HuntPrep365

Avoid Seed Oils like the Plague

2024-05-17T06:34:00.000-07:00

***Today's articles represent three incredibly valuable life/hunting tidbits. Enjoy.***

The oils are the culprit.

I've worked through many dietary iterations over the years, and am now playing a one-stringed banjo: you must eliminate seed oils (canola, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, rice bran, safflower, soy, sunflower oil) from your diet. Why is that?

If you haven't figured it out by now, the health and medical establishment is not sending their best, and they aren't coming to save you. They want you fat, sick, infertile, and medicated. They'll tell you that vegetable oils are "heart healthy" - if you believe them, you're dead wrong. Emphasis on the dead.

I am now convinced that seed oils are the primary cause of the chronic diseases that are devastating our population. Not sugar, not lack of exercise, not even flour or "processed foods" more generally.

It's the seed oils.

You can read more here, and here, and here, but the gist of it is that seed oils are the primary cause of inflammation, which is the primary cause of all chronic disease. Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's; not to mention smaller issues like tooth decay, torn ligaments, and even sunburn.

I'm just writing this to share my own experiences. Since kicking seed oils a year and a half ago and switching to butter, beef tallow, and coconut oil, I have eliminated all of my old-man aches and pains and never felt better! Also, once you quit the seed oils, you no longer get sunburned. It's incredible.

One last note: regular pork and chicken from the grocery store is also laden with PUFAs, the evil part of seed oils. Animals with a single stomach cannot convert the corn/soy slop feed into the quality saturated fats your body needs. You need to be eating fatty beef, or wild game with fat added. Kick the bacon out with the seed oils.

The Best Mountain Hunting Boots

2024-05-17T06:33:00.000-07:00

***Today's articles represent three incredibly valuable life/hunting tidbits. Enjoy.***

They do exist!

I've tried a TON of different types of footwear in the mountains, at all extremes of the spectrum. I've tried breathable; I've tried waterproof. I've tried minimalist; I've tried stiff. Flat soles and heavy lugs. Mesh. Leather. You name it.

I liked aspects of each, but disliked others. Ideally, I could have the light weight, stability and traction offered by minimalist soles that are close to the ground, the protection of a higher upper, the width of a barefoot shoe, the breathability and durability of one-piece leather, without the sweat of a waterproof barrier. I realize I'm picky and couldn't have found all of those qualities in one shoe.

Until I came across this thread on Rokslide...

I'm happy to confirm that this shoe does exist, and it's the Vivobarefoot Tracker Forest ESC. I found a pair heavily discounted and have worn them in the mountains in all types of weather, and I love them. They're different, and if you're not used to a barefoot-style shoe then they may take some acclimation, but I cannot recommend them enough. No more sore feet from stiff boots, no more sprained ankles from high-heeled soles; no more dust or immediate water inside like a mesh upper; no more sweat from Gore-Tex.

They're perfect.

And though they may look a little different, I even happen to like the appearance.

Kneesovertoesguy for the Win!

2024-05-17T05:22:00.000-07:00

***Today's articles represent three incredibly valuable life/hunting tidbits. Enjoy.***

Ben Patrick,"kneesovertoesguy," in his natural habitat.

"Heels down!"

That's the refrain I've heard - and used - for two decades when squatting. We want to strengthen the posterior chain, after all.

That wasn't wrong, but it's overemphasized in the strength training community. It leads to imbalances, and gave me frequent knee pain. It leads to neglect of the muscles on the front of the legs, surrounding the knee: quads, VMO, and tibialis - which are of absolute utmost importance in the mountains.

Do you dread long downhill hikes? That's because those three muscle groups are probably like mine were: undertrained.

Kneesovertoesguy to the rescue!

By incorporating a few of his movements into my regular training, I've noticed near-miraculous results. My knees are pain free (for the first time in decades!) and my hiking is stronger than ever. I credit this primarily to his ATG split squats, ATG slant board squats, Poliquins, backward sled drags, and tibialis raises.

Check his Youtube page for all the details and form tips. Get the form straight first (tricky for the split squats), then start adding weight gradually. I typically do one set of each to failure, each week, and have seen massive improvement.

Anyone who hikes the mountains needs these.

DIY Ultralight Binocular Harness, Ultra-Cheap

2019-02-23T12:04:00.001-08:00

I needed a new bino harness, and (of course) didn't want to spend $25-100 on something heavy, bulky, and expensive. I did a little research and found this one was well-reviewed, from Rick Young Outdoors. Interesting...

In about two minutes, I thought I could recreate one of those with minimal cost. I got on eBay, ordered 50' of 1/8" shock cord for $7 shipped, and scrounged some keyrings and a cord lock from around the house.

In about five minutes, I had this. I used eight feet of shock cord to allow plenty of room for layers. Fits just like a normal bino harness, plus it's comfortable, cheap, lightweight, and easy to adjust, even while wearing. I highly recommend trying one!

DIY Grizzly Stick Arrow Shafts - Durable, EFOC, "Tapered," Extra-Long Arrows for Cheap!

2019-01-09T08:38:00.000-08:00

I've been working on a project lately, and I think it might be of interest to others so I thought I'd share. I've written much of the work of Dr. Ed Ashby and his exhaustive research on arrow lethality on large game. To sum it up, he's done more research on killing big stuff with arrows than anyone, ever, period. Here are some of his findings:

Arrow durability - shoot a durable arrow system that will not break/fold/come apart when hitting solid bone.
Arrow flight - tune your bow to achieve perfect, straight flight. (Tip: if broadheads shoot differently from your field tips, then your arrow flight is not perfect and not good enough.)
Arrow balance - shoot high FOC (forward-of-center) arrows. This means heavy broadheads, which also aids in their durability. Try to achieve 20% or greater FOC.
Broadheads - must have a high mechanical advantage (i.e. be long and skinny), scalpel sharp, with a single-bevel edge, and a "tanto" style tip.
Arrow weight - shoot the heaviest arrows realistically possible. 650 grains is the minimum benchmark.

