In the last episode of Dialed in Diaries, you watched my brother and I backpack into the Colorado backcountry in search of mule deer. No deer were harmed in the making of that film, but my brother was unfortunately. This caused us to pull the plug and head home 5 days early. It was a bummer all the way around, but necessary. He was in no shape to trek into the area we were planning on going. 2 weeks later, I’d head back to Colorado with a good buddy and try my luck again, which lands us here, episode 4.
Alright! Hope you all liked the first chapter of Dialed in Diaries “Bear.” I had such a blast filming and putting all of that together. The fact that it all came together in the end after a slow hunt was icing on the cake for me. While I wish all of the great friends that were in camp were by my side helping me pack out that bear, it was still a hunt I’ll cherish. Plus, you all know how much I love bear hunting. I’ve got a big year planned for the bruins for 2021, hint hint…
At the close of one chapter there is an opening of the next. This next chapter is called “High Country Mule Deer.” I drew a tag in Colorado and was joined by my brother on the first half of the trip. High Country Mule Deer will be a 2 episode chapter and finds me in two different backcountry camps throughout it. Colorado is an incredible place, and while this hunt was a struggle, I had a blast.
I hope you enjoy the episode above as well as the ones to come. If you have not yet, please SUBSCRIBE to the Youtube Channel and blog to stay up to date with future posts! Thanks again and good luck out there!
Alright! As you saw in the first episode of Dialed in Diaries, spring bear was a ride on the struggle bus. While I did have an opportunity to shoot a small bear that came in to a call, it just didn’t feel right, so I let him walk and enjoy the rest of his spring. Maybe next year he’ll be ready. So, I left spring bear hunting without taking home a bear. This was a bummer, but also it excited me. Fall would be here in no time.
Fall bear camp has really become more about hanging out with buddies for me. It’s a time when we all break away from our busy lives at home, kick back, and try to do a bit of hunting. We don’t get to hang out nearly as much as we’d all like, so we cherish these times. Along with that mushy stuff, Fall bear is really where I learned how to bear hunt. It’s where I spent the majority of my time in my early years of hunting bruins. So, for me it’s a huge wave of nostalgia between buddies and Fall bear.
The first part of this trip was tough. Food for the bears was hard to locate as was water. We’re going through a severe drought here in Arizona. In all honesty, the bears were slim pickings when compared to years past. These were areas where I’d seen in upwards of 10 bears a day. Now, we were lucky if we’d see one. Which is exactly what happened during our trip. I saw one bear for all of about 2 seconds and a friend saw one the day before the opener at last light. That’s it.
After spending time with friends for 4 days, I was left to hunt alone the last day. It came down to the last evening of the last day for me. Check out episode 3 of Dialed in Diaries below to see how this all shook out!
The above episode concludes Chapter 1 of the series and I hope you all enjoyed it! Chapter 2 will be released on Monday December 7th over on my Youtube Channel. This will kick off my Colorado high country mule deer hunt. It was a grind in some gnarly country! Keep your eyes out for that one and thanks so much for all of the positive feedback you’ve given me. These episodes have been a pleasure to put together and I can’t wait to keep sharing the season with you as it progresses.
If I really had to nail down a favorite time of year, I’d have to say it’s the holidays. The air is cooler, we’re right in the middle of hunting seasons, the food is great, and more quality time is spent with friends and family. We look forward to it every year in my house and I still feel like a kid on Christmas morning at the ripe age of 34. As an avid hunter, I’m often asked by non-hunting significant others what gifts they should get for the hunter in their life. It can be tough not knowing a thing about this hunting stuff. So, I’ve put together a list of 2020 gear items that I think should be on anyone’s radar this holiday season. A 2020 Hunter Holiday Gift Guide!
