bubbaskyjacker
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Bad, the max duty looks a little to pointy. Although it would be my edc
Help me decide....
- Thread starter MadMarkie
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The knife decision is tough, I totally understand. I've posted several "which knife for this year's hunt" threads here before too, lol...
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/the-annual-question-knives-for-hunting-season-with-poll.1606328 (lol, you commented at the end of this one)
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/decisions-decisions-what-knives-for-elk-camp-this-year.1318403
I will probably pick up at least one of the Kuiu zippered game bags, I like the looks of them and they're not too terribly expensive. I never picked up the Caribou version and regretted it.
Good call on the extra cell battery, I do that too. I also have a flexible, lightweight solar panel that charges via USB, which works pretty great to keep things topped off. Charge the phone and whatever else at night with the extra battery, then charge it up in the sun the following day. Rinse, repeat. (Used to have a Goal Zero Nomad 7, but it was too heavy (a pound), so have one now from Amazon that is only about 7 ounces and is flexible, so it won't break.)
View attachment 1214498Funny, that was my first thought—a modded K2 lives in my pack as well. Hard to imagine a folder better-suited to the situation.
View attachment 1214509
Lol!
A lot of knife in a pretty compact package! Not terribly heavy for what it is either.They were discontinued a few years back. I probably would never have bought one at full price, but the price was dropped to $150 when they hit the discontinued list
, so I grabbed one. Wish I had gotten 2 at that price!!! I don't know how hard they'd be to find on the secondary right now.It's a Persian influenced design (though officially Spyderco said it's a "Bowie"
), and from the factory they have an upswept tip. Will straight clipped his.Mine, on an Elk hunt shortly after I got it, with my old bow and my previous belt knife (Swamp Rat Mini Mojo):
Seriously tho.... I haven't been this stoked in a long time, if ever! I watched the big ram in the spotting scope pic above chase a ewe up and down the beach for half an hour before "sealing the deal" and it was incredible! Hope to get a closer look at him in a few weeks... that pic was at 30X from about 1.5 miles away up on the canyon rim, and the closest access (without a BASE jump) is a 10 mile river/sand slog. Here's another cool pic from the same spot... the sheep were all packed into the shade close to the water due to 100+ heat. Almost looks like a sheep petroglyph in front of the ewe by the smaller boulder...
I don't envy your hike in and out. I lived in Prescott for about 5 years, fished Lee's Ferry frequently (boated up to the top a few times too), did some backpacking up that way where you're hunting, and packed down 10 miles into Cañon De Chelly and 12 miles to Havasupai too. So, I know from personal experience what you're in for, hiking in the soft sand and loose rocks with the AZ heat, and it royally sucks! Not for the faint of heart, that's for sure. I did all that in my 20's, and I don't know if I could do it in my 40's now, at least not with the heat anyway. My ankles might not be able to handle it anymore either. At least by now the nights are cooling down. Really hope you get your ram!
Stay safe!
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Most of you guys are too young to remember Jack O’Connor, but in the mid-20th century he was the premier hunting and gun writer in the country, working for most of his career as Outdoor Life Magazine’s Shooting Editor. He hunted and wrote about all kinds of game all around the world, but his favorite was the extreme challenge of sheep hunting.
For me, possibly his most memorable anecdote was a hunt high in the Rockies for trophy bighorn. After several days of hard hunting, at dusk on the next-to-last day, he watched a little band of rams bed down at the base of some rimrock just beneath the crest of the highest peak in that part of the range. One of them was a monster with real record-book potential. They were much too far away for a stalk in the fading light, but as he made his way back to camp he concocted a bold plan. He’d eat and go straight to bed, get up at midnight, climb the back side of the peak in the dark, and try to be in position for a shot from above them at first light.
Climbing that mountain in the dark was brutal, but before the sky began to gray he was in place. As soon as it was light enough to see, he crawled to the rim and carefully peeked over. The rams were gone, nowhere to be seen. Hammered by the climb and his disappointment, he sat dejected for several minutes until the sun’s rays broke over the range, igniting the peaks of the most ruggedly beautiful landscape he’d ever seen.
He said in that instant he thanked God he was a sheep hunter, because otherwise he would never have been in that place to witness the unspeakable majesty of that moment.
