2016 Idaho Whitetail

2016 has been a great year, with plenty of pigs, deer and even a moose filling our freezers. However all year I was looking forward to returning to Idaho to chase some whitetails with some good company. This part of Idaho is absolutely breathtaking, tall mountains, dense old growth forest and crystal clear rivers. Hunting deer is the primary objective; however the scenery really makes the trip for us.

 

This year we returned to a place where we had hunted in 2013. The last time we were there we were greeted with lots of snow and some really nice bucks. This trip was a lot warmer and snow was non-existent, however we were still able to find some great deer.

 

Emily’s dad, John was the first to pull the trigger. He took a heavy bodied 2x2 that was an easy drag back to the truck. We were all smiles.

 

My good friend, J.P. made a great 200 yard shot on a nice heavy racked 3x3. The buck of course died down in a deep canyon but the three of us were able to get him broken down and packed out in a just a few hours.

 

I was the next to take a buck. He was a compact 4x3 that we had seen the day prior and were able to snap some pics of.

 

Emily passed on numerous bucks the entire trip. She wasn’t holding out for a big one so much as she didn’t want the hunt to end. She ended up taking a doe on the last day we had to hunt. She was still excited and the meat is phenomenal!

 

Two other folks in our hunting camp were able to take deer making this the most successful trip yet. We again are so blessed to have experiences like this and are able to share them with the folks we love. Till next year!

 

 

2016 California Big Game Wrap up

2016 was a great year for us in our home state. We were able to get out at least once a month from July through October, experience some great places and put some awesome animals in the freezers.

July brought A zone archery deer and pigs. We were able to hunt two different ranches and put numerous stalks on some nice bucks and even get some shots. The deer didn't work out but Emily was able to connect on a nice 70 lb boar. She was all smiles.

August and September brought another A zone and a B zone deer hunt with our bows. We saw some nice bucks in both zones but were again not able to connect. The pigs however cooperated great! Emily was able to put down another great meat hog and I was able to take two great tuskers. All three pigs with our bows! That's 4 great hogs for 2016!!!

 

October brought cooler weather and a B zone and X zone hunt. The B zone hunt was in the eye of the storm, we hunted for 3 days in the rain and wind and saw over 30 deer before finding a decent fork. One shot at 150 yards did the trick.

Emily's X zone hunt was a blast! It was warmer weather than we wanted but we were able to get on some great bucks and by day 7 Emily connected with a nice 4x3.

 

Emily's Buck before the shot.

That wraps up California Big Game season for us. I still have a bear tag however with an Idaho deer hunt still on schedule I think I will pass on the bear hunting. 4 pigs and 2 bucks made 2016 California another blessed year for stories and the freezers.

Gear Review- Alpen Teton 10X50 Binocular Review

After purchasing the Alpen Super Compact spotting scope I decided to look into what other products the ALPEN company had to offer. After much debate and research I acquired a new pair of 10x50 Teton binoculars. The 2015 season was a dream to put these optics to the test. I had open season mule deer hunts, Africa Safaris, and numerous deer and pigs hunts in CA. Having used many economical pairs of optics in the past I have to say that I am thoroughly impressed with the Tetons!!!

I usually go with a 10x42 base model for optics but decided to take the plunge and go with the 10x50 since I wanted to see what added visibility in low light conditions they might offer. When testing them side by side with my Vortex 10x42, the 10x50’s really stood out when it came to counting antler points at dawn and dusk.

The Specs
I always focus on four things when looking at the specs on binos. Weight, magnification, clarity and Warranty. These four things can are my decision makers when I am opening my wallet to for a pair of glass.

Specifications for the Alpen Teton 10X50:
Magnification: 10X
Objective Lens: 50mm
FOV: 262ft @ 1000 yrds
Weight: 28oz

Weight
The 10x50’s are a bit on the heavy side coming in at 28 ounces (1.75 lbs). This weight is added due to the larger objective lens. Compared to most 10x42’s (22-24 ounce) this really isn’t a major jump. They fit perfect in my bono harness so the added weight isn’t a factor.

Magnification
So this all depends and comes down to what your hunting conditions are. I chose my magnification based on what is the most versatile. I want a binocular powerful enough to see detail at distance, however I want a good wide field of view (FOV) so I can see more when hunting thicker areas like the coast for blacktail deer. This narrowed it down for me to a 10X binocular. Powerful enough for open country Mule Deer yet a decent FOV for those close quarters areas. So again this is all personal preference and what you like to hunt.

Clarity
Wow, now this is subjective. So the only way to do this is to look through the binos, a lot of binos, not just in the store but take them out to the parking lot and really look through them (make sure the sales associate knows you’re doing this). Also look through the expensive stuff! I cannot afford a $2500 pair of binos but you bet I’ve looked through plenty of them. It is a good way to get a baseline for clarity and sharpness.   I don’t like to admit this but I have even bought a pair of binoculars to give them a test. If I didn’t like them, they got returned. I am not advocating this but it is really the only way to check the clarity. Also you can read at past reviews. If the bino have an established name and you see them around a lot of hunters necks then they probably are a decent brand. Go out and test drive them, you won’t be sorry.
The Alpen Tetons were in my price range and were by far the best glass I looked through when comparing to others in that same category. They were very sharp and crystal clear when viewing objects at distance (1000+ yards) and even clearer when picking out details at 150 yards. During a pig hunt earlier in the year I spotted a nice large pig at about 200 yards. I didn’t really want to take a pig unless it had nice tusk. When I put my binoculars up, I could immediately see the vivid white tusk protruding from the hogs jaws and my decision was made.

