Kristy Titus

Good Old Days Youth Hunt

2011-12-09T09:10:00.000-08:00

If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.
Rachel Carson

The walls of the Black Oak Outfitters guest house were filled with the laughter and excitement. I was self proclaimed den mother of fifteen year old Alexa, and Mikayla, fourteen year old Elizabeth, thirteen year old Victoria and ten year old Lexi. Mikayla had harvested her blacktail doe before I had arrived and the other girls were wound up with anticipation of their first hunt for blacktail deer.

Hunters Victoria and Alexa, Mikayla was observing.

The hunt carried a “The Good Old Days” theme and was complete with Jack Lewis’s 1914 Model T Ford Roadster. Gary Lewis, host of Gary Lewis Adventures, James (Elizabeth and Victoria’s dad), Jim Harris our photographer, Mikayla, and our hunters Alexa and Victoria were ready to go all dressed in clothing that was reminiscent of what our grandparents would have worn complete blaze orange.

When the darkness faded to light, we made our decent down the small draw. As we all sat and glassed for deer, the poison oak bushes came to life before our eyes. Alexa had a beautiful buck on alert broadside for well over 15 minutes. Unfortunately, she did not have a buck tag. The does he was trailing remained safely tucked into the heavy oak, safe from rifle range.

Shortly after, I spotted a lone doe bedded down; we devised a plan and made our stalk. Everything went perfect. Alexa got into position and was ready to take the shot, but when the doe stood, she proudly displayed her backside revealing herself as a Whitetail doe. Watching the doe disappear into heavy cover, we had all shared the excitement that Alexa certainly must have been feeling.

Hiking out of the draw, the girls, me included, were thrilled with the two close calls that we had so early in the hunt. Down into another draw, thick with poison oak, we spotted several small groups of blacktail doe feeding together. Alexa and Victoria were able to spot, stalk, and fill their tags within minutes of each other.

Alexa and her first blacktail doe.

Alexa and I packing her doe down the draw.

Later that afternoon, it was time for Lexi to hunt her first blacktail doe. Filled with anticipation, the ten year old climbed into my truck along with Victoria. Lexi talked about her fears and I sat and listened to her and thirteen year old Victoria discuss the upcoming hunt. It was one of the most memorable moments of my life hearing Victoria, who is now an experienced hunter having successfully harvested her first deer earlier that morning, talk to Lexi about what to expect, how she is going to feel and most importantly letting her know that she is going to do great.

As Lexi headed into the green valley, Victoria and I stood on the sidelines silently cheering her on. Gary took Lexi into the field where she practiced her trigger squeeze until she could break the trigger on an empty round five times without disturbing the penny that he had laid on the barrel. Minutes into her hunt Lexi filled her tag on an antlerless blacktail.

When Lexi returned, she was greeted by her mom, new friend Victoria and me. We were all there for her to share her hunt success story with. Everything had gone perfectly, spot, stalk and now she is now an experienced hunter, just like her friend Victoria.

The next morning it was time for fourteen year old Elizabeth to hunt for her first blacktail buck. We spent the morning glassing the heavy poison oak for bucks when we spotted a small spike and a nice forked horn buck. Elizabeth, taking aim, she put the buck down in poison oak that was well above our heads. This was going to be an interesting recovery. Luckily for everyone who participated in the recovery, no one got poison oak and Elizabeth got her buck.

Elizabeth and I with here first blacktail buck.

The memories made on this trip will last for generations. It gives me a great sense of fulfillment that someday Elizabeth, Victoria, Alexa, and Lexi will tell their own children about this very weekend and how they harvested their first blacktail deer. The hunting legacy will continue on through these girls.

~Special Thanks~

The Sandberg Family & Black Oak Outfitters

Bud & Brian Smith

High Desert SCI

High Desert Friends of the NRA

Jim Harris

Gary Lewis

Mikayla Lewis

James Flaherty

Elizabeth Flaherty

Victoria Flaherty

Don Lewis

Joel Lewis

Jack Lewis

Neil Lewis

Angie Lewis

Lexi Lewis

Alexa Eicher

Paxton Eicher

Sam Pyke

TV Personality Kristy Titus Joins Team Elk : The Outdoor Wire

2011-11-15T18:25:00.001-08:00

TV Personality Kristy Titus Joins Team Elk : The Outdoor Wire

The Last Day- Oregon's Archery Elk Season

2011-11-15T18:24:00.000-08:00

The weather had indeed cooled off overnight and a storm was brewing. Leaving spike camp at daylight, the morning was quiet and the bulls were still not bugling even with the drastic change in the weather. Setting up near a bedding area, I called for about an hour with one bull responding, and on private land. No go there…

It was cold and rain had begun drizzling from the sky. I knew that I had to use the change in weather to my advantage and try to locate an eager bull. Moving down the draw towards a weep, the massive bull startled me as he ran out from behind a tree and circled around me. This bull had come in silently to my call.

He stopped roughly 80 yards away, barking at me. I barked back and followed up with some soft cow calls. As he moved down the draw and out into the open I made my way after him as quickly as possible. At 60 yards he stood in the open waiting for me, staring in my direction finally bugling, chuckling and even barking occasionally. I had to be cautious in trying to close the distance a mere 10 yards to place him within bow range. Taking advantage of his nervousness, when he would spin around or consider taking off, I would close the distance.

Finally, the bull was within bow range but I still did not have a clear shot. Two branches stood in my way of having a shot at the bull and I just couldn’t risk having an arrow deflect. Silently I prayed for enough time to maneuver into a good shooting lane but my prayers went unanswered. When the bull had enough he wheeled around and took off down the draw never to be seen again.

The last afternoon…

I made my way back to camp still feeling the excitement from my close encounter with the massive bull. Eating my lunch I pondered where to spend my final afternoon hunting. The wind was swirling around the mountain making strategizing difficult. Honestly, I wasn’t sure where to focus my effort. The mountains are so big and I didn’t want to miss out on my final opportunity. Decisions, decisions…

Leaving camp in the rain, I headed to a rock point to bugle a draw that I had a trail camera located on all summer long. I had not hunted the draw over the course of the season as my trail camera had only produced photos of three bulls in the three months that I had it out. Not to mention that most of the other public land hunters were coming in and out of the area on a game trail that was located on this very draw. In fact, that morning, my dad called the draw in an effort to help locate a bull on his way out to get the mules without any luck or response from a bull.

As soon as I let my locate bugle out, a bull responded with a scream. Game on!!! Finally, I had received the aggressive bugle that I had been waiting all season for. The bull was over a mile away, so I silently closed the distance knowing exactly where he was.

I set up two decoys and began a calling sequence hoping that the bull would drop down the ridge far enough allowing him to see my decoys and come within bow range. The wind was bad, it was blowing straight up the draw so I had be extra cautious where I set up as to not have him catch my wind. The bull came down and stopped at about 80 yards bugling occasionally, but he was mostly listening and waiting as these smart old bulls often do.

I knew that he was not going to come any closer, so I grabbed a decoy, slipped off my boots, and coated myself in an entire container of Elk gel to help mask my scent. Putting Under Armour’s scent capture technology to the test, I was going after this bull with the wind blowing straight to him in a desperate attempt to make something happen.

As I made my way silently up the open draw, I placed my decoy in front of me with the expectation that I would be seen by the nearby bull. I was right. Just as I crested a small rise in the ridge, there stood two bulls, one a spike, the other unknown, and both less than 40 yards away. Silently I stood there hoping that the bulls would not charge me or bust out of there as the wind was blowing right to them. After a few moments, they lost interest and walked off, the spike going to the left and the unknown bull going to the right.

The unknown bull then let out a locate bugle from the top of the next ridge. Back in the game, I folded up my decoy and continued my bare foot pursuit of the bull. Not wanting to cow call or bugle to re-locate the bull, I stood at the top of the ridge listening for a clue as to where the bull had gone when I heard what I thought was two bulls fighting.

Seizing the opportunity I moved quickly towards the noise and snuck up on the massive bull while he stood thrashing in a wallow flinging mud with his antlers. Taking a few moments to turn on my video camera and zoom in on the bull while he was looking directly at me (note beginning of video below) I was able to capture the ending of this extra ordinary hunt on camera.

Having no shot on the bull’s vitals, I waited for him to continue thrashing in the mud to make my move into position for a broadside shot. Everything was perfect, the bull stood broadside with his head behind a tree unable to see me. His vitals were perfectly exposed, ranged at 41 yards. It’s go time!!! Just as I begin to draw my bow he stepped out of the wallow and slowly moved up the ridge completely unaware of my presence.

Ugggg, you have to be kidding me!!! I ranged him again, 52 yards, still within range and he moves again. This time, I’m not so lucky and he spots me moving and I no longer have a shot on his vitals. The bull continued to move calmly up the ridge and out of range.

As my luck would have it, just as I took after the bull again, my dad shows up with three mules heading into our spike camp. The bull took off and I never saw him again. My dad hadn’t seen the bull and probably thought I was crazy running around the mountain with an arrow knocked, no backpack or boots on as I had been in stealth mode. It had worked, kind of…

I am still losing sleep at night as this bull was a magnificent 6x6, roughly 50 inches wide, I’m guessing 315-330 inches. I have a trail camera photo below of the bull I believe him to be. He is one of three bulls that were captured by my trail camera on that ridge.

Taking the time to turn on and zoom in my video camera may have cost me precious seconds that I could have used to put an arrow in the bull, but I have no regrets. I captured the thrilling part of my hunt on camera; the bull was ranged, broadside and ready for me to make an ethical shot. If I could do it over again, I would pray for the bull to stand in the wallow for 7 more seconds…

This year, I was gifted with the thrill of fair chase, do it yourself hunting, both solo and with my dad at my side. Having had the opportunity to harvest countless cows, spikes and five branch bulls in pursuit of a big mature bull on public land, no easy feat; I was finally given the opportunity to chase after my dream bull. That is what keeps all of us public land hunters coming back every year. It just doesn’t get any better than that.


My dad and I enjoying the view.

Packing out camp on Otis, Chester and Fury.