Argali just recently came out with some killer new gear this past Fall for 2020. The Argali Carbon Knife and their game bags have become favorites among hunters since their release. Now, in addition to those, Argali has released 2 more knives, being the Argali Col Knife and the Argali Serac Knife. Both are made from S35VN steel, meaning that both will hold an edge extremely well. Minimalists will love the Col, as it comes in at 1 ounce. Despite its little to no weight, the Col still has the body to handle any big game out there, while staying razor sharp. It’s big brother, the Serac, will surely win the hearts of hunters across the country. The Serac is comparable to the Carbon Knife, but has a deeper bellied blade. This deeper belly will really shine when one starts skinning big game. In addition to the different blade shape, this knife also comes with a ferro rod striker that rests on the spine. A fantastic and unique feature that will help with lighting stoves and starting fires when the temps drop. The Serac will tip the scales at just 2.1 oz. On top of these new knives Argali also came out with some other new gear. A killer new branded on the Yeti Rambler coffee mug and Icon Nalgene water bottle.
Good arrow flight is paramount in bowhunting. An arrow needs to be straight and true in order to achieve this. Arrow spinners really are a great item for any bowhunter to have, especially if they are building their own arrows. Both an affordable and practical item.
There have certainly been times at the archery range when my hands get raw from pulling arrows out of targets. 3d shoots are especially when this happens and I know I’m not the only one. To squash this issue, consider picking up an arrow puller. You’ll get an even better grip on the arrow and save the meat on your hands in the process.
While we’re on the topic of arrows, here are some that deserve your attention. Day Six Gear has been making some positive noise out there with their HD line of arrow shafts. These aren’t your run of the mill arrows that one can buy at Wally World. These are truly quality arrows built for bowhunters by bowhunters and made to withstand the worst of conditions. They come in a variety of different spines ranging from 250 all the way to 500. Day Six Gear arrows are built to last. Their broadheads are another thing that should be on your radar. Put the arrows and broadheads together and you’ve essentially got a freight train with a knife on the front of it.
Let’s cap off this arrow conversation with an arrow rest built like a tank. The Hamskea Trinity Hunter Pro is tough enough to handle any hunt out there. Being limb driven, it’s easy to adjust, and doesn’t require a bow press. It also offers full containment, so your arrow doesn’t fall out of the rest on your stalk or while sitting in the stand. To make things even more personable for someone, Hamskea can put a custom engraving on the rest. Give the gift of reliability with one of these bad boys.
A few years back, a friend of mine and I were packing into a spot for deer here in Arizona. Along the way, he ended up taking a nasty spill down a rocky drainage. Luckily, he was okay. His bow sight though? That was a different story. That sight actually snapped like a twig and he suffered the consequences of having to head back to town and lose hunting time. Black Gold is what I’ve always shot in terms of bow sights and they’ve never let me down. It’s exceptional quality meets a no fuss warranty. That’s exactly what my buddy picked up and years later, he’s still a happy hunter. The Black Gold Pro Sight is a beast and surely one that will put a smile on the archery hunter’s face in your life.
Super ultralight meets warmth. First lite continues to impress year after year with more and more quality gear items. 2020 was no exception with a slough of new clothing available. One of the items that I’ve been loving is their new Brooks Down Vest. I’m a huge fan of the Brooks Down Sweater, but the vest brings things to a whole different level of ultralight packability. It’s made with 800 Fill 37.5 active down and has really helped my kit this season. This vest packs down so small, I can literally put it in my pocket!
Finding a good pair of boots can sometimes be a hair pulling experience. With all of our feet being different, on top of our particular experiences and needs, it’s just a tall order to recommend a boot. I’m gonna try though, so here it goes. This past season I’ve been running the Non-Insulated Crispi Briksdals. Last season I wore the Crispi Colorado and was super happy. The Briksdal has definitely won my heart though and has become my new favorite boot. Being a stiffer boot, they offer the support you need, especially when hunting in steep terrain. They come packed with everything an avid hunter needs from a boot. Check them out. I’m glad I did.
A backpack can make or break a hunt. So, getting a good one is an absolute must. I’ve been running Exo Mountain Gear backpacks for quite a few years now and don’t plan on switching any time soon. They’re rugged and can handle more weight than you can carry. Their 1800 daypack is a great addition to any hunter’s gear list. Because Exo’s frame works with all of their different bag sizes, you’re getting the same support and dependability no matter if you’re slinging the 4800 or this 1800 daypack. The 1800 carries everything you need and nothing that you don’t.
