Dry Out Your Gear

Yeah, you’re gonna need to dry that gear out.

Today’s Universal Fly Fishing Tip is one that most anglers know, but few actually follow through on. After a day or a week or fishing, make sure you dry out your gear well.

Gear that gets stored wet gets nasty. Waders stink, rod socks mildew, flies rust and backing turns black. When you’re done with your fishing session, make sure you get all your gear dry.

That means…

• Hang up your waders inside out so any sweaty condensation dries out. Go to the extra effort of pulling your stocking feet inside out – they’ll get really nasty otherwise.
• Take your rod socks of of their tubes and unroll them.
• Hang up your raincoat and take everything out of its pockets.
• Set out your wading boots.
• Open up your fly boxes. If you’ve got a bunch of matted down flies all crammed in there together (say with marabou or bunny fur), spread them out.
• Take the covers off your reels.
• Unzip the pockets on boat bags, hip packs, etc.
• Open up any waterproof cases (like that Pelican case for your camera) that might have gotten a tiny bit of moisture in them – those cases keep water in as well as they keep it out.
• Do your laundry right now, you slob

by Deneki Outdoors

Review: Sage Click Reels

Simple is good.

In lots of trout fishing situations, you don’t need a drag system that’s capable of stopping a locomotive. There, we said it!

Slapping a mega-reel on a lightweight trout rod isn’t going to result in an outfit that’s well-balanced. And really, you don’t need all that technology most of the time.

If you’re targeting trout that are less than gigantic, the drag on your reel really needs to do two things well.

• Engage easily and allow line to peel off the reel smoothly, protecting light tippets.
• Keep your reel from backlashing on a fast run.

For small- to moderate-sized trout and lightweight rods, one of the reels that we think you should check out is the Sage Click.

Here’s why we like Sage Click reels.

• They’re lightweight.
• They’re really simple and the clicker drag is super smooth.
• They retain one really important element of modern reel design – a very large arbor. This allows for fast line pickup and less memory when your line and leader come off the reel.

We fished the Sage Click III with a 7 foot 4 weight on some tiny water in Southern Chile last week, and we loved it. The outfit balanced great and the drag did an excellent job, even on some fish that were quite a bit bigger than expected. Nothing wrong with that.

by Deneki Outdoors

Berkutchi Falconers in Mongolia

In western Mongolia, an ancient tradition of hunting with Golden Eagles is still alive. We know from history that Genghis Khan had 1,000 hunting birds – eagles, falcons and gyrfalcons – and so did Kubla Khan. There were protected areas in the steppe marked with stones where only the khans were allowed to hunt.

The Kazakhs of Mongolia train their eagles to hunt and here the bird of prey is often considered a family member. The Berkutchi is a falconer who hunts with the Golden Eagle. The training of this bird was seen as difficult and even perilous even by the experienced Synchy. the bird is never a slave of its owner, only a partner in hunting.

From ancient times, berkutchi-falconers in the nomadic herder societies had the role of preserving and stocking furs. The high social status of the berkutchi and his family was conditioned by the climate, as warm strong and durable clothing for the people during the winter seasons was a vital necessity. Best-suited for this were the pelts of wolves and foxes.

Apart from hunting, berkutchi can give spiritual support to pregnant women, who experience or may experience difficulties in childbirth. Through the owner of the bird, which in the imagination of Asian peoples is a symbol of well-being and power. According to folk wisdom, a berkutchi is the indisputable authority in the sphere of childbirth or of renewing fertility. In the cultures of many nomadic and semi-nomadic peoples of Asia, it is said that a berkutchi, regardless of age, can make pregnant a woman who for a long time had not had children.

One small step for Wyoming, one giant leap for gun rights

Wyoming is on the verge of passing two key pieces of gun rights legislation.

HB-95, The Wyoming Firearms Freedom Act, and HB-113 “Alaska-style” permit-less concealed carry, are facing an up-or-down vote before the Wyoming State House of Representatives.

