sportsman's news november 2015 digital edition

November 2015 Volume 11 Issue 11

SportsmansNews.com

Experience the sheer brilliance of the new ZEISS VICTORY SF on Page 8.

After battling bad weather, bugs, and boredom after countless hours of glassing, Pro Member Sweepstakes winner Red Steele was able to make his dream of harvesting a big brown bear a reality, with the help of Renfro’s Alaskan Adventures.

Alaskan Bear Hunt With Pro Membership Winner Red Steele The Sportsman’s News Pro Member

Sweepstakes was born out of a simple notion of how we could share the hunt-

ing and fishing trips that we experience with our readers and viewers. As a team, we spend a lot of time traveling the country, going to outdoor expos and shows and at each one, there are always drawings for some sort of “once-in-a-lifetime” trips and the tickets for each of these drawings were always a couple

hundred dollars. Those drawings seemed fair enough: spend a couple hundred

dollars and get a crack at win-ning an adventure that would cost you tens of thousands of dollars. That concept got us thinking, “What if we had a program where the entry fee was paid by the year and you had a chance to

win a variety of exciting hunts every ten days?”

After months of planning and working with

continued on page 2

SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION | November 20152

our very best Platinum Approved Out-fitters, our Pro Member Sweepstakes was born. By paying a yearly fee of $297, you get five chances per drawing to win a hunting or fishing trip, a gun, or a great gear package. These draw-ings happen every ten days and we are always adding to the program. The ad-ventures include $65,000 Mexico Desert Sheep Hunts, $14,000 Trophy Whitetail Hunts, $8,000 South Dakota Pheasant Hunts – I think you are kind of getting the picture. We want our members to feel like they truly have a shot at win-ning a trip of a lifetime.

One of our recent trips was a brown bear hunt with Renfro’s Alaskan Ad-ventures and the lucky winner was Red Steele. Red worked 30 years as a coal miner and takes pleasure in being about as blue collar as they come. He had an opportunity, years ago, to hunt Alaskan brown bears, but unfortunately, wasn’t able to get a bear. Saving for that trip took a lot of time and effort and Red doubted that he would be able to save up to go on another one. Looking for an opportunity to win a hunt, Red started entering vari-ous lottos and drawings and his interest was piqued when a friend mentioned the Pro Membership Sweepstakes to him. After researching the trips offered, he saw that several brown bear hunts were avail-able and he thought he might as well give it a go. We asked Red if he would write his story for us, so you can really see how special this trip was for him.

ALASKAN BROWN BEARcontinued from cover

By Red Steele

So, you can’t afford to hunt brown-ies again. What options does the average guy have, you may be

asking? Well, you start saving your money or you start buying raffle tickets at drawings for big game hunts. I did both – I started to save some money and I started buying tickets. The State of Arizona had my name in the hat for years, no brown bear there, but desert big horn would work, Colorado moose draw would be nice and the list went on and on. If there’s a draw, chances are I’m in it. Did I ever win anything? A light? A knife? A fish lure? Nail clip-pers? Hooks? Anything? Hell No, but I kept up hope that someday, just maybe, I’d be that guy.

One day a friend called me and told me that I should enter the Pro Member-ship Sweepstakes with Sportsman News. I say why not? I put my name in all the time for all kinds of hunts anyways. Guess what? I win a hunt and not just any hunt, but a hunt for my most desired animal on earth. A hunt with an outstanding outfitter, Wade Renfro and Renfro’s Alaskan Adventures. How unbelievable of a story is that? Can’t be true right? But, it was true. Karma, luck, whatever you want to call it, did not begin to cover my feelings. They were out of this world. The possibility to give it one more go to get one more try for a brown bear was beyond my wildest dreams! Add fishing on one of the most bad-ass rivers in Alaska and you’ve got to be kidding me, right?

I was on cloud nine, my feet were floating, my mind was racing. After my

celebration, it was time to get down to brass tacks - got to get flights, got to get new extreme gear and got to get out to practice, practice, practice with my rifle. Not just taking one trip to the range, but going through boxes of bullets and getting down and dirty with my target shooting. I had to practice like I was on the river, where you only have a split second to hit your target. One chance, one hunt, that’s all I can expect from a guide. I know how tough it is on their end. Through past experience, I was preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best. Could I be so lucky to see bears like the last go? No, no way, stick with the facts, one hunt, one chance whether on day one or the last hour of the last day, don’t expect too much Red, stay focused. Got to get geared up and get ready to hike and shoot and repeat. Probably should practice my social skills too. Not everyone understands coal miner humor and I can’t afford to burn a guide just because I fired off a verbal shot. I’ll bite my tongue till it bleeds, if I have to. Always remember - humble people are the people you most admire.

After all the prep it, was time for my hunt.

The flight was through truly beauti-ful country. It was so awesome to see moose and some of the most beautiful landscape imaginable. I so missed what great country, what marvelous critters, what tough business and folks Alaska was made up of. I really was in heaven. We made it in to the Aniak River and that was when I first met my guide,

Christian Elwell and his wonder dog, Josey. We hit it right off. He’s an experi-enced world traveler to boot. He knows the ropes and in no-time, brings me up to speed on camp rules. We get camp set up and I realize we all have separate tents, that’s cool, never had that before. He was an all around guide and had experience with many different species, from Dall sheep, to fishing, to brown bears and even elk. He had a good sense of humor and not overly religious, a good environment for a coal miner.

Our cameraman James Dansie, from Sportsman’s News was mature beyond years, a United States Marine/slash camera guy and a hunter, too. It was looking to be an awesome adventure. I had expected only freeze-dried food, but found that we only had fresh in-gredients. The raft was big enough too! This was easy living.

Day one, after breakfast I thought I’d help out with the dishes so I headed to the river to do them. As I was rinsing them off, I heard some rustling on the far bank of the stream, about forty yards away, no gun of course. Out of the brush comes a sow. She stands up, slaps her jaws two times and stares right at me. After a couple seconds, she hauls back into the brush. I was ecstatic! Bears already? This is awesome news. We’ve already seen good sign and tracks and now actually seeing a bear, all on day one, was way cool.

Unfortunately, we didn’t see another bear for the next six days. There was

continued on page 6

Red lines up his shot on his monster bruin.

Wade Renfro is the man who gets it done when it comes to brown bears. He was able to help Sportsman’s News President Michael Deming get a big brown so we know we are in good hands.

November 2015 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION 3

Largest Outdoor Giveaway In History Going On Now!More Than $300,000 In Prizes Annually

Enter to Win at SportsmansNews.com


SPORTSMAN'S WAREHOUSE7035 So. High Tech Drive

Midvale, UT 84047

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHERMike Deming

President/Publisher435-669-4624

[email protected]

SENIOR EDITORKent Danjanovich

[email protected]

NATIONAL ADVERTISING MANAGEREric Christensen435-879-1212

[email protected]

MANAGING EDITORDan Kidder

[email protected]

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTLisa Deming

[email protected]

PRODUCTION MANAGERJames Dansie

[email protected]

Subscribers should contact Managing Editor for changes of address.

Sportsman's News is published monthly. The entire content of this newspaper is Copyright 2015 © All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be repro-duced in any form without

written consent of the Managing Editor.

SPORTSMAN'S NEWS2322 W. Industry WayCedar City, UT 84721


WHAT'S INSIDE 3 Pro Member Update

5 Words From The Publisher

8 Zeiss: A Tradition of Innovation

10 Platinum Approved Outfitters

18 Cast Iron Cooking

24 Adventures On A Budget: DIY Whiteail Hunting

30 PacWest Outdoors: Striking Gold in Elk Season

34 Pro’s Tip: DIY Hide Tanning

40 Pro’s Pick: Sitka Whitetail Gear

42 Fishful Thinker: What To Give

44 Glacier Bay Eagle’s Nest Lodge

48 Business Directory

50 Video Product Reviews

54 Beretta ARX100

56 Wild Game Recipe: Moose Stroganoff

58 Barebow! Sagas: El Flechador Del Sol

60 Wheels Afield: Nissan Titan & Frontier62 Hog Huntin’ Texas Style

64 Writing Contest: Dreams Do Come True

65 Tiger Balm

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Red SteeleJoe GlottsGary Lewis

Chad LaChanceSteve MayerDennis Dunn

Andy LightbodyKurt Burnham

www.facebook.com/sportsmansnews

Become a Fan of Sportsman's News for Fan Only contests and

post comments about Sportsman's News.

Tell your friends.

Words From The Publisher

By Michael Deming

It’s hard to believe that 2015 is about ready to come to a close. The Holiday Season is just around the corner and

with that, people will be looking for gifts for that outdoorsman or woman in their life. Our next issue will have an entire section on gifts that our staff has put to the test over the past year. These are products that we love having and have proven very useful during our time in the field. So, we are sure that receiving one of these recommended items is a gift which will be cherished for many years to come. However, that article won’t come out until the December issue.

Since this is the November issue, we want you to start thinking about purchasing a Sportsman’s News Pro Membership for that special person in your life for a gift. It is a significant investment of $297 for the entire year, but it has many perks for the price. The biggest is all the giveaways we do every ten days throughout the year. A Pro Membership gets you five tickets in every single drawing for the full year and some of the prizes we are offering are absolutely amazing. In the late sum-mer of 2016, we will be giving away a

Desert Bighorn Sheep Hunt in Sonora Mexico with one of our Platinum Ap-proved Outfitters WRO Mexico. One lucky winner is going to get the oppor-tunity to hunt one of the most sought after sheep species in North America in January of 2017. So, if you become a Sportsman’s News Pro Member right now, you will be in on that drawing for August 10th of 2016 as well as 35 other drawings. We gave away a Dall Sheep hunt this year, so for those sheep fanatics and those of you that would like to be, but just can’t afford it, the Pro Member Sweepstakes is an inexpensive way to get another shot at a sheep or two each year. You can see a complete list off all the winners as well as trips, guns and gear to be given away over the next 12 months by looking at the membership tab on the Sportsman’s News website. Your membership is for one full year from the day you enter.

We have made sure there are a lot of additional perks for our members on top of getting five tickets in each drawing for a full year. Each member gets an annual subscription to Sportsman’s News Maga-zine as well as all eight SNTV DVD’s we produce throughout the year. Both of these are mailed to your house. We

also pay for you to have a digital subscription to Eastmans’ Hunting Journal and Eastmans’Bowhunting Journal as well as three states of drawing notifications to Hunt-draws.com When you book a trip with one of our Platinum Approved Outfitters, you will be given a 5% discount off of the trip. This savings alone will likely cover the cost of your member-ship. These benefits and more are available to our members, so log onto Sportsmansnews.com and become a Pro Member today. You just might be a winner.

We have just launched an up-dated website for sign-ups for the Pro Membership as well. This has all the latest and great-est in technology and is built on a format to accommodate the mobile user. Most of our members are signing up on mobile devices and it was a must to upgrade. We heard your complaints about how hard it was to sign up on the old system and we finally worked out all the bugs on the new system.

So, feel free to check out the simplicity of the new system on your mobile device or from a desktop. We are sure that you will be very pleased with the process. We would love to hear your feedback as well and even better, would love to see your name pulled from our drum on one of our next drawings.

We have already completed a hand-full of our winner’s trips so far this year. We harvested a huge brown bear with Renfro’s Alaskan Adventures with one of our winners and you can read about that on our cover of this issue. Another winner was lucky enough to take his largest bull elk while hunting with J&J Outfitters in Utah. He said it was the experience of a lifetime and the explanation of what he had won didn’t do it justice. Most of our winners have said, “I never win anything!” The odds are great, so make sure you sign up for your chance to be one of our next win-ners. We select a new winner every 10 days, so if you’re not a Pro Member yet, enter today!


a lot of, “Well now we know” from Christian, as we would find good sign and check out spot after spot. It was hard to know exactly where these bears

would be. It was hard sitting for hours in rain with the bugs, but whatever had to be done to get my chance at a bear, I was prepared to do. Every time we had to pack up camp and move locations was a little more and more depressing, but no one and I mean no one even hinted that. It was always, “next go for sure or tonight’s the night”. This was a

stellar group and we all knew the bears were there, we just had to get ‘em at the right time and in the right place.

T h e p o w e r of positive was a poster at this camp, although it was never hung on a sign board. Even though the bears were scarce, the fishing was great. The red salmon had run a little early this year, but we still

caught some. The Arctic char were almost always present and the Arctic graylings’ were simply hard to keep off the hook. We caught some silvers and beautiful rainbows all on spinning gear, but I’m sure if we would have had our fly rods with, fly fishing would have been fantastic as well. All but very few were returned to the water after we captured a few beautiful pictures. It was some great fun. The problem, however was the red salmon ran early and silvers were very late this year, so

the bears were kind of in between dinner bells. Bears will travel huge distances in order to find a slough with fish, we just needed to find a drainage with enough fish to draw the bears in.

We saw a couple of bears one evening, a sow with cubs and maybe a 7 ½ boar. They were all a long way off from camp, but none were shooters. We moved

almost every day or every other day, breaking down and putting up probably 500 lbs., no easy task. The river trip was great, but the bears were not cooperat-ing. They had no intention of being shot on the river. Christian rowed over 30 miles and would not trade off, not even once, with either James or myself. It was wild country, with bear signs all over, but it just was not happening. Aniak is a beautiful area, but after floating the entire river, I was afraid I was not com-ing home with a trophy.

Then we got some good news. James came back after a SAT phone conversa-tion and says, “Wade Renfro is working to give you an extension on the hunt”. Wow, I was blown away.

Time to call the wife and cancel the flight. I was a lucky guy to be able to

ALASKAN BROWN BEARcontinued from page 2

continued on page 14

The plan was to float down the river and while fishing, look for bear sign. Prints like this were exactly what we were looking for

While floating the river, Red took advantage of some ex-cellent Alaska fishing and hooked himself a nice chum salmon.

In between stalking bear, the rivers and streams provide plenty to keep you occupied. Here, Red shows off a nice dolly varden he caught near camp.


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Founded over 165 years ago as a small workshop for optics and precision engineering, the

company and name Carl Zeiss, have an international reputation for inno-vation and cutting edge technology in all fields of optics. Their products combine technical precision and func-tional design in equal measure. They are reliable tools as well as being the key to intense experiences in the hands of discriminating customers.

Carl Zeiss Sports Optics GmbH acts as a partner for experiencing nature, by passionate hunters, enthusiastic observers of animals and birds as well as all those involved in outdoor activi-ties. Alongside scientific research, it is above all the close contact to all those that use “their ZEISS” as a companion under the harshest of conditions that constantly leads to groundbreaking developments. High precision optics made in Germany. Countless innova-tions, cutting edge technologies and the constant striving for perfection have brought Carl Zeiss its inter-national reputation: as a brand that captures fascination and enhances the moment. No other manufacturer has demonstrated greater technological and scientific competence over a lon-ger period than Carl Zeiss - A success story that continues to this day. They go to the limits of the imagination, with their passion for cutting edge performance. They inspire the world to see things with new eyes. People all over the world benefit from this approach.

InnovationResearch and development is the key

to the enduring success of Carl Zeiss. Some 10 % of the company revenue is invested in this field and leads to a multitude of new patents each year. Another key factor is the interdisci-plinary technology transfer, which constantly heads in new directions. Medical technology, sports optics, semi-conductor technology, spectacle optics, microscopes etc. All these dif-ferent divisions take part, exchange their expertise and benefit from each other.

The invention, by Prof. A. Smakula in the Carl Zeiss workshops, is just one (historical) example, but also the be-ginning of a whole new era in all areas

ZEISS: A Tradition of Innovationof optics. Im-age brightness, at twilight and brilliance were newly defined through the T* Mult i -Layer-Coat ing and still stand as o u t s t a n d i n g f e a t u r e s o f the Carl Zeiss Sports Optics products. The A b b e - K ö n i g prism systems are consistently used in all binoculars for use in critical light conditions as their internal light distribution (pure total reflections, no light-absorbing mirror surfaces) are the brightest erecting system in the field of binocular construction.

Alongside this high level of light transmission, the current Victory FL product range also scores points for its unparalleled crisp sharpness. This is due to the use of complex fluoride glass (FL) and the perfect coordination of all image-relevant materials and parameters. This “FL concept” acts as a reference point and industry standard for what is possible today. A further ZEISS technology of recent times is the LotuTec® coating for external lenses. This allows water to simply roll off and prevents the accumulation of dirt and fingerprints. The process – already used a million times over for ZEISS spectacles – is the perfect example of hydrophobic layers and is used in Wetzlar for a great many different products.

