Team Kendrick Outdoors

2014 AZ Archery 'Spring' Bear

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 04:50:00 +0000

In my last post, I'd taken my son scouting for the archery spring bear tag I had drawn. I planned on getting out in May or June to hunt, but never made the time and wasn't able to get out until July. I was able to get out one morning over the 4th of July weekend with my friend David, and we managed to glass up 3 bears that morning, one of them being a big, black one that was in a stalkable position.

As soon as I started making my way down to the bear, he started moving off, and knowing I wouldn't be able to catch up to him, I watched him make his way to thick cover as the sun started beating down on him.

Then, I firmed up plans to get a team of guys together and head back up in a couple of weeks to try and kill a bear with my bow. My biggest fear was that the sow quota would be filled, and the unit would close before I got back up there.

With a very capable support and glassing team consisting of David, Curt, Dusty, and my dad, a plan was formulated for the weekend. The plan was to get high and glass down below us for a bear, and I'd drop down as soon as one was spotted. We set up in the same spot David and I had found the bear over the 4th of July weekend, and within 20 minutes of glassing, David found the bear again, not 200 yards from where we saw it 2 weeks before.

I immediately started heading down towards the bear. It was steeper and slower going than I expected. When I got within a couple of hundred yards of the bear, I was really worried about the wind. I knew if he got a whiff of me he'd be gone. The wind hadn't settled into its normal south-westerly direction, and kept shifting, so I decided to just head right for the bear.

When I started down, the bear was moving away from me, but at some point he turned and started feeding back towards me. When I got to 90 yards, I dropped my pack, and luckily had a good elk trail to follow through the thick brush towards the bear. I closed the distance to 50 yards and held up, as the bear was feeding on some berry bushes just inside the cover. If he stepped forward a couple of steps, he'd be right at 50 yards. If he kept walking, he'd just come closer, so I held up where I was. If he turned and went away from me, I wouldn't have a shot anyways due to the thick cover.

I saw him pick up his head and start to take a step, so I drew my bow. He stepped into the open, and then immediately turned 180 degrees. As he stood there, I had my 50 yard pin hovering on his vitals, so I went ahead and released the arrow. I was very happy when I saw it strike the bear mid rib cage and the bear tore off with my arrow and green and white fletchings sticking out of him!

The bear crashed through the thick brush and, as he was going uphill, he tumbled over backwards and came to a stop. He'd only gone about 60 yards before he died. I was amazed it had gone so well. The bear was spotted about 5:20 a.m., and I shot him at 7 a.m. As I circled around the thick cover and approached the downed bear from slightly above, I saw a black log I had seen the bear crash behind from where I shot. I approached the log and expected him to be behind it, but was very surprised when I took another step and he suddenly appeared behind a small bush right in front of me. Even though he was very dead, I think I jumped a whole step backwards, which the guys watching from above found very funny!

Curt then headed down to me while David and Dusty took my truck and Dusty's truck back to another road that we could extract the bear out on a little easier. We were blessed with cloud cover while we skinned and quartered the bear. The sun didn't come out until we shouldered our heavy packs.

The head and hide loaded up in my Mystery Ranch Metcalf pack

Curt, David, and I. Dusty had gone on ahead of us and missed out on the group picture...

I'm very fortunate to have good friends that helped me get the bear out in a timely manner. The pack out was much easier with the bear split up between the four of us. It would have been very difficult to have done it by myself. When I checked the bear in, we aged him in the 4-7 year old age bracket, and I'm guessing he was probably 5-6 years old. His face was pretty scarred up. This will be a hunt I'll always remember!

Spring 2014 AZ Backpack Bear Scouting/'Hunting' Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Sat, 19 Apr 2014 22:38:00 +0000

I was drawn for a central AZ archery bear tag this year and was wanting to check out a couple of locations for possible areas to hunt, so my son and I packed up for a short weekend trip into the area to check it out. Last minute I checked the regs and the bear hotline and found that this area was still open for the over the counter general bear hunt, so I picked up a tag and brought the rifle along in case we chanced into a bear.

My son's baseball practice made for a late getaway Saturday, but we were finally on the trail late Saturday afternoon.

This country burned pretty good about 24 years ago, and as a result the brush has come back very thick and there has been a lot of erosion on the trail.

After about a 3 mile hike, we made camp, got the tent set up, and started cooking dinner.

We finished up dinner by headlamp, and found ourselves in bed shortly after.

With this being more of a scouting/backpacking trip than an actual hunting trip, we slept in and got up to get some breakfast and then filtered some water.

After refilling water, we packed up camp and started making our way back up the trail towards the truck. We stopped and glassed several times to look for bears, but only found elk.

Back at the truck, we stopped for one final picture before making our way back into town for a late lunch.

Ryan did great on the hike. This was his second backpacking trip with me. The first was last year when he was seven. It was about the same distance, but at a slightly lower elevation and it was a little flatter trail last year. He did very well this year. He only carried about a quart of water, some snacks, and his jackets. I carried everything else for us. Hard to believe we were only out a night with as full as my pack looks!

The only downside to the trip was getting home and looking at my boots. My trusty and favorite Zamberlan boots had worn a hole on the front part of the sole. These boots had performed well for me for 3 years, and while I was hoping to get another season out of them, I'm glad they wore out in the spring vs the fall, giving me plenty of time to research and purchase a new pair of boots. I will probably try and get these resoled as well.

2014 HAM Javelina Hunt

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 05:01:00 +0000

In February, the HAM (Handgun, Archery, Muzzleloader) Javelina hunt began. Due to having shot a pig with my bow during the archery season and the warm temperatures we were experiencing, I figured I wasn't going to put a lot of effort into the hunt, but instead focus on having a good time outdoors with my son.

Ryan went with me when I went out for a couple of day hunts during the HAM hunt. We only stayed out half the day the first day due to the heat and not finding any pigs. Ryan brought along his new Rainbow Loom that he'd gotten for his birthday and turned me into his pack mule.

One neat thing we saw was a Gila Monster Ryan spotted while driving to check out a trick tank. He saw it scurrying under a bush, so we hopped out to check it out.

The next day Ryan and I met up with my friends Chris and Aaron and tagged along with them. Ryan wasn't interested in glassing, so he brought along a book and other things to keep him busy.

At the last spot we were going to check, Aaron spotted a pig below us, and Chris snuck in with his muzzleloader and put the pig down. Ryan was very excited and happy to pose with a picture with Chris and Chris's pig.

Even though I never got a shot at a pig during the HAM season, it was a good time being outdoors with my son Ryan.

2014 Javelina and Archery Deer Hunt

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 02:56:00 +0000

For 2014 I drew a HAM javelina tag and picked up an archery tag for the same unit in the leftover draw. I figured after a few years of not getting a pig I'd try to give myself some extra opportunity.

The first weekend my buddy Jake and his son joined my son Ryan and I for archery pig and deer. We headed to a spot we've hunted before and have seen deer and pigs. The first day turned out to be pretty eventful with stalks on pigs and deer, but no shots fired.

The second day Jake and I headed back out and we started high instead of low, and found some pigs right off. Jake and I made a stalk that Jake ended up being able to get a couple of shots off, but drew no blood. I had jumped over to a different finger off the main ridge to move down towards some pigs, but ended up getting pinned down by a herd of deer that we'd seen the day before. They eventually moved off, but by the time I made it down to where the pigs were, they had also moved out. Even though nothing was brought home, it made for a fun, eventful day.

The following weekend, I made it out again with Paul, another buddy from work. Armed with intel from the previous weekend, we headed right to where we figured we'd have the best chance of spotting some pigs. While en route to our glassing spot, Paul hissed at me and pointed to some pigs running off across the draw from us. We stopped and we saw a pig in front of us. Paul motioned for me to go ahead, so I ranged him, and then as he traversed in front of me, I woofed at him and stopped him. I drew, and put my 30 yard pin on him, then released an arrow. He went all of 10 yards before rolling back down the hill, coming to rest under a tree. My Ulmer Edge tipped broadhead worked great on the pig.

While taking care of my pig, Paul looked up and saw pigs moving back into the draw below us. He grabbed his bow and headed down the finger that we were on. A little while later, I got word from him that he was successful, so I headed down to meet up with him. He'd gone straight down and had a sow walk right up to him, giving him a 16 yard shot.

What a great day! We took care of Paul's pig, and were back down to the truck around noon. This also happened to be the maiden voyage for a newly purchased KUIU Icon 1850 daypack. The pack worked out great and I think it will be a great addition to my pack arsenal. I'll be giving it more of a workout this spring and summer.

2013 Year In Review

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Sat, 18 Jan 2014 01:00:00 +0000

With 2014 upon us, I looked back at 2013 to reflect on the highlights and good times I had throughout the year. All in all, it was a great year to be outdoors. I spent at least 55 days in the field in 2013, and 35 nights camped out. We camped out more together as a family this year than any previous year, a trend I hope to continue. I got to participate in many hunts this year, including my own, close family members, and close friends. Any excuse to be in the woods is always a good excuse.

I'd like to take this post to touch on some of the highlights from throughout the year. Hopefully I don't drag on too much, and will mostly try to tell the story through pictures. I saw and experienced a lot of awesome things in 2013, many of which weren't shared here for whatever reason.

