Years ago I looked at bowhunting as this thing that would never really yield success. It was more of an experience and an excuse to get outside. That was back when I was really getting into this whole hunting thing. For me, rifle hunting was what I’d focus on in terms of success. Hunting with a rifle just seemed like the right thing to do at the time, and looking back it was. Rifle hunting is a great way to introduce someone into big game hunting. The chances of success are much greater. I feel as if it can also act like a vessel to guide one through certain experiences. With the low success rates of bowhunting, it’s kind of hard for a newb to get proficient at butchering animals. It’s also hard to get practice shooting at live critters. All of these things take time. With that time though, my perspective on the matter changed slightly. Why I prefer bowhunting over rifle hunting is something that came to me through years of experience.
After just getting back from my high country mule deer hunt in Colorado, I thought it would be cool to put together a video of the gear that I brought with me on this hunt. I did this before leaving actually and the only item that I switched out from the photo is the spotting scope. Instead of the 11-33×50 Vortex Razor, I went with the 22-48×65 Vortex Razor. That extra reach with the glass was much appreciated in the big high country that is Colorado. In the video, I also forgot to mention my Garmin Inreach Explorer+. That is something that I never leave home without as far as hunting is concerned. Other than that, I hope you enjoy! As always, if you have any questions, feel free to drop them below! High country mule deer is definitely something that I am now addicted to! Good luck to those still out there in the field!
Just a few items that I want to mention after being in the field with them were the Argali Carbon Knife, Exo Mountain Gear 4800 Pack, and the Nemo x First Lite Recurve 2p Tent. Each one of these items stood out to me after vigorous in the field testing. The Argali Carbon Knife has proved its weight in gold after going through 2 bears and a mule deer. Feels fantastic in the hand and holds an edge like a champ. The new Exo Mountain Gear 4800 did not disappoint in the least bit. We packed out my buck and camp through the dark. That was the easiest 80-90 pounds I have ever carried. Can’t wait to load it up again! Lastly, the Nemo x First Lite Recurve 2p tent was something I was worried about it. I even mention that in the video. After spending almost a week in it, my worries cease to exist. This shelter is as light as light can get for a 2p tent and offers plenty of room inside for livability. That won’t be the last time I use it.
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The end of the month is finally here! I can’t believe this 6 month dieting journey is over. It has been a long time coming and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everyone that reached out with tips along the way. Whether that was in the form of recipes or just letting me know about your overall experience, thank you. The Paleo Diet is over and I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t excited about it. Not because of the diet itself. That has been great. But because of the dieting experience as a whole this last 6 months. Not a regret exists though on my end. So, let’s talk Paleo Diet. What did I like? What did I not like? How was backpack hunting on the paleo diet? Here we go!
Let’s start off with what I liked about Paleo. Right when I started down the path of Paleo, I wasn’t too worried at all. It sounded like a slightly more restricted version of clean eating, which I did great on, and remains my favorite out of the diets that I tried. So, in that regard, I thought the Paleo Diet was great just from a livability standpoint. This stuff isn’t that hard at all to incorporate into your daily life, which is huge for me. Sometimes, we are on the go and need something quick. With some forethought, Paleo does the trick just fine. Quick snacks and or meals that I would resort to were Banana Chia Pudding for breakfast, smoothies, and maybe an apple with almond butter. Dinner was super easy as well and fit well along with what my wife would happen to be eating that night. For instance, if she was eating spaghetti, I’d make zoodles and venison meatballs. The translation was fairly smooth.
I didn’t experience a ton of weight loss during the Paleo Diet, but I also lost quite a bit from eating clean. There wasn’t a whole lot for me to drop at that point. I lost a few pounds on Paleo, but nothing to go crazy about. Something that was great though was how I felt. It was fairly identical to how I felt eating clean. Great energy levels, no stomach issues, and zero constipation. Keto left me constipated.
Another thing that has really been consistent throughout this whole experience was how these diets made me get out of my comfort zone of food. They required me to try new foods and new recipes which was both fun and eye opening. The Paleo diet was no exception here. My favorite dish that came out of it was Venison stir fry with cauliflower rice and broccoli. MY GOODNESS. This will remain in constant rotation in my house, except I will likely use brown rice instead of cauliflower rice.