Gear List

Under Armour Clothing for Kristy and her Dad

Camo Evo Cold Gear Pants

Camo Evo Cold Gear Hoody

Camo Full Zip Hoody

Quest Jacket & Pant

Women’s Camo Glove

Hurlock Glove

Camo Active Beanie

Speed Freek Boots

Hitch Lite Cushion Boot Sock

Early Season Ridge Reaper Jacket & Pant

Camo Armourloft Vest

Swarovski Optik

EL 42 Swarovision Binoculars

65mm HD Spotting Scope with 20-60x Eyepiece

8x30 Laser Guide

Misc. Gear

Bugling Bull Game Calls- Remedy & Mellow Yellow Mama Diaphragm, Select-A-Bull Bugle, Who's Yerr Daddy

Elite Archery- Hunter

Spot Hogg Real Deal Sight

Victory Arrows

Tight Spot Quivers

Ripcord Arrow Rest

Wilderness Athlete Performance Bars, Energy Gel, Energy & Focus Drink Formula, Protein Plus

Montana Decoy
Hunten' Outdoors Trail Cameras

The Final Days- Oregon's Archery Elk Season

2011-11-15T18:20:00.000-08:00

As a kid I used to laugh at my dad when he would pop in a VHS tape watching Elk being taken on camera while practicing using his rubber band cow calls and grunt tube in our living room. His eyes would bug out, face reddening from blowing on the old calls making for a comical evening. At that point in my life I had no comprehension that what he was practicing would actually draw in a fervent bull Elk during the rut.

I watched my dad’s living room practice sessions pay off during a public land, DIY Elk hunt in Idaho. I was 13 years old when my dad used his old school bugle to chuckle in a spike and 5x5 bull Elk. The 5x5 came in screaming, chasing off the spike, and angrily charging towards us when my dad shot him from roughly 30 yards away.

At 13 years old, watching this bull come in screaming changed my life and lit the fire for my love of Elk hunting.

I was proud to lead out Sam (the mule) who was loaded with the beautiful bull that my dad and I had taken.

Since then, I have always looked forward to final days of archery Elk season that typically hold the promise of frenzied bulls aggressively seeking cows. Having passed on countless cows, spikes, and four young branched bulls already in the season, I had only nine more days to put a mature bull on the ground, no easy feat, especially on public land and DIY.

Nine days…

The temperatures were nearing 80 degrees every day. The hot and dry conditions were limiting hunting hours to the first and last thirty minutes of daylight. With other public land hunters targeting one of my best areas, dad and I decided to walk in to another one of our better spots under the cover of darkness.

Waiting for daylight to crest over the horizon, we glassed from the timbered edge into a large feeding area with the hopes of spotting a big bull on his feet before returning to his bed. The plan was perfect. We spotted two bulls right away, a spike and a young 3x3 branched bull.

Wanting only to get some video of the bulls, my dad set up on the edge of the timber doing a series of cow calls. The two young bulls came in silently, literally running past me at 40 yards making their way to my dad. Had we not have known the bulls were there we would have probably been run over by them. Somehow, along the way I accidently deleted that video clip of the 3x3 running past me. Video or no, it was a fun experience.

While we were hunting this spot, the other public land hunters had spooked a nice 5x5 off of one of the wallows where I had a tree stand hung. I avoided hunt this spot in the mornings as the wind blows right down to where the bulls bed and come to water. You can see from my trail camera video that when these other hunters headed down towards the wallow, the bull gets nervous, looks around and decides to get out of there, fast.

Eight days…

Dad and I hunted together in the morning without much luck. The bulls weren’t bugling and the hunting pressure was intense as there were at least two other groups of public land hunters after the same Elk as me. Dad had a trade show to attend, so I was on my own for the next three and a half days.

That night, I set up in the same feeding area that dad and I had called in the silent 3x3 and spike with the hopes of getting on a bull when he left his bed for the evening. Doing a series of cow calls and bugles a bull finally answered from his bed when he got up to go feed around 7:00 PM. Having less than thirty minutes to get this bull within range before darkness settled in, I set up the decoys in the feeding area.

Not one but two bulls came in, both hanging up around 80 yards and whining from below me wanting to come in closer but apprehensive in doing so. I didn’t get a look at these two bulls as my thirty minutes of daylight ran out fast. I made the hour long hike back to camp in the dark glad to finally have heard a bugle and feeling hopeful for the next day.

Seven days…

The trail camera pictures that I had been getting of mature bulls going to water to either drink or wallow were all in the morning before 10:00 AM. With 80 degree days it seemed the bulls wanted to get cooled off and muddy up to keep the bugs down before bedding down for the hot of the day. With that in mind, I left camp an hour before daylight with temperatures already so high that I was in a tank top.

I headed out with the plan to sit one of the wallows that had been getting used by bulls intermittently. At daylight I found myself less than 100 yards from a huge herd of Elk with one angrily screaming bull and a second bull letting out a traditional locate bugle. Unfortunately, the wind was in favor of the Elk. I had to back out of the area before they got my wind and busted me. The bulls quit bugling 30 minutes after daylight and bedded down on private land that I did not have permission to hunt. Knowing where the Elk were, I felt good about my chances for the next day as I also had not spooked them out of the area.

Six days…

Once again I headed into the same spot an hour before daylight. This time I dropped down below where the Elk had bedded on private land the morning before so that I could reach my tree stand before daylight. The plan was almost perfect. The bull dropped down to move his cows as they fed above me towards their bedding area at 90 yards. Unfortunately, he did not come down within bow range and the terrain was too open for me to make an attempt at a stalk without being busted.

I spent the remainder of the day at the wallow with the hopes that the bull who was now bedded on private land less than 200 yards away would get hot and come back to the public land side to wallow.

Five days…

With time in the season growing short, I spent the next morning trying to get a bull to locate without any luck. When the wind was right, I went back to the wallow where I had gotten into the herd of Elk for the past two mornings to check my trail camera. The herd had been in to water at midnight which confirmed my belief that the Elk were nocturnal except for the first and last thirty minutes of daylight.

Four days…

Oftentimes success in hunting comes from being in the right place at the right time. On day four, I was not fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time; my dad on the other hand who had just returned from his trade show, to hunt Mule deer had the luck that I wished I was having.

Heading up the timber ridge, daylight had just crested the horizon, when my dad accidently rolled a rock down the mountainside just as he spotted his first glimpse of the cow Elk in front of him. Some of the cows heard the rock roll and quickly made their exit out of the open feeding area and back into the timber.

As dad eased out into the opening towards a depression in the ground where a small weep was located, he saw the towering antlers. A mere 50 yards away the 6x6 bull fed in the small opening, oblivious that some of his cows had busted my dad making his way up the draw. The bull remained at 50 yards from my dad and within easy bow range for minutes until he realized that his some of his cows had gone AWOL.

In a fit of panic, the bull circled in a 50-80 yard radius around my dad silently picking up the remainder of his harem and moving them into the timber in a desperate attempt to locate his missing cows. Even with the bull in frenzy over his lost cows, he did not bugle or make a single sound in his efforts to locate them.

The photo below shows a magnificent 6x6 that had been living in that same draw during the summer. The bull my dad stumbled into just may be this very bull. I had picked the wrong draw to hunt on day four.

Three days…

Together my dad and I spent the day seeking out the 6x6 that he had encountered the day before. Unfortunately, we were unable to re-locate the herd and the massive bull.

Two days…

There is an old saying that if you are not discouraged then you are not hunting. Well I was definitely hunting and running out of precious time. The bulls had quit bugling, temperatures were high and optimism was becoming scarce on my part. I had to keep reminding myself that my luck could change at any moment.

Dad and I spent the day checking wallows for recent activity and game trails looking for fresh tracks in an attempt to figure out what the silent and nocturnal Elk were doing. The only thing we found on day two was three other hunters. Go figure.

During the heat of the day, Dad and I gathered up all of my trail cameras and tree stands packing them back to our spike camp. I would be spending the final day of archery Elk season solo as Dad was going to head out on the final morning to go back to town to get the mules so that we could pack out our spike camp the day after season.

The weather was due to cool on the following day by some 20 degrees and I went to bed that night hopeful that my luck would change on the final day of archery season.

Gear List

Under Armour Clothing for Kristy and her Dad

Camo Evo Cold Gear Pants

Camo Evo Cold Gear Hoody

Camo Full Zip Hoody

Quest Jacket & Pant

Women’s Camo Glove

Hurlock Glove

Camo Active Beanie

Speed Freek Boots

Hitch Lite Cushion Boot Sock

Early Season Ridge Reaper Jacket & Pant

Camo Armourloft Vest

Swarovski Optik

EL 42 Swarovision Binoculars

65mm HD Spotting Scope with 20-60x Eyepiece

8x30 Laser Guide

Misc. Gear

Bugling Bull Game Calls- Remedy & Mellow Yellow Mama Diaphragm, Select-A-Bull Bugle, Who's Yerr Daddy

Elite Archery- Hunter

Spot Hogg Real Deal Sight

Victory Arrows

Tight Spot Quivers

Ripcord Arrow Rest

Wilderness Athlete Performance Bars, Energy Gel, Energy & Focus Drink Formula, Protein Plus

Montana Decoy
Hunten' Outdoors Trail Cameras

Oregon's Archery Elk Season Continued

2011-11-15T18:15:00.000-08:00

The switch had been flipped…opening day of Oregon’s archery Elk season had been epic. The cows were mewing, the bulls were bugling, dad tagged out on a great 5x5 bull, I passed up a 4x4 bull. Week two of the season was off to a slow start. The rut had not yet consumed the bull Elk and once public land hunting pressure had set in, the bulls had figured out that they were being targeted. With more hunters in the area than I have seen in years past it was no wonder that the bulls quit bugling and coming in to cow calls.

With the bulls not cooperating, and unseasonably hot and dry conditions, I decided to sit in a tree stand over a wallow. The wallow is located in an area where I had patterned several large bulls moving through over the summer and was actively being used. This tactic worked perfectly as a young 3x4 bull came in to the wallow and stood broadside at 50 yards.

Unfortunately, the big mature bull that I was looking for did not come to the wallow. While sitting the wallow with only young bulls visiting, I had a big mature bull using a game trail down the ridge so I decided to move my stand with the hopes of intercepting this big bull on the move.

The vanishing bull...

I just couldn’t manage to be in the right place at the right time. While I was out of the wallow stand on the 3^rd - 5^th of September, two shooter bulls came to the wallow on two of the three days. The bull that had been using the game trail up and vanished on me. Sometimes a girl just can’t catch a break.

Taking some time to get out of the stand, dad and I stalked within 70 yards of two young branch bulls. There was no need to close the distance on them for a shot as I was still holding out for that larger more mature bull.

Warm weather conditions made many of the Elk nocturnal.

On the 10^th of September, dad and I headed back to town and off the mountain as we both had to return to work until the 17^th. On our way out, we just missed this bull but my trail camera did not. This guy was right above us and silent. Later in the season I had an exciting hunt featuring this monster bull, read my next blog to read the story and watch the video.

While we were off the mountain the following week, check out the photos and videos below of what we missed.

