Guy Weekend = Trip to Cabelas!

So the first weekend of Spring Break, my lovely bride and daughters headed up to Oklahoma to visit family for a few days with plans to return mid week.  I had to stay home because I was needed at work and couldn't be gone, so I had the whole weekend to myself, a real "guy weekend".  So what is a guy to do?  Well I had grand plans to take the kayak out and try to catch a few crappie.  I wouldn't be able to start fishing until Saturday afternoon since the family wasn't leaving until Noon, but that was my plan.  Well when the I had packed up my wife and kids in the car and watched them drive away the wind was HOWLING!  I hate kayaking in the wind so plan B was a trip to Cabelas!

I was giddy with excitement!  I needed to pick up some new diaphragm turkey calls for my Spring hunt that is coming up, I have been looking into getting a backpacking stove for future backpacking trips, and I always enjoy just looking at all the camo and gadgets on the market.  I thought to myself, "this must be what is like for my wife when she goes clothes shopping".  Before leaving I threw some deer steaks and a frozen block of ice that I believe contains a couple quail into the fridge to defrost for later and hit the road.

Another great aspect of this trip is that I am in no hurry.  Usually when I go to Cabelas, it is with the family and we are on the way somewhere else.  My wife and daughters have come into Cabelas before, but more often they just hangout in the SUV and wait for me.  The usual routine in this situation is for me receive cell calls while I am in the store from my daughters saying "Dad! Mom wants to know how much longer!"  Well today I am on my own time, so no pressure.

I am amazed how there always seems to be a constant stream of people coming in out of this store.  I like looking at the happy hunters and anglers leaving with their new prized possessions complete, with dreamy looks of anticipation on their face.  I enter the front doors and I think I hear a chorus of angels singing "ALLELUIA" or was that just in my head?  I immediately begin my search for turkey calls.  I was surprised that they really didn't have that many to choose from, but they have what I need.  I grabbed a three pack of H&S double reeds and checked off the item in my mental list.  I wandered to the camping section and found good news and bad news.  The compact camping stove (a MSR Pocket Rocket) that I had looked at last month, but didn't buy, is now $5 more!  The good news is the titanium cup/cooking combo that I needed to go with it with it is now $25 less!  Woo Whoo!

Now with my shopping objectives complete, I am free to wander.  One of my traditional activities when I go to Cabelas is to look at their trophy mounts.  They have two rooms completely dedicated to big game mounts.  My favorite is a wall of gigantic trophy whitetail deer.  Each one has framed document beneath it to tell the story of how the hunter bagged this deer and other interesting details relating to the hunt.  I haven't read them all mostly because it would take too long, but also because I want to savor this as something I do each time I visit the store, like taking one piece of candy from a dish and enjoying it over time instead of pigging out all at once.

Next I marvel at the full body mounts of the elk.  I have hunted for these monarchs of the mountains only once and I want to go back soon.  You really don't appreciate how big they are relative to a deer until you see both of them together as I have here.

While leaving the big game exhibit, I noticed a plaque on the railing that I hadn't looked at before.  It was a quote from President Theodore Roosevelt that stated (and I am paraphrasing here) that those people who are against hunting do not understand that reason big game animals continue to thrive is because and not despite the efforts of sportsman!  As I soaked in this quote, I was surprised that in the era of President Roosevelt there was any opposition to hunting.  I think conservation is more prevalent now than then, but I had always thought of our nation being mostly "pro hunting" until more recent times.  Reading this caused me also to remember that Roosevelt had enacted legislation to create numerous National Parks and had really been a conservationist well before his time.  

Well once I had my fill of looking at all the hunting and fishing gear, it was time to head home.  The rest of the weekend was relatively uneventful.  The weather didn't cooperate on Sunday for fishing either so I did the usual chores that were put off during hunting season.  Later I prepared to cook my quail for a nice evening meal.  I grabbed the bag that once held a huge hunk of ice, but was now defrosted.  It looked odd, huh, those aren't quail!  There in the bag were two small dove breasts.  Dang, I really need to start labeling all my bags.  I usually do, but I had been in a hurry the evening I had cleaned these particular doves (I had intended to put them with some other doves to make enough for a meal).  Well that won't be enough of a meal so I grabbed the deer back-strap steaks that were supposed to be for tomorrow and began the marinating process.  Nothing fancy, just Stubs pork marinade.  I like it because it is spicy, but has a sweetness to it as well.  I dug through the pantry for some sort of side dish and discovered a sweet potato to complete my meal.  