Sure, many people don't follow these guidelines and still get the job done. However, he has absolutely demonstrated these details to increase an arrows chance of killing the animal. There is no debate there. Others can say, "I choose not to follow his advice," and that's fine -- they are just decreasing their chance of a successful hunt; though maybe only slightly. Others cannot logically state, however, "I don't buy in" or "I don't believe in" Ashby's findings. They are demonstrably true.

In that vein, I wanted to improve my arrow setup. Ashby is clear that the more FOC, the better. And the more durable, the better. This is the guy who was sending his arrows completely through cape buffalo with a 40#@27" recurve! I also needed longer arrows to play around with thumb-draw shooting (32+"). So I brainstormed...

There are arrows called GrizzlyStiks that embody all of these aspects, but they also embody a price tag of over $20 apiece! So I thought some more. I needed a lightweight shaft (lighter means I can increase the FOC more and easier) that was also tough and stiff (to handle heavy point weights). I wanted a shaft that could provide the most FOC and still weigh as close to 650 grains as possible (650+ gr showed a tremendous increase in bone-breaking ability in Ashby's tests, but too much more and trajectory suffers greatly and penetration does not increase dramatically). Good luck. The GrizzlyStiks and other luxury arrows use a taper to achieve this, but all tapered shafts are very pricey.

I finally came up with a PERFECT solution!

I bought a dozen Gold Tip Ultralight Entrada 400 shafts from Amazon for $44 shipped. They're light, but not that durable, and not that stiff. Then, this is the key: I took a 7.5" section of an aluminum 2117, with insert in it, and used hot glue to affix it over the end of the Gold Tip, which also had the insert in it. Bingo! Now I have a shaft that is lightweight where it counts (on the back end) that is also incredibly durable (it has a 7.5" long outsert!) and stiff (the aluminum section stiffens the arrow's dynamic spine)! It is also "tapered" in that the front of the arrow is 0.328" in diameter, whereas the rear is 0.291".

Poor man's grizzly stick! Note the aluminum "outsert". Also note, this is not just a footed carbon arrow - it's even better!

These shafts should be far more durable than just about anything else out there; even footed carbons. The weak point is all arrows is the front, right at the insert. When the arrow hits something hard (like bone), the shaft is frequently driven over the insert and swallows it up, cracking the arrow. Footing carbon arrows helps this tremendously, but the force is still concentrated on that spot. This solution wraps that problem area with 7" inches of glued surface where the aluminum is glued to carbon, and even more importantly, applies force directly to the base of the insert (where the carbon shaft is butted against the insert in the 2117), not just the circumference.

These arrows are also 33" long! Which I needed since using a thumb release increased my draw length by 3".

I did have to reduce the diameter of the Gold Tip insert to fit inside the 2117. I will also have to play with the length of the 2117 section in order to tune the arrow to my bow without cutting down their overall length, thus the use of hot melt so I can remove the outsert and trim it to tune.

Finally, I measured the FOC at 30% with a 300 grain point, and total weight of the full-length shaft is only around 375 gr. That matches the numbers of real GrizzlyStiks, and for about 1/6th the cost! (I'm not saying these shafts are as good; just that they are a worthy alternative for a hunter on a budget like myself) And they should provide the absolute best odds of a successful hunt, for any game that has bones large enough to stop an arrow. I will be shooting these from my longbows, but they should work just as well for the compound guys.

If I had been using these arrows and Ashby's advice in the past, I can think of a bull elk, a boar hog, and the two largest whitetail bucks I've ever shot with my longbows that I would most certainly have gotten but didn't due to insufficient penetration/bone hit/lack of an exit hole. I'd love to have those back, but at least I will be better equipped in the future.

*One last note: to get better point alignment, I ended up using a thin strip of tape under part of the footing to get a snug fit and perfectly true point. A tighter aluminum fit would likely make this step unnecessary.

We're Back.

2016-09-27T08:02:00.000-07:00

It was a tough hunt. I won't recount the daily details, since there simply was not enough action to make it interesting. Bulls were quiet, hunting pressure was high, and encounters were rare. We called in approximately zero elk, depending on how you're counting. I saw exactly one bull. We bumped quite a few, which did not respond to calling and thus allowed us too close for comfort without knowing it.

We covered many of our old hotspots, including hiking a 40-mile circuit through some of the best and least-accessible terrain in the area. Other hunters had similar stories (which is not uncommon). No shots taken.

Gabe is in this pic, about halfway down the scree. Wouldn't do that again.

Thunder-hail all afternoon kept us in the tents for about 5 hours.

We covered all of these mountains...

...and all of these.

We hiked up stuff like this, over and over.

But only had small morale-boosters to show for it, like raspberries and mountain water.

I'll add more pics soon. I suppose it will remember like a fun trip, but honestly, it doesn't feel like it right now.

Leaving Tomorrow! Goals...

2016-09-09T07:18:00.000-07:00

Almost all packed and ready to drive! We'll leave the afternoon of 9/10, drive all night, and should arrive in time to be glassing the evening of the 11th. The next morning we'll head up the mountain before light, prepared to roam the mountains for up to 10 days. Can't wait.