This nice bull was 50 yards from my wallow stand.

During the course of the week that dad and I were off the mountain and working, we did not have activity on my trail cameras. It was my understanding that there was quite a bit of hunting pressure from out of area hunters. The additional pressure had a big impact on their typical behavior and habits.

Gear List

Under Armour Clothing for Kristy and her Dad

Camo Evo Cold Gear Pants

Camo Evo Cold Gear Hoody

Camo Full Zip Hoody

Quest Jacket & Pant

Women’s Camo Glove

Hurlock Glove

Camo Active Beanie

Speed Freek Boots

Hitch Lite Cushion Boot Sock

Early Season Ridge Reaper Jacket & Pant

Camo Armourloft Vest

Swarovski Optik

EL 42 Swarovision Binoculars

65mm HD Spotting Scope with 20-60x Eyepiece

8x30 Laser Guide

Misc. Gear

Bugling Bull Game Calls- Remedy & Mellow Yellow Mama Diaphragm, Select-A-Bull Bugle, Who's Yerr Daddy

Elite Archery- Hunter

Spot Hogg Real Deal Sight

Victory Arrows

Tight Spot Quivers

Ripcord Arrow Rest

Wilderness Athlete Performance Bars, Energy Gel, Energy & Focus Drink Formula, Protein Plus

Montana Decoy
Hunten' Outdoors Trail Cameras

Opening Week of Oregon's Archery Elk Season

2011-11-15T17:53:00.000-08:00

Archery Elk season here in Oregon is off to a great start. After scouting for two months, my dad and I were in the bulls first thing. We had set up two stands in separate locations that I had found big bulls over the summer. Using Bugling Bull Game Calls Remedy diaphragm, I cow called in and passed up a young 4x4 hoping for a chance at a bigger more mature bull as the season progresses.

My dad was able to take a nice 5x5 opening morning in another spot that I had scouted over the past two months. He was also cow called in an entire herd of over 70 Elk using the Mellow Yellow Mama diaphragm from Bugling Bull Game Calls.

The herd going up the draw.

Here they come in to dad's cow calls.

That is a lot of spike bulls to pass up waiting for the branched bull.

Well worth the wait!

Dad called in the huge herd of Elk and passed up a ton of cows and spike bulls before harvesting this beautiful bull.

At the end of July this location only had resident bachelor bulls but around the 10^th of August those bulls moved out and the cows, calves spikes and young branch bulls moved in. The evening of opening day, I was in a huge herd of cows and calves with no branch bulls (my dad shot the only branch bull in the herd). It was pretty amazing working my way up the mountain with Elk literally surrounding me. Thanks to a nasty thunder storm that rolled through the ground was wet and quiet and the wind was blowing steady downhill allowing me to sneak within 5 feet of some of the calves. I even managed to get it all on video. The audio on the footage is amazing. The herd was so loud, even the cows were bugling literally yards away from me. It was incredible!!!

We have a spike camp in over 4 miles off the road and I must say it is pretty awesome going to bed at night with the melody of mewing cows putting you to sleep. The big bulls are still in bachelor herds for now leaving me with the hopes of harvesting a larger more mature bull when one moves in and takes over this massive herd plus a plethora of statelight bulls looking to steal some of the cows. I will be there…waiting for my chance!

I am out of the woods today taking care of meat but will be back hunting tomorrow morning.

Happy Hunting Everyone,

Kristy

My dad and I packing out his 5x5 public land, DIY bull Elk.

Gear List

Under Armour Clothing for Kristy and her Dad

Camo Evo Cold Gear Pants

Camo Evo Cold Gear Hoody

Camo Full Zip Hoody

Quest Jacket & Pant

Women’s Camo Glove

Hurlock Glove

Camo Active Beanie

Speed Freek Boots

Hitch Lite Cushion Boot Sock

Early Season Ridge Reaper Jacket & Pant

Camo Armourloft Vest

Swarovski Optik

EL 42 Swarovision Binoculars

65mm HD Spotting Scope with 20-60x Eyepiece

8x30 Laser Guide

Misc. Gear

Bugling Bull Game Calls- Remedy & Mellow Yellow Mama Diaphragm, Select-A-Bull Bugle, Who's Yerr Daddy

Elite Archery- Hunter

Spot Hogg Real Deal Sight

Victory Arrows

Tight Spot Quivers

Ripcord Arrow Rest

Wilderness Athlete Performance Bars, Energy Gel, Energy & Focus Drink Formula, Protein Plus

Montana Decoy
Hunten' Outdoors Trail Cameras

Field Dressing in Extreme Heat

2011-11-15T17:47:00.000-08:00

Big game.big prep.always prepared. Always lethal

The First Bugle

2011-11-15T17:45:00.001-08:00

The thick vegetation is beginning to cure.

The vegetation was over my head, zigzagging through the corn stalk like shoots, my boots were sinking into the thick mud bog, with Otis in tow, every step was made quick to keep ahead of the mule’s enormous stride. Dad was just ahead, video camera in hand filming as we floundered towards him. Reaching the other side, my dad put the camera down and casually said that he had heard Elk.

With the sounds of the mud holding my feet tight and the vegetation that was nearly taller than me filling my ears, I certainly had not heard any Elk. My father has questionable hearing on a good day, so I stood still and listened. Only moments later I hear it; the first bugle of the year. The nursery herd of cows, calves, spikes and rag horned bulls had been living in the area for more than two weeks and sure enough, one of the eager young bulls was singing his heart out, echoing the hauntingly beautiful sound across the mountainside.

Knowing that Elk season’s opener was in less than two weeks, excitement was coursing through my veins, we kept going so not to disturb the herd below us. Otis was loaded with two tree stands, and a camera arm to aid in filming, we had a day’s work cut out for us and could not afford to waste any time.

Jumping over fallen logs, side hilling across the mountainside, we walked right into them, a substantial herd of resident cows and calves, numerous spike bulls and one single branched rag horn bull. The herd was running down the mountain towards the bottom when they suddenly stopped to get a better look at us. While the herd was busy mewing and chirping, I took the opportunity to take video of them milling around the mountainside less than 80 yards away from us. A spectacular sight it was that lasted only a couple of precious minutes when they continued their decent down the mountain.

Downloading my pictures onto my laptop.

Checking my first of three locations, I found that a 6x6 and a 7x7 bull both still in the velvet had been in on the same day, August 14^th. The 7x7 was definitely a relative to a bull that I had called in for my father over four years before as they have unmistakable webbing at the top of their antlers. I was excited to see this unique trait being passed down. As I stood there only one day later, I immediately knew that these were two bulls that I had not seen before. This spot in particular was known to have at least one nearby nursery herd of Elk and these two bulls were in there for one reason and one reason only, they were starting to move out of their summer ground feeling the rut approaching from within.

Making our way across an open flat, the stripped tree immediately caught my eye. A bull had rubbed the velvet off of his antlers only hours before. His victim had been two trees set 30 yards apart. The tender velvet was so fresh the membrane that had attached it to the antler was still moist and bloody. The changes within the Elk had started to show seemingly overnight, hearing my first bugle, evidence of new bulls moving in from my trial camera pictures, and now finding this, I was excited beyond words!

The bull had tore up this tree only hours before.

The velvet was so fresh the membrane was still moist and bloody.

Otis checking out the velvet.

Eagerly I approached my trail camera and the location where I was going to hang my tree stand only to find out that I had neglected to turn the power on my camera when I had left it over 10 days before. 10 days of valuable information lost. There was fresh Elk sign and I knew there was at least two 300+ bulls that had been living in the area. Never the less, I was disappointed to have lost the opportunity to check my camera this one last time before the season opened. My dad I and I hung my stand and camera arm with confidence knowing in less than two weeks, I would be back to review my new trail camera pictures and have my shot at harvesting one of the magnificent bulls that were living on the ridge.

Our next stop was to hang a stand for my dad. Fortunately, I had turned this camera on and had many pictures of Elk. The last photo of my larger 300+ class bull in this particular location was taken on the 25^th of July; the herds of spike bulls and young branched bulls were still frequenting the area. The biggest notable change occurred on the 9^th of August when the cows mixed with spikes and one rag horned bull appeared together on my camera. This location had been previously occupied by bachelor bulls only.

The tree was set for my dad’s return opening weekend and we walked out with very valuable information about the Elk behavior that would help us tremendously opening weekend. The bulls were beginning to feel the biological changes from within and were bugling, the older more mature bulls had began to scrape the velvet off their antlers and had started to move out of their summer range soon to begin territorial marking.

The rut was close the Elk felt it and I saw it in their behavioral changes. When I return again during season in less than two weeks, the photos I capture, the sign I read, and what I hear echoing across the mountainside will all help me in planning my strategy for taking down one of the mature bulls I have been watching all summer long.

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Under Armour Always Lethal

2011 Central Oregon Elk Camp

2011-11-15T17:44:00.000-08:00

This year’s 2011 Central Oregon Elk Camp by Cent-Wise Sporting Goods and Steve and Kathy Simpson was held at the Simpson’s private Elk ranch in Terrebonne Oregon. Nestled along the foothills of the majestic Cascade Mountain Range, the Simpson Elk Ranch features a mix of 100 cows and 100 bull Elk. The Lower Bridge herd is bred for their unique renewable resource, velvet. For centuries past, the Far East has used velvet covered Elk antler to increase energy and endurance, strengthen joints and the immune system, improve memory, and other medicinal purposes.

Me and Cathy Allman from Cent-Wise Sporting Goods

There is nothing that gets over 75 Elk hunters more excited and ready for hunting season than spending the day surrounded by beautiful mountains and a herd of over 200 head of Elk, talking Elk and Elk hunting all while sharpening their hunting skills. The action packed day featured a fantastic lineup of guest speakers and seminar topics. Hunters prepared themselves for season with a wide range of topics and a multitude of speakers such as:

Steve Chappell of Bugling Bull Game Calls discussed “Calling Big Bulls”

Blake Miller of Outdoor Quest taught “Understanding GPS and Topo Maps”

Karl Findling of Oregon Pack Works “10 Tips for Successful Backcountry Packing”

Troy Niemann, co-author of the Northwest Elk Academy video “Rifle & Archery Tactics for Elk”

Gary Lewis award winning author and host of Gary Lewis’ Adventure Journal “After the Shot Tracking & Follow-Up

Mike Slinkard of Winner’s Choice Strings & HECS “ HECS Technology”

Karl Matous retired Navy emergency responder “Medical & Practical Preparedness in the Wilderness”
Scott Wegner, Wildlife Specialist with Land O’ Lakes Purina Feed Company “Successful Food & Feed Plots”
Steve Simpson, owner of the Simpson Elk Ranch “Field Judging & Scoring Bull Elk”

Sharing my public land Elk scouting adventures to the crowd, I discussed my pre-season scouting tactics. Everyone loved seeing the multiple 300+ class public land bull Elk trail camera pictures that I integrated into my seminar. That chance at a big public land bull keeps us heading back into the high country year after year. I enjoyed having given everyone some tips on how to find those big bulls before season increasing their odds of success on public lands.

