January 2015 Volume 11 Issue 1 SportsmansNews.com PAGE 2 Diversity In Alaska Crooked Creek Retreat The Whitetail Shangri-La By Josh Harris W hitetail deer is on the agenda in the near future. What do you do now? Where are you going to hunt? Which outfitter do you hunt with? How are you going to acquire the tag? Which tag with which weapon are you going to choose? Are you going to apply individually or as a group? How do you find out which state and or location produces the biggest bucks? How do you find out which location has the best long run- ning average of trophy bucks each year? How do you find out which state has the most current success for trophy bucks? How do you put yourself into the best scenario to hunt with a bow, shotgun or muzzleloader to harvest a buck of a lifetime? continued on page 6 Chad Johnston's 2014 colossal Iowa whitetail. With all archery clients tagged out, Chad decided to pick up his bow for the first time in three years and hunt for himself. He stalked in on this deer to 55 yards and dumped the string with a successful one-shot kill.
Transcript
January 2015 Volume 11 Issue 1
SportsmansNews.com
PAGE 2Diversity In Alaska
Crooked Creek Retreat
The Whitetail Shangri-LaBy Josh Harris
Whitetail deer is on the agenda in the near future. What do you do now? Where are you going to hunt?
Which outfitter do you hunt with? How are you going to acquire the tag? Which tag with which weapon are you going to choose? Are you going to apply individually or as a group? How do you find out which state and or location produces the biggest bucks? How do you find out which location has the best long run-ning average of trophy bucks each year? How do you find out which state has the most current success for trophy bucks? How do you put yourself into the best scenario to hunt with a bow, shotgun or muzzleloader to harvest a buck of a lifetime?
continued on page 6
Chad Johnston's 2014 colossal Iowa whitetail. With all archery clients tagged out, Chad decided to pick up his bow for the first time in three years and hunt for himself. He stalked in on this deer to 55 yards and dumped the string with a successful one-shot kill.
SPORTSMAN’S NEWS | January 20152
By Mike Deming
When you are a Sportsman or Sportswoman, Alaska is truly the best state in the union.
Fishing, hunting and every outdoor activity you could ever want to experi-ence are a way of life in this portion of the country. However, when you look at a state that is nearly half the size of all the other 48 combined, picking a destination as well as who to travel with can become a daunting task. You almost need to visit all portions of the state and see all the different options which are available to truly be able to decide what best fits your needs and desires. This could take a person nearly a lifetime and a good amount of greenbacks to figure out what they like best about the huge state of Alaska. This isn’t usually an option for the majority of us due to both time and money. So, the one best place to experi-ence most of what Alaska has to offer is to visit the Kenai Peninsula and there isn’t anyone better to do it with than Dorothy Baker at Crooked Creek Retreat and Outfitters.
Dorothy is lovingly referred to as Aunt Dorothy by nearly all who visit her operation. I’ve heard many people talk about showing up to a place as a customer and leaving as a friend, but Dorothy takes that a step further and you will leave as a family member. So, once you make a trip to the Kenai Peninsula to visit, a return visit to Aunt
Diversity In AlaskaDorothy’s will always be in the cards.
Dorothy Baker spent a majority of her life in the legal field where attention to detail, hard work and dedication made her successful. After retiring from the bench, she relocated to Alaska where she found retirement didn’t quite suite her hard working attitude. Due to this, Crooked Creek Retreat and Outfitters was born. Dorothy has brought the same work ethic, attention to detail and dedi-cation to this operation which is much needed in the great state of Alaska. The fishing and the resource in this state are second to none, but a solid business mind to run an efficient operation is an endangered species this far north. We have visited numerous operations in this area of the country who didn’t get our Platinum Approved Outfitter status because of their business management practices, but this isn’t the case with the Crooked Creek Retreat and Outfitters.
We visited them for a review during the sockeye (reds) run in late July 2014. Getting to the operation is a good por-tion of the fun. Although a person can fly direct to the town of Kenai, I recommend flying into Anchorage and renting a ve-hicle for your week long experience. The three hour drive provides some of the most breathtaking views and possible wildlife viewing opportunities anyone can imagine. The lodge is located about fifteen minutes south of the peninsula town of Soldotna.
From the outside, the lodge is ev-
erything you imagine when you think Alaska - A huge log lodge on the banks of the Crooked Creek and from the min-ute you step inside the door, you will ap-preciate the attention to detail Dorothy has put into this operation. Each room has the best beds, towels, robes and anything you can imagine from a five star resort. Aunt Dorothy is on site and there to greet you when you arrive. We truly like this type of operation for our Platinum Approved Outfitters because no one cares more about the success of their business than the owner and she is
there to assist you and assure the staff handles all of your needs.
Many lodges on the Kenai Peninsula focus on just the lodging while they contract out their fishing and other ac-tivities and let their clients handle their own food and drinks for the week. This often shows a very inexpensive price upfront, but when the week is over, it usually equals out. The Crooked Creek Retreat is a full service operation. Not only is your food and beverage covered
continued on page 8
The Crooked Creek Retreat lodge is a great home away from home and has all of the amenities of a five-star resort.
Halibut is one of the most sought after fish for table fare and there are many opportunities on the Kenai Penninsula to hunt them.
The Kenai River king is the trophy fish sought by most people who travel to this area. However, all of the other runs of salmon are even better.
January 2015 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS 3
a couple of years of doing this to truly turn a unit around. I know not everyone is going to partake in this philosophy and many will continue their practices and support their decision by saying, “if I don’t shoot it, someone else will”. If we can save just one young deer as a group, we have made a difference.
I would also like to see us make a difference in our sport by sticking together. What I mean by this is that traditional bow hunters hate compound bow hunts, compound bow hunters don’t want crossbow hunters around. Rifle hunters hate that bow hunters get to hunt the elk in the rut. The list goes on and on. While the anti-hunters all stick together as one cause “hate all hunters”, we make their job easier by tearing each other apart. This doesn’t help our cause and makes us very susceptible to losing the battle. A very common military tactic is “Divide and Conquer”. Please don’t let our heritage be taken away from us and our future generations because we can’t come together. Hunting is hunting and if it isn’t the style or type you want, this is America and you have the choice of not doing it. However, it could be how your neighbor grew up and is their pas-sion. Use this as an opportunity to learn about their heritage and stick together as a group. There are many more of us than there are Anti-hunters and we can defeat them if we stick together.
And finally, as we ring in 2015, the countdown is on for the new Sports-man’s News Membership Program. The official launch will be this February, but keep checking back daily at www.sportsmansnews.com for full details on this exciting event. We will have a soft launch to work out any bugs and for those of you that get registered first, the odds will be unbelievable. No specific details yet, but there will be over $300,000 worth of trips and guns to be had during the first calendar year. Please sign up for the digital edition of Sportsman’s News while visiting our website and you will be notified when we do the official launch.
Happy New Year to All.
