BlackOvis MTN Journal

As the long, cold days of winter come to an end, the need to scratch the “Cabin Fever Itch” is stronger than ever. My favorite outdoor activity during from February to June is looking for antlers that deer and elk have shed.  As a shed hunter, I catch myself as my efforts are mostly focused on where I am going to hike, which hillsides the animals wintered on, and dreaming of how many sheds I am going to find. And rightly so! These factors are crucial in increasing the success of a shed hunt.  Continue reading →

Why I hunt for my own meat Growing up in a deer hunting family was a blessing. For many years it was always in my eyes about killing the biggest buck in the woods. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy pursuing and chasing mature bucks, but today there is so much more beyond that. Let me give you a few examples. Deer hunting to me is more than going out one weekend a year and shooting a deer. In my eyes there is something you can be doing 365 days a year to be preparing yourself for a better opportunity of being successful. Spring time is a great time to shed hunt, scout new and old areas, and to learn how deer move and use a specific piece of land. There is so much you can learn from simple observations and just being in the woods. Continue reading →

I love being a hunter these days because there are so many great advancements in technology that make life in the backcountry more efficient and more comfortable.  Packs are no different.  It seems like right when I get settled into a pack that works great, someone comes up with a cool new concept to make them function better. When it comes to fitting a pack, I think it’s important to first determine your intended use of the pack.  Are you the type of hunter that carries camp around on your back for 5-7 days? Or do you usually hunt from a truck or spike camp where a lot less gear to haul on your back is required?  Fortunately, there is more than a few packs out there that are dual purpose packs.  Meaning they can be used as a day pack as well as an extended backcountry hunt. Continue reading →

Who is Alaska Guide Creations? Recently, there was a viral video of a Utah man being escorted out of a canyon by a mama-mountain lion. While watching the video I could not help but think, “where is this guy’s gun?”. Whether that would have been the right decision or not is up for debate, but regardless of views, my .38 Special would have been at my side. Or my front. Or my back. How? The Alaska Guide Creations Holster.  Continue reading →

One of my favorite things to do each fall is chase bugling bulls with my bow.  From the moment the last light fades on my last hunt, I start tinkering with my bow and arrow setup to see how it can be improved.  Over the years I have done a lot of research on what I think makes the best Elk hunting arrow. I have also looked at a lot of “Game Film” in the offseason from the hunts of others’ trying to determine what set-ups seem to work best.  Continue reading →

The first word that comes to my mind when I hear the word “wool” is a memory from my first rifle deer hunt. Slipping my dad’s big, itchy, bright red sweater that had “RUGER” stitched in black across the front. Sure, it was warm, and I knew I wasn’t going to get shot, but man, I couldn’t wait to take that thing off. When I first considered buying Merino wool, I had flashbacks to that particular sweater. Little did I know at the time, Merino wool was the fabric that would soon take up the majority of space in my hunting closet.  Continue reading →

What comes to mind when you think layers? Maybe, onions? Maybe, perhaps a 7-layer dip on game day (mmm………7-layer dip)? Or maybe layers of clothing? For the sake of this article, I am going to discuss clothing layers. More specifically, the XKG layer system from King’s Camo. My intention for this article is to dive into the system I have put together and discuss what XKG is, why I chose what I have, and the conditions I have experienced with it.  Continue reading →

Out of all of the places that I hiked in 2020, the weather, terrain, and distances hiked varied EXTREMELY. In January, I started in the desert in Arizona. I then shed hunted a handful of locations in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada. During the summer months, I looked for velvet mule deer at the top of mountain peaks, and hiked all over those same peaks in September and October. I wrapped up the late season in November and December chasing elk and mule deer with a bow in Northern Utah.  My takeaway from hiking in all of these locations was this: Dress accordingly, boots included.  Continue reading →

If you’re hiking outdoors for hours or even days on end, every ounce and every inch of your pack matters. So when Vanguard created the VEO 2, they wanted to fix one critical flaw: tons of wasted space. That goal alone made this tripod a breeze to carry anywhere with you in the field. Compared to other tripods, the Vanguard VEO 2  is one of the most compact out there. There’s no wasted space in its design. Every square inch of this tripod serves a purpose, but outside of space, what else does this beauty have to offer? Continue reading →

About Me My interest in hunting began at the young age of seven years old when I would tag along my father during the Iowa whitetail gun season. It wasn’t long after that and I was eventually able to carry a gun. I remember counting down the days and laying out all of my gear weeks in advance. Once I got into high school I had decided to give bowhunting a try. I was mostly interested in it because I knew it would give me more than just one weekend a year of whitetail hunting.  Continue reading →

I’ve owned and been using the updated Crispi Briksdal SF boots since they came out in May 2020.  I’ve used them on all my adventures so far this year: summer scouting, sheep hunting in Alaska, elk and mule deer hunting, and hiking through 10” of snow to pick up some moose sheds I’d found while hunting before the canyon closed for the winter.  I’ve been able to use them in a wide variety of terrain and temperatures, and they’ve yet to let me down.  I’ve been very impressed with them, and for me they are the ideal boot. Continue reading →

There is no reason to just “survive” in the backcountry. You can still eat good and not add a ton of weight to your pack or your load. In this article, I will show you two styles of backcountry cooking and the basics for each. Whether you have backpacked in and are living off your back, or you have a small basecamp out in the woods. If you follow these basic rules, you will never go hungry.  Continue reading →

Hunting in the late season when temperatures drop and weather is inconsistent can significantly hinder your hunting style and opportunities. I will never forget a hunt, when I was 16 years old.  My friend and I were chasing late season mule deer in Utah. When we started hiking in the morning it was 30 degrees and no snow, by the end of the day it was in the teens and over 2 feet of snow. My memory from that experience was how freezing cold and wet I was.  Continue reading →

With multiple backpacking hunts lined up for 2021, my main goal for the upcoming season has been to reduce as much excess weight as possible. There are multiple pieces of gear, such as my sleeping system as well as cooking system, that made the “Reduce Weight” list. However, looking at the list, I noticed that my heaviest, as well as most utilized items, were in my optics/glassing system. Continue reading →

Hilleberg has been a top name in the tent making industry for over 45 years.  Their mission is to produce the highest quality lightweight tents available.  Hilleberg was founded in Sweden and has expanded to the US.   I first heard about Hilleberg tents years ago, but didn’t purchase one of my own until last year. In all the trip reports and gear reviews that I’ve read about them, if I had to choose one word that is commonly used to describe them, it would be ‘bombproof’.  They are on the expensive side, but it’s with good reason, and you get what you pay for with a Hilleberg tent. Continue reading →

What’s in a boot?...... A foot! Now that the lame joke is out of the way, I can address the topic at hand. What does it mean to select the right boot for you? What kind of features do you look for? What brands are out there? Why does any of this matter, it is just a boot…...right? My intention for this article is to share my experience from lessons learned to help shed some light on selecting a boot that is right for you.  Continue reading →