One of the trail camera photos that I shared with the audience.

Excitement was peaked while experiencing the thrill of being up close and personal with a herd of multiple 400+ class bull Elk. For lunch, award winning Outdoor Chef Kurt Ploetz, grilled up BBQ’d Bacon Swiss Elk burgers with all the fixin’s.

Troy Niemann and I with Chef Kurt getting ready to fill up on Elk burgers.

By the end of the day over $2,500 worth of door prizes were distributed to attendees with proceeds from the day’s events going to the Hunt of a Lifetime Foundation. Sending out a huge thank you to Cent-Wise Sporting Goods and Steve and Kathy Simpson for putting together such a remarkable event uniting hunters and helping fulfill a lifelong hunting dream to children who have been diagnosed with a life threatening illness. I am proud to have been a small part of such an incredible day and am looking forward to participating in an even bigger event next year.


Participants looking over a few of the many door prizes at the day's event.

For additional information about 2012’s Central Oregon Elk Camp contact

Tori Allman at Cent-Wise Sporting Goods at 541-548-4422

For additional information about Hunt of a Lifetime Oregon Chapter, please visit the website at

Hunt of a Lifetime Oregon Chapter

A special thanks to the fantastic line up of sponsors

Steve & Kathy Simpson
All Sports                                                                                          Sightron 10x32 Binoculars
Alpen Optics                                                                                     Shasta Ridge 390 SR Binoculars
Ameristep Blinds                                                                               Hunting Blind
AMP-3                                                                                             Professional Grade First Aid Kit
ASAT ASAT Camoflauge Suit
Bank of the Cascades    Howa .338 Rile Package fro Rifle
BaseImage                                                                                        Hunting Unit Topo Map Set
Bowtech Archery                                                                              Assassin Bow Package
Cent-Wise Sporting Goods                                                               Martin Firecat Bow
Cent-Wise Sporting Goods Garmin E-Trex Summit GPS
Cent-Wise Sporting Goods                                                               5 Pounds of Elk Backstrap Steak
Cent-Wise Sporting Goods                                                               Cent-Wise Elk Hats
Cent-Wise Sporting Goods 4 Burner BBQ Grill
Game Plan Gear    Soft Bow Case
HECS, LLC                                                                                      HECS Suit
Hunten Outdoors                                                                               Infrared Trail Camera
Hydrographics                                                                                   Two $150 Dipping Certificates
Lifetime Memories                                                                             Wooden Hunters Photo Album
Montana Decoys Elk Decoy
NRA Three Gun Cases
Oregon Pack Works                                                                         Orion Back Pack System
Outdoor Edge                                                                                   Skin n’ Bone Knife Set
Pole Pack Pole Pack Unit
Land O’ Lakes                                                                                 Purina Deer & Elk Chow
Rocky Mountain Spices                                                                    Assortment of Sauces
Skulladermy $150 Gift Certificate

Backcountry Hunting Gear List

2011-11-15T17:41:00.000-08:00

Big game.big prep.always prepared. Always lethal

Under armour clothing

All items must be washed in unscented detergents prior to entering the field

· Ridge Reaper Crew Socks (1 pair for every 2-3 days)

· Base Layer Top and Bottom1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 4.0 (1 for every 2-3 days)

· Ridge Reaper Pant (Men’s & Women’s Lightweight Performance) Evo Camo Pant (Women’s light weight) Quest Pant (Women’s ArmourStorm Insulated)

· Ridge Reaper Jacket (Men’s & Women’s Lightweight Performance) Quest Jacket ( Women’s Armour Storm Insulated)

· Ridge Reaper ES Hoody (Men’s) Evo Camo Hoody (Women’s) or Camo FZ Hoody (Women’s)

· Ridge Reaper Shell Jacket & Bib Pant (Scent Capture Technology, 100% Waterproof & Windproof)

· Gaiters

· Hurlock Glove (Coldgear), Ridger Reaper Glove or Women’s Camo Glove

· Cap, Beanie, Neck Gaiter

· Facemask

Under armour Footwear

· UA Speed Freek (Early Season, 100% Waterproof Goretex)

· UA Siberia (Cold Weather 800g. Primaloft Insulation, 100% Waterproof Goretex)

· UA Strut- Camp Shoes

· Blister kit (Moleskin, Blister Band-Aids)

Sleeping

· Backpack Tent or Bivy Sack

· Sleeping bag

· Thermarest or similar product

Equipment

· Eberlestock JP9 Blue Widow

· Eberlestock Mini Me Daypack

· Hunting knife, Leatherman tool, Compact Limb Saw, Havalon Knife/scalpel

· Rifle– Sling & Scope Cover, Nosler Ammunition

· Bow– Sling on backpack, Arrows, Broadheads, Allen wrenches, String wax

· Flashlight/Headlamp (extra batteries)

· Water Filter & Tablets

· GPS, Map, Compass

· Mini fuel stove & fuel bottles (2, 22oz bottles)

· Compact Cook wear, Utensils, Cup

· Wilderness Athlete Performance Products, Dehydrated Food, Jerky, Granola, Trail mix, Instant Oats, Dried fruit, Packaged Tuna . Plan 2,000-3,500 calories of food per day, roughly consisting of 40% Protein, 40% Carbs, 20% Fat.

Swarovski Optik & Accessories

· EL 42 Swarovision Binoculars, Harness & Soft Cover

· 65mm HD Spotting Scope w/ 20-60x Eyepiece

· 8x30 Laser Range Finder

· Tripod

· Lens cleaner/cloth/lens pen

Personal hygiene

· Toothbrush & Paste

· Small liquid soap

· Unscented Deodorant

· Toilet Paper (Stored in Zip lock Bag)

· Lip balm w/SPF

· Unscented baby wipes

· Basic Medicine (Advil or Aleve, Neosporin, Immodium, Throat Lozenges)

· Small first aid kit

· Sun block

· Insect repellant

Miscellaneous

· Liquid Smoke

· Bugling Bull Game Calls

· Camera (extra memory card)

· Small Videocamera

· Sunglasses

· Satellite Phone, SPOT

· Zip lock Bags (a few quart sized & gallon sized)

· Garbage Bags (a few leaf bags are best)

· Game Bags (2-3)

· Small notepad and pencil

· Hot Hands

· Cloth tape measure

· Flagging tape

· Nylon cord

· Repair Kit (needle, thread, duct tape) minimal qty.

· Outdoor Safe Survival Kit & Metal Match

Conditioning

· 40-90 Pound Pack

· Comfortably and safely transport yourself into remote country. Have mind & body preparedness.

· Crossfit or Weight Training

· Cardiovascular–

Train realistically such as hiking with weighted pack

Wear the same footwear that you will be wearing in the field

· Be comfortable and proficient with your bow/rifle. Practice in multiple shooting angles and conditions. Know your shooting limitations.

· www.outdoorsafe.com

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Solo Scouting: Gain the Public Land Advantage

2011-11-15T17:39:00.000-08:00

Typically the sound of my alarm going off at 4:00 am causes me to roll over, hit the snooze button and pull the covers over my head wishing that I could go back to sleep uninterrupted; on this morning however when my alarm sounded off, I jumped out of bed.

My first solo scouting trip of the year into the backcountry signifies that my favorite time of year, archery Elk season, is just over the horizon. Once I loaded my horse Fury and mule Otis into my trailer, we made the two and a half hour drive to a majestic place in the National Forest that I have been fortunate enough to hunt over the years.

Hunting public land, I am always looking for ways to gain the advantage over the next hunter whether it comes to spending countless hours conditioning in the gym, shooting my bow, preseason scouting, mastering the art of calling Elk, or reading anything and everything that I can get my hands on hunting related. My philosophy is that you can never learn too much and often times you can take bits and pieces of information that you find relevant from a plethora of sources and figure out what works best for you.

I found this bull in a bachelor herd.

My goal for this trip was to set up three different locations with trail cameras so that I can better establish patterns of Elk movement, determine which bulls are in the area as residents or passing through, and of course I want to see antlers on film, a sneak peek of what is to come during hunting season.

As time goes by, with the help of my trail cameras, I will be able to better monitor when the herds of bachelor bulls start to break up in search for estrous cows. Plus as I revisit the area over the next 5 weeks, I will be able to identify the exact week that the bulls start to scrape the velvet off their antlers and begin territorial marking areas. The more I can learn before season starts about past and current behavior patterns, the better I am able to anticipate future behavior and strategies for hunting.

I made quick work of organizing and loading all my gear onto Otis and struck out cross country through some of Mother Nature’s steepest, roughest terrain covering over a 12 mile span (as a crow flies). I had anticipated riding most of the trip because I was leading a pack mule; what I hadn’t anticipated was the change in terrain over the course of a single year that would force me to walk most of the trip.

The vegetation had grown to heights that I have never before witnessed, creeks and streams in places that are normally dry, countless mud bogs, and new windfall that caused me to zigzag mercilessly across the mountain. All of this on top of topography that is either straight up or straight down. I had my work cut out for me; double that work load since I was solo and I chose to take the “Rookies” of my livestock herd.

Thick vegetation made for slow travel.

Going in, I had already pre-determined where my trail cameras were going to be placed. All three locations have similar attributes; close proximity to heavily used game trails between bedding and feeding areas in an area that has a nearby water source or wallow. I did vary the elevation levels of my chosen camera sights in order to capture movement patterns more accurately.

This wallow will be tore up in another month.

After 11 hours, I finally made it back to my horse trailer; exhausted but thrilled in having accomplished my goal. Successfully hunting public lands requires a lot of hard work and even more heart. I am passionate in my pursuit of Elk and am constantly working towards finding ways to make it happen, giving myself the advantage over the next hunter.

Training hard, scouting hard, doing what it takes, pushing through preconceived personal limitations, you are on public land, you are doing it yourself, you have to dig deep and give it everything you’ve got.


The same day I set up my trail camera, this bull was photographed.

