D-14 is closed and its tag soup for me.

This last weekend was Veterans Day and the closing of D-14 deer season. Rudy, Brad and myself made the drive up to Big Bear. With the temperatures in the low 30's and highs in the low 60's the weather was perfect. Made the hike in Saturday morning at first light. Rudy 2 weeks prior spotted a nice 5x5 and 4x4 in this same area. With high hopes of getting a shot at one of these big bucks we took our time. Being in the mountains as the sun is coming up is great. The hills come to life with birds chirping, crows cawing and then the unfriendly sound of truck after truck in the distance. Hunting public land there is always a chance of other hunters but you hope you don't see any one. Well lets just say there was a lot of other hunting pressure. The morning turned out to be uneventful. We hiked and glassed but never saw a deer. Great deer tracks and scat all over but with the other hunters I think the deer have been moving at night. We made the way back to the cabin for a snack and relax for a little before the evening hunt.

We decided to change up the evening hunt and stay close to home for the night and do a little predator control. The coyotes in the area have grown in numbers in the past few years. We set up in a good meadow and let the call do the work. In about 5 minutes we had a grey fox coming in on a string. With fox season closed till November 24th the little guy got a pass.

We headed back out for a quick Sunday morning hunt. With all the people, wanting to get on the road before all the traffic and lack of deer. We decided to head back to the cabin, load up and get back down the mountain. This season I was not In shape like I should have been and really lacked motivation. I have a new fire under my butt for 2018 and looking forward to improving myself as a whole. Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year.

Opening day in D-14

October 14, 2017 was opening day in D-14. With all the time off I had in September I was not sure if I could get off on Friday the 13th. With luck being on my side I was able to get Friday off. Rudy and I met up at my house at 9:00am to load the truck and head up the hill. After loading up, a few pit stops for ice and gas we where on the road before 11:00am. The drive was easy and made great time in under 2 hours to deer camp. We pulled in and opened up the cabin to let in the fresh mountain air as we unload the truck. The temperature was a perfect 62 degrees at 1pm. Cracked open a man soda and finished with all the cabin opening procedures, moving mouse traps and checking for dead mice before letting my dog run free. With no issues Mako was off and running all over the yard. Once the rest of our group arrived (my fiance and kid) we headed out to a early dinner at Firerock Burgers and Brews. The food is great and there is a great selection of craft beer to enjoy.  We finished the night stopping by the store picking up the last needed supplies. Back at deer camp for the night we played cards and told stories before heading off to bed.

I was up before my alarm at 4:30am and decided to just get up and get ready. Rudy was right behind me and we were out the door by 4:55am. We made the way to the trail head and did not pass to many hunters. It was only 15 degrees out so that might of had something to do with it. We sat in the truck for about 15 minutes to let the dust settle and discuss the morning plan. As we where getting our packs and gear on we were passed by 2 other hunters. They were heading up the same trail as we planned to hike in on.

With the hunters hiking in the way we wanted to go we quickly changed plans and headed up another canyon. About a half mile in I spotted a 2 deer on a hillside about 500 yards away. Rudy was able to confirm it was a legal buck using the Vortex Diamondback 10x42. The second was a doe. With the position of the buck sky lining himself on the hill neither of us felt safe taking the long shot with not knowing what or who was on the other side of the hill in case of a miss. We made a game plan to skirt the hill side and cut him off. We made a good move staying low with the wind in our favor. Until Rudy realized he had left his clip in the truck, Ooops! Off to the truck he went with the plan of meeting up later deep in the canyon. With the sound of road hunters in the distance. I found a great spot to set up and with a great vantage point and shooting lanes. After sitting for about 45 minutes I could see Rudy coming up the valley. Since the sun was coming up I needed to shed some layers. I whistled and gave a wave so he could see me. The plan was made to follow the canyon up to a old logging road and take that around the back side of the mountain. We hiked and glassed, hiked and glassed all the way back to the truck. At the truck we heard the first 2 shots of the morning about 9:30am.

We decided to make a move to another area I had seen great deer sign in during archery season. We hiked into a canyon and then up to a ridge hoping for a good spot to glass. As we hiked the hill seemed to roll on forever. We finally found a canyon but the trees were to dense to glass. We dropped into the canyon and found 2 metal fenders or part of some equipment from years past.  We ended up seeing a camp in the distance so we headed back to the truck.

