Rutting Nelsoni Arizona Sheep Video

Video of Terry Lancaster's Unit 15D Desert Sheep Hunt with Colburn and Scott Outfitters

Here is the video of Terry's Unit 15D Desert Sheep hunt with Colburn and Scott Outfitters

Terry Lancaster's Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Hunt with Colburn and Scott Outfitters 2

Terry's ram has a 37 inch horn on the left and a broomed horn on the right of 33 4/8 inches.  The AZGFD checkout score was 165 4/8 NET.  Terry's ram was aged at 7 1/2 years old.  This ram was a traveler for sure!  We spotted him in many different parts of the unit.  He seemed to wander even more than most rams while looking for hot ewes.  We had a pleasure hunting with Terry because he had a go for it attitude and was ready for an adventure from the start.  Terry has already completed his Grand Slam and now just needs three more for a double slam!  We were joined by good friends Jacob and Russ Jacoby on this hunt and their friend Ross Reinoso.  Russ had his new camera and took a lot of these great photos after the ram was down!  Thanks Russ.  The KUIU Gear once again performed like a champ and we will be giving some highlights in future posts.  We will be working on the video of the hunt in the next couple of days.

Terry Lancaster's Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Hunt with Colburn and Scott Outfitters 1

Darr and I just got back from Desert Bighorn Sheep hunting in Arizona's Unit 15D with Terry Lancaster from Wisconsin.  Terry harvested a sweet ram that we had seen while scouting for the 2013 AZ Raffle sheep hunt.  We saw the ram several times and have lots of photos and videos of him.  We had lots of rain during the hunt and was a great time to do some serious gear testing.  We would like to thank Fred and Mary Ashurst, The Russ Jacoby family, Terry Lancaster and the Good Lord above for a phenomenal hunt with great friends!  We have many photos to go through and will be following up this post with many more of this awesome hunt.

Gear Review: KUIU's Super Down Jacket and Pants

This really can't be called a gear review as much as a "Gear Praise."  After stuffing the hooded Super Down jacket in and out of packs since April and just about living in the  Super Down pants while spending time in camp this fall I can't think of a single bad thing to say about this set up.  It's certainly not the most durable outer fabric out there (I patched my pants twice in the butt) but it's not supposed to be.  It's supposed to be light, water resistant, and most importantly, warm.  Even if I have to baby these two pieces a bit, it is well worth the never ending cozy feeling I get when, as darkness settles in and the first shiver crosses my mind, I'm slipping in to my Super Down.  It's akin to putting on a warm hoody just plucked from a hot dryer.

   I first wore the jacket on a POW island black bear hunt.  It performed as expected under my shell; a great insulating mid layer.  But I decided to see what this waterproof down was all about.  So on a drizzly 30 minute run out to some fishing grounds, I left the Super Down jacket uncovered.  Almost amazing: the DWR kept the water droplets rolling off the entire run, but eventually from messing around in the boat and rubbing against wet stuff, the fabric on my forearms soaked through and the jacket looked a bit sad.  So no, you can't wear it alone in a driving rain storm and stay dry.  But what happened next shows how this gear and the ingredients in it really shine.  I put my rain shell back on, rode out the storm and when the sun poked out, took off my rain shell to discover that my forearms were darn near dry and puffy again.  The Quix down and the outer fabric had nearly dried just from the heat inside my own rain shell.  With the sun now beaming, it was just ten minutes and my DOWN jacket was completely dry and puffy again.  I was sold.

The jacket being so light and so small when compressed, it should never be left behind on any outing.  It sure came in handy on my turkey hunt in Nebraska this past spring as we chased gobblers through 6 inches of fresh snow.  As a last minute thought I stuffed my Super Down jacket into the cargo pocket of my Guide pants.  At sun up, the temperature was 6 deg.  Not ideal for hunting toms, but hunting none the less.  Adding the Super Down between two layers of wool and my Guide jacket kept me in the game, and I followed a trail of three-toed tracks right to a nice two year old gobbler.   

The real testing of the whole Super Down jacket/pant combo came when I traveled to interior British Columbia for work with the MeatEater crew.  Over a span of 14 days, wet conditions were guaranteed.  We spent a total of 9 days in the alpine, two on the river and the rest at the main camp.  Of 9 alpine days, two were complete tent days due to weather, two others should have been, but the will to hunt forced us out into the crap.  We did enjoy a couple magnificent blue bird days and the rest were tweeners. 

Overall, it was wet and my Super Down kit was dry.  Enough said.  Daily, both my jacket and pants were donned first thing, right out of the sleeping bag.  Taken off for the mornings ascent, back on again for any glassing session over an hour (usually on some windy, rocky ledge).  Off for more hiking and back on for the evening ritual of Jetboil stoves and Mountain House.  Oh, and they make a great pillow stuffed inside one of KUIU's wool base layers.  The ease with which the pants are put on and removed (without removing your boots) is one of their greatest features, making for quick transitions from stationary hunting/glassing to mobile hunting/hiking.

Once cloaked in the hood of the Super Down jacket, one can glass comfortably in all kinds of wind and cold.

Couple the Super Down jacket and pants with KUIU's Chugach rain gear and merino base layers, and you've got the finest, lightest backcountry hunting gear in the world.  I've at least tested it across a little bit of North America.

Daniel Franco's AZ Strip Buck with MDA Outfitters

I was able to spend four days on the Arizona Strip in Unit 13B with my friend Daniel Franco, from Heber, AZ, who owns and operates Burnt Timber Outfitters.  Daniel drew the Holy Grail of deer tags and made the most of it!  Daniel hunted with Brec Bundy of MDA Outfitters.  What an awesome camp and  great group of guys!  Keep checking their sites for more pics and the story of Daniel's awesome AZ Strip Buck.  Congrats to Daniel and Brec for their success.

Long Range Shooting

By Darr Colburn

Parker and I joined our good friend Dan Bright for some shooting this weekend.  Parker and I needed to try out a couple new loads for the Weatherby 30-378, 257 Weatherby and 240 Weatherby.  Dan needed to make sure his Weatherby 257 was ready for his Mexico coues deer hunt.  We got an early start hoping to get some shooting in before the wind picked up.  We all took a few shots at 100 and 300 yards to make sure the rifles were still sighted in.  Dan has a steel gong that we put out at 700 yards.  It is really a lot of fun shooting at the gong and listening for the "ding".  Long range shooting is great practice and makes 300-500 yard shots seem close.  I look forward to doing more shooting this spring after hunting season is over.

257 Weatherby on the left and 30-378 Weatherby on the right

 

More Photos of Claude Warren's AZ Super Raffle Desert Sheep Hunt

Here are some more photos of Claude Warren's awesome Desert Bighorn sheep hunt.  The "Flathead Ram" is truly a very special sheep.  Once the 60 day drying period is up, he could likely tie for the 2nd largest Nelsoni ram ever harvested in Arizona.***Update the official boone and crockett score is in and the ram scores a whopping 185 3/8 gross and 181 1/8 Net which makes him the largest Nelsoni ram ever harvested in the state of Arizona.

 

I have been wearing the Zamberlan KUIU Pamir boots lately.  They are a very stiff technical boot but every time I wear them I like them better and better.  I am still in the breaking in process but these boots are quickly growing on me.  The guys at KUIU and Zamberlan have really come up with a great design for maximum performance and foot support.