Big game.big prep.always prepared. Always lethal

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Under armour clothing

Evo Cold Gear Pants

Base 1.0 Long Sleeve Top

Charged Cotton T-Shirt

Ridge Reaper Crew Socks

Under armour footwear

Valsetz Boots

Gear List & equipment

Swarovski EL 42 Binoculars

Eberlestock X1 Backpack

Garmin GPS

Hunten Outdoors Trail Cameras

DIY Elk Hunting Basics Seminar Outline

2011-11-15T17:38:00.000-08:00

Big game.big prep.always prepared. Always lethal

Pre-Season Scouting

· Daily need for food, water, safety areas & bedding areas

· Put your topo maps & google earth to work to help determine areas that elk will be attracted to.

√Saddles- Natural crossing points for animals to travel

√Benches- Common bedding areas

√North West Slopes- Common bedding facing due to more shade, vegetation, humidity & water.

√South Facing Slopes & Open Meadows- Host feeding areas

√Water- Locate possible drinking and wallowing locations

√Look for areas that lack roads and man trails; out of the way and hard to reach

√Keep a journal, mark informative way points into your GPS. Feeding areas, bedding areas,

game trails, water/wallows, fresh scrapes or rubs

√Trail cameras

Rut Phases

· Summer

Bulls in high elevation in velvet; cows in rich feeding areas

· Pre– Rut

Scrape velvet end of August

End Aug. first of Sept. begin to leave bachelor herds

Start looking for estrous cows

· Peak Rut

Estrous lasts no longer than 14 hours & repeats up to 3 times per season or every 21 days if not bred-

Visual changes

Vocalization changes

Chemical changes– Pheromones

Timed so that when birth occurs when the habitat is condusive to raising young

· Post Rut

Younger satelight bulls tend to still be eager to come in to calls in October

Where & how

· Preseason scout likely hunting areas– look for sign, water, food and security

· Talk to local and state fish and wildlife officials

· Tell a story using vocalizations & movement

Cow in heat

Young Bull chasing cows

Old Herd Bull

Outside factors

· Wind– Typically thermals go down in the morning when the air is cool and heavy & up when the air temperature starts to warm. Wind direction can change suddenly.

· Moon Phase- affects patterns, migration and behavior

· Weather-a factor in patterning, migration and behavior as they vary depending on weather conditions

· Barometric Pressure-affects patterns, migration, behavior & vocalization

· Typically Elk are most active during the morning and evenings; watch for moon phase

Elk language

· Herd talk-

Mew

Chirp

Estrous

Hyper Estrous

· Bugling:

- Location: Locate other bulls or cows

One, two or three note high to low non-aggressive or low-high

No growl or chuckle

-Display: Impress cows as dominate bull, establish pecking order

3 Note with lip ball & chuckle

-Challenge: Territorial, fight call

High note scream with hard fast chuckle

Early season set up

· Set up in a location that you have scouted pre-season & where the elk will likely hear your vocalizations

· Territory marking strategies

· Herd sounds

· Bulls will often come in silent so be patient

· Use early season to your advantage, bulls are still in bachelor herds or alone looking for cows

· Elk will frequently come in down-wind of your call so use that knowledge to your advantage

· Create excitement in the area with vocalization sequence telling a story

· 70-80 yard hang up

· Be patient

Peak Rut Vocal set up

· Hunt with a partner; one shoots, one calls– Shooter does not ever call unless to stop for shot opportunity

· Caller 60-80 yards behind shooter– Allows caller to make adjustments or run away etc.

· Bugling– Knowing how, when, and how much

· If what you are doing is working, DO NOT change it.

· Set up shooter and have caller move away, rake trees etc.

· Bugle on responding bulls level unless he is not coming in then up it to create more excitement

· Satelight bulls often come in silent so be prepared

- Elk will frequently come in down-wind of your call so use that knowledge to your advantage

Other considerations

· Use of scents

· Use of decoys

· Trust your camo– don’t hide behind heavy brush as it may impede your shot options

· Accidental bump– Let bull/herd settle down before calling to them. Keep things calm and emotion low.

· Cow or non-shooter comes in– Run them off quickly followed by a bugle telling the story of a more dominate bull either running off a smaller bull or stealing cows.

Bugling Bull Game Call Co. Website

Pursue the Wild Website

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More Power & Performance for Archery Season

2011-11-15T17:35:00.001-08:00

Building Upper Body Strength for Archery Season

My dad and I decided to take up archery together 7 years ago. He had shot archery in some years past, however this was my first experience with a bow. It seemed like my goal of reaching the Oregon minimum 50 pound draw requirement for elk was going to take forever, not to mention the ability to accurately shoot distances of up to 50 yards! Having special ordered my first compound bow with a 40-50 pound range, I was determined that upon its arrival, I would easily be able to come to full draw.

I started out shooting a youth bow set at a mere 18 pounds with a 25”draw length, aiming at a target only ten yards away. Starting with a light draw weight not only gives you an opportunity to learn where your anchor point is it also gives you an opportunity to practice how to steadily and accurately hold your bow on target. A physical injury can potentially ruin an entire archery season, so taking this process slow building upon each success one victory at a time is very important.

When I was able to comfortably and accurately shoot targets up to 20 yards, I moved my practice sessions outside to my parents’ farm where my dad and I practiced in the evenings. Practicing outside allows you to safely continue to expand your range and poundage, while learning how to shoot in the same types of uncontrollable elements that you may encounter in the field.

Supplementing your practice sessions with strength and cardiovascular training allows you an opportunity to expand on your physical strength, enhancing your overall in field performance. To build the strength required to draw a bow at legal weight is not difficult, but it takes a disciplined approach to the specific fitness of the muscles of the back and shoulders.

Physical Conditioning

Nothing done in the gym is a replacement for practice with your bow. The muscles that are engaged when shooting are difficult to replicate in the gym.

There are many exercises that will help make picking up your bow for hunting season preparation easier and more comfortable with less result in injury.

For intense overall body conditioning, join a crossfit class 3 days per week for at least two months before hunting season starts to enhance your infield performance.

Push-Ups-

Muscles Worked:

Pectorals (Chest), Deltoids (Rounded contour of the shoulder), Forearms, Triceps and Back.

Form:

Lie chest-down with your hands at shoulder level, palms flat on the floor slightly wider than shoulder width apart, feet together and parallel to each other. Look forward rather than down at the floor. Straighten your arms as you push your body off of the floor. Try not to bend or arch your upper or lower back. Exhale as your arms straighten out. Slowly, lower your body to the floor keeping the same form.

For an easier push-up, you can lower your knees so that they rest on the floor, keeping your back straight, proceed with the exercise normally. This decreases the amount of weight and pressure on your arms.

The wider your hands are the more it works your chest, the closer the hands are, the more it works your tricepts.

Pull-Ups-

Muscles Worked:

Lats, Back, Bicepts, Forearms and Shoulders.

Form:

Begin with arms extended above the head gripping a fixed pull-up bar. Plams should be facing out. Pull the body up until the bar touches the upper chest. Then lower the body until your arms are straight.

Most gyms feature a chin up machine reducing the amount of actual body weight being lifted. You can also “kip” where your legs and back help aid in the momentum of the exercise.

Many beginners start with a negative pull-up where you are assisted to the top and you slowly descent into a straight arm position.

Seated Rows Cables or Machines-

Muscles Worked:

Lats, Bicepts, Forearms, Shoulders and Lower Back.

Cable Form:

Sit on the platform and grasp the cable attachment. Slide hips back and make sure that your knees have a slight bend to them. Start with your back slightly curled forward, then pull the cable back towards your stomach while straightening your back and pulling your shoulders together. I always imagine pinching something between my shoulder blades. Then slowly, return to the starting position.

Wide Grip Lat Pull Downs-

Muscles Worked:

Lats, Bicepts, Forearms and Shoulders.

Form:

Grab the bar as wide as possible, palms facing away from you, then sit down on the machine. Pull the bar straight down in front of you until it is even with the middle of your chest. Then return the bar to the start position. I like to feel a slight stretch at the return position to ensure that I have a full range of motion during this exercise. Repeat.

Dumbbell Lateral Raises-

Muscles Worked:

Shoulders, Lats, Trapezius and Wrists.

Form:

Grasp the dumbbells in front of your thighs, palms facing together. Bend slightly at the hips with your knees bent. With your elbows being slightly bent, raise your arms to the sides until your elbows are at shoulder height. Slowly lower the weight to the beginning position and repeat.

Seated Dumbell Shoulder Press-

Muscles Worked:

Front and Rear Deltoids, Tricepts and Bicepts.

Form:

Position one dumbbell to each side of the shoulders, palms facing out, and elbows below the wrists. Press the dumbbells so that the arms are extended above the head. Slowly, lower to the starting position and repeat.

For all of my efforts that first year, I finally reached my 50 pound 50 yard goal. Having my father at my side for many archery practice sessions, I am thankful to also have had him at my side when I took down my first self guided, public land, branch bull elk. It was truly one of the most memorable days of both of our lives. I have been blessed many incredible seasons since I began my journey of learning what really lies behind gaining, More Power and Performance for Archery Season and I am looking forward to many more to come.

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Under Armour Always Lethal

Hydration 101

2011-11-15T17:34:00.000-08:00

Big game.big prep.always prepared.Always lethal

Climbing mountains in the most severe conditions, pushing your mind and body to the limit on a daily basis, hunting season is almost here. The only true test of our individual performance level and overall toughness comes courtesy of Mother Nature.

When pushing your limits this hunting season in the backcountry, your body can lose as much as 4% of your entire body weight in the form of sweat potentially causing severe dehydration and hyperthermia.

Proper hydration is critical before, during and after your next trip into the backcountry in maintaining normal hydration levels, circulation and natural cooling of the body. As the body sweats, your blood becomes less fluid due to water loss, subsequently causing the blood to become thicker, therefore increasing the workload of the heart, which could potentially result in a heart attack.

Proper hydration is critical in the prevention of dehydration, hyperthermia and even heart attack.

What to consider before entering the field

Outside Temperature- The higher the outside temperatures are the more your body is going to sweat, the body’s natural cooling mechanism causing higher levels of water loss within the body that needs constant replenishment.

Hydration Level- If you enter the field in an already dehydrated state, you are in the great danger of suffering from severe dehydration or hyperthermia. Before your next trip into the field drink a minimum of 96 ounces or three quarts of water per inactive day and during days of high activity, double that amount or an equivalent of 192 ounces or six quarts of water per day. In the morning before you take your first steps in the morning, be sure to consume an additional 2-3 cups of water to boost your hydration level.

Relative Humidity- When the air is saturated with moisture, the body loses its ability to naturally cool itself off by evaporating sweat efficiently therefore causing the body’s internal temperatures to potentially reach dangerous levels causing hyperthermia. Water intake is critical in humid environments.