Rudy and I checked one last spot, Rudy spotted 2 does and we were hoping for a buck to be following. We were never able to locate another buck and with it getting late we decided it was time to head back to the cabin and get cleaned up for Oktoberfest.

We had a good evening at Oktoberfest taking in the fresh mountain air and enjoying a few cold beers. Ended the night by grilling up a tri-tip, veggies and watching the Dodger Game. All and all a great weekend. Spotted 1 legal buck and 3 does. There are still deer out there just waiting to get back out there.

Gear Review: Vortex Diamondback Binouculars

My first set of binoculars I bought were the Vortex Diamondback Binoculars 10x42. 2 years ago my truck was broken into, my bino pack with my binoculars and a knife were stolen. I had got another pair for last year to test and then had to return them. Now with Vortex helping Al and myself out this year, I will once again be using the Diamondbacks. Prior to them getting stolen I used them for 3 years and loved them. The glass quality and clarity are amazing. Hunting in Southern California you spend a lot of time behind your glass looking for ears and antlers in the shade of rocks and trees. Here is a brief overview from Vortex's website.

 Diamondback^® 10x42 Roof Prism Binocular
Superior quality, high-performance hunting optics can find their way around your neck for a surprisingly affordable price. The smooth focusing 10x42 Diamondback^® binocular takes you to the fine details you prize. Taking its lead from the Diamondback rattlesnake, this rugged binocular is striking in how well it detects life in low light. Look for a huge field-of-view—the largest in its class— with enhanced fully multi-coated optics, phase-corrected prisms, waterproof and fogproof construction, soft tapered eyecups, and rugged rubber armor. It's all there in a Diamondback. Now you can use "wow!" and "thank you" in the same sentence. You can check out the full specs, features and more reviews at: http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vortex-diamondback-10x42-binocular

Last weekend I ventured out on a scouting trip in D-14 with my new set of Diamondbacks. We got to the meeting spot at 4:30am and by 4:45am with the light of the moon I was able to glass the hill side across the valley. Even with the light of the moon you where still able to make out shrubs and bushes. If a deer was bedded at this time it still would have been hard to see but if one was moving you would have caught the movement. Walking down the road stopping periodically to glass the distant hillside in the low light my binoculars where bright a clear to see through.

For longer periods of use or if you just want focus in better on objects a tripod is best. I use a Promaster XC525c Carbon Fiber Tripod with a Vangaurd P11 pan head. This year I am trying out the Vortex Uni-Daprtor to mount my binoculars to my tripod instead of the Vortex Binocular Adapter. (Reviews to come on all these products soon.) After using a tripod for my first time I immediately noticed a difference. You can focus in on the smallest details with out shaking or disrupting your view. This makes finding deer that blend in with the natural surrounding a little easier. It is usually the small details, something that just doesn't  look right or out of place. That is something you would want to spend some time looking at.

For the price of the Vortex Diamondbacks they are hard to beat. Bass Pro sales them for $249. The price is great and you get a decent pair of binoculars for a great price. I would recommend these to anyone looking for a decent set of glass at a good price.

Gear Review: CAMELBAK CHUTE Insulated Water Bottle.

Do you like cold water? Well I do, from freezing water bottles and vapor bags to special ice trays meant for water cooler bags I have tried them all. Whether I am hiking, working construction, going for a long drive or even just hanging out at the house cold water is key to me. At this time I was filling Smart Water bottles up half way and freezing them the night before then filling them that morning for the rest of the day. By mid morning even leaving it my cooler with ice packs it would be melted and starting to warm up. Or if I drank it and refilled it the warm water from the water cooler would melt the ice rapidly. A few months back I was working out on a rig when my op operator went for a drink and pulled out his CAMELBAK CHUTE 40 oz water bottle. After discussing it with him and how it keeps his water cold all day I had to get one.

I went to Amazon and picked one up for $39.99. Not the cheapest water bottle out there but after using it for 3 months I can say it is worth every penny. I have taken it camping, shooting, working in the yard, working on a rig, the gym and hiking the trails in my Local Trail Spotlight. The CHUTE is a little heavy for some to take backpacking at 16 oz dry weight. It will keep water cold for 48 hours and hot for about 6 hours. I have not tried it with a hot beverage yet. For me I will pack it full of ice and just keep refilling the bottle all day. It will keep the ice for pretty much 2 days depending on how much you drink and refill it. The lid is a hard plastic that has a spout to drink or pour out of. There is a cap to seal the bottle to keep it from spilling if it gets knocked down or it gets dropped.

