I just returned from my second year working with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s kids camp put on at Jack Creek Preserve in Ennis Montana. This year surpassed last year with 58 kids attending. Once again I was given the task of teaching archery and hunting to these future torch carriers. The area where we put on the camp is over 5000 acres of pristine Montana heaven.

The weather was perfect, sunny and temperatures in the 80’s with night time low’s in the 40’s. Keeping track of all these kids could not be done with out the volunteers who help cook, teach and mentor all these youngsters. I look forward to this camp every year.

The kids go through a number of work stations which last 90 minutes each. From trail building to conservation to fly tying and photography. An over night hiking/camping trip and archery as well as hunting 101. Most of these kids have never shot a bow before coming to the camp and this year over half of the kids brought their own bows. It is a great way to help grow the sport and teach conservation and responsibility.

This kids camp is four days long but flies by for all the volunteers. Everyone participates in a big bon fire on the last evening and on the last day we put on a big 3 D archery challenge. We break the kids up based on their experience level and some great prizes are awarded for all the top winners.

I want to thank all of the sponsors who donate some great prizes and gifts for all the kids who attended. Montana Decoy, Mossy Oak, Bugling Bull Game Calls, Hunter Safety Systems, Schrade Knives and others.

Kids camp is over and now time to focus on the fall hunts coming up for Outback Outdoors.

Scouting a new piece of deer property can be very fun, exciting and if done right will make you more successful in harvesting deer in the future. Once you arrive at the new ground take a minute to over look the entire area by getting to higher ground and try to  have a complete aerial photo with you or topo maps of the area. Take time to see where the food sources are, the bedding cover might be and take note of any travel areas that the deer will use.

Have a plan in mind and if possible try and do your scouting in late winter or early spring. This way the deer sign from the season past is still fresh and you will not be driving your deer from your property. I always like to locate the food in the area and than the bedding. I look for small pinch points or travel corridors and go there first. I like to find where the deer trails neck down and possible ambush spots are found and a likely air assault can be placed.

I rather hunt the travel areas and if possible stay away from the bedding cover. Out West usually the deer in the river bottoms travel short distances from food to cover so you have to be  ultra stealthy. The edges of alfalfa fields or other crops are good scouting points but I rarely sit on them when trying to shoot a mature buck. I like to be inside the field edges 100 yards or so where possible so I can catch those big deer staging just before dark. You will see less deer but more of the right deer you are trying to take. This strategy also works well when it is time to get out of your stand. When you sit on field edges and finish your hunt now you have to get down and walk across the same field the deer are in. Not a good idea! I rather slip out back through the timber and go undetected.

Morning hunts are also very tough out West in the river bottom properties. Usually you end up spooking the deer from the food sources when trying to get into your stand site. Most of my time is spent glassing from a high vantage point and evaluate where the deer are entering the cover. They will generally come back out in the same area in the evening. Use the mid day time to scout or hang stand set ups where you will have the least impact on the deer you are hunting. I have sometimes hung stand set ups in the dark while the deer are out in the fields.Just a few pointers to try if you are hunting river bottom property. Try using a small boat or canoe to enter and exit your hunting area and you will leave very little disturbance for the deer to pick up on. Wear hip boots to walk in the water and use while on stand. Your scent will be minimized. Make sure you have someone pick you up on the field edges by vehicle. Deer are used to farm tractors or vehicles driving in the fields and are better than you walking out across the areas you are hunting.

One thing here at Outback Outdoors we instill is the value of getting your entire family involved in the outdoors. Every chance we get some of our team members or our close friends get their wives and children outside and teach them the importance of passing on our hunting heritage.

This past weekend I headed out with my good friend and hunting partner in North West Montana on a spot and stalk black bear hunt. We have had a very cool and wet spring so far which has kept us from our familar haunts due to snow levels still being high in some areas. The truck was packed with gear as well as Dave’s wife Karen and two boys Easton and Warren. We would drive logging roads and glass in between rain storms. Nothing was seen except numerous other hunters doing the same thing as us and with the holiday weekend and the end of bear season near.