Did you know…

If you are thirsty, your body is already in a state of dehydration.

Thirst can be mistaken for hunger. Mild to moderate dehydration can cause sugar and food cravings, especially in the evening, so before you pick up a snack, drink a large glass of water.

Mild dehydration may slow your metabolic rate by as much as 3-5%

80% of people suffering from dehydration have increased back & joint pain.

Dehydration can cause daytime fatigue, decreased motor skills, concentration and memory retention.

Dehydration can be attributed to an increased risk of colon, breast & bladder cancer.

Drink comparison

Drink Sugar Carbs Calories

W.A. Hydrate & Recover 0 6 27

COKE 27 27 100

ORANGE SODA 34 35 130

CLUB SODA 0 0 0

GATORADE 14 14 50

G2 7 7 25

POWERADE ZERO 0 0 0

SOBE ELIXIR 26 26 100

SOBE LEAN 0 1 5

APPLE JUICE 25 27 110

FRUIT2O 0 0 0

MINUTE MADE LEMONADE 27 28 100

CASCADE ICE 0 0 2

LIPTON ICE TEA 21 21 80

LIPTON UNSWEETENED ICE TEA 0 0 0

GLACEAU VITAMIN WATER 13 13 50

SNAPPLE ANTIOXIDANT WATER 12 12 50

CRYSTAL CLEAR VIT WATER 0 0 0

PROPEL ANTIOXIDANT WATER 2 2 10

PLAIN WATER 0 0 0

1 SUGAR CUBE= 1 PACKET OF SUGAR= 1 TEASPOON OF SUGAR =

4 GRAMS SUGAR =16 CALORIES

Other FACTS:

1) One can of soda per day = additional 15 lbs per year

2) Start drinking soda at 2 years old (1 can per day) = 250 lbs as a teen

3) One 12 oz soda per day increases the risk of obesity by 60%

4) Average Recommended Daily Allowance for “added sugar” (at an 1800 calorie per day intake) = 6 tsp

Wilderness Athlete hydrate & recover Benefits

By adding Wilderness Athlete Hydrate & Recover to your infield hydration system, you are not only replenishing fluid loss but also necessary electrolytes. Wilderness Athlete Hydrate & Recover provides an excellent source of electrolytes, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and metabolic cofactors that power their way into the cells of the body.
• Amino Acids to help feed your muscles through cellular repair.
• Provides a precisely balanced mineral and electrolyte composition to replenish these vital elements and maintain peak muscle physiology
• Antioxidants to fight free radicals and improve metabolic function
• Glucosamine for repair and lubrication of hips and joints.
• Oxygen enhancers to promote optimal oxygen uptake and utilization
• B Vitamins to help sustain your body's natural energy production
• Is formulated to optimal isotonic strength for and effective hydration
• Provides a spectrum of metabolic cofactors essential for energy production
• Helps maintain tissue hydration for highest metabolic efficiency
• Supports the oxygen demands of the active body
• Delivers essential vitamins and amino acids for maximizing energy reserves such as 1000 mg of Vitamin C

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Under Armour Always Lethal

Wilderness Athlete Website

Fuel for the Extreme

2011-11-15T17:33:00.000-08:00

Nutrition for health, fitness & performance

What energizes your mind and body day in and day out? Whether you are climbing the steepest mountains in the roughest, toughest terrain in the world, pushing through the last mile of your run, finishing your last set in the gym, or finding the energy to cook dinner for your family; your body needs fuel for the extreme. Optimizing your health, fitness and performance starts with the fuel you provide your body; there is nothing more powerful than optimal nutrition and hard training.

I have prepared some general guidelines and tips to help you achieve higher energy and performance levels from the fuel you feed your body.

General tips

Drink 3-6 Liters (96-192 Ounces) of water per day.

Eat within an hour of waking, then every 3 1/2 - 4 hours after, up until 2 hours before bed.

Eat two (2) meals with fresh fruit and two (2) meals with vegetables every day.

Do not have more than a third of your meals per day as a meal substitute (protein shakes, meal replacement shakes, bars). Use shakes and bars only as needed for convenience in order to maintain the eating pattern of a meal every 3 1/2 - 4 hours.

Jim Brennan enjoying a Wilderness Athlete Performance bar.

Recommended Bars

WildernessAthlete Performance Bars

Think Thin (Trader Joe’s)

Power Bar (Protein Plus)

Balance Gold CarbWell

Twisted

AdvantEdge

Myoplex Light

Kristy's Home Made Protein Bar Recipes

Recommended Meal Replacement

Wilderness Athlete Meal Replacement & Recovery Shake

Muscle Milk Light

Muscle Milk

Extreme

Oh Yeah!

Pure Pros

Recommended Protein Powder

Wilderness Athlete Protein Plus

Premier Protein (Costco)

MetRx Protein

EggWhite Protein Powder

There are three nutrients that directly provide the fuel our bodies require to function. These fuel sources are Protein, Carbohydrates and Fat. Below I am going to break down these three fuel sources into three classifications; Class 1 foods are the least refined and processed, whereas Class 3 foods are highly refined and typically contain large amounts of food chemicals and additives. Class 2 foods fall in between these two groups.

Try eating most of the food (fuel) you consume out of the Class 1 group, a few foods out of the Class 2 group, and try to avoid eating out of the Class 3 group as much as possible.

Protein

Class 1 class 2 class 3

Chicken Breast Milk Protein Bars

Lean Red Meat Cheese Protein Powders

Fish Yogurt Liquid Protein

Eggs

Turkey

Carbohydrates

Class 1 class 2 class 3

Potatoes Bagels Fat Free Cookies

Whole Grain Rice White Rice Fat Free Cakes

Yams Muffins Fat Free Icecream

Hot Cerials Breads Fat Free Candy

Fresh Fruit Pasta Cold Cerials

Fresh Vegetables Crackers Pancakes/Waffles

Fats

Class 1 class 2 class 3

Seeds Nut Butters Butter

Nuts Vegetable Oils Cream

Grains Wheat Germ/Oil Sour Cream

Legumes Trail Mix Lard

Avocado Mayonnaise

Salad Dressing

Free Foods

Use your free food list as needed, but pay attention to the free foods that have a limit of 2 per day.

Condiments: Vegetables: Free w/ a limit of 2 per day:

Balsamic Vinegar Alfalfa Sprouts Apple Butter (2 Tbsp)

Butter Buds Asparagus Light Dressings (2 Tbsp)

Coffee/ Tea (black) Bamboo Shoots Fat Free Dressings (6 Tbsp)

Crystal Light Bean Sprouts Wishbone Spray dressings

Diet Soda Broccoli Sugar Free Jam (2 Tbsp)

Club Soda Cabbage Fat Free Sour Cream (2 Tbsp)

Seltzer Water Cauliflower Sugar Free Hot Chocolate Mix (1pkt)

Cooking Spray Celery Sugar Free Pancake Syrup (4Tbsp)

Ketchup Cucumber Sugar Free Jell-O (1 serving)

Mustard Lettuce/ Spinach Sugar Free Popsicles (1)

Fat Free Mayo White Mushrooms Sugar Free Fudge cycles

Salsa Onions Fudge cycle Brand (1 bar)

Spices Bell Peppers Healthy Choice (1/2 bar)

Extracts Dill Pickles

Soy Sauce Radish

Sugar Substitutes Tomato

Worcestershire Sauce Zucchini

Fuel your body for the extreme; by training hard and eating whole natural food, you will increase your performance, health, accelerate weight loss & muscle gain, and increase your endurance.

Wilderness Athlete Performance Products

Follow Kristy on Facebook

Pursue the Wild Website

Under Armour Always Lethal

Black Bear Hunt in the Last Frontier with A/Z Outfitters

2011-11-15T17:30:00.000-08:00

Everything was wet and muddy, the skies were socked in and dark, the air was brisk, this adverse weather was actually turning out to be a huge advantage for us. Dutch Creek’s swift current was already at dangerously high levels, with temperatures so freezing cold that on contact you felt as if you were being stabbed with a million tiny icy daggers straight down to the bone. With the water reaching up to the bellies on the horses in most places, we couldn’t afford for the water levels to rise any higher.

The cool weather was keeping the snow in the high elevations from rapidly melting off while at the same time allowing the snow in the lower elevations to slowly dissipate with the falling rain. If the weather were to suddenly get too warm for too long of time, the water levels in Dutch Creek would rise to impassably high levels and we wouldn’t make the final trek up to Hyak camp.

We spent three hours packing and loading up all of our gear on the six pack horses, a farewell was bid to the Big Cabin, a special place that that possessed the welcoming feeling of home. The plan was to head up Dutch Creek on horseback even deeper into the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy, the only road less territory of its kind, the last frontier. Our destination, Hyak Camp, two cabins located roughly 30 miles from the nearest road and almost 50 miles from the nearest electricity, cell phone service, or town.

The remote cabins at Hyak were barely accessible just one week prior, blanketed heavy with over four feet of snow. Not knowing what lie ahead, I tightened the cinch on my saddle, swung my leg over the top of Whiskers the massive draft cross horse, once again on the trail bound for adventure.

A/Z Outfitters has been operating in the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy since the early 1960’s, co-founded by Bill DuBois. Today his son Brent DuBois owns and operates the family business offering everything from hunting trips to sight-seeing pack trips into some of the most beautiful and remote country in the world. On this trip, we were in pursuit of black bears, with my tag already full; Jim Brennan and Rockie Jacobsen were up as hunters and me as cameraman.

1930's Trappers Cabin

Heading down the trail that is kept so pristine and un-touched, a place left as it has always been for hundreds of years. Glimpses of stories long forgotten lined the trail along the way; remnants from a fire that had ripped through the countryside in the early 1930’s, only leaving behind clues of what once was. A charred trap was hung on a tree along the trail marking a destroyed trapper’s cabin location, a monument of sorts.

One trapper chose to rebuild after the fire as we came across a tiny cabin that was constructed in the later part of the 1930’s. Inside we found a handcrafted table, a plate, and old kettles, left behind and seemingly mummified in time within the walls of the forest.

After crossing multiple swollen creeks, avalanche slides, and many miles of trail we finally reached Hyak camp. The snow drifts were still over four feet deep in the heavy timber, but the face of the cabins had been revealed in less than a week’s time as the snow was nearly gone that had surrounded the cabins just days before.

My first glimpse of Hyak Camp

The cabins had been vacant since the last group of hunters had left in November of the previous year. We were the first people to set foot into this part of the territory in over seven months. The welcome mat of nails was still in place and un-touched on the front porch, the windows boarded and protected by steel bars, all had faired the winter without a single grizzly bear break-in.