Special requirements for which Carl Zeiss has developed impressive product solutions include image stabi-lization, imaging, i.e. integration of a digital camera in a spotting scope and rangefinders with ballistic analysis.

TraditionCarl Zeiss Sports Optics GmbH is

a young company that can also look back on a long history and a wealth of experience, in which the knowledge of two outstanding optical businesses come together: Carl Zeiss and Moritz Hensoldt.

Moritz Hensoldt had an optical workshop in Wetzlar from the year 1865, though he initially set up his

b u s i n e s s i n Sonneberg /Thüringen in 1852. Carl Zeiss had been based in Jena since 1846. Both op-erations com-p e t e d w i t h each other on similar devel-opments: ini-tially with bin-oculars in the last decade of

the 19th century. Jena produced the “double telescope with increased ob-jective distance”, as the Porro glasses were described in the ZEISS patent of 1893. The Wetzlar-based company, on the other hand, was a pioneer of the more compact roof prism systems, which are still a benchmark today in a similar form. A few years later, in the first decade of the 20th century, both companies started to manufacture riflescopes for hunting – again virtu-ally at the same time.

Two strong brands – and therefore worthy rivals. Carl Zeiss, in Jena, was larger and more multifaceted than Hensoldt and highly successful in many areas. Gradually, circum-stances led to what would nowadays be termed a “hostile takeover”. A few years after the Moritz Hen-soldt family business became a public lim-ited company due to the economic crisis and the resulting financial situation of 1922, the Carl Zeiss foundation enterprise became a majority shareholder in 1928.

The tried and tested “Hensoldt” name was initially kept on as a company and brand name. Later, civilian binoculars and riflescopes were also sold under the ZEISS name, while military prod-ucts continued to carry the Hensoldt logo. Zeiss or Hensoldt? For outsid-ers, this was highly confusing! Clarity was finally achieved on October 1st, 2006, when “Carl Zeiss Sports Optics GmbH” was officially formed.

Today, Carl Zeiss Sports Optics

GmbH is a high-tech company and part of a leading global optics corpo-ration, which is currently maintaining its illustrious position as the world’s leader in high performance optics.

ProductionCarl Zeiss Sports Optics GmbH has

around 700 employees worldwide, of which 400 are based in Germany. Alongside modern machinery, dust-free rooms for final assembly, opti-mized process flows and elaborate quality control methods, it is primar-ily the motivation and knowledge of these employees that is the hallmark of the high standards of Carl Zeiss Sports Optics products. One important factor in all this is the issue of train-ing for young people, either through apprenticeships or further education. The Wetzlar plant, where premium products such as the Victory observa-tion optics and all riflescopes for the European market (Victory, Classic and Duralyt) are made, has for many years been complemented by the plant in Hungary. Sales and marketing is managed by subsidiary companies (e.g. in the USA, UK and Switzerland) and partners in many other countries, which in turn provide support for a global network of qualified ZEISS dealers.

Location: Wetzlar, GermanyThe city of Wetzlar is the business

and cultural center of the Mittelhessen region. Optics and precision mechan-ics brought it international recognition and as the “City of Optics” Wetzlar is home to numerous well-known com-panies.



Your truck can only take you so far. It’s up to your optics to do the rest.This is the moment we work for.

The new TERRA line has already won plenty of industry awards. Now it’s time to bag some real trophies.

TERRA combines German design and legendary ZEISS performance with best-in-class image quality and

clarity into a tough, durable package. See your local ZEISS dealer for details or visit zeiss.com/sports.

ZEISS TERRA ED and TERRA 3X. A legendary line of optics from a legendary brand.

10 SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION |November 2015

ALASKA GUIDED FISHING






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get another chance at my dream brown bear. I thought, “sooner or later, I will get my chance”. What unbelievable luck for a retired coalminer. This just does not happen.

A quick air hop and a new location. This time we were on a mountain pass,

located between two river drainages. It was incredible light tundra, Labrador tea smell everywhere. None of the bowl-ing ball tundra, plus an array of gor-geous colors. Berries were everywhere - a great view made a perfect picture. We just needed the bears to show up.

First night we spotted a black bear – not bad so far. The weather started to set in the next day. The fog was dense and spotting was rough, but low and behold I spot one brownie

on a distant hill. The fog keeps com-ing and going and because we were spread out glassing, it took us a little longer to get grouped back together. We hit the tundra, glass in hand, only to watch the bear be surrounded by fog. He was moving fairly quickly up hill and when the fog broke, we lost him.

We kept checking. Still nothing. Damn! The weather turns worse and it’s back to my lovely tent. We then get another weather day bust. Luckily, Christian gave me a stellar book by Spike Walker to read away the hours. The next day, af-ter checking through my gear, I decided


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Beautiful sunsets provided just enough light to catch a glimpse of bears in the distance.


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to look at my license and horrified, I see that’s it’s expired. My heart sinks. In all the rush to get us in another location, we didn’t think to extend my license past the 14 days I bought it for. I didn’t know what to do and panicked, trying to think of a way to get me a new one. So many people worked so hard to get me here, I was going to be damned if it came to an end because of an error with paper work. I was truly at an all-time low.

After getting Wade on the phone, we find out that I actually had a season hunting license - it was just the fishing portion that had expired. What a relief! With renewed vigor, it was back to glassing. The weather is now a steady drizzle - should be great for bears. I was staring intently at the tundra in the distance, when I hear footsteps running and look to see James coming in hot. He tells me that Christian’s got a bear and it’s a shooter. James is pushing me and the adrenaline is pumping. I’ve got

to make it over to Christian fast, so we don’t lose our one chance. Hussle Red, hussle ! My heart is pounding and sweat is pouring as we hurry to find Christian.

We find him and then I see the bear. He’s low to the ground, long up front and there’s a wobble in his walk, the kind that only big bears have. He’s just one mile from camp, to the east, in the

valley where we saw that first bear. Christian says he’s at least an eight footer, so after him we go. We swing wide and stay ahead of him. The plan is actually simple - we will run towards him, close the distance and make sure to always keep wind in our favor.

The bear is in light cover and we too try to use the terrain to our advantage to try to stay hidden. We finally close enough distance and Christian tells me and James to get set up. I get my sticks and set as solid as possible in the soft bottom. It will have to work. I then look up to find my scope is fogged, I quickly clean off the fog and once the reticle is visible, I steady my breathing as the bear could walk out at any second and I’ve got to be ready. James spots him and

talks me on. The bear is creeping across the open tundra, eating berries, but not slowing or stopping. I put the crosshairs right on this shoulder. I wasn’t about to turf one in tundra right in front of him. Finally, he stopped right in front of the last bush, putting him in the full open meadow. Nowhere for him to hide now. I will be able to follow up if I need to.

It feels right. The bear bends down to pick berries, neck tight to body. It’s now or never. I take my time and squeeze the trigger. Wham! Sounds like a solid hit, but I jack in another round. The bear hit the deck hard, but I know they don’t go down for long, be ready. I watch for breathing, by now I am only able to see the upper foot and a half of the bear be-cause of the depression that he’s laying in. After thirty or so seconds of silence, James sends out praise that the bear’s down for the count.

I all but collapse, trying to soak-in the seemingly unreal experience, sweat pour-ing off me like rain. We walk up to watch the bear and still nothing. We then give him a little push in the eye with a loaded gun, still nothing. I’m finally satisfied that he is truly dead and am in shock that I finally had the one trophy that I had dreamed of for so many years. Wow, what a hunt! Especially for one lucky retired coalminer. I could not be more grateful to Sportman’s News and Renfro’s Alaskan Adventures. What wonderful crew and what an amazing experience. Check out Renfro’s for yourself. Give Wade a call at (907) 543-1954 or go to renfrosalas-kanadventures.com

After 15 days of intense hunting, the team finally finds a shooter. Guide Christain Elwell and Red show off his trophy.

A soft carpet of tundra flowers provided an ideal surface to put a stalk on a bear and also gave your feet a break from miles of walking.


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By Dan KidderManaging Editor

A great part of the camping expe-rience is cooking over an open campfire. Nothing accommo-

dates campfire cooking like cast iron and more specifically, Dutch ovens.

Dutch ovens get their name from the Dutch, who figured out a way to better cast the shallow, thick-walled pots us-ing a sand casting process. The actual design of the pots has been around for centuries, but American colonists made them shorter, added feet on the bottom and modified the design over the years. Paul Revere is credited with adding a lip to the lid to keep coals stacked on top from falling into the contents when the lid is lifted.

Part pot, part oven, the Dutch oven is a versatile cooking vessel that can be used for baking, broiling, roasting, frying, boiling and many other cook-ing methods. Tough enough to be used directly in the coals of a large wood fire, but nimble enough to be used on a small camp stove, this cast iron wonder is a staple for outdoor cooks everywhere.

Short of super-heating it and then rap-idly cooling it in a frigid stream or snow, which can cause the iron to crack, they are pretty much indestructible. I have seen rusted cast iron restored with just a little elbow grease and literal grease to be as good as new. An investment in some quality cast iron cookware can last several lifetimes and my favorite pieces are hand-me-downs from previ-ous generations.

Visit www.SportsmansNews.com to see the recipes we prepared in each of the following cast iron cooking vessels.

Cast Iron Campfire Cooking

Lodge 3.2 Quart Cast Iron Combo Cooker

The Lodge 3.2 quart cast iron Combo Cooker serves several purposes. Made from pre-seasoned cast iron, the 3.2 quart lower oven/pot can be used like a traditional Dutch oven. The lid includes a flange to help seal out ash and provide a secure fit, but can also be used by itself as a camp skillet or

frying pan. This shallow cooking lid gives you the ability to fry an egg, make pancakes, cook bacon, sauté veggies and do anything you would do with a normal skillet. The lid and pot are 10-inches across and the pot is 3-inches deep. Both pot and lid include long 5-inch handles for easy positioning in a fire and to manage the weight of the oven. The flat bottom tapers to 8-inches, so it is ideal for stovetop use, even on induction cooktops.

Camp Chef Classic 12-inch Dutch Oven

Nothing is as ubiquitous as the stan-dard 12-inch Dutch oven from Camp Chef. Designed with the same features that early pioneers would recognize, such as a bail handle, lid lifting loop and flanged lid, Camp Chef has still added a few extra features to modernize this design. Made with higher quality irons than those available to our early ances-tors, Camp Chef has added a notch in the pot and lid to allow placement of their remote thermometer to easily monitor internal temperature, without losing heat lifting the lid. The oven comes pre-seasoned, so it is ready for

use straight out of the box. It measures 12-inches across (11.75” across) by 3.875” high. It has a volume of 6-quarts and will easily make enough stew to feed a dozen people.

Camp Chef Classic 14-inch Dutch Oven

With all of the same features as the 12-inch Classic Dutch oven, this pot gives you the ability to feed even more people or cook larger portions. This is the best chicken fryer I have found and I have searched extensively for the best ways to fry chicken. Two blocks of snowcap

lard fill this oven to the perfect level to cover your chicken. The heavy lid traps in the heat, speeding up the cooking time so you get that perfect doneness without overcooking the outside of the chicken, waiting for the inside to get done. The notch in the lid allows you to insert the probe into the chicken, so it can beep when it reaches the pre-set temperature. Measuring 13.75 inches across by 3.875 inches high, it holds 8-quarts and will feed 14-18 people.


Camp Chef Cast Iron Ultimate Dutch Oven

This oven is amazing. Called the campfire microwave, Camp Chef has really redesigned the Dutch oven from the ground up to provide an innovative cooking system for bak-ing to stewing, faster and with less effort. It features a convection cone in the center, which is vented to the heat source below. This causes the heat to be pulled up from the bottom and then circulated throughout the cook-ing chamber for even heat over all the surfaces of your food. The lid can be used as a cover to increase the heat of the lower pot or it can be used by itself as a 3.5-quart cooking pot. Raised grill marks in the lid allow it to be used to grill meats or sandwiches, transfer-ring perfect grill marks to the food.


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The feet on the cover and lower pot keep the base out of the fire, allowing heat to move more evenly underneath while cooking more uniformly. Two rack inserts make the oven more versatile, allowing you to keep the food from directly touching the hot surface and also allowing the food to be stacked so that multiple items can be cooked at the same time. The base holds six quarts and measures 12-inches.

Rome Industries Pie IronsThese may have easily become my

favorite outdoor cooking implements. From delicious grilled sandwiches to “Pudgies” these little beasts are superb

for cooking anything you can imagine and can stuff inside. Because they are made of cast iron, they can be placed directly into the coals of your campfire. From sandwiches, to Pudgies or Moun-

tain Pies, anything you can fit inside can be cooked to perfection. Rome also offers their Pudgie Revolution Cook-

CAMP COOKINGcontinued from page 18


CHEF’S CHOICECamp Chef Square Dutch Oven

Camp Chef took an old technology and once again reimagined it; and in this case they knocked it out of the park. The Square Dutch oven is a cast iron masterpiece. Featuring a 13-inch square design, a flat bottom for stovetop cooking, the ability to use either the six-quart base or the two-quart lid sepa-rately or together, the Square Dutch oven is a super versatile cooking system that can be used to fry, bake, broil or cook anything you can imag-ine without wasting an inch of space. It fits easily into an oven for use as a roaster. The lid has integrated grill ridges for perfect grill marks and removal of grease. The flat bottom and top mean that each piece can be used on a stove. Handles on both sides allow it to be easily carried and positioned. This is a heavy-duty piece of a camp cooking kit that will serve you faithfully for years to come.


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book, f i l l ed with dozens of easy to prepare recipes, with instructions to maximize the capability of your irons and proper care and mainte-nance.

The Pie Irons come in a va-riety of sizes

and shapes. We used the regular Square Pie Iron, the Double Pie Iron and the Round Pudgy Pie Iron. The Square Pie Iron is the standard iron, with which most people are familiar. It measures 4.5-inches square and the top and bot-tom interlock with a clip on the handle to seal them tight. An articulating hinge allows them to be quickly separated for filling and cleaning. Simply put your bread, unbaked piecrust or puff pastry inside, layer your fillings, cover with

another piece of pastry or bread, close it and lay it on top of your coals. Each iron has 24-inch long handles with wood grips to make it easy to hold them and keep them from getting hot. The Double Pie Iron lets you make larger Pudgies or two sandwiches at once. It features a 4.5-inch by 8.5-inch cooking area and is ideal for Pudgies or each side of the iron can be used as a small skillet.

The Round Pudgie Iron is the ultimate Pudgie making machine. The round 4.25-inch head seals the edges of your Pudgie together making a delicious pocket of yumminess. Be sure to check out www.SportsmansNews.com to see some of the amazing Pudgies we were able to create with these irons.

Camp Chef Cast Iron Condi-tioner

An honorable mention for your camp cooking is the Cast Iron Conditioner from Camp Chef. With proper mainte-nance, cast iron cookware will last several lifetimes, but occa-sionally, even the best seasoned finish will need a little touch

up. It is not too difficult to re-season a piece of cast iron, but it is even quicker to use this simple product to touch-up places where the seasoning may have been removed or just to keep your en-tire piece in tip-top shape. Made from a blend of organic sunflower oil, maca-damia nut oil, flaxseed oil and vitamin E, this 8-ounce spray bottle is a fast way to care for your cast iron and keep it working for you for a very long time with minimal fuss. Just give it a quick spray after cleaning to make sure that amazing seasoning you have acquired stays sealed and protects your finish.

Dutch Oven Lid LifterCamp Chef makes different sizes

of lid lifters, but I prefer the 22-inch because who wants to bend over while lifting a heavy cast iron pot filled with food? This lifter allows you to lift off your lid and stabilizes the lid to prevent tipping hot coals and ash into your food. The clamping action of the handle locks it in place and eliminates wobble and tipping. An extended bail handle hook lets you easily lift the entire oven out by the handle on the base. This is an essen-

tial tool for Dutch oven cooking.

Camp Chef Cook-ing Guide

For Dutch oven cooking and so much more, the Outdoor Cooking Guide provides reci-pes, cast iron main-tenance and clean-ing informat ion and tips for a wide variety of outdoor cooking methods.

This handy guidebook covers barbecu-ing, Dutch oven cooking, tailgating, camping, patio and kitchen cooking for many of your outdoor favorites and new recipes in one easy to read spiral-bound book. Written by outdoor expert Marla Rawl-ings, this guide is an indispensible outdoor cooking accessory.

CAMP COOKINGcontinued from page 20


On A BudgetAdventure

By Joe Glotts

No matter where you hunt, killing a big, mature buck is no cake walk. In some states,

however, the opportunities are next to nonexistent. For that reason, hardcore whitetail hunters pack their bags in the fall and travel to new locales in search of greener pastures.