2013 started out in January with my son and I going archery javelina and deer hunting. Not many pigs were seen that cold, windy weekend, but I was able to stalk into within 35 yards of a bedded buck, only to have him jump my string and result in a clean miss. Ryan got to watch it all, and was surprised the next day when we couldn't close into shooting distance on some other deer we found. It was his first time deer hunting and he thought every time we found deer would lead to a 35 yard shot. I only wish... It was this trip that I realized I had a budding future hunting buddy. He was very interested in the hunt, and I was having trouble keeping up with him going up the hills.

Notice the broken arrow in my quiver. This pic was taken right after I missed a buck.

Ryan checking out a pig cave

Next up was Ryan's first backpacking trip to some central AZ mountains. I wrote about this here. Ryan had a great time and we're already talking about doing another 1 or 2 backpacking trips this spring.

In early summer the family went up to the cool mountains of Northern AZ to camp out and we did a fairly popular trail for a family hike. There was a little grumbling and complaining, but overall everyone had a great time and it was great to get up in the mountains to escape the valley heat. I wrote about this trip here.

At the end of July my oldest daughter, Grace, and my wife, Karly, took a Hunter's Education class from Youth Outdoors Unlimited up in Northern AZ. It was a busy, fun weekend. You can read about that weekend here.

After much training and preparation, my first hunt of the fall season was to Colorado for archery deer. My friend Chris and I had a great time backpacking into the mountains of southwestern CO for a week trying to arrow a deer. Even though unsuccessful, I brought back memories that will last a lifetime. You can read more about this trip here. I will say that I will be back, and even now I'm trying to plan out my 2014 season and see if I'm able to do this trip again.

In early October, right after the AZ archery elk season, my dad had a limited opportunity any elk tag. I knew that this would be a tough hunt, but I was able to spend the entire week up elk hunting with him. As an added bonus, my family came up for the first four days of his hunt. It was a good week, and although my dad wasn't able to fill his tag, I learned a lot more about that hunt and that unit.

Opening day snow...

Leaves starting to turn...

Eating well!

Ryan and my dad

Waiting for the elk to show up

2 of 3 bears seen that evening

Elk and Bears feeding together

Wallow we found

Kate on Thompson the mule

Right after my dad's hunt ended, Rob's and his brother Hunter's elk hunt started. I stuck around after my dad's hunt for Rob and Hunter's hunt to help out some. One can never get enough elk hunting! Opening day was fun, but frustrating as it seemed like everyone had the same plan as us. Saturday started out very windy, and the morning hunt was a bust. Saturday evening started out with a fast hike up the mountain, and ended in a quick, exciting call in right at last light. What I had hoped to be able to accomplish for my dad we were able to get done for Hunter. I was excited to be a part of Hunter taking his first bull.

A couple of weeks after my dad's and Hunter's elk hunt, my wife's limited opportunity cow elk hunt started. Thanks to some great scouting by a good friend and my dad, we were able to get into them opening day and she had her cow down soon after the hunt started. My dad was able to bring the kids out to experience the day with us. You can read more about this hunt here.

Next up was my southern AZ coues deer hunt. This is a hunt I look forward to every year. I recently posted about this hunt here. I went with good friends and co-bloggers Rob and Jay. We were able to fill 2 out of three tags, but had a great time, even with it being super HOT.

A couple of days after the coues hunt, I headed up to northern AZ to the area known as the strip to help my buddy Curt from work. While he didn't shoot one while I was there, he tagged out on a great buck the day after I left. I left with a longing to return to that country to see and experience more of what it has to offer.

Big buck rub

Typical Strip Trick tank (note the 6 cameras)

Curt's Strip buck

With the year closing to an end, and all of my scheduled hunts over, Ryan and I tagged along on Rob's brother Hunter's December southern AZ coues hunt. With a very limited time to hunt, and Hunter not having shot a deer before, anything with antlers was game. Hunter was able to make a great shot on this buck, and Ryan and I were very excited to be there as part of it.

Ryan taking a mid morning nap

Hunter's buck

Ryan helping to load up the meat.

All in all, 2013 was a great year for getting out and doing what I love. Here is hoping that 2014 brings the same opportunities and that my family, friends, and I draw some decent tags. Even without good tags, there should be plenty of opportunities to get into the outdoors!

From Bottom To Top

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 03:15:00 +0000

In early November, soon after my wife's elk hunt, Rob, Jay, and I went down to southern Arizona for our Coues deer hunt. While we've all hunted down there before, this was the first time that Rob, Jay, and I had tags for the same unit, at the same time. With only 4 days to hunt, we weren't going to be very picky and were looking to just have a good time.

We glassed up several herds of deer early in the morning, and one buck that caught our interest proceeded to go up the mountain and bed under a big juniper about as far away from us as he could get. We worked our way towards him and I ended up shooting him from about 100 yards away from the top of the ridge.

The buck was under the big juniper near the top of the ridge, and I shot him from the top of the ridge.

Photo by Jay Woods

After pictures and breaking him down, it was time to pack him down off the mountain. We were out of water and the heat of the day had taken its toll on us. One down and 2 more to go...

The next day Rob and Jay made a stalk on some bucks that ended up spooking, but Rob then saw a buck that he decided to shoot. He hadn't shot anything with his new rifle yet, and chose this deer to be the first animal his rifle has taken. He did great by making a 528 yard shot on this buck.

We hunted the next two days, and tried to get a 3x3 we saw several times for Jay, but after 3 days of hazing that 3x3 had probably had enough and didn't show himself again the last morning. We couldn't talk Jay into shooting a small fork-horn that was bedded about 180 yards below us as we glassed.

There is a small buck bedded just to the right of Rob.

Zoomed in picture showing the buck bedded below us.

It was a short, quick hunt and a lot of fun. Thanks go out to our friend Joe who came down and gave us a hand glassing for the weekend.

After the coues hunt, I went back to work for two days, and then headed up to northern Arizona to the Strip to help my buddy Curt from work. Curt had drawn a highly coveted Arizona Strip mule deer tag, and I was excited to tag along to help glass, and also do some scouting for when I draw the tag (hopefully in the next few years).

I had never been up to the Strip, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I was hoping to put my eyes on some big mule deer bucks while up there. One thing I hadn't expected was the 'competition'. It seems like everyone has a list of all the popular spots where big bucks have been killed or where the herds of does are located. Because of this, traffic is pretty heavy at some of the popular spots. The first morning we left early, and still weren't the first ones to the spot we'd chosen to start the day off. We counted 8 other vehicles come in to the area we chose for opening morning after we'd gotten there. The rut was just beginning to start though, so we were optimistic!

Curt and I covered a lot of ground in the five days I was up there. I got to see a lot of neat country, but still left a lot of country unseen. We saw deer and bucks almost every day, but just not what Curt was looking for. Probably the highlight of the trip for me was having a mountain lion jump right in front of the truck as we were driving back to camp one night. He looked very big 10 feet in front of the truck lit up in the headlights!

The strip contained some awesome country. I was surprised by the number of trick tanks up there. There was at least 2 cameras on every tank we visited. Some of the trees that were rubbed by these bucks reminded me of elk rubs. It was pretty amazing.

Broken branches from a deer rub looked more like an elk rub.

Curt checking out a good deer rub.

Broken branch from a deer.

Typical Strip Trick Tank. Most cameras we saw was 6 on a tank; fewest was 2.

I had to leave on Tuesday, and Curt still hadn't found the buck he was looking for. We saw a nice tall, narrow buck the evening before, but Curt was looking for something wider. Wednesday Curt checked out a new area and found a buck he liked. Good thing too, because weather moved in and made things pretty soggy the next few days. Congrats Curt on a great buck! Thanks for allowing me to tag along.

Mystery Ranch NICE Frame Load Lifter Comparison between Mystery Ranch Lift Kit (Gen1) and Oneiros Valley Gen II Load Lifter Panel

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Sun, 15 Dec 2013 16:38:00 +0000

About 3 years ago I was searching for a new and better backpack. My research led me to Mystery Ranch (MR) out of Bozeman, Mt. I purchased the NICE frame and the Crew Cab and Longbow bags. This past year I added the Metcalf pack bag to my collection. In researching the NICE frame and the corresponding packs, one of the biggest detractors I read and heard about was the lack of functioning load lifters. This concerned me, yet I’d read that it wasn't as big of a deal for users that were 5’9” and below, and at the time I felt it was one of the best packs on the market. I've put my MR packs (mainly the Longbow) through much use the last few years and the pack has performed very well, but from experience with other packs I knew the NICE frame would benefit from an extended frame that would allow functional load lifters. Having functional load lifters was a big reason why I decided to order the Metcalf pack bag.

I had been hearing rumors of MR working on a frame extension for the last year or so, and have been (im)patiently waiting for them to release one. After reading on Hunttalk forums this fall that MR released their frame extension, I knew I needed to have one. While on a hunt this fall I discovered I’d broken a buckle or two and when I called MR to order extras, I inquired about the MR frame extension.

