Friday, November 30, 2012

Nikita's Goat Hunt 2012- Persistence pays off

November 27/12 

This was my second year hunting mountain goats, but in a different area. I've never harvested a goat before, and this goat had to have been the hardest hunt I have done yet. My worst outing ever was while trying to get this goat at the end of September. All the goats were still way way in the back, you had to go through a valley or two to get to them. Lets just say, I didn't make it to the back. I discovered my boots were no longer any good, my blisters had blisters! I fell in a creek, twisted my knee crossing a shale slide, got a stick in the other knee and in my neck....needless to say we got half way before I had enough. I was bruised, bloody and crabby. This was one out of two days that we didn't see a goat.
The next time we went up was mid October. It had been pouring rain and everything was saturated. We went for a hike up White Creek and found a goat! She was a very young nanny and she was across the river on the other side in the cliffs. I didn't want a goat that young so we decided to watch her for a while. She was very cute and still baby faced. After a few minutes a big black spot showed up on the slide right below her, Grizzly Bear. He was a very rich, dark brown and was sitting on his back end in the long grass, clueless there was a goat watching him. He was a massive, beautiful bear. We watched them until he disappeared down towards the river and we decided to get out before he showed up on our side. We got out and headed out of that part of the valley to look for more goats. Later in the day we were able to make a play on a couple billies. One was a big booner and the other was a younger billy. We had a big shale rock slide we had to climb up and those rocks are as slippery as ice when wet. It was an extremely steep climb once we were above the shale, I went up the entire mountain on my hands and feet it was that steep. At the top I was tired, so I sat and rested while Kyle went around the front face to see if the goats were still there. No sign. So we headed back down and back to the truck. We drove around to the front and sure enough looked up and the goats were still there. They had just moved farther into the cliffs and were bedded for the night. The next day we were back but everything was clouded in. I was still tired from the hike the day before and wasn't very enthusiastic about hiking another mountain. We decided to shoot a couple rounds out of the rifles because we had both taken a couple spills the day before. So we found an old clearing full of christmas trees and set up. Kyle wanted me to practice shooting off my pack. He went and set out a bottle at 80 yards to shoot at. As I was getting comfortable with my pack I looked up and standing right where Kyle had been was a coyote. I was shocked. I said to Kyle,"Coyote!" He told me to shoot it but I was still so surprised that it was there, that I missed. I was not happy that I missed. It was a beautiful dog, he had his thick winter coat and was basically all blond. So I reloaded and shot at the bottle, pin wheeled it right through the middle.   
Our next trip ended as soon as we got there. There were 2 guys from out of town sitting and watching the goats we had planned on going after. After we pulled up and talked to them they figured out we were after the same goats, so they rushed out of the truck to get up the mountain before us. I didn't feel like competing with them or being shot at, so we went to check out White Creek. We came up to the lookout and there was a red dodge sitting there. We pulled up to talk to them. It was a guy and his son and another guy, here with the guide. The one guy was from California and the father son duo were from Utah. The guide and the son were up the mountain after a goat and the 2 men were sitting and watching. We sat and talked with them for a while then decided to go whitetail hunting.
The next time we were able to get up there we had the whole valley to ourselves. Reason: the whole valley was fogged in. You couldn't see anything and it was half raining and half snowing. Kyle still wanted to make a play even though we were blind. We went up the way we had planned to go the last time. It was pretty easy going until you hit the cliffs. These were not the cliffs that the goats hang out on. These ones were hidden by the thick timber and were impossible to climb. We figured we would go along the bottom until we found a way to get either past them or through them. No such luck. On both sides were gullies made of shear rock that were deeper then the cliffs we were trying to get around. It is amazing what the timber can hide. Again, we left empty handed, drenched to the bone and never seen one goat.

November 26 & 27. These are my last two days I have to hunt for a goat and then my season is over. I am frustrated and feeling pretty defeated at this point. So we head in like every other day and just out of the blue Kyle decides to look up and slams on the breaks. Goats. They had moved from their regular hang out and were lower down. Three goats were up in the cliffs, so we bailed out and got ready to head up. It was a better go then the previous hunts and I had a spark of hope that maybe this would be my day. As we got to the bottom of the cliffs the wind shifts and blows right up at them. Kyle peaks around the one set of cliffs just in time to see a white streak heading into the timber. Just like that our hunt was done for the day. We head back down to the road and decide to just scope the cliffs from the road to see if we can find more. As we headed up the lake Kyle does it again, slams on his breaks and says Goat. They are on a mountain of shale and cliffs. Huge cliffs. Scary cliffs. But at this time we only had a few hours of light left so we watched them. There were 8 goats in those cliffs, 4 billies, a nanny and kid and the rest were nannies. As we are watching them Kyle says, " that billy is kicking the nanny in the butt" I looked over at him and replied, "he's trying to mount her" . Sure enough....yup...they are rutting.We even got to witness a stand off between two billies over a nanny. After watching the goats for a while I came to the conclusion that billies are mean. The poor kid was getting kicked around and pushed off ledges by the billies and all he was trying to do was stay close to his mom. Seeing all the goats concentrated in one area got Kyle excited and trying to hash out a game plan. My response...how are we going to get to them, those cliffs are huge.

My buddy, right below me.