The CHUTE is double wall insulated which helps keep drinks cold or hot. The Chute comes in 8 different colors so you can add your own style and flare. I picked the evergreen as Amazon did not have the lime at the time. It has a handle so you can carry or hook it to your pack or stroller. CAMELBAK also makes a 20 oz bottle if you are looking for something smaller. I might be getting one of those for shorter hikes and outings.

The only down fall if in a hunting situation and you had ice in the bottle you will hear it hitting the inside of the aluminum. It would be like a bell and all the animals would know you where coming. Besides that this bottle is made solid and can take a beating. I think I will be getting at least the 20 oz and possibly one more of the 40 oz bottles.

Checking Game Cams and Finding New Ground

This past weekend I made my way up to my spot in D-14 to check my game cams that have been up since April 15 2017. I also wanted to look for a few new spots to check this year. We made the trip up the night before to base camp. Spent the afternoon getting our gear ready and planning for the morning. I got the old trusty Weber out and grilled up  some rib eyes and potatoes. After a great dinner and a few brews, we got out the coyote calls to see if we can get a answer back from those pesky song dogs. After about an hour we decided it was time to get some sleep before the alarm clock wakes hits at 4am.

It felt like I had only put my head on the pillow as I am bumbling around to shut my phone off. I double checked the time and jumped in the shower. After getting ready I woke Rudy up, loaded the truck and hit the road. I decided to take a different way to my cam location as I wanted Rudy to glass a bowl that I have seen deer in the early hours. Leaving Rudy I ventured on to my cam location and made the hike in. Pulled the card on my first cam going over the picture we have bucks. Not a buck but bucks. It was great to see the growth on them in a month and a half. In total 4 buck for sure 2-3 does and 2 mystery deer that were just out of my cams range. Once I saw the first buck I loaded up and headed to the second cam. Unfortunately I had set it in a bad spot and had a 16gb sd card full of branches and leaves blowing. I pulled that cam down and decided to try and find a new location for it.

After getting back to the truck I made my way to Rudy and he was waiting on the road for me. He has spotted a coyote and a doe so it was a success for him. We made our way to a new area I had never been. On the way we spotted a beautiful bobcat up on the hillside. He was not spooked by me getting out of the car and just watched me. He finally decided it was time and made his way up the hill. After driving for what seemed like miles we came across a great spring crossing the road in a few spots. We decided to hike the canyon and see. It looked promising but with temperatures rise fast we both decided we need to hit this one first thing in the morning. I was amazed by all the water that was flowing. I have been up in this area pretty much my whole life and have never seen this much water. It was great to see. All the plants and wildflowers growing like crazy. With some hope some of this water will still be here come hunting season.

We got back to base camp, kicked the boots off and relaxed for a few hours before we headed out looking to get a coyote with my bow. We tried 3 sets and could never even get a answer. Hiked the hills for a little bit burning off a few calories made the way back to camp and spent the evening cracking jokes and going over the SD cards made for a good relaxing night. Hit the road in the morning and I was able to watch almost all of NASCAR.

Local Trail Spotlight: Lakewood Nature Trail

LAKEWOOD NATURE TRAIL 
Located between Candlewood street to Carson street in Lakewood. With parking at Candlewood, Boyar Park, and Monte Verde Park access is easy. The trail is open from dawn to dusk. This mellow trail follows along side the San Gabriel River. The trail is full of native plants and wildlife. Egrets, herons, hawks, and coyotes all call this place home. The Trail is roughly about 2 miles long one way. Dogs are welcome as long as they are on a leash and cleaned up after. The city of Lakewood dose a great job keeping the trail maintained and clean for all to enjoy. The plus about this trail is across the riverbed using Del Amo or Carson bridges and a short walk down the riverbed is Rynerson Park. They just opened a new playground and work out area. Let the kids play while work up a sweat. They also have a 1 mile concrete loop. If you do the trail and the park you can get a little over 5 miles. Plus you are hardly near traffic. It is great if you are like me and listen to headphones while walk not having to worry about traffic.

Remember to always bring water and stay hydrated. Bring a snack or lunch if you plan on a longer adventure. Some of the trails have water fountains but I would rather be safe than dehydrated. Most of the local hikes will be short 1-4 hour hikes. Great for a evening hike or casual stroll after dinner or a great way to start your weekend.

