Bug Out Bag & 72-hour Kit tips from Smith & Edwards

Prepare with 72-Hour Kits & Bug Out Bags

- posted by Rose Marion

It’s that time of year to check your preparedness gear, make sure you have a communication/meetup plan for your family, & rotate your food storage.

One important piece of your preparedness plan is having a bag with all your necessities. Some people recommend a bug-out bag, but here in Utah a 72-hour kit is the most recommended pack to have.

What’s the difference? Mike Vause from our Sporting Goods department asked Ryan Seager, our Surplus manager, and Jean Dimick, our Preparedness manager, and here’s what he found.

What Ryan suggests for a Bug-Out Bag

A bug out bag, or go-bag, is a small bag designed to get your from Point A to Point B. Point B should have more supplies, such as your 72-hour kit or your food storage.

You might keep your bug-out bag in your car or truck, or in your desk at work; some place you can get to it easily and go.

So it’s a minimalist kit that has just the necessities to survive. You can buy a pre-made bug out bag, or create your own based on your needs & preferences:

  • 1 quart water, a container, & water purification method
  • Food (preferably a high-calorie bar)
  • Bivvy or compact sleeping bag
  • Poncho
  • Paracord
  • First aid kit
  • Multitool with a good blade
  • Lighting: headlamp or area lighting
  • Gloves, hat, scarf, light jacket, and spare clothes (if possible)
  • Fire starter
  • Personal defense

Jean’s picks for a 72-Hour Kit:

A 72-hour kit has the supplies you need to survive for 3 days. You’ll store more food and supplies than a bug-out bag, and for this you should consider a large backpack from the camping department, rather than a slim tactical pack. See Hiking & Camping packs here.

You can download a list of suggested items for your family’s 72-hour kits Get a printable ID card and 72-hour kit ideas from Smith & Edwards, as well as ID cards for your children:

Get your 72-hour kit list!

Did you know?

Save the Children has excellent resources for teachers, parents, and caretakers. Check them out here! You can also make your own ID cards for your children on the Child Safe Kit®’s website.

Tips on team roping from our Dummy Ropin' champions!

How to Rope (Video): Team Ropin’ Tips

- posted by Rose Marion

Kwade Kosoff and Pace & Wells Thompson stayed after the 2nd Annual Dummy Ropin’ here at Smith & Edwards to show us some dummy ropin’ runs and give tips on how to head & heel rope.

Head & Heel Ropin’ Tips from Kwade & Kyle Kosoff

Dummy ropin’ is a ton of fun, whether you’re a team roper or a backyard roper. Kyle provided commentary on tips & what to watch for.

dummy-ropin-kyle-kwade-kosoff
dummy-ropin-kyle-kwade-kosoff (1)

Start practicing after school or work and you’ll be a pro roper in no time. Then you can come show us your stuff in our next dummy ropin’ tournament!

These champions walked away with a Classic rope bag from Equibrand. Thanks to Equibrand, Cactus Ropes, & Lonestar Ropes for providing ropes & prizes!

Dummy Ropin' first round winners!

Pace and Braxton, Round I dummy ropin’ winners!

Dummy Ropin' second round winners

Cinch and Stone, Round II winners!

What you need to know to Start Ropin’

Roping Terms & What they Mean

Spoke:
The amount of rope in your loop from the honda to your grip on the rope.
Slack:
The loose part of the rope. You have to pull the slack to pull the rope tight.
Dally:
Securing the rope to your saddlehorn, in Team Roping when riding a horse. If you’re not on a horse, still practice pulling your slack and pulling your hands up!
Tip:
Part of the loop, the point of the rope, furthest away from your hand.
Heading:
One player catching the calf dummy around the horns or the neck. Kyle’s Tip: Aim at the left horn when you rope the head.
Heeling:
The second player catching the calf dummy around the rear ankles. Kyle’s Tip: Aim at the left hock (ankle).
Honda:
The bit of rope that loops & knots to allow for a loop in your rope. Learn how to tie a honda from Tom. See Marty show how to put on a plastic speedburner.
Lay:
How stiff or soft your rope is. Heelers want a stiffer rope that will hold open longer (to get under the hooves). Heading ropes are softer.

