Recurve Archery: Samick Sage Review

Recurve Archery: Bear Super Kodiak Review

Falconry...?

      Ok, it's a little off topic.  No big game or High Uintas.  But, this is one of the coolest hunts that I've ever been on with an experienced falconer.  If I didn't already have so much going on, I might even want to try getting into it.  Enjoy.

San Juan County/Blue Mountain Deer Hunt 2015

     I don't know what to say.  This was a great hunt that resulted in a great little buck.  A cool little cabin, an amazing setting, crazy weather, and helping out family.  This is some of the best footage I've gotten so far.

High Uintas Archery Elk Hunt 2015

      A preliminary heads up.  No.  I did not harvest an elk this year.  I've received some interesting commentary on my video documenting the hunt because, 1.) I didn't get an elk, and 2.) I did some things other than elk hunting (like fishing, camping, hiking, etc.).  First, I would like to point out that whenever I go into the Uintas I like to do as many things as possible.  Even when I go up specifically for an elk or deer, I always take my fly rod, shotgun, .22 rifle and sometimes other things so that I can  fish and maybe pop a few grouse.  It's too far away, and too amazing of a place, to not take full advantage of it while you're there.  Second, whether I get and elk or not, a hunt is a hunt.  I never come home too disappointed, and neither should you.  I still see great things, get great footage, and get to unwind and reset from a year working at a job that I hate.  So, on that note, enjoy the video!

Colorado Saddlery Review

      Fergus is doing good - thanks for asking.  He turns 3 this month, and is down south at my in-laws place while we're waiting on our new house to be built.  This is a quick review of the new saddle that I picked up.  This review over over 1 year old, and the next time that I get some saddle time on him, I'll make sure to update everyone on the status of my opinion concerning Colorado Saddlery saddles. Enjoy.

Uintas 2014

      Well, after my unbreakable iMac broke, I lost all ability to compile, edit, and document last years excursions into the Uintas.  Below is an automated Google+ compilation of some of my videos and photos from last year.  In short, I caught lots of fish, shot some grouse, and didn't get an elk.  Enjoy it if you can - and I promise that this coming year will be better with my new Canon 70D, GoPro, Tent, titanium stove, and Fred Bear Super Kodiak Recurve...

The Rocket

  I no longer find birthdays to be that exciting since, well, the best thing that can happen to me is that my testosterone will begin to decline and my hairline will officially become receded.  But, that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy kids birthdays.  They're way better than adult birthdays, anyways.  Here's a video about one of Liam's rocket's that we got for him for his birthday...Enjoy.

Driving In...

      One of my biggest concerns with this hunt was the drive in.  Among the few scant videos I'd found on YouTube of what to expect, I stumbled across a video (1) that showed a fair amount of snow on opening day.  That video, posted below, made me realize the types of conditions that I could end up facing.

      I decided that such a video, while boring to some, could prove beneficial and useful to many hunters who have never been into the Ashley National Forest/High Uintas Wilderness Area.  The roads  vary in condition depending on what area of the forest or wilderness you are in.  However, if you know what expect with regards to the elements, it can help ensure that you are over-prepared, rather than under.  In my opinion, the roads into and throughout the Ashley National Forest were very well established and maintained.  Even in the areas where I encountered dense snow and ice, I was able to negotiate the turns, climbs, and down-hills without ever going into 4WD.  At the lower elevations, specifically the Pole Creek area (2), I even encountered two-wheel drive vehicles (family sedans, 2WD jeeps) that had made it to the meadow without any problems.  This brings me to my last point concerning driving into the High Uintas: The elements, and the roads affected by them, change drastically with elevation.  If you're using an app for your smartphone such as Theodolite (which I highly recommend), you may notice that, although you may have only traveled 3/4 of a mile, you have climbed from dense aspens and sparse snow into plateaus of dense Fir, Ponderosas and ice.  So, although the road may be built equally well as those at lower elevations, the elements are, in the end, the final determinate as to how well you will travel them.

      Below is the video I made and posted on YouTube of my drive-in the day before the 2013 rifle elk hunt.  I sped up the footage, which varies from 200x-400x, in order to condense a 4-hour trip into about 8 minutes.  I hope this video, and the future posts on this Blog will prove to be helpful and informative.  Good luck...

(1) http://youtu.be/u8VLniz5N9w

(2) http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5097865.pdf

 

Initiation

      On October 5th, 2013 I was introduced to elk hunting the south slope of the High Uintas.  I'd spent months planning, mapping, and preparing for this trip.  I had, not surprisingly, failed to gather very much information on the specifics of this unit.  No one I know had ever hunted the south, or north slopes.  The people on numerous web forums who said they had hunted them omitted any specifics about locations or expectations.  Their sole purpose, it seemed, was to tell the reader how difficult the elk were to find, while simultaneously alluding to the suggestion that the elk were everywhere.  I found this oxymoronical approach to be perplexing.  To compound my confusion even more, a statement in a Utah Department of Wildlife Resources news item published on 28 September, 2012, DWR biologist Anis Aoude made the claim that, "...some of the largest elk herds are found on...the South Slope/Yellowstone unit." (1)  If this unit was so laden with elk, then why was there so little information on it?  Why couldn't I find a single person who had hunted it?  Did this mean it was the best kept secret in Utah, or potentially the biggest bust?

      My intent is to explore these questions, and provide additional insight on the entire High Uintas Wilderness area on this Blog.  Some of what I will present will be based off of personal experiences, and some of it will be based off of documented and cited research.  In addition to helping readers understand the area itself, I will also document reviews on certain types of equipment, strategies, and other opinionated ideas related to chasing game in the High Uintas.

(1) http://wildlife.utah.gov/wildlife-news/42-utah-wildlife-news/926-plenty-of-bull-elk-in-utah.html