As The Tempatures Heat Up So Dose The Scouting

As the summer months heat up so does my scouting. No, I am just not starting I have had my game cams out for 4 month now. I will be checking and pulling my cams this month to get ready for the upcoming season. I am focusing on D-14 for archery season. This time of year the temps are high so the deer are moving early in the morning and late in the evening, and bedding down during the heat of the day. This Is when glassing is key. I just got a new pair of Vortex Diamondbacks for this season and can not wait to put them to work. I had a pair 2 years ago, my truck got broken into and they were stolen. Glad to have the Diamondbacks up to my eyes again. Finding the shady spots under rocks and trees is where quality glass can help or hurt you. My partner and I will be heading out Saturday to a promising area to glass and see what we can come up with. This is a great spot with water and lots of new growth this year.

Photo Credit Al Quackenbush

I also have a A-31 tag and plan on hiking into a new area this year since 2 of my spots are closed due to fires last year. I will not be scouting this area as much due to focus on D-14. The best part of this tag is it is either sex and the season lasts till December 31st. Giving it some time for the temperatures to cool down and let the deer move a little more during the day. I am hoping for a great 2017 hunting season with deer, bobcats, pigs, coyotes, and bears. Lets hope for full full tags and fuller freezers by the end of this year.

Local Trial Spotlight: Gum Grove Park

Nestled between houses and a oil field is a great park called Gum Grove Park. It is located in Seal Beach and can accessed from either end. One parking lot is off of Seal Beach Blvd and Heron st across from the Naval Weapons Station and the other is off of Catalina and Avalon drive. To get to the Avalon parking lot you must go through a neighborhood but there is a lot more parking than at the Seal Beach Blvd side. This is a great hike that can be nice and easy or you can get a good leg work out with the ups and down of the trail. If you are looking for a leisurely stroll you can walk the flat lower fire road that is closer to the field, from one side to the other. Or take the high trail that skirts along the houses with a few small climbs and few drops. Al and I hiked this park 2 times a week before our Colorado elk hunt. We loaded our packs with 80 plus pounds of weight and would do 2-3 loops. We also ran the trail too and that got my heart pumping. The trail is about a mile, so you can make it as short or as long as you want. Gum grove is great for kids and dogs too.

If you are a bid watcher or nature photographer or just enjoy looking at wildlife and nature this is a must.  Tuesday night we saw frogs, birds, caterpillars, and 2 owls. One looked to be eating dinner of a small mouse while the other sat watching. Got to love nature at its finest. Right now the wild flowers are blooming like crazy. Oranges, reds, yellows, and greens the colors were beautiful and vibrant. In the past I have seen coyotes, squirrels, bunnies and more. Its great as you see something new every time. Bring the camera and binoculars take a quick break and enjoy what mother nature has to offer. Many times there will often be people taking wedding, maternity, and family pictures. I have done my Christmas cards here on year as well.

Since the park is located in Seal Beach this is one of the cooler hikes for the hot summer months. It does get hot, just not as hot as hiking in the Inland Empire hot. You can also venture to Heron Pointe Cultural Center with plaques offering insight to the native people that once lived in the area. This trail is a mellow addition or great cool down if you got a good hike or jog in. If you are looking for a leg busting hike than this is not the one for you but with some added weight and a couple loops it gets my legs pumping. After the hike you can always head down to Seal Beach Main street to get a  bite to eat or a drink then take a nice walk down the pier to end the day.

Always bring water and remember to stay hydrated. There is a water fountain on the Avalon side if needed. I always try and leave the park better than when I arrived. Even if you pick up one piece of trash and get it to the trash can anything helps. Check back for the next local trail spot light next week. Till then happy trails and keep your boots tight.

Local Trail Spotlight: El Dorado Nature Center

I live in Lakewood Ca in the urban jungle of Southern California finding good trails to hike can be tough task. Especially when one of my work shift gets off at 5pm. The freeways are jam packed, so getting to the local mountains at that time takes way to long and an enjoyable hike is just not as enjoyable. Fortunately for me there are a few hidden gems locally where I can work up a good sweat and get a great hike. Some the whole family can enjoy, some are stroller friendly if you have a BOB or similar type off road stroller they work great. Others are great if you have a kid pack they can ride in and then some are more for the experienced hiker. I will be spotlighting a trail or two each week. This week I figured I would start with the two that are the closest to me.


