BlackOvis MTN Journal

A spotting scope can be one of the most valuable pieces of equipment in your pack.  Whoever coined the saying ‘let your eyes do the walking’ was a wise person.  A spotting scope can and will save you countless miles of hiking to evaluate animals, see what that flash of movement was under a tree across the draw, or count rings on a ram’s horns to determine their age.  The number of situations where a spotting scope is beneficial are too many to count, and if you hunt anywhere that requires spotting animals from a distance, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Continue reading →

Hunting opportunities in the Western United States is more difficult to obtain now than ever before. Starting fresh in the current big game hunting scene is downright daunting. The demand for tags far exceeds the supply and opportunities to hunt old stomping grounds may not come around as often as we would like. I, like many, have come to realize that if you want to hunt every year, you need to adapt by expanding the aperture to look at hunting different units and states. Those willing to adapt will find a way, and believe it or not, spectacular over-the-counter opportunities are still out there. Continue reading →

When I first got into archery, I only shot index finger style releases and like most new archers, I wasn’t properly executing my shot.  I basically lined up the pin on what I was aiming at and let er rip.  Since then, I have tried many different styles of release aids and have gotten much better at controlling my shot process.  At one point in my archery evolution, I picked up a Carter release called the “Like Mike”.  This is an index finger style release that has some adjustability for tension and travel.  Meaning you can make the trigger easier or harder to go off as well as you can adjust how much creep is in the trigger. Similar to the adjustment of a good rifle trigger.  This past year, Carter announced an upgraded version of the “Like Mike” and called it the “Like Mike II”.  This article will go over some of the enhancements to the new model Continue reading →

As a kid, it was the weekend I thought about for months. It was the couple days out of the year I got to spend doing what I love with the people I love. A week before that first weekend of December, I would lay out all of my clothing and gear. My parents definitely got annoyed that I crowded up the dining room table with hunting gear but I couldn’t help myself. From a 5-year-old that could barely see over the dash of a pickup to the man I am today, I will forever cherish those hunting memories and the ones that are to come.  Continue reading →

- Swarovski NL Pure 12x42 - As a hunter who spends several weeks per year pursuing big game from the vast expanses of the Alaska tundra to the cactus laden desert flats of New Mexico, I am always looking for more efficient ways to accomplish my goals. This year, I had an urge to reduce my optics footprint from a dual binocular 10x/15x system to a hybrid one binocular approach.  With this concept in mind, my thoughts and curiosity constantly wandered towards an optics system utilizing the newly released NL Pure 12x42 in tandem with the modular Swarovski ATX/BTX.   Continue reading →

As a whitetail deer hunter, when I hit the woods I like to be silent and organized. Fortunately, the Sitka Tool Bucket has been the perfect tool for the job my last 5 seasons of hunting. When I first began bowhunting everything I took to the stand with me got tossed in an old camouflage backpack that only had a couple pockets. All the jiggling and rattling that took place, it’s surprising there was even a deer left in the county when I reached my treestand. As my obsession and attention to detail has grown as a whitetail hunter, it was time to take things to the next level and the Tool Bucket did just that. I will take you through my pack setup and some of my favorite features about the Tool Bucket. Continue reading →

Most likely you’ve heard the term layering as it relates to hunting clothing and how this technique will give you the optimal benefit under a variety of hunting conditions.   Many of the top hunting clothing manufactures build entire clothing systems around this layering concept.  These systems include essentially three components.  1) base layer 2) insulation layer, and 3) outer layer. This article will focus on the first layer of the clothing system (or the layer that’s next to your skin). There has been much debate and research around the most effective material for this base layer application.  Below is a simple explanation of the most commonly used base layer materials and some of the pros and cons. Continue reading →

