Levi Ulmer's Giant Bull

My friend, Levi Ulmer harvested this awesome bull a few weeks ago.  The bull green scored 378 and is an absolute monster.  Levi's nickname is "The Tackdriver".  He was assisted by his cousin Zack on the hunt.  Levi is the youngest son of Tammy and Randy Ulmer.  Levi already has an impressive collection of animals and is a great kid.  I have had the pleasure of hunting with Levi and his brother Jake and they are fun to be around.  Levi has also been known to whip me in a spelling contest at the age of 10.  Not bad when his competition is a college graduate!

A Tribute to a Legend

MARVIN ROBBINS A TURKEY HUNTING LEGEND

Marvin Robbins recently left this life to join his heavenly Father. Marvin was a blessing to all who crossed his path, he was a Godly man, a family man and great role model to tons of people both young and old. He was a hunter and had a special love for Turkey Hunting. He taught many turkey hunting seminars and made a point to help and teach as many kids as he could. There will never be greater ambassador for the sport of hunting! I was proud to call him my friend! His website is http://www.timberlinecalls.com/.  I will post the information on the memorial services:

Viewing:

Wed. - 10/28

5:00 - 8:00pm

Hansons Mortuary

8314 N. 7th street

Phoenix

Service:

Thursday -10/29

2:00pm

Bethany Bible Church

6060 N. 7th Ave

Phoenix

These photos are of Marvin and his dear friend Joe Slaton from CA last spring turkey season.

I found some footage of Marvin that I thought his friends would enjoy.  Marvin was one of those guys that you meet that are one in a million.  He had a humbleness about him that made him approachable by all.  He will be missed by many but we will be reunited with him someday soon!

Mont Bell U.L. Thermawrap Jacket

Mont Bell U.L. Thermawrap Jacket

I used the U.L. Thermawrap Jacket by Mont Bell on our most recent Coues deer hunt. I found the jacket to be extremely comfortable to wear and it is extremely lightweight. The specs on the Mont Bell website say 8.8 oz for a medium but I was wearing a size large. The color of the jacket I have is gun metal. The temperatures were in the low 50’s in the mornings and I would put the jacket on once I got to my desired glassing point. The jacket did seem to really block the wind and keep me warm. I will get some more use of this jacket and pants next week on my Colorado Mule Deer hunt so I will keep you informed. My initial impression was amazing comfort and warmth for such a lightweight piece. It also comes with a handy little stuff sack that is roughly 10X4 inches (see photo).  This jacket retails for $145.00.
Features of the jacket:

• 15-denier Ballistic Airlight calendered nylon shell and lining
• Exceloft synthetic insulation, 50g/m2
• Hand Warmer Pockets
• 
  
  Micro-fleece lined collar
  
  
  
• Hand warmer pockets
• Weight (size med):8.8 oz

 Link to U.L.Thermawrap jacket page 

About Ballistic airlight

Darr Colburn's Coues Deer Hunt

Darr's 2009 AZ Coues

Here are the photos from the AZ coues hunt this weekend in Southern Arizona.  Darr shot a nice 4x3 and Jimmy, my cousin, had a great time even though he didn't harvest a buck.    Darr's buck scores 101 inches and has a real nice frame.  He is 15 inches wide and has decent point length.  I was able to capture the hunt on video (coming soon).  Darr and I had watched this buck for several seasons and Darr decided to let the buck grow last year when he had a tag but as it turned out the buck actually did not grow at all and seemed to be a great buck to harvest.  He shot the deer using his .257 Weatherby Rifle with a Swarovski 4X16 TDS scope and a 115 grain ballistic tip bullet.  The gear used on this hunt was critical to our success.  I will specifically cover the gear in another post but some of the items we used on the hunt were Wilderness Athlete (energy gels, bars, focus and energy drink, hydrate and recover drink), Kowa 32X82 Binoculars, Outdoorsmans Pack System, Cabelas Hunt tech series shirts, Carhartt Double knee pants, Mont Bell Thermawrap jacket, Sitka gear vest, Swarovski Optics, and Havalon Piranta knives.

Jim always has a smile on his face!

2009 Elk Scouting

This clip is brought to you by Darr Colburn

Outdoorsmans Pack System

For more info on the pack system check out the Outdoorsmans website.

AZ Coues Deer Scouting

Post By Darr Colburn
I am really excited for Coues deer season to start. Jim Vincent & I have tags for the October hunt. This will be my first Coues deer hunt with the Oudoorsmans pack. I think the pack will be perfect for all the optics and gear needed for my hunt. I did a lot of scouting in July and August. The country looks extremely dry this year. Hopefully Jim and I with Jay’s help will be able to find a couple of shooters. I would highly recommend that all deer hunters have a lion tag in their pockets during the deer hunt. I can’t tell you how many lions we have glassed up while looking for Coues deer. I will keep you posted on how the hunt goes. Enjoy the scouting video.