So as the sun set on my guy weekend, I savored deer steaks, dove, and sweet potatoes.  I miss my family when they are gone, but a guy has to make the most of his opportunities!

Deep Thoughts: The Last Batch of Deer Chili

So we had a return of winter weather this week and that inspired me to cook a little deer chili.  I knew I was running a little low on my ground deer meat, but I was sure that at the bottom of my freezer, under the deer steaks, quail, dove and fish, there was more.  I purchased a new grinder this winter and put in many hours of grinding so I was confident this wasn't the end.  When I started digging in the deep freeze and taking an inventory of my wild game, I realized that although I had many packages of deer steaks, I only had two ground meat packages left.  That's just enough for one more batch of chili! (cue the dramatic music, dun, dun, Da!)

Now I don't claim to be be a philosopher, but as I cooked my final batch of deer chili from the 2010 hunting season, it caused me to reflect and see similar parallels with my life.  Here I have been, going through my ground deer meat supply like it will never end.  I have been enjoying it, but not really appreciating it and treating each meal like it is the last.  That is how most of us live our lives, living each day like we have all the time in the world and that there will always be tomorrow.  Maybe it's because I am nearing 40 and am feeling my mortality creep up on me, but lately I have been thinking about the limited time I have left in my life to spend with my children before they grow up, with my wife while we are relatively young and good looking (well at least she is), and to do the things that I want to do before I am not able any more because I am to old and not able.

Now I know what your thinking, that this parallel falls apart because I can always get another deer or two next fall and your right (I didn't say it was a perfect analogy).  But, the lesson is still a good one and we should all practice what I coincidentally heard in a country song just the other day, "live like your dying".  Now I don't usually take advice from country songs, or else I would be writing about "mom, prison, and trains" (that's a reference to "you never even call me by my name" by David Allan Coe if you were wondering).  But it is a good perspective to keep in mind as I live my life and make choices about where to spend my time and who to spend it with.

In my last blog post I outlined the major big game animals of North America that I want to hunt before I am unable.   I have planned a trip this fall to pursue Elk, but I recently hurt my knee and I am unsure if I will recover in time to be able to hike the high country wilderness of Colorado.  I hope that this isn't one of those things that I thought I still had plenty of time to do and it turns out that my time has passed.

Well enough of the deep thoughts, back to the chili!  Since this is my last batch before replenishing my supply of ground deer meat, I needed to make this an extra special chili.  I used a store bought brand of chili mix that has the usual seasonings, but I added two cans of dice tomatoes, one can of kidney beans, and two bell peppers (a red one and a green one).  Add cheese and jalapenos and you have a feast!

Warm weather is approaching so it will be time to bring the grill into service and begin cooking the deer steaks!  I'll never run out of those!  Just kidding.

Planning Ahead, 2011 is "Year Of The ELK!

I recently had a birthday and I am getting really close to the ages that begin with 4 (I can't even begin to say the word 40's let alone describe myself as being in that demographic).  It is times like these that I become a bit more reflective and think back about what I have done and what I still want to achieve.  Growing up I read about the great adventures of Fred Bear as he went to Alaska, Canada, and Africa to hunt big game and I consumed a steady diet of hunting magazines and other hunting books that told tales of pursuing North Americas big game.  I just knew that I too would be chasing deer, elk, moose, caribou, and bears as soon as I finished school.  Well, life has a way of changing those plans with getting married, having children, going back to grad school, and a job that doesn't locate you near the mountain states or Alaska.  I have been successful at hunting whitetail deer, wing shooting, freshwater fishing, and I learned how to saltwater fish from a kayak, but I still long for wild places chasing really big game.  I made a resolution last year (about this time of year) that I would take each of the major North American big game species with a bow before I am too old to hunt.  I am excluding the varieties of big horn sheep and mountain goats because these animals require serious money to pursue.  So my plan is to take an Elk, Caribou, Pronghorn Antelope, Mule Deer, and Moose.  This is my bucket list.

