GEAR
The Pap Winkle Project
The concept of the Pap Winkle Project started with creating a place for industry-leading rifle component manufacturers and custom rifle makers to come together and showcase their work. Being a rifle builder and gunsmith, I receive emails, PMs, texts and phone calls...
Zeiss Conquest Gavia 85 vs. Zeiss Victory Harpia 85
Last fall I had the opportunity to test out two Zeiss spotting scopes, the Victory Harpia 85 ($4600) and Conquest Gavia 85 ($1999). Obviously, the price point on these optics are quite different, but knowing the Zeiss name, I planned on both being great products. I...
Nightforce NX8 Rifle Scope Review
Nightforce Optics has been an industry leader when it comes to bulletproof riflescopes for the last 20 years. Their reputation for durability and accuracy has been proven through its application in both military deployments and benchrest competitions around the globe....
TACTICS
To Build A Fire
If you are unfamiliar with the classic Jack London short story To Build a Fire, it is a tale of a Yukon miner who makes a mistake, gets wet, then builds his survival fire under a tree full of snow. The snow extinguishes the fire and the man dies of hypothermia. I...
Dynamic Rewarming Drill
Hunters spend a lot of time thinking about gear. Naturally, we want to be as prepared as our budgets allow in order to be successful. Between researching fabrics, weights, materials, new products and reviews, many of us tend to match our time in the field with our...
Goals and Why They Matter
20 years ago, I had never taken what I consider to be a really big mule deer. I had done enough wildlife photography of park deer and winter range bucks to know one when I saw one, but until the year 2000 had never been fortunate enough to walk up on a real whopper. ...
INFORMATION
Shared Use of the Backcountry: Best Practices
In Part 1 of this article, I shared some examples of interactions I had with an outfitter while hunting in the Clearwater National Forest some 20 years ago. In this issue, I’ll review current situations and outline some “best practices” the DIY hunting horseman can...
It’s Worth Carrying
I often hear the excuses made by hunters who make the conscious decision not to carry a sidearm to defend themselves while hunting. There is no question predator numbers are on the rise across the West, and this is not limited to the four-legged varmints. With human...
Top Five DIY Free Range Exotic Hunts
As the waves crashed to the beach below, I could not help but think of all the people that came to this island just for the beaches. In this moment, sitting on a beach was as far from my mind as it could be. I had just heard the tell-tale whistle/bark of an axis deer...
ADVENTURE
Last Chance Bull
On August 15, 2019 Eddy Corona from Outdoor Experience 4 All & Wounded Warrior Outdoors called me and said he had a donated archery Bull Elk tag in Arizona’s unit 10 if I was interested. I replied, “hell yeah I’m interested”. My buddy Paul Baird contacted his...
A Test of Mental Toughness
A long hunt in spectacular country by Hyrum Facer, Utah, 2016 Utah! What a great place to live, hunt, and grow a family. It’s truly unlike any other place on Earth. Utah has it all, from the solitude of the highest peaks to the low desert floors of Moab. The best part...
Back-To-Back Antelope Bucks
It’s funny how before a fall hunting season ends, you find yourself daydreaming and strategizing about next year. Yet, when you’re “born to hunt” what else is a person to do? In some states you can strategize and plan hunts with the expectation of drawing your desired...
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