If you’re one of those hunters who dream of chasing whitetails away from home, you should absolutely go for it. A big part of the planning process is choosing the right state to hunt. And while there are plenty of great destina-tions for DIY (do-it-yourself) whitetail hunters, the opportunities in some states are definitely more plentiful, af-fordable and realistic.

To better understand how each white-tail state stacks up for the DIY hunter, lets consider a broad range of criteria relevant to the quality of an out-of-state hunt. Included in that criteria you are looking for in a relatively affordable hunt is with plenty of options for land access, a good opportunity to see lots of deer, low pressure from other hunters and decent odds to harvest a quality animal.

Keeping that in mind, the following is a ranking of states based on criteria

DIY Whitetail Deerlike the cost and ease of acquiring a license, quantity (and quality) of

public land and hunter density. While this includes as much hard data as could be developed in these rankings, this is still a largely subjective analysis. Many of you will come to your own conclu-sions and have a completely different Top 10, but hopefully this will help shed a little extra light on the subject.

10. NebraskaGreat Plains - the Cornhusker State.

Nebraska is another state with over-the-counter tags which DIY hunters love and non-resident permits are middle of the road at $215. The big draw here though is the lack of competition from other hunters. On average, there are only 1.8 hunters per square mile. When it comes to harvest numbers, about 63,000 deer are killed per year, but a good number of those deer are wall hangers. Public land access is relatively low, coming in at right around 1-million acres, but the good old-fashioned door knock can still go a long ways here.

9. IllinoisHere’s another historically famous big

buck state. Although you might be sur-prised that Illinois isn’t ranked higher, there are good reasons for it. Yes, huge whitetails abound in President Lincoln’s

old home-state. In fact, 273 Boone & Crocket bucks were entered over the past five years on record. Additionally, more Pope & Young bucks are killed per hunter in Illinois than Iowa, Wisconsin or Ohio. So why isn’t Illinois higher? Cost and access. An Illinois non-resident tag is one of the most expensive in the country, coming in at almost $500. And on top of that, getting access to good hunting ground can be a real challenge. Public land is very limited, with less than a million acres and a large amount of private ground is leased up by other out-of-state hunters and outfitters.

8. TexasIf you like to see and kill a lot of deer,

Texas is one of the best options in the country. In fact, no state can boast as large of a deer herd as Texas - with over 4-million whitetails. Not surprising, Texas hunters also kill more deer than any other state in the country. We’re not just talking quantity of deer either, as 67 percent of bucks killed in 2012 were over 3.5 years old. And while there are a large number of hunters in the state, given the huge land area of Texas, the mathematical hunter density is pretty low too, coming in at 2.45 hunters per square mile. Unfortunately, Texas’ downfall is in its lack of public land and expensive license costs. It’s going to cost you over $300 to get a tag here and once you’re on the ground you’ll

have a hard time finding a spot to hunt. With less than a million acres in public ground, about 97 percent of the state is private land. On top of that, given the unique deer hunting culture in Texas, many properties may even be fenced in.

7. MinnesotaThere are a lot of good things going

for Minnesota. First and foremost, this is a bargain hunt with over-the-counter non-resident tags only running $165. Secondly, access should not be an issue as public land abounds - to the tune of over 6-million acres. Hunter density is a bit high, but similar to many of the other Midwest states, coming in at about seven hunters per square mile. Interestingly, most of the hunting in Minnesota is happening during firearm season, as only 9-percent of the deer harvest in 2012 happened pre-firearm season. That’s the lowest in the country, so expect relatively low pressure during bow season. While the number of deer killed per hunter in Minnesota is rela-tively low, at about .33, this state does much better when you look specifically at bigger bucks.

6. North DakotaHere’s a bit of a sleeper. North Dakota

has definitely been picking up steam as a whitetail state lately, but it still has a



lot more potential than people realize. First off, you’ve got over-the-counter tags, a relatively affordable license that’s just over $200 and super low hunter densities, about 1.5 hunters per square mile. There’s no whitetail hunting state east of the mountain states that can of-fer that kind of low hunting pressure. On top of that, there are terrific access opportunities between public lands and private properties open to hunting through the PLOTS program. Hunter success is equally impressive, as North Dakota produces a disproportionate number of Pope & Young record book entries, despite its low number of hunt-ers. Another nice perk of North Dakota is the early August 31 bow opener.

5. KentuckyNow we’re getting into the big boys of

DIY whitetail states. Kentucky has been getting a lot of press the past few years about its big buck potential and for good reason. In fact, over the past five years with Kentucky’s 245 entries, only four

other states have put more Booners in the books. On a per hunter basis, only Iowa and Kansas are producing more. Equally as appealing to the potential Kentucky hunter is the fact that non-resident tags are an affordable $150 and can be bought over-the-counter. And if you’re going for a velvet buck, Ken-tucky can be a great option with archery season opening in early September. In 2012, Kentucky was No. 1 in the nation in Boone and Crockett entries and they consistently rank in the top five. Their one buck limit and liberal doe harvest allows bucks to get older and helps hunters effectively manage the herd. The fact that you can hunt deer for 4 1/2 months starting in early September is also a huge bonus.

4. KansasHere’s another one of the histori-

cally acclaimed states for big bucks. Of course, we all know there are gi-ant bucks to be had in Kansas and the record books back that up. Per hunter, no other major whitetail state has pro-duced more Pope & Young record book entries over the most recent five years

of data. And when it comes to Boone & Crockett bucks, Kansas is only behind Iowa. Kansas also has a very low hunter density, with under two hunters per square mile. While public land isn’t ter-ribly plentiful, Kansas does have a good walk-in program for private land access. One knock on Kansas is the higher non-resident license cost of about $420. But if you can swallow that, you’re in for some great hunting. Kansas is a great state to consider for DIY whitetail hunting. It is fairly easy to draw a tag in most regions and some even have over-the-counter left-over tags. The limit of one buck per year (residents and non-residents) allows for bucks to mature and the pos-sibility for a hunter to shoot the deer of a lifetime. Also a late rifle season keeps the hunting pressure low and is very attractive to bowhunters.

3. OhioThe Buckeye State is no longer a

sleeper when it comes to big bucks, but it still is one of the best deals for the DIY whitetail hunter. A non-resident tag can be easily purchased over-the-counter for about $150 and with that you’ll be ready to hit the woods in one of the best Boone & Crockett producing states in the country. In addition to the quality of deer, you’ll also be able to find good access opportunities, as public land

abounds in the southern portion of the state. If there’s one knock on Ohio, it would be their hunter density, which is around 10 hunters per square mile. If you can get back into the public ground or secure a decent piece of private land, you should be in the bucks.

2. IndianaHeading just a bit farther west we

come to Indiana. A few years ago, this may have come as a surprise, but after a 305 7/8-inch giant was killed there a few years back, Indiana has become firmly entrenched in the ranks of top whitetail states. One 300-inch deer isn’t all this state has to offer though, as both the Boone & Crockett and Pope & Young record books confirm that Indiana has been consistently pumping out great whitetails over the past five years. On a per hunter basis, Indiana has produced more Boone & Crockett bucks than Il-linois, Ohio and even Wisconsin. On top of that, Indiana has a solid whitetail population of 1-million and an equal amount of acreage of public land to pursue them on. Additionally, since Indiana hasn’t become as over-run with outfitters as some Midwest states, pri-vate land access is still quite available

DIY WHITETAILScontinued from page 24



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with some hard work pounding the pavement and knocking on doors. Similar to other top picks for DIY hunters, Indiana is an affordable option as well, with $150 over-the-counter non-resident licenses.

1. Wisconsin

And finally, we arrive at the No. 1 state for the DIY whitetail hunter. While you could make a solid ar-gument for any one of our Top 5, Wisconsin rose to the very top be-cause of tremendous record book buck production, affordable licenses and excellent public land opportu-nity. Similar to the last three states mentioned, Wisconsin offers non-resident licenses over-the-counter for $160. This is important for most DIY hunters. Shelling out half a grand for a license every year is something that not a lot of folks can afford. Another nice benefit to hunt-ing Wisconsin is its mid-September archery opener, which allows you to

take advantage of late summer feed-ing patterns. The Cheesehead state also offers tremendous public land opportunities, with about 6-million acres to roam. Private land, while hard to come by in some areas, may still be available if you put the time in. Needless to say, if you’re looking for a state to chase those wall hanger dreams, Wisconsin is a terrific choice.

Now all you have to do is a little bit more digging into which state you want to try and then just go for it. Most of you will already have most of the equipment necessary as far as choice of weapons, optics, clothing, GPS and packs. Make sure you purchase scent blocking sprays and soaps as well as a couple of bins to store all of your hunting clothes in, as whitetail not only have great eye-sight, but an exceptional sense of smell. It only takes a couple of close encounters to realize that when you spook them, the white tail that suddenly pops straight up in the air is letting you know that you are #1 in their book!

DIY WHITETAILScontinued from page 26


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䄀嘀䄀䤀䰀䄀䈀䰀䔀䄀吀


An elk hunt reaches the tipping point in the Burnt River Mountains.

Story and Photos By Gary Lewis

It happens everywhere three or more hunters gather before a hunt.

The two Californians cornered me to ask what rifle I was carrying. “A thirty-ought-six,” I told them. “A Ruger bolt ac-tion with a Leupold Mark 4, with the ART reticle.”

They wrinkled their noses. “Really? I would have thought an outdoor writer would have had something a little more,

Striking Gold In Elk Seasonwell, interesting.”

It seemed to me that the 30-06, with more than a hundred years of history was about as interesting as they come. Loaded with 165-grain Nosler AccuBonds, it was cer-tainly a reliable performer.

The Californians turned to my hunting partner. “Bill, what did you bring on this hunt?”

Bill Moe produced his pre-1964 Win-chester Model 70, a rifle he had recently restored with a powder coat finish and new oil on the walnut stock. “My old .270 Winchester,” he said, with obvious pride in the well-used gun. It had been 25 years since Bill had hunted elk and he was happy to be back in the game.

The brows of the Californians knit in wor-ry. A .270 Winchester and a .30-06. They were in the company of unimaginative hunters, maybe worse. They took the opportunity to admonish the Oregonians that the .270 and the .30-06 were really substandard in these days of super high velocity, enhanced metal-lurgy and engineering. Then they opened their gun cases to demonstrate what the enlightened, highbrow hunter carries on a high desert elk hunt.

The guns were impressive - straight-throw bolt actions with fine-figured walnut stocks and engraved, inlaid actions, both sporting European optics and chambered for .300 Winchester Magnum. The cases

were equally luxuriant, lined with velvet to cradle each piece.

After fondling the guns and extolling their virtues, the Cali-fornians then reported to their guide, also from California, that one of the other hunters in camp had deigned to bring a .270. The guide suitably furrowed his eyebrows and told Bill that ev-ery animal he had ever lost, had been shot with “one of those.” Furthermore, it was the last gun he wanted to see in camp. It was almost bad luck to have a .270 on an elk hunt.

We received our lecture with good grace and laid out our boots and packs for the next day.

This ranch, in the Burnt River range, was uniquely situated at the transition between pine for-est and sagebrush country. With water, alfalfa and orchard grass, there was feed that could draw herds out of the timber as the season progressed.

Day one, our guide, Steve Mathers, of Battle Creek Outfitters, led us to a mountain saddle. In the evening, we stalked a small herd of cows in a dark canyon and backed out when it was apparent there were no bulls in the group. Day two, we teamed up to hunt a series of long canyons and Califor-nia No. 1 missed a shot at a yearling elk. On the morning of day three, our enthusiasm had worn to a fine edge. We had hunted most of the ranch and were now going to focus on the dry side.

There comes a tipping point. You can throw up your hands and go home or you can come at the problem from another angle.

In the Burnt River country, you can see where dreams made it to the tipping point. Here they took gold by pick, by pan and by water. The names that prospectors gave the features of the land speak of hope, hard work and homesickness: Texas Butte, California Mountain, Dixie Creek, Eldorado Pass, Gold Ridge.

A hanging tree, a weathered ponderosa pine, bears mute testimony to frontier jus-tice. A broken down, two-room house of ill-repute stands where lonely miners were separated from their metal.

The towns that sprang up in the rush for gold are all but gone – only foun-dations and chimneys remain. They all reached a tipping point – the place where people made the decision to stick it out or head home. Some went broke, others made a living, a few made fortunes.

There is still gold in those mountains. You can see it in the groves of October’s aspens in the heads of the draws. A few miners work-ing claims for color and shine still shows in pans washed in the creeks.

Our problem was that we were two-and-a-half days into a five-day hunt and we hadn’t located the main herd yet. It was time to try something different.

The elk had gathered into large groups, according to one cowboy we spoke to. It was up to us to find them.

We looked for elk on the edges -- the edge of meadows, where canyons rose to saddles, where tree lines gave way to alpine, where lava flow ran into timber, where mountain mahogany met the tim-berline. Mostly, we looked for the tipping point.

“Coyote!” Bill said. Steve slammed on the brakes and I

rolled out of the truck, tipped the bipod into play and prone, found the coyote bouncing through the sage. He was over a hundred yards away, about to crest the hill when he stopped and risked a look back. My crosshair drifted into his vitals and I took two-and-a-half pounds of pressure out of the trigger and tipped him over.

There is a feeling among some hunters that you don’t shoot the coyote because you might spook the elk. I’ve long believed you shoot the coyote to deserve the chance at the elk. We’d found our tipping point.

Two bulls on a ridge top.

continued on page 32Gary Lewis checks out an elk rub on an ar-chery hunt in the Heppner Unit in 2009.


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Ten minutes later we turned a bend in the road and stopped. Peering through my binos, I scanned the ridgeline.

We found them against the sky. Three cow elk stood sky-lined over 800 yards away. Steve backed the truck around the hill, out of sight and parked. We climbed to the top of the ridge and, on our bellies, glassed the skyline.

Elk were strung for hundreds of yards in both directions, in bands of eight to ten in each of the draws above us. A big bull strutted back and forth among his cows. Several smaller bulls orbited, moving in and out of the mountain mahogany and aspen thickets. A bugle drifted from the timber. We had two hours of daylight and time to make a play.

The wind was not in our favor. We’d have to make the approach from the west and the breeze would carry our scent straight to the elk. There were some beeves in the way and we let them ease off before we slipped up the hill. More elk were on the hill in front of us. We backed down and went further west, up a canyon and over the top. Light was fading fast.

The next canyon had water. With the cold air moving down the mountain, our scent would be swept downhill instead of into the herd. I crossed the creek and looked back. Steve was right behind me. On top, the wind was blowing to the elk. I took out a bottle of Elk Bomb and sprayed a cloud to cover my scent. Sky-lined now, I tipped my hat off and skinned on my belly through the sage. Two elk were on the far hillside. Both quartered away, looking uphill. I signed to Steve for the range.

“Three-twelve,” he whispered, between ragged breaths.

Behind the rifle, I eased into the shade of a mountain mahogany and took a rest on a low-hanging limb. The crosshair bounced with my pulse and settled for the high hold. I squeezed and rocked with the recoil. Forty elk streamed over the hill toward us, followed by dozens more. Daylight was gone by the time we made it to where the elk had been.

My cow elk traveled 85 yards and came to rest on a hill just above the road. It was the next morning when I returned. Tem-peratures in the 20s kept the meat from spoiling overnight.

Before I began the good hard work of

carving the meat from the animal, I climbed back up the hill to get my hat. Fourteen animals fed on the hillside above me, about 200 yards away. Two nice bulls were in the group. I took some pictures and continued on my way. Less than five minutes later, I heard the boom of Bill’s Winchester. Bill and Steve had been stalking that herd while I was tak-ing their pictures.

Moments later, we heard the boom of another rifle. California No. 2 had taken a shot. Then we heard an-other and another. That went on the rest of the day as the guide and his client followed their elk. They caught up that evening after going through most of a box of cartridges.

We gathered for dinner late that evening and basked in the glow of our success. The Californians were uncharacteristically quiet.

Bill didn’t need much of an opening, but he waited till dessert to ask his question.

“So how did those fancy rifles work out? Did you see the bull I got? I guess I did okay with my old two-seventy. What do you think?”

To order a signed copy of Hunting Oregon, send $24.95 (includes S&H) to GLO, PO Box 1364, Bend, OR 97709 or visit www.GaryLewi-sOutdoors.com

PACWEST OUTDOORScontinued from page 30

Bill Moe (right) and Gary Lewis with a nice bull taken on an October hunt.


