Thanks

I never would have guessed there were more than three or four of you readers out there. Last week I placed a gadget on this blog that maps out where people are in the world when they stumble on my writings. I was surprised when I had ten hits, and absolutely blown away when by day two I had a hit on all six of the continents (I know there are seven, but Antarctica hardly has a population, so I don't count it... but I am sure I would if I had someone down there reading my blog). So I just wanted to say a big thank you to you for reading what I write, regardless of how you got here, I appreciate it.

Elk scouting 2010

Because of school and family commitments I managed to miss just about all of the 2009 archery elk hunts here in Idaho. It was the first year I have not hunted elk since I got out of the Marines, and boy, do I miss it. We are spoiled here to have over the counter tags for elk and I don't have to wait six to ten years like I would in Arizona or New Mexico.

It is never to early to start dreaming and scouting for next year, however. Now, I have my own little honey hole I like to hunt most years, but I really like scouting via maps for new areas as well. It is wise to have a backup area or two because your primary area might be closed for fire or be crowded once you get there. I have had both happen, though thankfully my area didn't actually burn down.

So where to start looking on a map? I have come to really like Google Earth. It is almost cheating in some ways. If you keep in mind that elk need three things and you search for those things, you'll likely find elk. Water, food and security. Water is easy to spot on maps, most lakes, streams and rivers are labeled, but finding those out of the way springs, that's what we are looking for. They are usually not labeled on Google Earth, but look for a bright green spot, sometimes it'll be just a seep that never amounts to a stream, and other times it's the headwaters of something larger. If it is at least a mile from the nearest paved road, it's time to tear down the area and see if we can find some nearby food sources. These will be the open meadows and parks, and they are color keyed differently on different types of maps. Now if we are looking at an area a ways away from a road some of the elk's security has been taken care of, but they also need an area to bed down in. Elk are by nature are gregarious creatures and they will not necessarily bed in the same local day after day, so the best odds are finding several dark timbered north facing benches scattered around.

Not my video, but a good, solid introduction on finding elk. Fella has a great user name by the way. So check it out and go start scouting and dreaming of next year.

Journaling

I recently wrote an article for one of my favorite magazines, Traditional Bowhunter. Originally it was going to be published around this time, but due to a snafu on their part, it will not be published, so I thought I'd share it with you.

Enjoy!

Field Notes
Journaling and the Traditional Bowhunter

The drizzle was enough to encourage me to stay sheltered under the large Ponderosa pine. It was mid day and lunch had been eaten and the rain hadn’t let up. I didn’t mind, however, and for a reason other than my well traveled tired feet. As I sat tucked up against the trunk and enjoyed being dry I wrote in my journal. I treasure my time in the woods; however, being like most folks with other commitments like family, school or a full time job, it is limited. I have hunted for ways to extend my enjoyment. I am able to return to my outdoor adventures because I keep a journal. The long stretches between hunts, the dog days of summer and the long dark nights of winter are now minor periods in between adventures because I am able to relive my adventures. I have learned, and managed to retain, many lessons because of my journals.

The reasons for keeping a journal are many and rewarding. Beyond being able to recall hunts past, I am able to establish localized, intimate knowledge of the specific animals I hunt. I also extend the journey of the hunt, keeping a log of contacts made, map scouting, tips and tactics I picked up from magazine articles and books, gear lists, and shopping lists. I actively study the animals I hunt in the off season. I read everything book and article on elk, mule deer, turkeys and black bears I can get my hands on. I talk with old timers and long time locals, successful hunters and landowners. I call the area’s game warden and biologists and question them on the local game animals. Despite feeling like I am pestering them, more often than not they are happy to talk with me. My journal and pen are right by side and often I will make notes in my year’s journal.

I manage to extend my hunt but I also enjoy the legacy I am leaving. Just as Fred Bear lives on through his Field Notes, I hope to allow my future generations something they are able to connect with me. It brings me joy to imagine a my son or a grandchild being transported to my hunts, reading my journals under his blanket with a flashlight. Maybe that is wishful thinking on my part since I haven’t been chased up a tree by a snarling grizzly, taken any “trophies” or hunted exotic lands…yet.