They said they were available at that time, so I ordered a (Gen1) NICE Lift Kit and couldn't wait to try it out, especially with the pack out of a friend’s bull in my Metcalf and Crew Cab (w/o extender) still fresh in my mind.

Packing out gear and elk meat in my Metcalf on the first load out (pre frame extension).

Hind elk quarter in the Crew Cab (pre frame extension).

Before ordering the MR extender, I had heard about another company (Oneiros Valley) making aftermarket accessories for MR packs. Oneiros Valley also makes a frame extender for the MR NICE frame. The Oneiros Valley frame extender is called the Gen II Load Lifter Panel (LLP).

Upon seeing a thread on the Hunttalk forums about the MR frame extender, Oneiros Valley (OV) posted up and said they’d like for someone to do a comparison between the two extenders. Knowing I still had a few hunts coming up during the late fall, and that I already had a MR extender, I volunteered and sent some examples of previous gear reviews I’d done before to OV. OV then sent me a pre-production sample of the LLP to try out and compare against the MR frame extender.

MR (L) and OV (R)

It must be noted at this time that there are a few slight differences between both of the current available MR and OV extenders and the ones I have used and tested for this comparison.

MR changed their frame extender by making the shape more trapezoidal than rectangular. MR also added an additional cross support and changed the way the bottom of the extender connects to the NICE frame. MR told me that the purpose of these changes was to add additional stability.

Photo of current MR Lift Kit from Mystery Ranch Website

On the OV LLP, I was told the webbing loops which hold the buckles that attach to the load lifter straps were shortened by about a 1/2”. In addition, the buckle adapter that was sent to me had slightly different buckles than the production model. These buckles on the adapter I tested have about a +2 gram difference from the production buckles.

Picture of OV LLP from Oneiros Valley website

MR (on top) and OV (on bottom)

Since receiving the two frame extenders, I've used them on 3 different hunts and have carried some varying loads in test and training hikes with the extenders. My normal test/training load is my pack with a 40lb bag of water softener salt and sometimes gear that has been left in the pack. My average test load was 50-60 lbs, and the max load tested was about 80 lbs. I predominately used the 50-60 lb loads for the majority of my testing.

OV provided me with both carbon fiber stays as well as the fiberglass stays. I tried both, but did most of the testing with the carbon fiber stays, figuring most people would want the lighter weight and I wanted to see if I could make them fail. I didn't have any problems with the carbon fiber stays, and couldn't tell much of a difference between the two. There was slightly more flex in the carbon fiber vs. the fiberglass stays, but I could not tell a difference in performance. If I was looking for true durability, I'd go with the fiberglass, but I think the carbon fiber will work well for the average hunter.

Fiberglass Stays (L) and Carbon Fiber Stays (R) used in the OV LLP

Weight (per my scale):

MR Lift Kit: 6.7 oz

OV LLP: 7.9 oz with carbon fiber stays; the buckle adapter is another 0.9 oz more

OV LLP: 9.8 oz with fiberglass stays

Dimensions:

MR Lift Kit: 17" x 6" (Extends 6" above the top of the frame)

OV LLP: 16.5" x 11" (Extends ~1" to 6.5" above the top of the frame)

Cost:
MR Lift Kit: $49
OV LLP: $35

Size

Both the MR and OV frame extenders are the same length, right at 17” tall. The MR frame extender is a fixed extender, extending about 6” above the top of the NICE frame. The OV extender allows adjustment from about 1” to almost 6.5”. The OV and MR stays are the same length. The OV stays are removable (interchangeable between carbon fiber and fiberglass) and the MR stays are sewn in. I did notice that the OV carbon fiber stays could be interchanged with the Metcalf internal frame extension.

MR (L) and OV (R)

Comparison

Overall, this is very subjective, and I feel like I’m splitting hairs on some of the comparisons. Both extenders are very well made and look like they will stand up to years of use and abuse. I could tell the design of the OV LLP had a lot of thought put into it, and I really liked the amount of vertical adjustment it has (from about 1" to just over 6"). The MR LLP is flimsier off of the frame, but once it is attached to the frame, it is sturdy and supportive. (I’m sure the newer MR Lift Kit is even sturdier.) Under a load, both extenders did what I expected them to. They both provided functional load lifters with about 45 degrees of angle on the load lifter straps (with the 6" of extension above the frame). The only (visual) difference I could tell between the MR and OV extenders was when the MR rear buckles were employed. This helped counter any bend created in the stays from the load lifter straps. I only noticed this visually, but could not feel any difference.

While my NICE frame has always been comfortable for me, it had to be adjusted just right for it to be comfortable under heavier loads. The load lifters never took as much weight off of the shoulders as I would have liked and have experienced with other packs with functional load lifters. The addition of the frame extender to the NICE frame allowed what I feel is better adjustment of the frame, and allowed me to take weight/pressure off the top of my shoulders without the load/pack falling backwards. When load lifters can be properly employed, the shoulder straps can be loosened slightly, allowing the weight to be transferred to the hips. Then cinching down the load lifter straps pulls the pack back up snug against the top of the back with pressure on the front of the shoulders and chest, not on the top of the shoulders which eventually causes discomfort and soreness.

MR (L) and OV (R) comparison. OV is only adjusted to about 4" of height. Note the difference in angle of the Load Lifter Straps.

The MR Lift Kit attaches quickly and easily to the frame. Even without instructions, I was able to quickly install it from memory of pictures I’d seen on MR’s website. The OV frame extender has several straps that need to be attached to the NICE frame. I first attached it without instructions, but had to think about it a lot more and it took longer to install. The instructions and installation video OV provides ensures proper installation. If installing or adjusting in the field, one would just have to make sure they have installed and adjusted it enough that they can do it without the video.

I was at first unsure of the ‘unsupported’ single stays sticking up on the OV LLP, but I found I ended up liking those better. The upper cross beam on the MR sometimes felt in the way of my head. There was more head clearance with the OV LLP since it lacked the top cross piece. I also liked that I could sling a rifle over the single frame extender of the LLP. Just don’t expect to get the rifle off quickly or easily. The OV LLP lacks rear buckles and has a separate buckle adapter that attaches to the middle of the top crossbar on the NICE frame. I thought maybe the position of this would be a problem, but in my testing I found I never really needed it, even when trying different load configurations and using the daypack lid.

OV Buckle Adapter

The MR rear buckles rattle and I used web keepers to strap them down. I’ll probably end up cutting the rear buckles off and just use removable buckles should I have a need for them. I could potentially see a need if the load was tall enough, but there are enough other buckles on the back/top of my NICE frame that I doubt any of them would be necessary very often.

Web keepers used to hold the rear buckles stationary to keep them from rattling on the MR extender

I will probably remove the rear buckles on the MR extender and use these instead when they are needed.

I mainly used my Longbow during most of the testing as that is my favorite single day hunting pack. I did however use the Metcalf in the field as well. Some might ask why the optional frame extender would be necessary on the Metcalf since it already has the built in extender. The internal frame extender on the Metcalf only rises above the top of the NICE frame by about 3 inches. The MR and OV extenders give about 6 inches of frame extension. In addition, by using the optional frame extender, it allows the Metcalf to have a load of meat or gear placed in between the bag and frame and still have functional load lifters.

MR (L) (Rear Buckles used) vs OV (R)

MR (L) (Rear Buckles NOT used) vs OV (R)

MR (L) (Rear Buckles used) vs OV (R)

MR (L) (Rear Buckles NOT used) vs OV (R)

Metcalf being used without optional frame extension on my week long CO deer hunt

Just a brief example to show how the frame extension aids in comfort: this year I shot my AZ Coues deer slightly higher up and further in than last year's buck, but traveled the same route back to the truck. Last year I used the NICE frame with Longbow pack, and this year I used my NICE frame with Metcalf pack bag and OV LLP. Packout weight was pretty much equivalent. Estimated weight of the pack was about 60-70 lbs with gear and quartered deer. Last year by the time I made the 2+ mile hike back to the truck, my shoulders were feeling tired and I had to shift the weight back and forth on my back to keep comfortable. This year I experienced no discomfort whatsoever from the pack.

2012 Coues Deer packout; no frame extension with meat sandwiched between Longbow bag and NICE frame

Packing out my 2013 Coues Deer with the OV LLP attached to NICE Frame and Metcalf Pack bag

While I like the design of the Crew Cab and I see it as a ‘do all’ pack, since getting my Metcalf I haven't taken the Crew Cab into the field much, and thus all the times I used the crew cab with the frame extenders was during test/training hikes. I do feel the use of the frame extender with the Crew Cab improves the load carrying comfort.

Crew Cab Comparison; MR (L) vs OV (R)

Summary

After using both the MR and OV frame extenders for the last couple of months, I haven't really been able to tell a difference in performance between the two extenders. The biggest difference between the two extenders is in the details. Size, weight, adjustability, ease of installation, and cost are all secondary factors to consider. The MR is a lightweight, simple design that installs easy and has a higher price tag. The OV LLP is slightly heavier, a little more difficult to install, yet allows for adjustability for varying heights and conditions. The OV LLP is less expensive which is almost always a factor. I wanted to evaluate durability in this comparison as well, but a 2 month comparison doesn't really allow for much of a durability test. I feel both extenders will last for a long time and will put up with normal use and some abuse. In looking at the frame and pack bags, I couldn't see any unusual wear marks that might have been caused by the extenders. For my personal use, I like the idea of the adjustable OV LLP extender, but in actual use I didn't adjust it very much except for comparison sake. I don't think that someone can go wrong with either extender.

