I've been trying to find the perfect trailmix, the grocery stores have a few different ones but they are either all nuts, berries or too much chocolate. I tried mixing some together to get the right blend but it's a PITA. I think I found the one I'm after at Trader Joe's. It's called Happy Trekking. Almonds, cashews, pistachios. chocolate, cranberries and cherries. Just the right amount of nuts, fruit and a bit o chocolate. The one improvement would be dried bananas, luv me some nanners.
After being skunked on the July 1st cottontail rabbit opener here I thought I'd try my luck once more tonight. As I was loading up the .22 WMR Marlin rifle and slinging the Badlands hydration pack on at the truck on I noticed rabbits and "squeaks", (ground squirrels), running across the road about 150 yards down from where I was. There was a small dirt levee to the right of the road and I love peeking over them since animals on the other side can't hear or see your approach.
Peek-a-boo time.
I wish I would have had a camcorder rolling because as soon as I poked my head over about 15 rabbits that were right out in the open exploded like a quail flush. They went everywhere and I all could do was sweep back and forth with the .22 and hope one would stop for a shot. Finally one did stop for just a second and I shot and missed a bit left. Curses. The rabbits continued to run everywhere and another one screeched to a halt just short of the brush and I shot him in the head at about 50 yards. I'm not sure what all the bunnies were doing together, might have been the evening hootenany I guess. Tracks were everywhere like it was some kind of dance.
Walking out I saw another rabbit way down the end of a clearing but he hightailed as soon as he saw me. The last rabbit I saw crawled up on that same levee, he must have heard me coming as his ears were twitching back and forth as he attempted to pinppoint where I was. I had a clear shot at him but it would have been shooting up toward the road so I let him go.
It was a good stretch of the legs and an awesome sunset over the San Gabriel Mountains as usual. It has been over 100F the past couple days but some monsoonal weather blowing up from Baja Norte cooled the temps off today and that may have explained why more animals were out this evening.
Did anyone else make it out for the bunny opener? How'd you do?
Yesterday was the first day of fall and the the first Harvest Moon in 20 years. Neil Young sang a song about the Harvest Moon way back when. I knew it was time when my friend Kellie from MO posted on her Facebook wall that the morning smelled of damp oak trees and smokey chimneys in the Ozarks Mtns where she was working. My mind shot back to near Cherokee Pass Mo where I grew up hunting. Those early fall mornings with the thick fog rising off the pastures and the fireplace smoke curling up from the old cabins along the hollers.
The harvest moon from last night, I missed it rising from the horizon where it's at it's best.
To me the fall season is the best one of the four. How can you beat apple cider, pumpkin pie, bonfires, ripe persimmons and Halloween? Hockey also starts up and this Blues fan is always glued to the radio or TV watching the coolest game in the world. And we can't forget the hunting season either. Our annual ADSH squirrel hunt is always the first weekend in Oct. It will be 33 years and counting for our gathering near Plato MO this year.
The last harvest moon I can remember I was bowhunting deer near Swan Lake NWR in MO. I had stopped by the refuge to film some big bucks one evening. The local farm boys where running combines all day and night trying to get the corn in on the refuge land. I came out of the marsh along Yellow Creek after dark had fallen and there across the moonlit cornfield was the harvest moon, perched perfectly on the horizon. The big lunar orb was so large it felt like I could reach out and touch it. I paused to take in what I was seeing, the combines running in the foreground against the moonlit timber in the background.
So what are your fall memories and fall traditions?
JHO takes a look at the new Konus SightPro Atomic Electronic Red/Green Dot Sight
Features:
1X magnification Weight: 3.8 ounces/110 grams Rugged enough for shotgun or magnum revolvers Weaver-style 7/8" mount & 3/8" rimfire adapter 5 intensity settings for both green and red Perfect for handguns, bows, shotguns and rifles Battery: 1 each 3V/ CR2032 Great co-witness sight Length: 63mm/2.4" Color: Matte black Unlimited eye relief 20mm/0.7" objective lens 4 MOA Made in China Manufacturer: Konus 7247
P.S. We're always looking for sponsors for the contest. If you'd like to become a sponsor and donate a prize for the contest please send me an email or call 951-314-5837. Thank you.