I have done some initial research and decided that I begin this journey by pursuing Elk.  So why did I make that choice you ask.  Well there are reasons.  First, to go on a good Mule Deer hunt, you need to draw a tag in a high quality area of one of the mountain states.  This requires preference points and that takes multiple years of drawing.  So cross Mule Deer off the list for this year, but put in for preference points, check.   Caribou hunting is a major expense as you have to go all the way to Canada.  I will likely make this one my second to last animal to take off the list due to the expense and time required, so cross Caribou off the list and start saving, check.  Moose is in the really expensive category as well, but there are also tags that can be drawn in some closer states.  I will begin to put in for those as well once I research them more thoroughly, but this will probably be the last animal on my list, so cross moose off the list for this year.  Now pronghorn was a tough decision.  I can afford this hunt, the season is at the right time of year, and the success rates for hunting over water holes is really good.  All the stars are aligned, but it came down to this.  I really want a true wilderness hunt in the mountains chasing Elk.  Cross off Antelope this time, because it is the YEAR OF THE ELK!

With the species selected. now I need to choose a state.  I looked at New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, and Idaho.  Not all the states had archery season dates that would fit my small window of opportunity due to work restrictions, distance is a consideration as I will be driving, and then there is the issue of drawing tags.  After reviewing all the information, I chose Colorado because it has the largest herd, I can buy and over the counter (OTC) tag and it is relatively close to where I live compared to the other states.  More to come on the actual area I have chosen to hunt.

Next decision is guide, no guide, or drop camp.  I have never hunted with a guide before so I don't know what it would really be like, but have always been a solo bowhunter and prefer being in the woods by myself.  I would like some assistance with packing deep into the woods and some help getting an elk out, so I have decided that a drop camp is the ticket for me.

My chances will be slim (probably about a 10-15% chance of success) and the conditions will be tough.  I am being packed into a wilderness area where vehicles and ATVs are not allowed.  I will be at significantly higher elevations so I will be out of breath and tired much quicker than I normally would.  I will need to be in the best shape of my life and then I might be almost ready for the challenge that lies ahead of me.

So, some, but not all of my future posts will be about my preparation for this trip.  Just off hand I can think of several things I need to do that I will likely write about as well, such as:

1.  Determining the optimum arrow weight and broad head selection for Elk
2.  Selecting the appropriate camping gear (back pack stove, sleeping bag, bivy shelter, etc.
3.  Selecting the food for the trip (I am leaning toward freeze dried backpack food)
4.  Testing the gear and food selections on a camping trip
5.  Researching Elk hunting strategies
6.  Learning to effectively call Elk
7.  Learning how to navigate in the mountains with a map and GPS and compass
8.  Chronicling my struggle to get into tip top shape for Elk hunting

I am sure this is not a complete list, but I am so stoked just thinking about it.  Now that the decision has been made, I must start with getting into shape.  I have been stuck behind a desk for the last two months and then there was the deep freeze of winter weather we have all been trapped in.  Yesterday was the perfect day to begin my journey to a more fit me with warm south winds blowing, it got up to 70 degrees and I had an afternoon hall pass.  I planned to go mountain biking, but after checking the web site for the trails I learned that they were closed due to muddy trails.  I opted for hiking instead.

North Shore Trail Link

My hiking trail of choice for a quick trip is Lake Grapevine on the North shore.  I took the west loop trail because it is has more rough terrain, rocks, and hills.  It isn't elk country, but it the closest I can muster up in North Central Texas.  I took the camera to take some pics of the more challenging rocks that mountain bikers make it over.

I am not an expert mountain biker and have to walk up some of these, but I can make it down most all of them.  It is a great work out and a lot of fun.


Although this is just outside many people's back yards, there are signs of wildlife.

So after I made two miles into the trail, I decided I should turn back.  After I had traveled the third mile, my knee began to hurt as I traveled down some of the more steep hills.  Later this soreness became real pain.  I had to just grunt through the last mile until I made it back to my truck.  I had bitten off more than I could chew by taking a four mile hike from a state of being completely out of shape.  This is a wake-up call.  Now I need to heal up and then get in shape.  As I write this post tonight, I have gone from limping around the house yesterday, to walking like frankenstein this morning, to looking more like a rapper with a limp in his gait.  I think by tomorrow I will be fine, but I will be more careful next time.  Now I will work up the miles more slowly so I don't repeat this event.  It really sucks getting old.