Pro’s TipsBy Dan KidderManaging Editor

I will never again complain about the price of a tanned hide. That being said, there is a satisfaction that comes

from killing an animal and preserving its hide into leather.

While every animal has just enough brains to tan their hide, the folks at The Tannery, Inc. have a complete kit that makes less work and less mess and doesn’t require you to fool around with trying to extract and preserve the brain matter for tanning.

The kit comes with a multi-sided scraper to help remove bits of muscle and sinew that may still be attached to the hide, a plastic sheet, tanning crystals, a facemask, a disposable apron, gloves, leather dye, sandpaper, leather condi-tioning oil, step-by-step directions and a needle and thread to sew up holes in the hide. There are enough products in the kit to tan the hides of two medium-sized deer or a single elk or bear. All of the work can be done on a sheet of plywood and the wetting can be done in a large plastic trashcan or bathtub.

I decided to keep the hair on my hide. For a hair-on hide, the first step is to get the hide dried. This was accomplished by laying it out on a flat surface and covering it with stock salt. Stock salt is a non-iodized salt that is used to provide nutrients to livestock. It is available at feed supply stores and a 50-pound bag cost me about $8. This is a fine salt that

DIY Hide Tanningis mixed in with feed and not rock salt. Do not use rock salt. Reserve about five pounds for the tanning process.

First, spread the hide on a sheet of plywood, suspended on two sawhorses and cover it completely with about a half an inch of the stock salt. Once cov-ered, let it dry for about a week, until it is completely desiccated. The hide should be salted from 5-days to 2-weeks to become fully dried. Prior to salting, remove any large chunks of muscle that might prevent the underlying hide from drying. This can be done carefully with a knife, a scraper or a pair of pliers. A very thin slice of meat shouldn’t prevent drying, but pieces thicker than 1/8 of an inch can cause the hide to dry unevenly.

Once the hide has been salted, shake off the excess salt and place it in a large tub of water. You don’t have to remove every bit of salt, just the large clumps that have formed during the drying pro-cess. Add a bit of Dawn dish detergent to help break down the oils and fats. I used two identical plastic 30-gallon trashcans for this. The bottom can was half filled with water. I placed the hide inside the water, then seated the second trash can on top and filled it with water to act as a weight to keep the hide in the lower can submerged. Soak for at least 3- to 6-hours. I let mine soak over-night, as over soaking will not harm the hide. Just make sure all of the dried spots are fully rehydrated, then lay the hide across a sawhorse for about five minutes to let the water run off before proceeding to the rinse cycle. Because the water you soaked in is dirty, dump

out the bottom can and rinse it out before refill-ing it with clean, warm water. I used a Camp Chef Triton Portable Propane water heater to get warm water from the garden hose. This was an indispensible tool throughout the pro-cess.

Once you have your r inse water ready, plunge the hide up and down in the rinse about a dozen times to get out all of the dirt, loose hair and soap suds. Drape the hide, hair-side out,

over your sawhorse and let it drain for about an hour. Keeping the hair-side out will prevent the hide from drying out prior to stretching.

You will next need to remove the tailbone according to the instructions. If you are cutting up the hide to use in a project, this step isn’t crucial, but if you want a full rug, you will want to make sure you get out the tailbone.

Next comes stretching and fleshing. For this process, you will need some small finishing nails with a good sized head. Place the hide in the center of your plywood sheet to allow it to have ample room to stretch, with-out hanging over the edge. Begin at one of the back legs and place a nail every half an inch until the back third of the hide is tacked down. Use your pliers to get a tight stretch, but not too tight, so that it still has room to shrink as it dries. Here I am going to gloss over some of the process, because detailed instructions are in the book included with the kit, but I want to give you an idea of how much work is involved with this step. You are going to scrape the fascia or con-nective and any remaining

muscle tissue off of the hide with the included metal scraper. You are go-ing to work at this, as some of the fine membrane doesn’t want to come loose


Liberal appication of a non-iodized salt is the first step to preparing your skinned hide. Use a coarse salt like stock salt. Leave it for several days.

The Complete Home Tanning Kit from the Tannery, Inc. has everything you need to completely tan two medium deer or a large elk or bear.

Two trashcans allow you to soak your hide by filling the top one with water to act as a weight to keep the hide below submerged.


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easily. Using your scraper and a pair of pliers, start at the tacked end and work your way down the hide. Be careful not to cut through the hide while removing the flesh. This will also stretch the hide out even more, creating a loose area in

HIDE TANNINGcontinued from page 34

the center. This is why you don’t tack out the entire hide right away.

Once you have fully fleshed the hide to remove all of the membrane, use the needle and thread to sew up any small holes, including any bullet holes. I found the thread included in the kit to be a little weak for this, as it shred-ded easily when sewing with it. Some

fine white cotton thread will work better, but won’t be as flat as the thread included. D o n ’ t w o r r y about the color, as the undyed hide will actually be white.

Once you have sewed the holes, it is time to finish stretching. Not drawing it too tight, you want to pull the edges out and nail them down around the edges, following

the directions in the instruction book. Place a nail about every 4-5 inches around the rest of the hide, then fill in the spaces where needed, keep-ing the sides as straight as pos-sible.

After you have s t re t c h e d t h e hide, you are go-ing to re-salt it, using the stock salt you reserved during drying. Cover the hide lightly with the salt and let it set for about 10-minutes. This is part of the tanning process and this salt will not be removed.

Make sure you fully read the directions before proceeding. I made this mistake and had to run to the store to get a bag of flour after I dissolved the tanning crys-tals. As I mentioned, you will use about a pound of all-purpose flour. Follow the

directions in the book for your size of hide. Mix the appropriate amount of hot water and tanning crystals in a coffee can or bucket until they are fully dissolved. Start adding flour to the mixture a cup at a time until it reaches the consistency of ketchup. Too thick and it will be difficult to spread. Too thin and it will run all over.


If you don’t have easy access to hot water, a portable water heater, like this Triton from Camp Chef, can turn any garden hose into a hot water source.

Once the hide has been salted and soaked, it is time to remove the connective tissue and any remaining mus-cle. This is the most time consuming and tedious part of tanning your own hide.

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Pour the entire mixture into the cen-ter of the hide and using your gloved hands, spread it all over the hide until every exposed bit is covered. Cover the entire hide with the included plastic sheet to prevent the tanning solution from drying out. Leave this covered and laying flat for about 48-hours. Longer is okay, so long as the tanning solution does not dry out. If it does, cover it with damp towels.

Once the tanning process is com-plete, you will wipe off the tanning solution using your scraper tool. A damp towel can be used on the edges to remove any residue that has gotten onto the hair.

Once the tanning is complete, you will need to oil the hide to help keep it pliable. The tanning oil included with the kit is enough to treat two hides. After oiling, let the hide dry for 24- to 48-hours.

The hide will end up being crusty and similar to rawhide, so it must be staked and then sanded to make it

more pliable. Using your scraper tool, run the rounded edge over the hide to break up the fibers of the leather. Then using the included sandpaper, wrap it around a block of wood for better control and grip and sand the entire hide according to the directions. The center section will need more sanding than the edges and legs. If you start to see the hair follicles, you are sanding too deep.

Once you have finished sanding, the hide will be bright white. This is normal, as the buckskin color is cre-ated using dyes. The kit includes dye and instructions on how to get it the desired color.

All in all, it took me about a month to tan my hide, but a large part of that was due to uncooperative weather, as I had to work on it outside. If you have a garage with a floor drain, you can eliminate this problem by working indoors. It should take about a week and a half to fully process your hide into beautiful leather. The Tannery, Inc. Complete Home Tanning Kit makes the process very simple and the manual is very easy to follow for great results.

It is a lot of work to tan a hide, but I fully appreciate all the steps that my taxidermist goes through better now that I have done it myself. And there is a bit of

pride to show my friends the products I have made with the hide and brag that I tanned that myself. I definitely suggest you give it a try with your next hide.

Finished hides, like these, have many uses, from rugs, to leather goods. They are a valuable part of the animal that is worth preserving.

HIDE TANNINGcontinued from page 36


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It features a dovetailed, high visibility 3-dot sight system, 7-round magazine and fi nger grip extension fl oorplate, It features a dovetailed, high visibility 3-dot sight system, 7-round magazine and fi nger grip extension fl oorplate, It features a dovetailed, high visibility 3-dot sight system, 7-round magazine and fi nger grip extension fl oorplate,

manual safety, loaded chamber indicator and light recoil spring for an easy-to-manipulate slide. manual safety, loaded chamber indicator and light recoil spring for an easy-to-manipulate slide. manual safety, loaded chamber indicator and light recoil spring for an easy-to-manipulate slide.

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Pick up a new Razor-Pro for your next hunt. You will always have a strong, surgically sharp skinning/gutting knife with blades that don’t break and change safely with the simple push of a button. Guaranteed.

See your local dealer or call 800-447-3343www.outdooredge.com

To break down and pack out a full-size bull I need a strong, reliable knife that stays sharp through the whole process. That’s why I carry Outdoor Edge’s Razor-Pro. With just one knife and five extra replacement blades in the sheath, I can finish several bulls and never worry about my blade going dull. I just push the lock button, insert a shaving sharp new blade and I’m right back to work.

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Replace Your Blade, Not Your Knife.

By Eric Christensen

It’s November in the mid-west – time to hike out into the forest to your tree stand just before daylight, climb 20 feet in the air to your stand and then sit for hours in freezing temperatures. How-ever, when the whitetails are rutting, I can’t think of a better place to test your hunting dexterity. Being from the Rock-ies and growing up hunting mule deer, I was totally surprised to see the differ-ence in deer species activity. It seemed like about every 20 minutes, a new deer or a group of deer would stroll past my location. Successfully harvesting a ma-ture whitetail buck most often requires long hours on a small metal platform in frigid weather rather than the customary spot and stock that I am used to out west.

It’s no wonder Sitka Gear developed a Whitetail Series of clothing to master the elements that come along with fall stand hunting. Sitka Whitetail Gear encompasses seasons that are mild to severe, including sub-zero weather. Elevated II is a newer version of their Optifade pattern that helps conceal you with a fall canopy design, as the leaves fall and there is more sky for animals to pick out movement.

The Fanatic line-up is designed for mid-weather. In fact, the Fanatic Lite Jacket is one of my new favorite jackets

Sitka Whitetail Gearfor fall bow hunting. It features a diagonal full length zipper, which matches my bow string angle when I’m at full draw. This will prevent your clothing or stored gear in your pockets

from interfering with the release of the bow string. It really compliments firing arrows down range while wearing a fall jacket. The bottom portion of the jacket has hand muffs to keep your digits warm while waiting for a shooter buck to appear. It also features a small item pocket on the outside of the muff to keep calls or a cell phone. Sitka added a chest pouch opposite of where you would draw your bow to accommodate a range finder for quick access. It also has a pass-through harness port to keep you safe and comfortable.

The newest members to the White-tail Family are the Fanatic Jacket and Bib. Adding GORE WINDSTOPPER and body mapping Primaloft to the Berber fleece makes these pieces qui-eter, warmer and more advanced. The Fanatic Jacket has the same features as the Fanatic Lite. A cross body full zip, hand muff, magnetic rangefinder pouch enclosure, call pouch, harness port and a chest zip pocket. The Berber fleece and Silver insulation keep the warm air and body heat surrounding your torso

and the GORE WINDSTOPPER with Primaloft keeps the cold air at bay. The Fanatic Bib fits easily over your regular layered Sitka clothing. Side zippers run from your hip to your boot for ease of operation. Each leg has a cargo snap pocket and zip pockets to store your smaller gear. Rubber boots fit comfort-ably over the low bulk hems and Sitka kept the traditional archer in mind with

continued on page 48Sitka Gear Fanatic Lite Jacket

Sitka Gear Fanatic Lite Beenie


Chad LaChance

It’s Holiday Season already. The Jack-O-Lanterns are not even rotten yet and we as a society are already

consumed with, umm, holiday cheer - which, in this day and age, really means we are buying gifts at a rapid rate. If you’re not already feeling it, the

What To Givemarketing machine will ensure you are in short order. Soon enough, you too will be trying desperately to find just the right gift and if you’re reading this, your circle of friends and family will most likely be heavily skewed towards like-minded outdoors enthusiasts. This last point is important; at least it makes the places you’re most likely shopping more fun by content alone.

For five years, I worked behind the “reel bar” in the fishing department at a Sportsman’s Warehouse. Over that time, I learned that shoppers are beg-ging for good ideas for the anglers on their list. Since I’m a nice guy – and lucky enough to have access to the best and worst gear given my position in the fishing industry – let me help you out with a few ideas.

First, let me preface this with some advice before we commence to shop-ping; learn at least a little about exactly what kind of angling your recipient enjoys. I used to ask shoppers precisely that question and usually got answers

like “well, lakes, but sometimes rivers - yea, he likes rivers and lakes.” Great, way to narrow down the options. Get some details if you can, but let’s get back to gift ideas for now.

An integral part of fishing has his-torically been eating the catch. After all, who doesn’t love a shore lunch or shar-ing fresh caught fish with friends! So, how about a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven? A truly portable and versatile stove for preparing fish afield is also a great choice. I use Camp Chef’s Rainier Camper Combo, two burner stove for tailgate cooking, but they make several other models along with the aforemen-tioned cast iron as well.

Let’s say your angler is more into catch-n-release. Great, make them bet-ter at both the catch and the release by getting them one of Frabill’s Conser-vation Series landing nets. They make models sized from creek trout to giant pike and some of them are collapsible for stowage. They are better than other nets because they have a flat bottom; the fish can move around freely within the net, allowing them to be revived and easily released. The netting itself is coated, so as to protect the fish’s slime coat and they are treble hook resistant

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as well. A true C-n-R angler will appreciate both qualities.

Every angler needs polar-ized sunglasses, but many don’t realize the advan-tages of a great pair over the cheap junk, because they have never tried a qual-ity, fishing-specific lens on the water. As a professional guide, I can tell you that “sports” are amazed when they try sunglasses I keep in my boat for them to use, so it stands to reason they’d make a great gift. Get your angler a pair of Costa sunglasses. Regardless of the

frame you select, get Costa’s pro-prietary green mirror or copper 580 lenses. It’s what I wear and keep in my boat and I guarantee you the recipient will be psyched with this gift!

Fishing from kayaks and hand-launch boats is all the rage these days. If you’ve got a ‘yaker on your list, consid-er getting them “fish finder” – a sonar unit, possibly combining GPS technol-ogy – for their boat. Lowrance makes a slew of smallish units that are big on features. For under $200, you can get a combo sonar/GPS with a color screen

in the Lowrance El i te 4 Chirp and it’s perfect for kayaks. Got a bigger budget and your gift get-ter got a bigger boat? No prob-lem, get them a Lowrance HDS 7

or large to give them underwater eyes.Many anglers love solitude and the

high country gets their juices flowing. Well, how about a truly packable, yet performance oriented, spinning rod? St Croix Rod makes the Triumph Travel series designed to be back-packed in. The series is available in several mod-els, but they are all 4-piece and come with a cloth case. In my experience, they fish extremely well and won’t break the bank, yet they are easy to get to where the fish are. If you have a fly guy on your list, consider St Croix’s Imperial fly rod for the same reasons. Oh and since these are packable rods, they are easy to mail.

Remember I said to get some details about what your angler likes? Well, if you know what species of fish they lust after, St Croix Rod probably makes a species-specific model and it’ll show you really care about their passion. Trout, walleye, panfish, bass, musky and salmon each have their own models in St Croix’s line-up

Geez, big spender, why not make that rod a combo by adding a reel? Just kid-ding, but you could opt for the reel only.

Abu Garcia makes the Orra line of spin-ning reels in a range of sizes and specs and they perform well in an equally wide range of fishing. If you want the easy answer, get an Orra SX20 if they fish fresh water or an Orra Inshore30 if they fish salty stuff. Have it engraved with their initials for a personal touch.

Got a little kid on your list? Step away from the Snoopy pole. Instead, get them Shakespeare’s GX2 Ugly Stik Micro UnderSpin combo. The set-up is nearly bomb-proof and the underspin reel (as opposed to the thumb button style) means that Junior can move up to a spinning reel much easier, utilizing the same rod even. The rod is 4.5” long - long enough to actually be effective, yet short enough for Junior to handle. Snoopy poles are cute, but this combo actually works!

So there you have my gift list. I guar-antee your receivers will be happy with any of these items and hopefully my gift to you comes in the form of less stressful shopping. If you’re really cut-ting the stress, all of these items can be purchased at www.SportsmansWare-house.com.