WHAT'S INSIDE 2 Crooked Creek Retreat
3 Words From The Publisher
5 Writer's Contest: An Exceptional Ram
10 Platinum Approved Outfitters
14 PacWest Outdoors: In The Moment of a Duck Hunt
16 Hi-Tec Women's Fusion Boot
18 Pro's Pick: XCEL HD Action Camera
20 Fishful Thinker: Gift of a Memory
22 Sako A7 Roughtech Big Game Rifle
26 Waterfowl Wading Systems Breatheable Boot Waders
28 Business Directory
32 Wild Game Recipe: Venison Tacos
34 Writing Contest: A Hunter'sDream
CONTRIBUTING WRITERSJosh Harris
Brian PattersonGary Lewis
Sierra DemingChad LaChance
Steve MayerVickie L. Gardner
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Words From The Publisher
By Michael Deming
The New Year is upon us and all the big game seasons will come to a close this month if they haven’t
already for a good number of us. It is now time to start planning your sched-ule for the New Year and hopefully that trophy of a lifetime.
After spending nearly a hundred personal days in the field last year and talking to hundreds of other hunters, one thing stood out to me which needs to be addressed. On numerous occa-sions in Colorado, Utah and Arizona, I spoke with people who talked about the lack of quality animals in the area. Some of these hunts were premium limited entry hunts and others were general over the counter opportunity types of hunts. The states manage these hunts differently and try to accommo-date all of their constituents by giving a fair amount of opportunity with a fair
amount of trophy potential types of hunts. It is a very tough job, especially when everyone they are trying to please is a self-proclaimed expert at wildlife manage-ment (that’s a story for another day). Regardless of where you have a tag, the lack of trophy animals is a very common statement around hunting camps. As the seasons start to wind down, I ran into many of these hunters back in town or as they were breaking camp. They often had a
small 2-point buck or a rag horn bull which they harvested on their last day of the hunt. I am a trophy hunter and filling a tag with a juvenile buck or bull isn’t a practice that I personally partake in and I’m not going to tell anyone that they should take on my philosophies.
There are many people who take to the woods each and every year for just the experience of the hunt and the desire to fill their freezer with healthy and tasty venison. However, these people aren’t the ones complaining about the lack of trophy animals. We don’t need the Fish and Game of any state to set trophy units if we just man-aged ourselves. If you are looking for trophy animals and discouraged about the lack of them, please don’t be the guy that shoots a 2-point standing off the side of the road at the last light of the last night. Let them grow up and develop that trophy potential you are truly looking to harvest. It only takes
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written consent of the Managing Editor.
SPORTSMAN'S NEWS2322 W. Industry WayCedar City, UT 84721
January 2015 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS 5
By Brian Patterson
I was in the field for four full days prior to the Wednesday opener trying to locate an exceptional
ram. I was also very fortunate that sheep hunting experts Clint and Cindy Bentley planned to set camp with me and help out. (Clint is one ram away from completing his 3rd grand slam; Cindy got her ram in this unit 3 yrs ago). We spotted sev-eral rams in several different loca-tions but nothing that got either of us excited. Clint and I were headed back to camp with about 20-30 min-utes of light left before opening day. There is a spot we never pass with-out stopping to glass so of course we pulled over to glass the last bit of light. Almost instantly Clint located rams. Ten rams total all bedded and bunched up. By the time I got the spotting scope on them light was fading, but two in the bunch looked really good. Clint looked through the scope and I could tell he was excited too. We didn’t have the best of light but Clint said there were possibly two exceptional rams in the bunch. After 47 days of scouting we have a real solid plan for opening morning.
Looking For An “Exceptional” Ram
Opening morning we positioned two spotters in the location we had last seen the rams when it got dark. Clint and I headed up the ridge to be in position when the sun came up behind us. We sat in our selected rock outcrop waiting on the sun. It was still too dark to see, I’m not sure if it was the chill in the air or my excitement but I couldn’t sit still. I forced myself to tie and untie my
boots over and over to help calm my nerves. Each passing minute the visibility got bet-ter. No rams in the big bowl, no rams on the edges or on the skyline. An hour of good light passed and we couldn’t locate the rams. They must have fed out of the bowl during the light of the full moon.
After looking to the south and west the ten rams could only be to the north end of this small range. We were careful to take our time and glass everything. Finally just as the small range was dropping off to the desert floor I spot-ted a ram, then another ram then a third, three rams bedded down. We
glassed everywhere looking for the other rams, nothing. We discussed our options, sit and wait for a couple hours for the rams to get up and feed or move another 100 yards or so to get a different view of the draw be-low us. We decided to move.
I wasn’t ready for what we saw when we peeked over our chosen rock pile. Sixteen rams bedded below us at 228 yards! There was horn everywhere! I’m scanning all that horn and selecting this ram then no that ram on the left is bet-ter, no the one toward the middle is the biggest, wait what about that one partially hidden by a boulder? My mind is racing between 3-4 of the better looking rams. Clint has been quiet the whole t ime and has his spotting scope set up. I’ve started to get ready for the shot. Range, then re-range the distance to confirm no false readings, bino’s then rifle scope, first one ram then another ram in the sight picture. This is just awesome 16 rams and I don’t know which is best. I keep looking toward Clint hoping for his expert evaluation to give me some direction. Finally he says “I can’t get any of them to go better than 165.” “What?” I say. This is our group of rams from last night, one really dark ram stood out. They must have picked up six new buddies, where are those “exceptional” rams? Don’t
get me wrong a mid 160’s ram is a very good ram, but I wanted an exceptional ram.
I laid the gun down. It was just opening day and if Clint confirms there isn’t the sort of ram we’re looking for I’m going to pass. I felt very calm once I made that deci-sion; up until then I was a nervous wreck. Now we could just look at rams at close range. I got some good pictures of all those rams together.
Everyone left camp on Wednesday night before Thanksgiving but I de-cided to stay out and hunt Thanks-giving morning, before heading to town for a late afternoon holiday feast with family and friends. Al-most two hours of glassing pro-duced nothing. Then I caught some movement about a mile and a half away, seven rams on the move. At that distance one really stood out, first with the 15’s then with the spotting scope.
They had worked their way across a steep slope to the base of some rocky cliffs, I thought they might bed down there. Nope, the big ram picked a line and climbed the cliff and was up and over the top. The other six rams staged together below where he went up, they hesitated then backed off and found a spot down the cliff that was an easier climb. The big ram really was a tough old guy. Watching the rams for a half hour I had their route memorized, I’d have to follow their trail across the steep slope and over the cliff in the same spot, it looked like my only choice. Quickly I gath-ered up my gear and scrambled down the slope to my quad.