I’m a coffee drinker and if the hunter in your life is as well, listen up. Dark Timber Coffee has been putting a smile on my face in the backcountry for years and their Gravity Packs have become my favorite. This is a pour over system, so you’ll need to bring an extra cup besides the one with your stove. It’s easy to use, DELICIOUS, and puts the instant coffee in grocery stores to shame. There’s no reason to drink crap coffee on a hunt. Dark Timber has your back.
Sharp knives go a long way and being able to do it efficiently yourself goes even farther. The Worksharp Ken Onion Knife Sharpener has sent me on a knife sharpening mission throughout my house. Everything from my hunting knives to kitchen knives has been sharpened. This thing is so easy to use and it just plain works. Every time after I get home from processing an animal in the field, my knife hits this sharpener and in no time, it’s ready to rock for another adventure. This is another must have for hunters.
Who doesn’t love a new shaker or tumbler? Wilderness Athlete has got you covered with some killer new gear in this department. One of my favorites is the Multican 12 oz tumbler. There is a built in bottle opener on the bottom and it holds both cans and most bottles. These are a far stretch from those koozies of the past that faded and fell apart over time. With these, those days are gone, and looking much better.
When I was a kid, I used to hate getting clothing for Christmas. Nowadays, I quite like it! Vortex Optics has been rolling out with new apparel recently, and I’ve gotta say, this stuff is nice. Some of it is so nice, I joke and call them things like “my dad jacket.” Just because it looks more adult than my plain hoodies, haha. So give the gift of swag and represent a bad ass optics company in the process. You can use the code DIALED20 to save some coin on your order as well!
I know, I know. Shameless plug here though. The response I’ve gotten from my book, Becoming a Backpack Hunter, has been overwhelmingly positive. Thank you so much to anyone that has picked up a copy and it means more than you know that you’d take the time to read my scribblings. If there is someone in your life that’s been knocking around the idea of getting into backpack hunting, give the gift of knowledge. This book is a beginner’s guide to hunting the backcountry and one that will lay a path for any beginner out there. So, not only will you give the gift of knowledge, but also the one of adventure.
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For the past 6 months or so, I’ve been working on a new video series. I wanted to create something that documented my hunting season beyond just vlogging. Something more is what I was looking for. A series that explored my season past that of just the hunting part. As a writer, I thought there was no better way to do this than through a diary in film format, hence the name Dialed in Diaries.
My hunting seasons will be split up into chapters, with each chapter representing a different hunt. Within each on of those chapters, there will be episodes that take one along my journey. The number of episodes will vary from hunt to hunt.
In this first chapter, “Bear,” there are 2 episodes. One that walks through my Spring bear season with the next following up with Fall bear here in Arizona. It was a doozy and a hunt I won’t soon forget.
Thanks so much for checking this out and I really hope you enjoyed it. I sure enjoy putting them together. If you did like the video, be sure to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube Channel and blog to stay up to date with future posts! Episode 2 we be published November 15th 2020. Stay tuned!
This year(2020) I was fortunate enough to draw a spring bear tag right here in Arizona. That hunt has long passed and spring bear is now but a memory. During the hunt though, I placed a few trail cameras out. I never did get a chance to check those bad boys during the heat of the season. There was actually a National Forest closure, due to fire danger. It was a bummer to say the least, but I get it. Now, that we are out of those weeds, I decided to go and do a trail camera pull! I was so pumped to see what was lurking around the area while I was gone.
On my way into check these cameras, I kept finding piles of bear scat. These certainly weren’t here when I was actually hunting earlier in the year. I just knew that I was going to have bears on camera, and turned out I was right. Every camera I had out had bears hitting the water there. Some really cool ones too. There was a blonde bear that I had a close call on while hunting that showed up, a mean looking solid boar, and quite a few other ones as well with some cool colors. It’s always fun getting bears on camera!