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By Kent Danjanovich Senior Editor

There is no doubt about it. If you are looking for great fishing opportu-nities in one of the most beautiful

places in the world, Alaska is your place. And if you are looking to hook into a monster halibut, the name of the game is Gustavus, AK and Glacier Bay Eagles Nest Lodge.

Now although the salmon fishing is spectacular in the Gustavus area as well, for most, the reason to pick this area is for the halibut fishing. There is probably not a better place in Alaska if you are in search of a monster flat fish, with many 300+ pounders caught each year in the Glacier Bay region. Most of the fishing is done with circle hooks and bait, especially with the odd currents in the area. Many times the tides will be going one way as the top water currents are going the opposite, making it tough on the boat captains as they try and keep everyone fishing rather than untangling their crossed lines. But if you can hit the tides just right (which is most of the time), you can almost be assured of having the chance of battling a true ‘Barn Door’ bruiser that will leave you with sore arms and sweat rolling down you cheeks. But remember – at least you will be fishing in manageable depths, not 300+ feet of water with four

Halibut is the Name of the Game in Gustavusto five pound weights.

In August, I was joined by fellow Pro-Staffer, Steve McGrath for our return trip to visit Kent Huff and his staff at his Eagles Nest Lodge. Our dates were set as Kent studied his tide books to find the ideal tides of the summer. Also for this trip, special Glacier Bay fishing permits were secured in hopes that we would be able to have the opportunity to hook-up on one or two of the true monster halibut of the area.

Our first day on the water found us with relatively clear skies, with patches of fog hovering along the shorelines. Steve and I were joined by Kent and Matt Huff from the lodge. Kent had moved one of their boats to the dock at Glacier Bay as it would afford us a little less travel time to get to our intended targeted locations inside the park. Spouting humpbacks could be seen literally in every direction as we made our way to the western shore in search of a monster halibut. The area is very impressive as you cruise along shorelines that were completely covered by ice just 200 years ago.

Kent soon has us on the spot and Matt released the anchor in the 180 feet of water. We then each grabbed a rod and loaded our circle hooks with strips of fresh pink salmon (from our trip to the Salmon River the night before). We each walked to a corner of the boat and sent our lines to

the bottom. The tide was about two hours from its peak, so we were definitely in the right place at the right time.

Our first bite came about 20 minutes into the set. As I was gently bouncing my offering on the bottom, that welcomed tap, tap, tap started to get my attention. A moment later, my rod was headed toward the water and the fight was on. Line immediately started to zing out of my reel as ‘Mr. Halibut’ figured out that

he had a sharp object wedged in his lip. A 10 minute battle resulted in a very respect-able 60 pounder at the surface, a great fish, but not quite what we were looking for on this day.

Matt was the next to hook up, with his results about the same. For the next hour and a half, it was literally non-stop action, as each of us hooked into halibut


This is what an 80 inch halibut looks like when you bring it up to the side of the boat – WOW!

Another happy group of fishermen with a 400+ pounder while fishing with Ken Huff and his Glacier Bay Eagles Nest Lodge.

Now that’s a pretty good row of halibut if I do say so myself.


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GLACIER BAYcontinued from page 44

after halibut, ranging from 20 to eighty pounds. But the next hook-up would be a little different.

Just as Matt had let out his line and placed his rod in the rod holder, the tip of his rod started to bob. He had changed it up a bit this time, placing a salmon head on his hook rather than strips of meat. You could tell that this was a much larger fish and it would need a little more time to take in the salmon head and secure Matt’s hook. When his rod tip started to head for the water, it was game on!

When you hook into a big halibut, there usually isn’t any mistaking of what will follow and this fish was no different. Just as Matt would gain a little line, this big old girl would head back to the bottom. For the next 30 minutes, Matt truly would have his hands full, but he endured and soon had the fish at the surface. Kent grabbed a role of string and instructed me to grab the end and hold it at the end of the tail. He then stretch the other end to its nose as Steve McGrath stood above us, filming the entire episode for an upcom-

ing edition of Sportsman’s News Television.After the measurement was secured,

Kent and Matt worked the circle hook out of the fish’s mouth and watched her head back to the depths of Glacier Bay. It was then over to the measuring board with the string to see how long she was. Since the board only measured to 42 inches, we had to stretch it out nearly twice, as the final tally came to 74 inches. Although it is not official, the chart in the back of the tide book estimated Matt’s catch at about 215 pounds.

In all on this day, over 50 halibut came to the side of the boat, ranging from 20 pounds to Matt’s 215 pounder. After a day like this, what could the following day have to offer? Well, we would soon find out.

Day two found us again headed to the same area, but this time we traded Matt for Steve and Sammie Bateman and Randy Peck, all visitors from Utah. Kent soon had us hovering over our spot and the anchor hit the water. We each grabbed a rod, baited our lines and released the reels, sending our offerings to the bot-tom. As usual, when you have a woman on board, Sammie was the first to hook

up. After a good battle, she finally brought her fish to the surface, a nice 35 pound keeper.

About an hour later, the tide started to swing and light winds started to fight the turn of the boat. Before we knew it, all four of our lines were tangled in the right hand corner of the boat. As Kent worked on the lines from inside the boat, I worked my way to the motor platform on the back of the boat to try and assist him in his efforts to untangle the lines. As soon as mine was free, I moved it back over to the left hand side of the boat, let out the line to the bottom and placed my rod in its holder. I then returned to try and help work on the other three lines.

As the second line was released, I grabbed the rod and turned to also take it over to the other side of the boat. Just then, I noticed the tip of my rod softly moving up and down. I now had a salmon head on as bait and knew that something big would have to find it in order to be able to get it down. And boy, did something big find it!

After two or three more bobs, I lifted the rod from its holder and just about had it ripped from my hands. My reel started to ‘zing’ as I started to see line on the reel that hadn’t seen the light of day for a long time. Kent asked me if I was going to get spooled and I responded, “Yes”! He instructed me to put my thumb on the spool in hopes of stopping the run, even if we lost the fish. The tactic worked and the run ended. But believe me, the fight had just begun.

As I tried to gain a little line, I could tell that this was no ordinary fish. I turned to Steve Bateman and ask him if he wanted to take over. He got a big smile on his face and nodded, “Yes”. Lucky for him, the big run that the fish had taken on me was its last. But, the next 30+ minutes resulted in a very tired fisherman, as Steve slowly worked the rod up and then reeled down each time in hopes of gaining a few more feet on the return.

After what seemed like an eternity, Steve yelled “COLOR” as the fish started to reach the surface. Even though I

couldn’t see the fish from the other side of the boat, all I had to do was look at the expression on Steve’s face to know that it was a monster.

With camera rolling, Steve brought the fish to the surface and the ‘oohs and awes’ began. Kent quickly got out his roll of string and we took a quick measure-ment. There was no way of getting the hook out of its mouth, so Kent grabbed his knife and cut the line as close to the circle hook as possible. After a few high fives, the line was stretched at the measuring board, revealing the length of the fish at 80 inches. The resulting chart weight at nearly 277 pounds.

Well, need I say more? Our return trip to Glacier Bay Eagles Nest Lodge couldn’t have been much better. Our quest for big halibut resulted in two ‘Big Un’s” and over seventy fish in our two days on the water. Although our focus on this trip was halibut, many other species are available in the area as well, including all five spe-cies of Pacific salmon as well as great op-portunities for lingcod, yelloweye and all sorts of rock fish. Also, some great stream fishing can be had on the Salmon, Idaho and Bartlett Rivers as well with either spincast outfits or fly rods.

So, if you are looking for the best chance of hooking into a whopper halibut, you need to give Kent Huff and his staff a call today to talk about all of the possibilities. Not only is the fishing superb, but the lodging, food and scenery aren’t too bad either! It is no wonder Glacier Bay is one of the most popular cruise stops through the Inner Passage as sights and sounds of Alaska truly come alive. Glacier Bay Eagles Nest Lodge, visit them on the web at www.glacierbayfishing.com or give them a call at 801-376-6513.

Matt Huff shows off his muscles as he holds up two nice king salmon during a spring trip.

A little longer boat ride will get you into some great multi-species fishing with Eagles Nest Lodge.


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a small dedicated ankle pocket for your traditional bow to rest hands free.

Most of our body heat escapes from our head and Sitka has also delivered a Fanatic Beanie to fight heat loss with comfort. The beanie has the same prop-erty as the jacket and bib with GORE WINDSTOPPER and Primaloft. When adding a next to skin layer with stratus pants and jacket, the conbination keeps you toasty warm and you can focus more on hunting rather than trying to keep from freezing.

Sitka took GORE WINDSTOPPER membrane and sandwiched it with wet printed Micro-Fleece and a Micro grid fleece backer to create their quietest jack-et available and of course, its still 100% windproof. This combination is perfect for a mid-season hunt or combined it with under laying to take you well into

November. The hood is completely re-movable if desired and the back of the jacket is equipped with a pass-through harness port. The technology of this jacket really makes it a versatile garment for many seasons through late fall.

Stratus Pants have the same technol-ogy as the Jacket. The outer fleece shell is extremely quiet when brushing through dried, leafless branches that the winter hunting month’s offer. Three cargo pockets and two small zip pockets give plenty of storage space for small items. The adjustable belt make for a very comfortable fit.

I was blown away at how well the technology of Sitka’s Whitetail Gear proved to be. Being cold while hunting is a recipe for failure. Keeping warm and comfortable while having the ability to block a cold breeze will definitely give you the opportunity to become more successful on those late fall hunts - good job Sitka Gear!

SITKA WHITETAILcontinued from page 40

Sitka Gear Whitetail Fanatic Jacket and Bib


2015 New Video Product Reviews

Remington 783 Rifle

Scan this QR Code with your smart phone to view the Sportsman's News YouTube Channel. Video Available after November 8th.

Scan this QR Code with your smart phone to view the Sportsman's News YouTube Channel. Video Available after November 1st.

Vortex Strike Eagle 1-6x24 Tactical Scope

Making a firearm purchase can sometime be overwhelming with so many options avail-

able. Remington Firearms is one of the oldest and most trusted manufactur-ers in today’s market. I remember growing up and shooting rabbits and other small game species with my father’s model 700 in 243 Winchester. My children have now shot the same firearm at rabbits with the same ac-curacy as when I was shooting it almost 30 years ago. It’s no wonder that Remington has continued their legacy and are still one of the leaders in today’s firearm sales.

Remington’s engineers basically started from the ground up when they introduced the new 783 platform. The model 783 encompasses 10 different calibers for virtually any hunter. These models are built in a state of the art new facility, offering the tightest tolerances and affordability.

The first thing I noticed when picking up our test model was that the stock felt better than previous

models and there are new sleek lines contouring the grip areas of the stock. The grip and for-end felt very solid and comfortable in-hand when firing our test model. The black synthetic, high fiber nylon stock gives the fire-arm superior strength and stringency. The stock features dual pillar bed-ding, which allows the barrel to free float for greater accuracy. A carbon steel, magnum contour barrel, sends bullets down range with exceptional accuracy.

Our test model was chambered in .223 Remington, with scope package. I really like this set up for someone that wants performance, without a high price tag. The variable power scope ranges from 3-9 power and

was simple to site-in. This combo allows users can buy worry free, without having to add a scope at the time of purchase, but allows you to upgrade in the future if so desired.

The model 783 comes with Remington’s new CrossFire trigger system. This trigger comes from the factory at 3

½ lbs. and can be adjusted down to 3 or up to 5 lbs. depending on the operators preference. Firearms and gun safety are a big concern for Remington, as they have three safety features built into the model 783 package. The traditional thumb safety is positioned at the rear of the bolt, with an indicator pin exposed on the rear of the bolt itself. The pin will be exposed for both manual and visual awareness to let you know the firearm is loaded and ready to discharge. There is a trigger release for added safety and is part of the trigger pull. In our testing, the release didn’t interfere at all out at the range.

Standard calibers have 22 inch barrels, while magnums come in 24 inch barrels. Our .223 Remington test model performed quite well and I was able to shoot several 3-shot groups under 1- inch at 100 yards consistently. I do recommend you clean your firearm after each trip to the range. As with most firearms, Remington guns are shot at the factory to ensure proper me-chanics before the consumer pur-chases them. Check out the model 783 and the full line of Remington firearms at your local Sportsman’s Warehouse.

Having a single power option on your optic is a great feature for tactical and competition shoot-

ers. The ability to rapidly transition from close targets to distance targets is even better. The Strike Eagle from Vortex gives you that option at a price point that won’t leave you reconsider-ing your life choices.

Made with the same Vortex quality you have come to expect and carrying the same lifetime VIP Warranty you have come to count on, the Strike Eagle provides piece of mind and exceptional clar-ity in around the $400 range.

The 30MM tube encom-passes multicoated glass for exceptional low-light clarity and resistance to the ele-ments. A BDC reticle acts as both a sight and a range find-er by using the width of the

horizontal lines, calibrated to a standard human shoulder width. The inverted horseshoe reticle is easy to see, and is illuminated for even better visibility and faster target acquisition. An adjustment knob on the side provides vary-ing levels of brightness. A spare battery holder under the opposite adjustment turret cap means you never have to worry about run-ning out of juice at a bad time.

The 24MM objective lens concentrates light for true one-power viewing, but still gathers enough light to provide clear optical identi-fication at 6-power.

With 280 MOA of adjust-ment, the Strike Eagle can be mounted on a carry handle or flat-top AR and still have plenty of room to spare. The

3.5-inch eye relief lets you configure the scope to best suit your application. The subtensions are calibrated for the 5.56 NATO round and the adjustment turrets are set up in ½ MOA per click.

Pair the Strike Eagle with the Vortex ADR Cantilever Quick-Release Mount and you can easily remove and replace your Strike Eagle without losing zero. The mount comes with a 2-inch offset, which works well with the 3.5-inches of

eye relief on the Strike Eagle. This offset helps place your head in the perfect location on an AR –style rifle.

Paired together, the mount and scope add 1 pound, 11 ounces to your rifle.

The Vortex Strike Eagle is a great choice for those looking for both single power and magnified shooting for de-fense, competition, or varmint hunting on an AR platform. Check it out at your local Sportsman’s Warehouse.


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Sig Electro-Optics Oscar 3 Mini Spotting Scope


Bushnell Legend M Binoculars


Sig Optics is taking the outdoor industry by storm and the launch of the new OSCAR 3 Mini Spot-

ter is one such product paving the way. This revolutionary mini spotting scope features advanced electronic image-stabilization technology that fits in the palm of your hand, with no tripod required. It is equipped with proprietary SIG Optics’ stabilization system, which is gyroscopically stabi-lized. This system takes out all of the unwanted shaking and vibrations caused by outside forces, which would blur your image at the higher magnification settings. The unit is very compact, mak-ing it something you can and should take on any trip. It has adjustable magnification from 10X power all the way up to 20X and the low disper-

sion, fully multi-coated glass delivers a crisp image, even at low light and at the highest power.

The BAK4 prism provides good color fidelity and edge to edge clarity. The body is made from a rugged yet light-weight polymer, which is glass fiber reinforced. The finishing touch on the unit is durable synthetic rubber coating, which provides for a good grip as well as long lasting protection for you optics.

The image stabilization electronics in the unit oper-ates off of two CR2 batteries. The roll-up eyecup allows all users to get the perfect eye relief, regardless of whether you wear glasses or not. The focus ring operates extreme-ly smooth and brings your image into perfect focus. The unit is only 6.7” long and weights in right at 16 ounces.

This is truly one of the most unique pieces of equipment we have tested here at Sports-man’s News. The compact nature of this spotting scope m a k e s i t a must for any and everyone c o n c e r n e d about grams of weight. The 20X magnification can truly be the difference in hiking 1,000 vertical feet to determine trophy quality or passing and saving your en-ergy for that trophy of a lifetime. High winds often render a spotting scope nearly useless, but during our testing,

the 30mph winds of northwest Colo-rado during an antelope hunt proved to be no match for the image stabilization system SIG has put into this compact dynamo. This is a product every sports-man should have in their pack.

When most people think of Bushnel l , they tend to think of affordability

more than quality. Don’t get me wrong, Bushnell makes a lot of quality products, but when it comes to outdoors optics, they aren’t ex-actly industry leaders. So when I tell you that I was completely blown away by their new Legend M Series of binoculars, you can really get a feel of how good they are.