Fred Bear’s Field Notes are one famous example of a hunting journal, but they don’t need to be as extensive to be useful to you. Many of the famous traditional bow hunting pioneers kept journals of their time in the woods and with a little digging you can find them in traditional archery vendors, bookstores, or libraries. Gene Wensel, E. Donnall Thomas Jr and David Peterson are some of the more modern legends with published field notes. Wildlife studies obtained from a local university or your state’s fish and game department might also lend some insight into your regional animals. However, I have read reams of reports only to end up wondering what I learned, if anything.

During scouting trips I make careful notes of animals sighted, distinguishing characteristics such as a discolored patch of fur or a drop tine, where they were and at what time of day. I record their demeanor as well as any other factors I might be wise enough to include. Was the trail head log in full? Was the browse or forage plentiful? Do local springs or creeks look drier than in year’s past or are there more potholes of water available? Over time you’ll begin to notice animal movement patterns and how the weather dictates your local animal’s movement patterns. Bedding areas, escape routes and directions, times the animals are active and present. You’ll notice the small things that can impact your hunting in a big way. You may take note of a small spring not labeled on any map or a funnel that’s not obvious. I look forward to the day I take a mature bull elk that I have followed since he was a calf.

In an effort to prevent writer’s block and enable my creative juices to flow, when I start a new journal I skim the previous journal’s notes and transfer anything I might find useful. Tips and lessons picked up but not yet hard wired into my hunting routine, topics to write about or reminders of specific things, such as the draw where the wind always seems to swirl. Contact phone numbers, email addresses and websites. I’ll also jot down the different categories of information that I like to keep track of. Wind direction, weather, cloud cover, moon phase, temperatures, and barometer pressure are all important to game animal movement. Stand or blind locations, GPS coordinates and waypoints, equipment, experiences and thoughts, game sightings, lessons learned. Location hunted, time, what you hunted for, who I was hunting with, sightings of both game and non game animals, shots taken and the thoughts immediately after the shot, harvested animals. Since I rarely make note all of the mentioned categories, I enjoy chronicling the actual stories of the hunts as well. I occasionally make a rubbing of local flora or make a sketch of the lunch break vista or that strange insect. After the hunt I insert photos from the hunt. In the past I have started a new journal every year. I have never filled up a journal, though some years I have come close. I typically keep the front half reserved for elk and mule deer scouting and hunting while using the back half for duck, turkey, coyote and other small game hunts. There are lessons to be learned there as well!

Throughout my years of journal keeping I have tried different types of journals. No two are the same. A simple wire bound-dollar store notebook works well. I have also used nicer hard-bound books, specifically sold as journals, purchased at one of the big book stores. To save weight on my backcountry solo hunts I have ditched the actual journal and kept notes on the back of my maps. There are some spectacular looking leather bound journal covers as well. Another great option are the “write in the rain” series of notebooks, the pages are tear resistant and survive a dunking, to which you can add a zippered cordura cover with pen slots so you will never find yourself somewhere with something to write about and nothing to write with. Take a minute to think about the size of your journal and account for how you will transport it around. I don’t always have it with me, though more and more I find I enjoy spending my mid day hours writing my thoughts and experiences. You might find it more convenient to keep it back at base camp and a larger journal would do just fine. You can also find journals small enough to fit in a cargo pocket and light enough to be hardly noticed.

After this year’s hunts are done and the gear is stored until next spring I plan on doing something I haven’t done before. I am looking forward to recording a fireside chat, recounting my time afield. This should be a fun experiment and going over my notes and memories while still fresh will uncover small gems of knowledge that might otherwise be lost. Again, a Fred Bear idea, and I am far from Fred, but it is fun to think of listening to myself recount my hits and misses when my knees creak too much to enjoy hunting as rugged terrain as I do now.

Like most things in life, the more time, effort and thought you put into your hunting journal, the more you will get out of it. Invest a large effort to make daily entries and you will harvest large rewards. The rain eventually let up and the journal was repacked in my daypack, safe from the wet foliage in a plastic baggie. I continued to hunt the rugged mountain side just below timberline the rest of the day; ghosting along from tree to tree, doing my best to pay attention to the small things, watching for a flicking ear, the smell of bull elk musk and the faint far off sound of a bugle. The day ended without a single elk sighting, but the day was not a complete loss and thanks to my journal it won’t ever be lost either.