Just when we were calling it quits we spotted a bear, a chocolate bear no less. He crossed a clear cut and we were able to get around in front of him. After several minutes we could not locate him so Dave decided to try some predator calling. Within a minute his youngest boy spotted the bear heading our way. With Warren on the camera and the bear within bow range, Dave made the shot. A short recovery later and the whole clan had a beautiful bear.

This is what the sport and life style is all about, family and friends. Whenever you get a chance make sure to include anyone who wants to get involved and look to recruit others if given the chance.

Have a great summer and look for new and exciting webisodes to come.

I just returned from Alberta Canada on a dream bear hunt. Trevon kept you up to date on my hunt and I want to tell you that Garrett Brothers Outfitters are the absolute real deal. It was the best bear hunt I have ever been on. I saw over 50 different bears and had action every day. The ride in was incredible on a jet boat some 70 miles up river. Once we arrived the camp was perfect. Base camp had multiple cabins, showers, a cook house and plenty to do during your hunt.

The first night out I saw 5 bears and shot a giant bear that weighed in at 310 pounds, had a 19 6/8 inch skull and was just over six feet. I was on cloud nine and I captured the entire hunt on camera while self videoing. He did not go 10 yards and tipped over. My equipment performed perfectly and it was a great night.

I sat a few more nights in different stands and saw many other bears but I wanted to cut my tag on another giant bear. In Alberta you get 2 bear tags so you can be selective.

During the day we would check baits or just hang out in camp with the entire Garrett family. The parents, two brothers, their wives and kids all run the camp. It was the most fun I have had playing horse shoes, shooting rifles, skeet and riding quads. Each day you would have breakfast at 9, lunch about 3 and dinner when you returned at 11. The food was amazing and you WILL gain weight on this trip.

I saw bears of all sizes and also colors while on different bait sites. The second to last night, of the six day hunt, I sat on a remote bait accessed only by boat and than a 45 minute ATV ride. I had 6 bears in and had a monster show up at about 8:15. I ran camera on him as he ate the beaver that was hung up in a tree at a higher elevation for the REALLY BIG bears and had many chances to shoot this massive bruin. The problem was another hunter in camp was supposed to sit there that night but we had a mix up when placing hunters. I was very hesitant but chose to pass up the huge 7 foot bear. That night we came back to camp and reviewed my footage which also included seeing a wolf. What an awesome night to be in a treestand and running video.

The next day, which my last I wanted to sit again for the big bear. I talked it over with the other hunter on how to decide who would hunt his spot. A coin toss decided my fate and as you can see I won!!! This bear was a true giant who weighed in at 360 pounds, was over 7 foot long and his giant melon head scored in at 20 3/8.

I had 2 hunts of a lifetime in the same week. I highly recommend Garrett Brothers Outfitters for a great bear hunting experience in the true Canadian wilderness. They also offer white tail deer hunts, moose hunts as well as fishing trips. Please check them out for a trip you will not forget.

Oh yeah I did get the second kill on video as well so look for both hunts coming soon on our web show.

I just returned home from a very great turkey hunt in Nebraska with my good friend Dave and his son Warren. In 5 days of bow hunting we were able to anchor 6 birds on video. The average shot was 10 yards and all but one bird expired within 20 yards.

We learned a great deal on this hunt about hunting early season birds and I want to share some of the things with you. The birds were just starting to come out of their winter flocks and were not responding to calls. They would gobble on the roost and then shut down once they hit the ground. The huge numbers of hens would dictate where the flocks went. We had trouble finding any toms for the first few days. The jakes were grouped up as well and the only strategy that worked was getting in their travel patterns.

Once the birds spotted our decoy spread they would come over. Remember you are trying to bring the hens over because then the toms will follow. They were not ready to fight yet so this was the best approach. Our decoy spread consisted of a strutting tom and a feeding hen. We place them close, and I mean close. Roughly 6 yards from the blind. We have no problem bringing the birds in that close and they disregard the blinds. Numerous times we had 40 hens within 10 yards of us and they fed at ease. Occasional calling kept them calm and close and all we had to do was wait for the toms.

We put 600 miles on our truck once we were in our hunting area. We knocked on 12 ranch doors and got permission on 11 of them. Most places are willing to let you bow hunt for these birds because they are over populated. 200-300 birds were seen on most of these ranches. Especially if you are bow hunting, the doors seemed to open more easily. We wanted to cover as much ground as possible and have several places for hunting. Some we would hunt first thing in the morning and some were better for mid day hunts. Others we spent the evenings hunting the roosting areas.