Beautiful forecast for 11,000'

Every trip I like to write down my goals. First and foremost is safety and success, which takes many forms. My goal this year is for a mature bull, 3+ years old, and we should have plenty of opportunities. (If you remember, last trip we had 9 mature bulls within 100 yds; in one day) If we don't kill two elk, it will be our fault, and not for lack of trying or lack of chances. In many ways I've prepared more this year than any other -- probably because this is my shot at redemption: a bull with my longbow and the fulfillment of a quest I first began 13+ years ago on my first elk hunt.

I'm excited.

Mountain Training in Flat Country

2016-09-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

I live in Southeastern Virginia. There is not a hill in sight. I train year-round for general physical preparedness, but when I have an elk hunt coming up, I want to target my training a little more specifically. I've written already on how I did this before my last trip.

I've taken a slightly different approach this time. I've done plenty of carrying around my loaded pack, of course. But my main focus has been on pulling my tractor tire. If you look at the pictures, you'll see that the body position necessary to pull a sled/tire forward, backward, and sideways, very closely emulates the positioning when hiking uphill, downhill, and sidehill, respectively!

Another great benefit to the weighted sled pull is that all the movement is concentric, meaning you are shortening your muscles under tension, rather than eccentric. Concentric work simply does not leave you sore! Most other movements have portions of each; for example, a push-up is eccentric on the way down, and concentric on the way up. In a nutshell, doing concentric movements means you can train harder and more often with less recovery.

Review of Tusker Broadheads

2016-08-31T13:10:00.002-07:00

Tusker Broadheads have a loyal following and fairly good reputation. With the current exchange rate, they're also quite affordable, being sold from Australia. I bought a dozen Concordes to try out, and I was quite disappointed.

I knew these did not come pre-sharpened, and I expected a roughly-ground edge. I did not even get that. What I got was an incompletely-ground edge; meaning that the edge did not meet up with the other side of the broadhead. These things do not need sharpening, they need grinding first.

Another issue I found was that apparently during grinding, the tips of most of my heads were heated enough to change the color and presumably change the temper of the steel. Not good.

And finally, the tapers were oblong and out of round, only allowing my inserts to partially seat. They were getting squeezed from the sides, and wobbling loosely perpendicular to that.

So tell me, am I being too picky? Expecting too much? I asked Garry Pitt, the owner of Tusker, and he offered me a refund... if I shipped them back to Australia. I guess I can't expect any more than that, but I'm still left with a bitter taste.

Final Details

2016-08-16T05:36:00.000-07:00

Getting a lot of loose ends wrapped up here, along with shooting the bow and training. My training regimen has become very specialized and focused, as I noted here. Mostly carrying the pack and climbing stairs or pushing the lawn mower.

I'm shooting my bow daily. My rig this year is a Border Griffon GL, 68" long and 65 pounds at my 29.5" draw. I've been bareshaft testing and compiled the perfect arrow as well: a 30" long, 300 spine carbon with 350-grains of point weight, for 650 total grains and tons (25%) of FOC; my very own "Ashby Special" (detailed here).

I sent my bow to Tom Parsons, and he installed a Connexion hinge. This will let me put the bow in my pack for hauling meat, thus freeing both hands for trekking poles -- a huge advantage. I added the elk-leather grip wrap.

I also sharpened and stropped my 250-grain, left bevel Cutthroats. These are the best heads I've ever seen. Note the pile of arm hair -- these will now literally wipe the hair away, with no pressure, in one stroke.

It's starting to come together now!

Gatewood Cape - Rain Gear, Tent, Pack Cover All In One!

2016-08-11T08:33:00.001-07:00

I've been working with my new Gatewood Cape from Six Moon Designs. I got it from Backcountry Gear and used code SUMMER20 for 20% off. It is a single-man, floorless, sil-nylon shelter, with 360-degree protection from the elements. This is unlike a tarp, which needs a much larger footprint to set up and can allow wind-blown rain inside. It is also wearable as a poncho, with hood, and is large enough to cover one's pack and body, down to around the knees, eliminating the need to carry rain gear in some cases. I think it will be an ideal addition to the elk hunting pack.

The Cape weighs 12 ounces and stuffs into it's own pocket. Don't forget, it also takes 6 stakes and line to setup, which add another few ounces.

It's simple to setup, using only a single trekking pole. I sealed the seams with homemade silicone and mineral spirits (mixed at a 1:1 ratio).

One of the best things about a single-man shelter in the mountains is that it takes a much smaller flat spot to set up on and be able to sleep comfortably. Anyone who has spent much time in steep country knows the difficulty of finding a large enough flat spot for 2+ people. Usually it's only big enough for 1.5 guys, and somebody gets the short straw. So the Cape, though roomy inside, is smaller than any other 2+ man shelters, which I see as a plus. I can still sit up inside, and it has enough room to store some gear. I will still probably be using my DIY Tyvek bivy, even though with this shelter it might be overkill.

The poncho feature is a great addition to this piece. In a place like Colorado, where sudden, intense storms are commonplace, it will work great and will replace my rain gear, saving lots of weight and space. I wouldn't like to be wearing this all day and hunting in it, obviously, so it might not work well in a place like Alaska. For me, if the rain is coming down hard enough that I need to put on my rain gear, it's raining too hard to hunt, so I typically hunker down for a spell. If it isn't pouring rain, though, I'll leave the rain gear in the pack and rely on the DWR coatings on my wind shirt and pants, which I always re-apply before a hunt.

I think the Gatewood Cape will prove to be a tremendous piece of gear for an elk hunter, and in many situations can fully replace one's rain gear as well. It provides far more protection than a tarp, using a smaller footprint, and accounts for minimal weight and bulk.

The Lightest Backpack Hunting Gear List

2016-08-05T07:13:00.000-07:00

This is the lightest backpack-hunting gear list on Earth. Or at least on the internet.

