Gear Review: SOG Aura Hunting Knife

Thanks to the OBN and SOG Knives, I've been given the opportunity to review a great hunting knife: The SOG Auroa (AU-02) Hunting.

When my knife arrived mid-December, I was excited to test out my new knife and put up a review as soon as possible. However due to several factors, (*ahem* lack of dead animals) I am just now able to do the knife justice with a proper review after gutting / skinning an elk several days ago. (Story found here b/c I know you are wondering about Spring Elk tags!) Sure, I could have reviewed the knife simply on appearance, how it felt good on my hip or how well it worked for my culinary creations; but none of those fall under the true purpose of the knife. It is a hunting knife pure and simple.

Out of the Box Impressions
When my knife first arrived, I was really happy with the appearance of the knife itself. To be totally honest, this is the first hunting knife that I can call my own. (While I help the guys out in the field with the gutting / skinning, it is done with borrowed equipment.) I am definitely proud to have this beauty as my first knife. And it certainly isn't just for novice knife owners, I think my husband was a bit jealous as I slipped the knife out of the box. As stated on SOG's website, "we considered utility, ergonomics and comfort." I would have to agree with that. It is a light weight, fixed blade knife that is very comfortable to hold - for a guy or gal. I personally love the polymer handle. I know that many prefer the look of antler or wood handles, but the grip on this thing is amazing and I am very happy with it.

Additional Features
A great feature of this knife is the built in carbide sharpener in the back of the handle. Genius! I've participated in the gutting / skinning of an elk and know full well that it would be one amazing knife to make it through the entire ordeal without having to stop, switch out a knife and pass along the current knife for a quick sharpening. Having the sharpener built in the handle is great - especially for back country hunting where light weight, functional tools are invaluable.

The knife also comes with a lightweight nylon sheath. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't too excited about the sheath when I first saw it. It isn't ugly by any means. However, I just wondered about the nylon material. Would it hold up in the field? Will I be wishing for a leather sheath after the first trip up the mountain? Let me tell you - I was pleasantly surprised. When I slid the sheath / knife on my belt securely in place, it was very comfortable - sitting, standing, hiking all day was no problem. In fact, I couldn't even tell it was there which is impressive since I'm not used to having a knife on my hip.


In the Field Impressions
As stated earlier, we had the opportunity to gut & skin an elk recently. In typical fashion, we had three knives going on this guy. Each taking a turn to peel back the hide to expose the meat destined for our freezer. The SOG Aura held up great! We tried out the sharpener - just because it was conveniently in the handle and was curious how it worked. The knife didn't really need to be sharpened. Now, if it was the only knife skinning out the entire elk I'm sure that the sharpener would have been utilized more. No offense to the knife itself - I haven't met a knife that hasn't had to be sharpened while skinning an elk.

I'll have to admit that I passed the knife along to my husband to show me how to throw a quick sharpen on the knife. As he was testing out the carbide sharpener he mentioned that it would be nice to have a larger end as a safety precaution. I'm not sure if an adjustment could be made so that the entire butt of the knife is removed when the sharpener is unscrewed - if possible, it would be a great enhancement

PROS:

• Lightweight easy to carry knife - great for the backcountry
• Nylon sheath included
• Sharpener concealed within the handle for easy access in the field
• Affordable, all around hunting knife

CONS:

• I may get asked to participate more in the gutting / skinning process

Disclaimer:

The reviews on Scent Free Lip Gloss are solely the honest opinions of Emily. This knife was provided at no cost to me by SOG Specialty Knives & Tools for the purpose of review. Scent Free Lip Gloss is not sponsored by SOG and receives no monetary compensation in exchange for this review.

For the Love of Fishing & a New Fly Rod

I recently caught wind of a great opportunity for young anglers to win a new fly rod set (pictured above) - an opportunity offered by the Compleat Thought blog. One fly fishing wannabe youngster will be chosen to receive a full Youth Crosswater Outfit. What a deal!

I knew right away that I had to enter up my 7 year old nephew who has recently become interested in "all things related to fishing." I quickly got on the phone and informed my sister to pass along the interview questions to Andrew.

Here are Andrew's responses...

Compleat Thought: "Why do you love fishing?"

Andrew: "I like to go fishing because I love to catch fish!"

Compleat Thought: "Why do you want to learn to fly-fish?"

Andrew: "I have a regular rod and reel but I caught a fish on my Grandpa's fly rod one time. I want to have my own fly rod so I can learn to be a mountain fisherman just like my Grandpa."

After receiving his initial responses I wanted to pry a bit deeper, so I got him on the phone. The conversation went something like this...

Emily: "What are some of the other things you like about fishing?"

Andrew: "I like getting to reel the fish in. I like taking the hook out of their mouths."

Emily: "Wait a minute... Have you done that before? Take the hook out of their mouths?"

Andrew: "Nope. But I would like to. And I like eating them too - the fish, not the hooks!"

(I laughed here because he got really mad at me when we released a baby trout back into the stream last year. He wanted to know what a mountain trout tasted like and I had to explain to a teary eyed boy that this one was too small to keep.)

Emily: "What is your favorite fishing place you've fished so far?"

Andrew: "Our secret fishing hole - the one where only we know about."

Emily: "If you get your very own fly rod, what is the first fish you want to catch on it and why?"

Andrew: "A pike!! Because I saw a picture of a boy who caught a pike at Eleven mile." (I guess you can dream big - he told me he was going to catch a Blue Marlin last time we were fishing Eleven Mile.)