Just hanging out with me
Next day we come up to the cliffs at day break. The goats were still there and just starting to move around. We didn't waste anytime getting our stuff on to head up. We started hiking in through the trees that ended rather abruptly and turned to shale. Now from the road it looks like the cliffs start where the shale ends, well there was a lot of shale to climb up and the shale turned to boulders and massive rocks with 8 inches of snow on top. Yes, I fell into a number of holes and between rocks. Once we got into the rock slide we looked up and noticed that the goats were watching us. They were still over 400 yards away. Kyle decided we would go up the left side of the cliffs and try to climb up onto the ridge. The left side was also all rocks and shale with some horrible alders and prickle bushes thrown in the mix, which equaled my own personal hell. I can not power through those alders at all and I hate prickles. By the time we got to the bottom of the cliff to climb it I was almost in tears of frustration. My feet were getting tangled, my pack and rifle were getting caught in the alders that were up to my shoulders, I was ready to go back to the truck. Kyle came back to grab my rifle and helped me get through the alders. When we got to the cliffs he scaled them like a goat, while I struggled to stretch tall enough to reach foot holds. He helped pull me up half way to the ledge and I decided I couldn't make it, I wasn't comfortable scaling cliffs that were covered in snow and ice. My confidence was low. I felt so defeated and frustrated all over again and was on the verge of a break down, so I sent a silent request to my Auntie Jenny if she could help me catch a break. Kyle could see the break down coming so he helped me down and we decided to check out the other side of the cliffs for an easier route. As we hiked across the slides Kyle stopped and pulled off his pack so we could rest and have some lunch. Of course with having legs half the size of his I lagged behind a bit and when I hike I watch the ground so I don't end up falling on my face. So it surprised me when he whistled at me and motioned for me to hurry over. I got to him and he points up, the goats were 200 yards from us standing at the edge of their ledge watching us. I looked at him and asked how I would get it down from there if I shot one. He told me not to worry that if I couldn't get up there he would go for me. So we pulled the packs over and got a rest set up for me to shoot off. By the time I was set the goats had lost interest in us and moved back from the ledge, except one. Kyle watched it through the binos and said it was a billy. He could see the scent glands and the horns were long and sweeped like a billies. I lined up on it and pulled the trigger on my pink .270. It dropped on the spot. Followed was a lot of cheering, hugging and kissing. We got our packs on and went up to the cliffs. Kyle powered ahead of me and told me that if I was able to get up to the goat he would come back and grab me but if not that he would deal with my goat and then come down to me. I made it to the cliffs and looked up and decided I would wait to see if he came back or not, I wasn't going to try it alone. He didn't come back for me so I waited. After about 15 minutes I heard some crashing in the bush below me, something was walking towards me. I was getting ready in case I had to pull off my pack and grab my rifle. There was a giant grizzly in the area. But I held still and listened. I decided to take a peek over the ledge I was standing on to see if I could see what was making the noise. That's when I seen it.
Black horns and a white face...it was a goat. I backed off the edge a bit and scrambled to pull out my phone so I could take pictures. I just about froze my one hand off trying to take as many pictures of the young billy that I could. He came right up under my ledge and stood there for a bit looking around and then he continued up the right side of my little ledge and stopped right beside me, only 10 feet from me. I froze as he looked at me and looked all around. The camera on my phone snapping away. After a couple minutes he continued a little bit to the more front of the cliff face and looked out over the lake and then hopped up on the ridge adjacent from me. He hung out there for a little bit looking mainly at me. He was only about 12 feet from me on his perch. It wasn't until he got directly above me and the wind was in his face that he figured out what I was and trotted off. I was relieved to put my glove back on, that was the longest but coolest 10 minutes. Within 10 minutes after my little buddy left, Kyle showed up above me with a full pack of his stuff and my goat. We were both tired and ready to get back to the truck. He packed my entire goat out for me, what a wonderful husband I have. Apparently while Kyle was skinning and de-boning my goat he had an audience, a nanny and kid were about 15 yards from him watching. We both had a shock when he told me that my goat was actually a nanny. She was a big nanny and was about 6-7 years old. The length of her horns measured out at 9 3/4inches.


my goat

I worked very hard for my goat and am ecstatic on the goat I got, especially being my first. It was a tough season but in the end it all paid off. And on top of getting my first goat and being out with my husband, I got to experience something that not many have... A little buddy.



Nikita


My buddy

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Aku Croda Boot Review (womens)

November 21/12

Aku Croda Gore-tex Hiking boot for women (waterproof).

I bought these boots to replace my old High-Tecs and Cabellas insulated boots. I have broken them in and have worn them out on some intense hikes (mountain goat hunting). Here's my review on them...

FIT

When I had tried these on in the store the first time I didn't buy them right away. They were the only pair left and they were a 1/2 size too big and when I tried them on they felt too narrow (I wasn't wearing proper hiking socks). Kyle convinced me to go back and try them out again, this time we also got a different guy that knew what he was talking about and doing. This time I used proper hiking socks and it made a huge difference. They know longer felt so narrow because I had cushion between my foot and the shoe. The guy helped me tighten them and they felt good.
After wearing them for a while now I am happy I got the half size bigger. I can tighten them right up with my light hiking socks and they are great and I can loosen them and have thicker socks or double up my socks without them being too tight.

PERFORMANCE

I have worn these mule deer hunting and mountain goat hunting now, in warm weather and snow. I love these boots. They have a 3/4 shank, great for mountainous terrain and steep climbing. The only down side to such a stiff boot is when your walking on wet sticks and rocks you slide everywhere. These are waterproof. After my goat hunt this past weekend in the snow and rain the only part of me that was dry were my feet. They are NOT insulated, if you plan on wearing them all year round I suggest getting the half size bigger. I wear my light merino wool hiking socks and a heavy wool sock over top and my feet stay nice and warm. Have good ankle support, they have saved me a couple times. When heading up steep terrain I just dig my toes in and its like walking up stairs, I can now make it up a steep mountain before Kyle (his boots are 1/2 shank).

BREAK IN

Breaking these in didn't take long. The sole and foot area are very comfortable right from purchase. The part I had to break in was the collar. The collar around the top of your ankle is very stiff, after the first few days wearing them my legs were bruised. It took about a week to get my legs used to the collar. Now they are fine, but always wear high socks, even if your just wearing them around town.

SPECS

* Gore-tex Waterproof & breathable membrane
* 3/4 Shank
* Vibram Rubber OutSole
* EVA Outsole
* Rubber wrap-around rand
* Abrasion resistant, rugged suede outer
* Gusseted tongue
* Padded footbed
* IMS internal midsole system
* Removable Insole

All in all, I love these boots and highly recommend them.