My final, comprehensive, ultralight elk hunting gear list for this year's trip. I've added brand information for those with questions about any of it. Most individual items -- especially the DIY ones -- have something else written up on this blog elsewhere. I also added the table in text format, rather than an image, so that it's searchable. A little ugly, I know, but this way I (and you) can more easily search back to find items later on.

Pack weight, without food and water, is a little over 13 pounds. I wear/carry 5.5 pounds of clothing/bow/shoes, food is 1.5 pounds per day, plus an average water weight of 2 pounds. I'd say this is as ultralight as anyone would dare bivy hunt and still attempt to carry heavy meat loads (thus requiring a sturdy pack and trekking poles). For me this is perfect, and it allows me to be as deadly as possible.

A Few Notes

The italicized lines in my gear list are clothing. I see many folks asking what and how many clothes to take on an archery backpack hunt in the Rockies; this is what works best for me.

The biggest change I've made is the addition of the Gatewood Cape as my new shelter, rain gear, and pack cover. It is a single-man tent, which uses a trekking pole to set up, and which is also wearable as a hooded rain poncho/pack cover. Dual-purpose gear is key when going small and light. I'll be testing this one more in the coming weeks and report back.

Shared cooking items between me and Gabe are marked as "1/2", since we'll split that weight between the two of us.

As you know, I think it wise to consider the cost of every item, so those figures are below as well. The listed amounts are what I paid; not necessarily what you could find that item for today. There are, of course, some cheaper alternatives -- such as my previous pack, the $80 Hunter's Carryall.

One last thing: I am somewhat proud that you will find almost no "luxury" branded items on this list. Really, except for the KUIU boonie hat that was half off, there are no other trendy brands to be found. That is not merely a pride issue, but one of cost-effectiveness. I can buy other gear that performs as well or better than Sitka/First Lite/KUIU for a fraction of the cost.


Cost	In the Pack	Weight (oz)
$325	pack - seek outside unaweep divide 4500	50
$200	quilt - massdrop 20 degree	21
$25	sleeping pad - klymit inertia x wave	10.5
$100	tent/poncho/pack cover - gatewood cape	12
$5	1/2 wood stove/fire starters - DIY	2
$12	1/2 titanium cup - stoic	2
$30	tyvek bivy - DIY	9
$30	2 trekking poles - DIY	13
$30	bladder/filter - platypus/sawyer mini	6
-	keys/cash	1
-	phone (camera/gps)	5.5
$2	chapstick/sunscreen	1
$25	watch/alarm clock	2
$15	compass	1.5
$12	map	2
$1	duct tape	1
$1	superglue	0.5
$3	toothbrush/paste	1.5
$60	headlamp w/ extra aa batt - zebra h52w	4
$5	cord	2
$5	tylenol PM	1
$20	game bags (4) - allen backcountry meat bags	7.5
$1	toilet paper	2
$22	knife/sharpener - opinel garden knife/dmt mini	3
$1	mini bic lighter	0.5
$25	calls	2
$20	pillow - klymit x	2
$3	decoy - DIY	1
$12	titanium long spoon	1
$10	spare merino socks	2
$50	puffy - stoic	8
$40	softshell jacket - golite post canyon	10
$25	long underwear bottoms - cabelas	6
$20	hooded long-sleeve shirt - mec t2	6

	Wear/Carry	Weight (oz)
$25	merino underwear - stoic	4
$20	merino t-shirt - various	7
$25	pants - champion c9 golf	10
$10	merino socks - various	2
$15	boonie hat - kuiu	2
$100	shoes - salomon speed assault	28
$700	longbow/quiver/arrows/tab - border griffon gl	40
$15	bugle tube	6
$10	belt	2

	Food/Water	Weight (oz)
	food (4 days @ 24 oz/day)	96
	1 L water (avg)	33

	Totals	Weight(lbs)
	Base Pack Weight	13.34
	Pack + 4 Days Food/Water Weight	21.41
	Total Carried Weight	26.91
	Cost	$2,180.00

Backpacking Food Breakthrough: Wild Casserole!

2016-06-27T06:50:00.000-07:00

I had seen it referenced in several places, so I finally had to give it a try: Patrick Smith's Wild Casserole. I read the rave reviews of this backcountry superfood: nutritionally dense, lightweight, delicious for day after day, and good dry or rehydrated. If it lived up to all that hype, it would be the ultimate backpacker's food.

Patrick Smith is the man behind Kifaru, so he must be knowledgeable. I googled his recipe, and found a few different iterations, here. Looks fairly complicated, with a ton of different flavors -- interesting. How in the world can chunked meat that is cooked, then dried, be good to eat without rehydrating?

Based on all the reviews, I had to try; though I was skeptical. I've seen the phenomenon occur over and over: respected internet personality shares an opinion, and all the minions come out of the woodwork to blindly praise said opinion, with much leg-humping. But let's find out!

I wrote up a clean recipe, compiled from the internet thread:

Patrick Smith's Wild Casserole

2 lb. lean venison or beef, ground or cut into 1/2" chunks

Olive oil

3+ cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped green peppers

1 cup chopped green onions

1 cup broccoli florets

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 cup chopped spinach

1 can sliced carrots, drained

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 can Rotel

Lemon juice

Balsamic vinegar

Soy sauce

8 oz. dry cous-cous

Datil or other hot sauce to taste

Big wok. Low side of medium heat. Start with a puddle of olive oil that covers the bottom maybe 3/16" deep. Dice up a couple of bunches of green onions and dump 'em in. While that's cooking, dice up a bundle of cilantro and some broccoli. Add to the onions. Dice garlic cloves and toss in. Let cook a bit. Splash in a few lemon juice squirts from squeeze bottle. Then add several shakes of soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and then 45 shakes of Tabasco.

