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  • David Petersen
    Member
      Post count: 2749
      in reply to: Which two weeks #37125

      Smiley — That’s the best restricted elk unit on the West Slope of CO, making it the best trophy unit on the West Slope if not the entire state, you lucky doggie. Hunt the last two weeks of the season. Not many hunters up there and lots of room to roam, so you won’t have problems with spooked elk. Have your lungs and legs in shape as it’s high and steep. dp

      David Petersen
      Member
        Post count: 2749
        in reply to: first elk hunt! #33354

        I second Wywildart. That’s precisely the fastest, cleanest and easiest way for one man to field dress an elk — no ropes or pullys needed. Carry what you need to get that animal quartered, preferably boned-out (spoilage usually starts adjacent to heavy bones, which have high bacteria and hold heat), bagged and in the shade. Wear cheap dishwashing gloves to keep the yellowjackets from biting your hands and ignore the rest. My elk hunting pack weighs 25-35 pounds depending on how much water, food and extra cloths I have to carry, and ALWAYS includes two knives, a coarse and fine sharpener, at least two really big heavy-duty game bags, a folding bone saw, gloves and enough light and batteries to last several hours if I kill right before dark. That’s all that’s necessary, and it’s absolutely necessary, and every minute counts. Every time some clown kills an elk then starts looking for someone who knows how to deal with it, I wish there was a law that anyone who goes out unprepared to honor the animal by making the best of the meat should lose their hunting privileges. There is no lack of good info readily available. My long-winded way of saying Wywildart has it right and try not to obsess on extra junk someone says you need, like a game cart, screen tent, weird specialized cutting tools, etc. Just good sharp knives and good game bags and familiarity with how to do it. That is prime time. Good luck, dp

        David Petersen
        Member
          Post count: 2749

          Be prepared George for our Webmother to come after you to use this for a Tip of the Week, as it’s a good one. 😀

          David Petersen
          Member
            Post count: 2749
            in reply to: Montana or Wyoming #30753

            Don’t overlook northern Idaho, a state with massive amounts of wilderness lands and therefore, very liberal hunting seasons in those areas.

            David Petersen
            Member
              Post count: 2749

              Welcome, Scott. We hope you’ll hang around and chat with us from time to time. While this is a bit off-topic, if even half the folks who regularly visit here silently would post from time to time, well, my job as moderator would be infinitely harder, but even more fun. We try hard to make it open and friendly and assure that nobody ever has to worry about being insulted simply for expressing polite opinions. dp

              David Petersen
              Member
                Post count: 2749
                in reply to: Blinds #30020

                For the same reasons Fubar mentions, and more, I prefer brush blinds. By the time I brush-in a tent blind I could have built a brush blind … in most places, and that’s the kicker. There are places in open country, say for pronghorn, where a tent blind is about the only choice. Aside from brushing it in, it’s a good idea to set it up and leave it for several days before you hunt from it, to allow the animals to get accustomed to it, and for the fabric and other smells to air out … assuming someone doesn’t steal it during that time. Just one hunter’s opinion. dp

                David Petersen
                Member
                  Post count: 2749

                  Check out the other post in this forum on this topic. My vote currently goes to Doug fire, aka Surewood. dp

                  David Petersen
                  Member
                    Post count: 2749

                    Welcome Crusader! For my 2 scents, the U.S. outlet you’re looking for is Bob Burton, of Whispering Wind Arrows in MT. http://www.whisperingwindarrows.com/ A couple of years ago I ordered a dozen footed hex pine shafts from Bob and they are excellent shooters — straight and strong and heavy. Consequent to their weight, even with weighted footing you can’t get above mid-teens FOC with them. So for folks who want a good quality heavy shaft and no concern about FOC, they are worth checking out. For my own needs in wood shafts I prefer Surewood Doug fir, which I get from Dave Doran at Archery Past http://www.archery-past.net/. These I believe are a good first step up from P.O. cedars for those who’ve never shot anything else and want to try somdething new. They are light, so good FOC is attainable, yet in my experience stronger and straighter than POC. One of many nice things about buying from Dave is that he will sell single shafts so you can test and compare before obligating. He will also take as long as necessary on the phone to try and educate and help us. This year I’ll be hunting elk with Surewood shafts capped with short sections of aluminum shaft external footing in order to convert them for screw-in points and maximize FOC. dp