Bushnell has really stepped up their game with the M series and it’s apparent by all of the high qual-ity pieces they put in it. ED Prime Glass and Dielectric Prism Coating make these one of the clearest bin-oculars I have ever used and the low light gathering abilities are comparable to brands that sell for thousands of dollars more. Most bin-oculars now a days feature ED Prime glass, but the Dielectric Prism coating is something that is going to set the M Series apart f ro m t h e c o m p e t i t i o n . The coating allows for a

reflectance that exceeds 99 percent. This amplifies light interference, assuring high reflectivity across the visible light range, resulting in 92 percent light transmission. Basi-cally they have put a lot of work into making them extremely clear.

The feel and look of the M Series is both rugged and durable. The sides have a textured grip, mak-ing them not only comfortable to the hand, but secure even in wet hands. They have a locking diopter ring which will ensure crisp focus every t ime you use them. This feature is also important because it will save you time not having to reset your diopter. When using other binoculars that don’t have a

locking feature, I often have to refocus the diop-ter because it has moved while in my harness. The open bridge design made them feel comfortable in my hands and made it so I could glass a long time before becoming fatigued. They also have twist-up eye cups, making it easy

to find a proper eye relief, even whi le wear ing sunglass.

Another fea-ture that I really l ike was the i r RainGuard HD, which will cause w a t e r o n t h e lens to bead up and scatter less light, giving you a c l e a r i m a g e even with wet lenses . I don’t know how many times my breath has fogged up the lenses on my binoculars over the years , but that’s no longer a problem that I have to deal with because of this technology. So if you are look-ing for a new pair of binoculars, but you are not looking to or able to spend thousands of dollars, then

you need to check out Bushnell’s Legend M Series. I was blown away by how good they were and I know you will be too.



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Outdoor Edge Razor-LiteThe Razor-Lite is a full-sized drop

point folding hunting knife that comes with 3-1/2” replaceable ra-

zor blades made from surgical grade 420 stainless steel. The rubberized TPR handle provides for an extremely ergonomic non-slip grip. This tacky feeling handle material is ideal for a hunting knife because it gives you something to safely hang onto, even when the knife becomes wet with fat and blood.

The razor blades with this system are not only extremely sharp, but du-rable as well. The knife blades themselves are very rigid and have the additional support of the black oxide coated blade holder. This gives you the abil-ity to pry on joints or cape around the antlers without the worry of breaking a blade. It is a comfortable feeling to know that you can apply some lever-

age on a blade and even if the worst of things happen and it damages the blade, you can replace it with a fresh new one for just a couple dollars instead of ruining that valuable family heirloom.

Changing the blades with this knife is extremely safe and easy. A push of a but-ton disengages the locking mechanism and the blade slides right out. This allows you to easily remove the old blade without having to use a multi-tool or worry about slipping and having that dirty and now

dull surgical blade cutting you to the bone. The blade support system works as a guide to in-sert the new blade back into the locking mechanism. While this knife is designed with dispos-able blades, the rigidity of the blade support makes it so that you can sharpen the knife and get much longer life out of each blade if you choose to. By using

a ceramic or small steel to touch up the edge every few minutes, you will find the edge will stay sharp up to 50% longer. In short, sharpen the knife if you like or swap out the blade with a shaving sharp new one and get right back to work.

The overall knife itself is 8” long with a blade length of 3.5”. The total weight of the knife is 3.6 ounces. One thing I like about Outdoor Edge is they package their knives with a quality nylon sheath that car-ries both the knife and spare blades together as one unit. Another nice feature is the H-style belt loops that allow you to carry the knife both vertically or horizontal on the belt. The Razor-Lite comes with a black nylon belt sheath and the orange handled Razor-Blaze comes with a Mossy Oak sheath.

Each knife comes with six precisely heat treated and surgically sharp 420J2

stainless steel blades that are individually vacuum sealed. Additional packages of six replacement blades are sold separately. Outdoor Edge’s suggested retail price for the Razor-Lite is fifty dollars, but you can pick one up for much less than that at your local Sportsman’s Warehouse.

Brand new for 2015 are three of-ferings from Nite Ize to keep you illuminated. The 3-in-1 series of

lights provide exceptional brightness, are very lightweight, and will burn for hours on their included AA batteries.

Each offers three lighting options and multiple modes of operation. The white light has two brightness settings, high and low. The focused beam and reflec-tor provide exceptional bright white light from the single LED. Slide out the reflector housing, and the focused beam becomes a diffused lantern, providing 360 degrees of light. Lanyard holes on the base let you tie cord to the light for hanging so it can be used to light up your tent or camp-site. The second button turns on a glowing circle of diffused red light in the base. One press of the button gives you a solid red light. A sec-ond press and the light flashes. The third press flashes Morse Code for

S.O.S. to signal for assistance.Each of the three lights is made with

a machined aluminum body. The large and mini versions also feature a lock-out tailcap that can prevent the light from accidental activation by rotating it a quarter turn.

The full-sized flashlight features a maximum 250 lumen brightness and dims to 25 lumens. It measures 9.1-inch-es long by 1.6 inches in diameter and weighs a mere 9.1 ounces. It runs for 3 hours and 15 minutes on high and more than 18 hours on low on three AA batteries, which are included. It is available in either black or red bodies.

The Mini Flashlight provides all of

the same features as its big brother in a more compact size. It has a max bright-ness of 80 lumens and a dim mode of 15. It is only 4.5-inches long by 1.2-inches in diameter and weighs in at only 2.7 ounces. It runs for 2 hours on high and 9 hours and 25 minutes on low on a single AA battery, which is also included. It comes in black, red, blue, or green bodies.

The third light in the Nite Ize lineup is the Flashstick. This wand has a 60 lumen maximum brightness white LED bulb and lantern with a minimum

brightness of 8 lumens. The real difference is the glow-stick-like wand in place of the red safety light found on the other models. It comes in at 8.1-inches long by 1-inch in diameter and weighs only 2.8 ounces. It runs for 1 hour and 45 minutes on high and 8 and a half hours on low on a single AA battery, which is included. It comes in black

and red bodies with red wands, blue body with a blue wand, and green body with a green wand. Check out the Nite Ize 3-in-1 LED Flashlights at your local Sportsman’s Warehouse store.


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Beretta ARX100By Dan KidderManaging Editor

Part Star Wars and part SCAR, the Beretta ARX100 brings the newest design to the AR platform with

innovation you would expect from the oldest gun company in the world.

Featuring lightweight, high strength polymer construction for the receiver, the ARX100 cuts down on the weight found in many AR style rifles. While the receiver is constructed of polymer, the

internals; bolt, charging handle, pistol and barrel, are all steel construction.

The 1 in 7 twist, 16-inch barrel, is cold-hammer forged in Maryland and the entire gun is made in the Accokeek factory.

While weight is one factor in the design of the ARX100; a mere 108.8 ounces unloaded, the real innovation is in the ability to quickly change calibers by locking open the bolt and pressing the two retaining pins to swap out the entire barrel, chamber and piston. The

stock gun comes in 5.56 NATO, but for conversion to .300 AAC no other mod-ifications are neces-sary. For 7.62x51, the bolt and maga-zine must also be swapped.

The full contact, short stroke piston, is adjustable for suppressed and unsuppressed fire. Additionally, every control is fully ambidextrous and is mirrored on both sides. The charging handle is easily swapped from left to right without any tools in under a minute and also allows you to select the side from which brass will be ejected.

The SCAR style telescoping and folding stock quickly clicks into place along the right side of the gun with just the push of a button. A full length, Picatinny rail on top and shorter rail sections on the sides, as well as a cov-ered bottom rail in the front, give you plenty of customization options for lights, lasers and magnifiers. Back-up polymer sights, an adjustable diopter peep in the rear and a standard adjust-able M4 style sight in the front, can be

quickly popped-up and placed into use with or without optics.

The ARX100 can be completely field stripped without the use of any tools and the tip of an unfired cartridge can be used to take the gun down even further.

We shot this gun on a recent militia deployment and passed it around for examination and testing to about eight different shooters. The comments ranged from appreciation for the am-bidextrous controls to how easy it was to shoot. The trigger is a little stiff for an AR style rifle, around 10 pounds, but breaks crisply and the length of pull is about average for a modern sporting rifle.

The only issue we encountered with the ARX100 is it is a little finicky about accepting some Magpul PMAGS, but accepted standard GI steel magazines and Hexmags just fine. This is likely an issue with the PMAGS being slightly out of spec, combined with the tight tolerances of the ARX100 mag-well. It comes in a nylon zippered carrying case, with two standard steel GI mags. The edges on the charging handle and the surrounding polymer are a little sharp to the touch and you will scrape off some skin using them if you are not careful.

All in all, the ARX100 is a great shoot-ing rifle, with a lot of potential and adaptability for a wide range of appli-cations. It is very accurate for being a shorter platform and feels great when you bring it up to your shoulder. The collapsing stock, multiple sling attach-ments and ambidextrous controls make it a great platform for every size and age of shooter. The ability to quickly convert calibers ensures that you will be able to utilize it for hunting a wide range of game, for home protection, competition or just fun.


— Multi-caliber option with tool-free barrel removal

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The same mission-ready technologies employed by military forces around the world are now available commercially

in the U.S. That means quick barrel changes, multi-caliber options, ambidextrous ejection, and unlimited versatility. In other words—game over.

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SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION | November 201556Digital Edition Only Special Content

Presents Wild Game Recipes of Steve Mayer "The Wine Guy"

Moose Stroganoff

This is one of the tastiest game recipes I know. It will re-ally WOW your family and

friends as to how delectable wild game can be. This recipe, as with most game recipes, can be used with any type of “venison” (mean-ing any hoofed game animal ) . Moose is really well adapted to this recipe, due to the bold, rich, flavor of the meat. This is a staple in the Mayer household, and is sure to be a winner at your home too. Your biggest “moose-stake” would be not whipping up a batch of this stroganoff for your family or hunting buddies.

Ingredients• 1 ½ pound Moose round steak, sliced

into bite sized strips• ½ cup all-purpose flour• 1 teaspoon kosher salt• 1 teaspoon black pepper• 4 tablespoons olive oil• 4 tablespoons butter• 1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)• 6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (2

tablespoons)• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced• 1 can cream of mushroom soup (10

¾ ounce)• 1 can beef broth (10 ¾ ounce)• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce• 1 tablespoon Kitchen Bouquet• 2 cups sour cream• White wine (or water)

• 1 12-ounce package of wide egg noodles cooked

Preparation Method Slice the meat into bite sized pieces.

I prefer strips about an inch and a half long, a half inch wide and about a quarter inch thick. You can use any size you would like. Mix together the flour, salt, and pepper. I use a paper grocery bag, and add the flour mixture and the meat. Roll the top of the bag closed and shake to coat the moose pieces thoroughly, and set aside on a plate. Save the remaining flour for later.

In a large frying pan, heat up the oil and butter over medium low heat.

Add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms to the pan. Sauté until the onions are translucent, stirring frequently. Remove the vegetables when done and reserve in a bowl. Use a slotted spoon to keep the liquid in the frying pan. Brown the meat in the same pan, keeping the heat at medium low. Do this in several small batches, (I did it in three) Add some more butter and oil if necessary. You could also strain the liquid that will develop from the mushroom mixture, and use that also.

When all the meat is browned, add it all back to the pan, and add the remaining flour from the bag to the pan. Allow the flour to brown, stir-

ring constantly. Stir in the soup and beef broth. Mix in the Worcestershire and Kitchen Bouquet. If you need to thin it out a bit add some white wine or water and mix to desired consistency.

Turn off the heat and add the sour cream and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, pour over a bed of egg noodles. You can add some chopped chives if desired. Add a side of sautéed carrots, a crisp green salad, and a crusty French baguette to round out a delectable meal.

I have paired this with a nice California Mer-lot. Any nice Pinot Noir would also compliment the silky texture of the sauce. To hunt down the perfect wine to accom-pany your favorite game meals, check out my web-site at www.wildgamew-ine. We have some stellar wine for sale at bargain prices.


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As the young Alabaman walked toward me and stuck out his hand, my mind silently trans-

lated the Spanish words emblazoned on the front of his colorful T-shirt. “The Archer of the Sun,” they read. I had met David Green one year earlier at the annual SCI Hunters Convention in Reno. SCI had been kind enough to offer me a couple of book-signings for my just-published book, BARE-BOW! and David had dropped by my signing-table to take a look at the work. He had with him his lovely Mexican wife, Cristina and I learned quickly that David was already well immersed in the culture of Mexico.

Our second meeting, nearly a year later, took place in the baggage-claim area of the Tucson airport. As we

El Flechador Del Sol

retrieved our bags and bow cases, I could hardly take my eyes off David’s remarkable T-shirt. The image on the front was dramatic, to say the least! A mythological Maya or Mixtec warrior was depicted with his bow at full draw, pointing a long arrow shaft upward at a 50-degree angle and taking dead aim at the sun. Beneath one elevated foot, there lay prostrate the feline body of a young princess — either a fresh sacrificial victim or a new conquest in the offing. Little did I realize then, as I stared at the fascinating picture, that it reflected almost precisely what would become the stunning ending of

the Mexican adventure my new friend and I were about to embark upon.

The date was January 9, 2010. Our destination was the Chairababi Ranch in the mountains of northern Sonora and our host was owner Enrique Mo-lina. Enrique and his spacious Ford truck were waiting for us at the airport and, as soon as David, I and another new friend, Chris Durando, managed to get all our gear loaded, we headed for the Nogales border-crossing — an hour away. From there, it was another two-and-a-half hours to the Chaira-babi. We reached the ranch just as a gorgeous, coral and magenta sunset gave way to the oncoming rush of a moonless night.

Our timing was perfect. I had planned this trip to the ranch (my tenth) to coincide with January’s “dark of the moon.” The Coues’ whitetail rut is usually underway by the second week of the month down there and 2010 proved no exception. Because there had been no measurable rain in that part of Sonora since October, the dry conditions augured well for an exciting hunt and our host assured us we could expect lots of action at most of the waterholes. A group of 14 bowhunters had just left the ranch to return home after a very successful week. Eleven bucks had been taken — all but one scoring high enough to make the Pope & Young Records. For me, this hunt with David and Chris was the ninth “Annual Invitational

‘Dennis-&-Friends’ Coues’ Whitetail Bownanza.” My first hunt at Chaira-babi had been in 2000. I was actually the first bowhunter to harvest a deer from the ranch, and — although my 2002 buck was just a small 6-point — I saw dozens of much larger ones, in-cluding several, true Boone & Crockett monsters. The wildlife resource, in fact, was so special that I made a proposi-tion to Enrique. “If you’ll extend your hunts from five days to six and start managing the ranch for bowhunting only,” I told him, “I’ll bet you could rewrite the Pope & Young records for this species within a decade.”

“Furthermore,” I said, “if you’re willing to make those decisions and set aside one week in January for me and a few of my hunting buddies, I’ll com-mit to making it an annual event!” Two years later, Enrique decided he liked my proposal and thus the Annual Invi-tational was born. Because of the heavy demands the writing and promotion of my book placed on me, the number of friends I found time to solicit interest from varied a lot over those nine years. The numbers involved each January ranged from a high of 15 to a low of three. In 2010, we were only three, but it turned out to be one of the best, most exciting hunts of my life.

Unless hard rains have recently visited the ranch, nearly all hunting is done from tree stands or ground blinds — set up over waterholes. During dry conditions, the steep, very rocky ground makes spot-and-stalk almost impossible. One has to be prepared to spend from sunup to sundown (roughly eleven hours) at a single loca-tion, all by oneself. Enrique or one of his ranch hands drops you off within easy walking-distance of your water-hole just before dawn and returns to pick you up at dusk. It is very seldom a day goes by without at least one P & Y animal visiting your stand or blind location. In 2006, when I had managed to harvest a beautifully symmetrical 8-point in the late afternoon, he was the 42nd deer to approach my water-hole that day!

Getting a shot opportunity at such a buck, however, is anything but easy. Since they are hunted every day of their lives by a very healthy cougar population, I believe Mexican Coues’ whitetails are more skittish and highly-

November 2015 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS DIGITAL EDITION 59Digital Edition Only Special Content

wired than any pronghorn antelope that ever lived. About five months a year, Enrique keeps a lion hunter and his dogs on the Chairababi to try to keep the cat population cut down to size. In the five months of 2009 that Juan was on the ranch, the old, sun-burned, wizened “cowboy” was able to kill 33 lions. Quite a remarkable feat in anybody’s book!