While that’s all simmering set two pounds ground elk to cooking in a side skillet. Break everything up, no chunks. Cook in maybe two or three big tablespoons olive oil. Add Montreal steak seasoning, a little cayenne and several good shakes of cumin powder. Black pepper.

Back to wok. Add whole can of Rotel. Drain cans of sliced carrots, spinach, and garbanzo beans. Then add to the concoction. Add meat. Stir well. Simmer maybe thirty minutes, covered.

Turn stove off. Stir in two packages couscous. Cover and let sit 'til sets. Re-stir.

So I loaded up at the grocery store and whipped up a big batch.

I made a few changes, adding shredded zucchini, chipotle peppers, and daylily buds from my yard.

Looked good, smelled good, tasted good! But the real test would come after dehydrating it.

Of course, when dried it reduces down to almost nothing -- this is a good thing! But I had my doubts about eating meat, black beans, and couscous without rehydrating.

It turns out those doubts were unfounded -- my entire family agrees, this stuff is delicious when eaten dry! The final test would be to see how well it rehydrates.

In a word: excellent. This wild casserole is a game-changer. It's so nutritious (miles ahead of a Mountain House noodle-bowl with those few flecks of meat and vegetables), so versatile, and so tasty, that I think it will be on my backpacking menu from here on out. It does take a bit of time to prepare, but with the money I save over Mountain House, well worth it to me.

One more tip: I'll add a heaping scoop of parmesan cheese to each freezer bag in my pack before setting out. Even more deliciousness.

Barbell Deal!

2016-05-19T12:27:00.001-07:00

If you've been holding out for a great price on a barbell that will stand up to heavy use (most Craigslist specials will bend - don't ask me how I know!), jump on this now! Shop Craigslist for some plates, but this barbell can handle being dropped and used hard. It's the one I use, and this is actually a better price than what I paid for mine. And that's saying something.

Massdrop Deals!

2016-04-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

If you're gearing up for a backpack hunt and are looking to buy (or upgrade) some ultralight equipment, NOW is the time to pick up a quilt and trekking poles from Massdrop. They have a 20-degree down quilt available for $200, which is an absolute steal considering it's made by Enlightened Equipment and only weighs 20 ounces! (NOTE: Their expected ship date is August 15th)

And while you're at it, pick up a set of their Fizan Compact trekking poles, under 6 ounces each, for $50.

Two essential pieces of high-quality gear for the backpack hunter at truly great prices.

Border Griffon GL and Harrier GL Longbows - The Best!

2016-04-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

Border Archery of Scotland is known for producing some of the finest recurves in the world. However, not many are familiar with their longbows--and they might be even better.

I'm not a recurve guy. I like light, slim, and trim. Behold, the Griffon GL and Harrier GL longbows.

These bows are incredibly well built and perfectly finished. Amazingly, the "GL" in the name means "glass-less," i.e., there is no fiberglass to be found. The Griffon and Harrier have carbon on back and belly instead (sometimes under veneers, as shown). This makes the limbs lighter and the bows faster than fiberglass.

This incredible design allows these mild reflex/deflex longbows to maintain a D shape, yet still perform better than many of the fastest bows produced today--without the twitchiness common to heavily reflexed designs.

Speed with forgiveness? Yes, please!

How do they shoot? Even better than they look. Fast and accurate, smooth and quiet. My first arrows with my Griffon were as tight as I have ever shot before, and stayed that way even out to longer ranges thanks to an amazingly flat trajectory, even with my 650-grain arrows.

The models are similar, but the Harrier has more reflex and a forward handle. Both designs flat out perform. The Griffon GL and Harrier GL are without a doubt the best longbows you've probably never heard of. Don't believe me? Check out Pete Ward's glowing review--almost 200 fps with 8 grains per pound at 28", and even more impressively, 170 fps with 13 grains per pound!

I've accumulated a small collection of these; I love them that much. I'm even working on having one converted to a take-down for an elk bow.

Check them out.

Bow Review - Bigfoot Sasquatch by Kirk Lavender

2016-04-14T18:49:00.000-07:00

I normally don't like 3-piece bows. They seem bulky to me, and they don't have the clean, pure lines that a traditional bow should have. However, I had the opportunity to buy a used bow that I'd had my eyes on for some time: the Bigfoot Sasquatch longbow made by Kirk Lavender.

I follow a few different bowhunting forums, and for years I've admired what I've seen written by and about Kirk. Though not as widely known as some of the bigger names, he strikes me as both a pioneer and an engineer when it comes to building traditional bows. Like me, he seems to be the type that will obsessively seek a better way of doing something, and test everything he does to find optimum efficiency. He doesn't build a bow the way you are supposed to build it, simply because that's what has always been done. He tweaks, improves, and tests to find new and better approaches. He gathers data and compiles hard evidence; like me, he doesn't believe anything without data. And he is incredibly detailed and technical about his craft. For example, he ships his new bows with this graph of that individual bow's performance.

"Draws smooth" is not enough. Kirk shows the smooth draw by graphing draw weight at every inch. "Fast" is also subjective. This bow is proven to be fast, smoking a 568-grain arrow at 198 fps when drawn to 61@32.

These aspects are on full display on the scientific-quality bow performance tests known as "Walk the Talk" done on the Pirates of Archery website. This is a group of guys who get together with computers, calculators, shooting machines, and chronographs, and put traditional bows to the unbiased test. They standardize all variables, and measure draw weight, stored energy, and velocity. Kirk's bows have repeatedly finished near the top--beating out some very big names. (As an aside, his bows are as efficient as the famed ACS longbows; and faster, too.)

