Here is a short film of my 2019 archery deer/javelina hunt with my brother here in Arizona. Our December/January archery deer season here in Arizona is a hunt that has skyrocketed to the top of my favorites. The weather is generally great, the deer are rutting, and it’s just a phenomenal time to be out in the mountains here. The tags are over the counter and if you play your cards right, you can draw an archery javelina tag and be hunting them and rutting coues and mule deer at the same time! A great excuse to get off of the couch in the month of January! Each year my brother and I look forward to backpacking into some of our favorite units to chase deer with our bows and soak up that backcountry experience we long for. This hunt was a wild ride and one that I will never forget. You can read about it in depth at a few recent posts called 2019 January Archery Deer and Javelina Hunt (Part 1) and 2019 January Archery Deer and Javelina Hunt (Part 2) Hope you like it! I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below!
If you read about my elk hunt from this past September, you already know how much of a grind it was for me. The toughest hunt mentally I have ever done. 14 days straight in the field with more ups and downs than a roller coaster. It was a humbling experience to say the least and I am so glad that I had the privilege of going through it. Below is the video of that very hunt and a constant reminder for me that I will never have it all sewn up. Follow along with my brother Jake and I as we chase elk in our home state of Arizona. Enjoy the video!
What a whirlwind it was. Hunting season is over and I am left salivating in anticipation of the next. Right now is the time of year that I really like to focus on my gear list. I like looking back on the things that I used the most, and recognizing the things I didn’t use much at all. Each year that goes by, it seems that I lose a gear item here and there that didn’t make the cut. So, I thought it would be cool to lay out for you the Top 6 gear items I don’t leave home without. This isn’t going to be obvious items like my bow, pack, survival gear, or a first aid kit. These are going to simply be items that I find myself grateful for having with me out there. Without further ado…
I have gotten asked quite a bit lately about HOW I actually go about packing my backpack for a backcountry hunt. Where I am putting certain pieces of gear, how I am putting them in the pack, and why. I thought the absolute best way to convey this was with a video! Now, there are way more ways to pack for the backcountry than what I show you here. This is just what has worked for me over the years, so don’t feel like they are hard set rules. That is one of the beauties of backpack hunting. It’s all on you. After you spend more and more time in the backcountry, you will find out what works best for you and your specific style of hunting. Maybe, you like to bring an ultralight chair with you? Awesome! More power to you! Luxury comes with a price though and it is paid in weight. I wouldn’t consider my system a super ultralight kit, but it is getting there. I do enjoy things like an actual tent back there, rather than a bivy sack. You might be different and that it totally fine.
In this day and age that we live in, we have so many resources at our fingertips. Anything that you want to know is likely only a few taps or clicks away. The information is almost endless, and I love it. For us hunters, there is no shortage of captivating content to fuel our passion. Throughout that content a word that you might hear over and over again, is “backcountry.” It has become more and more popular as time has gone on and is now a regular part of many hunters’ vernacular. The world of “backcountry” hunting is a growing one. People want to feel and experience the adventure that it holds. So, what does it mean? What is the “backcountry?”
So, it began, or I should say continued. Another backpack hunt lay in front of us. This particular area has held a meaningful part in my heart for years. It is where I took my first archery deer and a place I have spent a good portion of my Dec/Jan archery deer seasons in the past. What the next few days would hold, we did not know. I did know that we would have a great time though chasing rutting bucks. On top of that, I had been seeing a herd of javelina regularly in the area. Lucky for us, Jake had a tag in his pocket.
January in Arizona has become a time of year that I cherish to the upmost. While everyone else around the country is reflecting on their past fall hunting seasons and warming themselves by a fire, I am usually out hiking around with a camp on my back in search of rutting bucks. The weather is beautiful, the deer are moving, and it’s just a great time to be out and about in our Arizona desert. My brother Jake and I usually take the first week or so in January to chase mule deer and coues deer with our bows. This year though, Jake drew an archery javelina tag, so that was on the menu as well. 8 days of backcountry hunting was in front of us and our arms were wide open.
As I sit here and write this, most of the year is in the rear view mirror and 2019 is looming in the distance ahead. Another year gone and another one upon us, just like that. Looking back at the past year, I am so proud of what I and the ones I love accomplished. I succeeded in harvesting my first archery black bear. Something that I have been working towards for years. My wife has been full time with her photography business (http://www.pmaphotography.com) for a full year. Watching her quit her job and lay it on the line is nothing short of inspiring to me to chase my goals.
When this comes out, our archery deer seasons here in Arizona will have started. This is definitely one of my favorite hunts of the year and a time where I get to spend a great deal of time backpack hunting here in the desert. Chasing rutting mule deer and coues deer with a bow is a perfect way to spend the month of January if you ask me. So, right now my brain is going a mile a minute trying to decide where I want to go, planning scouting trips, researching water, etc. The feelings that we have before a hunt can sometimes drive one mad. We relive moments of past hunts over and over again in our minds and inevitably head into our seasons with those experiences almost expected. The expectations of a future hunt does indeed motivate us and fuel the fire, but it can also work against us.
I recently did a flight test video comparing the flight of a Grim Reaper Micro Hades Pro 125 grain broadhead to that of a 125 grain Field Point. I was both surprised and excited about the results. This was not only my first time ever shooting this broadhead, but shooting a fixed blade broadhead in general. I’ve always used a Grave Digger Broadhead, which is a hybrid head. I started shooting at 40 yards and then eventually backed up to 80 yards. Each time shooting a group with my field points and then a group with the broadheads. Give it a look and let me know what you think down below!
Pick up some Grim Reaper Micro Hades Pro broadheads at the link below!
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