On Tuesday, National Association for Gun Rights Director of Operations Luke O’Dell was on hand to testify before the Wyoming State House Judiciary Committee on behalf of both HB-95, the Wyoming Firearms Freedom Act, and the HB-113, “Alaska-style” permit less carry.

You may be asking yourself, “Why do I care, I don’t live in Wyoming?”

It’s simple: The higher the bar is set, the more pro-gun pieces of legislation pass across the country, the stronger the gun rights movement gets.

Passage of permit-less “Alaska-style” concealed carry in Wyoming would be a huge step forward toward true firearms freedom. Only in Alaska and Vermont can law-abiding citizens carry concealed firearms for their own protection without getting Big Brother’s approval. Should Wyoming join their ranks, the right-to-carry will have taken a major step forward.

Additionally, Wyoming’s Firearms Freedom Act was written with much stronger language than similar legislation in other states. Wyoming’s bill included penalties for state law enforcement enforcing Federal laws which contradict Wyoming state law.

I’m happy to say that Wyoming Gun Owners, a partner of ours, has been leading the charge for both pieces of legislation.

Now it’s our turn to help out.

If you live in Wyoming, or know someone who does, please have them contact their Wyoming legislator and tell them to vote “Yes” on HB-95 and HB-113.

You can find contact information for Wyoming State Legislators here.

If you’re not from Wyoming, go ahead and drop them a line anyways. Tell them that you support their efforts to advance freedom in Wyoming.

For Liberty,
Dudley Brown
Executive Director
National Association for Gun Rights

*Help fight gun control. Donate to the National Association for Gun Rights!

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Review: Gerber E-Z Open Knife

A few months ago, Rick Young of Rick Young Outdoors sent me one of his E-Z Open knives to review. It was after the hunting season, so I wasn’t sure that I would be able to use it until next spring. I did do some mountain lion hunting, but we never caught a good one. Things were looking bad for the review, but on our way to a Christmas party I got a badger. I decided that this would be a good enough test for the knife, plus I could make a cool hat for my kids.

The E-Z Open knife was invented and field tested by professional hunter Rick Young. The E-Z Open Metolius is 9” long and made from 440A Stainless Steel with a firmly embedded composite ball for guiding the blade between the animal skin and muscle structure.

By cutting from the inside outward in long continuous cuts, the tool ensures clean cuts and eliminates problems with opening the entrails during field dressing. Here are my thoughts:

Ease of Use:
Super easy to use. ‘Nuf said.

Functionality:
The knife performed exactly as it was supposed to. The ball on the end, although it looks kind of goofy, keeps the blade from getting into the guts and opened up the badger just like a zipper. Mutch better than traditional hook knives.

Is it Practical?
It is practical for most situations, although I don’t believe that I would keep one in my day pack if I was on a strenuous hunt such as archery elk. In that case it would be an extra knife and not a neccesity. That isn’t to say that I wouldn’t keep it in my truck though. If I was hunting on a stand, I would definately take it along.

Will My Buddies Make Fun of Me?
They might at first, because like I said before, it kind of looks weird with that ball on the end. Once they use it though, the jokes will be over.

TOTAL SCORE:
If you’re in the market for a good knife, check out: www.rickyoungoutdoors.com.

Simms Guide Windstopper Jacket Review

Softshells are a great compromise between warmth, comfort and breathability. The fact is, most of the time you’re on the water, a true hard shell like Gore-Tex is more waterproof, but less breathable and comfortable than it needs to be. Hoods are great because they keep rain, cold air, wind and badly-cast flies off of our heads and faces, so naturally we were pretty fired up a couple of years ago when Simms added a hood to their Windstopper Softshell Jacket to make the Windstopper Softshell Hoody. It’s been a real favorite – comfortable, good in a range of conditions, mellow-looking…plus it’s got a hood!

This year Simms came out with ‘version 2′ of their hooded softshell, and it’s called the Guide Windstopper Jacket.

Here’s what we like about the Guide Windstopper Jacket.