EL DORADO NATURE CENTER

A great spot for the whole family, besides the dog is El Dorado Park Nature Center. Located on Spring street in Long Beach. Once your in the Nature Center it is hard to believe you are still in Long Beach. Open from 8am-5pm Tuesday to Sunday.  The Nature center offers a 1/4 mile paved loop under a great tree canopy, a 1 mile and 2 mile dirt loop that loops around lakes and streams. The dirt trail is great for walking and strollers. This is a great spot for the kid to see all different types of local wildlife, from ducks, birds, squirrels, rabbits, turtles and more. Stop by the main lodge and let the kids explore. They have a hands on area where kids can touch and feel all types of bones and antlers. Plus there are a few aquariums that have some living creatures in them. Don't forget to get a scavenger card for the kids before you take off on your adventure.

 

Gear Review: Dark Energy Poseidon Portable Charger

Keeping small electronics charged out in the field is always an issue for me. We all love to photograph and video our camping, hunting, fishing and family adventures for social media and digital albums. It seems that my phone never has enough battery life for my excursions. I have tried the solar panel chargers, but unless you are in the perfect sunlight they never seem to work that well, or take forever.

This year at the Fred Hall Fishing and Tackle show Long Beach, I met up with the Dark Energy guys at their booth on the first day of the show. We talked about the product and I moved on, I had a lot of show to see and needed to keep my 3 year old moving. All weekend I thought about the portable charger and finally purchased it Sunday the last day of the show. With the show special it was 25% off so I could not beat that. I picked the Realtree Poseidon portable charger instead of the blakc. The camo and blaze orange look great along with the orange and black para cord charging cable. It also comes with a strap and a  screw lock carabiner. To charge an I Phone you can either buy a lighting cable from Dark Energy or use your lighting cable that came your phone. You can also get the lighting adapter for the existing charging cable to cut down on extra weight.


I have been using the charger for more than a month now. So far I am very impressed with the charging capabilities of this portable charger. Here are some of the manufacture specs of the unit.

Product Features

• 10,000 mAh of portable power
• Waterproof rating of IP-68 (highest possible rating)
• Durability rating of MIL-STD-810G (highest possible rating)
• Dual-port charging capability (2.4 and 1.0 amps respectively)
• Included Micro-USB paracord charging cable, carabiner, and nylon strap
• Built-in LED light and lantern with SOS signaling capability

Product Specs

• Input: 5V, 0.5-2.4A, Micro-USB
• Output: 5V, 1A and 2.4A USB
• Dimensions: 6in x 3.25in x .63in
• Weight: 9.6oz

What Can It Charge

• Smartphone (3-6x)
• Two-way Radio (4-8x)
• GPS (3-5x)
• Tablet (1-3x)
• Bluetooth Speaker (4-7x)
• Trail Cam (4-5)
• Rangefinder (6-8x)

 I have tried this charger out on a few different devices and can say that it works really well. So far I have used it on a few I Phones, a I Pad Mini, my Jabra ear bud, and my digital camera. I charged my mini I Pad from 100% dead to 100% charged in 3 hours with one dot left on the charging unit. I re-charged the unit and charged 10 I Phones with varying battery life anywhere 31%-80% all charged to 100% (most phones started charging around 75%). Charge time is about a 1.5 hours from 50% charged. I also charged my Jabra ear bud on the same charge. I charged my camera on a separate charge and left the house for the day. So I am not sure on the charge time. 

Recharging the Poseidon can be done with using the micro-USB cord from the wall or using a solar charger such as the Goal Zero or other solar chargers.

The Dark Energy Poseidon Portable Charger is great for family trips to multiple night back packing trips. The unit retails for $99.99 which is a little expensive. The Poseidon does a great job keeping your gear charged while you are out on the go. I have already recommended the Poseidon to at lest 3 of my friends who camp and backpack. I know 2 of them are already looking to get one.

Wind With A Side Of Shooting

This past weekend myself, Al and a few of his work buddies made the drive out to the shooting range. Our plan was to camp out Friday night and everyone else heading out first thing Saturday morning. Al and I left Friday afternoon and joined everyone else on the freeway trying to start the weekend. The drive was slow as we passed 2 car accidents and 1 car fire,  which gave us lots of time to talk about hunting this year, life, family and crack a few jokes.  As we got closer to the range I could feel the wind pulling and pushing the truck and I was not even driving. With the direction of the wind we were hoping that the one side of the canyon would block the wind. Once we arrived and got out of the truck and the wind hit us immediately. It was blowing a good 20-30 mph. Instead of shooting, we decide to hike out to a few old mines and do some exploring of the area.