Mike Miller is a lifetime Idaho resident, a recovering Marine and a mostly unsuccessful hunter who enjoys the minutiae of his outdoor adventures. When he isn’t dreaming about his next hunting safari he be found fly fishing local rivers which he also journals. This is his first contribution to TBM.

Boundary Waters and Duluth Pack

One of my dream trips would be a week or two in the Boundary Waters/ Quietico National Parks in Northern Minnesota/ Southern Ontario. There is something appealing to me about the quietude of a canoe paddle and the call of the loon, the solitude of the north woods and the crackle of a campfire.

I am always on the lookout for the classic gear of a certain area, and as a gear junkie, I love backpacks. And what trip in the north woods of Minnesota would be complete without a Duluth Pack? I stumbled across a great little video following the creation of a Wilderness Model pack, and to see the video, all the handy work that goes into it, I no longer drop my jaw at the price of the simple little canvas backpacks and portage bags that Duluth sells. Furthermore, I have much more confidence in the construction, they look absolutely bomb proof. So sit back and relax for a few minutes, it is an interesting tour.

My dear wife

...bought me a new archery target for our anniversary today. How awesome is she? I am going to go shoot, catch you later.

Found 'em!

I managed to find a small supply of these sweet knives over in North Carolina. Bought two and I think I'll be buying at least a couple more before the supply runs dry. I will be keeping at least one stock and unused, but I also want to toss a couple in the glove box, bug out bag, bottom of a couple packs, not to mention a commonly used user and one for a couple modifications.

Not really sure I know what it is that makes me like this particular model so much... might be it was my first knife I bought for "bushcraft" might be the OD green reminds me of my time in the Marines, or the handle fits my hand as well as anything. Maybe its the return on investment in Mora knives is so high, it just makes a fella fell good. I'll tell you though, not much of a fan of the sheath, pretty funky, but it is secure, safe and durable, so I can't ask much more than that.

Mora!

This is a longshot as I am sure my readership pool is very small, but I am trying to get my hands on a specific model mora that is not made anymore. I'd like one or preferably two plastic OD green handled carbon steel blade knives. Top dollar paid, or we can work out a trade.
Thanks for reading!

From Ben's Backwoods online catologue, I am looking for the bottom knife:

Follow up:
I emailed both Ragweed forge and Bens backwoods and neither has them in stock at all. Ragweed forge emailed me back with this:

Hello,

Thank you for the message and inquiry.
I'm sorry, the OD Craftsman has been discontinued. I have  none.
Actually the Craftsman line itself has been discontinued. I'm selling 
off old stock.
I have quite a bit on hand, but when it's gone that will be the end of it.

Best regards,
R

So get them while you can!

1980's Awesomeness!

A while back I made a post about the survival knife concept and mentioned my first real knife purchase was a hollow handle survival knife. I think this might have been it right here.

How to make a hook knife

Ran across a great article on how to make a hook knife and thought I'd share it.

From cariboo blades, Aki and Scott over on my links list. Give it a read, I am sure it will inspire you to give it a try.

Cool video, Knives, and Elk

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the time passes when I am busy with nursing school and the clinicals that go along with that, not to mention the daily life of a married man with a nine month old. So I may not post as much as I'd like to, but I thought I'd pass along a video I ran across lately that is a fun watch, as well as a knife or two I have been drooling over...

Alone in the Wild
First up is Ed Wardle, a British (?) guy who was alone in the Yukon for a good bit. His goal was three months, but he did not make it that long for some unspecified reason. It is a National Geographic show set to be aired here shortly, and it is worth a watch, but not as nicely filmed as Survivorman, and Ed doesn't have much to say that is very educational, nor is there much in the way of great scenery. C+ to B-, worth watching on a quiet fall afternoon when you can't get out.

Check out a great article written by Roger Phillips of the Idaho Statesman. "The finer points of elk hunting." While you are at it, check out Corey Jacobsen's elk 101 website.

I am in love with Both Gene Ingram's and Charles May's knives over on the blademakers website. They are similar in design, and just look downright handy!

The Gene Ingram #30 with a firesteel and a cocobollo handle looks just about right for anything I can throw at it in the woods.

The Charles May Skifa looks like a top notch bush knife with everything that Mors Kochanski recommends for a all around knife.


Paired with an axe, I am sure I could stay comfortable in the woods for some time, but I am not sure I want to put myself out there like Ed Wardle, Les Stroud or Bear Grills just yet.