Every once in awhile I stumble on to a good video and this one put the grip on me today. We've all read about ANWR (Artic National Wildlife Refuge) and how the government wants to drill for oil there but no one I know has ever been there. I know it's way the hell out in the boonies in northern Alaska,I mean way out too. This is Heimo's story about his life living in ANWR.
From the intro:
In 1980, Jimmy Carter established the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the Alaskan Interior, cutting off 19 million acres of prime boreal wilderness from the mitts of fur trappers, oil tycoons, and would-be lodge owners alike. Only six families of white settlers were grandfathered in and allowed to keep cabins in the refuge—of them, only one still stays there year-round living off the land. His name is Heimo Korth, and he is basically the Omega Man of America’s Final Frontier.
Raised in suburban Wisconsin, Heimo set off in his teens to the Alaskan Bush to pursue the Davy Crockett lifestyle in more or less the only place it was still possible. Amid numerous setbacks and misadventures, Heimo gradually learned how to master his terrain, provide for his Eskimo wife, and rear children in one of the most inhospitable environments in North America.
In this premiere edition of Far Out, we take a bush plane to the middle of nowhere, Alaska, to catch up with Heimo and his wife, Edna—now reaching their golden years. Over the course of our ten-day stay, the Korths show us everything you need to know about fur-trapping, caribou-hunting, caribou-eating, river-crossing, boredom-staving, bear-avoidance, and bear-defense to live happily over 100 miles from the nearest neighbors. Vegans, you have been warned.
Hey, who doesn't want to be a movie star right? A new outdoor TV show is looking for someone who can hunt, fish & knows survival skills. Looks like they are wanting someone with a face that doesn't scare small dogs so that rules most of my hunting buddies and me out.
For those of you that haven't heard, my friend Larry Heathington, the owner of Sheep Limited, who lives in Williams has been missing since Friday, September 11th.
Larry was suppose to meet two clients on Friday in New Mexico to go on a private lands antelope hunt, and when his cousin last spoke to him he was two hours from Secorro.
He hasn't been heard from since Thursday afternoon. Larry was in his gray Ford F-350 Super Duty, towing his Jeep.
A missing person's report has been made with the Holbrook, AZ Police Department as someone close to Larry said they had seen his truck/jeep on Monday in Holbrook.
Please, we are very concerned about this situation and fear for Larry's safety. If you know Larry, you know it is not like him to not show up where and when he is suppose to.
If you know ANYTHING about where Larry is, or have seen his vehicles please contact the Holbrook PD or call me at 928-681-4867.
Thank you, Don Martin Arizona Wildlife Outfitters
Larry is on right
Here is the picture of his jeep note the custom plates....SHPLTD ARIZONA PLATES
Every August Bass Pro Shops is kind enough to let us man a couple of booths at their stores. Bryce Mann from our JHO staff has been working a booth at the Manteca CA store and I've been doing my part at the Rancho Cucamonga CA Store.
Here's some pics of the fun we have teaching kids the sounds of the animals and how to make the calls for them too. We also enjoy meeting the outdoorsmen and women who visit the stores.
We'll be at the Bass Pro stores 1 more weekend Aug 21-23 2009. I will be at the Rancho Cumcamong CA store and Bryce will also be doing seminars on upland hunting and upland dogs at the Las Vegas Bass Pro Store. Stop on by for a free JHO decal.
Young hound dawg and owner stopping by to say hello.
Jim Matthews, outdoor writer and owner of Outdoor News Service, passing out info.
Boy learning how to run a turkey boxcall. The girls pick up how to run the calls a lot faster than the boys for some reason.
Brother and sister goofing with the rattlin' antlers.