We headed out on our adventure in the general direction of the mines with a ideal of the location but not completely sure. With the recent rains the desert wild flowers were in full bloom. The colors were bright, beautiful and everywhere. It was great to see the desert so alive. While we walked we looked for brass and other cool items. It makes me sad to see how much trash in the middle of nowhere used for target practice and left behind. When we shoot we bring a lot of water bottles and milk jugs to shoot at, but we will take breaks and clean up all shot up bottles and other targets.

 I came around a small hill and saw a tailing pile off in the distance. We had found the mine. We climbed the dirt road and walked right to the first mine. It amazes me that people were able to dig these mines by hand using just pure muscle and hand tools. The first mine seemed to be about 60 foot deep almost vertical. Then next mine was at a slight angle dropping about 30-40 feet then it looked to branch out from there. There were a few mines that where caved. The final mine was cut straight into the hillside. I explored hoping to find something cool but came up with just some brass. As I was looking out at the surrounding hills and noticed a white object in the distance. My MINOX binoculars are in the shop getting repaired so I asked Al to take a look and he was able to see 3 more targets in the distance. One hanging gong, a bowling pin and a heavy duty truck rim.Who ever had got the truck rim to where it was  put in some work to get it there.

With the sun setting we headed back to set up camp and get dinner going for the night. Al brought 3 different flavors of venison and all 3 where delicious. We cooked them over the open camp fire with some corn and just enjoyed the night. With the wind was still blowing and hopes of it calming down before morning. It was off to the tent that held up great in the winds.

In the morning we got up cleaned up camp and halfway loaded the truck. About 7:30 the rest of the group showed up. The wind picked up steadily as the sun rose with gusts up to 50 mph. Shooting long range was out for the day. We set up targets and shot for a few hours. With the wind pushing you it was hard for me to stay on target. I packed my stuff up by 10:30-11am and everyone else was not to far behind me. WE made it back in great time and wa able to play some Bocce Ball with my neighbors. Spending time away from the power grid it is tough to keep electronic devises such as phones and cameras charged. I will have review on a external battery pack I have been using coming up. It was a great shooting with friends being out in the middle of nowhere.

Looking Ahead

As the first quarter just passed it is time to look ahead to the 2017 hunting, fishing and outdoor season. With the upcoming release of the new California Department Fish and Wildlife Big Game Book at the end of April early May. I have already started planing for the 2017 season. I have a few spots from last year picked out that I need to get trail cameras set so my hunting partner and I  can scout other areas we have not spent as much time in.

Also just getting under way is the 2017 offshore fishing season. With it being only being the First week of April we already have some larger size Bluefin tuna showing up and lots of quality yellowtail. Not to mention great rock fishing going on locally. This season is looking great to get out on the water and chase some of these great grade fish. Yellowtail are great to pull on and put up a great fight and the large Bluefin pull like a freight train. I will go over what set-ups I use from fishing the beach to fishing multi-day trips offshore chasing big game.

A New Out Look For The Rest Of 2017

Welcome to Outdoor Bumz, in this blog I will blogging about my adventures with family and friends. From day hikes to hunting trips and everything in between. I will take you along and give a small glimpse into my outdoor life style. I'm an avid Hunter, fishermen, Golfer, BBQ'er and just love being in the outdoors. I am a member of the MINOX adventure team and love the gear I have been using from them. I will be reviewing them here shortly as well as other gear I use.

With life in general it is tough to get out in the woods as much as I would like. I have 2 boys, 13 and 3. Now that my youngest is getting bigger it is time to get him out in the woods and on the water more. My oldest son like to hunt and fish. He passed his hunter education class the first time at 8 and is always ready to hit the hills. I mainly focus on archery hunting as I enjoy the challenge of having to get in close with the animal. I have been branching out with my rifle a little bit more and hoping to get a shot off this year on at least some predators.


With the 2017 season approaching fast it is time to get trail cams up and start glassing the distant hills in search of deer. In the next few weeks the boots will be hitting the dirt and burning boot rubber. I hope you all enjoy and look forward to my future posts.