongst pals. I would encourage anyone who shoots a bow to try out 3-D archery practice. It presents you with the traditional benefits of practice such as form and repetition, and adds new elements like distance estimation and vital zone recognition. By shooting your bow throughout the off season, you should become more accurate in your hunting pursuits.Stack'em UPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625625407406491857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-34468818958447877212009-05-06T11:45:00.003-04:002009-06-08T17:42:34.363-04:00Turkey on the Hit List<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si2Fsz-A_6I/AAAAAAAAAJI/LhvuIdv9xVU/s1600-h/stacklogo5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 113px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si2Fsz-A_6I/AAAAAAAAAJI/LhvuIdv9xVU/s320/stacklogo5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345075337669705634" border="0" /></a><br />Yesterday, I was down at the family farm doing some plowing. On my way to the fields, I saw a flock of 4 turkeys in a field that borders one of ours. Later on that afternoon, I saw this same flock in the same field, but about 100 yards away. I looked like there might have been a couple of nice toms in the flock, but they never got close enough for me to tell for sure.<br /><br />Well, on my way back to the farm from the field, I saw a familiar turkey limping across the same small field where I had saw a turkey a few days back. Wouldn't you know it, this turkey was limping his way across the field, and headed on a collision course with the John Deere. Not being able to run very well, the turkey took to flight about 10 feet in front of the tractor and landed in a swamp across the road. This was the same limping turkey from Sunday morning and he was crossing in the same exact spot, but this time headed in the opposite direction.<br /><br />I have decided to nickname this turkey "Gimpy" because of his pimp limp and have made him the inaugural selection for my hit list.. I think I have his travel route figured out now and the first chance I get, I am going to set up on the edge of the small field where he crosses. I have hypothesized that he roosts on the opposite side of the road from the small field because when I have seen him in the morning, he is headed from that area. Last evening, I saw him heading back towards the suspected roost. Not knowing exactly where his roost is (I believe it is off of our property), I am planning on ambushing him along his travel route in the early morning or late evening. So far, I have only encountered him in my truck and in the tractor, but am looking forward to meeting him when I have the ole Hoyt in hand.Stack'em UPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625625407406491857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-16494046301072995702009-05-04T23:28:00.003-04:002009-06-08T17:43:21.260-04:00Quick Afternoon Turkey Hunt<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si2F6tH1YjI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/QC1PNeWGA2Y/s1600-h/stacklogo5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 137px; height: 116px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si2F6tH1YjI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/QC1PNeWGA2Y/s320/stacklogo5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345075576350007858" border="0" /></a><br />My turkey season started today, and I was able to sneak in a quick afternoon hunt. I decided to go out on some property where a couple buddies of mine had heard some gobbles a few weeks back. I wasn't able to hit the woods until 5pm, so I had to adjust my tactics accordingly. I set up at the base of a cluster of trees, which concealed me pretty well. There were a couple larger trees around, and hopefully I would be able to draw my bow while these were between a turkey and me. I decided to hunt on top of a ridge, which was bordered by a swamp, a pasture, and a corn field. Birds frequently roost in this area, and I know that lone toms tend to roost on the highest ridge in a given area. This ridge seemed to have all of the above characteristics. Late in the afternoon, most toms are with hens. Because of this, I hoped to catch one on his way back to his roosting area, and not necessarily call one in. I kept my calls pretty laid back, just soft and short series of yelps every 15 minutes or so. As the afternoon turned into evening, I had yet to hear a single gobble, other than the local pet jake. I think part of the reason was that fence was being built for a cow pasture not too far from my spot, and may have kept the turkey's out of the area. About 8:30, I packed it in and headed for the truck. With a month of turkey season left, I did not let this outing discourage me. After all, any time spent in the woods is time well spent.Stack'em UPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625625407406491857noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-38833778117574159352009-05-04T11:52:00.003-04:002009-06-08T17:44:09.274-04:00Turkey's Everywhere<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si2GGhrgHOI/AAAAAAAAAJY/cZSybORiKXo/s1600-h/stacklogo5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 138px; height: 116px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si2GGhrgHOI/AAAAAAAAAJY/cZSybORiKXo/s320/stacklogo5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345075779436813538" border="0" /></a><br />The weather here in MI has finally broke (crossed fingers), and it seems the turkeys are out in full force. This past weekend, I went down to my Grandpa's farm to get equipment ready for the planting season, as all the rain that fell during the last week put a hold on fieldwork. On my drive down to the farm Saturday, I saw plenty of turkey action. Not 25 yards from a major highway, two nice toms were in full strut trying their best to seduce a hen not far away. I also saw two lone toms, each in full strut on a hilltop for all the ladies to see. When I arrived at the farm, my Grandpa informed me that he had saw a turkey heading across the field (hen or jake) in a spot where I had saw one earlier this year. Sunday morning on my way over to the farm, two hens crossed the road in front of me, heading into a swamp on our property. Now all these turkey sightings had really started to get me fired up, as my season was only a day away. Then, just down the road from my Grandpa's, a lone tom was limping across a small field. I could tell the bird was injured, most likely the result of a battle with another tom. He had a decent sized beard, probably 8-10", and was good sized. All these sightings really have given me high hopes for the season, and I seem to have identified some frequently used travel routes. Hopefully, a nice tom will decide to stroll down one when I'm posted up!!Stack'em UPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625625407406491857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-41028970313963196242009-04-29T10:11:00.007-04:002009-06-08T17:47:51.995-04:00Kayak Fishing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Sfm1Zk40rhI/AAAAAAAAAEw/MziCQ05vZoU/s1600-h/stacklogo5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 135px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Sfm1Zk40rhI/AAAAAAAAAEw/MziCQ05vZoU/s320/stacklogo5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330491084973059602" border="0" /></a><br />Last year, I purchased my first kayak for a float/fishing trip on the Manistee River (MI) over Memorial Day. Since then, I have used it on many fishing trips on my home water, the Grand River (MI). The kayak I purchased is the Mainstream Kingfish, a 12 foot sit on top kayak that is specifically set up with the fisherman in mind. (Lost my camera charger, so it's out of commission at the moment: will have some pics added later.) I picked mine up from Dick's Sporting Goods on clearance for $300 bucks, what a bargin!! It is wider than most kayaks and very stable. I have found that it paddles a bit slower than other kayaks, but this is not a problem for me. The Kingfish features a generous water tight storage area in the hull of the kayak, and has a spot molded in behind the seat that will hold a crate or a 5 gallon bucket. I have found that both these items fit very securely in the pre-molded indentations. The only complaint I have about the kayak is the seat, it's not very comfortable for long trips but this is easily rectified by replacing it.<br /><br />I'm really excited <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si0wwuWjF3I/AAAAAAAAAIY/5nOh0kqni0Q/s1600-h/Kingfishlogo.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 220px; height: 166px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si0wwuWjF3I/AAAAAAAAAIY/5nOh0kqni0Q/s320/Kingfishlogo.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344981946393106290" border="0" /></a>to start customizing my 'yak in the next month, but already added some nice touches to it. The first thing I did was add a rod holder for trolling and for that "extra hand." It is important when installing rod holders and other accessories to coat the base with silicon sealant to prevent leaks. I also added a "brush clip" in order to clip onto tree branches or dead fall. I took about 3-4 of rope and tied a quick clip carribeaner to the end which allows me to wrap the rope around a branch, etc. and then clip it back onto itself. This provides an easy and fast means to hook/unhook as necessary. A 5 lb. dumbbell weight on about 15 feet of rope serves as an anchor. A milk or <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si0wjrIRt3I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/QwfHZFE2WhA/s1600-h/Kingfish.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si0wjrIRt3I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/QwfHZFE2WhA/s320/Kingfish.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344981722189641586" border="0" /></a>office crate works great for carry and organizing your tackle and can be customized to suit your needs. I took a "bucket mate", which wraps around a 5 gallon bucket and has various pockets, and attached it around my crate. This holds various items such as: extra line, pliers, sinkers, and other misc. items you would normally put in the large compartment of your tackle box. For my tackle, I just use the clear plano 3700 boxes and stack them in the crate.<br /><br />There are definitely some items I plan on adding to the 'yak this year. The top priority is to install rod holders on my crate to accommodate extra rods. Right now, I use my rear scupper holes to stow my spare rods. It is easy and affordable to make your rod holders, and I plan on using PVC pipe to rig one up on the backside of my crate. Also, I plan on adding another front and side mount rod holder. The front mount will come in handy for that "extra hand" and the side for an additional trolling rod. Another accessory I would like to add is a mount for my fish finder, and my transducer. As soon as I build this I will post pictures and describe the materials I used to make it. My anchoring system is in need of a serious overhaul, and I plan on constructing a system that uses pulleys, much like that on a boat.