As late summer light melts off the West faces, velvet bulls materialize from the shadows for a lazy evening of feeding. Bulls are on easy street, packing on the pounds and inches of antler. Bulls are most visible this time of year, as their tender velvet keeps them out of the thick cover. As the month of August wanes, velvet becomes itchy and bulls start rubbing. Mature bulls begin to get antsy and territorial leading to them splitting off solo for a short time before the rut starts. They’ll stay in summer mode for about 10 more days, which means out early in the evening to feed and down late in the morning to bed in heavy cover. The extra time they are on their feet is the Achilles heel for the bowhunter. This short window gives you the best chance over any other time of the season to kill a big bull. 

There’s a couple ways to do this and you’ll probably only get one chance. Depending on the state you’re hunting, the best time to kill a big bull using this method is from Aug 28th to about Sept 8th, give or take a couple days on either end of that. The tactics I’m going to discuss should apply for most of the West where you can find elk in open country or at tree line in the high country. The exceptions are much of New Mexico and Arizona’s elk habitat. 

For spot and stalk I like to hunt open country at tree line. As long as you have conducive stalking terrain you’ll be in good shape. Once you locate a big solo bull, congratulations – that was the hard part. Watch him for a day or two and learn his habits. Make notes when he comes out in the evening and goes to bed in the morning and plan accordingly. You might have to wait a couple days for him to be in a good spot or he might be very killable immediately. There’s no do-all equation for knowing this it comes with experience. Obviously, terrain and wind are important and even the savviest hunter may struggle to get a bull killed in the high country. 

For thick country like most of New Mexico and Arizona, with early season bulls you’re going to have to rely on bugling or sitting wallows. I have found that late August and early September produce the best wallowing activity, especially if it’s hot out. Setting trail cams will get you dialed on activity over wallows and can be effective helping punch your tag if that bull regularly makes visitations to the mud bath. 

Public land hunter Scott Reekers shares his experience and favorite features using the mobile mapping app Basemap. Reekers found the app to be loaded with features to improve your hunting experience. From accurate path tracking to customizable pins and markers that can be shared with hunting partners the app gives you the power to e-scout and execute when season opens. Basemap features offline maps available in resolutions or your choice. A unique photo sharing social feed built into the app gives you the choice to share your adventures publicly, with select friends or not at all to protect your favorite hunting honey hole.

The post On The Go Hunting Maps – The Basemap App appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Many hunters consider an antelope hunt as an afterthought on their way to or from elk and mule deer hunts. For them, the opportunity and challenge of taking an excellent trophy antelope is lost. Whereas taking multiple trophy mule deer bucks, for example, is a difficult accomplishment, harvesting several DIY B&C antelope bucks is actually an attainable goal. 

My four key strategies to successful trophy antelope hunting are actually quite basic.

First: There’s the strategy of hunting the same quality area each year that you draw a tag. Stay the course, don’t get discouraged or jump around to different areas or states. I know several guys, myself included, that have taken numerous book heads out of the same area over the years. The area that I hunt now isn’t noted for a lot of book antelope but my ability to know where to look and what country will hold antelope in certain weather conditions puts the odds in my favor. 

If you’re serious about harvesting a book buck, that’s the #1 strategy for success. Using that tactic, you’ll become an expert in hunting a particular area. Book bucks on public land are few and far between; knowing the ins and outs of the country will give you an edge on locating that 1 in 500 buck. The odds of harvesting a trophy buck antelope increase considerably if you’re in familiar territory. I’ve taken many B&C antelope and the key element to my success is knowing the unit inside and out. That’s the single best piece of advice I can give you. Many states change their unit numbers and hunt dates from one year to the next, so keep yourself abreast of and up to date on each state’s proclamations and regulations.

The Lanner is designed to be large enough for a 10 day cold weather trip, yet compress into a sleek daypack.  A large mesh stuff pocket and two zippered security pockets on the face of the pack make organizing your gear a breeze, and the innovative shroud pocket functions as a lid when the pack has a smaller day load in it.  Sign up for this giveaway by filling out the form below. Good luck!