How we Dummy Rope at Smith & Edwards – & you can in your backyard!

You need 3 people: a header, a heeler, and someone to push the dummy.

The header checks in with his heeler, and nods to the person pushing the dummy when he’s ready.

The header runs after the dummy and catches the horns or neck. Then, the header pulls the dummy straight, to the left, giving the heeler a good opportunity to get the rope under and around the dummy’s back legs. Pull the rope tight (dally the slack), and you’ve got it!

How to Score

We timed each run, from the moment the dummy moves forward, with a stopwatch. We stop the timer when the dummy is both headed & heeled.

It has to be a legal head catch: both horns, half a head (1 horn), or around the neck. We added a 5 second penalty if only caught one heel.

Come Give it a Try!

Ready to rope, too? Come in to our Western department and pick up your rope & dallies. Or, click over to Shop for Roping Supplies on our website. We’ll get you what you need!

Check out Roping gear on our website!

Stay warm in the country with wool clothing, heaters, and horse hoof pads!

Keeping your Horse Warm this Winter

- posted by Rose Marion

Now that we’re in the thick of winter, the fishermen are excitedly measuring how thick the ice is on their favorite lakes and reservoirs. (view ice fishing tips here!)

If you’ve got horses or livestock, and you don’t have heaters, it’s a tough time of year! Make sure you have the best winter you can with these tips to stay warm no matter how rural your road.

Keep the Horse Warm

Water

If you don’t have any equipment at all, you’ll be going out each morning to break the ice with a pitchfork. But you have kids to do the work for you, right?

Well, the kids will thank you for investing in a heater or de-icing system. Get a bucket heater from Smith & Edwards here – you can even get yours delivered!

Frozen horse trough

Horse Blankets

There are all kinds of horse blankets out there, and we like the Equibrand especially. Keep your horse warm and dry from the snow and rain with a blanket that moves with them. This makes for less cleanup work for you, too!

Equibrand 10K Cross Trainer Blanket

If you’re venturing into the snow-filled hills on horseback, make sure and ask your farrier about ways to protect your horse. When you’re shoeing your horse, you have several options that prevent snow buildup under the horse’s hooves. See available hoof pads and boots here.

Snow buildup is extremely cold for your horse – plus, kt makes each tread slippery, instead of sure. Plus, the compacted snow adds pressure on the frog, so there are a few styles of hoof pads to keep your horse snow-free.

The Mustad no-snow tube-style hoof pads compresses, and pops back, which prevents the snow from building up on the hoof.

Horse Snow Hoof Pads
The other style, the Snowball black plastic hoof pad, presses a bubble down into the snow, keeping it away from the hoof and giving your horse a surer step.

Keep Yourself Warm

Many vests & coats are designed to stand up to windstorms and blizzards that would make your eyes tear. Look for wool vests and jackets that will give you years of use and provide maximum natural warming.

We love the Wyoming Traders line of wild rags. These 100% silk wild rags will keep you warm without weighing you down. We just got some new Aztec patterns in, and we’ve got both youth sizes and adult sizes in polka dots, solids, paisley, and more.

Silk is warmer than wool, it gets softer with wear, and naturally wicks moisture away.

Breaking ice in the trough - Wells is wearing a Stormy Kromer hat, and both boys are staying warm with wild rags!

Breaking ice in the trough – Wells is wearing a Stormy Kromer hat, and both boys are staying warm with wild rags!

If you don’t have a felt hat, look at a good Stormy Kromer hat. We carry these hats in store and they are so popular! Made in a wool/nylon blend with 100% cotton flannel, these hats are made in USA and are called “an icon of the great American outdoors.” This hat’s been around for more than 100 years, and it’s still made of six hand-stitched panels.