Sorry for the OT, but whenever I think about sheep hunting I seem to remember that story—it speaks to me of the very finest parts of hunting. Thought some here might enjoy it.
Best of luck with your hunt—hope the big one shows up one more time!
For me, possibly his most memorable anecdote was a hunt high in the Rockies for trophy bighorn. After several days of hard hunting, at dusk on the next-to-last day, he watched a little band of rams bed down at the base of some rimrock just beneath the crest of the highest peak in that part of the range. One of them was a monster with real record-book potential. They were much too far away for a stalk in the fading light, but as he made his way back to camp he concocted a bold plan. He’d eat and go straight to bed, get up at midnight, climb the back side of the peak in the dark, and try to be in position for a shot from above them at first light.
Climbing that mountain in the dark was brutal, but before the sky began to gray he was in place. As soon as it was light enough to see, he crawled to the rim and carefully peeked over. The rams were gone, nowhere to be seen. Hammered by the climb and his disappointment, he sat dejected for several minutes until the sun’s rays broke over the range, igniting the peaks of the most ruggedly beautiful landscape he’d ever seen.
He said in that instant he thanked God he was a sheep hunter, because otherwise he would never have been in that place to witness the unspeakable majesty of that moment.
Sorry for the OT, but whenever I think about sheep hunting I seem to remember that story—it speaks to me of the very finest parts of hunting. Thought some here might enjoy it.
Best of luck with your hunt—hope the big one shows up one more time!
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Congrats on drawing that tag! It’s a once-in-a-lifetime hunt here in Oregon as well.
Of the knives you showed, I like the MAX Duty. It has a nice belly for skinning, the thinner stock will be slicey for boning it out, and Elmax should hold a good edge.
I wish you the best of luck, and I hope to see some pics, but most of all, HAVE A GOOD TIME!
Of the knives you showed, I like the MAX Duty. It has a nice belly for skinning, the thinner stock will be slicey for boning it out, and Elmax should hold a good edge.
I wish you the best of luck, and I hope to see some pics, but most of all, HAVE A GOOD TIME!
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Sorry for the OT, but whenever I think about sheep hunting I seem to remember that story—it speaks to me of the very finest parts of hunting. Thought some here might enjoy it.
Not OT enough to bother me at all my friend, and a wonderful story from someone I actually do remember reading as a kid (I might be mad, but I'm not young... so don't call me whipper-snapper... or I'll get mad... wait....
)! In fact, much of my fascination with hunting Coues white tail here in the SouthWest is summarized nicely by Jack O'Conner's description of it as "poor man's sheep hunting." So thanks for nudging this thread in a wonderful direction everyone! It really is about being out there and soaking it all in.... the whole experience, from the blisters to the sunsets and every detail of every instant in between... ram or not, I'm going to revel in this experience!!!Thanks for the thoughts.... I will report back with some scouting pics in the next few weeks!
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I'm back... having had a hunting experience of epic proportions!
Since this thread was initially about which knives to take, a picture and review of the final selection is in order....
The HACK was perfect for skinning and removing the cape, and stayed sharp enough to perform a final clean-up before the trip to the taxidermist. That ELMAX is great stuff when heat-treated by a master... thanks Jerry!
And then there's the amazing BAD... it did all of the meat de-boning and other "dis-assembly," and is still swine shaving sharp without even a thought of a touch-up. The thin(ish) stock, slightly harder INFI, and my own thinned and convexed edge all add up to a knife that simply can't disappoint! It's my new favorite blade for deer-sized game... and a great back-up for my South Fork when I'm lucky enough to get another elk tag.
My pocket companion was the Benchmade 940, which didn't really get much use, but didn't weigh much either!
Equally important was the lubrication, provided by a lightweight flask of the sotol while backpacked in (for some reason this particular bottle seemed appropriate), and some delicious dopplebok when I was camped at the truck (not very often).
I spent almost two weeks backpacked ~8-9 miles into the Paria Canyon, seeing at least 20 sheep every day. Lots of nice rams, ewes and their lambs, but one ram in particular remained the best in comparison to all of the others. There were also mule deer, coyotes, birds, and plentiful amazing high desert scenery. I was having so much fun exploring the canyon and glassing for sheep that I seriously considered just staying out there!