Andrew: "Auntie Em?"

Emily: "Yes"

Andrew: "What other questions do you have for me? I really want to win my very own fly rod. Can you look up some more questions online? I have my cozy pj's on. Do you have your pajamas on?"

Emily: "How about you call me back if you think of anything else you want to share. K? And, no, I don't have my pj's on yet. I'll talk to you later. Good night - dream about fishing and turkeys"

(I'm taking him on his first turkey hunt this Sat.)

Andrew and I are crossing our fingers that he is selected for the Youth Crosswater Outfit set. I know that he would have some great adventures this summer with his entire family, including mountain grandpa and Auntie Em. Thanks to Compleat Thought and Redington for this opportunity to encourage a young angler.

When Turkey Hunts turn into Elk Hunts

Last weekend we set out to hunt Merriam's in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. We filled an elk tag instead. You may be saying about now, "Wait a minute, that sounds illegal. There isn't a spring elk season." And you would be correct. Sort of. Here is what happened...

4:30 Saturday morning rolled around and the normal hunting ritual began. Camouflage was donned. Every pocket in my pants and hunting jacket were filled with the necessities for the day: turkey call, hunting license, tissue, chapstick, salt & pepper sunflower seeds, yadda yadda. Since the destination we were headed for was a good 45 minutes away, I snuggled in the back seat and closed my eyelids while my husband and Big Al chatted away consuming large amounts of coffee and Mt. Dew. My dreams of turkey were rudely interrupted several times by loud announcements of "ELK!" followed by my body being lurched forward due to abrupt stops of the truck. Apparently the lure of fresh green foliage in the drainage ditches were an appealing alternate to the winter diet the Elk had been surviving on. The buffet was open, wildlife was lining up and you had better pay attention to the reflective glare of eye balls seeming to flash back the message "cafe open for business - get out of the way." Driving mountain highways in the wee morning hours of spring quickly becomes a game of frogger.

As we rounded one corner, I vaguely heard my husband comment, "huh. Look at that bull laying by the fence. That's a nice bull." Back to la la land I went. This time I think I may have dreamt about elk.

After an unsuccessful morning Turkey hunt, we decided to move to an area that was less windy and a little lower in elevation. This meant driving back up the mountain range past the morning "buffet lines." By this time, breakfast was over and nap time had beckoned the four legged creatures (who so rudely awakened MY morning nap) to their beds. As we chatted, the thought crossed our minds... what if there was something wrong with that bedded elk by the fence line. Both Al and my husband admitted that the thought had crossed their minds several times after initially seeing him. It is a bit strange that a bull elk would be bedded at that time of day and in that spot. And as we rounded the corner, there he was!

Immediately, we knew something definitely was wrong. We rolled the truck to a stop about 100 yards from the bull. He didn't budge. He sat there staring at us and from the look on his face it was apparent that he had the desire to get out of dodge, but didn't have the means to do so. He was injured bad. His breakfast was either rudely interrupted that morning by a passing vehicle or a poor attempt at crossing the fence line. Either way, he wasn't going to survive. Both back legs were completely mangled preventing him from moving from is bed. I could hardly stand it.

Not wanting to leave him, but knowing we needed permission from DOW before putting him down, we reluctantly drove on to find cell phone reception. A few miles down the road we were able to get in touch with the State Patrol who connected us with a DOW officer. Permission was granted to put the bull down. I've never been so thankful to put down an animal! I definitely have a problem with people hitting an animal with a vehicle and driving on like nothing happened. (Maybe those anti-hunters out there should take heed and focus their attention on the vehicle slaughter that occurs every year instead of well intentioned hunters trying to feed their family in an ethical, healthy way. Talk about inhumane! I've never met a hunter that has left an animal to suffer and done nothing about it.)

Anyway, by the aid of Troy's .40, this 5x5 bull was quickly put out of his misery. We proceeded to gut him and load him in the truck. It did take some time because his hide was covered in ticks. So, we had my dad drive down an additional truck so the Hub's carpeted truck bed didn't also become tick infested. (My dogs say "thank you" btw.)

So what can I say? I feel blessed. An elk was put out of his suffering and my freezer will now be filled once again with healthy meat thanks to our roadkill issued tag.

Troy picked up a heads-up dime in the Walmart parking lot before going in to buy his Turkey tag. He made the comment, "That must mean ten times the luck." Well that may be true since we went turkey hunting the next day and came home with an elk. I know better. I had said a prayer the day before, asking God for a small blessing of getting a shot at a Turkey. As soon as the prayer left my lips I felt a bit guilty asking for something like that. However, God knew. I had recently cried out due to a lot of different circumstances for a small raining down of his love. As a friend at work recently told me... sometimes when you ask for a hamburger, he smiles down and says "how about a steak." The point is - you have to ask and then leave the rest up to Him. I think he delights in blessing us at just the right moments - when we least expect it.

Roadkill Grill is now open at my house - all summer long.

WANTED: Mountain Thunder Throaters

Last weekend we had a hard time locating the mountain thunder throaters - aka Merriam's. However the beauty of the mountain grandeur didn't disappoint. As the first rays of light revealed the stage set before us I couldn't help but snapping a few shots. I thought I would share. Enjoy!

Next weekend - I'm hoping for a shot with a turkey in the foreground of the pic!

(Big Al doesn't count.)