Next stop at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah was FHF Gear. I’ve used the FHF Gear Bino Harness for quite a few years. You can find a review I did HERE. While newer models have come out since then with minor changes, the overall concept remains the same. A no guff, low profile, and easy to use harness to hold your binoculars. There are also several attachments that one can add on as well, such as a rangefinder pouch, GPS pouch, and bear spray holster to name a few. They don’t just stop at hunting though. Fishing gear is also part of their lineup.
In this video, owner and founder Paul Lewis goes through what FHF Gear has in store for 2020. One of the coolest things that stood out to me was the orange panel they are offering. This can be used as a stuff sack to store a jacket, a cushion seat, or something to throw over those antlers on the way out of the mountains. Enjoy!
Boom! Hope you all are enjoying these quick little gear videos I grabbed from the show. To learn more about FHF Gear you can visit www.fhfgear.com. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube Channel and blog to stay up to date with future posts! Thanks for watching and until next time, shoot straight and be safe out there!
Got another gear video from the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah! Late last year, Exo Mountain Gear came out with their new 1800 day pack. I’ve really enjoyed this minimalist backpack in the few months I’ve used it. Recently, I had it out on a javelina hunt, and I’ve been using it for short day scouting trips. It really does hold everything you need and nothing that you don’t. You can check out a video of how I personally pack this backpack for the javelina hunt I linked above. You’ll see a layout of the pack and exactly what I am putting and where. Of course I had to stop by the Exo booth at the show to get a rundown from the company. Jake from Exo Mountain Gear runs through their whole new 1800 pack and gives insight into pricing and other options with the K3 pack system. This isn’t a piece of gear you should sleep on!
I really hope you’ve been enjoying these gear videos I grabbed from the Expo! I sure did enjoy chatting with everyone. Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the Youtube channel and blog to stay up to date with all of my future posts! Thanks for watching and good hunting out there. I’ve been currently out scouting for a spring bear hunt coming up here shortly in Arizona. Tick tock! Before we know it, hunting season is going to be here and this whole thing is going to start over again.
If you’re anything like me, you spent quite a bit of time as a youngster, and even an adult, consuming hunting media. Watching others embark on adventures around the world, doing something that we love is just downright inspiring. It pushes us to chase our dreams out in the mountains. As I got older, documenting such adventures became more and more appealing to me. Not so that I could be like the TV personalities I’d watched as a kid, but to simply have something to look back on. Something that I could share with my future kids and grand kids. “See? Your Dad used to do some pretty cool stuff.”
Carrying a DSLR or mirrorless camera around is hard work though. It just is. They are cumbersome and can be a distraction from the whole hunt, especially if you’re filming alone. GoPros revolutionized this and made it simple for us to strap a camera on our head or bow and go. All the while, we are capturing quality footage with just a push of a button. What if I told you that there was a camera specifically made for this? A GoPro made for hunting. Something made by folks who are like minded. The company is TACTACAM and their 5.0 camera is built for us hunters.
First Lite is a brand that I’ve followed for years. I remember when they only had 3 things. That’s quite funny to think about nowadays as they’ve grown so much through the years and evolved into a powerhouse of high quality, technologically advanced hunting clothing. They were absolutely at the top of my mind when it came to booths to visit at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo for 2020. After hearing everything that they had to offer, I am pretty dang stoked for this year! A few key items that stuck out to me were the new and improved Uncompahgre Puffy jacket and Brooks Down vest. The original Uncompahgre is one of my all time favorite First Lite pieces and has stood the test of time. The Brooks Down Sweater from last year was so crazy light it was frightening. With that being said the warmth to weight ratio was off extremely impressive. Losing even more weight with the vest version, is gonna be next level. Check out the video below!
Boom! There ya have it! Another video from the Hunt Expo. I’m really enjoying putting these out for everyone to see. It was so cool getting check out all of the new gear coming out as well as getting first hand knowledge about it from the company. You can expect more videos coming down the road! Keep your eyes out! Thanks for watching and don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the Youtube and Blog to stay up to date with future posts!