I kept my bino’s but dumped the other gear and any excess weight. The climb was really steep. I finally cut the sheep trail and found their tracks in the scree. I just kept pick-ing my way up toward the cliffs.
continued on page 24
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Are the questions that I posed above overwhelming and seem like a lot to figure out? Does it appear as though your expectations are simply a pipedream that will never become a reality? Maybe to some, but when it comes to whitetail, it is a simple resolution. The place is none other than “The Hawkeye State” of Iowa! Iowa is as good as it gets from a trophy hunting standpoint. Trophy bucks and quality deer hunting can be found in any region of the state. However, it is no secret that the best zones in the state are in the south-central regions/counties. Over and over each and every year, Iowa rises to the top, offering some of the best whitetail hunting the United States has to offer. Over the past five years, Iowa has produced an extremely “higher number” of Boone & Crock-ett bucks than any other state, with approximately 600 Boone & Crockett entries. With relatively low hunting pressure, incredible genetics, hunt-
ing seasons that allow bucks to reach maturity, excellent farmland habitat composed of soybean, corn fields, wet and dry wooded drainage’s and a lottery style drawing system with stiff non-resident draw odds, com-bined, all of this equates to why Iowa is the most preferred destination on the planet for monster whitetail.
Alas, to hunt in Iowa isn’t just quite that simple though. It takes planning, persistence and strategy. If you’re a non-resident, licenses are hard to draw. You need to strategize so that you can make every minute count on your hunt, as well as make the wait-time to draw a tag count. The process usually takes several years of acquired points and once you draw, trust me, it will be more than worth the wait.
Another of the choices that you have is to apply as an individual or apply as a group. When applying as a group, everyone in the group will be accepted or rejected together in the drawing. The group leader must apply first and state that he or she is the group leader. Everyone in-
volved in the group application has to call and apply separately, but each person needs to submit the group leader ’s IDNR customer identifica-tion number when applying. You will want to also make sure if you apply as a group, to apply with those that have the same number of preference points. To build preference points and draw a tag, you need to apply each year between the months of
May and June.
Seasons And Weapons Each of the whitetail deer hunting
seasons in Iowa offers a different hunting approach and opportunity.
Archery : The “archery season”, being the longest wait, takes a mini-mum of two preference points with several each season requiring three.
WHITETAIL SHANGRI-LAcontinued from cover
continued on page 9
Owner Chad Johnston with his 180” plus Iowa archery giant harvested in 2011. Persistently hunting this buck all season, Chad finally connected after a corn field harvest during an evening hunt.
Another angle on Chad Johnston’s 2011 180” plus Iowa giant!
January 2015 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS 7
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in the price, but all of their river fishing guides are employees of the operation. In my opinion, this equates to better service and a more consistent product. This was definitely the case when we visited the operation.
Sockeye salmon is my favorite eating salmon because of its full flavor and bright red colored flesh. This is why we chose to come during this time of the season. Dorothy told us when to book to achieve our goals of catching a lot of these tasty fish. While we were at the lodge, we were able to fill our fish boxes very quickly due to the vast knowledge of the guides employed by Crooked Creek Retreat and Outfitters. River fish-ing is just one aspect of fishing in Alaska and although it is my favorite, many others prefer to fish the ocean, see the bears, visit the glaciers or just sightsee. This is the beauty of the Kenai Peninsula and its’ diversity. You have the ability to do all of these things while you are here and it is all part of your trip. If halibut is what you desire, a trip to the Cook Inlet
with Captain Aaron Mahoney is one of the very best experiences a person can imagine. He is one of Dorothy’s ace guides and his boats and tackle are top notch and right in line with the high level of customer service Dorothy expects. If you want to do a fly out to see bears, visit a glacier or catch fish away from the peninsula, don’t worry about it as it is on your agenda during the week.
The Kenai is known for its’ huge king salmon and is why a good number of people come to this area for the first time. However, until you visit this place, you have no idea how great the other fishing is for the other salmon species and trout. As all the salmon run up the rivers to complete their life cycle, the trout are right behind them gorging on the eggs. These trout grow to epic proportion with all this feed and is definitely something all fisherman should experience when visiting later in the year. The high qual-ity steelhead fishing isn’t talked about enough in this area. Combining an early season steelhead fishing trip with an opportunity to catch those huge Kenai River kings while they are still trolling the ocean is a great way to spend a week
in early spring. Some of the largest fish ever caught are at this time of year and before the crowds start to show up.
If quantity of fish is what you are about and want to spend the twenty hours of daylight with a fish on your line the majority of the time, then visit during the silver salmon run starting in August. These fish are super aggressive and will still bite when they hit the fresh water. The pink salmon run during this same time and the majority of the rivers are full of fish and make it a fisherman’s paradise even if you are a beginner. Regardless of the type of fishing or experience you desire, you can tailor a trip to fit your desires or just do a bit of everything to see what you like.
As you can see, the outdoor oppor-tunities are endless here on the Kenai Peninsula and Dorothy Baker knows them all. Once you get done fishing every day, you can return back to the
comforts of the lodge and enjoy a gour-met chef-prepared meal each and every night. Food is near and dear to my heart and my belly and I can honestly say that the on-staff chef delivered a five star meal each and every night. The food and lodging alone is worth a trip to Crooked Creek Retreat and Outfitters, but once you throw in the high quality guides, boats and first class fishing in this area, it’s hard to look anywhere else when you think about Alaska.
Crooked Creek Retreat is one of our newest Platinum Approved Outfitters and a visit to see Aunt Dorothy will con-firm everything we have told you about this operation. You will definitely leave as part of the family and look forward to your return visit to Aunt Dorothy’s house. Visit them on our website at www.sportsmansnews.com under Plati-num Endorsed Outfitters or by giving them a call at 907-260-9014.
CROOKED CREEKcontinued from page 2
The author with pro-staffer Steve Mayer with a full stringer of sockeye salmon on the Kasilof River on the Kenai penninsula.
Dishes like this Smoked Salmon Alfredo with Alaskan Shrimp are the standard fare at Crooked Creek Retreat and Outfitters.
January 2015 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS 9
The Iowa archery season begins Oc-tober 1st and runs through January 10th. Most hunters that hunt archery choose a week in the month of No-vember as to ensure an opportunity to hunt the rut.
Shotgun Seasons 1st And 2nd: The “shotgun seasons” typically require 60% of the applicants to have at least one point. The Iowa first shotgun season always opens the first Sat-urday in December and the second shotgun season opens the follow-ing Saturday after the first shotgun season. Muzzleloaders can be used during both shotgun hunts as well.
Muzzleloader Season: The late “muz-zleloader only season” is running a near 99% draw rate and the season opens the middle of December and runs through around January 10th. During this season you can only use a muzzleloader.
