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STACK THE DECK FOR SUCCESS;
Wouldn’t it be a dream come true if every time we went on a hunting trip we were successful on the trophy of our wildest dreams??? (Ya right)!!
As un-real as the statement above sounds, it never ceases to amaze me how many thousands of times per year, prospective clients ask if the hunt they are looking at has a 100% success ratio? For the record, the only hunts that could ever possibly boast 100% on trophies would be high fence hunting. Anyone interested in a bon-a-fide fair chase hunt needs to understand they call it hunting for a reason.
As a Professional Hunting Consultant for 31 years who has had the opportunity to hunt most every premier destination in the world I have encountered every possible reason that a hunt can & has gone bust. My experience has proved to me that 95% of the time it is the failure of the client, not the guide or outfitter that may have instilled the kiss of death long before the hunt ever started. Now before I get a pile of rebuttals on this subject, please consider that I only work with the most premier quality, experienced outfitters worldwide. Yes, there are a lot of fly by night types that call themselves outfitters, most of which are selling over-priced camping trips. (Speaking from experience)!!!!
Lets assume you booked your hunt of a lifetime with a quality outfitter, one must consider the fact that they are professionals at what they do, with many years of experience under their belt. A certain amount of faith & trust needs to exist if you have a prayer of enjoying your hunt.
What has worked well for me is to give the guide the benefit of the doubt for the first 1/3 of the hunt, let him show you what you hired him for. Worse case scenario, if it is obvious that you are either incompatible or cannot hunt within his methods, you still have 2/3 left of your hunt to make some changes. In some cases you may be better off to make contact with the outfitter to inquire if a guide change can be made. Rather than tell the guide what you think he is doing wrong, you are always better off to make suggestions as a fellow hunter/friend. The last thing you ever want to do is alienate your guide against you, this can & will create a very long & un-eventful remainder of your hunt. All the articles, & videos you may have digested cannot replace even one season of first hand experience.
My suggestion to most of my clients is to focus on what they can do personally to improve their odds on this up & coming hunt, and leave the rest to the outfitter & guides. I will summarize some of the more critical subjects that I have seen clients fail time after time.
Physical preparation;
Without a doubt, proper physical preparation is the single most over-looked factor in big game hunting today. Consider that modern day man has become soft, often times riding a desk with very little exercise & poor nutrition. As we age, it becomes even more important to stay in shape. One cannot try to get in shape a month or 2 prior to a mountain hunt. Most mature males are plenty strong enough to do what ever needs to be done, but fail miserably when it comes to cardio vascular. All the strength in the world does not get you up that mountain, clean strong lungs, good circulation & cardio will. Exercise & nutrition is an entire subject by themselves but if you want to get the most from your hunt, don’t wait, start ASAP on some sort of program. I personally go to the local health club 2-3 times per week, at least 1 hour of various upper & lower body exercises. My personal favorite is a 1 hour cardio kick boxing class twice a week, some can do the tread mills or exercise bikes, but I get too bored. The type of exercise is not nearly as important as the fact that you are doing something. I also enjoy Mtn biking near my home & thru the woods. The key for me is it has to be fun, if it isn’t, you will likely not continue the program. Many think that conditioning is only for mountain & altitude type hunts, not so, with improved circulation you can sit on your whitetail stand longer without wiggling around & withstand the cold better. Lay off all that high cholesterol food, start eating properly & I strongly recommend supplements & vitamins. At age 49, I am in far better shape than I was when I was 30, nutrition, exercise & supplements, there is no short cut. Since hunting is not only a passion it is also my livelihood, the better condition I am in, the more I can participate & enjoy, not to mention stay healthy.
Equipment;
Few things can ruin your hunt more than to have a body bag sized duffle full of worthless equipment. Granted there are many different types of hunts that require a wide array of specialty equipment, another subject that could be a novel in itself. My philosophy is to buy the highest quality equipment you can afford. There are no sporting goods stores on the top of that mountain; equipment failure leads to many a miserable hunt. Keep in mind; every hunt is different, so there is no perfect all around gear that will cover all bases. But quality gear has a huge range of uses & can last a lifetime.
Footwear;
This is no place to cut corners, quality water proof boots with ankle support can be the best investment you can make. One must consider the time of year, terrain & temps. There is no single boot that will cover all situations. Some of my personal favorite manufactures are`Danner, Lacrosse, & Schnees. I generally bring 2 pair on every trip, not only do I have a back up but also can cover every condition. Be sure to break them in before the hunt, not while you are on the hunt. Proper boot care can & will increase the efficiency & life of the boots.