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The post Seek Outside Lanner 4500 Giveaway appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Two public land bulls eat dirt in this web edition of Eastmans’ Hunting TV. DIY bow hunting isn’t for the faint of heart. Dan Pickar and Jordan Breshears put on the miles to fill their elk tags in Montana.

The post Two D-I-Y Archery Elk appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Seriously Montana? Four bull elk poached and left to rot in the last week, all in one area? Well, I can’t get too upset with you because down here in Wyoming, not far from my home, we just had a bull poached, his head taken and body left to bloat in the 90 degree heat, over the holiday weekend. 

But still, the four bulls poached in Musselshell County is not only disheartening, it’s maddening. I don’t know what the motive is but I have to wonder if Montana’s booming population in areas like Bozeman, Kalispell and others has led to an increase in demand for cheap elk mounts to hang over a ranchette fireplace. Obviously, this is pure speculation but still….

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is undoubtedly doing their best to get to the bottom of this poaching spree but the County is vast and sparsely populated so catching these degenerates in the act or stopping them before they can poach again will be a tall order. 

My question is this… are we asking too much from our game and fish agencies when we expect what is often one warden to patrol areas the size of Rhode Island? I say we are and I also say that until we step up funding for additional personnel, poaching will continue to be a major problem. 

Here’s your chance at an Alaska Guide Creations Binocase! These can compliment binoculars that around 42 mm Objuective lenses.These lightweight case are tough as nails and will hold against any weather you might encounter in the field. Thanks to the large pockets the Kodiak C.U.B. can hold lots of items such as range finders, mouth calls and more! Sign up for this giveaway by filling out the form below. Good luck!

An early snowstorm was hitting the high country and my hunting partner and I were socked in as bad as you could imagine. To save weight, our choice for this trip was a tiny three-season, two-man shelter and we were seriously regretting that decision. To add insult to injury, my hunting partner decided to bring a 30-degree sleeping bag with him (to save weight) and at this point the temperature was dipping below 20 degrees. In all fairness, I pulled a few level 3 chucklehead gear decisions myself on this trip and we were both living in misery because we started chasing the ultralight rabbit.

That ended up being one of the most miserable trips I’d ever been on and in reality, 3-4 more pounds in gear would have made a HUGE difference. When I look back at this, I don’t even know why we even tried to drop weight from the pack anyway. It wasn’t like we were out of shape. It was more because we got caught up in the ultra-lightweight fad and having the lightest pack was like a badge of honor or something. Well, that badge of honor became a jackass trophy real quick and anytime my friends and I start talking about dropping weight someone will always say, “Don’t chase the rabbit!” 

As a quick reference, I will give you type a list of what our actual pack weight would have increased if we would have brought our standard gear instead of the ultra-lightweight stuff. 

Father/Son duo Larry and Shane Adams from Emo, Ontario Canada have been sentenced to pay $28,295 to the State of Montana as restitution for residency fraud. The pair owned a home in Miles City, MT and used the address there to swindle the legal residents of Montana out of right around $84,000 worth of animals including a Missouri Breaks bighorn ram and a mountain goat.

$84,000! That’s an awful lot of public assets illegally taken by men who are not even U.S. citizens. Oh, but they promised to obey the terms of the court while serving a five year forfeiture of their hunting privileges that is retroactive to 2014… that means that the father/son poaching duo will really only serve a one year suspension, or am I getting this wrong? 

Either way the residents of Montana have been cheated and robbed of a resource that will not be able to be repaid or restored. 

Here is your chance at a new Kifaru 44 Mag Hunting Pack! The 44 MAG has pockets on the outside of the 500D Cordura bag, which I can report are perfect for the good stuff like spotting scopes and tripods.Between the top lid and the side pockets there is already a lot of organization present on this pack and add in the semi-custom nature of added pockets and it is very easy to build a pack that will work for the other gear that you prefer for backcountry excursions.These specific packs aren’t the largest of the Kifaru packs, but due to the complexity, they will morf into whatever you will need for the field. You will be able to purchase attachments(not included) to fit your exact needs for your next adventure. Sign up for this giveaway by filling out the form below. Good luck!