Don’t let your fingers freeze! Draw on your foam-lined Yellowstone gloves – an old favorite for standing up to barbed wire, these elkskin and deerskin gloves have a foam-lined option for winter.

Outdoorsman Gift: Klymit Static V Air Pad Review

- posted by Mike Vause

I love backpacking the Uinta Wilderness. There is something about leaving the pressure of life behind and getting away from it all.

I am sorry, but I am a gear junkie. I should never have to buy more equipment ever!! But when something new, better, even cooler comes out….. I buy it. I know that there are more of us out there, and we are good at supporting the economy via outdoor gear.

I have an expensive self-inflating sleeping pad. It is about my fifth one as they have gotten lighter and more compact over time. I have used this one for years and have been happy with it. Self-inflating pads have been the standard but in more recent times the inflatable pads have been stealing market share.

The Klymit Static V inflatable pad has intrigued me for about a year and though I promised myself not to spend money on new gear this trip, I gave in.

Klymit Static V Air Pad

The Static V large air pad inflates in 10-15 breaths, weighs just over 1lb, and rolls up compact in its own sack.

It only weighs 18.1 ounces and is less than half the size of my old favorite. You can inflate it to the firmness you desire and actually get it back into the tiny stuff sack.

I slept better and warmer than ever. This turned out to be an excellent acquisition and I highly recommend it to smooth out those rainy Uinta nights. Better sleep, lighter weight, and more compact…. that’s why I am a non-recovering gear junkie.

Klymit air pads make great Christmas gifts… and they’re a local company, based in Centerville, Utah. Explore Air pads here, and come visit Smith & Edwards off I-15 at exit 351 for your last-minute gifts.

Nothing beats a day spent duck hunting with your dog

What you need for Waterfowl in Utah

- posted by Rose Marion

Smith & Edwards is lucky to be right next door to Willard Bay, so we get to hear fishing reports from all types of anglers.

Even more than that, we’re just a couple miles from the Harold Crane Waterfowl Management Area, right behind Willard Bay, which is a great spot for ducks: you can bring a boat or even walk right in.

I got to head out an afternoon with Tyler from the Smith & Edwards gun counter, and his dog Roger, who’s a rambunctious ball of energy, still in training.

Duck hunting’s a popular sport among Smith & Edwards employees and friends. I wanted to see what it would take to get started!

Tyler’s Waterfowl Gear Picks

Here’s what Tyler recommends…

Waterfowl camo Smith & Edwards hat

Wear your Smith & Edwards hat for good luck!

Duck hunting camo: Most duck hunters choose Realtree Max-4, Max-5, or MossyOak Shadow Grass Blades patterns. Stay cozy: a good hoodie or jacket is going to keep you good & warm.

Tyler’s rockin’ the Smith & Edwards camo ball cap, too!

A shell belt will keep your ammunition close at hand!

Hunting Waders: The higher the number, the warmer! You can use ankle wraps to keep your jeans from sliding up when you put the waders on.

To take waders off, peel them down your legs!

Duck Calls: Our favorites here at the store are Zink, Primos, and Duck Commander. You can see a selection here, or come into the store and take a peek.

Get some paracord to make yourself a lanyard for your calls!

Shotgun & Shells: Don’t go cheap. You didn’t get all the way out here just to miss! You want a good knock-down Tyler likes the Estate, Hevi-Metal, Fasteel, and Winchester Blind Side shells.

This good-looking gun is a Browning A5 shotgun.

Decoys: Tyler likes the Tanglefree EZ Rig Decoy System, which has also been one of our top sellers this year! It’s such an easy system to use, and like you saw in the video, you can just hook the decoy lines to a carabiner and walk around placing or gathering the decoys.

Roger helping Tyler set up the decoys

The Tanglefree EZ Rig system is easy to manage and set up.