Ah, tis that time of year for slippin' and slidin' down icy snow covered ridges. Turkey season is about to be unleashed and that means time to explore and tear up some vehicles. Even the local gendarme's SUV is taking a beating rescuing pilgrims who venture out only to find themselves stranded in the dark high a top a mountain.
This was near Green Valley Lake in CA. Don't ever trust a woman for a road condition report. We met this lady on the way in and she said the road was fine. One turn later and we slid sideways to the bottom of a nasty mud and ice hole. 100 shovel scoops later and we were free and up the hill.
Note: Get winch installed.
The good news is Mike and I found some Merriam's turkeys to let the air out of. San Diego is a better hunt for bird numbers but holy mackerel, do they draw a crowd down there.
The bad news was the dumping and crashed gates we found on local forest roads. That and the trash we picked up after some donkeys left it. I pray there is a special room for these folks in Hades where they can live with their trash they dumped on Earth.
This was down at the T6 bridge crossing of Deep Creek by Lake Arrowhead CA. The crik hasn't flowed like this in awhile so I'll be back when it gets hot for a soak in the cold pools. I love hiking and hunting in this drainage.
I don't understand how folks can visit such a beautiful location in the country and then leave their trash. Makes me want to put a boot in their azz. Here's Mike picking up shotgun shells some clown left all over the bridge area. They must have shot almost 3 boxes from all the shells we picked up.
Every once in awhile you get an email containing something worthwhile, something that makes you just say "WOW!!". No idea who the pic owner is on this one, email said they were from a treestand in Idaho. One heck of a view this person must of had.
Growing up around St. Louis MO I saw coyotes and feral dogs pack up like this and run whitetail deer. The coyotes would try and chase the deer down to the rivers where the frozen ice was a deathtrap for any animal with slick hooves. It usually ended with the deer too weak to stand on the ice and the canines would brutally rip the deer apart while still alive.
Skipping throught the blogs yesterday I spied this waterfowl hunting in MS piece on Holly's (NorCal Cazadora's) blog that I thought would be kewl to read. About half way through the article one pic just froze me in mid thought.
The Huntress Club: Duck Hunting Sorority in the Swamp What kind of friggin idiot takes swigs of booze while hunting and then lets someone photograph the act and publish it? What kind of hunting group lets another bring the booze into the blind? Absolutely disgraceful. What a black eye to hunters and gun owners. Shame on the Swamp Witches as they call themselves. This IS NOT the message we want to send to the public. What part of gun safety did this gal miss? Drinking while hunting is also illegal in many states and I recommend if that is the case in MS, that the state cite her goofy azz.
Does anyone sane really want someone in the blind next them who's buzzed swinging a shotgun near their head? The unsafe act is bad enough but this is prime beef for the antis who will hold this pic up and exclaim that not only are men hunters drunken slob bubbas, their women are too.
The pic caption says she's taking a swig to keep warm. This is a fallacy as alcohol DOES NOT warm up the body, it acts just the opposite by fooling people into thinking they are warmer after drinking. Add another layer if you're that dang cold. Then agin, she may have a drinking problem and as we all know, alcoholics can find a million excuses why they need a pick me up.
It's unbelievable to me that with all the hunter ed and alcohol education out there we still have idiots like this endangering others in the field. The sad part is these fools usually don't off themselves, they shoot the poor SOB next to them. Then we get the lame "I'm so sorry" that is supposed to somehow mend the maimed or dead hunter.
Don't be afraid to speak up when one of these oxygen stealers shows up to your hunt. I flat out ask them to leave, even if that means they drive 300 miles back home. If it's not my hunt I simply ask the booze be put up until the guns are cased. If my request is not honored I ruck up and move on. I'm not going to suffer, or watch someone else suffer, due to this stupidity.
And just for the record, I enjoy my bourbon after a long day humpin' the hills and swamps, I just make sure all the guns are up first.
Guns and alcohol simply don't mix, it's a disaster just waiting to happen. I don't know many folks who could endure the guilt they would carry if they shot someone while drinking on a hunt.