When I found one of Kirk's Sasquatch take-down longbows available used, I sheepishly pestered Kirk with all kinds of questions about the bow. Even though I told him from the start that I was looking at a used bow (and thus not spending any money with him), he kindly answered all of my questions, usually within minutes. On a personal level, he is top flight in my book.

All of that to say, Kirk's bows are anything but run-of-the-mill. My longbow certainly doesn't look like your typical 3-piece. In fact, depending on the brace height that I set it on, one might even consider the Sasquatch longbow to actually be a recurve, since at low brace heights the string contacts the limb below the tip. The reason the previous owner sold me the bow was because he was disqualified from a longbow-only event due to this.

Recurve or longbow, it's all semantics to me. I just want to know how it shoots! And I've been shooting this bow for a few days now. The 'squatch pulls 53# at my draw, and I have been shooting my 650-grain carbon arrows out of it. It zips them right along, quietly, and with absolutely no hand shock. There is a slight string vibration upon shooting an arrow, typical of all high-performance bows with high preload early in the draw.

Interestingly, this is a 60" bow, and Kirk made it for someone with a 32" draw with very large hands. I was initially worried about the grip, made for someone who requested a very large one, whereas I prefer a small handhold. Upon shooting the bow, the grip fits me extremely well, and my hand nestles right into place effortlessly. I can't imagine this bow fitting me any better. Which is a little scary...

This is an amazing bow. In many senses, it's far from "traditional." Kirk is an artist, as evidenced by the pictures, and a pioneer in the field of recurve and longbow performance. If you like 3-piece bows, I would put this one up against absolutely any other. It will more than hold its own.

I even took my largest traditional buck to date with the Bigfoot in October!

How to Customize a Sleeping Pad

2016-04-01T18:16:00.001-07:00

I am loving my Klymit Inertia X-Wave, especially for $28 shipped. It should be more durable than my old Hyalite that has started leaking, and it's wider (though not as thick). The built-in pillow is useful for back or stomach sleeping. The holes in the mat allow your sleeping bag to retain some loft. The pad doesn't have a 2.5" drop-off to cause knee or hip pain, but rather a gentle ramp at the end.

There is one thing I didn't like. One feature of the pad is that it comes with a pump and separate valve in addition to the standard blow-up valve. The purpose is to allow the user to inflate it more than lung pressure allows, but I find it unnecessary bulk. So I decided to cut that valve out.

I watched the above video, got out my scissors, and lopped off the extra valve.

A little disconcerting, cutting a massive hole in my go-to inflatable sleeping pad, but here goes nothing...

It really was as easy as the video said! Set the iron on high, let it warm up, then press and hold for 5-10 seconds to form a new airtight welded seam.

There is tremendous potential application here for anyone wanting to trim or customize their inflatable sleeping pad. Cut down your full-length to a 3/4 and save some weight, or trim some unnecessary material and save bulk.

I saved an ounce, some room in my backpack, and a minor annoyance. I'll take it.

Internet Scouting for Elk with CalTopo

2016-03-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

I want to identify and scout a new hunting area this fall, but I live 2000 miles away. Not an uncommon scenario, and one that many readers have probably faced. Nowadays, most guys know to check maps and satellite images, and many like myself spend hours scouting electronically. In this article, I'll walk you through my approach that have proven to be very successful over the years, and I hope you can learn something new!

I use CalTopo almost exclusively--it has all the features I need and it's free. Topo maps, aerials, user-drawn lines with elevation profile graphs, and more. Let's pick a specific example and say I identified the Snowmass, CO area (Unit 43) as the home base for my next hunt (I've never actually been there). If you want to follow along, HERE is the actual map I drew that you can tinker with.

The first thing I do is look for wilderness, whether designated or not, since I want to backpack hunt and have some space to roam, hopefully away from roads and trails. Designated wilderness areas do get more Sitka Warriors tromping all over creation, but it is sometimes all you have to work with. The Maroon Bells Wilderness is near Snowmass, so I'll begin checking that out on CalTopo--usually with the "US Forest Service" topo layer.

I want to find places that are difficult to access, period. That usually means bushwhacking and steep, off-trail climbing. Good habitat is fine, but only if it's nearly impossible to get to--then and only then will it reliably hold elk beyond opening day. However, you've got to be able to extricate several hundred pounds of elk and human from whatever area as well. So with a few minutes of searching, here is a good example of a few basins worth checking out.

Now, let's see what accessing this area looks like. Right click, hit "Add Line," a few clicks, and I've got a route marked to each side of the mountain from the nearest trailheads.

Now to see how bad it's going to be--right click on the line you just drew and open the "Profile" for each route.

Uh oh. The route to "Avalanche Basins" climbs 4600 vertical feet(!)--that's going to be problematic. You can make it in there with a backpack but you'll be wasting valuable time. And if you kill an elk in there, good luck. This spot would be low on my list, though likely to hold elk. This route is not a loop, but rather a six-mile out-and-back; and a tough one at that.

Now, what about the other route, "Capitol Basins?"

Not bad. Circling the loop counter-clockwise, the first basin is 1.5 miles and 1200' away from the truck. Pretty easy, though elk likelihood is slightly lower. But if you keep moving, the next basin looks like the most remote (and the best). (TIP: slide your mouse cursor along the elevation profile and follow its progress on the red dot on the map). The total loop is 10.5 miles and the highest point is 2200' above the lowest.