The two cabins at Hyak

Welcome mat for the bears

At first opportunity, I traded in Whiskers the horse in favor of riding a little sorrel mule that I affectionately called Little Stinker. Not knowing how high the waters would be, I played it safe initially by riding the much larger rounder horse but once I knew that Little Stinkers smaller size would be ample to safely transport me across the swollen waterways, I climbed aboard the sweet little mule with a huge personality that brings a smile to my face still to this day when I think of him.

The snow crunched under Little Stinkers hooves as we headed out to look for bears, Jim was up as shooter and armed with his bow, Rockie and I were running the video cameras. We tied up the horses and sat down to glass a large avalanche slide. The center of the slide was deep with snow but the sides boasted freshly growing green grass shoots, a delicacy for all bears in the spring.

Almost immediately we spotted a large bruin making his way across the slide feeding on grasses along his way. After watching the bear for a few minutes we got a good feel of where he seemed to be heading, with bow in hand Jim and Rockie with his video camera took off heading up the opposite side of the slide from the bruin with the hopes of stalking within bow range. I stayed behind with Brent and my video camera to film a second wide angle of their approach on the bruin.

Moving as quickly as their legs and lungs would allow, Jim and Rockie, slowly made their way up the steep slide, their size diminished by the sheer size of the mountain. This country is expansive and deceiving and it is no wonder why the wildlife flourishes hiding in what seems like the wide open. With Jim and Rockies fantastic camouflage they seemingly disappeared on the mountainside with only their small movements giving their location away.

The scenario could not have worked out more perfectly if it were personally scripted by one of us. As Jim and Rockie headed up the slide, the bruin literally walked right to them. From a distance, the slide appears open and grassy, in reality the brush is over one’s head in many places making for great bow stalks.

Brent and I sat in near disbelief as we watched Jim and Rockie made their way towards the bruin and the bruin towards them. The trio had gotten so close that I was certain they were going to be busted at any moment. With heavy cover, we were unsure if the pair could see the bruin so we gave them a hand signal for Jim to get ready to draw.

Just then, the bruin disappeared just out of our line of sight behind a large Spruce tree. As quickly as Jim spotted a glimpse of the bruin’s ears, he stepped just out of effective bow range and line of sight. Rockie being an expert caller, made a short series of animal in distress squeaks that peeked the curiosity of the bruin causing him to come back for a closer look. With the curious bear sitting and staring a mere 40 yards from Jim and Rockie; Jim took aim and released his arrow into the bruin executing a perfect shot.

Brent and I watched the bear trot back into sight then walk into a section of small timber and out of sight, and then once again reappearing on the other side taking a moment to sit and finally disappear into a heavy old growth timber stand.

At this point, we were thinking that the bruin had busted Jim and Rockie and trotted off pretty much unaffected by their presence. We sat their waiting for Jim and Rockie to come running down the slide towards us with the hopes of catching the bruin on the other side of the old growth timber stand.

Instead they took their time videoing, finally making their way to us. I could hardly believe my ears when I heard what had unfolded and how perfectly the stalk had been executed, but I was even more awe struck when I saw Rockies video footage of how it had all went down.

With darkness quickly setting in we decided to play it safe and make the hour long horseback ride back to camp with what little daylight remained so that we would be safe in traveling through the treacherous terrain, moreover, we did not want to get caught up in the dark over the remains of a freshly harvested animal in grizzly country; the grizzly bears out there own the night.

The following morning we made our way back to the slide, Jim successfully recovered his arrow that had been broken, with the bruin retaining nearly 20” of arrow shaft and broadhead. Jim retraced the bruin’s final steps and blood trail, Rockie was behind him filming up close and I once again was filming a wider angle.

Brent called out just below me on the slide that there was a massive grizzly bear a mere 150 yards away making his way towards us. Running down the slide and towards Brent as quickly as I could through the brush and fallen trees I had hopes of capturing the massive bear up close on camera.

By the time I reached Brent, the grizzly had taken off in the opposite direction having heard him call out. I did get film of the bruin but not as closely as I had hoped, possibly for the better; we had made a wise decision the night before in coming back during the daylight hours.

Jim Brennan's spot & stalk archery black bear

Jim’s bear was laying less than twenty feet from where we had last spotted him the night before, his bow and arrow had performed perfectly penetrating through the bruins forearm and into his heart and lungs.

After de-boning and caping the bear, we gathered up the horses and headed back to camp. Two down, one to go, Rockie was up as hunter and Jim and I were on the video cameras. With the chill of the morning melted off by a hot lunch and a warm fire, we set out on horseback for our evening hunt.

Our strategy was to ride straight out of camp an hour and slowly glassing each slide on the way back to camp until dark. Catching a glimpse of two black bears on the inside edge of some alder brush; we tied up our horses to get a better look.

With spring in full swing, love is in the air for black bears, we knew that this was either a boar chasing a sow or a sow with cubs. If it was a boar and a sow, we would make a stalk, if it was the latter, we do nothing. For this very reason, much of your time bear hunting in the spring is spent by glassing, saving you from doing un-necessary hiking and stalking. A considerable amount of time passed as we patiently waited for the pair to emerge from the brush into the wide open slide, to give us a better look. Once they came out into the slide and immediately we realized that this was in fact a sow and cub. After getting some video of the pair, we made our way back to the horses and finally back to camp.

The chill that had crept down from my spine to my toes was quickly chased away by the warmth radiating from the wood stove. The sounds of laughter filled the cabin as I listened to the guys tell tales of adventures past while making them a fresh peach rhubarb cobbler. Simple things bring the most delight while in the backcountry, everything you eat always tastes better. The sound of the last fork hitting the plate signaled to me that it was time for bed to get rested up for the big day that lay ahead.

Little Stinker never missing a step or loosing stride as he carefully maneuvered his way through the belly deep snow, heading deeper into the Purcell Wilderness than we had yet travelled. Fred, our guide, frequently climbed off his horse with ax in hand to remove fallen trees that lay in our path. You could hear the water rushing down the mountain at ground level buried under the snow drifts, winter was quickly melting away.

The full moon had been high in the night sky, so we decided to change up our hunting strategy a bit and heading out for our hunt just after breakfast with the hopes of catching a bruin out and about midday. The sun was high in the sky warming the valley under her gentle rays.

Sitting on the base of a slide with our backs resting against a tree we were enjoying our sandwiches when Rockie and Fred spotted a whitetail doe bounding across Dutch Creek, fear striking behind her. Everyone was instantly on alert, something was wrong.

Rockie stood up and worked his way down the slide to get a better look behind us and on the opposite side of Dutch Creek where the doe had just darted from while Jim and I continued to glass up the slide. Running back to us, he had spotted a big black bear, a mere 100 yards away.

With video cameras in hand, Jim and I followed Rockie to the edge of the slide, the bear had moved into heavy timber allowing for a limited view of the bruin. One thing that was clear, he was eating something and we all feared that the bruin had taken the frightened does fawn for its meal.

After watching the bruin for a great deal of time, it became apparent that he was not moving off of whatever he was eating anytime soon, so we walked the slides edge in search for a better view and shooting angle. Rockie rested his gun against his backpack and waited for the perfect opportunity to take his shot. Moments later the bruin was down.

Getting the horses through the final snow drifts leading up to the slide was going to be tricky, but we could not forge the dangerous waters of Dutch Creek on foot. Without another option, Fred and I carefully laid out a safe passageway through the snows heavy drifts for the horses to travel through. This is where you are thankful to have experienced mountain horses to safely transport you through springtime’s rugged terrain.

Rockie Jacobsen's spot & stalk black bear

Once we were across Dutch Creek, we tied up the horses and approached the expired bruin. Our fears were then confirmed, the bruin had been feasting on the newly born whitetail fawn. We were all deeply saddened by the sight but pleased with the knowledge that by having harvesting not only this bear but a total of three in the territory, we had saved the lives of many other deer fawns and elk calves.

Having spent 25 days deep within the remote Rocky Mountains of British Columbia in the Royal Kootenay Range and the rugged Purcell Wilderness Conservancy, we packed up our camp at Hyak in preparation to make the two day ride down the old trail and back to civilization, marking the end of this journey, leaving me longing to return.

My heart and soul soar within the mountains and an all too familiar voice deep inside calls me to return time and again, forever growing louder and more demanding. I bid farewell for now only to return before long…

Additional Information

A/Z Outfitters offers hunt opportunities for Black Bear, Grizzly Bear, Mountain Goat, Moose, Mule Deer & Elk. Visit A/Z Outfitters online at www.abarzoutfitters.com.

If you would like to visit the Purcell Wilderness with me during a summer pack trip, please email directly at ktitus@pursuethewild.com or visit A/Z Mountain Adventures.

For more information about the author, please visit www.pursuethewild.com or www.facebook.com/KristyTitus

Gear List

Under Armour Clothing for Kristy

Base 2.0 Top

Camo Evo Cold Gear Pants

Camo Evo Cold Gear Hoody

Camo Full Zip Hoody

Quest Jacket & Pant

Women’s Camo Glove

Hurlock Glove

Camo Active Beanie

Speed Freek Boots

Hitch Lite Cushion Boot Sock

Under Armour Clothing for Jim & Rockie

Ridge Reaper Jacket & Pant

Stealth Rain Jacket & Pant

Camo Big Logo Hoody

Camo Armourloft Vest

Swarovski Optik

Z3 Rifle Scope

EL 42 Swarovision Binoculars

65mm HD Spotting Scope with 20-60x Eyepiece

8x30 Laser Guide

Misc. Gear

Eberlestock X1 Backpack

Wilderness Athlete Performance Bars, Energy Gel, Energy & Focus Drink Formula, Protein Plus

Nosler Custom Trophy Grade 180 Grain Accubond Ammunition

Birthday Black Bear with A/Z Outfitters

2011-11-15T17:28:00.000-08:00

Having the last road less hunting territory in the East Kootenany Mountain range of the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy, many might describe their experience with A/Z Outfitters as traveling back in time, where life moves at a slower pace; work is done with your two hands and the aid of a good horse.

The horses are free ranging much of the year.

A/Z Outfitters was founded over 60 years ago with Bill DuBois as one of the original founders. You will find him and many of the original guides still leading excited guests into the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy using traditional horse packing methods that have been passed down for generations.

With whip in hand, Brent heads out to round up his free ranging horses. Once spotted, Brent runs towards them cracking the end of his whip into the ground. The horses know what to do and immediately run towards the corrals, ready to get to work.

