It's been a long time again. So long I forgot what episode I was on. I said 15 in the podcast, but it is 16. This one kind of rambles a bit because I just had to get one done so I sat down without notes or a plan and hit record. There's been a lot going on around here with the biggest thing being that I had a "cardiac event". That story is intertwined with the recap of a rifle coues deer hunt I guided in November and a brief bit about my archery javelina hunting ...
I finally got back on the board with a nice velvet coues deer! In this episode I explain a little about my history chasing velvet coues deer with a bow to explain why this was such an important success for me. This hunt took place very close, sometimes too close, to the southern border with the Border Hunter himself, my buddy Lance. I'm very grateful to him for sharing this spot. I recap the hunt, including the vicious doe mosh pit, and go in detail about how I ...
Once again I've been too long in getting an episode out. It's time to catch up and talk about Arizona archery deer season. In this episode I talk about my daughter's bison hunt, other cool stuff I've been up to and go in depth about my approach to the early season archery deer hunt in Arizona. I give some of my stories and tips about hunting tree stands and blinds, mostly geared towards coues deer in Arizona, but applicable no matter where you are. I even throw in a ...
It's been quite a while since my last episode, but I'm back! Since Christmas Janice and I have been pretending to be retired, not just from our regular jobs, but also our pack llama business. No social media, podcasts, or YouTube videos. Just fun enjoying the Arizona backcountry. In this episode I first catch up on some of the adventures we've had and tell a couple of hunting stories. After that I go into an analysis of the data from the first year of the Arizona ...
Josh has a wealth of knowledge, and more importantly, experience with backcountry search and rescue, whitewater and technical rescue, wilderness first aid, exercise physiology, and lots of other interesting and useful stuff. He's a family man and very accomplished hunter, college professor, SAR and SWAT team member, and all around good guy. He's one of the very few people I will hunt with anytime anywhere. Even when things are rough he has a positive attitude. He's als...
For this episode I took my recorder into the field to document my 2022 rifle coues deer hunt. I packed into the Arizona desert wilderness solo, but with a couple of my llamas carrying all my food and gear. It was a great time to be hunting in the desert. I go over some of the gear used as well as tactics I typically use for this type of hunt and recap the hunt as I go. For the first time I ran into some other guys hunting in the area and one of them, Alex, shot a real...
They say the first step is admitting that you have a problem. In this episode I do just that, and talk about my debilitating addiction to archery hunting for trophy coues deer. This quest has caused 30 years years of frustration and unfilled tags not to mention the paranoia that came with finding and pursuing a true world record class buck. Yes, I spent six of those years attempting to match wits with and obsessing over a giant buck I called Big Fork. After he di...
Archery elk season is right on top of us! In this episode I cover five big picture strategies that I think are the most important, overlooked, or misunderstood aspects of archery elk hunting during the rut, especially if you are solo hunting. This isn't meant to be a comprehensive treatment of elk calling, tactics, and gear. There are already many sources for that kind of information. I could write a book about all the lessons I've learned from chasing big bulls...
As I said in my first episode, I hunt all kinds of things. In this episode I give a brief introduction to meteorites and meteorite hunting and describe a couple of trips I took in June. It's been a while since my last episode because I've been out of town and busy with some of the stuff in this episode. If you ever wondered about how people can find meteorites listen up!
For this episode I had originally planned to get into the details and pros and cons of changes coming to Arizona OTC archery deer seasons. At the last minute, I decided to more generally address why they are happening. Spoiler alert: It's due to the increasing mainstream popularity of hunting, monetizing hunting, and rapid technological innovation. These things are putting increasing pressure on our western game species and forcing the wildlife managers to react. ...
In this episode I talk about the pros and cons of backcountry travel and hunting with pack llamas. (Spoiler alert: It's almost all pros.) Pack llamas have become very popular for backcountry travelers and hunters in the last few years, but we've been using them for almost 30 years. In this episode I share some of our experience and basic info about why they are the ultimate pack animal and why they are a game changer for backcountry hunting. We have been packing with llamas ...
These days it seems like hunting has become all about the gear and the "Industry" Gotta have all the cool stuff. The problem is then you have to carry all that stuff and it can slow you down. Turns out carrying less stuff can make you a more effective hunter. In this episode I break down what I carry in my pack for a day of hunting. I wouldn't say it's a minimalist approach, but more about keeping it simple and light enough that I can hunt and hike all day, day after d...
In this episode I talk about why I usually hunt solo and why I think it is the way to go, and sometimes not. I cover some of the pros and cons of hunting solo and some tips on what it takes. I offer my opinion on why more people are becoming interested in solo hunting and why some won't do it. It is just something I've always done and until recently didn't realize that being "solo hunter" was a "thing". I'll probably ruffle a few feathers, but as the meme says,...
Trophy hunting, is it good or bad? What constitutes a trophy? In this episode I give some of my opinions and insight on trophy hunting, scores, record books. Why I think trophy hunting is a good thing, and how it can become a bad thing. My personal philosophy and reasons for trophy hunting, or not. At the end I introduce some new goals for becoming a well rounded hunter, whether you hunt with a modern bow, traditional bow, muzzleloader, or rifle these goal can...
It is that time of year again when the Arizona elk and antelope draw results are coming out and people are getting excited. Every year at this time the internet/socials are flooded with posts saying, "I can't believe a drew this tag. I've never hunted unit x before. I'm not asking for your honey holes but..." Don't be that guy and really don't be the guy who posts hunting spots on social media! In this episode I'll tell you some of my tried and true methods for ...
This is the introductory episode of the Close Range Hunter Podcast. In this episode I talk about why I started the podcast, tell a couple of hunting stories, talk about traditional bowhunting, javelina hunting, hunting in Arizona, and where I plan to take the podcast in the future. It was recorded at the spur of the moment sitting in the front seat of my truck in Arizona after a successful javelina hunt. It may not be perfect, but I have to start somewhere. The episode...