Nikita

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Start of November Goat Hunt

November 3, 2012

We were very fortunate that Kyles mom had requested to take the kids for a sleep over Thursday night- Saturday afternoon. We took full advantage of it and went goat hunting.

Friday morning we woke well before sunrise to get ready for a day of hunting. It was raining...like it had been for over a week now. We got all our stuff together, threw it in the truck and drove off to the area I drew my tag. Once we got up to the area we still had some time before it got light, so we drove a bit to see if we could find a mule deer until the sun hit the mountains. We didn't find any deer so we went back down to a bridge that we had a full view of the mountains and sat and glassed. Nothing. So Kyle suggested we head up to an area called white creek and go for a hike into the back of the valley. We got out and put our gaiters on and started trekking through the horrible alders. As we're going along I asked Kyle a couple times if we were going down the right trail. He kept saying yes. The last time I asked he says,"I don't remember. We may have taken the wrong one." Great. But it wasn't all in vain, when we looked across the valley.... surprise, our first goat of the day! So we watched the goat and tried to figure out how to get to it. We then figured we would go straight down the mountain until we hit the road and go back to the truck. Once we got to the truck we drove a little ways until we got to a good viewing area and pulled out the spotting scope. When we got the scope out and was able to see the goat more clearly  and observe it , we were able to see it was a very young nanny. Probably her first winter alone. So I pulled the plug on the stalk. We watched her for a little bit  until Kyle says,"Bear." Sure enough on the slide below the goats cliff was a massive old grizzly bear, lounging in the grass. He had no clue the goat was above him, but she sure did. We watched him go across the slide  and into the brush, so did she. We decided to pack up and head back to the bridge.
Back at the bridge we pulled out the scope and binos again and started scanning the mountain tops. Within 5 minutes Kyle says,"goat." Sure enough 2 goats were in view. We watched them until they bedded down and figured they were not a nanny and kid.  We got our packs loaded and started to climb. Keep in mind everything is saturated from the rain. So within minutes my gloves were soaked as well as my pants. The first part was a clearing, not bad except for the hidden sticks in the grass. Next part was treed, much better to walk in. Then we hit the rocks, lose rock that is slick as ice to walk on. That took a while to climb across. After the lose rocks it was a very steep climb on basically mud and rock with some alders and prickle bushes thrown in the mix. I climbed over half the mountain on my hands and feet, it was that steep and slippery. I was thankful when we had finally reached the bench that the goats were on. We went around the face and the slope grew in steepness to where I wasn't willing to sidehill unless I knew a goat was still on the bench. I sat by a tree while Kyle went over to take a look. He couldn't see them. But then again, we were underneath them, so I got set up and Kyle started whistling to see if we could get one to look over the edge. Nothing. We thought maybe we had bumped them and decided to head down so we didn't have to make the treacherous climb in the dark. On the way down Kyle twisted his knee and it kept giving out on him. I looked at him and asked if we needed to call SARs to come get his ass off the mountain...i got a few profanities thrown in my direction for being a smart ass. I have decided that I hate prickle bushes and that goat trails royally suck. If anyone refers a trail as a goat trail...that means its truly awful.We did make it off the mountain before it got dark and decided we would head home. We got to the bridge and looked over to see if the goats were still there, they were but had moved more to the middle of the face which was all cliff. They were bedded for the night. We came around a bend on our way out and stopped to scan one of the mountain sides not visible from the bridge and sure enough 3 goats were on it, in an easier area to hike. We shook our heads and continued home.

The next morning we were not very enthused to jump out of bed before sunrise, we were both very tired and decided we needed a sleep in. I was up at 9:30 and Kyle got up at 10:00, we got ready and headed out again. When we got up there everything was clouded in. We thought we would head to a clearing and fire a couple rounds to make sure the rifles were fine after the scary descent from the day before (yes I fell...a lot). So we set up a bottle on a stump that was about 80 yards away and while Kyle was doing that I got my pack out and ready to use as a rest. We were talking and as I looked over at the bottle to get ready to get the gun ready I see a white and blond object, coyote. He was hiding in the Christmas trees watching Kyle set up the bottle and was curious. He was standing beside the bottle watching us. Both Kyle and I were shocked. He recovered faster then I did and was soon yelling at me to shoot him. So I snapped out of it and got lined up on him and fired. Trigger jerk. It went over his back and into the bank. I was still in surprise that he had came out like that. Then I was pissed that I had missed him. After we scoured the clearing to see if we could find him again (which we didn't) I went back to shoot at the bottle. Bang! There goes the bottle flying, hit right in the middle. Gun was on. We looked up at the mountain that we were shooting at the base of and guess what was watching us, a goat. Out of my area though. It was getting later into the afternoon and we went to the mountain we had seen the 3 goats on the other day. It was clouded up. We sat for a while hoping it would clear up. When we finally got a break, we started scanning. Kyle found a goat, way way up high and with only a few hours before we had to pick up the kids. I decided we better not risk it and since they were now in their wintering area we would be able to find them again after mule deer season.

It was a well spent day and a half together and we were able to figure out where the goats were for migration. Hopefully it will snow before we head out again and pushes them down the mountain.

Nikita

Friday, October 26, 2012

SHE Expedition Tech Camo pants review

October 26, 2012

This summer I purchased a pair of SHE's Expedition pants in XS from Bass Pro.

FIT
I like the way these fit, they are a low rise fit. Their sizing puts an XS in the 0-2 size range. I am a 0 and sometimes (depending on the pants) smaller. These are big enough that I could put a pair of long underwear under them and layer up for winter. I wear a belt with them all the time. If I don't, they stretch out and fall off while hiking. Without a belt they sit on my hips comfortably, they are baggy in the crotch for me though.