* It’s a little warmer than the Softshell Hoody. In some areas of the jacket, the softshell material has been replaced by Windstopper fleece – which makes for more warmth and comfort, if a little less water repellancy.
* It’s got 4 pockets that are easily accessible when you’re fishing. To us that’s a good, but not excessive number.
* The hood kicks butt. It’s removable, although we probably won’t ever remove it. It’s cut great, it’s really comfortable, and the stretchy non-adjustable shock cord seems to work just about perfectly, especially when you’re wearing a baseball hat.

At $249.95, this thing ain’t cheap. But you know what? We live in a part of the world where it rains so much that moss removal applies to our beards as well as our lawns, and we still wear softshells like this one more than our Gore-Tex. A high quality softshell is going to treat you right, and we like this one an awful lot.

Columbia Sportswear

No matter what your outdoor passion is, chances are Columbia Sportswear has apparel that will fit your needs. A very diverse brand, which makes everything from heavy hunting parkas to beach sandals, Columbia has proven itself as a leader in quality outdoor apparel.

Columbia may not be the brand of choice for the hardcore hunters out there, but for someone looking to get some decent gear for a reasonable price, Columbia is right up your ally. For you skiers out there, Columbia makes some of the best jackets and pants available, in many styles and colors.

Columbia Sportswear can be found in almost any sporting goods store across the country. So not only is it great gear at decent prices, it is also very easily accessible. How can you beat that?

Petzl Zipka Plus Review

Hands down my favorite headlamp. Mine has lasted me for 12+ years (I’ve lost track) and it has been through alot with me. There are brighter headlamps, and definitely ones with more features, but I’m a fan of the Zipka’s simplicity. It is super compact and bright enough in pretty much every situation we’ve been through together. This little headlamp is one of my favorite pieces of equipment and has a permanent place in my pack.

Petzl Zipka Specifications
The Petzl Zipka weighs 2.07 oz (59 g) with 3xAAA batteries. It is a 3-LED headlamp with batteries in the lamp housing (front). The headband is a spring-loaded retractable cord.

Usability
The Petzl Zipka does not have a pivoting head but I have found the natural angle of the lamp to be correct for most tasks, and some adjustment is possible by changing the location of the headlamp housing on the forehead.

The Zipka-Tikka headlamp line has always been assumed to be a short range task light. However, with fresh batteries (which last a long time), the Petzl Zipka is bright enough to illuminate a large area over a short distance and is even appropriate for off-trail navigation.

Weaknesses
The Petzl Zipka’s primary weakness is the difficulty in changing batteries in cold conditions. Its single mode of brightness may be perceived by some to be a disadvantge, but Petzl offers the Zipka Plus for those who want the advanced circuitry of a multi-mode headlamp.

Strengths
The Petzl Zipka is an outstanding performer. I have always been impressed with its beam quality, brightness, and compact form factor. Further, its cold-conditions performance is surprising, considering that it uses alkaline AAA batteries (which currently have no Lithium option). For its weight, it’s hard to find a headlamp that is as simple to operate, or is a better all-around performer.

Sworovski 8×30 Binoculars

Daniel Swarovski started his Austrian Precision Crystal cutting company in 1895 with the motto “Constantly improving what is good.” And they are good glass. That’s a fact. I’ve had many different brands and models of binoculars over the years as a guide and had always wanted a pair of Swarovski’s, but it just wasn’t in the budget. A few years ago while guiding, one of my hunters gave his Sworovski 8×30 SLC’s to me as a tip. I was estatic to say the least.

At the time, I thought I wanted 10×42’s but after using my “eight’s” for several seasons now and comparing them to friends’ “ten’s” I have to say that I have come to prefer them for several reasons. They are compact, light weight, offer reasonable performance in evening and early morning light, and they do not have so much magnification that a sharp image is difficult to achieve when they are handheld. With 8×32 binos, a really good depth of field is achievable with the focus set to around 150 yards, ranging from that distance to several miles in sharp focus. When the glass is set like this, for hunting purposes, one rarely needs to touch the focus adjustment at all.