Elk Hunting Gear

Early Season Elk Hunting Gear by Darr Colburn

Darr with hunter Tim Allen, and a 401" AZ Archery Elk

 

Elk Gear by Darr ColburnThe early elk season is over here in AZ and the deer hunts will start soon. My early season elk gear changes every year but I have a few items that I go back to year after year. Being a gear head I am always glad to try the latest and greatest. Some items prove themselves while others end up back on the shelf in the hunting closet. I will try and highlight a few of the items I use and rely on year after year.
Clothing
The archery and early rifle elk hunts in the Arizona are usually in August and September. Temperatures can be close to 100 degrees. The last several seasons I have been wearing the Cabela’s Hunt Tech series long sleeve shirts in Realtree Max-1. This year I tried a few of the Henly’s because they have a vented arm pit to aid in moisture/scent management. The Cabela’s Hunt Tech material is soft on the skin, light weight, cool, quick drying and durable. I have several shirts that have been used heavily over the past three seasons and they still look good. I can’t say enough about this line when the temperatures are hot. I also tried the Cabela’s Hunt Tech Pants this year and liked them. I used these pants when I sat water holes in the evenings because they are so light weight and comfortable. In the mornings I usually wear a vest over my Hunt Tech shirt. I have used a Realtree Max-1 vest by Rivers West. The vest is light but gives you a little insulation until the sun comes up. I also tried a Storm Kloth II jacket this year in Realtree Max-1. This jacket was comfortable, warm and durable when the temperatures got down in the 30’s. If the temperatures drop to around freezing I will usually bring out the Sitka Gear. The Sitka line is comfortable, well designed, durable and warm. I use the Celsius Vest and the Ascent Pants. The Sitka line is well designed with pockets in all the right places. I found the material to be very quiet, perfect for bow hunting. I like the fleece lining that adds a little insulation when the temperatures dip down.
Boots
The boots I wore this year are made by Danner. I primarily wore the uninsulated Danner Pronghorns. These are a great all around boot. They are waterproof, comfortable and rugged. I also wore the Danner Jackal boots. These boots have a super soft, quiet sole and are great for stalking. I like the Danner Jackals when the terrain is not rocky. The Jackals are super comfortable and some of the lightest on the market.

Packs
I have three packs that I use on a regular basis on my elk hunts. The first two are made by Badlands and they are the Monster Fanny and the Super Day packs. The Monster Fanny is awesome for the majority of the early season elk hunts. It has plenty of room for all the essentials and then some. The Monster Fanny is compatible with a hydration system and has shoulder straps for added support. This pack is great for covering lots of county or hiking into your favorite water hole. I will take the super day pack if I plan on staying out all day or need to pack the tripod and the 15X power binos. The Badlands Super Day is also hydration compatible and has plenty of pockets. The Outdoorsmans pack is another pack I keep in the truck. I will take the Outdoorsman’s pack if I am going to glass with the Kowa Big Eye binoculars. The Outdoorsman’s pack is also great for packing out you meat. I will cover the other “Elk Gear” I use in the next couple of weeks while this seasons past elk hunts are fresh on my mind.

Darr Colburn pictured here with the Outdoorsmans Pack with a 401" elk rack!

Jani's Backcountry Gear

Here is a very informative gear review of my friend Janis backcountry elk hunt!

Jani's Backcountry Elk Hunt

Check out my friend Janis Putelis on his elk hunt in the backcountry of Colorado!

Jani's Backcountry Bowhunt

Join my friend Janis Putelis as he hunts the Colorado backcountry for elk

Backcountry Food

Check out my friend Janis Putelis and his backcountry journal about food in the backcountry!

Things are heating up!

Check out Pastor Paul's new segment Divine Moments on MidwestWhitetail.com., also check out the deer action that the prostaffers are encountering. Looks like things are starting to heat up!

Kirk Colburn's Mexico Coues Video

This footage was taken a couple of years back by Darr Colburn. Darr was hunting with his brother Kirk on a ranch we had leased and Kirk shot this coues buck. Its about time for Coues deer season!

Big Colorado Bull

Darr and I were just sent these photos from our friend Steve Whinnery in Colorado. One of Steve's hunters shot this bull on Saturady morning of the rifle hunt. It has 60 inches of mass, 51 inch beams and is 49.5 inches wide. Steve's hunters went 7 for 7 in the first two days with 6 out of 7 being six point bulls. The field photos should be coming soon. Holding the rack is Steve's youngest son Payson Whinnery. Assisting his dad on the hunt was Corey Whinnery. Both Payson and Corey are great hands in the field and lots of fun to be with. If you are interested in a great Colorado elk hunt shoot me us an email or give us a call.