I just got back from the Western Hunting Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah! Man, we saw some awesome products, made new friends, and overall had a blast. Through that time, I had the pleasure of interviewing a few companies that I personally work with. They go through what they have available and even some insight into what 2020 has in store. Argali was top of mind as far as 2020 goes, so that’s what you’ll find below. You can also check out reviews that I’ve done on both the Argali Carbon Knife and the Argali High Country Bags. I’ve been using both of those pieces all Fall and have really enjoyed it! Here’s a short video of owner Brad Brooks going through what 2020 looks like for Argali. Enjoy!
This story starts a few years back. I never really had the urge to hunt mule deer above timberline. Elk were always the animal that grabbed my attention, and the reason I went on my first out of state hunt to begin with. That hunt brought me to Colorado. A 10 day backpack hunt that was filled with some potent memories. Some of them were pretty hard to swallow. During that hunt we saw multiple big velvet mule deer and I think that’s when they caught my attention. On top of having to backpack for these high country bucks to get above timberline, there was something magical about seeing those velvet antlers float across a bed of wildflowers. It was entrancing and screamed adventure hunting. After a few years drooling over watching others success, I decided 2019 was the year of high country mule deer.
Spring Hunting Season 2020 is here and it has been one heck of a January! The first hunt of the year took me to southern Arizona in pursuit of javelina with my bow. I just love chasing these interesting little critters this time of year. The weather is fantastic, bucks are rutting, and javelina are absolutely tailor made for archery hunting. This is a great hunt to put on your radar!
On this hunt I was joined by my brother Jake and good friend Gabe. Hunting alone is something that I’ve truly grown to love over the years, but having good hunting partners goes a long way. The vibe was awesome the whole day and the jokes were flowing like a strong spring runoff. We spotted deer on and off the whole day, but never could make anything happen with them.
At 2 p.m., just as we were about to make ourselves a nice satisfying lunch, my brother spotted a herd of javelina not far off. In a mad dash, we threw our food back in our packs and cut the distance on them. Before we knew it, we were a mere 80 yards from them. I dropped my pack and left Jake and Gabe on camera duty. They did a great job and I can’t wait to hear what you all think of the video! After a short stalk, I was able to arrow a javelina at 30 yards broadside. 10 yards later the animal lay motionless. A quick and clean kill. So, here it is. Spring Hunting Season – Episode 1. Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my Youtube channel if you like what you see. Enjoy!
In the coming months, I’ll be continuing this video series as I start to scout for black bears here in Arizona. I drew an archery spring bear hunt this year, and can’t wait to get out to have a look around. If you know anything about me, you know I love bowhunting and black bears. Put the two together and I’m a happy hunter! I’ll be trying to document my progress as much as possible. Backcountry hunts are planned, trail camera adventures, and hopefully a big Arizona Black Bear with my tag wrapped around it! This is gonna be fun and I can’t wait to share the journey.
On top of this new series, I’ll also be trying to write up some of my hunts from 2019. Forgive me for the delay. Of course I’ll also be on the lookout for new gear items to review as well. I’ll be heading to the Western Hunting Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah coming up here next week, so I’ll have my eyes peeled for new toys. I’m hoping to bring you all some coverage from that event as well. 2020 is here. Let’s make it a good one!
Just recently, Exo Mountain Gear came out with their new 1800 day pack model for the new K3 frame that they introduced last year. If you aren’t familiar with the new K3 system or other bags that they offer, head on over to the review and comparison I did of the K3 4800 bag HERE. Their new 1800 bag is exactly what it sounds like really. A bomber day pack that can still handle packing out elk quarters, due to the universal frame that Exo Mountain Gear offers.
I’ve never been much of a day pack kind of guy, but I’ve gotta admit, this little pack has grown on me a bit. It’s everything you need and nothing that you don’t. So far I’ve used it on multiple archery deer hunts and javelina hunts down here in Arizona. I even got to pack out a javelina with it! Pretty awesome.