Now the big question is which county you should hunt in and with whom? The simple and direct answer is “Adams County, Zone 4, with Chad Johnston of Midwest Antler Company”! For the whitetail hunter, this specific area is a beautiful place that all but approaches perfection in the whitetail world. It is what I call the “Whitetail Shangri-La” of Iowa! Chad specializes in whitetail and turkey hunts and he has over 20
WHITETAIL SHANGRI-LAcontinued from cover
years of hunting experience and has been guiding hunters for 15 years now. It is a family run business made up of Chad, his wife Jaime and three children; Mathew, Camryn and Beau. Their first priority is giving you the hunt of a lifetime, a comfortable lodge and for you to leave wanting nothing more than to return for a repeat experience. His wife makes all the home cooked meals, handles the maintenance of the lodge and whatever else is necessary to make your stay the best possible. Their new lodge sleeps eight, has two bath-rooms, a full kitchen, dining room, living room, washer and dryer, big screen TV, gear room and an outdoor archery range full of 3-D targets, both blocks and life-sized animals. The kitchen is always fully stocked for breakfast and lunch and supper is a hot meal that is home cooked daily.
Midwest Antler Company hunts nearly 10,000 acres and fully under-stands that low pressure is the key to harvesting a big whitetail. Whether they own, lease or have access to the ground, quantity of hunt-able areas is far from an issue. Hunting with Midwest Antler Company, you will hunt fresh land that is not over pressured and as a general rule, they do not hunt the land themselves or save the better land for certain people or charge more for a certain farm or area. All of their hunters receive equal treatment. They do an
extensive amount of scouting before and during the season to give you the best oppor-tunity at harvesting an Iowa giant. Feeding Rack 1 Xcellera-tor mineral and planting food plots ensures them that their deer herd will be healthy and plentiful each and every year. The terrain in their areas is comprised of corn fields, soy bean fields, hay fields, CRP fields, hardwoods and large ditches and draws full of ce-dars and other trees.
Transportation to and from hunting stands is furnished and all tree stands are hung prior to the hunt. With over 70 tree stands and blinds set personally by the outfitter, you can rest assured that your ex-perience will be optimized to the fullest. All of their stands a n d / o r b l i n d s h a v e b e e n placed where they are, based on
continued on page 13
2014 Trail Cam pic of a buck they call Two-Socks. This is one of the many trophy-caliber bucks on camera from the 2014 season. Year-round trail-cam placement is another key element to their success.
11 year old protégé Mathew Johnston with his 2014 Iowa archery buck! Mathew is no stranger to whitetail hunting and is follow-ing closely in his father’s foot-steps.
10 SPORTSMAN’S NEWS | January 201510
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12 SPORTSMAN’S NEWS | January 201512
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deer movement, patterns, food plots, bedding and feeding areas and past scouting. There are extra blinds and stands available if they need to move you as well. Trail cameras are hung year round and all of the areas and farms have been pre-scouted as to ensure the best locations possible to strategically place you in the most optimal location.
I had the opportunity of hunting with Midwest Antler Company this year and I had an amazing trip to say the least. I drew an archery tag after having applied for three consecutive years. Due to unfortunate family circumstances, I had to move my hunt dates to the end of the month, therefore placing me outside of the prime time of the rut. Chad had sent me numerous trail camera photos of the huge deer they had been seeing so, I decided when I finally drew the tag that I was “going big or going home”. It was going to be nothing less than a “Booner” for me primar-ily because I knew that the area that I was hunting held that caliber of deer.
WHITETAIL SHANGRI-LAcontinued from cover
We utilized numerous stands as well as western style spot and stalk tech-niques throughout the week. When it was all said and done, we did indeed have encounters with bucks of the Boone & Crockett caliber and numerous really good bucks. My commitment to killing a giant had me hunting until the final hours. As with many trophy hunting experi-ences, it just didn’t come together, but I did see some great bucks and most importantly I never felt as if I was hunting a stand or area that had been overhunted. I left a lot of great bucks to trophy hunt in the future.
To conclude, many outfitters run as many hunters as they can book, but that is not the case with this outfitter. Midwest Antler Company is about quality not quantity. If you want to hunt with an outfitter that is organized and experienced, has a vast area to hunt, is at the top of his game, manages his properties and deer, has up-to-date stands, blinds and equipment, awesome accommodations and goes above and beyond for his clients, then hunt with Midwest Antler Com-pany. I would recommend them to
anybody. Regardless of the timing of my hunt, Chad and his family more than exceeded my expectations regarding the things that they had control of. So in summary, there is one guarantee and that guarantee is
that I will be back in Iowa to hunt monster whitetail with Midwest Antler Company!
Chad and Jaime Johnston (712) 621-1524 - [email protected] - www.midwestantlerco.com.
Another angle of Chad Johnston's 2014 monster archery whitetail showing off all of his impressive bone.
SPORTSMAN’S NEWS | January 201514
Reflections on the water and in the blind
By Gary Lewis
We watched the weather and the forecast and tried to time it for low clouds and snow,
but there were stars above us when we set the decoys. That meant the birds would fly high and we’d have to hope that some would respond to the calls.
The sun came up, the decoys bobbed in the current and blue sky reflected in the icy water.
From downstream, a lone bird came fast and bank-high and dropped into the river just upstream from the decoys. It
In The Moment On A Duck Huntwas a Barrow’s goldeneye and it was nervous.
With us on her first duck hunt was Renata Thommen, bundled against the cold. She took her borrowed shotgun and stalked out of the blind to get a better angle. When the bird flushed, when its feet had cleared the water and it was gaining full speed, she swung with it and we watched the front of the pattern clip the back half of the bird and it somersault to a stop. Drago, the black Lab, sprung from his hide in front of the blind and splashed in to make the retrieve.
That lone Barrow’s goldeneye was her trophy and it wasn’t long before she was making plans to take it to the taxidermist. It was as difficult a day for a duck hunter as the stars had foretold. We saw swans pass by the stratosphere, geese as high as jet planes and small flocks of mallards at mach speed.
My longtime friend, Sykes Mitchell, of Duck Creek Outfitters, told stories and cooked breakfast in the Camp Chef oven and warmed coffee on the stove, while my hunting partners leaned out of the blind and scanned the skies.
I looked at their faces and reflected back on duck hunts from around the world: Mexico, Alaska, South Africa and remembered friends I’ve made in duck blinds all over the world. I’ve seen yellowbills blast across a field of maize in Africa and teal jinking out
of the sun above a salty marsh. For some of the people I’ve shared a blind with, we didn’t even share a common language, but the hunt and the habitat connected us.
We all come to duck hunting from different places, but I think the birds draw us in first. Each has a signature wing beat, a distinctive call. We learn the most when we hunt with a guide a few times, then go on our own.
My first duck taken on a solo hunt is the one I remember the most. I didn’t have a dog to retrieve it, so I waded out in the lake and picked it up, a mallard drake, still warm, its feathers brilliant in the morning sun.
For some people, the hunt is about the dog. Often, it is a retriever, a Labrador or a Chesapeake or one of the versatile breeds. On this hunt, it was about Dra-go, his total dedication, no matter how cold the water or thick the ice.
I like the dog work, but I love to see a new hunter take his or her first bird. When Drago laid the Barrow’s gold-eneye at her feet, Renata beamed. I thought about the kids I’d hunted with earlier in the season, Lindsay (15) and Callan (13), when each of them took their first birds, when we had to leave the blind and jump-shoot the river upstream.