                    David Petersen
                    Member
                      Post count: 2749

                      Erik — I’m glad I don’t hunt in your neighborhood if it’s that big a problem. If I felt I had to hide from “drug dealers” every time I went out I don’t think I’d hunt. Here in CO where I’ve hunted extensively for 30 years, I’ve come upon a total of two small pot patches on public land and never seen a human tending them. I’d think these guys would be the ones trying to blend in and not be seen by us, rather than vice versa. Frankly my primary concern with these operations is that they tend to lug in lots of plastic, buckets, potting soil bags (no pun) and sometimes fence wire, then when they’re done they leave all that junk up there. Almost as bad as ATV riders. If I knew who they were I’d turn them in for littering. Even hunting along the AZ/Mexican border for the past 5 years, camping weeks at a time alone way back in, where drug runners are supposed to abound,I’m yet to see a single one. Just my opinion based on personal experience–that “drug dealers” are the least of our concerns out there. Now, wearing camo to hide from other hunters seems a valid endeavor, but there again if it was that crowded out there I’d find someplace else to hunt, or take up golf instead. Well, NO, I’ll never take up golf! 😆 dp

                      David Petersen
                      Member
                        Post count: 2749

                        Runamuck — aside from making it yourself, do you know anyone marketing horizontal sheaths for small belt knives? I saw one recently on a friend and really like it, but he couldn’t remember where he got it. Sorry to bend the thread here, but that’s the way the conversations often go. Thanks, dp

                        David Petersen
                        Member
                          Post count: 2749

                          David — It’s an El Grande, new style, 200 grains. So far as I know the 160 is still available. Check out Archery Past, Dave Doran, and Rick Stillman, The Feathered Shaft, also handles them. So far as the Abowyer Brown Bear, until the raised their price notably I always said it was “the best single-bevel broadhead for the money.” I frankly lose track of what head I used on what elk, but I do remember test shooting a Brown Bear into the scapula of a just-dead bull, 15 yards at a sharp quartering-forward angle from a #55 Shrew and it blew a big hole in the blade and got full penetration, stopped by the ground on the other side. But I got similar results with the El Grande, the ABS Ashby, and the bargain-priced Tusker Concord. High ME single bevels work! This year I plan to carry the forthcoming Werewolf 200 from Eclipse.

                          David Petersen
                          Member
                            Post count: 2749

                            For those unfamiliar with Shrews, note the “thumb rest” on the grip. This allows your hand to go instantly and automatically to precisely the same grip for every shot without even thinking about it. It’s a huge help for me. The Classic Hunter and Super Shrew grips also are a perfect compromise between the flat grip of a standard longbow, and the deep grip of a recurve, making adaptation a snap. dp

                            David Petersen
                            Member
                              Post count: 2749

                              Congratulations, David. Gregg outdoes himself on all of his bows, both Shrews and his own Java Man bows. One of my Shrews is precisely like yours in specs” — 54″ and #53 CH, except I have the “old fashioned” limbs with no foam (or carbon, which is also available). I recently bought a lovely old 1968 Bear K-Mag also at #53 on the scales and the Shrew flings the same arrows at a notably greater speed. That’s what 30 years of subtle improvements in limb components and design (specifically, deflex-reflex) as given us. Here’s a pic of the bow we’re talking about. dp

                              attached file
                              David Petersen
                              Member
                                Post count: 2749

                                Ha! That makes you more than 5 months older than me. That explains everything! 😛

                                David Petersen
                                Member
                                  Post count: 2749

                                  Chad — OK, done deal. See PM. Now we can restore this thread to where it belongs — to George’s old Bear, not mine. Big thanks, dave

                                Viewing 15 posts - 1,756 through 1,770 (of 2,570 total)