Now that I’ve set the stage for “the rest of the story,” it’s time to return to my 2010 hunt with David and Chris. During our first day in the field, which I spent in a blind at a pond named “Copper,” 35 different deer came in to drink. Only one buck was clearly a “shooter” and he chose to water on the far side of everything — about 30 yards distant. Hunting as I was, that day, with my recurve, I didn’t feel com-fortable with the shot angle or range, so I let the opportunity pass.

On the second day, I hunted a dif-ferent location — from a brushed-in ground blind, looking down on a most-ly-dry creek-bottom that contained several baseball-sized puddles of clear, standing water, roughly 15 yards from my shooting window. There was no running water, whatsoever.

Thirty-two different deer came to drink that day and one was truly the proverbial “buck of a lifetime.” As he walked past me broadside at just 14 yards (measured later), I released my wooden shaft, tipped with a 3-bladed Savora broadhead. The B & C buck ducked and the arrow sailed harm-lessly right over his withers. My shot was no doubt too high anyway, but I proceeded to make the same mistake about 40 seconds later — from 22 yards!

At the first shot, the high-wide-and-handsome, massive 8-point had jumped forward 30 feet, but two does in his company were distracting him

and the old boy seemed confused as to what had just happened. For the sec-ond shot, he was motionless, broadside to me with his head turned away, yet I still muffed it — again on the high side!

Now there’s really no good excuse for missing shots like that, but I want to say — in my own defense — that I‘ve always had problems with depth perception (and therefore “elevation”) when shooting through a tiny viewing window from inside a small enclosure. With no yardage pins attached to my bows for reference, 15 yards always looks to me like 25 and 25 like 40! As one would imagine, that monster buck of my dreams (whose rack I’d put in the 120”-class) gave me no third op-portunity.

Feeling more than a bit bummed out by my failure to capitalize on two such golden opportunities, I decided to offer that location to Chris for Day 3, and I would return to “Copper.” The good weather continued dry and temperate. It was all does, fawns and immature bucks, however, coming in to drink at “Copper” that third day and as the afternoon progressed, I started getting down on myself and cursing my incompetence of the day before.

Seldom do the deer of the Chairababi come to water after 4pm, but — when it does happen, during those last two hours of daylight — it is usually a buck to quicken the pulse of even the most veteran deer hunter. Day #3 produced just such a buck.

The time was pushing 5pm and he simply appeared from “nowhere,” trotting right up to the edge of the pond, seemingly without a care in the world. Hesitating not at all, he lowered his head and started guzzling. I was to-tally unprepared for the sudden visit, having been caught with my eyeglass-es on and a book in my hand. Even before I picked up my binos, I had re-

alized instantly I was looking at an 8-point rack that possessed b o t h g o o d width and im-pressive height. The close-up view revealed a s ignif icant abnormality on the third tine of his left antler, but it caused me no delay in

making up my mind to try to harvest this old buck if I could.

A s q u i c k l y as poss ib le , I nocked an arrow and brought my bow to full draw. Only then did I realize I’d forgot-ten to remove my glasses! Letting down right away, in order to take them off, I now knew I had an even more seri-ous problem. Seeing the buck still drinking, broadside to me at an esti-mated 27 yards, I figured the shot was makeable — provided I could lean my body (at full draw) far enough off my three-legged stool’s center of gravity to create a clear shooting-lane through the only open “window” in my Double Bull blind that gave me a chance at him. Even while canting the bow substantially, I was still fearful that the tip of either limb might slap the roof or sidewall of the tent upon release. As I drew for the second time, I was also aware that time was running out. How much longer could I expect such a trophy animal to stand there slaking his thirst?

As soon as I felt my aim was “right,” the arrow was away. KERBAM! I was shocked at the loud sound of both limb-tips simultaneously striking the taut fabric of my blind. The buck, no doubt, was even more startled and as the speeding shaft drew near its target the animal’s lightning reflexes launched him forward and slightly away from what appeared to be shap-ing up as a perfect double-lung shot. Upon his exiting the water in which he’d been standing, I was terribly dis-appointed to see my arrow embedded in the buck’s hip. It was certainly noth-ing like what I’d been expecting to see!

In less than two seconds, the heavy brush had swallowed up my quarry — leaving me to ponder what I’d seen and what might be the prospects for recovery. I had heard no sound of the steel point striking bone. I did have the further impression that the shaft had achieved penetration of as much as 11 or 12 inches. Those two factors — combined with the visual image in my mind — actually began to make me

feel quite hopeful as evening came on. Around 5:45, I left the blind and dis-covered an intact wood shaft ten yards into the brush. It was stained solid red for the first 10 inches above the broadhead. The evidence confirmed my hunch of a severed femoral artery. Not wishing to push the buck or my luck and feeling confident there would be a decent blood trail, I opted to let morning tell the story.

And what a story it told, indeed! Ten minutes of easy tracking took our search party 150 yards down into a steep, very narrow, brushy canyon and to the spot where the buck had expired — very likely before nightfall. What was astonishing was that he was no longer there! Dislodged rocks and heavy drag marks in the dirt led us an-other 50 yards downhill and suddenly the pieces of the puzzle came together.

We found my buck all right — almost completely buried. The only parts of him showing were his tail, one rear leg and the tines of one antler. Clearly, a large Mexican puma had eaten out his mid-section and then buried him to ”preserve” several more meals. Given all the bizarre elements of the shot and the delayed recovery, the reader will understand how very blessed I felt at being able to claim this trophy buck as my own.

Once Enrique, David and I had un-buried the animal and tied it on Carlos’ horse, the search for Juan began. Juan had left the ranch house early in the morning and seemed nowhere to be found. The old lion hunter was finally located after several hours of running the ranch roads in Enrique’s truck. He was miles away from the site of my



The “big” Titan is all new and the “smaller” Frontier is going to get some major-makeovers and technology leaps!

Having just finished on/off-road test driving and evaluating the venerable, but “dated” 2015

models of the Nissan Titan and Frontier trucks, I have a lot of mixed-emotions with the fact that the 2016-2017 versions are going to be everything from “new and improved,” to radically different.

Put into perspective from the view of the sportsman, both have filled a need for quality trucks for outdoor adven-tures for a lot of years. The full-size Titan has been around for over a de-cade, virtually unchanged. The smaller, mid-size Frontier got some sheet-metal face lifting a few years back, but has also not changed very much since 2005. By comparison, many of the other auto

Nissan Titan & Frontier

maker companies and their offerings continue with new models, upgrades, new engines, transmissions, interiors and a host of both on- and off-road performance packages.

Here in lies the rift, in that both vehicles have continued to be proven work horses for lots of outdoor fun—camping, hauling, hunting and fishing! Both of the new introductions are going to have some mighty big expectations to fulfill.

First to hit the dealer showrooms will be the completely new, full-size Titan. In its present configuration (2015) the Titan comes standard with a 5.6 liter V8. that kicks out 317 horsepower and 385lb-ft of power-pulling torque. When outfitted and equipped with the 4x4 package, its city/highway mileage comes in at a less than marginal 17 mpg

highway, 12 mpg in the city.

Yes, fuel econ-omy falls flat, but the big truck ac-celerates quickly, briskly and is ex-tremely respon-sive either when slogging slowly on off-road trails or when towing your trailer, boat or just hammer-ing it on the high-ways. One of the strong points in the Titan’s favor

is that the steer-ing has always been extremely nimble for a full-size truck with a curb weight of over 5 ,100 pounds and an overall length of almost 225 inch-es! When maneu-vering in city/highway traffic or when nego-tiating through mud, snow and r o c k s o n t h e trail - when you touch the steer-ing wheel on the Titan, the truck

responds instantly and imparts a feel-ing of confidence with drivers of all levels of ability!

Compared to the Titan’s many “updated rivals,” the 2015 Titan has fallen behind its class competitors. The overall design and use of materials in the passenger cabin area do not reflect the use of “high-quality luxury materi-als,” that most of the auto makers are using today. However, when put in the context that it is a rugged off-road and back-country traveling truck, it delivers on that promise and has been something that many of us Titan fans simply accepted.

For 2016, the redesigned Titan XD is being transformed into a heavy-duty hauler/tow vehicle that is capable of over 2,000 pounds of cargo capacity and a monstrous 12,000 pound tow rating! Previous versions were rated to 7,400 pounds of boat/trailer towing, so this is a huge 4,600 pound capacity jump. In order make the Titan bigger, bolder and badder, Nissan’s new XD design is going to grow t h e t r u c k ’ s w h e e l b a s e chassis from 139.8 inches to an extra-long

151.5 inches. The truck’s chassis is also going to incorporate an all-steel fully boxed, full-length ladder frame. According to the engineers/designers, this is going to add a marked increase in the vehicle’s stiffness, vertical and lateral bending, as well as torsion rigidity.

Nissan has also said that the new Titan will have an increased ride-height and more ground clearance, but has yet to release any of their official figures.

Expect to see a King cab and standard model as well, but they are likely to be introduced sometime after the XD ver-sion is rolled out. Lack of bed lengths and body styles was another criticism of the older Titan.

In the powerplant department, the big news is the introduction of a “two-stage” turbocharged Cummins V8 diesel. According to the specs, Nissan says that the two-stage turbo revs fast and eliminates the traditional turbo lag and lack of quick response. It will also deliver 310 horsepower and 555 lb-ft of torque for pulling/towing all those large loads and toys. All this burly power is going to be paired with a new six-speed automatic transmission. Could we see improved fuel-economy increased by 20-30 percent?

Nissan claims that it will also have some “new and improved” gasoline engines to select from, but again they have not released details yet. Our guess is that the old reliable 5.6 liter V8 is going to be put out to pasture because of its lagging fuel economy. And while many like the diesel availability, there is always concern about the price varia-tions in the cost of gas versus diesel fuel. We are all just going to have to

The Nissan Titan has been completely redesigned for 2016 with a host of new technological innovations and design features that are going to make it much more contemporary and fun to drive both on and off the road. Its big turbocharged diesel V8 is going to give it a whopping 310 horsepower and a 12,000 pound towing capacity.

The mid-size Frontier truck from Nissan has been around for over a decade and changed very little. In late 2016, expect that a new and upgraded model is going to be unveiled, and it may even sport a turbo-diesel engine.

Nissan’s Titan is finally upgraded with a high quality inte-rior with an emphasis on luxury and plush. Gone is all the low-cost materials and cheapy plastic.


buck’s burial, so we loaded the dogs in the back of the pickup and Juan struck out cross-country on horseback to meet us at the point where we felt confident a red-hot chase would soon be under-way. We were not disappointed.

Before we released the hounds on the fresh scent of the big tom, I told David that — as much as I would love to “even the score” with the lion that had destroyed my trophy’s cape — I wanted him to feel free to arrow it for himself, if I proved unable to catch up with the dogs and they succeeded in treeing the beast before dark. I knew David was half my age and stood a much better chance of reaching the final, dramatic climax of the chase.

It was wise that I gave David such a message. Four hours after the hounds were unleashed and four miles away from the start of the race by crow-flight, my friend from Alabama — wearing his “Flechador del Sol” T-shirt — launched an arrow skyward and knocked a 160-pound feline out of the highest limbs of an old oak tree. It was the third and final tree in which the old cat had chosen to make his last stand.

Because I’d recognized early in the

chase that the steep, rocky terrain was likely to prevent me from “being there” at the end, I’d suggested to Enrique he send me to drive his truck around to whatever road would be closest to the likely end-location of the afternoon’s drama. I finally found the spot he had described to me and just as the blood-orange orb of the sun began to teeter on the near horizon, I heard voices and looked up to see the happy hunters coming toward me.

Only the dogs appeared more ex-hausted and bedraggled than the human hunters. I noticed some were nursing wounds sustained during their most recent jihad against the Cat Kingdom and then my eyes sought and found the lifeless form of the big carnivore draped over the broad rear-end of Juan’s horse. Hyperbolically, I would have to say that David’s grin was even broader!

“Did you take him with your bow?” I asked, as I approached him with my hand out. The nod of his head and the twinkle in his eye confirmed what I had already known in my heart. When we’d parted company in the early afternoon, I hadn’t realized my friend was wearing his Warrior Tee underneath his normal camo-shirt. Due to the heat of the sun and the long

pursuit, the outer garment had been jettisoned hours earlier.

“In the moment of truth, David, when push came to shove and shout came to shoot, what was it like for you?” I queried.

“It was so cool, Dennis! It was just like on this T-shirt! I raised my bow-arm toward the sky and this big tomcat was lined up directly between me and the sun. My arrow disappeared — nev-er to be seen again and this marvelous creature fell at my feet!”

I laughed and shook my head in wonderment at the amazing events of the day. They hardly seemed credible. Two passionate “flechadores del Sol” had harvested from the Chairababi, in one 24-hour period, a P & Y Coues’ whitetail and — as things turned out — a P & Y cougar, to boot. The follow-ing evening, after the head had been skinned out by Juan, I measured the lion’s skull at a green score of 14 and 4/16ths. For the supposedly-smaller Mexican subspecies, it was one hell of a big puma!

During the final two days of our hunt, both David and Chris arrowed nice bucks and David’s was an espe-cially handsome 8-point that exceeded the P & Y minimums by a substantial margin. It seemed clear to me, as

Enrique’s truck headed back to the Tucson airport on Day 7, that David’s marvelous T-shirt had brought us all tremendous good luck — or, as David’s wife might say, mucho mojo. To this moment, I remain convinced it was so and I made him promise he would do his best to get me a shirt just like it.

The BAREBOW! Sagas – Adventure and Misadventure in the Wilds of North America

Dennis Dunn doesn’t just tell hunting stories; he shares his dreams, his victories, his disappointments, his wisdom and he teaches from his knowledge and experi-ence. The BAREBOW! Sagas will not only acquaint you with the sweet taste of success and the bitter agony of defeat; they will convince you that well-regulated hunting sustains the use of wildlife and gives the animals increased value to justify their conservation and preservation. In this series, Dennis takes you along on his quest for the North American Big Game 29 Super Slam. A bow, a string, an arrow – no trigger, no peep-sights, no pins – just fingers, guts and instinct. That’s hunting BAREBOW! To learn more about Dunn’s award-winning book (from which the above story was taken), or to order a copy of BAREBOW!, you may visit the author’s website at: www.barebows.com.

BAREBOW!continued from page 59

hang-in-there and see what V8 and even V6 gas engines are forthcoming.

Back in the “smaller/tiny truck” world, it is a good guess that the Fron-tier is going to be next in line to be un-veiled. The question remains whether

or not it’s going to be a “late-bloomer” for 2016 or an early-arrival for 2017?

When Nissan announces availability, it is going to place current-model Fron-tier truck buyers in a great position to find bargains on existing inventory,

for there is still an awful lot to like about these vehicles. In the eye-candy department, the Frontier has exterior sheet metal that remains contemporary. It’s nothing real fancy, but it still looks good when parked next to its competitors.

Add to the style, the current mid-size Frontier comes in a host of different body styles and trim lines, with the PRO-4X being a favorite with all the features and options that blend well together for daily driving, as well as loading it up with all the gear for a great outdoor and off-road adventure. It’s rough, tough and ready for the dirt!

Whether you are working or out having fun with the Frontier, it can be had with a host of features such as a sprayed-in bed liner, Utili-Track cargo tie-down system, dual climate control, cargo bed extender, power

seats, moon roof and a cargo-carrying roof rack with cross bars. For towing and properly outfitted, the Frontier PRO-4X can drag up to 6,300 pounds of camping trailer, boat, ATV or other fun stuff.

Standard powerplants have long been a 2.5 liter four-cylinder gas that plods along with a measly 152 horse-power or the optional 4.0 liter V6 that pushes out a much more fun-loving and powerful 261 horsepower. Like its big-brother Titan, fuel economy is nothing to write home about and even with the standard six-speed auto-matic trans, it comes in at 21 mpg on the highway and 16 mpg in the city.

Rumors abound about how Nis-san and its new relationship with Cummins will also be offering a 2.8 liter turbo diesel that makes 200 horses and 350 lb-ft of torque. Here again, we may be seeing increased fuel economy in the 20-25 percent or more range, if it all comes together. Expect that there will also be a couple of new/reworked gasoline engines with more power and improved fuel ratings.

Body changes are expected to be bold and don’t be surprised to see a family-resemblance with the new Titan family. Inside, the Frontier in its current configuration, has a lot of rather bland, low-cost materials and plastic. You can expect that to have major, major rework-ing and overhauls are going to seriously “upgrade” most all of the current ap-pointments with a lot more leather and plush materials.