Comparison Table

MR extender on Longbow pack

MR Extender on Longbow pack

Karly's 2013 AZ Cow Elk Hunt

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Sun, 27 Oct 2013 19:55:00 +0000

My wife Karly was drawn for a cow elk hunt this year. Thanks to a friend and my dad's scouting, we had a good idea of where to start. We scouted Thursday morning before the hunt, and saw some elk and figured out a plan for the morning. We went and glassed that evening, but didn't see anything.

Opening morning we were on our knob and soon after it got light my wife spotted some elk coming our way. We got setup and waited for the elk to get closer, hoping they kept drifting closer to our position. At one point we thought they were going to go up a cut out in front of us, and we'd need to move to get a line of sight on them, but as soon as the sun hit them, they picked up their pace and headed right where we needed them to go. I ranged some junipers and told her when the lead cow came out of the trees I'd give a cow call and stop her. The shot would be about 260 yards, a little further than I would have liked, but much better than it could have been in that big country.

I stopped the elk with a cow call and the lead cow turned slightly so that she was quartering towards us. Karly squeezed off a shot and hit the cow in the front shoulder with the bullet exiting about halfway out the other side. The cow stumbled forward, and she shot her again hitting high shoulder putting her down for good. Her trusty .308 shooting 150 grain barnes bullets had put down her third elk.

Last year Karly had gotten her bull on the last day of the hunt, and this year she was done by 6:45 on opening morning. :) We called my dad and he brought out the kids to share in the excitement and we broke down her elk and got it back to my dad's house.

Since Karly's hunt ended so quickly, we still helped out a couple of friends that had the same hunt. One of them ended up tagging out Sunday evening, and they left after the Monday am hunt to head home.

Thanks go out to my dad for watching the kids and loaning Karly his 15x binos for her to use. She did well spotting elk all weekend! Also thanks to Terry for his scouting efforts and his help on the hunt.

Wilderness Athlete Altitude Advantage Review

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 03:05:00 +0000

As part of my preparation for my Colorado hunt this year, I wanted to do a few hikes at higher altitude. Due to 'life' and whatever else, I only managed one hike above 9000 feet in elevation before my hunt. That was during a family camping trip in June where we hiked to the Inner Basin of the San Francisco Peaks in northern Arizona. The highest elevation we were at was only 9700 feet, but I remember feeling slightly nauseous and having a headache. Looking back, I probably hadn't drank enough water, but this was on my mind as my Colorado deer hunting trip drew closer.

In preparation for my Colorado archery deer hunt, I stopped by The Outdoorsmans in Phoenix to pick up some Wilderness Athlete drink mixes, both Hydrate and Recover, and Energy and Focus. I've used both those products before and really like them. I especially like the 'Superman' mix where you combine both Hydrate and Recover and Energy and Focus together.

I asked about the Wilderness Athlete Altitude Advantage product while I was there. I know a couple of people who have tried using Altitude Advantage before, and they didn't have anything negative to say about it. Both of them felt like it had helped them acclimate to higher altitudes quicker. In fact, my friend Chris who accompanied me to Colorado this year has used Altitude Advantage on all three of his Colorado trips thus far and doesn't have any complaints.

I decided to try the Hy-Altitude Advantage Kit to help me avert any negative effects to the 12000 foot elevation I'd be encountering in Colorado. Per the directions, I started taking 2 capsules once daily (in the morning) starting five days prior to my trip. Once I arrived in Colorado, I increased the dosage to two capsules twice daily for the duration of my Colorado archery deer hunt.

The Hy-Altitude Advantage Kit comes with the Altitude Advantage capsules (50 capsules) and 20 individual packets of Hydrate and Recover. As I said before, I took the 'prescribed' dosage of capsules, and also consumed 1-2 packets of Hydrate and Recover per day. The first couple of days, I drank a lot of water. I know one day, I drank at least 200 oz of water as I drained my 100 oz bladder twice. I feel it is very important to stay hydrated while at higher elevations, and luckily water was very abundant where we were at.

While in Colorado, I never once felt nauseous like I have other times at higher elevations, and I only had a slight headache one day, but that was relieved once I put sunglasses on and drank a 'Superman' drink mix. I feel like that slight headache was more due to caffeine withdrawal and possibly aggravated by the bright sun more than anything.

While it is hard to determine exactly what effects the Altitude Advantage had in helping me adjust to altitude without doing a controlled experiment, it was enough for me that I avoided having 'typical' altitude related symptoms (that I've encountered in the past) to convince me that the next time I go up to higher elevations I'll be using Wilderness Athlete's Altitude Advantage products.

I feel strongly that staying hydrated, eating enough calories, and getting enough rest play a big role in acclimatizing to higher altitude. I can now also say that using WA Altitude Advantage helped me adjust to the higher altitude and avoid issues that might have affected my hunt.

Disclaimer:

My reviews at Team Kendrick Outdoors are my honest opinion. Team Kendrick Outdoors is not sponsored by or associated with any of the companies in my reviews and is accepting no compensation, monetary or otherwise, in exchange for reviews. The Wilderness Athlete Hy-Altitude Advantage product was provided solely for the purpose of this review.

Colorado 2013 Archery Deer Hunt

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 02:30:00 +0000

My first hunt of the year started out with a Colorado high country archery deer hunt. I've been wanting to do this hunt for a few years now, and since I didn't get drawn for elk here in AZ, I was free to go to Colorado for an early season archery hunt.

My friend Chris also drew the same tag, so as soon as the results were out, the preparations began. I was able to lean on Chris's prior experiences in CO on where to hunt and what to expect. I trained hard during the off season and tried to physically and mentally prepare for what I was going to encounter on this hunt.

We planned on a week long hunt in Southwestern Colorado wilderness. Our plan was to drive up to CO and arrive at the trail head late Saturday afternoon, then hike in and stay until the following Sunday (or we both tagged out). After hiking in, we decided to hike out the following Saturday, giving us all day Sunday as a travel day to get home.

Both Chris' and my pack weighed in at just slightly over 50 lbs (minus bows, binos, and clothes worn) with 13-14 lbs of that being food for the 8 days. Chris carried our shelter (Go Lite Shangri-La 4), and I carried our stove, fuel, and pot. I carried the load in my Mystery Ranch Metcalf backpack. I was very happy with how it handled and worked out for me on this trip, though I did experience some slight squeaks and creaks from it. I just wish I would have been able to haul some meat out in it. For a sleeping pad, I used a Therm-a-Rest Neo Air X-Lite pad. It compacts down very small and only weighs 12 oz. Some people complain it crinkles like a potato chip bag, but I slept very soundly and comfortably on it. For a sleeping bag I used a The North Face Cat's Meow 20 degree synthetic bag. It was adequate, but I will most likely have a lighter, loftier bag next time I go back. My sleeping bag is one place I could definitely shave off probably up to a pound off my pack weight. Click HERE for my complete pack list.

The hike in began with an 800 foot climb up to a saddle in the first 1.5 miles, and then we hiked another mile and a half to where we made our first camp at 11500 feet. After setting camp, we backtracked to a seep and got some water for that night and the next day.

Day 2 we hiked about another 2.5 miles to where we made our camp for the remainder of the week. That camp was right at 12000 feet. This camp was strategically located between the higher country we would hunt as well as down near the treeline where we would see a lot of deer come out. We'd spend the rest of the week hunting from this camp. The morning of day 2 we spotted 16 different bucks. There was definitely opportunity around!

The week was spent finding and making stalks on deer. We'd glass and make stalks, and also still hunt though the edge of the tree line. We'd see several deer each day, but getting close proved difficult. Midday was spent glassing, napping, and getting water. Water was super abundant, but I was surprised at how much I went through at high altitude. I know for a fact that for a couple of days I easily went through 200 oz of water by myself. I used my Sawyer Squeeze filter to purify my drinking water.

Gravity filtering water into a Nalgene bottle

Gravity filtering water into the 2nd bladder in my pack

The altitude definitely played a role in the difficulty of the hunt. To aid in dealing with the altitude, I used Wilderness Athlete Altitude Advantage and Hydrate and Recover. I'll have more details on this later, but upon comparing how I felt this trip to previous trips at altitude, I feel both definitely helped in dealing with the elevation.