As we hunted we observed their behavior change and the birds started to break up and establish their pecking order. The last night we located 200 birds and 20 toms with no jakes in sight. We were in the cat bird seat until the rain and snow shut the birds down. Oh well it was a great time and I got to see Warren shoot 2 jakes back to back in a span of a minute and then Dave shoot his Tom a few minutes later. A triple out of the same blind in 10 minutes, pretty cool stuff.

Over the winter my friend David and I talked about hitting Nebraska for the archery turkey season opener on March 25th. It was going to be spring break for his son so we decided to wait until the 27th to head down. We researched some new areas in the North West portion of the state and began calling biologists and land owners. After securing some permission and had a hand full of maps we were ready.

It was going to be early and most of the birds were still going to be in their winter flocks. Strategies would change and you have to hunt them in the travel corridors, which for the river bottoms meant to and from ranchers hay stacks. The numbers were tremendous and a ton of hens as well as jakes were located. After some scouting and driving around learning the area we were ready for the hunt.

It is very important to scout, make several plans, have back up areas and do not hunt right away. I rather scout for 2 days and hunt for 1 good one if that is what it takes. Make the most of your time. We were glad we did that rather than set up right away without seeing what the birds were doing. The first 3 days so far on this trip we killed 3 birds. We have scouted, driven around, knocked on 15 ranchers doors and spent a total of 3 hours in the blinds to harvest these birds. Our scouting has paid off big time for us so far.

We still have 3 more birds to take down so stay close for more updates.

Cabin fever has lingered for longer than I can handle. I am headed out in the morning for Nebraska to hunt the thunder chickens with the Hoyt. It is the first state out West to open and there are a ton of birds in the corn husker state.

This early season hunt can be real tough as the birds are just breaking up from their winter flocks and establishing their pecking order. It is not uncommon to see 200-300 birds in a huge flock. Trying to get a mature tom to break off from the group will be tough. A lot of times you have to set up near their travel corridors or roosting areas and hope to catch them traveling through.

I will be set up in the blind with decoys out by first light on Sunday morning and the weather looks to be nice. My last trip out there in March was less than stellar. Look for some updates in the next week on my hunt.

As the mercury dipped well below zero in mid December, I found myself sitting in a ground blind in South Western North Dakota. I was trying to arrow a late season deer, either white tail or mule deer. The weather was relentless and I have never hunted in temperatures this cold before. I was there for 12 days and it never did get over 8 degrees. Many days it was in the negatives and the wind made it an honest minus 20.

The deer movement was slowed due to the very cold weather. They would move only just before last light and would feed until 3 or 4 in the morning and head back for thick bedding cover. It makes the hunting tough and you have to tread lightly. They were traveling from the hay yard used by this working cattle ranch to the thick cedar thickets on the river system. I had to try and intercept them on the well beaten trails in the 2 foot of fresh snow.

Your equipment changes dramatically when it gets this cold. Everything has to be dead quiet because these deer are in survival mode and are on high alert. Your bow weight needs to be lowered, draw length shortened in some occasions and you need to have quiet fleece or wool clothing. I will cover this in more detail in a future scrape line segment on our show so be sure to look for it.

As spring rapidly approaches and the turkeys are starting to show signs of breeding I have been out scouting for new ground to hunt. In my travels over the last few weeks I could not help but notice that our high mountain peaks are showing signs of a quick melt off. It has been very unseasonably warm over the last six weeks. This is going to present a problem for us that some might not think off.
At this time of year our snow pack should be at roughly 125%. I read an article where they stated that we were at 80%. What does this mean to us out West.
The main problem is that we will be way behind in moisture content and come summer our risk of wild fires will be high. The mild winter will be very good for our animals for this spring but might have an affect on their food supply later this year.
We rely on a certain amount of moisture which in turn feeds our rivers, streams, and reservoirs and provides feed for the many great species of animals that call the West home. I hope that we will manage to get some more late snow storms or good rain storms over the next few months or our hunting seasons could be in jeopardy.