Overall, expect that Nissan is going to be making a lot of news in the truck market in the coming 12-16 months in order to update, upgrade and improve everything from aesthetics and comfort to higher performance that the market-place is now seeing from “all the other folks.” In many automotive writings and testing’s, we almost want to applaud when an auto company figures out that their truck/SUV offerings missed the mark for what the sportsman wanted and needed for outdoor recreation, as well as the day-to-day grind.

With the Titan and Frontier being to-tally revamped, all we can say is -- We’ll miss ya and hope the new kids on the blocks can do as well!

At the heart of the new Titan is the Cummins V8 turbocharged diesel powerplant that has a unique two-stage turbo system that gives the big truck quicker acceleration without hesitation and lag time.


By Eric Christensen

When I was a little boy growing up in a small cowboy town in Wyoming, I remember often

watching old westerns with my dad on TV, thinking about someday visit-ing some of those magical settings. Hot desert terrain with tumble weeds rolling by, with dust devils turning up the dirt in barren landscapes.

Years later, we finally traveled to cen-tral Texas to do some hog hunting with Howard Tiden, owner of Arrowhead Outfitters. My vision of what Texas would be like was shattered as we drove down HWY 90. I thought I was driving through a rain forest. Tall, lush, green grass grew tall and as far as I could see in every field. All the trees where full of new leaves. Large prey birds could be scene scanning the country for a meal or perched on top of the large trees that lined the highway. Lakes and ponds were plentiful, dotting the fields as we traveled to our destination.

Howard has been operating pig hunts for over 25 years in Texas. We drove 20 minutes from a town called Cameron to the property that held the groups of wild hogs. We drove by a few old barns and found the house we would call home for the next few days. You could see a cleaning and animal preparing area in the back of the house, with a large metal tube frame and several hoists with gambrels that allowed you to drive your truck through and hoist the animals out

Hog Huntin’ Texas Styleof the truck to skin and clean them. Two old chest coolers were next the hoists to keep the meat cold.

Howard just recently added a couple more guest rooms onto the house. The house is built within a few hundred yards of a large pond in a beautiful field, surrounded by thick foliage. The guest house has five rooms and can accom-modate 5-8 hunters comfortably. The cooking is done at the lodge and we were served local cuisine style meals. The locally caught catfish tasted superb and all the meals were very good. The lodge is not extravagant by any means, but is ideal for a Texas pig hunt and does well to make you feel at ease.

The first evening that we were able to hunt was spent learning most of the boundaries and setting out corn rows before the feeders to keep the pigs coming into that area. The ranches are several thousands of acres in size, with lush grasses and foliage. Thick brush and open fields made up most of the landscape, a perfect setting for pigs to flourish in. Tall oak trees towered over the dense brush and littered the prop-erty. Small rolling hills and creeks were hidden from the main road’s view and it was beautiful to find them popping out as we surveyed the land.

The creek’s had immense trails of pigs using the bottoms to reach different fields to feed each night. I’ve seen elk make wallows during mating season, but I had never seen pigs wallow in the wild. The wallows were rich with

fresh mud and surprisingly larger than I had expected. Blinds were staged in eye-sight of the wallows and needed to be hunted cautiously as the wind in the bottoms can be unpredictable. Howard explained how most of the pigs used the landscape to travel to and from feeding grounds. You could tell his years of hunt-ing the ranches has taught him where to place the blinds and his hunters. The blinds were constructed well, with easy access inside the blinds and placed stra-tegically with the surrounding forest.

We sat on a blind the first evening overlooking three large fields that the pigs frequented often. Checking shoot-ing lanes and distances was cut short when three whitetail deer appeared and started feeding in a dry creek bed. They were at 250 yards and their eye sight caught our movement very quickly. I’m so amazed that wildlife has developed their senses over evolution. I could barely see the outline of these deer and yet, they could see me move in a dark, blind, 2x2 hole several hundred yards away. The whitetails kept our attention for several minutes before feeding off. Enjoying the green, plush sight of our elevated blind, made waiting for pigs to feed by, very enjoyable.

After 45 minutes in the blind, Ray and I heard rustling just behind our location. All of our attention was fixed on the bushes 100 yards to our south, hoping for a group of pigs to slowly work their

way from cover. The sound was faint and sporadic and made us start to think a ground squirrel was gathering food on the forest floor. With no sound for several minutes, our attention changed to the north, where we could see the empty fields. Fifteen minutes passed. Suddenly a small, colored pig came feeding out of the bush, followed by 4-5 more larger pigs.

I told Ray to start burning memory and fixed my gun out of the south win-dow trying to remain silent. Having never been around wild pigs, I figured their vision was much like the Javalina I’ve hunted in Arizona. But, these pigs were on to us very quickly. They jolted a few yards and started a steady pace away from our blind. Luckily, there was a small 2-track road a few yards from the edge of the pigs that travelled directly away from us. I set my Leupold scope to trace the edge of the road, hoping a larger pig would venture out and down the tire width lane long enough for me to squeeze off a shot. I watched as dark black on light brown bodies came in and out of focus among the tall grasses. It seemed like it would get dark before an adult pig would finally break from the cover.

A few seconds later, a large female finally emerged on to the road. Her hesitation in looking in our direction for a brief second gave me the chance I needed. I focused the crosshairs just

Eric Christensen with his wild Hog taken on one of the Arrowhead properties in Central Texas.

Skinning and preparing station has gambrels and coolers ready for hunters to process their game.


behind the front shoulder and slowly squeezed off a round from my 7mm Magnum. I watched in delight as the dark colored female fell into the tracks, motionless. I was grateful for a clean kill

and didn’t have to worry about tracking her through the thick brush.

We made our way to the downed pig as our evening hunt quickly came to an end. I was pleasantly surprised at

how large the female pig was. Shortly after darkness took over the old road, we heard Howard driving back to our stand. We loaded up the pig to take it back to the lodge for dressing. We drove the truck under the hoist and I prepared the legs to accept the gambrel’s arms. Lifting the pig’s weight slowly and high enough for the truck to drive away al-lowed me to work the hide off the animal and remove the insides. Gut buckets are available to contain the waist and bones during preparation. It was effortless to take care of my pig and the chest freez-ers next to the skinning station were perfect. Being able to freeze my meat and keep hunting was a great bonus.

With over 100,000 free ranging acres to look for pigs, Arrow-head Outfitters has very unique wild boar hunting opportunities. Most operations make you pay for a certain amount of pigs, even

sometimes by the size of pigs taken, but not at Arrowhead. Their hunts are not only all inclusive, but you can also shoot as many pigs as you want to take care of. That’s right, you can shoot all the pigs you can take home with you! This unique set-up is a blast and made me start planning another trip to bring my kids along to start their hunting career in Texas. The great opportunity for success is a perfect setting for kids to have fun shooting at animals without the pressure of a hard-to-draw tags. I can’t wait to go back down and hunt with Arrowhead Outfitters in the future.

Arrowhead Outfitters has an abundance of hogs roaming the properties. Newly remodeled rooms with comfortable sleeping beds will accommodate both small and large groups.

SINCE 1975

Denver, COJan. 14-17

Sacramento, CAJan. 21-24

Scottsdale, AZMar. 10-13

Salt Lake, UTMar. 17-20

SportsExpos.com

300 to more than 600 exhibiting companies at each ISE! Outdoor Gear Retail • Four-Wheelers, Boats, Trucks, Campers

Outfitters & Guides, Lodges & Camps • Free Hunt/Fish Seminars, Test Tracks, Demo Tanks, 3D Range


Sportsman’s NewsOutdoor WritingContest Winner

See pg. 4 for entry details.

By Kurt Burnham

When I was a young boy, I re-member being in my grand-parent’s basement and see-

ing this huge set of elk antlers. I found out that my grandfather and father had shot him in 1952, when my dad was a senior in high school. Being a dumb kid, I asked my granddad if we could have them at our house when he died . Boy did I get in trouble for that one, but he said we should take them now. I was so excited; it was the biggest rack I had ever seen. We were very lucky to have them. Back then, a lot of them got left in the woods and my dad said if they would have had the cape, the Elks Club would have owned them as money was tight back then. When I was older, I had them scored; a nice 7x7 that grossed 338. At a very young age I had become a certifiable Elkaholic and have been mystified and enthralled by these greatest of creatures ever since.

I dreamed of someday harvesting a bull that would surpass this monster of my father’s, not realizing what a task this would be or how long it would take. It took many years just to hone my hunting skills and to study and learn the ways of the elk. One day, a friend asked if I wanted to go bow hunting with him. I had never heard an elk bugle till that day. I was instantly hooked! Within a few days I had my own bow. Since then, I have harvested many elk with several nice bulls in the 310-320 range. But the bull of my dreams was still a dream.

2014 came and I drew a trophy bull tag in one of Montana’s premier areas,

Dreams Do Come True

along with a B tag for a cow. Maybe this would be the year! Because of my work schedule, I have Wednesday and Thursdayfor my weekend. It’s nice as fewer hunters are out, but I also end up hunting alone a lot. At least I can’t blame anyone for calling at the wrong time or getting busted in some way. So the first week I got out two full days and several evenings and saw lots of elk and one shooter bull. The next Wednesday, I was up early and hiking to a nice well-used elk trail in the dark to see what might happen when light came. I was surrounded with many bulls bugling and cows talking. Several cows came close but not close enough for me. I’m just not willing to take more than about a 40 yard shot. After about an hour, things quieted down so I decided to walk to the top of the ridge where I had a climbing tree stand stashed. When I got there, the elk on the back side were going nuts and seemed

to be moving my way. Somehow, I got the stand up the tree without spooking any. Not one came to where I could see them, and they seemed like they were bed-ding there. So I go back down the tree to see if I could close t h e d i s t a n c e . Many times I got close and could see bodies, only

to have them move off. I just kept following as none were spooked. About 2:30 I laid down for a little nap and a couple of granola bars. I called a buddy in Washington telling him that these elk never s t o p p e d b u -gling all day. He told me to go get one. About 4:00 I caught up

to a bunch and a cow ran my way with a spike chasing her. Here came the herd bull to get her back; a very nice 6x6 in the 350 class, but he never stopped to give me a shot. They then wandered onto some private land where I could not follow. It was getting late and I was a LONG way from my truck when two bulls began screaming at each other. Should I leave and come back tomor-row? It was 4:30, so I decided to give it another hour. A half an hour later it sounded like I was standing right next to them. I came around a tree and there he was lying down, bugling at the bull across the draw not 50 yards away. A look through the binocs and I knew this was the biggest bull I had ever seen, but there was something really weird with his left antler. Another one of my dreams and I had spent countless hours hunting whitetails was to harvest an animal with a drop tine! Never did I think I would see a drop over a foot long and several inches in diam-eter. At last, I had found the maker of dreams but could I seal the deal? He would have to get up and move before I could even hope for a shot, so I spent the few minutes range-finding different trees and trying to ca lm myse l f . Suddenly, he

stood and started to walk towards me. Could I get any luckier? He stopped for a scratch on a tree then turned broadside and gave me the perfect shot between my 30 and 35 yard trees. My height was good but too far to the rear. I waited 45 minutes, then followed his trail until I found my arrow. Dark red.Liver for sure. I got out my phone and called my friend Troy, who said to get out of there and leave him overnight. it was probably one of the hardest things I ever did. Thinking about it during the night, and I’m not a very religious person, it just seemed that a higher power was at work here. So many other things could of happened that day. I could have gotten a shot at a cow first thing, the elk could have quit bugling, or I might have killed the big 6x6. Somehow, this bull needed to be harvested and saved from his slow death over the winter. I also said quite a few prayers to let me find him in the morning. The next morning, after about an hour of sleep, Troy and I loaded up the mules and headed down a forest service trail that my GPS said should come close to where we needed to be. Troy is better than any bloodhound, so I put him on the trail and just followed along tying ribbons to where he found blood. We had only gone a couple of hundred yards when I saw some crows fly up. Sure enough, there lay the bull of my dreams. After many pictures,


If you are doing a lot of walking, whether for hunting or just hiking, sore muscles can decrease your

enjoyment of the outdoors.At Sportsman’s News, we have an

ancient Chinese secret for dealing with these aches; Tiger Balm.

You may have seen this at the check-out stand at your local Sportsman’s Warehouse and wondered what it is and if it works - well let me tell you, it absolutely does.

Using a blend of menthol and camphor, Tiger Balm helps relieve tense muscles and ease pain. Unlike other products on the market using this combination, it also contains a blend of essential oils to help mask the strong fragrance of these potent medicines. A light lavender, eucalyp-tus and mint fragrance in the cream and caiput, cassia, mint and clove oils in the ointment, provide a pleasant fragrance without that Ben Gay smell that can be off-putting in brands you pick up at your local drug store.

Available in regular and ultra strength ointments and now in a non-greasy cream, Tiger Balm is the product you need to help melt away

Tiger Balmsore and tense muscles, fast.

It has been with us on hard, rugged hikes and is a constant companion in our hiking packs. The ointment jars are small and take up minimal space and weigh just a few ounces, includ-ing the jar.

For really minimal space and weight, Tiger Balm is also available in patches with the addition of capsicum for even more effective pain relief.

Tiger Balm is far from a new prod-uct, being produced for over 100 years and widely used in more than 100 countries. It contains an ancient blend of herbs, oils and botanicals that provide proven pain relief for aching muscles. Each formulation has a long track record of success in fight-ing inflammation, pain and tenseness in muscles, for fast relief from aches, arthritis and joint inflammation.

Tiger Balm has a rich heritage as an ancient medicine. It has risen from the ancient courts of Chinese emper-ors to worldwide prominence. It all began when Aw Chu Kin, a Chinese herbalist working in the Emperor’s court, left China and set up a small medicine shop called Eng Aun Tong

in Rangoon in the late 1870s. There would make and sell his special ointment that was ef-fective in relieving all kinds of aches and pains.

When Aw Chu Kin died in 1908, he left his business to his two sons, Aw Boon Haw (mean-ing ‘gentle tiger’) and Aw Boon Par (meaning ‘gentle leopard’). They took the business to Sin-gapore and successfully sold their ointment to surrounding countries like Malaya, Hong Kong, Batavia, Siam and vari-ous cities in China. Aw Boon

Haw was the marketing genius who named the product Tiger Balm.

Tiger Balm has since been immortal-ized as one of the world’s best-known pain-relieving formulations. Today, the product is manufactured using state of the art modern techniques and new formulations, with the same great proven results. Toss some in your pack and use it the next time you are hiking and feeling the miles in your sore muscles.

we got him quartered and loaded onto my old mule, Roxy, who I’ve had since she was born, 20 years ago. She had probably been dreaming she was retired, as I’ve been training 3 new young mules, but I just couldn’t trust this bull to anyone but the old pro. She agreed to pack one more out as long as I let her eat along the way. My daughter took the pictures I sent her and put them on her Facebook page and he just went viral. I started getting calls from people I didn’t even know, telling me I had to get in touch with this or that per-son as this was a very well known bull that

the locals had been collecting pictures and sheds of for years. They called him the “Big Dropper.” Got to say they did a good job keeping him a secret, as I never knew he existed until five minutes before I shot, and I only live a dozen miles away. He is believed to be between 13-15 years old. We will know for sure when FWP gets the teeth aged. He would probably have not made it another winter, as at some point, prob-ably at least a year ago, he had caught another bull’s tine in his mouth, result-ing in a broken jaw, a big hole in the roof of his mouth into the sinuses, and the loss of his right eye. His body was starting to show signs of malnutrition, but he was still bugling like he was the king of the mountain. About a week later, one of the local experts arranged a meeting with most of the people who had sheds from this bull. We got some great pics of him with 4 sets and 3 single sheds from previous years. It was a great time hearing about this magnificent animal and what he had done and where he had been over the last decade or so. We even had a toast

to the old guy, with some jerky I had just made from him; although one lady just couldn’t bring herself to eat any of her buddy. To be able to harvest an animal of this magnitude and history in probably the last year of his life, after hopefully passing on those great genes to many offspring, and the enjoyment he brought to so many people and to top it off doing it with my bow, is so much more than I could ever have dreamt. I just hope if I am dreaming, I never wake up. What a great testa-ment to Montana’s elk management program. I just pray we can keep the predators under control so they don’t destroy what took almost 3 decades to accomplish.

That day, I made a trip to my dad’s to tell him that dreams do come true, sometimes it just takes 40 or so years. I had finally topped his 7x7 with an 8x13. He was thrilled and I know he wished that his Parkinson’s disease didn’t pre-vent him from being there with me; of course, then he would probably have two monsters and I would still be chas-ing my dreams.

sportsman's news november 2015 digital edition

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