Chris and I both used KUIU and Sitka clothing. My clothing system consisted of KUIU attack pants (Verde), Smartwool Merino t-shirt, KUIU merino 185 1/4 zip shirt (Verde), KUIU merino/polyester blend 230 shirt (Verde), KUIU merino 185 beanie (Vias), KUIU 185 merino bottoms (not used), KUIU Guide beanie (Vias), KUIU Guide vest (Vias), KUIU superdown hooded jacket, KUIU Chugach rain jacket (Vias), and Sitka Stormfront Lite Optifade pants. I was probably a bit overkill on gloves, but I brought and used Sitka shooter gloves, KUIU 230 merino gloves, KUIU guide gloves, and KUIU Yukon gloves. I wore the Sitka shooter gloves most of the day, only wearing the merino and/or guide gloves in the mornings or evenings when it cooled off. The Sitka shooter gloves kept my hands from getting sunburned. We lucked out and only had to don our rain gear a few times throughout the week. I only wore my Yukon gloves once. We weathered a couple of rain storms at night while in the tent. For the temperature ranges we encountered I was more than comfortable. The lowest temps we encountered were low to mid 30's on the last few mornings, and I had plenty of clothes to stay warm. Temps during the day ranged from mid 60's to low 70's when the sun was out. It was my first time using the KUIU Attack pants with hip zips for ventilation, and I really liked that feature for when the temps were warm. Chris and I both utilized and appreciated a functional layering system and as quickly as temperatures would change throughout the day we would adjust our layers as needed.

Waiting out a rainstorm...

In regards to optics, we only relied on binoculars, me 8x42, and Chris 10x42. Chris and I each brought small Slik Sprint Pro tripods to glass from. My tripod was topped with a Jim White Panning attachment and an Outdoorsman's Pistol Grip Tripod head. I used the Outdoorsman's Ring Adapter to attach my Geovid to the tripod. While the 2.5 lb tripods felt like a luxury, they were worth bringing on the hunt and were used daily to aid in finding deer. In regards to having 8x vs 10x binos, there were a couple of times Chris identified that deer were bucks before I did. One mistake I made was not replacing the battery in my range finding binoculars before the trip. My rangefinder reading started blinking at me, meaning the battery was low. It didn't turn out to be an issue, but it kept my finger off the range finder button as I didn't want the battery to die before I needed it. I carried my binoculars in the new KUIU Bino Harness. It carried very well and was very comfortable. I chose the XL size to house my oversized 8x42 Geovids. The side pockets were handy for wind checkers, but a little tight. I was very pleased with the bino harness overall. One of the best gear choices of the trip was a small Therm-a-Rest z-seat pad (2 oz). The ground was often wet, and the rocks hard. I used the pad multiple times daily and was very glad I brought it.

We saw does and bucks each day, and a couple of days had some close calls within a couple of minutes from camp. I would say the wind was the hardest thing to deal with, and was probably the number one cause of blown stalks. It was constantly changing and shifting, both due to thermals and shifting prevailing winds.

I ended up loosing one arrow at a smaller buck towards the end of the trip. He was aware of my presence and ducked my arrow. I managed to stick my arrow high out of reach in a tree. Chris had several opportunities as well throughout the week. We'll just say that no deer were harmed, but a couple of trees now have some scars. It might have been discussed that Chris will need a bigger quiver next hunt...

In regards to food, I previously did a more detailed post about my food, here. Overall, I was very satisfied with my menu and didn't have much extra at the end of the trip. I probably could have stood to have a snack or two extra most days. For breakfasts I had either oatmeal, Mountain House eggs and bacon, or granola, powdered milk, and dried blueberries. Lunches consisted of either peanut butter, honey, and bacon on english muffin or tuna fish and bacon on pita style bread. My dinners were a variety of Mountain House dinners. Warm drinks consisted of tea and hot cocoa, and cold drinks were Wilderness Athlete Hydrate and Recover and Alert and Focus. I also ate a variety of Lara bars and some energy gels and energy chews like Cliff Shot Blocks.

Overall the trip was a great trip, even though a deer didn't come home with us. We were comfortable and well prepared. In the week we were hunting, we got to explore quite a bit. I was in awe the entire week as I took in the beautiful scenery. We found a few remnants of old cabins, probably remnants of old mining camps.

On the last day, we packed up camp early, and then hiked to a spot we'd glassed from many times throughout the week. After an unsuccessful stalk we hiked close to where our first night's camp was and dropped our pack bags, just carrying our NICE frame and Daypack Lid. We still hunted a 2 mile loop, seeing deer sign but no deer until we were about 0.2 mile from our dropped pack bags where we saw a doe that we bumped. Though unsuccessful in the harvest of a deer, I'm already looking forward to getting back up there again in future years and have already started planning how to increase my chances of success. It was bitter sweet hiking off the mountain Saturday evening when our hunt was coming to an end. I would miss the beautiful scenery, sunsets, and amazing views, but I was looking forward to getting home and seeing my family after being gone from them for a week.

Colorado Food Prep

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Sun, 15 Sep 2013 05:24:00 +0000

I had planned on having this post completed prior to leaving for my Colorado hunt, but as what tends to happen, I got busy and wasn't able to complete it before I left. Now that I'm back and the hunt has concluded, I'll be adding in my post hunt synopsis of my food preparation as well.

My total food weight for Colorado was 12.75 lbs. I averaged 22 oz of food/day and 2180 calories/day. My food came in at 99 calories/oz. I try to hit 100 calories/oz in order to pack the most calorie dense foods possible. Now that I've completed the trip I can say that I think I brought the minimum amount of food for the 8 days I was out. Chris and I hiked in Saturday late afternoon after driving to the trailhead, so we brought a dinner for Saturday night, and we had originally planned on hiking out the following Sunday, but changed that to hike out Saturday and get back to the truck Saturday evening/night and then camp out and drive home on Sunday, so I ended up carrying Saturday night's dinner and Sunday's breakfast and am snack which was 'extra'.

Overall, I feel like I did a good job of hitting pretty close to a perfect menu for an 8 day trip. Not knowing exactly what my activity level would be like each day, it was hard to have a perfect menu. If anything, I was a bit light in my food. Breakfast was eaten early before light after we got up, then a morning snack (around 8 or 9am), and lunch was usually eaten by 11:30am. That only left me a half cup of trail mix and a package of jerky for the afternoon. I'd usually throw in some energy chews or gels with that before I got back to camp and had dinner sometime around 8pm. From lunch to dinner was usually about 8 hours. I usually had my afternoon snacks around 4-5pm, so I was often showing up in camp pretty hungry. An extra 1/4 to half a cup of trail mix or an extra bar every other day would have been nice to have. I ended up losing 6 lbs after the hunt, so I was definitely running a calorie deficit.

For cooking, we used my MSR Superfly stove and we brought in an 8 oz (net wt) fuel canister and as a last minute addition, I also threw in a 4 oz (net wt) fuel canister as extra/backup. I had brought 3 non-cook breakfasts of granola and powdered milk, but only ended up eating 2 of them on the hunt. The third was Sunday's breakfast, which wasn't ultimately needed. We used my 1.3L titanium pot to boil water in, and usually did 2 boils (1 L +.5 L) in the evening for mountain house dinners and drinks, and one 1 L boil in the mornings for oatmeal and drinks. A couple of evenings we didn't have hot drinks, so a rough estimate is that we got about 14 one liter boils out of my pot and stove combo at 12000 feet in temps that probably averaged 45-50 degrees F. We finished the large fuel canister on the last night (while trying to see if we could get another boil out of it after our dinner and drinks were prepared), and never had to touch the smaller canister. The Saturday morning we broke camp and started hiking out, Chris and I both had cold breakfasts and so we didn't boil any water that morning.

In regards to my food and planned meals, I was pretty happy. I enjoyed all my breakfast foods, and thought that the oatmeal had me getting hungry faster than my MH eggs and bacon or the granola, powdered milk, and blueberries. I really enjoyed my peanut butter, honey, and bacon sandwiches on english muffins. I brought my peanut butter and honey in a squeeze tube and assembled the sandwiches in the field, which I thought was good. (One tube of peanut butter and honey would last approximately 4 sandwiches.) I packaged the bacon in individual vacuum sealed packages. The tuna fish packets I brought I had to mix in the field, and that was somewhat of a pain, but very good. My Mountain House dinners, were good as always. I had brought both a few packets of hot cocoa and tea for warm drinks, but found I preferred the tea. It wasn't as messy and easier to clean up, as well as lighter.

I felt I had a lot of packaging as trash, and upon weighing my trash when I got home, I confirmed I had just under 2.5 lbs of trash and empty packaging. I felt that was pretty significant and will work on reducing that in the future.

Here is my 2013 CO food list. If the below doesn't show up, here is the link to the spreadsheet.

Colorado Prep!

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Sat, 24 Aug 2013 04:54:00 +0000

I was fortunate enough to draw an archery deer hunt in CO this year with a friend of mine. We're heading to the high country of SW Colorado for a week to chase alpine mulies. It'll be my first time going to Colorado, but my friend Chris has been a couple of times already. We'll be prepared to spend 8 days in the wilderness, living out of our packs. This is a hunt I've been wanting to do for several years now, but I've been pre-occupied with AZ archery bull elk hunts the last few years.

The majority of my summer has been spent getting ready for Colorado. Acquiring the necessary gear, upgrading gear, physical conditioning, researching the unit, studying maps, and shooting my bow have been occupying my time to get ready for this hunt.

I'm a couple of weeks out and I believe I've got my gear list nailed down. I'm still finalizing my food list however and will get all my food together the week prior to my hunt.

I figured I'd share my pack list and would appreciate any comments or suggestions anyone might have.