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The post Kifaru 44 Mag Giveaway appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Guy Eastman breaks down his favorite early season Sitka camo system ideal for bow hunting. These carefully designed pieces are comfortable and effective for bow hunters from August through early October hunts. Eastman’s review covers the Core Lightweight Hoody, Apex Hoody, Mountain Vest and brand new Kelvin Active Hoody. Learn the how, when and why to combine and wear this Sitka layer system for your next bow hunt.

Get more details on Sitka’s Apex line: https://youtu.be/BSSRKHPGcEo

Check out Guy’s review of the Ascent system: https://youtu.be/29xyVF4V1_c

The post Sitka’s Early Season System appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

“ASPEN, Colo. – Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Aspen Police officers responded to the 300 block of East Hopkins Avenue in Aspen at 11:30 last night after a large black bear bit a local restaurant manager, resulting in four deep puncture wounds to the man’s leg.”

The above is from a press release from CPW telling of an incident dealing with a black bear in a populated area who had decided that a trash dumpster was his new favorite place to frolic. Employees from the restaurant that owned the dumpster were refusing to dump their trash in the dumpster while the bear was getting an easy meal. The manager, in poor judgement, decided that trying to scare the bear out was the best course of action and for his trouble got a nice bite mark or two on his leg.

According to CPW the bear will have to be put down once it is located and because bears are habitual with incidents like this, it is highly unlikely they won’t find him. This incident highlights to great effect how urbanization in places like Colorado is negatively impacting animals, in particular, predators. This is the third incident in the Aspen area recently and it is unlikely that negative interactions will stop.

So how did it come to this in CO? Let’s start with the obvious, a growing population and year round tourism in places like Aspen is putting people with little to no experience with bears face to muzzle almost daily. 

With a growing trash output to match the growing human population it is pretty easy to see how opportunists like bears take to dumpster diving for an easy meal. Generally speaking there are two populations of bears that fall for the easy pickings, the youngest and oldest animals. The young animals have usually just been kicked off of their mother and they are searching for an easy meal. There is hope for these animals as moving them can be successful but it doesn’t take long to rack up three strikes.

DIY bow hunter Dan Pickar takes to the timber of chasing rutting bull elk. Bow hunting the thick timber takes patience and makes closing the deal difficult. Pickar doesn’t back down and arrows a nice public land bull in this web edition of Eastmans’ Hunting TV.

The post Bowhunting the Elk Rut appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

High country hunter Scott Reekers puts Eberlestock’s new technical hunting apparel to the test on an early season scouting trip. From pants to mid and outer layers and rain gear, Eberlestock now features a well rounded hunting clothing system. Reekers reviews the Afterburner Pants, Cache Peak Jacket, Lost River Jacket, Trinity Peak Shell and Diamond Peak Vest.

Want to learn more about Eberlestock’s clothing line-up check out this video next: https://youtu.be/at_BDwc-0W8

The post New Eberlestock Technical Hunting Apparel! appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Hike the public land of Wyoming in pursuit of trophy elk. Archer Dan Pickar is combing country for a 350-class bull to hunt with his bow. DIY public land bowhunting successfully is no easy feat. Enjoy this web episode of Eastmans’ Hunting TV and takes some tips afield with you this fall!

Check out Dan’s latest episode of Beyond the Grid: http://bit.ly/TXSheepMassacre

Watch Dan’s helicopter drop camp hunt next: http://bit.ly/HelicopterBowhunt

Catch up on all the episodes of Beyond the Grid: http://bit.ly/BeyondTheGridTV

The post Public Land Bowhunt appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

The highly evolved design allows the pack to easily convert from a 2,800 cubic inch daypack to a heavy freight hauler with over 5,000 cubic inches of space available for my entire camp as well as my half of a sheep or buck deer. The tubular aluminum frame along with the highly adjustable suspension system allows for a comfortable ride even with heavy loads on a very unconventionally shaped torso such as mine. One thing to always remember, aluminum will often bend, but seldom breaks. For an ultralight jaunt from camp, the removable top-pack converts into a hydration-ready fanny pack. Sign up for this giveaway by filling out the form below. Good luck!