For some hunters, it’s tradition. They hunt the same blinds on the same days, year after year. Maybe it’s about open-
ing morning or a Christmas or New Year’s ritual. Whatever it is, the tradi-tion is more important than how many ducks are bagged. The guns play into this. Some friends of mine wouldn’t think of hunting with any other shotgun than the one handed down from their grandfathers. It’s their link to the past.
For many, it’s about the cooking, the meal made from the day’s bag. On one hunt with a bunch of teenagers on the Yakama Indian Reservation, we ate our bag barbecued on hamburger buns, sloppy Joe-style, barely an hour after we’d taken the birds.
Back in the momentSykes saw a small flock, seven birds,
alight on the river downstream and when they didn’t fly away, we made our plan. We’d stalk the field, well away from the bank, then cut in out of the stubble, through the rough stuff and jump the birds off the water.
Renata, Sykes and I set off through the fields, eased through the barbed wire and then, hunched over, guns at the ready, crested the top of the bank.
Widgeons, seven of them, scattered to the wind and I picked one out. I rolled my bird, watched it careen into the bank and Drago sprint to make the retrieve. I turned to Renata. “I forgot to take the safety off,” she confessed.
continued on page 16Lindsay Valentined with a drake mallard.
Photo by Gary Lewis
Gary Lewis with a female widgeon taken on a blue sky day.
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LEWIScontinued from page 14
For me the reward is in the mo-ment. We watch the weather, we make our plans, we meet for dough-nuts well before first light, then set the decoys in the dark and crawl into the blind as the sun lights the tops of the mountains. Way off in the east a
flock appears. The birds turn to the call and cup their wings, dropping down from 13 stories up, now 20 yards out, their wings cupped over the decoys.
Gary’s latest book, A Bear Hunter’s Guide to the Universe, is available as an e-book on Kindle and Nook or in print at www.GaryLewisOutdoors.com.
Drago picks his way back on the ice on the Crooked River for a retrieve.
Photo by Gary Lewis
January 2015 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS 17
SPORTSMAN’S NEWS | January 201518
As people get more active and camera technology gets better, more and more folks are captur-
ing their adventures on mini digital ac-tion cameras. The biggest impediments to capturing your experience have been cost and ease of use. Early leaders in the action camera game were extremely ex-pensive and for the average Joe, proved to be cost prohibitive.
As more brands have come onto the market, the price has come down and the quality of the images has become much crisper. Better controls have made the cameras easier to use without exten-sive setup.
One such camera to recently enter the marketplace is the XCEL HD Action Camera. The XCEL HD offers extreme ease of use. One drawback to other cameras is that all of the functionality had to be accomplished using only two buttons to toggle through menus and configuring the cameras could be time consuming and confusing. XCEL has clarified this process with easy-to-use menus with four buttons to easily select your camera mode, either video, still photos or time lapse, along with configure settings for that mode.
The XCEL shoots super clear 1080P video in either wide or ultra wide formats. It can also shoot at a reduced resolution of either 480 or 720 to provide longer record times.
Another benefit of the XCEL HD is that it is not as limited in battery life or record time as other action cameras. The XCEL was able to record for more than 45 minutes at 1080P on a single
XCEL HD Action Camera32GB micro-SD card and the battery had barely been depleted a single bar in that time. This is a vast improvement over other cameras that die after only about 20 minutes of recording. This better bat-tery life and higher capacity let you run the camera much longer, so you can be certain to get your perfect shot when it counts, rather than worrying about ra-tioning recording time and hoping you still have capacity or battery life when you need it.
The XCEL also comes with plenty of awesome accessories to allow you to mount it in a variety of ways to best capture your experience. Unlike other brands that require you to purchase these accessories separately, the XCEL comes in two packages - the Hunting and the Sport. The Hunting package comes with a bow mount that attaches to your stabilizer mounting hole of your bow. It also comes with a mount that will attach to the majority of 40-42 millimeter scopes on your rifle, so you can capture that great kill shot and see it from the same perspective as the hunter looking through the scope. It comes standard with a head strap mount as well, so you can attach it directly to your noggin for a first person perspective. The Sport package comes with several adhesive mounts and a roll bar attach-ment to connect the camera to your ATV/OHV or handlebars.
Also included with the XCEL is a carrying bag for your camera and ac-cessories, a waterproof housing, either camouflage in the Hunting package or clear in the Sport package, a wireless
remote with a wrist strap, an HDMI cable to play back on a TV, a charging cable and data transfer cable, a lens protector for use without the housing and a lens cleaning cloth.
One feature of this camera that is not found on its competi-tors is the ability to plug in an external microphone both with and without the wa-terproof housing. A mic port unscrews on the rear of the housing or it can be plugged
directly into the c a m e r a w h e n used without the housing. This will ensure that your audio and video are both ex-cellent qual-ity. For gen-eral sound recording, a b u i l t - i n o n b o a r d microphone w i l l c a p -ture audio without the external op-t ional mi-crophone.
In addi-tion to the i n c l u d e d accessories, XCEL offers a wide range of attachments from dog harness mounts to a wide selection of helmet mounts, to shotgun attachments to connect to the barrel, to standard poles, tripods and suction cup mounts. The XCEL is also compatible with ac-cessories and mounts from other major companies.
The only two features this camera is lacking is the ability to wirelessly sync with an external device to preview your shots and the range on the remote con-trol is only about 40 feet, which makes
it difficult to set it up away from you at longer distances. These are features that you will pay a premium for on other cameras.
But if you have been wanting to get into the action camera craze without spending the big bucks, the XCEL HD Action Camera is your ticket for more than $250 less than its competitor. It is also available in the XCEL HD2 with 4X zoom and many extra features.
Check them out on your next visit to your local Sportsman’s Warehouse.
This may sound selfish, parsimo-nious or even narcissistic, but I’m going to say it anyway; get
yourself a holiday gift. And not just any gift, but a super cool, possibly expensive gift. A gift that may take a little research and planning, saving up and time, preferably a bunch of time. You will not be able to unwrap it, but you’ll never forget it either. And if you really start to feel bad about splurging on yourself at a time when society says we should be thinking purely of others, then share your gift with someone you love - love to fish with, that is!
I propose you use this holiday season to set the wheels in motion on a serious fishing trip. A fishing trip that you have always wanted to take or for a species you have always wanted to catch, not something you’d normally do. Perhaps it’s an exotic locale, bucket-list fish or just a week of fishing daily, as in all day, with no other distractions. Your biggest concerns on the trip I’m talking about should revolve around tides, river flows, hatches or bait runs, not when you’re due at dinner. You’ll eat when you’re tired of fishing for the day.
If you were “The Most Interesting Man in the World”, you’d go on this trip. That’s what I’m talking about.