Here is a link to the gear list above in case it doesn't show up: 2013 CO Archery Deer Pack List

The below pictures are of my 'essentials' kit and my 'kill' kit. (Note the pictures may not match my gear list exactly as I've been continually adjusting and updating my list and I think I've modified the contents slightly compared to what is pictured.)

Some of the new items I've gotten this past year that I'll be taking with me include several new KUIU pieces, including the new KUIU bino harness, Wilderness Athlete Altitude Advantage, and a Sawyer Squeeze water filter that I can set up as a gravity filter or an inline filter. I'll be sure to post up some reviews of how everything worked out for me. I'm excited to load my MR Metcalf pack up and hit the trail in search of high country mule deer!

Youth Outdoors Unlimited Hunter Education Camp

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Thu, 01 Aug 2013 03:57:00 +0000

This past weekend my family and I went up to the cool pines of the Mogollon Rim to go camping. It wasn't just a regular camping trip though. My daughter Grace and wife Karly were registered to take Hunter Education at the Youth Outdoors Unlimited Hunter Education Camp, held up at Poor Farm in game management unit 6A.

We trekked up there Friday and by late afternoon had a comfortable camp set up for the weekend. We were joined later that afternoon by my friend Jake and his son Hunter, who was also taking the class. Class participants were all camped out for the weekend, enjoying the great atmosphere for a class.

Breakfast was served by the volunteer crew of Youth Outdoors Unlimited early Saturday morning, and the class started promptly at 8am. It was a long day of learning for Grace and Karly, but the instructors made it fun and entertaining. I got to hang out with my two younger kids while Grace and Karly took the class. Saturday consisted of class all day, and then Sunday was the walk through, shooting demonstration, shooting safety test, and written test. All of Saturday's meals and Sunday's breakfast was provided by Youth Outdoors Unlimited.

By the end of the weekend, Karly and Grace both passed and got their Arizona Hunter Safety qualification.

I'd like to thank Youth Outdoors Unlimited for putting on a great Hunters Safety Course over the weekend. The weather cooperated with overcast skies Saturday, keeping things cool, and the rain held off until night time. I'd also like to thank Larry Knipp, who graciously donated use of his cabins to hold the camp at. I met many wonderful people, and it couldn't have all happened without the volunteers of Youth Outdoors Unlimited. I'll do my best to get my son registered for this popular camp in a couple of years when he is 9 so that he can take Hunter Safety at the Youth Outdoors Unlimited camp.

Here are some pictures from the weekend...

Test Time

Taking the test

Kate Fishing

The girls doing some late night 'cramming'

Arizona Elk Society's 5A Work Project

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 14:23:00 +0000

Once again Ryan and I found ourselves at the Arizona Elk Society's (AES) 5A Work Project. We were two of over a hundred volunteers that came out this past weekend to help improve the habitat for animals in Arizona's GMU 5A. Projects that people were assigned to this weekend included fence removal, putting up meadow enclosures, and piling up small trees that were cut down because they are encroaching into meadows and critical riparian areas.

After a hearty breakfast supplied by AES, Ryan and I were assigned to a team that was piling up dead trees in one of the local meadows to be burned after it dries out. There were plenty of trees already cut down for us to pile up, and the AES sawyer crews got busy cutting down more trees. We were later joined by a USFS fire crew who proceeded to make short work of even more trees.

The work was tough, but very satisfying to see how much of a difference it made in opening back up the meadows. Ryan and I slept very well Saturday night after a day of working, and then a delicious steak dinner and root beer floats for dessert supplied by AES.

The highlight of the weekend though was when we were heading over to the edge of the rim to do some glassing Sunday morning before breakfast and we saw a cinnamon phased black bear off the side of the road, and then while glassing saw 3 additional bears, plus the 30-40 elk spotted down below us. Seeing 4 bears that morning was very exciting.

Before

After

Special thanks go out to the hard working volunteers at Arizona Elk Society. They put on a great work camp and it is always a lot of fun!

FHF Gear Bino Harness Review

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Sun, 30 Jun 2013 19:33:00 +0000

I've had the FHF Bino Harness from FHF Gear for a couple of years now. I've used it extensively for hunting and scouting, and while I was planning on posting a review as part of a more extensive binocular harness review, I haven't gotten to that yet, but figured the FHF Gear Bino Harness is worthy of its own review.

I've tried or owned multiple bino harnesses out there, from the basic Crooked Horn bino harness to Badlands revolutionary magnetic closure bino harness. I've always liked a harness setup over a neck strap, and like the idea of keeping my binos somewhat protected from the elements (weather and dust), even if it does mean a slightly slower amount of time to get my binoculars into play. After searching for a bino harness I liked, I even put together a semi-custom bino harness out of a Crooked Horn bino cover and an old IPI bino harness.

I use Leica Geovid range finding binoculars in 8x42. I really like these binoculars, but they are pretty big and somewhat heavy. When I first contacted Paul at FHF Gear and gave him my binocular dimensions for him to make me a binocular harness, he thought his standard size 'case' would work, but after taking one of his pre-made harnesses and trying my binos in it, realized he'd need to upsize it some for my monster binos. I also had him make one of the side pouches slightly larger for being able to fit in a larger elk call. That is one of the best aspects of this bino harness, is that custom options are available (at a cost / time delay). (I believe now Paul has 3 different sizes available, small (6" tall), medium (6.75" tall), and large (7.5" tall))

My bino case is made out of heavy weight cordura nylon. It is very sturdy and has withstood a couple of years of use. The harness itself is non-elastic webbing, that holds snug to your body and doesn't bounce. The harness has been very comfortable under a backpack, with no spots that have bugged me. It adjusts quickly and easily should you need to loosen it or tighten it based off the amount of clothing being worn.

Here are some pictures of the harness.

The bino harness isn't sealed, so dust can get in. However, with the flap covering the binoculars, they are protected from light weather. There are small front pockets on the harness that hold tags, mouth calls, or other small items. The top flap is secured with a shock corded closure that is easily opened and closed with one hand. The top flap slides behind the binoculars for when you need immediate access to your binoculars (see above picture). There are 2 straps that connect to your binoculars and are attached to the harness that keep the binos attached to the harness. (Note: I replaced the standard connectors that attach the binos to the harness with connectors I took off a camera case strap.) The back of the bino harness contains a mesh panel that helps in breath ability against your chest.

I've used this harness while scouting, archery hunting, and rifle hunting. I really like how it holds my binoculars securely against my chest, but allows quick and quiet access to my binoculars. About the only negatives to this harness is that it isn't 'sealed' against dust, the loudness of the inside fabric, and possibly the loudness of the cordura outer fabric. The binoculars make some noise when being inserted and removed, and I've noticed a couple of times while crawling in closer to animals that weeds and brush scratch against the cordura outer material. While archery hunting, I do tend to switch back and forth between this harness and my semi custom harness that is quieter, but has a couple of imperfections that I tire of dealing with. However, the comfort, ease of access, and reliability of the FHF Gear harness out weighs the minor negatives in my mind.

Here are some pictures of the bino harness in action.

KUIU Tiburon Pants Initial Review

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:58:00 +0000

I finally received my KUIU Tiburon Pants in Verde camouflage pattern last week, just in time to try them out on a couple of hikes I took in Northern AZ over Father's day weekend.

From the KUIU blog:

Tiburon utilizes a new Toray fabric technology that gives you a wider temperature range in your layering system, especially if you hunt in warm climates or early season. Toray invented a new fabric technology called Dot-Air for Japan’s Summer Olympic team to help manage heat stress and we have turned this technology into the most advanced warm weather-hunting product line ever made.

At 149 g/m2 Tiburon is not thin, noisy or non-durable like typical “light weight-quick dry” pants or shirts. Dot Air is made with “Micro-Openings” to allow air to flow easily through the fabric to cool the surface of your skin with the slightest breeze or movement.

My initial thoughts are that I like these new pants. While I didn't try them out in typical AZ summer scorcher temperatures, I wore them each morning this past weekend in temperatures typical of a northern AZ archery elk hunt. The temperatures ranged from mid 50's to upper 70's during the time I wore them. I was very comfortable and never had a sticky or clammy feeling while wearing them.

Due to the Toray Dot Air fabric, I was was able to feel slight breezes through the fabric on my skin which helped keep me cool. The side zip vents on the pants (pictured below) also aided in ventilating the pants.

The Tiburon pants are 2 way stretch pants, not 4 way like the KUIU Attack pants. I was somewhat worried they wouldn't be as comfortable as the Attack Pants, but even without the 4 way stretch the 2 way stretch fabric did not bind or restrict leg movement when squatting or climbing steep hills.

The fabric is also lighter than the Attack Pants, but I never felt it was too thin. I went through a fair amount of brush on my hikes, and my legs never felt like they weren't protected like they sometimes do in lightweight nylon pants. I didn't get any snags in the pants, but I'm not sure yet if they will be less snag prone than Attack Pants. I'll need to wear them more and try them out in some 'prickly' vegetation. They were very quiet pants also, much quieter than lightweight nylon pants that give a noticeable swish when walking. I didn't notice any noise coming from the Tiburon's while hiking.