Decoy Gloves: We’ve carried Glacier Glove Decoy Gloves for years and they’re great: the neoprene keeps you warm and dry, they’re super flexible, and have grippy sharkskin-textured fingers & palms. These particular ones are Max-5 camo.

Blind Bag: We like Tanglefree and Wildfowler brands. Keep all your shells and gear together without having to worry.

Dog Supplies: We’ve sold out of the Tanglefree dog vests for the season, but we’ll have more coming for next year! We also carry the DT Dog Training systems here in the store, so if you’re looking to have a bird dog next season, you can start training him now.

Roger loves his duck toy, too!

Duck Hunting gear: shells, bind bag, and dog toy!

We’ve got decoy gloves, a blind bag, plenty of shells, and of course Roger’s squeaky duck toy!

Remember, you’ll need a duck stamp, too. When we were out filming we ran into a DNR agent. Be ready!

Had a good duck season? Send us your pictures to help (at) smithandedwards.com. We want to see ’em and add them to our Braggin’ Board.

Tom Hooker and his bull elk

The Cancer Bull – Tom’s Story

- posted by Rose Marion

Thanks to Tom for sending us this story – a new favorite of ours!

I Was Used to Hunting…

Hunting has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I started hunting and fishing with my dad when I was around four years old. Sitting on the bank of a lake or river with a fishing pole in my hand or literally walking in his footsteps through marshes hunting ducks or in snow covered fields chasing pheasants. Some of my fondest memories with him came from deer or elk camp where with my Uncle Del would hunt off horse back in the Cache Valley Mountains of Northern Utah.

Back then my dad killed some monster deer and elk but we never kept one set of antlers. Like everyone else of that time, they were left on the mountain unless you needed a coat rack or somewhere to hang your hat. It was a purest time to hunt where no one cared about the score – it was the body size that mattered. Large body meant more meat and meat was the trophy.

The days of hunting with my dad were short lived. He was forty two and I was eleven when he lost his life to cancer but the hunting memories and lessons he instilled in me left a lasting mark. I loved being raised in a hunting family and wanted the same for my kids.

Many years later I married my wife Gaylene. She’s a wonderful women who likes to camp and spend time in the outdoors but hunting just isn’t her thing. She does however, allow me to continue to follow in my dad’s footsteps by passing that same passion of conservation through hunting to our kids. My son Colten and two daughters Baylee and Kali have grown up hunting and fishing their whole lives and it is something they love to do and will pass on to their kids.

Then the Health Issues Began

Two years ago in 2013 I had just finished applying for my kids and me to hunt in Utah when I started feeling kind of strange. I had some cramping in my stomach that became quite unbearable. I went to the doctor who seemed to think that it might be the onset of a kidney stone. He gave me some meds but within two days I knew that wasn’t it. That next morning I had a 2am wakeup call with an incredibly painful bladder area. I knew I was either going to die right in my bed or explode on my way to the hospital.

My wife heard my groaning and saw me trying to stand up and drive myself to the hospital. Said I’ll drive and it was a good thing cause I don’t think I would have made it on my own. Did you know there are 3700 cracks in the road from my house to the hospital? Well there is and I felt every one of them as she drove.

Once in the emergency room, a doctor came walking toward me with one very large catheter in one hand. Have you ever had a catheter? Well me neither until that moment. When I saw the size of that tube and knowing full well where he intended to put it, I was like no, no, no wait a minute that will never fit up there. As I said that, he made it fit up there and the relief was immediate. After more testing this doctor said I have colitis and gave me some meds for that. I took the meds and felt fine but all the while something was nagging at me saying that something was still wrong.