The whole concept for this column came about last July while I was stand-ing in the St Croix Rod booth at ICAST (fishing’s largest international trade show). The ‘Croix folks had just debuted a new travel rod of epic proportion - a rod featuring the best of the best for the blank and components, designed for the discriminating traveler/angler – and
Chad LaChance
Give Yourself The Gift Of A Memorythe conversation amongst the group of hardcore fishermen was squarely focused on fishing trips. Not weekends up at The Lake, not a long drive to a good place you know, rather sure ’nuf destinations known for basically one thing, sport fishing. The over-riding theme of all this fishy talk was lifestyle. Basically immersing yourself in fishing for however long the trip lasts.
Why does that matter? I mean, geez, there are lots of places that combine fishing with day spas, ancient ruins, dinner shows, etc, etc. They’re great places to vacation and all, but that is not a fishing trip, it’s a vacation with a little fishing as one of the activities. I’m talking F.I.S.H.I.N.G. period.
Well, maybe and an evening sipper with your fishin’ buds, but that’s dif-ferent.
Let’s face it, for the hardcore of any pursuit, the only way to truly live your passion is to build your days around it, to commit your waking hours par-ticipating and your sleeping hours dreaming it. To live it as though it’s all you have to worry about. On the trip I’m talking about, fishing IS all you should have to worry about.
Someone is reading this and is go-ing to say some-thing about how they live their passion every time they’re on the water. Not so, I say. Un-less you’re on the water for extended pe-riods of time, your brain will invariably be l o o k i n g f o r -ward, backward or wherever it goes when you lack focus. The kind of trip I’m talking about to lose focus means you’re just not fishing as hard or pos-sibly as well.
I t rave l as much as I can and the older I get, the more
value I see in being lost in my trip, so to speak. It’s where my brain recoups, regroups and recharges. It’s really the only place that I honestly live in the present tense. That’s important.
As a fishing media professional, I have taken some flack from my advisors for not staying constantly connected to our audience; seems said advisors want social media contact, lots of pics and a whole bunch of “look at me now”, all posted while fresh of course and several times daily if at all possible. You know what? Sorry, but I, like a bunch of you I suspect, am a fisherman first. Fisher-men fish. We’re certainly not going to stop fishing to post about fishing. It’s all about living it, not recording it for the future. While I realize the profes-sional value in communicating with the masses, there is far more human value in what we learn and experience while fishing and the best way to do that is to immerse yourself in fishing. So, when I get a chance to visit someplace amazing for fishing, the last thing I’m going to do is anything other than take advantage of the fishing and the lifestyle said destina-tions typically allow.
Unless you are far more disciplined than I, finding a way to truly focus is
tough given today’s constant pulls on our attention. A random day on the water will allow short-term escape, not real fulfillment. But, if you spend enough effort getting to a place that has the potential to entertain your angling dreams, you’ll figure out how to sink into it. When everyone around you is there for the same reason, your passions will become reality – pervasive even – and your inner angler will soar.
What I’m really boiling down to has little to do with fishing, rather personal development through fishing. If you plan and honestly participate in the kind of fishing trip I’m talking about, you’ll return home a better person to ev-eryone around you. You’ll be refreshed, invigorated and tired at the same time. You’ll have lifelong memories and I’d venture to guess that they’ll include lots of stuff besides the fish you caught.
All life-long anglers dream of far-away destinations flush with epic fish-ing. Well, plan it. Make it a goal. A goal is just a dream with a finite timeline. Start the clock on your goal.
Zig Ziglar said it best: “What you get by achieving your goals is not nearly as important as what you become by achieving them.”
January 2015 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS 21
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –I took the one less traveled by,
A satin smooth trigger and an action so slick you think it was lubed with butter are the hall-
marks of a Sako rifle. The A7 continues that tradition with the addition of an amazingly unique synthetic stock that reduces weight and adds an aggressive gripping surface.
The Roughtech stock is made from an aluminum reinforced frame covered with a high tech polymer interlaced with a subdued spider web pattern for positive grip in all kinds of envi-ronments. This design makes it very light and abundantly strong to avoid
Sako A7 Roughtech Big Game Riflepotentially accuracy-impeding flex of the stock.
A high recoil dissipation butt pad comes standard with two butt pad spacers to adjust overall length of pull.
The single-stage trigger on the A7 is user adjustable from 2-4 pounds of pull. It is finely machined and has nearly zero perceptible creep. Each press of the trigger is crisp with just enough over-travel to provide suf-ficient follow through for an accurate shot.
The cold hammer forged fluted stainless steel barrel reduces the over-all weight of the gun and minimizes vi-bration for more accurate shooting and consistent groupings. It is free-floated
and tapped with A5-style Weaver bases already installed to the receiver.
The 70-degree rotation bolt provides faster cycling of the action, and is also as smooth as can be for minimal
drag. The bolt features dual locking lugs and a plunger style ejector for reliable func-tioning with each cycling of the bolt.
Our test model is a 7MM Remington Magnum with a 1 in 9.5-inch rate of twist. Recoil on this heavy hitter was very manageable, thanks in part to the butt pad.
This gun is more than capable of sub-MOA groups and consistently reaching out to distances in excess of 1,700 yards is well within its
range given the use of prop-er optics and ammo.
The A7 comes with a three–round (3+1) detachable polymer box maga-zine designed to prevent accidental dislodgment.
For years, the fine craftsmanship of Finland’s Sako Rifles has been the go-to choice of professional shooters intent on performance, and the A7 Roughtech Big Game continues that reliability and delivers consistent ac-curacy shot after shot.
January 2015 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS 23
The con� dence to stay in shape.
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There was a natural window or hole in the rocks, I climbed up and eased into the hole on my stomach to peek through and see if I could locate the rams. I glassed but could not see them. I found the spot where the big ram went up. Wow too scary for me, just like the other six rams I wasn’t going to try that route. I found the spot where the others went up, it was about 10 to 12 feet straight up.
Decision time, here I am by myself no one knows exactly where I am and I’m faced with climbing a cliff face with a pack and gun on my back. Twice I started to climb the cliff and got about 3-4 feet up before I chickened out. I backed down and walked along the base of the cliff in both directions, there just wasn’t a better spot anywhere, that’s why the rams had use that line. Back at the base of the cliff I took a drink of water swallowed hard and headed up. Once I pulled myself over and flopped on the top, the whole ridge
WRITING CONTESTcontinued from page 5
sort of sloped off gently to the south. I stood up and looked around, no sheep. I told myself I wouldn’t be going back the same way I came up.
It was almost two hours since I’d seen the rams, I was sure they had bedded. I got my gun and shooting sticks and left my pack. I was eas-ing around glassing into a draw on the right, then the left. A small hill hid most of the draw to my left so I eased around it glassing below. BINGO there they were I got a quick look at 2 bedded rams. I eased up and saw all 7 rams, bedded. Time to calm down I told my self.