However, there is a wildcard. Can you make it over the ridges that separate the second and third basins on this route? The second ridge looks especially steep. Play with right-clicking on spots on the map, then going to "Point Info" and then "View From Here" (this feature is also fantastic for determining glassing locations).

The secondary ridge in the center of the picture is the one you need to cross.

It looks possible, though not easy, and maybe not safe. This, friends, is as far as internet scouting can take you. We have reached the limits--you'll need to figure that one out when you go!

Again, HERE is the actual map I drew and used for this example. Go play with it for yourself! And if you hunt those spots, let me know what you saw!

So this would be an example of one place to check out. If I were really hunting Unit 43 this fall, I'd be glued to CalTopo for the next few weeks, identifying more places to hunt like this. Eventually, I'd save my maps and rank them. I'm not happy without a pocket full of hunting spots, and right now is the time to find them and file them away. You never know what's going to happen, where the elk will be, or which places may not be accessible after all. The successful elk hunter is the one who has various places that he can check (maybe even remotely), within close proximity and without wasting too much time traveling between them.

So there's my approach. What's yours?

More New Gear Tidbits...

2016-03-17T19:02:00.001-07:00

Allen's "Backcountry Meat Bags" are sturdy, nonstretch (which makes carrying them in a pack easier), breathable, and of course, lightweight and cheap! 3 ounces and $5 per bag.

A leather, sturdy, heavy-duty boot, perfect for elk... wait, WHAT? This doesn't sound like me at all. Well, I might be trying something new. More to come, but this beautiful, old-school stomper is from Alico, contains 0% Goretex, no seams to burst, stitched/replaceable soles, and can be found on Sierra Trading Post for $135 after 25% off coupon and before shipping. For such a well-made boot, it really is a steal. Use Mr. Rebates for coupons and rebate! My size 11.5's weigh 27 ounces each.

I've never been much of a glasser for elk hunting, but I'm tweaking some of my strategies. That's the subject of another article, but this is the Alpen #711 compact 20x50 spotting scope. Weighs 11.5 ounces and costs around $70. Great glass for the price, and good glass regardless.

And to hold the little scope, this is the ZipShot Mini; a 9-oz, 28", $20 tripod.

This is the Klymit Inertia X Wave, a wide, short pad - perfect to keep your elbows from falling off the sides and allowing a little tossing and turning room with the 25" width. This pad has a gradual dropoff--no leg cliff. And features a built-in 'pillow,' albeit a small one. Weighs 12 ounces and cost me $28 shipped on closeout!

3 Ways to Increase Your Elk Hunting Odds

2016-03-10T10:16:00.000-08:00

In 2012, our party of four got a hot bull to answer our bugle mid-morning. We made a plan and scrambled up the mountain to get on his level. Getting to within 100 yards, we knew that one more bugle would bring him in. We set up, called, and here he came! What we failed to account for, however, was the open avalanche chute between us and the bull. He came right to the edge of the woods, around 40 yards, and would not cross it. Stupid. If we had stopped to think for one minute, we should have realized to simply cross that opening! That nice 5x5 would have been dead.

* * *

Gabe and I are working on plans to make the trip to Colorado again this fall, to revisit some old haunts and create new ones. We're firing off Caltopo maps back and forth, planning and envisioning new areas and approaches. One point that we keep discussing is our over-eager, boneheaded mistakes in the past, and how we can correct them this year.

We have hunted recklessly in the past. It's fun! But our impatience has also cost us opportunities. We've always hunted hard, but rarely have we been smart. I can identify dozens of past unsuccessful encounters that almost assuredly would have worked out in our favor had we used a more thoughtful approach. I want to make three main changes to my approach this year that will allow us to hunt smarter:

1. Learn the herd. On that same previous trip, we watched a herd gathered in a meadow every morning and evening. The next morning we got up early and decided to get to the meadow at first light. As it turned out, we were late arriving, and got there just as the herd moved off up the mountain opposite us. We ignorantly tried to call them back but to no avail. Had we THOUGHT for a minute about where the herd wanted to go, we could have intercepted them. But we ran in hot on their trail and never had a chance.

If there is one thing I want to do better this year, it's simply to SLOW DOWN! I want to glass more, learn more, and know more about the elk before I charge in. Don't hear a bugle and automatically rush right in, calling back. Spend more time listening at night and patterning bugles. The hottest elk hunting location on earth can seem desolate in the middle of the day.

I've worked on identifying easily accessible glassing points from which we can watch elk for an hour or two and learn their patterns. Knowing where they bed and where they feed is valuable info, and we've been too rushed to collect it in the past.

One morning we accidentally ran into a herd and happened to be between them and their bedding area. A novice fooling with a Hoochie Mama for the first time could have called in that bull, and Clint got a good 5x5 out of the deal. Knowing where they want to go can dramatically increase your odds.

2. Don't call. A handful of times in past trips, we have been in the midst of multiple bulls bugling their fool heads off. What an amazing experience! And like young, dumb elk hunters, we have set up and called right back. Now, this approach worked once or twice on satellites, to be sure. But looking back, if the bulls are already bugling, raking, and fighting, we need to shut our dang mouths and get in there! What a dream situation that we failed to identify. The elk are already vocal, giving away their locations, and sidetracked by each other. It's the ideal stalking scenario. So really this tip should be to not call when unnecessary.