Two months later and out of the blue I told my wife that I better have a colonoscopy just to be sure. I had lost a good friend of mine Perry Jensen to colon cancer at the age of 36 so I just wanted to be sure. As I awoke from the procedure the doctor told me he had found something. Trying to lighten the mood I mentioned to him I was missing the remote to the TV and my high school ring and wondered if it was any of those. He didn’t laugh. I guess my doctors sense of humor was not up to par considering he was about to drop the bomb that I had colon cancer. He said it had escaped the colon wall and was attached to my bladder and had gotten into my lymph node system. Not good on any level.

I was sent to emergency surgery where they removed 17 lymph nodes and 6 inches of my colon. I try to be an upbeat guy but this was a tough thing for me to handle. I was not ready to die and needed something to keep me going.

hat’s where my wife and kids came in. They were very supportive and encouraging trying to keep me going and upbeat. In many ways it was harder on them than me. On one of my down days where I needed an extra boost I got it from the DWR (Division of Wildlife Resources) saying I was successful in drawing the Fish Lake archery unit. That is a unit that will usually take 10-15 years to draw and I drew it with 2 points. My new drive in my life was to get well and hunt that unit with my bow. My wife would just shake her head as I would schedule all of my future surgeries, chemo, and radiation treatments so that I would be able to make that hunt work out for me. I did all that I could to stay in shape which was very little due to the chemo’s effect on me – so the shape I ended up in was fat, round and easily winded. But I still wanted to do all that I could to hunt that unit.

As anyone who has ever fought cancer knows if the disease doesn’t kill you the cure just might. The chemo I received was called O5-FU and it lived up to its name.

After receiving my treatments I was in pretty bad shape for about a week and a half, which is just in time for the next dose so I never felt on my game. My saving grace is that I have a lot of great friends and family that were willing to help out so when the day came to enter the woods I knew they would have my back.

The First Hunt after Chemo

The day before the opener I camped with Scott Walker and his kids Brandon, Justin Emilee and Lindsy. They also brought another friend Clint Morwood to help on the hunt. We had a great camp set up and although I was pretty high in spirits I was not feeling well. The night was short and the sleep didn’t come easy but on opening morning I was ready to get going.

I left camp with Clint and we took short walk in some areas that had held elk before. In fact the year prior I had missed a shot at a herd of elk at forty yards; faulty equipment, and I don’t care what anybody else said it was faulty equipment. We hiked around and called most of the day, but didn’t see or hear anything.

By that afternoon it was clear to me that my hunt was over. I was too weak and sick to keep it up for another day much less two weeks. I called the Utah Division of Wildlife and explained my situation with cancer and they were gracious enough to take my hunt back and allow me to keep my bonus points.

Later that year I was able to take my two daughters Baylee and Kali on a cow elk hunt that they had drawn, but I was so beat up and sick that I could only walk maybe 100 yards or so. I had come to the realization that my hunting year was over, but I had a renewed spirit and desire to beat this disease and to hunt harder the next year.

The Next Year: Good Health and Good Friends

Fast forward one year and with lots of healing prayers of faith that were sent my way, I am still alive to hunt another year. I had beaten cancer but the luck of drawing that same tag eluded me. I think that tag was a Godsend, given to me just to fire me up and give me hope. Another good friend of mine, Dan Derrick, said let’s try our luck and go hunt archery elk in Colorado. Well he didn’t have to ask me twice, I was all in for the adventure and to not only prove to myself that I was back but to celebrate life. We had planned on staying 5-6 days and just hunting our butts off and maybe do some fishing. The night we pulled into camp, we quickly set everything up and took off on our mountain bikes for the last hour of light to see if we could locate anything. We had traveled maybe a mile and I knew my strength wasn’t back yet. It takes a while to get the effects of chemo out of your body.

Dan was able to locate 4 bulls and several cows and although I didn’t see them it was great to know they were in the area. That night we talked about the morning strategy and planned on heading back to where he saw the bulls.

