[Charles Ek]

in reply to: Steger Moosehide Mukluks #62275

As an ex-Gopher Stater with far, far more boots than street shoes in the closet (and in the basement, and in the vehicle, etc., etc.),
may I just say:

😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

Thanks for the extensive review.

p.s. My mom grew up “a short drive” from Ely, and I’m not “Embarrassed” to say that.

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: Some Labor Day Weekend Stumping! #58837

Great weekend for some stumpin’! I released this one back into the wild this morning. He won’t get much bigger, but he’ll get a little less tough with some aging. (That’s a rubber blunt on the right; rest are Judos. The blunt is actually stuck in the stump. 😀

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: GOT A GROUSE!!! #54880

Congratulations!

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: Grouse season starts tomorrow!!! #53791

Gotta get crackin’ on those flu-flus I planned to have ready for the Oct. 1 opener here — thanks for the reminder!

A grouse taught me a lesson the season before last — it ain’t over until it’s over. I’m coming back to my vehicle without having seen a living creature larger than a woodpecker all day. I switch off “hunting” when I see the car and start thinking “driving” — just before a nice ruffed grouse walks across the forest road at a very leisurely pace, not ten yards in front of me. I like to think that my bag would not have been empty when I went home, if I’d just had the blunt I carried ready . . .

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: Blackie tried to join me in my treestand #51510

Funniest bear hunting story I’ve heard was told to me by a guide in Northern Minnesota. A hunter complained that he wasn’t seeing any bears at the stand he’d been assigned. The guide and an accomplice went to the stand at the end of the day and soaked the carpeting with some powerful attractant odor.
The hunter took his stand before dawn the next morning. The first time he realized there was a bear in the vicinity was when it yanked the carpeting out from under him. The hunter was found “somewhat” higher in the tree and “somewhat” louder when they got to him. 😀

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: Yesterday's high country bear trip – no bears yet #50930

Thanks very much for your offer. I think I must say no, however. My wife and I have planned our vacation for next year already, and I don’t think I could take the time for another one in the summer.
Ever see any sign of Blackie’s bigger, fiercer cousin? I’m one of the few who thinks it’s a good idea to encourage them, maybe even restore them, in the North Cascades. (BTW, my wife does not share this opinion. She walked up on one in AK while we lived there (forty yards away, a quarter mile from our house) and doesn’t care to repeat the experience. Which is why we’re not living there.)

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: anatomy and archery… #50142

The Dec/Jan 2009 issue of Traditional Bowhunter Magazine has an article by G. Fred Asbell titled “The Stance: How you stand to draw the bow and the evolvement of the bowhunter stance.” It has detailed descriptions and pictures of a possible solution for your girlfriend.

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: Found a Big Buck… (pics included) #50116

Very nice find! And it was fun to see that compass as well. 😀

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: Yesterday's high country bear trip – no bears yet #50111

Well, you’re killing me here. 😀 The Glacier Peak Wilderness was the last place I hiked into for a farewell backpacking trip nineteen years ago. Came out after three days, drove home to the recently-sold, now empty house, and left to meet my wife in Minnesota the following week. Haven’t been back to WA since, and that’s been a big mistake. Glacier Peak is just one of the reasons why I miss it.

Good luck and thanks for sharing!

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: Nugent gets karma-lized! #40110

Anyone who can watch the video I linked to above and not denounce this guy, but instead praises him for being “pro-hunter” and holds him up as someone we should join with in solidarity and even use as a role model for kids, is not someone I want in my camp, whether it’s the camp of hunters in general or my personal camp.

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: Nugent gets karma-lized! #38887

So that no one misunderstands —

No one who plays to the rabble by waving his firearms on stage and crudely threatening politicians with whom he happens to disagree is MY “blood brother”. Judge for yourself.

We’ve had way too much political violence in this country to let that one pass.

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: newB #17182

huntergatherer wrote: thanks im shooting 125gr fieldtips witch puts me right around 390gr. I never knew so mutch info on arrow flight and weight existed i never herd of EFOC and all these other terms before this web site is over flowing with info. Ware i live ther is not a good archery shop. well ther is places to buy a compound bow but definently not the knowledge this site has

Hi. It’s very short notice, but you should think about attending the White Mountain Traditional Bowhunters Rendezvous in Tyngsboro, MA, next weekend, Aug. 6-8. I’m sending you a copy of the flyer by PM.
Some very experienced traditional bowhunters attend, and they’re very welcoming and helpful toward newbies like you . . and me. 😉 I’ll be there on Saturday, driving an orange Honda Element and lugging around two old selfbows. Hope to see you there!

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: Planning Alaska Trip #53956

A very good place to start with these questions is Alaska Outdoors Forums Hunt Planning Primer. The people on the forum know what they’re talking about. Do the basic research first and then ask them specific questions at the Alaska Hunting Forums. They get a little tired of the all-too-general “where do I start” queries from the Lower 48.

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: Becoming a Woodsman #52868

I’ve taught backcountry navigation for many years, and I was a SAR dog handler for a long time as well. I’ve sent you a PM with a link to my free navigation instructions. Follow the advice above to get an orienteering type compass (NOT a lensatic compass). Buy a topographic map of an area you can use for practice frequently. Follow my instructions and the compass instructions religiously. If you do those things, you’ll know more about navigation than 85% of hunters. (Yes, I’ve had to look for some over the years . . . ) If there’s an orienteering club nearby, participate in their events. The maps will be strange, but the people are always friendly and you’ll be amazed how quickly your skills improve.
If anyone else wants my instructions, please send me a PM.

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: Broadhead of choice let's hear it #52828

Cottonwood wrote:
Have you a phone number or website for Zwickey?

Here’s the contact info for Zwickey. Note that they’re actually in North St. Paul, MN, not St. Paul as Google indicates. (No, I’m not a St. Paul native. But I am married to one who fetched some broadheads for me once.) As far as I know they do not have a web site.

[Author]

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