3. Don't fight the horses. I'm also delineating more hunting spots to check out, most of which are less of a hike to reach. Spending time and energy hiking trail mileage reduces our competitive advantage as backpackers. My ideal hunting spot would be a series of high, interconnected basins within a mile of a road pull-off (not the end of the road and not the trailhead), with a steep 1500' vertical bushwhack/scramble to reach. The spots we have traditionally found elk have involved 6-12 miles of relatively easy hiking, including walking on trails, which might have a 1000-2000' steep climb at the end. The problem with these areas is not a lack of elk; it's the fact that extricating an elk from them takes days of valuable hunting time without horses. And theoretically, one of those distant spots could turn out to be void of elk--though that hasn't been the case yet--which would mean we'd wasted another two days. My new theory is to hit twice the number of spots that are closer to the truck, which will hopefully reduce meat packing by several days and more than offset a slight decrease in elk numbers.

I know these small tweaks and changes to our approach will increase our effectiveness this fall. I still want to hunt hard, of course, but I also want to make sure we're hunting smart.

I'm Back, Baby! And Some New Gear Tidbits

2016-03-04T12:54:00.003-08:00

Plans are thoroughly underway for another trip this fall! I'm picking up a few new items here and there as budget and sales allow. I'll elaborate on most of this gear later on, but for now, here's a little teaser:

Thanks to a great Canadian exchange rate ($1 CDN = $0.73!), I picked up this MEC T2 hoody for a song ($24 before shipping). Perfect layer for cool mornings, evenings, and sleeping. Weighs 9 ounces and is lighter and more durable than merino. Could also replace a buff, toboggan, and sunscreen. Though I'll still put it over a merino tee shirt, since nothing can take the place of wool for underwear.

Using fixed-bladed, cut-on-contact broadheads, and a non-replaceable bladed knife, I need a sharpener that can touch up both. So I got this 1-ounce wonder appropriately called the "Mini" from DMT; under $10 on Amazon.

I finished up my 8'x9' Tyvek tarp! (By 'finished,' I mean I ordered it cut to length and added the stick-on loops that it comes with.) Coupled with my DIY bivy, it'll be a versatile, ultralight shelter for 2 and gear. Weighs 13 ounces; costs around twenty bucks.

With a new tarp, I need some new stakes. These Coghlan's beauties cost a whopping 75 cents each from Walmart, are 9" long, weigh 0,6 ounces each, and are remarkably similar to MSR Groundhogs yet a third of the price!

And this, friends, is a Stone Glacier Solo. The perfect pack for what I do. It wasn't cheap, but I bought it used, so I can always get my money out of it later. I plan on getting my money's worth, however. I'll be putting it to the test in the coming months. New, these will run you $575.

Troutpacking/Fake Elk Trip

2015-10-02T19:03:00.001-07:00

A few photos from the 3 days I escaped to the Colorado mountains for some backpacking/fishing/not elk hunting. It was still fun.

So, How Did It Go?

2015-09-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

I was not able to hunt elk this year, and that's always a tough pill to swallow. However, I seriously enjoy hearing the success (or failure!) stories of others. I want to pose a question to my miniscule readership: how did it go? Let me know how you did and what you learned! I'd love to hear it and would be happy to post your pictures and stories up here if you would like. I believe we can learn a lot from each other.

Did you try anything you learned from this site? Did it work out, or fail miserably? What will you do differently?

Aside: this is a blatant attempt to feed my addiction. Not being able to hunt elk this year has been difficult; however, every little tidbit you all can offer me might just keep me out of a deep, dark depression ;) Back to surfing the elk forums for my fix. Why does the best forum have the worst user interface?

Yet Another Weight-Saver: Tarp!

2015-08-20T06:22:00.000-07:00

Now that I've made my DIY Tyvek bivy and thus gained more weather protection than simply sleeping on a groundsheet, it was naturally time to start looking into tarps. Sleeping under a normal-sized tarp in adverse conditions is not feasible without a bivy sack--the large openings can allow rain to blow inside; however, with a bivy, a tarp just has to keep one's head dry in the worst conditions.

The best thing about tarps is that they are much lighter than tents; even lighter than single-wall floorless shelters like my GoLite SL3. In addition, they can be set up in a number of different configurations depending on terrain and weather. Not expecting rain? Set that sucker up high and wide, and have tons of room. Bad storm? Cinch it tight to the ground and close down the ends for maximum protection.

I wasn't sure at first which size tarp to use for two people. I did some research, but to try out a tarp first, I went to my local Walmart and picked up a poly 8x10. I set it up in the yard as a play fort with my daughter, with it in a wide arrangement (8' along the ridgeline):

I set the "doorway" at 42" tall, and the other side at 21" off the ground. Roomy! was my first thought upon crawling inside. This setup gives a footprint of 8' long by 8' wide at the "doorway" growing to 9.5' wide at the other end! Almost too big to try to find a suitable flat spot in the mountains, and more than enough room for two plus gear.

I liked the 8' length, but could deal with less width and still be comfortable. I think I'll shoot for an 8x8 tarp as my perfect size for two plus some gear, and the best compromise between weight, space, and footprint.

I'd normally use trekking poles for setup, of course, but even without them one could always use sticks. One thing about tarp: you NEED to have stakes with the ability to hold tightly, especially the ridgeline. Gotta get that baby tight!

I also tried a "diamond" arrangement (below), but I felt that it increased exposure and decreased usable floor space. Some people really like that setup, but I don't think it's for me unless the terrain dictates it as my only option. It would work in a situation where you knew which direction the wind/rain would be blowing.

The poly tarp weighs about the same as my SL3, but I'm not satisfied with that. I'll be looking into other tarp options now that I know what size I'd like. Silnylon is cheaper (~$100) and would weigh around 14 ounces, and cuben is expensive (~$250) but could be as light as 6 ounces! The cheapest of all ($30), and probably my next project, would be Tyvek; that size tarp, made from the heavier House Wrap material, would weigh a few ounces more than silnylon but would be nearly indestructible. Plus it's DIY, and I always like trying it myself. Stay tuned.