<br /><br />Kayak fishing is very addictive and a great way to stay in shape. You are right down at water level, and often bigger fish will tow you around. They allow you to easily pack up some camping gear and make an extended float trip. Kayaks are easy to launch and open up all kinds of possibilites you would not have open to you in a boat. They are perfect for exploring remote and shallow waters, and allow you to fish areas without a boat launch. Overall, I am extremely pleased I purchased mine and will put it to very good use for years to come.Stack'em UPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625625407406491857noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-23239518443354363802009-04-26T10:50:00.007-04:002009-06-08T17:45:05.322-04:00Turkey Broadhead Selection<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si2GQ5pmelI/AAAAAAAAAJg/LLGSoHtG8e0/s1600-h/stacklogo5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 115px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si2GQ5pmelI/AAAAAAAAAJg/LLGSoHtG8e0/s320/stacklogo5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345075957669984850" border="0" /></a><br />Turkeys may not be as large as a whitetail, but they are just as tough. Despite their small stature, a turkey can take an arrow hit like a champ. When pursuing turkey with archery gear, the broad-head you chose to use can have a big impact on whether you close the deal. There are two common "schools of thought" out there for which type of broad-head to use: big juicy mechanical heads or decapitator heads.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.arrowds.com/guillotine/guillotine.htm"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 157px; height: 139px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SfSDXVeTmzI/AAAAAAAAAEA/_pOzPcrYFN8/s320/Guillotine-back-_sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329028696010627890" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Decapitator heads are designed to do just what their name implies, to take a turkey's head off. When using these broad-heads, you want to aim for the turkey's head and neck area. Decapitator heads often feature a cutting diameter of 3" and feature two perpendicular blades. Two of the most popular ones are: The <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" href="http://www.arrowds.com/guillotine/guillotine.htm">Gobbler Guillotine</a> and the <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" href="http://www.magnusbroadheads.com/bullhead.html">Magnus Bullhead</a><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);">.</span> Although effective at achieving their goal, these types of broad-heads can be challenging to tune and do not fly well at distances over 20 yards.<br /><br />Big mechanical broad-heads are another popular choice for turkey. Some popular models include: <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" href="http://www.g5outdoors.com/#sec_tekan">G5 Tekan</a>, <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" href="http://www.ragebroadheads.com/">Rage 2 Blade</a>,<a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" href="http://www.grimreaperbroadheads.com/"> Grim Reaper</a>, and <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" href="http://www.newarchery.com/">NAP Spitfire Gobbler Getter</a>. These broad-heads feature blades that deploy upon impact, and feature larger cutting diameters than most fixed blades. They are easier to tune and most have "field tip" flight characteristics allowing them to be shot at greater distances. Because turkey's have a small vital area, it is to your advantage to use a large cutting diameter broad-head of at least 1.5". Turkeys do not bleed very much, so it is imperative to make contact with the vitals or a main artery. When shooting this type of broad-head, there are three shot opportunities that will allow you to place a fatal shot. When standing broadside, you should aim for the vitals, which are located directly above the leg near the center of the wing. If the tom is facing you, you should aim for his beard. The third shot is from behind, in which case you should place your arrow in the middle of it's back, or give it the ole Texas heart shot.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.ragebroadheads.com/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 86px; height: 98px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SfSCOqpsGPI/AAAAAAAAADw/JVtOSZa-ZKI/s320/thumb_2blade_open.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329027447565064434" border="0" /></a><br />As I mentioned above, a large cutting diameter mechanical broad-head is optimal for turkey. Because of this, I have chosen to run the Rage 2 blade (100 grain) in my pursuits this spring. The biggest selling point here is the large cutting diameter of 2+ inches, and it actually hyper-extends to 2.5 inches while deploying. Essentially, this expands your kill zone greatly, and increases your odds of hitting vitals or arteries while leaving a nasty wound channel. Another reason I chose to go with the Rage 2's is that they fly more like field tips than a decapitator head would, and they are much easier to tune. The other thing that sold me on the Rage's were their "slip cam" design, which allows the blades to fully deploy before piercing the hide.