MATERIAL
They are very soft, feel like your wearing sweat pants. They are made from form-stretch fleece. They have a 4-way stretch which gives you freedom of movement. They say they are water-repellent, I don't think they are truly water-repellent. I find if they get a little damp they do dry fairly quick, if you get them wet they take a while to dry. One thing I was not happy with was the material pilled after one wash.  They seem to help wick sweat away and drys fast afterwards. They have an anti-microbial in the fabric to help with scent control. Everything sticks to the material, leaves, sticks, twigs, burrs,and pine needles, it all sticks.

PERFORMANCE
After hiking all day in the heat, they never got an odor to them, I have not tested them on multi day hunts over night in the backcountry yet for smell. They allow good movement. They are soft and silent. They are warm, I wouldn't wear them in the middle of summer when its 30-35 degrees Celsius out.Wicks away sweat. After hiking in a light rain they do get damp and then you get cold. Walking through the snow also makes them wet.

Pros: Comfortable, Fit, Quiet, Warm, Movement
Cons: Material pills, Stuff clings to them, Not water repellent

Nikita

Tips for getting your ladies out!

October 26, 2012

Gentlemen! I know their are lots of guys out there that have wives/girlfriends that do not hunt, and some of you would like to get them to or maybe they want to try it out but you don't know where to start. I have asked some ladies and guys on the Coach 2 Camo page on Facebook for some input, but first I'll put my thoughts on the subject.

I think first you need to find out what it is they are interested in. Is it shooting? Is it seeing the animals? Do they want to harvest something? Seeing the scenery?
For me, I grew up in a hunting family but had never hunted or even shot a firearm. I didn't start until I started dating Kyle(my husband for those just coming through :) ). He took me out to shoot a rifle and a shotgun. When I found out I was actually a good shot, it made me enjoy it more. I had got my C.O.R.E our first summer together and went out for my first time that fall. I did get a deer, a 4 point whitetail buck and I freaked out when he didn't drop on the spot, he only ran 40 yards before he did drop, but I still freaked out. I soon learned that it was normal for them to run a ways before dieing. I wasn't a hardcore hunter though, like Kyle. I would go out here and there with him but that was about it. I tried the treestands but froze my butt off very quickly and ended up hating them for a while. I didn't really get into it head on until they started coming out with women's hunting clothes. I get cold very easy, and when clothes don't fit properly they don't keep you warm or you feel like a marshmallow. Then seeing the pictures he would take out on his backpack trips in the backcountry made me want to go back there also.
So for me the deciding factors, besides me wanting to try it, was proper clothing and getting to see the views/animals I was missing out on.

What others had to say about why/how they started:
Trish- "Well this will be my first year going hunting I didn't Really like guns but then one day he was out target practicing and I thought hmmm I want to try it.So I went outside and started target practicing and I'm so excited to go hunting in November I have been watching a doe since the end of summer.I call her big mama and I just think this is going to be new hobby for me."

Char- "I wanted to spend more time w/my husband, n our kids got older I had more time. I started going w/him. He's a good teacher. We laugh about some of the things I did in the beginning. But I'm getting better making better decisions. Understanding wind,and scent. The people I work with don't get why I save vacation time for the first 2wks of Nov. I love going n wish I would have started earlier."

Colleen- "I grew up on a 500+ acre farm was around it all the time... My husband & his family hunted the whole we dated I didn't want no part of it, then the kids came around. I got away from my country up bringins by working in the city & it just hit me one day. Stop trying to be someone your not & get those country roots back up. Before you know it I killed my first deer (doe) field dressed her & everything all by myself. I think it's like the viscous animal that gets its taste of its first kill, it hungers & wants more. That's me. "You can't take a man out the stand but boy can you sit next to him in one"

Jessica- "Well...mine didn't "get me out." The decision that I wanted to begin hunting was entirely my own, and my goal from the start was to be able to do it independently. However, he helped me along by enabling me...helping me to choose and procure gear, teaching me things, and never being too selfish to include me in his hobbies. He's my biggest supporter when it comes to my outdoor pursuits, and I'm thankful for that!"

Dian- "hmmm my hubby took me while we were dating, had a few years break and in 2010 I went myself........and now he hunts again too. But I am the one that really enjoys the whole process and he is more spur of the moment without checking the wind type. I think going hunting for something little like squirrel or rabbit maybe better than deer at first. Other than that, it's really dependant on what appeals to the person."

Scott- "Add in the fact that not only do they get to enjoys God's great outdoors,,,,its the Perfect "Mommy time" for those who can't get some quiet time :-) even when the hunting is slow,,,best time in the world to read a book,,,,its where I read the Bible uninterrupted :-)"

Figure out what they are interested in. If they aren't sure what it is they are interested in, then take them out with you and make sure they are comfortable and it's enjoyable. Maybe start small. If they aren't ready to shoot a deer let them shoot a grouse or some other small game. Make sure they understand that if they shoot something that it will run, not drop on the spot! A lot of interest may come from just seeing animals, a double treestand is a good idea or a ground blind. If they are nervous of the dark in the woods then makes sure you get out in daylight (even though that's when the animals move, you don't want to make it a negative experience).
Remember, make it enjoyable for her and keep her fears/dislikes in mind!

Nikita

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

4 long years has paid off

October 24, 2012

In the last few days we have been having a snow fall warning for the whole area. And since it had snowed a good couple of inches over night we decided to go out and see if we could find some whitetail or mule deer.
We got the kids packed up and ready for a whole day out and about and brought the puppy (sitka) along. We put Sitkas jacket on him so he would stay warm in the box of the truck, the temperature only got up to 0. Kyle is trying to train him to be a hunting dog and to see how well he tracks blood. We left town at about 11:30 am and planned to be out until after dark (7:00 pm).

