Knives that Cut

I've recently been given an opportunity from CSN Stores to choose an item to review from one of their many websites. They have lots of great products to choose from, e.g., dining room furniture to bedding to knife sets!

I'm really looking forward to this review and think I've settled on reviewing one of their knife sets. I believe my husband is excited as well, since it means he may actually get his hunting knives back. You see, I have a habit of washing the hunting knives after a hunting excursion and then "accidentally" leaving them in the kitchen. This is probably due to the fact that hunting knives tend to get cared for a bit better than everyday cooking knives around our house.

With brand new sharp cooking knives in my future I'm confident that I'll be able to give back the hunting knives to their rightful owner. And since hunting season is fast approaching, I may not even get in trouble this year when it is time to skin my animal and there is a "missing knife" from the set. I should probably be careful though - depending on how good my new knives actually cut, I may need to hide MY knife set. Otherwise, I may find that the kitchen knives have become part of the hunting equipment.

So watch for my upcoming review... I'll let you know how this all turns out!

You may also want to pop on over to Daniel's "Spokane Bass Fishing" blog to get your name entered in the $40.00 CSN Giveaway. You have to hurry though because July 28th is the last day to enter. Good luck!

Mule Deer Countdown & a Few Tips

Opening day for Mule Deer season is fast approaching. With only about a month left to wait, we are beginning to cross off check lists and make final preparations. There is still plenty left to do as far as organizing, purchasing, and packing of equipment. In addition to all the physical preparations, I know that I need to continue to prepare myself mentally for the experience. Being in the high country is not for the weak of heart / mind; and I for one don't want to hold anyone back. I want to be as prepared as possible so that when the defining moment comes, I can say that I gave it my 100% unashamedly. Plus I'd really like to touch some velvet!

Therefore, I'm always looking for ways to increase my knowledge of hunting these amazing animals. I know that as an amateur high country mule deer hunter, I want to soak in as much information as possible.

So, when Troy suggested that we spend the afternoon at Sportsman's warehouse and listen to a Mule Deer seminar by Marc Smith, I was all in. Of course, the offer to buy me lunch afterwards was also a bonus.

Marc who was recently featured in Eastman's bowhunting journal, shared some of his secrets to success in the high country. He has shot some amazing deer over the years so it was fun to get some pointers from him. Here are just a few of the tips he gave today...

• Stay high - Sleep at around 11,000 and begin your stalk always from above. Wait for the thermals to rise.
• Don't throw rocks at a sleeping deer to get their attention and make them stand up. Rocks falling from the sky just isn't natural.
• Increase your effective shooting range - this one was interesting to me. Marc said that for all his kill shots under the 35 yard range, he is positive that the deer could hear his bow, which can lead to following a longer blood trail. The sweet spot seems to be just over 40 yards. Phew - I'm good at 40 yards, but will be practicing my 50 yard shots this next month.
• Be invisible - With elk hunting, you want to smell like an elk, sound like an elk and look like an elk (decoys help obviously). But for deer hunting, you want to smell like nothing, sound like nothing and look like nothing. I'm off to practice my stalking skills now.

P.s. Check out Marc's website at www.wildcountryoutdoors.com.

BowCast At The Bird 2010

As promised, here is an update on the 10,000 feet of Archery Goodness event we attended last weekend; or otherwise known as "Bowcast at the Bird." This 3D Shoot is located on the ski slopes of Snowbird, UT and it is a shoot like none other. The first time we experienced it was last year and immediately we knew that an annual voyage would be made to the state just west of Colorado.

There were 4 different courses this year that you could shoot throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday: beginner, intermediate, elite and the smoker round.

It is a family event, an archery addicts fix, an opportunity to push your limits, and a great way to get sore leg muscles. It is a must attend 3D shoot.

Pictures may be able to explain it best....

Can you see the bedded elk target in the pic above?

The "iron maden" target - you hit the blue circle and you win arrows.

But if you miss - your arrow shatters. I only tried it once.

And if pictures don't convince you to attend next year. Try watching this...

Hat Bonanza and Link Love

I promised some updates from my vacation and have been a little slow in getting them posted. The summer nights have a way of luring me away from my computer. I apologize.

So, without further ado. Here is the first quick update...

On the last weekend of our vacation, we attended the Bowcast at the Bird (BATB) 3D archery event on the ski slopes of Snowbird, UT. We had the opportunity to meet some great people who also happen to be archery fanatics and I ended up scoring several hats at the shoot from my BATB friends. So, I wanted to share my joy and also spread a little link love at the same time.

My first hat...

The Easton hat

This hat I actually won for shooting a deer target at 25 yards in the vitals. Easton arrows were giving away hats of your choice if you were able to put your arrow through a yellow dot of about 2 inches in circumference. I got lucky and was able to choose a hat. Thanks, Easton!

The "iron maiden" claimed one of my arrows and a couple of my husband's arrows though. (I'll give more details in my next post.)

My second hat...

The Outback Outdoors Hat

We had the privilege of meeting Trevon Stoltzfus with Outback Outdoors.net. Rocket Ryan also attended BATB. My husband got to chat with Trev on the chairlift and I met him briefly at the bottom of the lift. He gave us both hats. Thanks, Trev!

I would recommend checking out their site as they have great western hunting webisodes available to watch on your computer. They share plenty of tips, tactics and bowhunting gear used for success during your hunt. In addition, they also have a Gear Giveaway each quarter. Check it out!

My third Hat...

The FMP Hat

Jason from the BOWCAST team gave me an FMP Hat as a thank you for helping out with the shoot. Honestly, I didn't do anything - but my husband helped out with some safety on the mountain by volunteering his EMT services. Thanks, Jason! I love my new hat. When are we going to do that Javelina hunt?? :)

My fourth hat...

The Elite Max-1 Hat

Elite Archery gave away two bows at BATB this year. I had won my GT500 last year at the event, so I was thrilled to score an Elite hat to sport while shooting my bow. Actually one of the guys we were shooting with won this hat during the raffle and ended up giving it to me. Thanks, Cynjon!

There were tons of other great prizes given away during the raffle. I had a winning ticket for one of the fabulous gifts and I can't wait to use it on my upcoming Elk Hunt.

I'll share more of the details and pictures of this event in my next post (You won't want to miss it!) Hopefully, I will be able to convince some of you to make it to the 2011 BATB event.

Back from Vacation - Back to Reality

We are finally home from a wonderful 2 week vacation. Our dogs have let us know that it was a bit too long for us to be away. When we got home around 3:00 in the morning after a 10 hour drive from Salt Lake City they completely covered us with slobbery kisses and then we crashed. I'm still extremely tired and sore from hiking the mountains at the 3D shoot over the weekend which is why this is just going to be a quick post with a few pictures. I'll be adding more pics and stories throughout the upcoming week, but for now here is just a quick sneak peek:

Teton National Park

4th of July Parade in Lander WY

Buffalo Range in Thermopolis, WY

Attempting to Bowfish on Ocean Lake

Elite Course at BATB 3D Shoot in Snowbird, UT