Every year I sit down to write the Holiday Gift Guide for BlackOvis with two goals in mind. One, help people who may not be hunters give the hunters in their life better gifts, and two, make sure no one has to force a smile while unwrapping a camouflage necktie or polo shirt with deer all over it. Giving a gift to a loved one with a hobby you don't understand can be a challenge. My video game-obsessed nephew got 500 AA batteries from his uncle who has never owned a Nintendo, or Sega Genesis. Electronics need batteries right? It's the thought that counts? Hopefully, this list will give you a few “thoughts” that will count a little more… Continue reading →

As a mountain hunter, I am constantly searching for gear that works and I am not opposed to buying different brands and designs to find out what works best for me.  This approach can get expensive, but it’s the only way I know to find solid gear that truly meets my requirements.   Continue reading →

Good, quality gear is supposed to make our outdoor pursuits more comfortable, easier, and more efficient.  Most hunting gear is designed with a specific use case in mind, so as we embark on different adventures and our needs vary slightly (or drastically) from one trip to the next, we’re going to accumulate lots of different types, brands, sizes, and weights of gear items.  One of the huge benefits of modern gear is that it does what it is designed to do very well, but it may only be good for accomplishing that one task or filling that specific niche.  Finding gear that can be useful in multiple scenarios for different situations and tasks can save you money, space, and weight in your pack. Continue reading →

When I first began hunting the river bottoms of Iowa with a shotgun at an early age, the whitetail rut is something I did not know about. As a clueless youth hunter, I simply only knew about deer drives and that was it. For those of you who don’t know what a deer drive is, it is when a group of hunters walk into a piece of land in hopes of pushing deer towards other group members that are strategically set up to shoot. Now, I am guilty along with many others that obsess over hunting the whitetail rut with a bow. Continue reading →

Earlier this year, Sitka introduced a new jacket and hoody called the Ambient Collection.  The thesis behind this new piece of gear is to use it as a mid-layer insulation piece, that breathes well, and manages moisture in active situations. This was interesting to me and got me thinking about the difference between active and static insulation. My hunting style lends itself more toward activity rather than sitting for long periods of time, so the focus of this article is to define those terms and give a full review of the Ambient Hoody that I have been testing this past summer and early fall. Continue reading →

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to this comparison. I’ve spent roughly seven years in the whitetail woods with a bow and can honestly say both types of sights are equally effective. The majority of whitetail shots happen between 20 and 30 yards. This is coming from my midwestern perspective, now if you hunt whitetails out west for example, that may be a completely different story. Here in Iowa most whitetail bowhunting is done from a treestand, ground blind, or elevated box blind. Whether you are setting up on a nearby trail or food source, you generally are banking on that easy chip shot. Continue reading →

With hunting season just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to make sure you have all the gear you need for a successful hunt.  One of the most important pieces of gear, in my opinion, is picking the right boot for your specific hunt. With years of experimentation on dozens of different brands and types of boots, I had settled on the Uninsulated Crispi Nevada as my go-to boot for hunting Elk here in the West. However, this year, Crispi introduced a new boot in their line-up which is basically an exclusive BlackOvis version of the Nevada with a few improvements, in my opinion.  It is called the Kenai GTX.  I’ve been testing this boot for a couple months now and wanted to share my initial impressions.   Continue reading →

Going on your first elk hunt is both exciting and intimidating. Being from the midwest, the only knowledge or intel I had about elk hunting came from various internet sources. Many different people online were saying “You just need to go out and fail”. Now that is definitely not what any first time hunter wants to hear. I wanted to be successful of course, I mean who wouldn’t? In this article I will dive into a few different subjects that have stuck out to me the most and have been the biggest learning lesson. Keep in mind, I am from Iowa and have hunted Colorado OTC Archery two times. Continue reading →

With Elk season right around the corner, I wanted to share a few tips that have helped the Skousen Bros be more successful elk hunters.  These nuggets of wisdom have been learned and relearned over years of spending a lot of time in the elk woods.  Hopefully you can relate or at least consider some of these tactics for your upcoming season. Continue reading →