While we were driving down one of the main back roads we spotted 3 deer in the back of a clearing so we stopped. I jumped out, got my bow ready and started to head in after them. They weren't at all concerned about me, not until I got about 80 yards from them. I had my range finder with me and was using it as binoculars. I sat for a little bit and watched them. I decided to watch them and figure out which one the fawn belonged to. There were two does and a fawn, one doe was younger then the other. I watched them for about 10 minutes and figured out the fawn belonged to the older doe, so I set my sights on the other. She was much more jumpy then the mother, as was the fawn. But the mother didn't really take the fawns reactions into account. The doe I was after never stood still, she was back and forth, walking away then coming back, and the mother and fawn were in between us. Momma knew I was there but she wasn't worried...until I got within 40 yards of them and started circling behind them to get to the other doe. I'd take 2 steps then she would watch me, and it continued like that until the baby bounded away and momma slowly walked away from me...taking my doe with them. So I headed back to the road and back to the truck.

We seen many animals. Bald eagle, tons of elk (2 of which were legal bulls, 3 days after season ended), golden eagle, skunk, grizzly, redtail hawk, and tons of whitetails (most were does with fawns). We also found an area where a pack of wolves were running. Their tracks were all over the place and you could see where they had been sleeping. This got Kyle excited, we had decided this winter we were going to try some wolf hunting. Kyle went for a walk to look out over a lake to see if any were running around while I stayed with the kids. Pheonix was asking me what daddy was doing and when I told her he was looking to see if he could see a wolf she got excited and asked if she could shoot one when she got bigger. I think we will have a little hunter on our hands!

After a while we decided to go up a road nobody had been on. It was a long road. Finally we crept up to a landing that had fresh deer tracks on it. So Kyle and I jumped out with our bows and told the kids to sit and watch their movie and we would be right back. We walked up onto the landing and checked out the tracks, it was timber all around the old landing. We looked up the hill to where the tracks led and seen a deer disappearing through the timber. We decided to follow since we figured the deer didn't know we were there. There was absolutely no wind, which was nice because earlier it had a nasty bite. We quietly stalked up after it. About half way up the big hill, it caught sight of us and stopped, we got a good look at her then at 40 yards. Big mature doe, without a fawn. She was alone. She stood and watched us, she was more curious then scared. So I got my bow ready and started walking away from kyle to the left so I could get a clear shot. While I was walking, Kyle started to talk to her and it caught her attention. She was listening to him but watching me. I pulled back and settled my pin on her and let the calm run over me. I released. I seen where the arrow entered and her mule kick. It went through her and she took off. I listened and heard her crash. So Kyle and I hiked up to where she was standing and retrieved my arrow and found her trail. We tried to get Sitka to follow the trail but he couldn't put 2 and 2 together, it was his first time. She had ran straight across the hill, only 20 yards away. After 4 years of bowhunting and never able to harvest anything, I finally got my deer! It was well worth the hard work and long wait.

We dragged her down to the landing through all the brush. As we were dragging her the Korelian was coming out in Sitka. He was jumping at her and nipping at her. He was excited. As we were heading through all the brush you could hear Pheonix cheering from the truck. We got to the landing and Kyle brought the truck up and let the kids out. Pheonix was very excited. Easton was leery of the deer. We got some pictures and Easton wanted to sit with me but he didn't know about the deer. After the pictures, the kids were happy to play in the snow and Pheonix would come help with the deer. Once we were done, we got everybody back in the truck and started to head out. We had about 1 hour left of light so we hunted the way out, hoping maybe Kyle would get lucky. He pulled a couple stalks but nothing. It was a great day spent as a family, and thankfully we were lucky enough to harvest a deer.

Nikita

Friday, October 19, 2012

Bowhunting...Dedication and challenge

October 19, 2012
Over the years Ive gone from rifle to bow and using both. I use my rifle mainly for if we need meat and first time animals (ill be using it for my goat this year).  But bowhunting...takes dedication, it takes passion....and most of all patience. I have the dedication and passion, but the patience is a different scenario.

It's amazing going from a starter with a rifle to a broken in hunter trying to go all bow. We practice all year round, almost everyday. I don't believe in pulling it out a week before season, shooting a couple rounds and calling it good. For me, archery prepares me for bowhunting, it keeps my muscles in shape so I can pull back that 50lbs when a deer walks out, it helps me to know my bow so when I'm pulling back i have confidence that my arrow will hit where i want it too. This is my dedication.

You need a passion for hunting and for archery to be able to bowhunt. I have had a bow for over 5 years now and I have been hooked since the first arrow I sent flying. I have been bowhunting for 4 years and have yet to take anything with it. But I continue to shoot all year and hunt with it every season. I know it will be even sweeter once I do get my first bow kill and ill be even more obsessed. Until then I keep chuggin along, hoping before every outing and cursing after.  I am determined to kill my whitetail with my bow this year.

Bowhunting takes incredible patience. This I struggle with the most. I have a hard time seeing all these deer that I have to pull a spot and stalk on and try to get within 40 yards without getting busted. When before with my rifle, if it was within 200 yards it was dead. I've pulled stalk after stalk after stalk, every time with no success. You have to check the wind, take it slow but not too slow, and be quiet. I forget to check the wind all the time. One disadvantage I have is how short i am, I can barely see over a brush. But it also works in my advantage, I don't have to crouch down to hide behind the brush lol! I sometimes take it too slow and my animal will have moved on without me seeing it. Sometimes you end up sitting for hours without seeing an animal, or waiting for the perfect opportunities to pull back or shoot. I am still trying to find the happy medium that will work for me.

Bowhunting is a challenge...I know I will get my first kill, when is a different question. I keep at it anyways. If you are someone considering bowhunting, I do recommend it. There is no other feeling like that of a bull elk charging in at you through the brush, screaming or a whitetail walking underneath you while sitting in a tree stand. You get to see more animals up close and personal and it gives you a pretty good appreciation for the animals you do get.