Morning came quickly and we headed out. We were only 40 yards from camp when we decided to let out a locating bugle just to see if anything was closer. To our surprise we had three different bulls fire back at us. About 500 yards away two rag horn 5 points stepped out of the timber and kept bugling to us. I was trying to make a plan on how to approach them without spooking them off but Dan said lets be aggressive and go straight at them. The plan worked flawlessly. Within ten minutes we were 50 yards from the bulls. As we cow called the two closer rag horn bulls, the third bull, and I assume the herd bull, stayed in the trees and kept bugling.

Not wanting to look a gift bull in the mouth we decided to take one or two of the rag horn bulls if we could. The bull that was closer to me went to my right and dropped below me and caught my wind. He was gone taking the other rag horn with him. We stayed put and continued to cow call.

While I was calling Dan put together his Montana cow decoy and it seemed to work. One of the bulls came back. It was closer to Dan than it was to me but he said it’s your shot. Did I mention I have great friends?

The bull stood broad side to Dan but head on to me so I had no clear way of taking a good killing shot. We played him for several minutes and I could tell he was getting nervous. Just then he turned and started to move away from us. I stopped him with a cow call and he gave me a slightly quartering away shot. Without any prompt Dan said 70 yards. My 70 yard pin found its mark and I loosed the arrow. For the first year ever I decided to use expandable blades and a lighted nock.

The arrow flew fast and straight out of my Hoyt carbon matrix and the red nock looked like a laser ripping through the early morning air and allowed me to follow it all the way to impact. The sound of the arrow as it whacked the bull’s side and quick direction change of the bull let me know the deal was done. I looked at Dan and said did that really just happen? As we stood there looking at each other we heard a loud crash and I said What the heck was that? Then it dawned on me that it was probably the bull going down.

Not wanting to spook the bull and to be sure we didn’t lose him we didn’t walk toward the sound but rather began to follow the blood trail. After covering about 75 yards we found the bull piled up next to pine tree. He was a beautiful big body 5×5 and the first that I have ever taken with my bow. I have guided several friends on hunting trips and have bugled in many bulls for others to claim for their own but this was my own. From the time we heard the first bugle to the time we laid hands on him was maybe 30 minutes. We have hunted together for years and have had thousands of experiences but nothing like this has ever came so quick and easy. This was a Godsend.

As we stood over the bull we hugged and high fived but it seemed so surreal. As I began breaking down the bull Dan said I’ll head back to camp and grab the pack frame. By the time he got back I was about half done so he began to pack out the meat. This is not the first time he has helped me pack out my game. By the time I was done he had packed out all but two loads of meat. Can I mention again that I have great friends?
Tom and his elk

We had the bull broken down and to the butcher by noon. Later that night we went back to that same spot and called in another rag horn 5×5. I think it was the one that had winded us earlier that morning. Dan moved into position but the light was failing fast. As it sometimes happens we ran out of daylight before he could take a shot. We hunted a few more days but the bugling had stopped and I think Dan noticed my health was wreaking so he made the call to fish a day and to head home.

The Joy of the Hunt

It’s hunts like this with friends and family that make up the memories and trophies that keep me craving more. Thanks to those early years spent in the woods following my dad, I learned to appreciate the joy of the hunt by the experiences that I lived and to not judge the hunt by the size of the trophy on the ground.

Tom's bull elk

Tom’s huge bull elk

Deer Hunting Tales

Two Fun Deer Stories: A Pink Muzzle Loader, & Bambi’s OK

- posted by Rose Marion

We LOVE hearing your hunting stories and getting your photos for the Smith & Edwards Braggin’ Board. Thanks to Melanee and Amanda for sending in your stories!

Amanda Stadtfeld and her pink muzzleloader

Her Muzzleloader’s Pink… and it Works!

I’ve been hunting for 11 years now, born and raised all around it.

I took a 4 year break from hunting and came back this year and shot my very first deer.

You can’t see his back forks in this picture, but he is a good 4 point. My husband also shot a very good 4 point this year.

My gun is very special to me!