The Blue Jay Deer (Video and Blog Post)

I am working 24/7.  So, with no time for an outdoor adventure now, I am forced to work on unfinished outdoor projects from 2010 at night.  I have pulled together a video from one of my two successful 2010 bowhunting trips.

It was early November and the temperatures were cold, but pleasant.  I was one of those still and quiet days when you can hear the smallest sounds from far away.  Song birds were singing and the turkeys are gobbling.  The deer were on the move just as the sun came up, but all of them were small bucks.  This didn't deter me, I had decided that I was not going to be picky this year.  I was hunting for meat.  My stockpiles of venison were  dangerously low and this was not the time to trophy hunt.

A small buck headed my way and I readied my bow.  He was headed on a collision course for my tree and would either need to walk in front of me or behind me.  My tree is a very large Pecan tree with wide broad limbs that sweep low toward the ground, to low for the deer to comfortably walk through.  He be forced to take one of the trails leading around me.  When he arrives at the point where he must choose his direction, he chose wisely and elected to use the trail behind me.  Traveling at a fast walk searching for a doe, his nose just off the ground with a desperate look in his eye.  There was no time to react.  I could only watch him go by out of the corner of my eye.  "There goes your one opportunity for this morning" I thought to myself.  Usually only one shot opportunity presents itself for a given hunt, but this day would be different.  I watched him disappear into the brush and looked back from where he had approached my stand, there was another buck approaching and this one was bigger.

When the second buck came to the "fork in the road" he selected the path that would put him in my shooting lane.  This is when time slows down and every second takes an eternity.  I wait for him to lower his head as he walks, so he won't catch the movement as I draw my bow.  When he does just that and I react quickly by silently drawing back the string until the familiar feeling of the release is on my cheek.  But there is a problem, the sun is rising be hind me and, although the leaves and branches of the tree break-up my outline, the deer caught the movement and has locked his eyes on me.  Now I am stuck.  The buck stands motionless looking in my direction, waiting for me to move and give away my position.  I am holding my bow at full draw, trying to remain calm.   Suddenly, good fortune arrives in the form of a bird.  A squawking blue jay flutters into my tree and lands near my general vicinity.  As the jay squawks, the deer looks as though he is thinking to himself, "I thought I saw a predator in that tree, but maybe it is  only that bird, oh I am just being paranoid".  The jay continues to put on a tremendous show as he hops and squawks in the branches behind me.  Then the deer relaxes his gaze, looks left and right and then turns for my shot.  This is where practice pays dividends.  If you aren't ready for this situation and never practice shooting after holding your bow at full draw for an extended period of time, you will end up flubbing the shot as your muscles begin to quiver and shake.  Luckily, experience (that is another word for my past failures) has taught me to prepare for this scenario.  There is only a brief opportunity as the deer turns broadside and begins a slow walk.  Up until now, I have not had a shot opportunity because the deer was at a sharp angle quartering toward me. Now I have a perfect broadside shot, but it will only be available for a few seconds and then he will be gone.  I look through the peep, the distance is 23 yards so hold the top sight pin just a little high.  I loosen the grip of my left so that I don't torque the bow.  The grip is now firmly pulling against the palm of my bow hand between my thumb and index finger.  I focus on the target, a small patch of hair behind the front shoulder of the deer.  I begin to squeeze the release with my trigger finger and at the instant the arrow is released, it is a surprise to me.  I can see the arrow sailing toward the deer and his instinctive reaction to lower his body as he prepares to spring away from danger, but the arrow is to quick.  It strikes him with a THWACK, and he leaps.  Turning into the thick brush of a plumb bush I hear him running and crashing.  He continues into thicker brush and then, silence.  I wait as I normally do before following the trail, replaying the shot in my head.  Trying to remember where the deer was hit and telling myself it was a good hit.  While I am waiting, a nice eight point steps out of the brush and stops about 15 yards from my tree.  Now I do have two buck tags, but I do believe I am getting old when I pass on a buck because I don't want to clean and butcher two at the same time.  Before I can change my mind he leaves and I am relieved.  I cautiously begin the tracking process and even though I think I know where he is, I always begin tracking at the point of impact.  I find my arrow and some hair and then spots of blood.  I ease into the stand of small trees and and find him about 20 yards in.