The Tiburon's are an athletic fit, but were very comfortable for me to hike in. These will most likely be my go to pant for early season archery deer and archery elk hunts here in Arizona. While I normally wear a 32" inseam in my jeans, I like having the 34" inseam in these pants so that they don't ride up over my boots when I kneel or sit down.

There is also a Tiburon 1/4 zip long sleeve shirt available made out of the same fabric, but I did not purchase that and probably won't. I've used the KUIU 185 Merino wool shirt in warm temperatures before and it has performed well for me.

I got drawn for archery deer in Colorado this year, and I'm not sure which pants I'll wear yet on that hunt, my Tiburon's or my Attack pants. I plan on wearing these pants on some future scouting trips this year and get a better feel for the strength and weaknesses of these pants as compared to my Attack pants. I do know that so far I'm very satisfied with these pants and would really like it if KUIU made solid color pants and hats (ball cap and boonie) out of this material.

Weekend On The Mountain

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 04:54:00 +0000

With the summer heat coming on strong, we decided that the first weekend of June would be a good time to escape to the cool mountains of northern Arizona to do some early pre-season scouting, gear testing, and conditioning hikes.

We got a great hike in on Saturday up to the Inner Basin of the San Francisco Peaks. While it was a fairly steep hike, both big kids did great! Kate did well also riding on my back, but fell asleep for a portion of the hike on the way up.

Sunday a.m. I woke up early and Jack and I headed up the mountain to look for elk and deer and check out a couple of spots I've hunted before. We saw both elk and deer on our hike, and were back by 8:30 for breakfast with the family.

Here are some pictures from our weekend.

Home sweet home for the weekend

Kate zonked out in the kid carrier attached to my Mystery Ranch NICE frame

Waterline Road leading up to the Inner Basin

Kate with her 'wishing flower'

The kids and Jack at a rest bench in the inner basin

The crew on the way down

With KUIU coming out with the new Tiburon hot weather line, I wore my Attack pants for the weekend in order to have a good comparison for when I get my Tiburon pants. My attack pants felt great all weekend, in temps ranging from the 40's to the mid-70's.

Loading the Kelty kid carrier on my NICE frame made it much more comfortable to carry. I was glad I took the time to do that as it made my ~40lb load much more manageable.

More on the Mystery Ranch Metcalf

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 02:35:00 +0000

Mystery Ranch's newest addition to the NICE frame pack bag line is a pack that I will be able to utilize for multiple uses, from day hunts, to multiple day hunts up to 6-7 days. The Metcalf bag is to be used in conjunction with the NICE pack frame. (I own 2 other MR pack bags that I hope to post full reviews for soon, the Crew Cab and Longbow.) This is the lightest pack bag for the NICE frame.

From the Mystery Ranch website:

Named after the 254,000 acre Lee Metcalf Wilderness just south of our home in Bozeman Montana, this is the lightest weight pack available for the NICE Frame. From day trips to week long adventures, the Metcalf does it all. The Metcalf incorporates both a Top Loading shroud design coupled with a full-length side access zipper entry. Eight compression straps on the main bag ensure your load isn’t going to shift... regardless of load weight. Fully loaded with the included NICE Lid the bag reaches 4500 cu-in capacity. Full compressed, you won’t even know it’s there. It’s the perfect combination of heavy duty load-hauler and lightweight hunting pack. As always, we utilized 500D cordura and our time tested sewing stan- dards to withstand the abuse of hauling boned out meat, or full bone-in elk quarters, season after season. For the ounce-counting backpack hunter, the Metcalf easily handles your food, camp, and equipment for a week long wilderness mission.

The Metcalf's volume is 3600-4500 cu in. (The Daypack Lid counts as 900 cu in towards the 4500 cu in volume.) It weighs 5lbs 12oz - 6lbs 15oz (2.64kg - 3.14kg) w/NICE Frame.

The Metcalf has multiple compression straps, and also has an internal water bladder pocket as well as an internal zippered organizational pocket. The Metcalf also has the ability to separate from the frame to allow meat to be hauled right up against your body sandwiched between the frame and the pack bag.

Rear view of pack with tripod and sleeping pad on sides of pack

View of pack without Day Pack Lid with top compression straps

Skirt Extended up for additional volume

Side view showing side zipper with skirt extended up

Side zipper opened

The side zipper allows quick access to the main body of the pack, and works better than I thought it would. It can be tough to close if the pack is stuffed, but for most loads, it allows quick access to the pack bag.

Internal pocket zipped. Multi-directional zippers allow for access from the side zipper or the top

Internal pocket open

One thing I would change about this pack is to move the internal pocket to the outside of the pack. I like the idea of the pocket, but on the overnight trip I've used this pack on so far, it wasn't convenient to access the pocket when the pack was full.

Internal water bladder pocket (has loop for hanging bladder)

While I've only used this pack one time so far, I can see myself making this my go to pack for multi-day trips and also long day trips where I'm assisting my wife or have one of my kids with me and need additional capacity for mine and their extra clothing and gear. The Metcalf compresses down very small and doesn't seem like a big pack when it isn't fully loaded. I'll be looking forward to using this pack this fall.

Weekend Hike - Mystery Ranch Metcalf Introduction

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 04:05:00 +0000

Mystery Ranch released a new pack recently, the NICE Metcalf. It is a pack bag designed to be used with the NICE frame. In order to test it out along with some other gear in preparation for upcoming fall hunts, I took my son Ryan on a short backpacking trip into the mountains of central Arizona.

It was Ryan's first trip, so I wanted to keep it short and fun for him. I picked an area I used to deer hunt, but I hadn't been to in over 20 years. After his Saturday morning baseball game was over, we loaded up and headed for the hills.

I carried gear for both of us, and Ryan carried his own water, snacks, and a sweatshirt for himself. A few extras were brought along for comfort and enjoyment.

Front view of my MR metcalf pack

Side view of my MR Metcalf pack

Not too long after hitting the trail, we arrived at our camping spot. Ryan was excited to see so much water and cooled his feet off while I set up our tent and got things organized.

The first trail miles of my MR NICE Metcalf pack felt very good, as I expected them to. The extended frame on the Metcalf bag enabled the load lifters to be utilized. This aided in adjusting the pressure of the shoulder straps to be on the front part of my shoulders instead of the tops of them. It also allowed for easier transfer of weight from my shoulders to hips, and vice versa. I was carrying about 50 lbs, and the load was very manageable.

Ryan did a great job on his first backpacking trip! He really seemed to enjoy himself. I had fun exposing him to backpacking and getting in some tent time.

As I said before, the MR NICE Metcalf handled my load with ease. I felt as though I had plenty of room in the pack. The multiple compression straps allowed the load to be snugged down, and offered multiple lashing opportunities. Even though I felt pretty loaded down for a quick overnight trip, I still had room to extend the pack up should we have been staying for multiple days and brought more food. I think this pack should easily handle a 5-6 day backpack/hunting trip.

The only thing I question about the Metcalf is the inside organizational pocket. I personally think it would be better utilized on the outside of the pack. With the pack fully loaded down, it was difficult to access. I might utilize this pocket more when the pack is used as a daypack.

Inside pocket zipped closed

Inside pocket unzipped

I'm looking forward to more trips with my Metcalf. If I draw the tag I am hoping to, I should be using it in CO this fall. Until then, I'll have to do a couple of more 'testing' trips.

The Mexico Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Matthews) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 05:10:00 +0000

Couple weeks ago I got to head south of the border and hunt Coues in Mexico with a really great group of hunters. From start to finish it was one of the most fun I have had on a hunt that I can remember. The hardest thing for me to do was not pull the trigger on every buck that I saw! Thankfully Houston was with me to try and calm me down and keep me from ending the experience too soon. But by day 4 I had enough and ended up punching my tag with a great buck. If fact, I had seen this buck twice before and one of those was with him bedded at 138 yards...

A day later I glassed him up again chasing a hot doe and I finally hit my threshold and had to move in finish the deal. He is named the Fish Hook buck due to his left eye guard that dips and hooks back up. He also has a cool acorn looking knob on his right G3. Ended up taping just over 101"

My buck was a very good buck but the rest of the guys on the trip ended up killing some great bucks! There ended up being a 106", 110", 112" and 116" in our camp....just awesome!

All I know is that I can't wait to get back there next year and do it all over again. Big thanks to Clay of Mogollon Taxidermy for organizing the trip and making sure all of our paperwork was in order making border crossing easy.

Instilling Desire

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 04:00:00 +0000

I Got out this past Friday and Saturday with my son Ryan to do some archery javelina and deer hunting here in AZ. We met up with my friend Jake and his son, Hunter on Friday morning. We glassed up some deer Friday afternoon, and Jake offered for me to stalk in on this deer. While initially I was wondering if I wanted to fill my 2013 deer tag on this deer, I quickly realized I was crazy not to. I had Ryan with me and a mature 3x3 in a very stalkable position. If nothing else, it would be great practice!

