All parents know the struggle of getting your kids outside. You can read for days about benefits of getting them out the door and away from electronics. This is not about that struggle. This is about the next step, keeping them out there in decent gear. I had much to be thankful for in 2017….
Category: Outdoors
Green Chiles and Elk
“You should apply for a tag here in New Mexico, we have a ton of elk!” Those words from my buddy working on our NM projects echoed in my head as I flew home. I told myself I wasn’t getting any younger…why not? Later that month I asked around about logical units and then applied for…
On the Water with Patriots
“Do you want to come on a sturgeon fishing and kayaking trip on the Columbia River with us?” Reading that email from Micah stopped me mid-click during my daily grind of paperwork. Sturgeon? The giant, sometimes 10-feet-long monster river fish? I had heard and read about fishing for those but never thought I’d get a…
Elk Hunting, Sometimes it’s Ugly
I debated with myself a long time about posting this one. Not every hunt turns out like you’ve planned. Most are far from it. Some hunts are downright ugly. I normally like stories about the animals, but the stupid human tricks were the most interesting part of this hunt since the elk were few and…
Fresh Air Poisoning
“Fresh air poisoning” is a running joke in our house, and most outdoor recreation enthusiasts of all types know it well. “The Outdoor Cleanse” or “Soul Candy” or whatever you want to call that endorphin-fueled peace you attain after being outside for sometimes just a few hours. Playing outside isn’t for everyone. But I believe…
The Flying Moose and the Blueberry Bear, Part III
We took a few pictures around that bull moose and I sent out a SPOT satellite beacon message, “Critter Down!” for the outfitter and the folks at home. After a quick walk back to camp to call Powers, eat, and grab knives, a saw and tarp, we came back to the bull and butchered until…
Outdoor Gear Opinions
It’s March and most of us have been cooped up for a few months dreaming of getting back outside after most of the snow clears. I don’t think I’m alone in saying I get cabin fever-ish this time of year. It seems like good medicine to go through and revisit the gear I will be…
The Flying Moose and the Blueberry Bear, Part II
The country we would be hunting was the delta formed between the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers. We were to fly about 50 miles to a spot they had previously scouted for camp. The delta we flew across looked like a textbook river delta, fairly flat and swampy with thousands of lakes and ponds filling the…
Head over heels for elk
Colorado’s 2011 third rifle season arrived with the first real snowstorm of the winter. Saturday morning we woke up to fog and rain turning to snow at our camp. We decided we didn’t want to start off the elk season by ATVing and hiking around in the slop to places where we couldn’t see through…
The Flying Moose and the Blueberry Bear, Part I
My good friend and hunting buddy Stephen and I have been talking about going on an Alaska hunt for years. We’ve debated the quarry (caribou, moose, bear, sheep), the method (do-it-yourself, guided, float hunts, foot hunts) and the timing, which always seemed to be “maybe next year…” This past January, we decided that this would…