Handing Brent his tape measure, he carefully makes measure of the horses hoof. With single sections of un-cut steel he cuts the exact length needed to construct the shoes for his horse; the same way that it has been done for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Heat rolling out of the propane forge ready to heat the cut down sections of steel for shaping.

Clang, clang, clang, Brent perfectly shapes the shoe, punches holes in it and while it is burning hot presses it against the horses hoof, smoke rises and the hoof sizzles, Brent making sure the fit is perfect before cooling the steel and setting the nails.

Waiting for my hunting partners Rockie Jacobsen, Owner of Bugling Bull Game Calls and Jim Brennan, Bugling Bull Game Calls Pro Staffer, and Mossy Oak Western Pro Staff Coordinator, I spent my last night amongst civilization at the beautiful Cabins at Whitetail Lake.

Growing up on the back of a mule, packing into the backcountry, I know firsthand how much work goes into preparing for a ten day trip into the backcountry; double that difficulty when you are packing in tens of thousands of dollars worth of valuable camera equipment and computers.

Throwing all of your gear for the trip into a pile like an intricate puzzle, Brent DuBois our skillful outfitter and Fred Canning, his right hand man, carefully pieced everything together into perfectly weighed out packs that get loaded and balanced onto one of the good pack horses or mule.

Little Stinker

With each of us having a 60# gear limit including video equipment, one prioritizes carefully what must be taken and what can be left behind. Knowing we were going into some of the steepest, most rugged country in the world, I put in my request early to be on the back of Brent’s only saddle mule, that I called Little Stinker or just plain Stinker. The smooth agile, carefully laid out step of a mule is priceless in the backcountry, especially when the terrain grows dangerous.

Little Stinker hadn’t been rode in almost a year as Brent’s father Bill had grown tired of his mule-isms and traded him in to ride a horse. Without reservation, I outfitted Stinker with my personal “fancy” saddle complete with silver and gold inlays, saddle bag filled with my video camera, laptop computer, handheld camera, Swarovski binoculars, and rifle with Swarovski Z3 scope. Little Stinker became a $12,000 mule in a hurry.

Heading up the trail, it looks as if you are riding into the sky.

The warm summer like weather had warmed up the valley making the seven hour trail ride through some of the most beautiful country in the world a dream. Five saddle horses, a saddle mule, and six pack horses made the trek along Dutch Creek, swollen from the rapidly melting snow. I frequently climbed off and on Little Stinker to take photos and video of Mountain Goats, Elk and stunning scenery along the way.

Little Stinker taking every advantage of being “free” to trot in front of the pack string or head downhill for a clump of green grass; filled with the joy of being out on the trail for his first trip of the season. On the downhill sections he would pin his ears back, trot a bit and shake his head side to side. I found his mule-isms quite comical, although some probably do not appreciate the character of a mule quite as much as I do.

Seven hours later, we arrived at The “Big Cabin” that was built in 1993 by the DuBois family. Everyone contributed to the construction with Brent’s mother Georgina designing the cabin, Brent and his father Bill salvaging the logs from original 1948 cabin to build the guest bunk house and hand scribing the logs for the construction of the main cabin.

The cabin walls come to life with murals of dates and names of past guests along with short stories of their successes; a section of tree that was found nearby that was carved by a settler over 100 years ago, a broken panyard from a mule wreck and other miscellaneous items that all tell an intricate tale. The main cabin is complete with the modern delights of a refrigerator and propane lights, the guest house boasted the makings for a good hot shower.

If you prefer the old school, you can utilize the “Bug Light” which is an old tin syrup can with a hole punched through the bottom to slide a candle through and a handle on top. The old timers believed that you could light the candle within to use instead of a flashlight and that the natural light wouldn’t spook the elk that you were pursuing.

Climbing up the slide our first morning there was a small herd of elk grazing just above the horses, once they caught sight of us, they took off into the timber. Coming down the steep mountain slide, the horses tied literally nose to tail, was an amazingly beautiful sight with Dutch Creek below as the thunder started rolling across the sky and the rain pouring down.

Glassing in the rain.

With the rain relentlessly driving down, we saddled up and headed out to glass a few nearby slides for black bears with the hopes that the dark skies would return to blue and the bears would begin to move about. The drum of the rain on the hood of my jacket was a never ending tune that played all day long. We spent the next eight hours glassing, trying to stay dry under the limited cover of trees with no avail.

Making our way back to camp down the boggy trail, Brent spotted a black bear on the face of a slide across Dutch Creek. The bear played peek- a -boo within the heavy alder brush, giving us but only a single look at the bruin. Unfortunately, the frozen heavy water flowing in Dutch Creek was so swift that it is simply too dangerous to cross in most places making a stalk on the bruin impossible from our current location.

We spent the next hour glassing for the bruin with the attempt at getting a second look at him while devising a plan to make a stalk the following day. Our time was well spent as we found two nice Moose sheds on our way back to the horses, or in my case mule.

With a hump the size of a grizzly’s, even Little Stinker had caught a shiver from the long wet day. Brent was sure I was going to get an exciting ride back to the cabin when he caught glimpse of the hump in Stinker’s back, but he happily carried me down the trail and back to camp.

Drying out our gear.

Arriving in camp after ten o’clock that night, we converted the guest bunk house into a makeshift dry room with a roaring fire. With a belly full of delicious elk sausage and all the fixings, a set of warm dry clothes on, fully relaxed from finishing my second cup of Dutch Tea (hot water from the creek, whiskey, and honey) I gladly climbed into bed looking forward to another day on the mountain.

I awoke the next day a year older; this was my second birthday in a row being out of the United States, far away from home secluded in the wilderness. The skies were dark and dreary with rain sprinkling down intermittently throughout the day. I took the opportunity to relax in camp, enjoying the simple pleasure of a nice hot shower and homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies thanks to our camp chef Aaron Cameron.

The slide where I harvested my bear.

After two long wet days, the rain finally subsided making us all anxious to get out on the mountainside to glass for hungrily grazing bears. Saddled up and rearing to go, we set out to check out a few slides. Without wasting anytime at all, we spotted a black bear feeding on the far side of Dutch Creek, before we had a chance to get a better look at the bruin, he disappeared into heavy timber and out of sight.

With Dutch Creek separating us from the slide, Jim and Rocky were not going to be able to put a stalk on the bruin with their bows if he were to reappear. With rifle in hand, I was up as shooter and they were on the cameras.

This yearling bull calf was less than 50 yards from us.

In the middle of the slide, we spotted a small black bear peeking in and out of the heavy brush, sitting back getting video of the small bear working its way across the slide feeding on the tender green grasses. A yearling Bull Moose made an appearance on the edge of the timber and leisurely strolling towards the edge of Dutch Creek nibbling on Black Birch less than 50 yards from us.

All of the wildlife seemed to be enjoying the break from the rain as much as we were and were happily moving about the basin. As luck would have it, the bruin that we had originally seen earlier that night reemerged into the slide feeding right towards us. Armed with my binoculars, it was an easy determination that this was a shooter boar.

The wind was in our favor, he was unaware of our presence a mere 100 yards away across Dutch Creek, laying on my stomach I readied my gun using my backpack as a rest. Waiting for the bruin to feed into the perfect broadside position seemed like it took hours. Finally, with the bruin perfectly broadside I took my shot.

Less than 40 yards from where he stood in the grassy slide into the timbers edge he fell, all caught on camera. My birthday present had been delivered, a beautiful black bear boar taken in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

The young Bull Moose never spooked from my single gunshot, instead, he forged Dutch Creek heading right towards us. I had been so focused on the bear that I didn’t even realize that a second larger bull moose was standing directly behind us at less than 40 yards, also unaffected by the sound of my gun shot.

With the light quickly fading, Brent our outfitter suggested that we wait to attempt our recovery until first light due to the freezing cold high waters of Dutch Creek. To cross in the dark would simply be too dangerous. With the sound of mud sloshing under my mule’s feet, I rode back to camp wishing that it were already morning and that we were on our way to recover my bear.

Surrounded by the warmth of a good fire and great friends Happy Birthday was sang to me by all, over the top of a homemade chocolate cream cheese cake. What a great birthday it had been.

The next morning, I traded in Little Stinker the mule for Whiskers the horse. Whiskers is a 1400 pound draft cross that is unbelievably big and strong, perfect for crossing the deep fast moving spring waters of Dutch Creek.

Once we reached the slide, retracing the bruin’s final steps was easy as we had seen his last steps the night before. The boar was old; his teeth were worn almost down to nothing, he had an infected bite mark on his hind quarter, most likely from another younger more aggressive boar. With a skull just over 16 inches and stretching over 5 ½ feet, the bruin had lived out his last day on the beautiful slides of the Purcell Mountains.

Often times, we all get busy and forget to take the time to slow down, get back to our roots and enjoy life at a slower pace. Getting away from the hustle and bustle of city life and enjoying a place un-touched by modern civilization on the back of a good mule surrounded by friends was the best gift for me on my birthday.

With Rockie and Jim both armed with black bear tags needing punched…the adventure continues.

Me and Brent DuBois from A/Z Outfitters.

A special thanks goes out to A/Z Outfitters and the DuBois Family, Fred Canning, The Cabins at Whitetail Lake, Under Armour, Swarovski Optik, Nosler, Eberlestock and Wilderness Athlete.

Additional Information

A/Z Outfitters offers hunt opportunities for Black Bear, Grizzly Bear, Mountain Goat, Moose, Mule Deer & Elk. Visit A/Z Outfitters online at www.abarzoutfitters.com.

Email me at ktitus@pursuethewild.com or go to the A/Z Adventures Website, if you are interested in booking a summer pack trip into the Purcell Wilderness with me and A/Z Outfitters in 2011 or 2012.

Gear List

Under Armour Clothing for Kristy

Base 2.0 Top

Camo Evo Cold Gear Pants

Camo Evo Cold Gear Hoody

Camo Full Zip Hoody

Quest Jacket & Pant

Women’s Camo Glove

Hurlock Glove

Camo Active Beanie

Speed Freek Boots

Hitch Lite Cushion Boot Sock

Under Armour Clothing for Jim & Rockie

Ridge Reaper Jacket & Pant

Stealth Rain Jacket & Pant

Camo Big Logo Hoody

Camo Armourloft Vest

Swarovski Optik

Z3 Rifle Scope

EL 42 Swarovision Binoculars

65mm HD Spotting Scope with 20-60x Eyepiece

8x30 Laser Guide

Misc. Gear

Eberlestock X1 Backpack

Wilderness Athlete Performance Bars, Energy Gel, Energy & Focus Drink Formula, Protein Plus

Nosler Custom Trophy Grade 180 Grain Accubond Ammunition