Warranty
This is a big selling point for those of us that may be hard on our gear. Will it last? Will the company back it up? Alpen has it right. The back there product with a full “No Blame….No Fault…No Problem” Warranty. They have full confidence in the durability of their product and back it up with this warranty.

There it is folks, the vast majority of us cannot afford the big boxes however that shouldn’t preclude you from getting a great pair of optics. Alpen has achieved this and will continue to be around my neck for the next hunt season. Let me know if you have any questions. Or feel free to contact Alpen directly as I did. When I called them, I was in touch with a person who helped me though the whole process and answered my questions. They can even point you to dealers so you can go try them out.

ALPEN OUTDOOR CORPORATION
10329 Dorset Street
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
909-978-8370 or 877-987-8370
http://www.alpenoptics.com/

Gear Review- Federal Premium® Trophy Copper Muzzleloader Bullets

So I’ll start this off by stating that I am by no means a muzzle loading expert. I have drawn two mule deer tags for a smoke-pole and that is the extent of my experience. However on both hunts I took my T/C Triumph 50 cal. out to the range and put numerous holes through the paper with many types of bullets and was also successful in taking two beautiful Mule Deer, not an expert but some knowledge!

Fist Mule Deer Taken with the Muzzleloader

For the first tag I drew, I was hell bent on trying them all. I tried at least 5 kinds of bullets with various powder charges.  The bullet I decided to go with was the Powerbelt brand. I decided to go with this brand since they grouped nice and loaded fairly easy, especially after a few shots and a fouled barrel. The hunt went great and I was able to take a great buck at 175 yards. The Copper jacketed lead bullet performed well and I couldn’t be happier.
Tag number two that came to me this past year left me in a predicament. California, where I drew the tag recently outlawed the use of lead ammunition for hunting. Well that narrowed the game as far as bullet selection went. After much research I found that there were two different bullets on the market that I could use with my gun….And they were pricey. Around $25-$35 per 15 bullets. I decided that I would choose one and adjust my powder to make sure everything grouped well.

 

The bullet I decided to purchase was the Federal Premium Trophy Copper bullets.  These bullets were new to the market and claim 200 yard accuracy. Well with open sights I wasn’t going to be shooting 200 yards but they seemed to be a worthy bullet.

Price: I could only find them online at Cabelas and Midway and they ran about $25 per package of 15 bullets.

Loading: This was where the rubber met the road for me. How easy would it be for this bullet to be loaded after 2-3 shots and a fouled barrel….Well this bullet is by far the easiest bullet I have ever loaded. From the first shot to the 4^th, the bullet would go down with ease and always seat perfectly.

Grouping: So with open sights, you have to take my groupings with a grain of salt. I started at 50 yards and shot a consistent 3 inch group. When I moved back to 100 yards, the grouping expanded to 6-7 inches. All within the kill zone, however with open sights I was pleased. Not like shooting a high powered rifle where if your not in a 2 inch circle at 200 yards, your not happy!

Performance: Well the proof is in the pictures. As you can see the bullet did just want it said it would. The shot was at 90 yards and put a substantial hole in the deer. The petals on the mushroomed bullet stayed intact and the 270 grain bullet retained its weight to a 250 grains. Talk about weight retention!  The bullet broke both shoulders and was lodged just under the skin on the deer.

This bullet is a breakthrough in engineering however I am no engineer, all I know is the bullet performed flawless.

 

I was more than pleased not only because I was able to take a nice buck, but was able to see the bullets performance from start to finish. I would highly recommend this bullet for anyone and will continue to use them for future tags that I get!

Emily's Nevada Mule Deer Hunt

 

 

I was lucky enough to draw a mule deer tag for Nevada this year. I was thrilled to have the tag as this would be my first true mule deer hunt. My parents, Dan and I headed out to the desert and set up camp on Saturday before the season started a spent the weekend scouting before the season opened on Monday.

We spent the next 5 days covering lots of country on foot and in the truck checking out new areas to determine where we wanted to focus our efforts.  We spent countless hours glassing hillsides, canyons, and open plateaus. We saw lots of beautiful country and animals during that time.

 

All of this effort paid off on day 5 when we spotted a nice buck at first light about a mile and a half from where we were glassing. My parents stayed at a high spot where they could keep an eye on the buck while Dan and I made the sneak. There was another group of 4 bucks on the same hillside as the one we were after, we had to move slow down a long drainage so we didn't spook them. The group of bucks finally fed up and over a saddle, we were now in the clear to move in closer to the buck we were after. During the sneak the buck had bedded down near a rocky point. Dan and I were able to sneak around behind the buck while he was still bedded and hide in some rocks about 300 yards behind him. The buck got up and fed over the hill toward us about 20 min after we got into position. After watching him feed for a short time I decided to take the shot and he went straight down! A 318 yard shot using a 300 Remington Ultra Mag topped with an Alpen Apex 4-16X44 scope. The plan worked out perfect and I couldn't believe it had all come together. My furthest shot at my biggest buck! I couldn't be happier.