Successful Hunting

I just picked up some merino wool boxers, socks, and shirt and found them to be excellent. I suggest anyone looking for a good base layer to take a look at merino wool and Ice Breaker Merino wool to be more precise. I wore the items for the whole weekend and it kept moisture off me and did not stink.  I found Under Armor heat gear to make me sweat instantly and stink so if your like me try a natural alternative, Check out this Ice Breaker Merino Wool Gear Review

well just got back from yet another successful black bear hunt, all the planning and practicing payed off and I have another archery bear to add to the collection, I am looking forward to getting the bear rug done and eating bear meat. Click to read all the details of this years spring Bear Hunt. We saw 30 bears, 45 deer, and 4 moose on this weekend hunting trip!

GPS check, Head lamp check, batteries check, sleeping bag check. "Looks like everything is here." Getting ready for any hunting trip takes time for preperation; preperation for scouting, groceries, gear, and unexpected problems. As I prepare for this years annual spring bear derby I am checking things off from a hunting trip checklist. You want to make sure you go over it twice and make sure you have everything! Things like extra batteries, survival kits, first aid kits, are often forgotten. Check your equipment over for damage; bowstrings, rangefinder, shoe laces etc. I cant wait to get out hunting but I have learnt the hard way from running by the seat of my pants. One memory that serves me is when I was 17 and me and my buddy Dave went fishing for the weekend and we were sleeping in the back of a pickup truck under the stars and living off the fish we caught during the day. No dishes, no plates, and enough food and water for 1 day. We were stupid and young but we survived and since then I decided to be more diligent than just bringing my fishing tackle and a blanket!

My birthday is coming up and I thought it would be a good occasion to get some new hunting gear, I wanted an early season hiking boot and a good spotting scope.

Being on a budget of $500 it was tough to find quality items for this price range. I found a used Leupold gold ring 15-30×50 spotting scope and bought it for $250 on ebay, new these beautys go for 400-500 bucks so I thought I got a good bargain. Leupold gold ring optics have lifetime warranty so no fear is needed when buying used. I found this item to have the best value as it is reasonably affordable and Leupold Gold Ring are top echelon optics. Thanks to the online hunting forums I was informed about this neat line of compact spotting scopes. When looking for spotting scopes you want to get something decent especailly if you are hiking as there is no use packing junk weight!

here is the spotting scope I bought: http://www.opticsplanet.net/picture-2-leupold-golden-ring-15-30×50-compact-spotting-scope-kit-58390.html

For the hiking boots, I have researched for a while and have finally come to try  out Kenetrek’s Hardscrabble Hiker. It is a 7" boot weighing in at 3.6lbs as a pair, The boots are waterproof, full grain leather, with a breathable membrane. These beautys are made in Italy with top of the line material. I am very excited to try these out on my next hunt. Here is where I bought them from: http://store.carterscobblershoppe.com/ke-420-hk.html

My criteria for boots is: Light, tough, waterproof, and comfortable. I will try these items out soon enough and post a review here: Hunting gear reviews

Since we planned out our bear hunt for next week, I decided to check my broadheads setup to see if I am still dialed in. To my surprise I was shooting low and left with my broadheads. I should mention that I use Montec G5 pre-season heads while shooting the foam blocks so that I dont dull my razor sharp hunting heads. I made the proper adjustments to my sight so that I am dialed right on the money at 20,30,40,50,60 even though I would only shoot up to 40 yards I just wanted to be sure. For a great article on tuning broadheads click the link. If you would like to learn how to sight in your compound bow this article is helpful: sighting in a compound bow. After I double checked I am confident that I can make a good kill shot count and I am eagerly looking forward to harvesting a big spring black bear. You must make sure your equipment is performing up to par before going on any hunting trip.

Christmas time for hunters is upon us as we start filling out our limited entry hunting cards in order to draw a once in a lifetime tag. It is one of my favorite times  during the off-season. This year I applied for everything available and in B.C. that includes Caribou, Bison, Elk, Moose, Mountain Goat, Mountain Sheep, Doe, Grizzly Bear. I have never drawn a mountain goat or sheep draw but of course I am hoping that this year is the one. Remember to apply for everything you can hunt and have fun anticipating the results!