Swarovski’s current binocular flagship series, the roofprism EL model have been around for several years now and if I was in the market for new binos, that would be what I’d choose, although they are NOT cheap.

Specs:

• Exit pupil diameter, 4mm.
• Eye relief, 15mm.
• The field of view, 420 feet @ 1000yds
• Close focus, 6.1 feet.
• Diopter adjustment, +/- 3.
• The twilight factor, 16.
• Length, 5.4 inch
• Width, 4.5 inch
• Tube diameter, 2.4 inch
• Weight, 610 grams or 21.5 ounces
• Body material, magnesium alloy with a textured green rubber armor coating
• Waterproof to 13 feet
• Warrantee, 30 years

Improvements:
Features include twist up eyecups, Swarobright phase coated prisms, plus a new patented lens multi-coating that renders true colour fidelity. This is rather an important move for Swarovski, as the Habicht line (and the earlier SLC roof prism models) had lens surface coatings that rendered a rather warmer image than the true colors of the object being viewed.

Swarovski have put much thought into the ergonomics of the EL series and reduced quite a bit of weight (compared to their SLC range) by designing an open bridge that offers a good solid grip at all times. Swarovski make much of the fact that the ELs can be used one handed, but of course to a certain extent doing this negates the purpose of buying top line glass, because it is nearly impossible to hold any optical device steady with one hand. Nevertheless, due to their extremely intelligent design, these binos can in fact be held in many comfortable positions, courtesy of the open bridge and the tactile rubber armoring.

There are comfortable thumb depressions strategically placed under each barrel that enhance the handling of the binos. Further, the neckstrap is wide and distributes the weight well so the glasses can be carried around the neck all day without discomfort.

The objective lenses are set back sufficiently to afford good protection from the elements in general usage and have they have a hard rubber surround from the body armouring.

The eyecups are fully adjustable in any position and provide a full view for eyeglass wearers through the large diameter eyepieces; they are also removable for cleaning.

I did like the method of setting the diopter, which is incorporated into the large, finely grooved focus wheel. First, focus the binos for the left eye, (as is normal), then pull the focus wheel rearwards for about four millimetres, close your left eye and rotate the wheel until the image through the right barrel comes sharp. Push the focus wheel forward to lock the setting. There is a graduated scale on the wheel for the + – three diopter setting range. This method of setting is simple, fast and impossible to inadvertently move out of adjustment.

Some reviewers have criticized the EL series as being geared too low in the focusing wheel, others like it. I find the slower gearing excellent, the image comes into sharp focus very smoothly and easily, compared to the high gearing on my Minox 8×32 roof prisms. With these it is very easy to over-shoot the sharp focus point, which then involves a bit of back and forth readjustment of the wheel to sharpen the image.

Entirely practical front and rear caps come with these binos, they are easy to unlatch to view through and simple to click back into place. These are the first objective lens covers that I would leave in place and actually use should I ever own a pair of Els.

Garmin X-Series GPS Units

As GPS units have become more popular over the last few years, Garmin has established itself as the leader in consumer GPS products. Garmin not only makes a great turn by turn system for your car, they also make an exceptional trail unit for outdoorsman of all levels.

Garmin’s newest line of trail handheld GPS systems is the X-Series. The X-Series units are made for high performance and durability. These units give improved satellite reception in heavy tree cover or in deep canyons. One of the neatest features of the X-Series units is the SD memory card capabilities. This allows you to go to a retailer (Cabela’s for example) and purchase a SD card that is preloaded with detailed information on the specific place where you are hunting or hiking (trails, topography, etc). These features make the Garmin X-series a dream for any outdoorsman.

Costa Del Mar Sunglasses

When it comes to picking out sunglasses to wear for fishing, you won’t find a more highly recommended brand than Costa Del Mar. These polarized glasses are made specifically for fishermen to enhance vision and fish spotting capabilities.