Elk Hunting Gear Part 2

Early Season Elk Hunting Gear by Jay Scott--I would like to cover the pants that I wear during the archery and early elk season here in Arizona. There are three types of pants that I like to wear while hunting elk during the rut. I like the Cabelas Silent Weave Realtree Series Pants. These pants are 7.5 oz blended polyester/cotton construction which are very durable but also very quiet while stalking in on that big bull. The pants are a classic six pocket design. Now these pants are great for hunting in dry conditions. These are the pants that I wear about 80% of my days chasing bulls in Arizona. I have several pairs of these pants in the Realtree Max 1 camo pattern. I was wearing these pants in all four elk harvest this year. These pants are fairly inexpensive and range from about $30-35 dollars. The second pair of pants is the Ascent pants from Sitka gear. This year was my first year wearing them and I have to say I am impressed. On days that it was wet or rain was forcasted I wore the Ascent pants. They seemed to dry very quickly and seemed to do some moisture wicking when I got sweaty. These ascent pants are a polyester/lycra blend. They come with suspenders which I wasn't sure about not but they really grew on me and I actually like them alot. These pants retail for about $150. The pair I have is in the Mountain mimicry pattern.

Pictured Daniel Franco (L) and myself (R), I am wearing my Cabelas Silent Weave Pants, Cabelas Hunt Tech series shirt and Western Hunter hat.

Pictured is Steve Whinnery(L) and myself (R), Steve likes the Sitka gear also.

The other pair of pants that I wear elk hunting are made by Carhartt. I like the model with double front and double knees. I wear these while do a lot of brush busting up to glassing knobs or driving around in the Rhino checking water holes and checking tracks. I almost always wera these pants while we are packing elk out or caping/skinning. I have these pants in several colors but prefer the sandstone color. I prefer to get them a little long so that burrs do not get in my socks. You can sit on rocks and glass and not worry about wearing out the butt of your pants. These pants are also a must for Coues deer hunters. These pants go for around $50 dollars.
Make sure to check back and I will cover more elk hunting gear in Part 3. Please email me if you have any questions or comments.

Elk Hunting Gear-Part 1

This picture shows my normal outfit on an Arizona elk hunt.

Early Season Elk Hunting Gear by Jay Scott--I want to cover the gear I used on the elk hunts this year. I choose my gear very carefully and expect a lot out of myself as well as my gear/equipment. I will start with my head and move all the way to my feet. All of these items that I wear or use have been chosen by careful examination. I am always open to trying something new so if you think I am missing something I want to hear about it. Please send me an email.

I always wear a hat of some kind when in the field. I took after my mother’s side of the family which means I am hair folically challenged. A hat is a necessity to keep my bald head from getting sunburned. I wear several kinds of hats. One is a bucket style hat from Columbia; the other is a standard baseball style cap, and its either a Western Hunter Magazine hat or a Realtree Max 1 hat. I always carry chap stick with sunscreen. My lips face some serious challenges in the Arizona sun and it is no fun to have cracked lips while trying to call elk with a diaphram or bite and blow style call.

Most of the elk hunting I do is in Arizona where the temps range from 35 to 80 degrees. I try to always wear Cabelas Hunt tech series long sleeve shirt. It is made out of 100% polyester and seems to dry very quickly. The number one factor for choosing this shirt is the moisture-wicking feature. The shirt is super-soft and made out 100% polyester the fabric draws perspiration moisture away from the skin and transports it to the outside of the shirt for fast evaporation quick cooling. I love the feel of these shirts on my skin. I prefer a long sleeve shirt to keep the sun off of my arms and allow the camo pattern to give me more concealement. The other quality is superior breathability the highly breathable weave of Hunt Techs polyester fabric enables perspiration vapor to escape and lets cooling breezes penetrate for extraordinary comfort when the weather and the action start to heat up. My hunting partner, Darr Colburn, turned me on to these shirts a few years ago and I have never looked back. They retail at Cabelas for $29-$35 dollars depending on size. I have about eight of these shirts and they are all in Realtree Max 1 camo pattern which is my favorite pattern if I had to choose one for hunting out west.

On colder days, I usually will wear a vest of some sort for the first hour in the morning. This year I tried the Celsius vest from Sitka gear and really liked it. It seemed to be very warm for its size. It has a polyester outside with a high loft inside. It has three pockets including a laminated chest pocket. The one I have was in the Mimicry pattern. I was wearing it on the day Steve Whinnery harvested his bull (see video). This product retails for about $150.

