Before opening day, we will release 100 banded pheasants on public and private land within 50 miles of our store in Mitchell. Bag a special Cabela’s-banded bird and you could be eligible for a chance to win $1 million. Each band collected is worth a minimum of $200 in prizes, including firearms, gear, guided hunts and more. The contest takes place Oct. 17-18 for hunters who have pre-registered at Cabela’s in Mitchell.

Check their website for more info.

Quick, what do all of the above pictures of me have in common? That’s right, I was wearing my lucky North Face “Denali” vest. I own 3 of their vests and 2 more made by other companies, plus the one DU sent me as my yearly signing bonus a few years ago, but for hunting and outdoor activities only one of them makes the grade. It’s warm enough to be an outer layer early in the season, thin enough to layer over in the late season. It’s got pockets for shells, cameras, GPS, whatever you need. Since it’s black it can be used as an outer layer for duck hunting under chest waders. And obviously it’s extremely lucky. To say I’m emotionally attached would be an understatement.

Then the unthinkable happened. I was washing it to get the smoke smell off from the camp fires on the bear hunt when the zipper fell apart. So I called The North Face in California and told them that I had a 10 year old vest that I wear the heck out of and I want them to fix it. They say no problem, send it in, we’ll fix it or give you a new one, no questions asked. I didn’t want a new one.

Ten days after I sent it in I’ve got a package from California on my front step. I nervously tear it open and… My vest lives! Brand new zipper but otherwise unchanged and all at no cost to me. I’m a fan for life.

But all was not lost. Thousands or rounds of various ammo went after the guns. After the centerfire stuff was gone most of the buyers lost interest and I ended up with 20 boxes of various shotgun shells for $4.00 apiece. So when I got home I turned my office into a sorting station…

About half the shells were hot 2 3/4″ 4s 5s and 6s. The only real choice for pheasants. The other half was a smattering of 2 3/4″ steel 2s and 3″ goose loads. I’ll certainly burn through those with no problem. But I also ended up with 4 individual 3″ lead #4 buck. Any idea what to do with them? Maybe I should toss one in my turkey vest for coyotes?

The book follows the hunting career of it’s author, Glenn St. Charles. If that name sounds familiar to you it’s because he was one the founding fathers of modern bowhunting. He was a contemporary and hunting partner of Fred Bear. He helped found Pope and Young. Anyway, he tells stories of his adventures both in the field and with P&Y.

My favorite stories, and those the book is named for, involves an uncharted trip into Alaska for sheep, moose, and caribou. In essence he simply hired a plane and they flew around looking for a game rich uncharted and unreachable area to hunt. After finding a place he and his friends built a small gravel bar landing strip and hunted there for a few years. The stories and pictures are fantastic. He also hunted Roosevelt elk, mule deer, pronghorns, and most anything else you can chase.

The book isn’t a very hard read and the chapters are broken down into good sub-stories. Perfect for the stop and start type reading I encounter in a tree stand.

Grab yourself a copy, you’ll be glad you did.

You can buy it here.

When I got the email I wondered if this was even a real product. Apparently it is. Now I’m wondering what happens when you’re in one of these things:
a)In the sun (notice that it’s cloudy in the pictures). I wonder if there would be a wicked glare?
b)It rains or even gets humid. Would it fog up like the bathroom window?
c)What if it’s viewed from below eye level. Notice that reflecting from above gives you the cover of the forest floor but what if a turkey is looking up at it?
d)What will happen when animals see themselves?

Anyone have any ideas or experience?

Here’s the story.

First, I should warn you that I knew exactly 1 thing about Lindbergh going into this book: He flew across the Atlantic before anyone else. I was vaguely aware that his son was kidnapped in the original “Crime of the Century”. Mrs. Golub might be offended, but apparently I phoned in third grade history that week.

Anyway, three separate sections of the book became personally consuming to me. At one point my wife woke up to discover I’d left bed and was reading about the kidnapping online at 3am. I simply couldn’t get enough. Then when the trial rolled around I was up all night again. Then the end. The last 25 pages of the book make up the most intense reading I’ve ever encountered.

And certainly the rest of book was terrific. After I was done last night I was trying to come up with the name of a single human who had ever lived a more amazing life than Charles Lindbergh. Being a fighter pilot in the Pacific theater of WWII is often grounds for a whole book. For Lindbergh it was literally, one of the less interesting chapters. Best selling author, medical research scientist, world diplomat, American politician, conservationist, ground breaking anthropologist, and obviously the flying career that made him perhaps the most famous international celebrity the world has ever known. Seriously, name a human that has had a more incredible life…

The book has been out about 10 years, and is available in paperback. It won the Pulitzer. It was a New York Times Bestseller. Read it.

I’ve had my eye out for a smaller caliber for some time. I have nothing to bridge the gap between .270 and 22-250. I also have no reasonable option as a deer rifle to lend beginners, kids, or women. Until today my second choices were an open sighted sporter Springfield or a 300 Win Mag. While I’ve killed deer with both, neither is an ideal choice. Hopefully this gun will fill that role nicely. If it shoots as well as everyone tells me their 6.5s do it might even displace my custom Mauser 98 in .270 as the go-to deer rifle.

I hope to shoot it this weekend and I’ll let you know how it does.

Which leads me to Dri-Duck Traders. They have built a reputation for quality outerwear among hunters and outdoorsmen. Their line of well constructed jackets, particularly the “Cheyenne”, are hard to beat. I also like the “Thunder” seen below:

I’m bringing this to your attention because they are running a handful of sales for the Christmas season that are worth checking out. For instance, right now you can save 10% just by registering online with them. If you don’t have someone on your shopping list that could use a new hunting or work coat just buy one for yourself.