I love pink, so my dad took it without me knowing and had it painted.

The looks I get on the mountain from people when they see my gun are kinda crazy, but I love that gun.

– Amanda Stadtfeld

Amanda's 4 point

Amanda’s 4 point


Melanee's daughter

Melanee’s daughter

Bambi’s All Right

When my daughter was about 5 years old, we were up hunting and camping by Bear Lake. My uncle shot a buck and hung it in a tree by our camp.

Shortly after, my daughter and mother went for a walk.

All of a sudden we heard a terrible scream and my daughter came running into camp. Me and my Dad ran to see what was the matter, she looked up at me crying and very upset and could hardly talk.

Finally she settled down enough to tell us what was wrong.

In the most pitiful voice you have ever heard and with her hands on her hips she looked at all the guys sitting by the fire and said. “Somebody is in big big trouble because they shot Bambi.”

The deer was moved further from camp, and all the other ones were hung where she would not see them.

My dad and uncle went for a walk, and when they came back they told her they had seen Bambi and he was fine.

Then they all promised her that if they shot a deer they would make sure it wasn’t Bambi.

– Melanee Bingham

Melanee's family is used to big hunts!

Melanee’s family is used to big hunts!

Paul Rochell's 6x6 Manti bull elk!

The Greatest Hunt of My Life: Paul’s Manti Elk

- posted by Rose Marion

Thanks to Paul Rochell for sharing this awesome tale.

This is my second bull elk, the first was a general season elk tag. This 6X6 bull was a limited entry Manti tag that took fifteen long years to draw.

Paul with his Manti Elk

After several trips this summer scouting for elk, my cousin found this bull two days before the hunt opened and was able to video the bull with his phone skope.

Opening morning me and several of my family (Wife, 2 sons, grandson, brother, 5 cousins, uncle, and 2 aunts) surrounded the canyon the bull was spotted in trying to get another look. My brother spotted the elk, but by the time I got to him, he slipped into the pines. Later that evening, my son Jory and his family watched the canyon to make sure the elk stayed there and that nobody else was after him. In the meantime, me and the rest of the family were checking several other canyons looking for other elk we had seen during the summer.

After returning to camp that evening, we sat around compared pictures and decided this bull was well worth taking. The next morning we all set up around the canyon in search of this bull. With no luck spotting him, we knew he was still there from his distinct bugle. So rather than trying to sneak in on him, I decided it would be best to wait until evening.

Early that afternoon myself and all of my family surrounded the canyon again. A short time later my cousin Markus had the elk in his sights, so I quickly moved into position. After a few bugles the elk walked into a small opening and presented me with a shot. But after the first shot, the elk quickly disappeared.

At this time we were not sure if I had hit the elk. A short time later (which felt like hours) the cows walked back into the same clearing… followed by the bull.

The second shot was definitely successful. When the bull hit the ground, we quickly followed up with yelling and screaming of happiness. This indicated to the rest of the family scattered around the canyon that the bull was down.

This hunt was the greatest hunt of my life due to the fact of my wife, sons, grandson, and the rest of my family were there to be a part of it.

Paul Rochell with 6x6 elk

I carry some good memories of this hunting area because it was also the same limited entry unit that my dad waited 14 yrs to draw at 75 years old. I was fortunate enough to join him on his successful lifetime bull elk hunt in 2011 a couple years before he passed away in 2014, and I’m sure he was cheering along with the rest of the family.

Six Steps to Home-Canned Applesauce!

How to Can Applesauce in 6 Easy Steps!

- posted by Jerica Parker

Fall is here! The leaves are falling, the wind is cooler, and it’s time to get ready for winter. One of my favorite ways is by storing all the delicious food we have enjoyed in the summer, so we can have it in the winter as well.

Vickie Maughan, our canning and housewares department manager, shared with us her great recipe for making canned applesauce at home. And we want to share it with you!