This section won’t be super long at all, because I was quite pleased with Paleo. There were some minor things that stuck out to me. The first was the inconsistency of information within the Paleo community. Some people consider certain things Paleo, while others don’t. That was frustrating when trying to figure out what to eat. Sweet potatoes were one of those items that some ate, and some didn’t. I chose to eat them, because it just worked better for me. Not a ton was incorporated, but I did use them in some recipes throughout the month. There is a such thing as “modified paleo.” I don’t entirely understand how that is. From what I gathered it was basically clean eating. So, why call it paleo? Call it what it is.
Of course another thing that was a pain, which has been consistent with all of these diets, was family events. When we would attend these, I would have to eat beforehand and not enjoy any of the food that our families prepared. That was a bummer. We ate out here and there, but it could only be at certain places. One of our favorites is Chipotle. Here, I would get a salad with double meat, fajitas, mild salsa, and guacamole. Not bad, but definitely not the same.
I was fortunate enough to take the paleo diet into the field with me a few times. One of those times was a backcountry mule deer hunt to Utah. For the most part, I wasn’t too worried about this. Many of the foods that I already bring with my on hunts are actually paleo diet friendly. Stuff like almond butters, RX Bars, Epic Bars, etc. Breakfast and snacks throughout the day were a snap. It was dinner that left me super unsatisfied. I opted to go with Wild Zora for both breakfast and dinner. Breakfast was great. No complaints there. The Cliffside Coconut Berry is awesome for breakfast. Dinner though? Not the greatest. They were filling, yes, but incredibly bland in my opinion. Of course you could absolutely pack in some seasoning or something to alleviate this. The better option though is to just make your own dinners at home and dehydrate them. That way you know you are getting a nice home cooked meal that is something to look forward to. Backpack hunting is hard enough as it is. Having a nice and satisfying meal at the end of a long day is super important to me.
Another thing that was crucial for my backcountry experience was Wilderness Athlete Hydrate and Recover Paleo(ish). Just in general, hydrate and recover from Wilderness Athlete is something that I bring into the field with me on all of my trips. These hunts are physically demanding and recovery is huge back there. Being able to get up day after day and grind over and over again is the name of the game. We beat ourselves up on these trips, so taking care of our bodies needs to be on our radar. My brother didn’t take this stuff on this particular trip and he was in pain. Muscles were locking up and he was left hobbling around. This isn’t what you want to shoot for. I just pack a serving each day for the end of the day and have it with dinner. Ready to rock.
I did it! Like I said, I can’t believe this 6 month journey is at a close. What I got out of it is something I’ll take with me into my every day life. Just knowing more about what is going into your body is eye opening enough. How one’s body reacts to certain foods is also interesting. I really didn’t think I’d have an issue with Keto, but I did. Now, I know that it isn’t for me. Unless one tries this stuff out though, you’ll never know. What my wife and I have decided to do from this point forward is to eat clean, for the most part. The stuff that we buy from the grocery store will likely be 90% clean options. However, if the weekend comes and I want to take here out on a nice date for ice cream? Yeah, we’re getting ice cream. After all, we are human and I don’t think it is a bad thing to indulge here and there. I feel like if we eat good 80-90% of the time, it isn’t a big deal to have some cake or pizza here and there. The great Joe Rogan said it best. “Kale Shakes and Cupcakes.” Do you have a diet that you’ve been wondering about? Maybe it’s time that you took the leap? I say go for it. You don’t know if you don’t go.
Man, what a whirlwind this past few weeks have been. Let me first apologize for the delay in Paleo Diet posts. I’ve just been so busy out in the field hunting. I’ve just gotten back from 2 hunts. The first was in the Utah backcountry for archery mule deer. The second was here in my home state for Arizona Black Bear. Utah was a bust because of my bow getting knocked around pretty good. Ended up dang near emptying my quiver at a buck. I later found out that there was a slew of things “off” on my bow. Bummer, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Just need to be more careful. Arizona was very successful and you can be on the lookout for a full write up of that hunt in the future! We are here to talk about the Paleo Diet though right? Let’s get into how that has been.