Nikita

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Trying for a doe

October 16. 2012

We have been fortunate that Oma (Kyles mom) has been so willing to have some grand baby time and has taken the kids last night and tonight. So we have taken advantage of the free time and have used it for hunting. I have been hunting with my bow for several years now and have yet to harvest anything with it. Last year we got desperate for meat, so on the last day I pulled out my rifle and I was able to harvest a doe. This year I want to get a whitetail with my bow, no exceptions! So last night we went after my elk, since Kyle had harvested one on the weekend. The only elk we seen was a spike bull...on the highway...in the dark. The only other animals we seen were whitetails. It was like I was being taunted since I didn't have my bow with me. So I decided the next morning to take my bow along and I would focus on a doe. It had stormed all night and into the morning. Pounding rain, hail and snow with thunder, lightning and high winds. So needless to say the deer were extremely jumpy in the morning which made any stalking near impossible. We hunted from morning to night. Seeing about 45 whitetails (does,fawns and 1 small buck) and 10 elk (cows, calves and 1 large bull...on the highway..in the dark). I pulled many stalks through the day and was only able to pull back on one doe. I miscalculated the distance though and my arrow fell short as she danced away wagging her giant white tail at me. I never did find my arrow amongst the tall grass. I have used treestands, but have a hard time trusting something that hangs off a tree by a chain. I do like my ladder stand though. I now have a full understanding why people mainly use treestands for whitetail...they are very difficult to spot and stalk.

I love my bow and I love hunting with it. I love the challenge, but my is it frustrating!

Nikita

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep

Head in the Clouds
By. Geno Pagliaro
 
 
Where did my desire to take a big horn sheep come from?
It all started when i was a little boy, I would go on spotting trips with my dad looking for his elusive big horn. I can remember him setting up the spotting scope for me and seeing all the white bums up high above the clouds. Over the years my dad and I hunted many things together, taking elk, deer and bear. As time wore on, and my dad being a police officer, we moved away from the sheep ranges. He and my grandfather have taken many fine trophies in their lives, but neither of them had taken a ram and I wanted one! I wanted to be the first one in my family of die hard hunters to achieve the hardest animal in North America to take. 

As time ticked away, my desire for a ram grew so strong i would find myself daydreaming of my sheep hunt. As life went on I found myself moving back to my home town were my sheep infection started. I fell into my dream job of guiding and apprenticing in taxidermy for the off sessions. I guided for goat, elk, bear and deer and when the first ram came into camp for one of our happy hunters, I was shocked! I started hitting the maps talking with old outfitters doing recon trips to make it happen. I soon learned the sheep hunting community is tight lipped and every thing I found out was old news or BS. With this in mind, I burnt boot leather hiking mountains and popped aspirin like candy to kill pounding head aches from glassing and sore muscles.
Then two years ago my wife drew a sheep tag, I put my quest for my ram on hold and lived it through hers. The next year was another story, so I thought. My hunting partner, who is a 65 year old Norwegian (who can walk the pants off me), made the long trek to our sheep spots all summer long with me.

When we did find rams, we found two legal full curls and the agreement was my partner was to have first shot and I would get second due to age, I had lots of time to get a ram. We camped with our rams for days and when opening morning came along,so did the people. With people on every ridge top our two rams dwindled down to one, with a foot race to the remaining ram and a great final stock, my partner made a great shot and I watched his ram tumble down the mountain. His life long dream came true. The rest of the year turned up rams but nothing legal.
My hunting partner and I took to spotting for the next year. With some rams spotted but nothing really stacking up we took a stab in the dark for opening morning. The rams we were watching turned out to be little guys and the wind and weather had everything else timbered up. We called off the hunt so my hunting partner could take his new wife on their honey moon, that got put off for my hunt.
A  week or two later I started to get antsy, there was one spot I had investigated for some time and with my sheep partner gone I asked a great friend of mine if he wanted to tag along. I swore him to secrecy on his right, you know what, of the area. He had no sheep tag, so we figured if there was no rams I would help him find an elk. We only had two days before our shift started at our job, so we made a mad dash to my spot and a long trek up the mountain side. We reached the top by late afternoon and set up camp. As we glassed the slides and rock faces, we enjoyed the warm afternoon that eventually turned to evening, our hopes grew and I felt Electric. We spotted a sow Grizzly and her cubs feeding up the slide towards us, but nothing else turned up. With our situation with the 3 bears we decided to look over the other side and give them their space. After our little trek to the other side we came back to camp with no sheep spotted. All of a sudden, the bush began to huff and as the willows parted, here came the three grizzlies, the guns came up and we began to whistle and shout. The bears wheeled off without a shot fired. We settled into camp, had some much needed water and some mountain house then we were fast a sleep with load guns by our sides.
The next morning we woke, climbed out of our sleeping bags and began to glass. I put my swarrows up and I was looking at 9 rams! I quickly set up my spotter and there he was! With a few mouthfuls of oatmeal we were off, we side hill'd for about 1 1/2 km and with the sun coming up our backs the rams had no chance of seeing us. We stayed off the skyline and with the wind in our favor, we moved into 150 yards and I set up my spotter. The rams winded something from down below and began to move out and there was my ram, filing across the slide. He stopped suddenly and looked back, and just like in my dream I played so many times in my head, my cross hairs settled on his right shoulder and I felt the pressure build on the trigger. Rock solid, the report of my rifle sent my dream to reality as I watched my ram slow, come to a stop and topple over! It had happened! 
Time stopped up there in the clouds, and a rush of emotions came over me. I don't know how i got to my ram, but I do know I could not see the rocks i was stepping on from the tears welling up in my eyes. After the photo shoot I reached down into my pack and pulled out something special, a knife my dad made me. It was made from the steel of my grandfathers crosscut saw and dawned with a sheep horn handle. I had saved this knife for this very moment, its first time use.
This ram is not just my first, it's not a booner, but it is my trophy, it's my families trophy and my memory of goal determination and friends, this is why I love sheep and sheep hunting.