Ryan, Hunter, and Jake moving in on the deer

Keeping an eye on the buck and doe

I left Ryan with Jake and Hunter, and moved in towards the bedded 3x3 and his doe. I soon had my target bush right in front of me. I was all set, but moved up the finger a little quicker than I thought and as I looked through a little bush in front of me, I could see the buck was looking over at me. It was tough to be 100% silent on the steep gravel of the finger ridge. He was right at 40 yards, so I took one step higher up and he stood up. I drew, and these are the sounds I remember hearing, in this order; my bow going off, him running, and my arrow clanking in the brush. I missed him and I was trying to figure out how. He was at 40 yards and I had my 40 yard pin on him when I shot. Everything felt good. Only thing I can figure out was since he was aware of my presence he jumped the string. After a long search we found parts of my arrow and it was 100% clean. No blood was found anywhere, and the looks I got at him after I shot didn't show any signs of a hit. I was bummed about missing him because it would have been great to have gotten that buck with Ryan tagging along.

Ryan and I after missing the buck (notice the partial arrow in my quiver)

Jake and his son had to leave around midday the next day, so Ryan and I went to check out another spot. It sure looked piggy, but I never did see any pigs. I glassed up a funky looking 2 pt out in some flats, and then saw 7 deer making their way over the ridge next to us. I got Ryan out of the truck and loaded some jackets and my 15's and tripod in my pack. Off we went. I was going at a good pace and turned around when we got near the ridge expecting to see Ryan trailing behind me. He was right there with me.

We topped out on the ridge and looked down to see the deer crossing the wash at the bottom of the draw. I set up my binos for Ryan to get a good look at them, and he was pretty excited when he saw the buck. He wanted me to run right down there right then and shoot that buck. I told him it doesn't work that way, and we'd watch them to see what they do. They fed up and over that ridge (about 400 yds across, from top to top), so as soon as they disappeared, Ryan asked me if he could head over while I packed up my stuff. I said go for it.

Ryan watching the deer below us

The buck and some other deer we were watching

The buck was hanging real close to this doe

I got my stuff packed up and barely caught up with Ryan as he was starting up the other side of the draw. I then struggled to keep up with him as we made our way to the top of that ridge. I stopped him about 3/4 of the way up and told him that we need to go real slow and very quietly over the top. We started off again and I pulled my binos out to have them handy when I realized I hadn't hooked them back to the strap on the bino harness. I stopped and hooked my binos back to the harness and looked up to see Ryan topping out and going over the ridge. He moved quietly and slowly, but I was about 10 yards behind him.
As I caught up to him he pointed out the deer about 100 yards below us. They were bunched up looking at us. They started taking off and Ryan was pretty upset and frustrated. I told him how we can't be skylined and can't move around a lot or be loud because the deer will see us or hear us. I also told him how many times I've failed while archery deer hunting in AZ... That made him feel a bit better.

A look back at where the deer headed towards where we last saw them

Glassing for deer and pigs before we ran out of light

We did glass up those deer again on the ridge we came from and we headed back over there again after they went out of site. It was about 15 mins before dark when we got to the ridge we originally watched them from and Ryan was still wanting to go after the deer, but I talked him into heading back to the truck after he slipped a couple of times, telling him it wouldn't be much fun to navigate the rocky, cactus laden country in the dark. Considering he is only almost 7 years old, his desire, attitude, and drive really impressed me. I think I have a good hunting buddy in the making! Both him and I are looking forward to our next adventure.

October Rifle Elk Hunt

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Matthews) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 22:30:00 +0000

I know this is post is coming a little later then I would have liked to write it....but it's been a busy year!

This past October my buddy Stan and I had Limited Opportunity bull tags in our pocket for an area that we are very familiar with. After having an elk tag last year and finally scoring on an elk of my own I had to study the regs to help my chances at repeating the feat again this year. We opted for this area knowing that we would have a good chance at drawing a tag and the opportunity to kill some good bulls would be there with a little bit of effort.

We started the season with the help of several good friends as we covered some miles and traversed many vertical feet each morning and afternoon. We had located a bull that would be considered a true giant but unfortunately each day we just couldn't get a scope on him before he either topped out over a ridge or disappeared in to the thickets below. By the end of that opening weekend he seemed to either have moved out of the area or decided to go nocturnal as the pressure seemed to increase each day.

As our help was leaving on Sunday afternoon, Stan and I decided to give this bull a rest and relocate out camp for a few days and return to hunt him again towards the end of the season if we still had a tag in our pocket. Needless to say, that wasn't going to be necessary.

Monday morning Stan and I made it to our glassing point just as the sun was starting to make its presence felt. As we sat there catching our breathe and getting ready to start glassing I decided to put out a cow call which was quickly answered by two separate bulls. The sound came from our right so we quickly relocated and picked up a group of cows feeding on the opposite hillside about 350 yards away. After several minutes we caught movement to the left and we finally got to see the bull that was tending the cows, and let me just say that it took all of one second to decide that I wanted to shoot this bull. I ranged him at 362 yards and watched him feed for a little while as my heart was pounding through my ears. Thankfully Stan convinced me to put my rifle down and range him again to calm myself down. As I got my rifle back on him he turned to his left and I let the Weatherby do the rest. He made it about 20 yards downhill and was done!

All I know is that I was truly blessed to be able to take such a great animal and to take two bulls in the state of Arizona in consecutive years just isn't an easy thing to do. This also made the 2.5 mile pack out just a little more bearable.

We spent the majority of the day getting the bull processed and packed off the mounting. At about 3pm we were heading back up the mountain to retrieve the last two quarters and decided to stay up there and hunt for the evening and just grab the last two sacks on our way back down that night. At last light we had this 6 point step out and we watched him chase a cow all across the hillside. Finally with a few minutes to spare Stan decided that he had seen enough and was ready to punch his first elk tag. He was able to anchor him at 350 yards, which was about 400 yards from where my bull had gone down just hours before.

Excitement soon turned to disbelief as we realized that we now had two dead bulls on the mountain and we still had a ton of work ahead of us. We opted to clean and cool Stan's bull that night, grabbed the last two quarters of my bull on the way down, and then returned in the morning for more pics and to get the next bull down to the truck.

Stan taking a break on the final pack out. He is from the state of Washington and has been out here in AZ for the last 6 years for dental school and residency....which when moving here he didn't realize just how many hills he would end up having to hike up and over when hunting "the deserts" of Arizona...

This year has been an unbelievable adventure and a season that I will be hard pressed to duplicate. Ron already posted the story of the coues hunt that we had a couple of weeks ago but I will hopefully get up my rendition of it too.

'Leftover' Bucks

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 04:27:00 +0000

Just got back from southern Arizona where Rob, our buddy Stan (and his two boys), and I had leftover Coues deer tags. We were able to pull an opening day triple with Stan and his boys getting their deer in the morning, and Rob and I tagging out that evening. Rob's buck scored in at 102". Great job Rob!

It has been a busy year and now that our hunts are over (until January), we can hopefully get caught up on some of the stories from this year! Stay tuned!

Karly's 2012 Bull Elk

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 03:33:00 +0000

I had the pleasure of helping my wife Karly out on her AZ limited opportunity elk hunt in north central AZ this October. She had an any elk tag for this hunt. Because I'd already filled the freezer earlier this year with my bull, she was planning on being picky and only shooting a bull should the opportunity present itself. This was Karly's second ever elk hunt. On her first hunt in 2008, she shot a tasty cow elk.

My friend Terry's wife had the same tag, and we scouted together and planned to work together to try and get at least one of the women, and hopefully both, a bull. Our scouting proved fruitful and we located a couple of herds prior to the season. With what we felt was a solid plan for opening day, we began the hunt. The elk didn't cooperate however, and we ended up hunting hard for the entire week.

Elk seen during scouting

Bull we were watching the day prior to the season.

Evening Hunt with the kids

A nice mule deer shed we found

On the last morning we enacted a plan that Terry had to go after a herd bull we'd seen previously, but hadn't been able to seal the deal on yet. The plan didn't work exactly as we'd planned, but with a little bit of adapting, Karly had the bull in range and she put a shot into him. After initially shooting him, we followed his trail and after we'd lost blood and tracks we were able to find him bedded above us and Karly put the finishing shot into him. The afternoon of the last day Karly had her first bull elk!

Cold morning for glassing!

Karly's first bull elk!

The crew (L to R): Cliff, Sandra, Terry, me, and Karly

I'd like to congratulate my wife on a great first bull and I'd like to thank Terry and Sandra for their help and for being so selfless. I'd also like to thank my dad for watching the kids and allowing Karly and I to spend the prime time of the week hunting. Thanks also goes out to Cliff and Pat for helping to haul Karly's bull off the mountain.

My dad, Ryan, Pat, me, and Cliff hauling meat off the mountain

In all it was a great week of hunting in which we got to involve the kids some, spend some good quality time outdoors, and in the end be successful.

2012 Archery Elk Hunt

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Green) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 19:41:00 +0000

I'm finally getting around to putting up some pictures from this year's archery elk hunt. Both Jay and I had bull tags along with our friend Christian. All three of us had an awesome hunt! Lots of great experiences and opportunities!

Here are a few pictures from this year's hunt:

The one that got away...

My 2012 bull...

Jay's 2012 Bull...

We'll get some additional pictures and some stories up as time allows.