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The post Eberlestock Dragonfly Giveaway appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

What if there was one item that would give you more endurance? One item that allowed you to go more miles and made gaining or losing elevation easier? What if there was one item that kept you safer in the mountains and put less wear and tear on your body? No, it is not some new super-steroid on the market, horse or hovercraft – they’re trekking poles. 

Trekking poles are not just for bunny lovers and tree huggers, us hardcore hunters can use and benefit from them immensely. I have seen a few guys using them for goat and sheep hunts but I rarely see anybody taking advantage of poles for the mainstream hunts like elk and deer. Trekking poles allow you to gain twice the miles with half the soreness the next day. If you are not using them, you are giving up a major advantage in the backcountry!

Pros and Cons

The biggest advantage I (Brian) get out of trekking poles is I can check off more miles with less effort. My circle of hunting buddies all know the benefits of using poles and they rarely show up without them. That’s the best way to see the how trekking poles make hiking easier, have a buddy hike with them and you hike without them and try to keep up. It’s like they’re cheating – their pace is faster, they climb quicker and overall have more energy at the end of the day. When I show up to meet someone and they have the sticks and I don’t, I know I am in for a tough day, even if I am in better shape. 

I have young legs and get around the mountains pretty well but I can guarantee as I get older I will have a set of trekking poles nearly everywhere I go. It will help even the playing field with the youthful go-getters out there. Trekking poles also help stabilize you on uneven ground and puts less wear and tear on your joints. Going downhill is tough on our bodies, we all know that. The pounding and pressure is put on our knees, hips and back. Trekking poles help brake your momentum going downhill and ease the pounding. Think of it as more of a controlled decent where your body does not take as much of a beating. 

Well folks this is a new one. A New Mexico man encouraged and allowed his dog to kill a fawn in southern Colorado. He then decided to post a video of the event to his social media account which attracted a lot of attention as you can imagine he was turned in to game and fish.

It sounds like there are a few different stories going around. One was the fawn was already injured and was half dead so he encouraged his dog to finish it off. He posted an apology on facebook saying it was a misunderstanding and he was trying to get the fawn away from the dog while fending off the doe. Either way the video doesn’t lie, the dog was encouraged to get that fawn while he was allegedly fending off the protective doe. Colorado Parks and Wildlife fined him $1372.50 and an assessment of 20 license suspension points. He must appear in front of Parks and Wildlife for the suspension of the points so that will give us an idea of how hard CPW comes down on him. Instead of paying the fines he can also appear in court Sept. 16.

Is is $1372 fine enough? This may be considered no different than poaching. It seems like a blatant disrespect of wildlife and it will be very interesting to see how this all pans out!

Bow hunter Dan Pickar shares one of his favorite hunting tools. The onXhunt app is a powerful mapping system with movement tracking and waypoint features. Combined with high resolution downloadable maps, the onXhunt app could make all the difference when it comes to recovering a big game animal this fall.

Check out the offline maps feature from onXhunt: https://youtu.be/Pb-nbJ1Oww0

Next watch Dan’s latest episode of Beyond the Grid: http://bit.ly/TXSheepMassacre

Tuesday August 6 at 9:00 am, the firing pistol goes off and thousands of applicants have about 5 minutes to snap up the best of the Colorado leftover tags, that is, if they can get through. That means you only have today to study the  leftover list. Fortunately, it doesn’t take long. There are tens of thousands of licenses but the vast majority are for does or cows.

Strategy

Don’ts

Over the Counter Licenses 

OTC licenses go on sale until Thursday, August 8 at 9am.