Something that I dig about this pack is that it really makes you question what you do or don’t need. Sometimes, things can build up in my backpack and honestly get lost from time to time. It’s nice saying to myself, “actually I don’t need this at all for a day hunt.”
The 1800 bag is compatible with the K3 frame, as is all of the new bags. That’s one of the cool things about this system. I’ll likely use the day pack for quick scouting trips and placing trail cams. Once it comes time to pack in, I’ll just swap the 1800 out for the 4800 and get to the trail. A handy system every day of the week.
Something to note, is that this pack doesn’t come with a lid. Exo does offer straps that one can attach to the 1800 to use a lid from another K3 bag. This is exactly what I did, and it worked out swimmingly. There are two small loops that are located under each side stretchy pocket of the pack. That is what the extra straps attach to from the lid.
The layout of this new 1800 day pack is simple. You’ve got one main compartment in the middle of the pack, two side pockets, two stretchy side pouches(water bottle), and a small little stash pocket on the backside of the horseshoe panel. One of the side pouches is slightly longer than the other, and is perfect for housing a 65mm spotting scope. The other isn’t quite as long and I use it for carrying an extra release and medical kit. Just like on the other K3 bags, there is also a waterproof pouch to hold your water bladder. That’s it. Easy peasy.
Here, I go through the layout of the pack and how I personally am packing it for an upcoming hunt. If you like the video, please SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube Channel for future content!
For a quick trip on the mountain, or even around hiking trails in town, this new day pack is perfect fit for the bill. I’ll absolutely be using it this coming spring bear season in Arizona as I scout out new areas and place trail cameras. For more information on this pack and others visit www.exomtngear.com.
To keep the ball rolling on the Fall Hunting Season video series, we land at an elk hunt I recently went on. My Dad drew a late rifle bull tag here in Arizona, and we couldn’t wait to get out there to get a look at some bulls. This hunt takes place in an area that is very near and dear to our hearts, so getting to hunt elk here was pretty special for us. Episode 5 of this series has more snow than we’ve ever hunted in for sure! It was a winter wonderland out there. We got in the field the day after a huge snow storm blew through northern Arizona. It was the perfect recipe for good elk hunting. The day before we hunted, my Dad and Brother actually arrived to their tent completely covered. It had broken and collapsed beneath the snow. That’s not something us desert folks deal with often. Besides all of that, our Dad was able to harvest his first elk ever! A huge thank you goes out to who came and helped us pack the bull out through the frozen night. You know who you are. Here it is! Episode 5 of my Fall Hunting Season. Enjoy!
Man, what a cool hunt! Getting to watch our Dad harvest his first elk was pretty memorable. This is going to be the last episode in this series. With the new year started up though, I’m sure I’ll put together more of these for 2020. If you like the videos, I’d super appreciate if you took the time to subscribe to the blog and my YouTube Channel to stay up to date with future posts. I’ll be trying to put out much more video content. Until then though, Happy New Year!
Smart homes, smart TV’s, smartphones, oh my! Yeah, the day and age we are living in is riddled with new technology at every turn. This smart technology that was once something many of us only dreamed about, is now a part of our every day life. It’s our new normal. And while I think there needs to be a balance that we hold between this technology and the real world, I can’t deny that some of this stuff is pretty cool. Each day that goes by there are more and more smart(fill in the blank). One of those items are watches. These smartwatches are showing up on more wrists each turn of the clock. It’s for good reason, as they are super handy. They do all sorts of cool stuff. Track your fitness, send and receive texts/emails, have GPS features, play music, tell time(duh), and much much more. Surely, these are too delicate for the hunting woods though right? I’d say that most of them are. That’s where the Garmin Fenix 5x Plus comes in though. A watch that can handle backcountry hunting and assist in it along the way with it’s mapping/GPS technology. I’ve been putting it through the paces for the past 6 months or so and have some thoughts.
Copyright 2019 Dialed In Hunter
Design by NXNW.