It is a unique blend of feelings when you kill a deer.  I am elated at taking a deer with a bow.  I feel a sense of accomplishment from the practice and preparation required, I relish the thought of the great meals this deer will provide, and I feel a large sense of responsibility to ensure I honor this beautiful creature by fully utilizing it.  I quickly begin the work of field dressing and dragging it out of the woods.  By Noon it is quartered and in my cooler for the trip back home where the final butchering will take place.  On the drive home I replay the events of the day in my head.  Not just the deer I had taken, but the birds, the turkeys, the coyote I had seen and the other deer.  I count myself lucky to be able to experience the outdoors and play a part in it as well.

I Dream of Turkey!

So I am working like a dog at work, coming in on weekends, getting up early, staying late and it is wearing me down.  Now a winter storm is at my doorstep as I write this blog post  and I need something to look forward to.  Something fun, with warm weather, green grass, spring in the air and tom turkeys gobbling.  Nothing says spring like turkey hunting.  Since I am day dreaming of turkey hunting, I decided to put together a brief you-tube video of a successful 2009 turkey hunt.  In this video, I have already gotten my turkey the day before and I am trying to call in a bird for my hunting buddy Ron.  This was our last set-up for the day and I had made a few initial calls and gotten responses from two toms.  I called until they sounded as though they were very close.  I stopped calling and began videoing.  So sit back enjoy some spring turkey hunting (as of the result of some excellent calling I might add)!

Red Fish Remembered "A Treasure Discovered In The Freezer!"

This morning I woke up and began to wonder what kind of dish I should make this weekend from the two whitetail bucks I had taken this fall during bow season.  I went down to my freezer and began to take an inventory the different cuts of meat I had available and as I was lifting up some back-strap steaks, I found a lone frozen fillet of Red Fish!  Immediately my thoughts turned to lunch possibilities (mmm, fish).  I pulled the fillet from the sub-zero depths of the deep freeze where it had been deposited since this past summer.  The fish was encased in ice inside of a ziploc bag, so I need to get it into some warm water to thaw it out in time for lunch.  I located a large bowl and began the thawing process.

As the fish lay there thawing, I began to think back about the trip when I caught this fish.  Since I now live in the DFW area, I don't get to saltwater fish as often as I did when I lived on the Texas coast.  So I had arranged to travel to Port Aransas and kayak fish the grass flats near the Light House Lakes for a weekend in late July.  It is a great area to kayak fish because the water is very shallow and propeller powered boats are prohibited because they damage the sea grass.  Red Fish move into these shallow flats on high tide to forage for bait fish, shrimp, and small crabs.  You can spot red fish feeding as the tips of their tails will often stick out of the water as they forage.  This was my second trip to Port Aransas, so I knew where to launch my kayak and where the fish would likely be if the weather cooperated.  As I said, it was late July and temperatures climb quickly, so the fishing takes place in the morning.  

This trip I focused on the east side of Light House Lakes area.  I was on the water before the sun was up and had paddled to my spot by the time the sun peaked over the horizon.  I love being out early in the morning, as the water just begins to move after high tide.  The environment was alive with activity.  Small bait fish and shrimp are erupting from the surface as they attempt to escape the larger fish below, looking to make a meal out of anything that isn't fast enough.  I paddle into the first cove and immediately I spot a couple tails near the mangroves on the other side of the small shallow lake.  I stealthily paddle within casting range.  My gold spoon lure lands on target as I now work it into the path of the Red Fish.  Stealth is the name of the game in these waters.  Because of the sea grass, the water clarity is about like a swimming pool.  If I can see them and they can see me, so you can't get to close.  My lure is on a collision course with the feeding Reds.  It passes by them and nothing happens.  I casted again, but this time my lure landed to close to their location and they were spooked.  I was dejected.  I had drifted across this small opening of water and I was about to paddle back out to the larger South Bay area when I saw another red feeding within my casting range.  I quickly put my gold spoon in  his effective range.  He spotted what he thought was a bait fish and as he quickly swam toward my lure.  The water swelled like a submarine was traveling beneath the surface at ramming speed.  Then BAM, he inhaled the lure!  The reason I love catching Reds is because they are great to eat and they are STRONG!  This fish is two feet long and full of muscle.  You should always loosen your drag when fishing for Reds because they will run and take your line with them.  If you don't, he will break your line and be gone.  This fish was no different.  Immediately my reel was screaming as the fish pulled out the line as he went on a run.  You have to play the fish and not try to horse him in.  I allow the line to run out and then reel him in as he turns.  As I bring him closer to the Kayak, he then becomes aware of my presence and again goes on another run.  Finally he begins to tire out and I ready my net.  I get him in the kayak and have to admire this majestic fish.  Red fish are actually a bronze color and normally have one black spot on their tail.  This is to confuse other fish so they don't know which end is the head (or so I have been told).  Sometimes they have more spots than just the on the tail and, as you can tell from my pic, he had six.  