Since this thread was initially about which knives to take, a picture and review of the final selection is in order....
The HACK was perfect for skinning and removing the cape, and stayed sharp enough to perform a final clean-up before the trip to the taxidermist. That ELMAX is great stuff when heat-treated by a master... thanks Jerry!
And then there's the amazing BAD... it did all of the meat de-boning and other "dis-assembly," and is still swine shaving sharp without even a thought of a touch-up. The thin(ish) stock, slightly harder INFI, and my own thinned and convexed edge all add up to a knife that simply can't disappoint! It's my new favorite blade for deer-sized game... and a great back-up for my South Fork when I'm lucky enough to get another elk tag.
My pocket companion was the Benchmade 940, which didn't really get much use, but didn't weigh much either!
Equally important was the lubrication, provided by a lightweight flask of the sotol while backpacked in (for some reason this particular bottle seemed appropriate), and some delicious dopplebok when I was camped at the truck (not very often).
I spent almost two weeks backpacked ~8-9 miles into the Paria Canyon, seeing at least 20 sheep every day. Lots of nice rams, ewes and their lambs, but one ram in particular remained the best in comparison to all of the others. There were also mule deer, coyotes, birds, and plentiful amazing high desert scenery. I was having so much fun exploring the canyon and glassing for sheep that I seriously considered just staying out there!
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After about one week, a small storm brought enough rain to increased the flow rate of the Paria to about 6X it's normal, and the 15-20 crossings between my camp and the truck were best avoided for a few days. The river was also busy rearranging the canyon... I witnessed several landslide/rockfall events, and heard many more. At one point while glassing, I noticed some movement on the river out of my peripheral vision, and swung the binocular to find two adventurers running the swollen flow in inflatable kayaks! Of course the scenery remained breathtaking...
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With a "major winter storm" inbound, I decided it was time to find the big ram again and bring the adventure to an end. He made me work for it... I found him the next morning on the other side of the river, tucked up high just below the vertical cliffs. The guess that he would drop down a bit to feed paid off, and after an hour of "running" up 600 feet of 40 degree sand and scree, I was hidden behind a rock watching him feed with a small band of other sheep in a sagebrush flat on top of the hill. The mixed emotions of bringing down such a spectacular animal are impossible to describe, but you other hunters understand. He's not a record book ram, but a perfect example of an old age class desert bighorn... and will be honored and cherished for the rest of my days.
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The rest of the trip involved packing a ridiculously heavy pack back down the hill, back out the 8.5 miles down the river, and then a round trip the next day to retrieve my camping and hunting gear. It was a huge effort, but as with so many thing in Life, input and output are proportional, and I can't imagine getting anything more out of this hunt! The memories will keep me smiling a long time, and I even made it in time for the Busse Black Friday Grab Bags!!!
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What an awesome post .
Great pictures and sound like a chance in a lifetime hunt
Great pictures and sound like a chance in a lifetime hunt
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My trusty Coues rifle... a seriously customized M700 in 6.5-280 Ackley Improved. It's visible in the background of the pic of the ram without my mug in it.
Thanks Ironkid883.... hunt of a lifetime indeed! Trouble is, I think I'm addicted... and sheep hunting isn't exactly a low-cost endeavor!
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CONGRATULATIONS!
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You will have to go to Alaska and get one there too like in life below zero awesome show on sustenance hunting
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What a wonderful cartridge—.264 Win Mag performance in a std case. You obviously know your hunting weapons.
Yeah, I hear it can get expensive. So what’s next? Dall in Alaska, Stone in the Yukon or Rocky Mtn Bighorn in...Alberta, maybe?
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All of the above of course! I do have some rock/ice climbing contacts in Canada to work on, and am already looking at all of the western US for Rockys and even another desert ram. Dall's in Alaska is actually the most reasonable cost-wise, and I've wanted to visit since reading Jack London stories as a kid. Maybe I will have my (sub-consciously card-counting) little sister pull a good return on investment in Las Vegas or something.... but NEVER will I stop buying Bussekin!
Garth Reckner
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Man that is awesome. Congrats on an epic adventure. Thank you for taking time to share it with all of us.
Garth
Garth
Leonardo63
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Amazing! Stunning photos! Wow!