This was our annual New Year's Eve JHO hunt at Fort Hunt Liggett near Jolon CA. The hunt was for hogs, quail and predators. Whatever we could find or track down. The weather was perfect for strolls on the oak covered hills, overcast with temps in the low 30s in the mornings going up to the mid 50s in the afternoons.
You hear a bugle sound retreat in the beginning of this video. Of all the time I've spent hunting FHL and training there in the military I've never heard retreat before. We were miles from the cantonment area and the wind was blowing the other way with a huge ridge between us and I could hear that bugle perfectly. Wild! That's Eric (XDHunter) and REM3006 skinning the second hog, their "bald headed" boar. Rem3006 hit another big boar the night before and Eric tracked it late that night and the next morning but he said the hog wasn't hit that bad judging by the distance and the hills the big black boar covered.
My hunting partner Westy is seen at the end of the video creeping in on a bobcat we shot. There are several things I learned from trapping as a kid, you keep an exit picked out when wading in on a wounded bobcat. This one turned out to be dead but the hissing and spitting before it died puckered up both us a wee bit. Westy lost the flip of my two headed quarter so I got offer my encouragement from afar.
Well, that didn't take long. Boone & Crockett just announced the new word record bull elk, taken by Denny Austad of Ammon Idaho on Monroe Mt. in Utah last fall. The jackals were not far behind with jealous and character coloring posts dripping from their sharp fangs.
The shameless lynch mob mentality is one reason I don't think I'd want to shoot or even tell anyone about killing a large buck or elk, or anything. All the clueless fools who come out afterward to take their potshots really annoy me. It reminds me of a neighbor in MO (Randy Simonitch), who snuck up on a large whitetail buck (190+ P&Y) in a beanfield with his bow and whacked it. Suddenly every wannabe on the hunting forums was claiming it was a sick deer, or it had been hit by a car. No one could sneak up on a buck like that in a bean field they ranted. Total BS since not ONE of them was there or even had a clue. One azzhat claimed beans never grow that high to pull off the sneak. Obviously, he hadn't walked in the beans in Lincoln county MO that fall because I had to lift my bow as I walked through the beans, they were so high.
"Buzzkillers" it what I call them. If you don't know the facts of the hunt how can you besmirch someone's name with baseless allegations and innuendo? Word is B&C curry combed everything about the hunt so they wouldn't end up with egg on their face. So the guy has some money and can buy some help on the hunt, I'd do it in a heartbeat if that is what I wanted and had the money. And let's not BS each other, so would many hunters. If they cheated and blocked roads or interfered with other hunters on this elk then the proof needs to brought forward and the bull DQed. Until then, some folks need to hold their venom and hate.
And finally, being a forum moderator we've had to pull some of the trash posts over this elk on our forum. Yeah, you're sposed to be welcome to post your opinions on hunting forums, but when you go over the line and trash someone with your nasty rumors and allegations it's not going to fly. Why would it? Would you like it if the shoe were on the other foot?
Rant off
P.S. Doyle Moss was the guide and videoed the hunt. Check Doyle's site MossBack Fever for the video release.
I first started varmint shooting as a kid. We would skip school, grab our varmint rifles (usually a .22) and head down to the local dump along the Missouri River bottom to shoot the plentiful rats that lived amongst the trash. The dump was a perfect shooting gallery, just like at the carnival. There were different levels and ranges that the furry critters would run back and forth on.
The first time I was slapped on the back for splattering a varmint I felt a tinge of guilt. The giggles and snickers when a rat's head went sailing off or the red mist flying out from a groundhog made me feel kind of bad too. Afterward I wondered if this was what got you into hell? The trigger time made us better riflemen but what was the price we would pay? When you get to the Pearly Gates is this one adventure that is recorded on the "Bad Side" in the ledger of your life?
Fast forward to today and I'm still zinging the varmints that need shooting. Depredation many call it, which means plundering; to pillage [Latin depraedare to pillage]. The ground squirrels here in California do tremendous damage to cattle and horses when they fall into the ground squirrel burrows. Heck, I've almost snapped a leg bone or two due to them dern "squeaks" and their tunnels they have everywhere.