The nice thing about Coast Del Mar glasses is that you don’t have to sacrifice style for performance. Costa Del Mar offers many frame style and sizes to fit and look great on anyone and all glasses come with their top of the line polarized lenses. Not only can you get top quality performance with Costa Del Mar glasses, you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to get them. The majority of Costa Del Mar’s glasses can be purchased for between $100-$200.

Nicholas Coleman – Fine Artist

Nicholas Coleman was born in Provo, Utah, the son of artist Michael Coleman. Brought up in an artistic environment, Coleman has been painting and drawing for as long as he can remember. He has traveled extensively, painting studies and taking photographs for later works. His travels have taken him across North America, through Africa, and Europe. Coleman lived and worked in Brazil for two years. Coleman finds inspiration through his travels, and the hunting and fishing he does along the way, as well as in history, art museums and other artists. These include his father Michael Coleman, Bruno Liljefors, Wilhelm Kuhnert, Carl Rungius,Thomas Moran, Albert Bierstadt, and Frank Tenney Johnson. (The list could go on and on.)Coleman uses a traditional academic approach in his painting, using gouache and oil. However, he doesn’t like to label his style as “realism,” as there is a certain amount of spontaneity and a slight impressionistic feel to his paintings. Coleman endeavors to create a connection between his paintings and the observer by invoking a mood that the viewer can walk into.He plans to continue working hard at what he loves; his father told him, “you are only as good as your last painting,” so Coleman continually strives to improve his abilities. Never one to miss an opportunity, he also wants to improve his etching and sculpting skills.

Visit Nicholas Coleman’s Website

Under Armour Hunting Line

We are dedicated to bringing you reviews and recommendations on the best equipment and services that we come across, and the Under Armour Hunting line falls into that category.

Under Armour first made a name for itself by introducing it’s form-fitting, moisture-wicking apparel to athletes, to be worn under uniforms. Since then, the company has continued to evolve, branching out to meet the needs of new and unique customer bases, one of them being hunters.

Under Armour has since come out with an entire line of apparel for hunters. While everything Under Armour makes is very high quality, their best products hands down are their base layers. This was what the company was built around and once you try it, you will know why. They offer several thicknesses of base layer, but their “Cold Gear” is the most popular. Under Armour Cold Gear will keep you warm and dry in almost any condition.

Whitewater Rafting the United States

I know it is still the middle of winter, but it is never too early to start planning your outdoor summer adventures.

One of the most fun and exciting summer adventures for anyone who enjoys the great outdoors is white water rafting. Whitewater rafting not only offers a thrill that can fill the need of almost any adrenaline junky, it also offers you a chance to connect with nature in some of the most beautiful spots on the planet.

Here are a few of some of the highest rated rafting spots in the United States:

The Grand Canyon- Not only do you get to look up in every direction at one of, if not THE most amazing sites in the world, but you also get to take on class 4 and 5 rapids while doing it. You can raft for a single day, or take up to a 7 day trip and see the entire 280 miles of the canyon.

North Country Rivers- For those of you looking for a whitewater adventure on the east coast, the North Country Rivers in Maine is the destination for you. This area offers three world class rivers that offer a little something for anyone seeking adventure and fun.

Middle Fork of the Salmon River- Located in central Idaho, the Salmon river offers scenic views mixed with some great rapids. It is not the wildest river out there, but it offers a challenge and is a great intro to whitewater rafting. This stretch of river is highly recommended for family trips.

Gauley River- Located in West Virginia, the Gauley River is your best option on the east coast for wild and highly technical rapids. Not the longest stretch of river that you will find, but one day that this pace will be sure to give you your fill of adrenaline.

Snake River- The stretch of the Snake River that runs through Northwest Wyoming not only offers class 3 and 4 rapids, but it takes you through some of the most beautiful country in the United States. On this trip, you will have the opportunity to see the backcountry of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

Stacey Huston – Photographer

Stacey Huston has been working on her site/blog for over a year now, and has asked her husband “Hawk” to join her with his fantastic writing skills. Together they hope to share a little of their world, and their passion for all things wild with each and every one of you.

Visit Stacey’s Website

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