 

Monday, October 8, 2012

Ground blind with a 2 yr old


So a couple weeks ago, the cow elk were open. We had done a couple drives with the kids but the problem with this is that cow season is ridiculous here. Every hunter and their dog are out driving looking for a cow. Every time we have seen more hunters then wildlife. So this time we left earlier in the afternoon and decided to drive a big loop and find a place to set up the ground blind. We went up behind Moyie on the sunrise. After about 10-15 mins of driving we found some wildlife...a big old grizzly bear. So we watched him for a while, took a couple pictures then continued on our way. The trip we were taking was up through Moyie, through the south country to eventually come out of Kookanusa to head home. It is quite the loop. After the grizzly we started to find everyone and their dogs...soo many trucks and quads...cow season. So we drove for a bit, until we got to Kyles area for the ground blind. As we were heading in...of course a truck comes driving out. The one nice thing with cow season is a lot of the people stay on the road. So if you get off the road, you don't see anyone. So we parked got the packs filled up and the kids on our shoulders and started hiking. We got out to the spot Kyle figured was good enough and set up. Now sitting in a blind with a 4 yr old and a 2 yr old is interesting. Pheonix was fine, she had been in a blind before and knew to play quietly. Easton on the other hand....is a 2 yr old boy that can not sit still for the life of him and is not what you would call quiet. So of course, Easton is hanging out the windows, flopping against the blind, climbing on us, and squealing at every noise he hears. After about 5 minutes you could tell Kyle was losing it...but he never said anything. After 10 minutes he started to voice that the elk would never come. At 15 minutes he's shaking his head, still saying we're not going to see anything. At 20 minutes he gave up...That's it, were packing up! Me on the other hand was having trouble controlling my out burst of laughter from 5 minutes in. The look on Kyles face mixed with a 2 yr olds joy had me in hysterics. Oh Easton loved the blind...but is still too young to understand you need to be quiet!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Sheep Hunting

Sheep Hunting September 2012
 
Kyle and Geno decided to go up after a sheep. Geno had a tag, has been hunting sheep for 5 years now and this is his first harvest! Congrats Geno!!
 



Friday, September 21, 2012

A MUST read for everyone.

This is a blog from the Prois Community written by Kristie Pike. It is a great read and everyone should take a look! Click on the link below:

From the ladies room...of bikinis and babes by Prois' Kristie Pike

Saturday, September 15, 2012

No Regrets

September 10-12, 2012



 

To live life with no regrets is no easy task. How many of you have a dream of a certain animal that you would love to experience pursuing with your bow? Mine is the majestic mountain goat. This summer I was lucky enough for two reasons, one was drawing a tag for a goat close to home and two was making a life change to get into shape to up my odds of harvesting my dream. So, my journey began by running and lifting weights. With the mountains in mind and a helpful, loving wife, on cardio days we would drive out to a bush road. My wife would throw the dogs and I out so we could run 5 to 10 kms (I think she was laughing at me most of the time) then throw out the targets and do some shooting.

 

 By the time Sept 9th came around I was down 30 pounds, had done some backpack trips for scouting and was ready. The day before I was to leave, my cousin called me in a panic to see if I wanted to help him with his sheep because his partner rolled his ankle and couldn’t go with. Family first, I was happy to help, he was only going to be out for two days then he had to go home. So after a 17 km bike ride up the road closure in the rain we finally got to his little hut and thank goodness it was there cause it didn’t stop raining for 24 hours. We hunkered down and lit a fire to dry our gear and got caught up on life.

 

In the morning we sat there spending our time watching movies on my Iphone waiting for the rain to quit. At around six pm the rain had quit, but it was too late to make a move up the mountain. We glassed till dark and had a good night sleep. In the morning, our gear was dry and we were off, it took three hours of hard hiking to get up where we would be able to hunt as long as we could. With my cousin having to go back that day, time was of the essence. Because this area was also my goat area, I was keeping tabs on all the goats in the area. We found a legal ram but were unsuccessful on the stock. So after seeing 5 goats and a four and a half km hike back to camp we packed up and rode our bikes back to the trucks.


 

After my cousin and I said good bye, I decided to head of to a different drainage to see if there were any Billy’s back there. This time I was able to use my quad to cover more ground and save my energy for the hike. After all morning of not seeing any goats, I decided to go to a look out point were I could watch three different ridges. After 2 hours and a 20 min cat nap I noticed something a little different, so I grabbed my spotting scope and took a look. Bingo! Two goats, three quarters of the way up the mountain, but instead of going after them I sat back to observe them and make sure they were Billy’s and weren’t going anywhere. After an hour, both goats stood up out of their beds and I knew they were mature animals. I land marked a rock I could get to and my path up to them, then dropped everything but my pack, defender and bow and was off. On my way up I noticed some fresh bear scat halfway up, but it looked like the bear was heading off that ridge.

 

It took 2 hours to get to the bottom of the rock I had picked from down below. Now it was time to slow down and let my training take over. I dropped my pack then crawled up to the top of the rock and looked over; to my surprise the goat was right there. I ranged him at 38 yards. As I was pulling back, the goat caught movement and looked in disbelief that I was there. But it was too late, my arrow made a clean pass through and I watched with fulfillment as the goat ran 150 yard and fell. On his fall he busted his nose and shattered his front leg, but the horns were still intact.

 

Because I knew this was grizzly country, and I was alone, I took a couple pictures and started to field dress my hard earned prize. It didn’t take long but just as I finished de-boning the quarters I had a feeling I should look behind me. This was going to suck. She winded the kill, was the first thing that came to mind as I seen a young grizzly heading my way across the hill looking for lunch. My second thought was, grab the gun. At about a hundred yards I fired my first shot at the ground in front of her, a second at eighty and the third shot she was at sixty. I hit a rock at her feet which exploded and caused her to stop then go around a small ridge. So, with the grizzly on the hill, I grabbed all the meat, threw it in my pack, strapped my bow down and started down the hill back to my quad. What should have taken me just over an hour to do, I did in forty min. But there’s nothing like a little motivation strapped to your back to put some life to your step.