I catch a lot of flack over the varmint shooting videos I post. Many are antihunters or antigunners who rant on with all kinds of name calling and foul language. I'm not so sure about some of the other comments, some may be just folks who drop in on the link not sure what the link is about and they are neither a hunter/shooter or an anti. Shooting animals and giggling about it must appear to be pretty callous to the uninformed. Would a caution or advisory about the varmints being pests before the video rolls help?
Am I going to hell?
One old friend offered another opinion on this catch 22 situation. While at the range during a media event where the outdoor writers were shooting ground squirrels he overheard one old scribe from the south offer that varmint shooting may not get you straight into hell, but you were darn sure to be getting a warm room for doing it.
Lord forgive me, I wonder if they make asbestos in 3XL?
I was deer hunting down San Diego way recently and spied this bobcat sneaking along the far open hillside. I squeaked out a couple "kisses of death" and the bobcat came up so close I finally had to put the camcorder down and shoo it away before it pounced on me.
I lost the creeping cat in the small camera viewfinder and had to pull my head off the camera to make sure where it went, I didn't want any surprises that included fangs and claws. The bobcat was actually stalking some California Valley quail in front of me in the chaparral. At one point he snuck right up to the bush the quail were in and flushed 2 of them. His leap and paw swipe are not on the video dad gummit, that shot must have come when I was wobbling the camera around trying to find the cat. That's probably why the cat isn't real interested in my squeaking, he wants a quail cheeseburger and I'm almost annoying him.
I didn't take a shot because the .300 winmag in my lap would have made a mess of the pelt. Time to get a combo gun maybe. A good western cat hide is bringing near $400 last time I checked.
Lots of smiles and high fives for the junior hunters again this year. There were 39 juniors, we were hoping for 50 but the rain may have kept some home. It turned out to be a nice day after an early morning rain, just a bit windy at times which made for some challenging shooting for the young hunters.
Huge thanks to the staff at San Jacinto WA, the volunteers who brought their dogs to point and retrieve the birds and everyone else who helped out to make it a great day for the next generation of hunters..
This was our D16 & G13 Mule Deer Hunt Opener in San Diego 2008 October 24-26. Rick (Westy) and I camped at Lake Henshaw Campground and hunted nearby.
Saturday's sunrise was warm with a slight wind. Several trucks parked near us and 17 vehicles went up above us. Saw 2 bucks checked in at the Henshaw Store at lunch. A nice 3x3 from Mike and a forkie for another guy, his first deer. They had to track the forkie for 3 hours and when they found it the butt was eaten out by coyotes and a cougar then chased the coyotes off it appeared and the cougar started in on the belly. They said there was cougar tracks around the dead deer and the belly was freshly opened up so it looked like they scared the cat off when they approached. The 3x3 had a separate 3rd main beam and the start of a drop tine. Their bellies were full of acorns. Nobody mentioned any bucks pushing does that I heard so the rut hasn't kicked in hard yet.
Saturday evening we crawled down into our same canyon from the morning and about 4pm WHAM!!! right below me, Westy popped a yearling doe that stood up and ran from her bed. Of course the canyon was straight down and Rick busted butt to get the small doe back across to the easier slope where we boned it out and hauled it up to the waiting truck.
Sunday morning Westy and I watched the same live oak ridges where he got his doe Saturday. I had one spike buck feed by me early around 8am. Later I saw a big bodied deer ghosting through the timber and when I put the binos on the deer to see what it was, it just disappeared. I figured the deer had bedded down so I waited a bit then slipped down the finger ridge toward the deer and then hooked around the knob where I last saw the deer. Then I sat down. Sure enough, up popped a big ole doe peeking around the knob where I had come from about 50 yards out. Had it been a buck I would have had a good shot. I love sneekin' and peekin' with deer.
I do honest reviews on gear, services and trips that are sometimes given free to JHO in compensation. I report the good AND bad from my perspective. Your mileage may vary.
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