Another thing was the lions! I had a lion or lions on each camera as well. In fact, I had 3 lions in one picture! I’ve never caught that before and my jaw dropped when I saw it on the screen.
You’ll notice in the video below that there’s a bear named “Latch Breaker.” Upon my arrival at one of the cameras, I noticed that the latch was open. Well, I thought it was open. Turned out, it was actually broken. The bear snapped it right off. These bears are always so curious, which is why normally my cameras are in lockboxes. This one wasn’t and suffered the consequences!
Another funny thing that happened was the loss of my bungee cord. If you remember in a video that I did earlier in the season, one of these cameras was held up by rope and a bungee cord. Well, when I got there a few weeks ago, the bungee cord was missing! I looked all over that little drainage and couldn’t turn it up. Bear must have gotten a present for itself, haha!
On a side note, I’ve been super happy with these Stealth Cams that I recently picked up. They’re affordable, super easy to use, and take good pictures.
If you enjoyed the video, be sure to SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube channel and blog to stay up to date with future content! Going through these photos, I absolutely cannot wait until next spring bear season. Until then though, I’ve got a late archery bull elk tag for November 2020. Be sure to keep your eyes out for content surrounding that. It’s going to be the first time my brother and I ever have elk tags together. For that, I am beyond excited!
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January in Arizona is one of my favorite times of year. The weather is incredible, the holiday vibes are still in the air, and coues deer are rutting their tails off. Oh, and it’s also archery hunting season.
Just this past January I was joined in camp by some great folks who were new to this whole thing. We had a blast and I can’t wait for them to come back. A couple of Idaho boys that I can’t wait to hunt with again. Some folks just click and that’s what happened in deer camp. They had never experienced coues deer hunting and it was a pleasure showing them the ropes. Coues are an animal that I have come to hold so dear over the years, but it wasn’t always like that.
Which lands us here. This short film called “Looking Up” is about not only how I came to start hunting coues deer, but it’s also about the incredible landscape that is Arizona, the place that I am lucky enough to call home. And between all of that a relationship has blossomed. The landscape, a magical little deer, and a curious kid that had never even seen a mountain before stepping into the desert.
Thanks so much for watching! Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube to stay up to date with future videos.
I’d love to hear about your coues experiences down below. How did you start hunting them? What season? Bow or rifle? These deer are really something else and it is an absolute privilege to live in a state that they call home. Rifle coues deer seasons are right around the corner. Good luck to everyone out there and I hope you find what you’re looking for. Whether that’s a giant buck or simply a good time around a campfire.
Coues deer are a special little deer that have a way of capturing the hearts of hunters. This is the story of how that very thing happened to me years ago. Since I started hunting them on accident as a kid, they’ve ingrained themselves in me for the long haul. From many failed attempts to simply watching them do their thing, they captivated me. Coues Deer are found in Mexico, a little in New Mexico, and my home state of Arizona. It’s a privilege to live in a state where I get to see and hunt them as often as I do.
The full film will be covering how I started hunting coues, my struggles through the years of doing so, the Arizona landscape, and then underneath all of that is an actual archery coues hunt. The hunt took place earlier this year in January. It turned out to be a great time with good friends.
You can look for the full film to be released on my Youtube Channel October 4th! Don’t forget to hit SUBSCRIBE to stay up to date with future posts and videos. I’d also love to know how you got started hunting coues deer! It’s always nice hearing stories from likeminded folks. Drop them below in the comments!
Another year, another gear list! I was lucky enough to draw another high country mule deer tag in Colorado this year. This will be a backcountry archery hunt for 10 days above treeline! Last year was the first year that I had ever done a high country mule deer hunt and I got absolutely hooked on it. So, the fact that I get to return this year is causing anticipation to shoot through the roof.
Backcountry shelters always bring up great conversation. Everyone has their own do’s and don’ts surrounding the topic. These are really a reflection of that hunter’s personal style, where they hunt, and what they’re willing to deal with. Some are minimalists and some want more comfort and livability. No matter where you might fall in the equation, backcountry shelters is what we’re going to be chatting about today!
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