 
I had finished my dream and it was more than I could have asked for. This hunt will always remind me, if you’re defeated in the mind, you’re defeated in the body; live life with NO REGETS

Kyle

Friday, September 14, 2012

Kyles Gear List & Shared Items

Kyles Gear (highlighted is shared gear)

Clothing
* Rivers West Pant
* Kryptek Alaois field shirt
* Kryptek Alaois field pant
* Kryptek Hooded shirt
* Columbia soft shell jacket
* Cabelas Ultra-pack Synthetic down Jacket
* Under armour vest
* RedHead rain jacket
* Beanie

Boots
* Scarpa
* Mendels

Weapons
* Bowtech Destroyer 340
* Snuffer 125gr broadheads
* Weatherby 7mm Mag
* 160 Accubonds
* Carbon Express Arrows

Accessories
* Stove
* Havalara Knives
* Mag light flashlight
* Penz Headlamp
* First aid kit

Optics
* Leupold Binos
* Bushnell Spotting Scope
* Leupold rifle scope
* Nikon Rangefinder


Pack
* Eberlestock J104
* 3.0L Platypus bladder

Sleep System
* MEC sleeping bag -12
* MEC Kelvin Summer pump pad
* Exped Aries Mesh 2person tent

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

SPOT

So while I am sitting here, relaxing, wondering if Kyle has gotten anything yet on his hunting trip (he's been gone since Monday morning) my phone beeps to show a message from him saying he's OK.

I know a lot of people know what a SPOT device is, but there are lots that still don't. My parents for one, had never heard of it. They do a lot of quading (especially my dad and brother) and they often go off on their own. So I introduced my Mom to SPOT. Showed her the unit we have and the messages you can send. Around here they are a great thing, we don't have a lot of cell phone coverage due to the amount of mountains that surround us.

It gives me piece of mind that he is alright alone in the mountains and with the custom message button he can tell me if he shoots anything. The battery life is very good on it, if you have the tracker on, it will drain it a little faster.
The unit we have
 
There is another device out called the SPOT Connect. It connects to your phone by bluetooth so you can update on social networks and send out text messages. I worked for Bell as a sales consultant for 5 years and I would not recommend it if you plan on being out for more then a night. Bluetooth drains your phones battery fairly quickly.

Highly recommend the SPOT even if your not a hunter. Outdoor enthusiasts, fisherman, camping, road trips, 4x4ing and travellers all would benefit from this device!

"It's not a fashion show" ....

I don't know how many times I have been told, "the deer don't care what you look like/are wearing" or "its not a fashion show".
Or even, "why don't you just buy the juniors if those don't fit" "these other ones are cheaper"

To all those that have ever heard this or other similar statements, you're not alone!

I started my hunting life out in Juniors L and XL or men's M (because for some reason you could never find a S or XS in the men's?) and now that there is women's gear out, I have to say....it's NOT that I am trying to be in a fashion show or look pretty, its about being comfortable in the bush.

Yes, some of the women's gear is more expensive then the junior or men's, but the stuff actually fits! And its not just those women that are petite like me, the women that have curves also deserve the comfort of wearing properly fitted clothing. Its not fun walking around feeling like a marshmallow or having your clothes to tight that its hard to move around. It also hinders our performance in the bush! Range of motion is affected greatly and being able to regulate your body temperature with a decent layering system.

Personally, I still have troubles finding gloves and pants. I'm petite (5'1'', 100lbs), and they don't seem to make them small enough for me still. My SHE Expedition pants fit comfortably, I still need a belt, but they are fitted enough that they don't hang down around my knees and big enough I can fit some long underwear in if need be. I highly recommend them if you are my size or bigger! They are very nice and not expensive. My only complaint is after the first wash the material pilled.

That's my rant for now lol!

Nikita

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Nikita's Gear List



Clothes:
* SHE Expedition Pant
* SHE Elite Pant
* Prois Ultra light long sleeve shirt
* Cabelas Outfither Hoodie
* SHE Hunters Vest
* RedHead Jr XL insulated Bib
* Cabelas Outfither insulated jacket
* Gander Mtn Beartooth TecH2O womens rain jacket

Boots:
* AKU Croda Gore-tex Hiking boot for women (waterproof)         

Accesories:
* Toque
* SHE cold weather gloves
* Convertible Mittens
* Prois Ball cap
* Tube Hand warmer

Weapons:
* Bowtech Heartbreaker
* Radial X Weave 100 arrows
* Snuffer broadheads 100gr
* Scotts Archery Fox release
* Apex 5 pin Sight
* Remington .270
*Leupold Rifleman Scope

Pack:
* Eberlestock Xl
* 2L Platypus bladder

Optics:
* Leupold Binoculars
* Bushnell Scope (came on my rifle)
* Leupold 750 rangefinder

Sleep system:
* womens MEC Persea sleeping bag -12
* MEC Kelvin summer pump pad

Extras:
* Knives
* Bear Spray
* Straps
* Browning Headlamp

If anyone is wanting to ask questions or have reviews done on any of these products, please ask!

Nikita

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Starting them Young..

Easton- 9 mons old. Out shooting the bows
Easton at 10 mons old
Pheonix on a mule deer hunt with mommy

Kyle & Pheonix
Pheonix
We believe in getting the kids  into the outdoors as soon as possible. Pheonix got an early head start being born at the beginning of May. By the beginning of July we had taken her out on her first backcountry hike, and it all stemmed from there. Easton didnt get it so lucky being born at the end of August and with me having more issues with my c-section after him, then I did with Pheonix. We went out on a couple road hunts but I was basically not able to go out at all that hunting season. Here are some pictures of the kids out and about:

Pheonix. I had Easton on my back at 3 mons old
Easton on a road hunt
Pheonix
Pheonix and Mommy, on a road hunt