It was a great weekend as I caught several fish each day, had the pleasure of paddling in beautiful waters and staying in a small "efficiency" cabin (that is code for one room) right on the coast.  I fished during the mornings, napped in the afternoons and enjoyed visiting with the locals about their fishing stories. 

Back to my lunch, the fish was thawed by 11:30 so I assembled my ingredients.  I intended to grill the fish because this is a no hassle, no mess way to cook fish.  I place two sheets of aluminum foil on the counter.  They need to be big enough to fold over the fish and then wrap the edges so that it creates a sealed packet.  I take a pat of butter and cut into tiny pieces to be placed under and on top of the fish.  I then grab some Cajun spice mix that I like and liberally apply to the fillet.  Any kind of seasoning will work.  I have used Italian seasoning as well and had great results.  Seal up the foil packet and place it on the grill for 8-10 minutes then turn it over and cook it about another 5-8 minutes (depending upon the size and thickness of the fillet).  I then grabbed it from the grill and open the foil.  The sweet aroma of fresh grilled fish is awesome.  Add a side of ranch style beans and you have lunch fit for a king.

All thawed out and ready to go!

Special Seasoning

Apply liberally and add butter

Low to medium heat, turning once after about 8 minutes, then another 8 to go

Can't you smell it?

Add Ranch Style Beans and Dr. Pepper, now that is a meal!

If you ever find yourself on the Texas coast, I would highly recommend a fishing trip.  Kayak fishing has really become popular over the last decade and many fishing guides now offer complete kayak fishing trips with everything provided (kayak and gear).  Below I have posted the links to the Light House Lakes and a map of the area if you ever want to try your hand catching a Red in the grass flats.

Lighthouse Lakes Information

Satellite Map of Lighthouse Lakes with paddling routes

The Wild Within - Cool New Show and Good Book Recommendation

So I am in the depths of winter and I am in between hunting seasons.  I am looking for something to outdoorsy to watch on television or read and I have recently found both!  I don't have many television shows that I follow regularly, but I happened to catch an advertisement for a new show called "The Wild Within" and I was immediately intrigued.  Here was a guy (host Steve Rinella) that was going to interesting places, pursuing wild game and having a blast doing it.  I especially like his approach to hunting and fishing and how he explains that he does this out of respect for nature and to provide quality food for his family.  So far two episodes have aired and I have not been disappointed.  Episode one was a trip to his cabin in Southeast Alaska where he and his brother hunted Black-tail Deer.  The second episode included a buffalo hunt, constructing a home-made canoe, and hunting Mule Deer with Muzzleloader rifles.  The trips are not overly glamourous and you see the failures as well as the successes.

I was interested enough in the show to go to the web site to learn a bit more about the show and the author and I came across Steve's own web site where I found that he is also an author and he has written two books.  I took an interest in his more recent book titled "American Buffalo: In Search Of A Lost Icon".  I downloaded the book to my e-reader and I am a little over half way through it.  I am really enjoying it.  It is a combination of history of the American Buffalo, Steve's own research and tales relating to Buffalo, and his experiences from an Alaskan Buffalo hunt that he was lucky enough to draw a permit for.

Below I have posted the links to The Wild Within television show and Steve's own web site.  The show airs on the travel channel on Sunday nights at 8:00 PM central time.  I have also posted the link to his web site if you are interested.  I am in no way affiliated with the show, book, or author, but it isn't everyday you see an outdoor show that is this appealing and it isn't very often that I start a book that can keep my attention until the conclusion.  Enjoy!

The Wild Within on the Travel Channel

Steve Rinella Web Site