Beyond The Hunt

Elk Hunting The Cowboy State!

2008-10-05T10:55:00.001-06:00

Well what can I say....big bugling bulls up close and personal is as good as it gets! Check out some of these field pics!

...You're gonna have to tune into BTH Season 2 for the low down on how this one turns out!!

Ahh...New Mexico!

2008-09-30T09:40:00.014-06:00

New Mexico...the land of enchantment....and cactus!

Rick and I jumped on a plane and headed for New Mexico with the TC muzzleloader. The weather was hot and the cactus were everywhere! On the second morning of the hunt, (thanks to Nikon!) we caught a glimpse of a great velvet buck from a long distance and took off on foot after him.

We patiently waited on him as he bedded down during the heat of the day.

Up from his nap....

Ready and waitin'...

....Afterwards!
General consensus was that this buck was at least 8 1/2 years old...
We had a great time on our first trip to NM and yep, we're still pulling cactus out! ;-)

It's Rick's turn!

2008-09-10T21:21:00.007-06:00

While good friend Mark Drury had already arrowed a great velvet buck, Rick was fortunate enough to catch a break in the weather and put his tag on another great Wyoming velvet whitetail!

To add to this story, Rick gave his dad a crash course on the camera right before the hunt and, luckily, it all worked out great!

First up...Justin & Shane!

2008-09-10T21:12:00.005-06:00

BTH team members, Justin Peterson and Shane Evans, didn't waste any time connecting on a great Wyoming Whitetail! On the first night of the season, Justin arrowed an awesome velvet 4x4 while Shane caught it all on film. Both of these guys did a fantastic job and we're really excited to have them on board! Make sure to catch this hunt in Season 2 of BTH!

More pics from the field coming soon!!

Season is finally here!

2008-09-10T09:02:00.016-06:00

Well...Season is finally here and so is our good friend, Mark Drury! Prior to Mark's arrival at the cabin in Wyoming, Rick and I had been glassing some great velvet bucks out in the fields.
Rick & his Nikon spotter lookin' for big bucks!

High hopes and great weather were unfortunately followed by heavy fog and rain on the first day of season.

Rick & Mark anxiously waiting!

However, Mother Nature finally gave us a bit of a break a few days later and Mark was able to connect on a great Wyoming velvet buck with Rick behind him running the camera! We had a great time with Mark in camp and look forward to our next venture together!

Foodplots & Cuddebacks...

2008-07-30T08:52:00.019-06:00

Summer is going by way too fast! With the rain finally letting up and with wheat harvest wrapping up in Nebraska, we've switched gears and have been trying to get all our late season foodplots of Whitetail Institute "Winter Greens" planted in Nebraska, Iowa, and Wyoming. Like a couple of kids on Christmas morning.... can't wait to start checking those Cuddebacks! ;-)

Rick using the Toolcat to pull cedar trees to prepare new plot.

Julie & Rick's brother, Dave, pulling old fence.

Putting up the new Cuddeback Capture!

2008-05-31T20:32:00.006-06:00

Rick & I just got back from a trip to North Dakota, where we met up with the great folks of Bobcat and Sundog Productions. We had a blast spending time with everyone during the commercial shoot and look forward to our next trip up north! Watch for all the new commercials during the show! Can't say enough about Bobcat's line of utility vehicles, so be sure you go to their website and check them out! Mark our words, Bobcat will revolutionize the way you build food plots. We promise, you won't be disappointed! http://www.bobcat.com/

2008-05-30T19:36:00.004-06:00

Hey Everyone!
Well, turkey season is finally here! Looks like winter was good to the turkeys...we have seen a ton of big, mature gobblers. We've had a ball this season spending time in the woods with good friends and family. First up was Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry. We always enjoy having him in camp and talk about a guy who loves to call in the birds! While taking a short break from recording their new album, Troy was able to take a couple nice Merriams while he was here. BTW, make sure you pick up a copy of their new album, "Back When I Knew It All". I promise, you'll love every song on it! http://www.montgomerygentry.com/

Next up was a turkey hunt with my dad! Although we didn't end up shooting anything, I don't think there was a minute that we weren't laughing at something. One of the best afternoons in the woods...hands down!

We wrapped up the season with, well, let's just say A bang! Tim Sylvia, now fighting for the Affliction brand, and Tony Follis of TST Outdoors made the trip from Iowa. As a surprise, we had Randy Couture waiting for them back at the cabin. Now I can't tell you how this story ends, but it's definitely a hunt you won't want to miss! I can say, however, Rick & I certainly enjoyed sharing camp with all the guys!

Thanks again to Troy, Dad, Randy, Tim, Tony and Big George!

March Madness!

2008-03-20T11:01:00.008-06:00

Hey everyone, spring has finally arrived and it's time to get after those sheds! As having played some college basketball in my day, MARCH MADNESS has always been a special time of year for me. I used to study the bracket like I was taking my last college exam and then never missed a game during the tournament! (Oh, and always lost a few bucks in the pools!)

Now, as the college years are long gone, it's funny how things change and what becomes priority. Today MARCH MADNESS still gets me fired up, but in a whole different way! No more ladder drills, instead it's up and down hills and bustin' through brush to find those sheds! I'm completely addicted to shed hunting and it's in my blood just as sports were 15 years ago. When you pick up a giant antler it's even better than hitting the game winning 3-pointer!

Julie and I spent some time in the high country looking for antlers and here's just a few pics from a weekend trip!