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.ragebroadheads.com/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 520px; height: 69px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/SfSCpePutaI/AAAAAAAAAD4/MjJi4ZC90_A/s320/thumb_opening_SEQ_3Blades.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329027908091426210" border="0" /></a><br /><br />When choosing a turkey broad-head, you must first consider what type of shot you are going to be taking and at what distance. The decapitator heads offer great performance when aiming for a turkey's head or neck, and large diameter mechanical broad-heads work best for body shots. Whatever broad-head you choose, make sure you select one that will fulfill your needs.Stack'em UPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625625407406491857noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-5391502843404124252009-04-22T00:27:00.001-04:002009-06-08T17:45:43.559-04:00Archery Turkey Challenges<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si2GeC2tudI/AAAAAAAAAJo/xFW6WGi5-LI/s1600-h/stacklogo5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 137px; height: 115px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XQvT5190yqs/Si2GeC2tudI/AAAAAAAAAJo/xFW6WGi5-LI/s320/stacklogo5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345076183479204306" border="0" /></a><br />T-minus 5 days until my turkey season begins and it looks like the weather here in MI is going to warm up just in time. I have been seeing more and more thunder chickens and I don't know whose fired up more, the toms or me! This will be my first year pursuing turkey and I am going to try to take one with my bow. Lately, I have been absorbing all the information I can and have a plan of attack in place. Because of their keen eye sight, bow hunting turkeys can present extra challenges. The biggest obstacle is being able to draw back your bow undetected. The best way to counter this is to hop into a blind. Unfortunately, I do not have this luxury.....yet.<br /><br />In order to conceal my movement while drawing my bow, I will have to use natural features to my advantage. One possibility is to look for a "natural blind." This can be anything from a downed treetop to an area with thick vegetation. A small pair of clippers can come in real handy, and you can cut branches or boughs to help conceal yourself, plus they can help you "trim" up a shooting lane. Another tactic I may try is to line up a large tree between myself and a approaching turkey, as this would give a brief chance to draw.<br /><br />I have learned that decoys are imperative to helping an archer. These give the tom something else to focus on, and can also aid in getting them into range. If you face your decoy towards you, a turkey will naturally want to walk around and face it head on. For bow-hunting, this can be an excellent moment to draw, especially if the tom is in full strut with his tail feathers obscuring his view.<br /><br />In order to minimize movement, I have decided to use a mouth call if I am out solo. Turkey calling is new to me, but I am no longer sounding like a sick bird! I keep my call in my truck and practice while driving, this definitely will solicit some funny looks. However, I have been listening to turkey sounds and am fairly confident I have the Yelp down.<br /><br />Well, now that I have a plan laid out to overcome the challenges associated with archery hunting turkey, I feel more confident. Hopefully in the next couple weeks, I will have a success post. After all, I love it when a plan comes together!!Stack'em UPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625625407406491857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-67466306164260681752009-04-21T22:56:00.000-04:002009-04-26T09:31:48.091-04:00Free NRA MembershipThe NRA is offering a free trial membership for one year at the following website: <a style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);" href="https://www.nrahq.org/nrabonus/accept-membership.asp">https://www.nrahq.org/nrabonus/accept-membership.asp</a>. This is a great organization that fights to support our second amendment rights and every hunter should be a member. Please go ahead and let all your friends know about this wonderful opportunity.Stack'em UPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625625407406491857noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1453337333048880126.post-46955003532849722902009-04-21T21:48:00.002-04:002009-04-28T15:02:47.699-04:00Welcome to Stack'em Up OutdoorsWell, I have been tossing around this idea for a few months now and decided to give it a whirl. My goal with this blog is to chronicle my hunting and fishing adventures, provide helpful information pertinent to the outdoors, and to share my trials and tribulations with fellow outdoors enthusiasts. The main focuses of my blog will be archery, hunting, fishing and kayaking. I will chronicle my personal experiences, do product reviews, explain strategy, and other information related to the outdoors.Stack'em UPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625625407406491857noreply@blogger.com0