I walked back to get my pack. The rams were bedded and calm, the wind was in my favor, walking back 100 yards to my pack would calm me down. At my pack I pulled out the video camera and put in on the tri-pod then headed back to the vantage spot. I really wanted to get my hunt on film but since I was solo, this was going to be difficult. I was focused. I ranged a rock formation out in the flat at 254 yards; the rams would be closer than that. Gun and
shooting sticks in one hand, tri-pod and camera in the other I eased along the side hill. It was at this point I decided trying to film and shoot was too much to get set up. I elected to set the tripod and camera and pushed “play” hoping I might catch some of the action.
I had only stepped in front of the camera about 10-12 yards when I saw the rams up on their feet and moving. They were calmly starting to feed again. I quickly sat down, got my gun on the shooting sticks and readied for the shot. The big ram looked pretty heavy, he dropped below his jaw and was a full curl. I didn’t have Clint there to give me
his opinion but he was old and ma-ture and looked exceptional to me. I got settled in behind the gun waited for him to clear then touched off the shot. The rams bolted to the left but the big one was left behind, he rolled over on his back in the bottom of a small wash. Reflexes kicked in, chamber another round, re-acquire the ram in the scope ready for a follow up shot, then hit the safety and grab the bino’s to look first at the downed ram then the remaining six….confirmation, I had shot the correct one.
I turned to face the video camera continued on page 30
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Wide, padded suspenders make the Hybrid Waders comfortable to wear all day long and extensions for the suspender
Waterfowl Wading Systems NeoBreathable Hybrid Waderstraps come for those with a larger frame.
We wore these recently on a duck hunt on the Great Salt Lake where we waded through frigid water at the edge of a fresh-water ice flow to place our deeks. When we climbed into our layout blinds, essentially snowmobile sleds floating in the water, the waders quickly dried off removing the coldness that usually comes from evapora-tive cooling.
The Hybrid Waders come in Realtree Advantage Max 4 camo, which is perfect to simulate the reeds and grasses usually found at or near the edge of your favorite waterfowl hunting grounds.
The key features I was most impressed with were the roominess of the waders. Unlike a wetsuit that fits tightly to your body, there was plenty of room for addi-tional insulating layers beneath. I ordered the boots a size large to accommodate several layers of heavy socks. As it turned out, this was unnecessary, as the Thinsu-late and wool linings made them plenty warm. Even though I am fairly skinny, the waders had plenty of roominess for even thoses with larger frames and thicker legs
and bellies.My initial concern was in the thinness
of the neoprene. Since it is a lighter 3.5 millimeter, I was worried that it would not be warm enough. Again, I should not have been concerned. With the room for layering warmer garments underneath, I was thankful of the flexibility and ease of movement afforded by the thinner neo-prene and warmth was never an issue. In fact, you have to be careful not to overheat by piling on too many layers. The camo base layer followed by a set of flexes, then topped with cold weather camo gear was too much for day one and on day two, I had shed down to just the fleeces and a good weight waterfowl coat on top to keep from overheating.
All told, these waders were an ideal design for the type of hunting we were doing and are also flexible for hunting in a southern marsh or a northern bog. These Hybrid Waders are now my go to all around waterfowl waders and are great for both warm and cold weather hunting. Check out the complete line of Caddis Systems at your local Sportsman’s Warehouse.
January 2015 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS 27
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pumped my fist and then the emo-tion of what I had just done finally hit me; eighteen years of waiting for the tag, numerous sheep hunts
helping other guys, 47 days in the field scouting, hours and hours of research, miles of hiking, months in the gym sweating, and 7 days hunt-ing was now over. I sat alone on the hill and cried a few tears of joy, ac-complishment and sorrow that I was
done. Before I walked down to my ram I called home to tell my family of the news. They were happy for me and wondered if I’d make it home in time for Thanksgiving dinner, I said I’d try my best but first I had to get a close look at my prize.
I walked up to the old ram and he had it all; good mass, length, dropped below his jaw line, full curl and lots of “character”. He had a big bump on his nose and lots of chunks and cracks in his horns, he was defi-nitely a fighter. I have learned over the years you can’t take too many photos before you start the work of breaking an animal down. I set my camera on the tripod and took lots of self photos and some video with my ram. It’s always a bit harder being solo and not seeing in the viewfinder if the shot is centered or the nose should be tilted left or right or up or down, but I did my best. I skinned him for a life sized mount. I bagged the four quarters tied them off, then got the back straps, head and hide in my pack. Now I needed to find a way back to the quad that didn’t require
going down that cliff face again. I decided to follow the small wash
were I had killed the ram, it was a long hike around the ridge I had climbed up but I eventually made back to the quad and then to the truck. I hurried as best I could, got home and jumped into the shower and made it to Thanksgiving dinner just 10 minutes late. Lots to be thank-ful for this year; a healthy family, great friends and the ability to go on hunts of a lifetime.
As it turned out I did catch the hunt on video, it’s posted on You-Tube titled 2013 NV desert sheep hunt bpatterson if you are interested in seeing the footage. I didn’t get a close up of the shot on video but everything else was there. NDOW green scored the ram at 167-7/8ths gross. All the “character” chips cost him a couple inches but all in all an-other exceptional ram was harvested out of one of the best units in the state. He didn’t meet the 170 inch mark I had set for myself but even Clint said he would have told me to shoot that ram.
WRITING CONTESTcontinued from page 5
January 2015 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS 31
SPORTSMAN’S NEWS | January 201532
Digital Edition Only Special ContentPresents Wild Game Recipes of Steve Mayer "The Wine Guy"
Venison Tacos
Bring a zesty “south of the bor-der” flavor to your table with this Venison Taco Recipe. I hope
you had a successful “hunting and gathering” year and are ready to try some new ways of preparing your bounty. Here again the term “Venison” is taken in the literal sense, as the meat of a game animal, especially a deer. This recipe is universal for a multi-tude of game meats besides deer. Elk, caribou, moose, turkey, goose, duck, buffalo, and wild boar, can all be as-sembled into an incredible Mexican treat. I like the pure meat ground with
no added fat, or cut into small cubes. The size of the grind or cubes is what-ever texture you like. If you have used a butcher and had burger made with added fat, he, that will still work quite well. If you want to get your meat at the market instead of chasing it down yourself, that is great too! You can use any type of cheese, but I think the tang of the sharp cheddar really compli-ments the flavors of these tacos. This recipe is enough for about 12 tacos and will feed 4-6 people. Arriba!Ingredients• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 medium yellow onion chopped• 1lb Venison (either ground or cubed)• 2/3 cup white wine• 1 tablespoon chili powder• 1 ½ teaspoon cumin powder• ½ teaspoon kosher salt• ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes• ½ teaspoon garlic powder• ¼ teaspoon oregano• 1 dozen tortillas (either hard or soft)• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese• *Your favorite toppings
Preparation Add the olive oil to a skillet and
warm over medium heat. Introduce
the onion to the pan and sauté’ until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add the Venison and bring heat up to medium high to brown. When the meat has browned, pour in the white wine. Mix the dry spices together, and toss them into the pan and stir well. Reduce heat to a simmer and for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. To assemble the tacos, layer meat and cheese in each tortilla. You can use either hard taco shells or corn tortillas for soft tacos. I really like the crunch of a hard shell, and make my own by frying the corn tortillas in hot oil and
folding them with 2 forks. There are a number of options for hard shells in the grocery store, so go with what looks good to you. Top with the toppings of your choice. *Fa-vorite toppings that I recommend are chopped cilantro, c h o p p e d t o m a -toes, chopped on-ions, sour cream, hot sauce, and a squeeze of l ime juice.
