A quality headlamp is 100% non-negotiable for me. When the lights go out in the backcountry, the lights go out. I don’t know about you, but last I checked, my night vision was far from that of a cat’s. Late last Fall I got my hands on the Vizz from Princeton Tec. I’ve used the same headlamp for quite a few years, but there were a few things about the Vizz that caught my attention. With big shoes to fill, time would tell if the Vizz would stay in my backpack or get left at home.
Backcountry shelters are one of those things that I try and constantly pay attention to in terms of what’s available year after year. It’s one of the main items we carry on hunts and one of the biggest/heaviest in our packs. So, if I can find something that gives me a slight edge without compromising performance, I’m all ears. The new Rincon 2p tent from Argali had my attention since the day I found out about it and after a few hunts under my belt with it, I’m happy to say my assumptions were correct.
New year, new bow! I just recently picked up the brand new for 2022 PSE EVO XF 33 and man, it’s a shooter. Each year that goes by, I am always curious how companies progress and how they can make what’s better even more better. Last year I shot the PSE Xpedite NXT and said more than once that it was my favorite bow. After spending the last few weeks with the new XF though, that statement might change to “one of my favorite bows.”
Another year has flown by. It’s crazy how fast the months end up in the rearview mirror sooner than later. You know what they say though. Time flies when you’re having fun, and I’ve had a boat load of it this year. From chasing Arizona coues in January to Idaho elk in September, this year has been jam packed with adventure. Throughout that time, I’ve been fortunate to bring along some remarkable gear. Stuff that has made life easier and some that I just flat out am psyched about. So, in light of that I’m going to run through my top 12 favorite gear items I’ve used throughout 2021. I figure, it’s December, so why not 12 items to reflect the month? Keep in mind most of these did not come out in 2021, but I did in fact use them in 2021. This is going to be a 2 PART series, so stay tuned!
I was probably about 12 years old or so. My Dad and I were getting ready to go on a deer hunt here in Arizona and were sitting in the parking lot of the rifle range until it opened. Not too long before that he bought me my first rifle. A 30-30 lever action. On top was a rifle scope I can’t even recall. That was ok though, because we were going hunting. I just had to get this thing sighted in. What I thought would be a quick process ended up not being quick at all and I even got “scoped” in the process. It was that damn scope. Hard to look through, hard to find the right eye relief, and wasn’t “easy on the eye.” Fast forward 20+ years and things are different. Much different. The new Vortex Razor LHT 4.5-22×50 is on another planet when compared to that first nameless scope. I had a chance to test this beast of a scope recently and have some thoughts. Let’s take a closer look at this new Razor LHT from Vortex.
We are smack dab in the middle of spring bear season right now! I’ve been out a ton having a blast chasing these shadow walkers around some pretty breathtaking country. While I love spring hunting seasons, the time between now and August is essentially our planning and prepping time for fall hunting seasons. So, having all of our ducks in a row in terms of gear is high on the list of importance. A key kit in everyone’s backpack is a good kill kit. The bag of tricks that’s going to allow one to process their harvest right out in the field and get to back to the vehicle. Here, I’m going to show you what I’m carrying in my kill kit for the 2021 hunting season.
Water filters! There are a ton of them on the market and I’ve used all different styles of them. From pumps and UV pens to gravity fed, they’ve been in my backpack for various hunts across the west. I’ve found that picking the best one more comes down to the individual trip itself. Here in Arizona, I prefer to use a pump, just because sometimes I’ve got to filter water out of pretty small seeps and other filters would fall short here.
On a recent Idaho spring bear hunt, I didn’t know what the water situation was going to be like, so I opted to bring my trusty Katadyn Hiker Pro. It’s a pump filter that I’ve really come to love over the years. The Hiker Pro is super easy to use, reliable, and packs away small for future use. On top of that though, there are some attachments that come with the filter that make life so much easier! In the video down below, I go through what those are and how to use them. These things make all the difference in the world and allow one to not have to juggle holding the hose, bottle/bladder, and making sure nothing spills.
Thanks so much for watching! The simple attachments talked about above have truly made things go by much more smoothly for me on my hunts. I’ve been the guy doing the juggling in the field and having to ask someone else to help with filtering. With this system, there’s no help needed. If you’ve got any questions on this filter or anything else backcountry hunting related, feel free to send me an email. I love chatting with likeminded folks.
Also, please be sure to subscribe to the Youtube and blog to stay up to date with all future posts and videos! I’ve got quite a bit of hunting content coming down the pipe later this year, so keep your eyes out for that! Until then though, best of luck in the field, and stay safe out there.
There is nothing quite like spring bear season. The mountains are coming alive with green grass, flowing water, and of course black bears roaming their hillsides. Weather is usually pretty dang nice too with an occasional storm passing through. All in all, it’s an epic time of year to be out, and one of my absolute favorites. I’ve been out quite a bit living in the dirt the past few months in search of spring bears having a blast along the way. In light of that, I thought it’d be cool to run through my backcountry hunting system I’m using for these trips. In the past few months I’ve hunted AZ twice and Idaho once. Both states were backpack hunts and both gear lists are almost identical.
Watch down below as I literally pull everything out of my backpack on a backcountry hunting trips for spring bear in Arizona. I show you what I’m carrying, why I’m carrying it, and also go through why I’m putting it where I am in my backpack.
If you haven’t already, please subscribe to both the Youtube Channel and blog to stay up to date with future posts and videos. As always, thanks so much for watching, and look forward to more videos and articles in the future. Until then though, I’ve got some more spring bear hunting to do here in my home state of Arizona. Just a few weeks ago, I helped my buddy Eric kill his first bear ever here and I ended up seeing the biggest bear I’ve ever seen. My dream bear. Now, it’s my turn and I can’t wait to head back out with my bow in search of him. Good luck out there in bear country!
If you have any questions regarding the gear or spring bear hunting in general, feel free to send me an email. I’m always happy to chat with likeminded folks.
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Early spring is approaching and sooner than later hunting seasons are going to start up again in full force. Like many of you out there, I’ve been trying to dial in my eating and fitness for the coming events. With spring bear hunts in my near future, I want to make sure that I’m feeling my best and performing to my fullest. In the past, this would mean going on a clean eating diet and spending a hefty amount of time in the gym. With the new world we are living in now, the gym isn’t really in the cards for me. So, when I caught word of the 28 day reboot from Wilderness Athlete, my ears perked up. It was a program that laid out diet, grocery lists, and gym/home workouts. Could this be the perfect reboot for hunting season? Time would tell.
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