If it is an exceptionally cold morning, which it was when my friend Daniel Franco killed his bull (see video), I will wear a Cabelas Legacy Fleece. This garment would usually be worn for the first hour then removed after high activity of chasing bulls. Here is what the Cabelas catalog says about the product, Stay warm, comfortable and silent with our Legacy Fleece Quarter-Zip Pullover with WindShear. The heavyweight double-sided fleece shell withstands the abuse of the roughest terrains, yet never makes a sound. And since it compresses tightly, it can be efficiently layered under heavier garments in cold conditions without worry of excess bulk. The pullover has two zippered slash pockets and a drawstring hem with cord lock adjustments. It also has elastic cuffs and a license loop. WindShear is a special laminate-backed high-performance fabric that blocks wind, yet breathes to let perspiration vapor escape, keeping you dry and comfortable. When used as a lining, WindShear increases the insulation value without significantly adding to the weight or affecting the fit of the garment. These pullovers also are impregnated with a Scent Eliminator treatment that kills the bacteria that causes odor, helping to keep garments totally scent-free. This unique formulation works without frequent washing or reactivation, and lasts for the life of the garment . I have found that when the wind is blowing the windshear product works great. I really like the chest pocket that zips on this fleece as well as the hand pockets that zip as well. The fleece I have is in the Realtree AP pattern. This product retails for about $75.00

In part two, I will be covering my gear from the waist down. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions/comments about my gear. All of the products can viewed and purchased at the following stores/websites: Cabelas, Sitka gear, Columbia and The Outdoorsmans.

7x6 Grower Bull

Here is a grower bull that I videod this season. He needs a couple of years.

Mogollon Taxidermy

I just got my coues buck from last season back from Clay Goldman at Mogollon Taxidermy, he looks great up on the wall. Clay has done another fine job for me. My buck officially nets 130 5/8 as a Non Typical. If you haven't seen Clay's work, check it out it is the best in the business!

Dustin Kuhns 2009 AZ elk hunt

Here is some video taken by Kirk Colburn, who is Darr's brother. Kirk and his best friend Dustin had a great hunt a were able to harvest a beauty of a bull. Enjoy this footage!

MidwestWhitetail.com

Make sure you keep up with Bill Winke's show Midwest Whitetail. He has been doing a fantastic job with the show so far this year and I am expecting great things as the fall progresses. Make sure not to miss Pastor Paul's Divine Moments section also! Enjoy

Tim Allen's 401 Elk with Darr Colburn

Well if you remember my post in mid September about my hunting partner and friend, Darr Colburn's, success with hunter Tim Allen you are really going to enjoy these two videos. Tim harvests an absolute giant of a bull scoring 401 inches. It is in a two part series. Enjoy!
THIS VIDEO IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY COLBURN AND SCOTT OUTFITTERS

Elk Huntin' with Michael

Here is an encounter that Michael and I had!

The best show on TV

My two favorite shows on TV are the Duck Commander and the Deadliest Catch. BTW, I don't duck hunt or crab fish.....yet!Check out his teaser clip!
Check out this clip for the new Duck Commander DVD.
Also check this clip out!

More of Michaels Bull

Here is some more clips of Michael's big bull. There has also been some chatter around about this bull and Michael. Here are a couple of things to set the record straight: 1) Mike is a hard working blue collar guy, 2) the bull was shot at about 5:30 pm on the fifth day of the hunt and we were able to take some day photos and it got dark right away and we had no choice but to get night photos, 3) All of the meat was salvaged and is currently being devoured by the Park family, 4) Michael shot another bull a few days later in Oregon making it #43, 5) This bull went about 50 yards after being shot and died immediately, 6)Michael is a great elk hunter and an even better guy who just happened to be at the right place at the right time!, 7) I taped this bull a couple of times, I came up with 425-427 gross, depending on a few things its net non typical score should be around 405-408 Hope this clears any confusion up...Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy! Special thanks again to the following: The GOOD LORD ABOVE for creating elk for us to chase each fall, Cody Nelson, Cody Goff, Josh Flowers, Jeanne Scott, Darr Colburn, Western Hunter Magazine, Wilderness Athlete, Hoyt, Realtree Max 1, and Clay Goldman at Mogollon Taxidermy in Payson. For more click for video or pics.

Wilderness Athlete

I used the Wilderness Athlete bars and gels everyday on the elk hunt this year. The four flavors of bars are Mountain Berry Granola, Chocolate Almond crunch, Peanut butter Chocolate Swirl and Peanut Butter Crunch. I also used the energy gels everyday of the hunt. I can tell you that these bars taste great and are much better for you than the alternative bars. The gels come in two flavors Berry and Mocha. Both are excellent. I felt my performance and focus was stronger by adding them into my pack each morning. I would put two bars in my pack and two gels each morning one for me and one for Michael. We both commented on how good the stuff tasted and how it gave us the extra boost. Check it out you will not be disappointed!

Kansas Muzzleloader Bucks

Jeremy just sent me these photos of the bucks they killed in Kansas this year on their property during the muzzleloader season. I had a great whitetail hunt with them last season. Check out their site at Sagebrush Hunts