Serve these tasty tacos with refried beans and Spanish rice for a complete meal. They go per-fectly with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc or a spicy Zinfan-del. For a complete guide to wild game meat and wine pair-ings to find the per-fect wine for your tab le , go to my website at www.wildgamewine.
Salud!
January 2015 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS 33
SPORTSMAN’S NEWS | January 201534
Digital Edition Only Special Content
By Vickie L. Gardner
The morning came too soon, but it was with anticipation and excite-ment, mixed with the trepidation
of facing the last day of his eligible hunt for the year and potentially another dis-appointing day in the field, that he rolled out of bed and stepped into his camo coverings. Stern-faced and determined he put on his hat, kissed his wife and son good-bye in the darkness of the house, then slung his pack over his shoulder and grabbed his bow.
The drive to the desired hunting spot was close, but seemed so far away. As he worked through his plan, his emotions ebbed and flowed as he anticipated how he would execute his plan. He scowled at the thought of meeting the end of the day with only his bow in hand.
The forest was quiet. The secrets it held were waiting to be discovered. Though the sun had not yet peeked over the ho-
A Hunter’s Dreamrizon, Chris new exactly the path to take as he had ventured out on this mountain many times before.
His bow in hand, his arrows tucked neatly in his quiver, he embarked on his journey. With minimal light from the moon, he made his way down and around the curves, until he came to the point of departure from the road into the forest. He stepped quietly through the scrub oak and the fallen trees, carefully placing his feet to avoid rodent holes and the crunch of leaves walking directly where he knew the elk would be waiting.
About twenty minutes before the rise of the sun, a bull elk let out a mighty bugle. The game was afoot. Chris quietly moved around, attempting to get into position before the sun rose, but before he could do so, the elk had moved on.
He started his stalk again, but stopped midway up the mountain and thought, it’s time to raise the stakes. He reached into his pack and pulled out his elk calls.
He steadied his body and blew the call, beckoning the king of the hill to come his way. Listening intently between bugles, no response was heard. Again Chris bugled in hopes that his persistence would bring him success. He called to the big elk for just shy of half an hour, but as he heard them move further away, Chris chose to go to the top of the mountain, hoping to intercept them before they crossed over the ridge.
As Chris crested the ridge of the moun-tain, the bugling ceased. He stopped and hid in a patch of pine trees and at last, a beautiful five-point bull wandered out from the gamble sage. Chris’ breathing quickened as he slowly pulled an ar-row from its bed and carefully nocked it. As he drew back on his bow, he took a long, deep breath. The bull stood only forty yards away; an easy target for an experienced hunter. Perfect, he thought.
He let loose his arrow. To Chris’ sur-prise, the arrow sailed right over the back
of the bull. He had incorrectly measured the distance to the bull!
After feeling mentally defeated from his error, Chris chose to take the long way back to his truck. He decided he would circle back down the draw where the first bull had been bugling all morning.
Upon cresting over the ridge and starting down the draw, there stood the bull. He was huge! Chris once again felt frustration as he measured the elk at 164 yards away. He would never get close enough to make a shot.
One thing Chris does not do well at in hunting is waiting. He chose, however, to sit and wait for as long as it took for the bull to come closer to where he sat. After forty-five long, agonizing minutes of waiting, Chris poked his head up out of the brush - the bull was gone. Chris stood up and saw that the entire herd was gone.
Hoping that they were just out of sight, Chris slipped off his boots to lessen the noise of his walking and inched closer to a nearby rock outcropping. There he saw a cow elk shaking her floppy ears. If she was there, so was the bull.
Sure enough, there he was. Standing just behind her, Chris caught a glimpse of his massive, white tipped antlers. The bull was following his herd of cows through an opening in the scrub oak. There before him, was the chance Chris had been waiting for the entire archery season, for his entire life as a hunter.
A lifetime of planning and hunting, dreaming for such a trophy elk, was within his reach. Chris calculated the distance to the target. His trepidation heightened as he determined the mea-sured seventy-one yards to the elk was just out of range. Chris would not risk moving closer. He would take the shot from where he stood.
Again, Chris pulled an arrow from his quiver, slowly nocking it on the string. He took a brief moment to focus, then drew back his bow. Chris aimed at the opening where he hoped the bull would choose to walk. He now hoped his next steps would bring elation of a successful kill.
The bull elk didn’t wait long to walk into the opening. Chris let loose his ar-row. It sailed through the air, never wa-vering nor deviating from its appointed target. The elk bolted from its stance. Chris solidly hit his target! The elk did
January 2015 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS 35
Digital Edition Only Special Content
not go far, but did his best to escape the fate that lay before him.
The exhilaration that flowed through Chris’ veins at that moment could not be contained. He leaped into the air and let out a holler that could be heard through the entirety of the forest. His hands shook as he reached up to wipe his brow. His heart pounded fiercely in his chest. He fought hard to catch his breath as he started up the hill to the spot where the elk once stood, then followed the tell-tale signs that would lead him to his prize.
The elk lay still amongst the oaks next to a fallen log just fifteen yards from where Chris had shot him. The sight was overwhelming. The massive antlers
stood as tall as Chris himself and were donned with six elegant white tips. A slight, raised point near the end of each antler, enhanced Chris’ excitement in hopes he might stake claim to a seven point trophy. The elk’s body was mas-sive and strong, matching the beauty of his crown. Indeed, this was an elk of prominence and grand stature.
The elk once stood as the proud leader of a great herd in this forest, but now it was Chris’ turn to stand proud as a hunter of good practice and strong eth-ics that had brought him to this juncture in his life.
As Chris prepared the elk for the jour-ney home, the adrenal rush remained strong. His hopes of joining the Pope and Young Club spurred him on as he carried the massive king and his crown down the mountain.
Chris takes pride in his skills and carries respect for those creatures of the forest, grateful for their existence and the beauty they give to this earth. A hunter’s dreams had come true. He
had shot a trophy elk and he had earned a spot in the Pope and Young Trophy book. Measuring 336 inches, Chris’ elk is truly a winner. A once in a lifetime op-
portunity given to this hunter will never be forgotten nor taken for granted. This well-earned victory has found a place in Chris’ heart and in his home.
Sportsman’s NewsOutdoor WritingContest Winner
See pg. 4 for entry details.
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