The perk of this recipe, is you can eat it right away, storing leftovers in the fridge – and you can also can the applesauce to enjoy in the winter. Her tips and tricks are right here in 6 easy steps:

How to Can Applesauce

  1. Start by washing your apples. Peel them, and then slice them. Vickie used a peeler machine to take off the peel and slice them. Get your own peeler here!
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  2. Cook the apples in 3/4 cup of water on medium heat. When they reach a boil, lower the heat and steam them until the apples are tender.
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  3. Then, using an immersion blender, blend up the apples until it reaches your desired consistency of applesauce.
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If you want to enjoy it right away, finish up by sweetening and seasoning however you like it. If you would like to continue to can and store for food storage, continue with the next steps.

  1. When you have reached desired consistency, sweeten and season to how you like.
  2. Next, fill the jars. Using a funnel is so helpful for easy cleanup! Wipe clean to avoid problems with sealing the lids.
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  3. Tighten lids and place jars in pot with water just above the level of the jars. Bring to a boil for 20 minutes. Careful! When you take out the jars, they will be very hot. Use a good jar lifter to protect your hands.
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And voilà! Delicious applesauce to enjoy and share with your family and friends.

But you better hurry! You have just under 2 weeks left in apple season to get your apples for delicious applesauce. Stop at Pettingill’s and get your apples soon! They are closing for the season on Halloween, October 31.

Make sure to like Pettingill’s Fruit Farm on Facebook, and then take a peek at when we stopped in to Pettingill’s in August.

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Gear Picks for deer hunting in Wyoming's Region G

Wyoming Mule Deer Hunting Gear Picks

- posted by Tyson Anderson

During this past hunting season, I had the opportunity to go on a hunt to Wyoming in rugged Region G with my best friend. He drew this exclusive tag his first year putting in for it! Growing up, we dreamed about hunting this prime unit.

When we discovered that he drew, my mind immediately turned to my gear and what I needed to purchase to hunt the tough, high country mule deer of Wyoming.

My Deer Hunting Gear for Wyoming’s Region G

Badlands 2200 backpack

Badlands 2200 backpack

I used the Badlands 2200 pack and it was prime. I was able to pack the gear necessary to allow comfort in the back country, the batwing design and spotting scope pocket provided excellent organization.

It ended up being a wet and cold opening weekend to the hunt. I was glad I’d purchased a Kryptek Poseidon rain jacket which kept my upper body dry as could be during the blizzard-like weather for days. Without this jacket keeping my core dry, I believe we would have had a different turn out on this hunt of a lifetime.

Vortex Viper 10x42 binoculars for hunting

I love my Vortex Viper 10×42 binoculars!

During this hunt I also was using the Vortex Viper 10×42 binoculars. I love these binoculars! They also held up and performed without flaws during mother nature’s curveballs. I was able to locate/spot during a blizzard, a nice old four-point deer barely poking out of the pine trees, checking his surroundings, before stepping out to feed.

When the moment came to make the shot and put this old smart toothless warrior to rest, we trusted and had 100% confidence in the accuracy and kinetic energy that the Berger Bullets provide to ensure a quick ethical kill to such a majestic animal.

With one quick shot, the buck was stopped in his tracks. The 185gr VLD Berger Bullets are amazing and provide unsurpassed knock down! Which you want to respectfully harvest any type of big game.

Wyoming mule deer

My friend and I with this majestic Wyoming mule deer

During the cleaning process of the animal, I trusted in the Outdoor Edge knives. I bought this knife because I was impressed by the replaceable surgical blades, because everyone knows how bad it sucks when your knife is dull and you have to take the time to sharpen your blade during a storm.

Outdoors edge knife

I recommend this Outdoor Edge Razor-Lite knife with replaceable blades for field dressing your trophy.

Click here to see more Field Dressing tools, and click here for Folding Knives.

This knife provided quick and easy cleaning which allowed us to quickly clean and make it back to the truck before we froze to death.

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