Boom! Week 1 of the Paleo Diet is in the books. Another diet in full effect. This journey has been awesome so far and really enlightening. Thanks for following along on my 6 month diet craze and for the tips along the way. This is going to be the last diet in my experiment. For the month of August, I will be eating paleo and that includes on my hunts. I’ve got 12 days of hunting on the horizon where paleo will be on the menu. Bear season opens August 9th here and then I’ll be heading out to Utah in mid August, followed by another bear season here in AZ for late August. All of my meals are bought and I’m ready to start pounding the miles with my bow! With that being said though, you are probably wondering how paleo has been thus far?
Season is about to get going here in a few days! Time has really flown by and I feel like only a few months ago I was elk hunting in September. I’m sure there are more than a few of you that feel the same as I do! Before season starts is gear season if you ask me. One of the new gear items I got for my hunts is the new Exo Mountain Gear 4800 Backpack. Exo packs have never disappointed me in the past and I’m sure that this one will deliver as well. There has been a ton of anticipation for this new pack and I thought it might be cool to do, not a review, but a quick overview and first impression type piece. For this I thought a video format would do the best so that’s the route I went. It’s just way easier to show you this kind of stuff, rather than type it out. So, here it is! Exo Mountain Gear 4800: First Impressions. Enjoy!
The past few years I have spent a good portion of late August/early September chasing elk around with my bow. Along the way, I’ve made some incredible memories and harnessed a potent love for archery elk hunting. While that love has not faded, this year is going to be a little bit different for me. This year, I was fortunate enough to draw not one, but two early archery mule deer tags. One is in Utah and the other is in Colorado. A high country mule deer hunt is something I’ve wanted to do for quite a few years now, but never have because of elk season. I decided to finally pull the trigger and try to make it happen. Looks like it worked…..double! Both of these hunts will be backpack hunts lasting from 7-10 days each. As you can imagine, my head has been racing trying to figure out what I’ll be bringing with me gear wise and all. So, with this post, I wanted to lay out just that. What I will be packing with me along the way for the 17 in total days of backcountry hunting for velvet mule deer!
And now we land at the Paleo Diet! Man, this has been such a cool journey the past 4 months trying out different diets and seeing how my body reacts to them. I’m really excited about trying the Paleo Diet and can’t wait to see how it all pans out. We are a hop, skip, and a jump away from full blown hunting season as well. In light of that, I’ve got all of my dinners and breakfasts either in my possession or on the way. 14 days of hunting are coming up that will involve me eating Paleo. The first is just an overnight bear hunt here in Arizona. The second is a 7 day backcountry mule deer hunt in Utah. Lastly, I’ll be on a 5 day bear hunt back here in Arizona. All the while living the Paleo diet life.
As you may have read in a previous review I did on the Crispi Wyoming, things got off to a rocky start, but ended very favorably. With what learned from the Wyoming I took right over to a new release for Crispi this year, the Colorado. This boot was made in mind for folks that wanted a beefier boot without sacrificing flexibility. The Colorado is equipped with the same upper that many know and love from their ever popular boot The Summit. Unlike the EVA sole that came on The Summit though, The Colorado packs a polyurethane sole for more rigidity and longevity. With that they threw in their dual density polyurethane sole in the high impact areas of the boot. This is going to help fight against foot fatigue. Abrasion resistant cordura is what makes up the upper of this boot. This is super breathable and lightweight, making The Colorado a fantastic boot choice for early season hunting. Another feature that Crispi has added is their ABSS or ankle bone support system. The ABSS is going to give you the support you need in heavy pack outs and steep terrain. Of course The Colorado comes with a full Gortex wrap as well, making it waterproof.
The keto diet is exploding right now. Which is obviously one of the reasons that I wanted to try it out. To see what all of the rage was about. It’s all over the place. I see it on the cover of magazines, on TV talk shows, and it’s even the topic at hand on a plethora of podcasts. While this diet didn’t work for me personally, there are many out there that thrive eating keto. If they are a backpack hunter though, I think one question constantly pops up. That question is “How do I eat keto on a backpack hunt?” I asked the same question. Keto, in my opinion is a very involved type of diet. The thought of doing that in the backcountry kind of made my stomach turn to be honest. I assure you that it can be done though!
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