As far as extreme cold weather, my personal favorite hands down is the Northern Outfitters EXP, I have always had a severe problem with cold feet & these boots have come thru with flying colors from all day Whitetail hunting in Nov in Canada to Polar Bear hunting in the Artic.
Schnees Insulated Northern Outfitters EXP Danners Lacrosse Waterproof
Clothing.
For years, the general hunting public has concerned themselves more with the camo pattern when they should be focusing on the properties on the clothing as #1 priority. Once again, there is no single article of clothing to suit all needs. Cotton should only be considered if it is warm & dry. My favorite attire is generally wool or some form of fleece. Wool has the ability to keep you warm even when wet, yet breathes.
“King of the Mtn” Omni-Therm dominates the wool clothing market. Ever since 1996 when I discovered that quality virgin wool was comfortable, quiet, & did not itch, KOM has traveled the world over with me.
Dressing in layers is the key, dress down for walking, layer up when sitting. Avoid getting sweated up. Various weights, styles & camo patterns as well as the Heavy-duty stuff with wind blocker. Quality pays for itself, with well over 700 brutal days in the field on the same pants & shirt I bought in 1996.
Some of the high tech fabrics & fleeces have also found their way into my duffle bag. Beyond Fleece has a great selection of order to fit clothing. Light weight, wind-proof, water resistance.
Carol Davis has come up with an extremely comfortable, breathable & warm 1 piece body suit that I use as my first layer under cold conditions. In fact, i can assure you that suit never came off once in 3 weeks when recently Polar Bear hunting. A zippered rear flap is very handy when mother nature calls.
For extreme cold weather situations, Northern Outfitters has a complete system that has kept Polar bear hunters, late season Whitetail hunters, & as well as Polar Expedition teams warm & toasty under the very worst of what Mother Nature has to dish out.
I recently completed 21 days on the artic ice pack, not only did the clothing perform flawlessly, but their sleeping bag was voted MVP every night when temps dipped down to –50.
I find the key factors for comfort in any clothing. #1 it must breathe, if you sweat, you will freeze, needs to be quiet, comfortable, & retain body heat. Remember, clothes do not keep you warm; they only retain the body heat your own body generates.
Carol Davis 1-piece King of the Mtn Omni Wear Wool clothing Simply Awesome
Optics;
Every year multiple clients’ show up in camp with custom made rifles, and all sorts of fancy clothing but a 50.00 scopes & similar bino’s. Personally I think the optics are far more important than the rifle. A good all around scope would be a 3x9; this is the last place you want to cut corners. For years now, I only use & endorse Leopold scopes, yes there are many quality manufactures out there, but I can testify that I have never seen a Leopold fail. When in the field, generally leave your scope on the lowest power, if game is close, you will not have time to adjust the power & you will have a better field of view. If the game is at a distance, you will generally have time to turn up the power.
Quality binoculars are the single most used piece of equipment by experienced big game hunters. Glassing for hours is enjoyable with the right glass, a nightmare if not. Massive headaches & eyes popping out of your skull result if one attempts to glass all day with cheap bino`s. 8x32 or 10x42 are 2 of the more popular options. I find the 10x50 are too large & heavy for most situations. Keep in mind a high quality pair of binos are 800.00-1400.00 but if you plan on hunting for many years to come, you will never need to buy another pair. Leica, Swarorski & Zeiss, manufactures the 3 best quality binoculars on the market. I go nowhere without my 10x42 Ultravid Leica’s.
Crooked horn outfitters have by far the best bingo straps; never feel the weight around your neck, always snug to your body & the elastic tension increases stability for those long hours of glassing. One word of caution however, tuck them under your outer layer when galloping on a horse, I have seen stars from a high speed pair of binos to the chin more then once.
Spotting scopes are not for everyone, nor are they needed on every hunt, I never rely on the guides having the best equipment` so on all mountain hunts, sheep, elk, goat, or anytime you are looking for high scoring record book animals I feel a quality spotting scope should be brought. Recently manufactures have come up with 60 power scopes that are quite portable, I use the APO Leica with angled eyepiece. This scope is small, compact; lightweight yet has unbelievable clarity & light gathering capabilities. The angled eyepiece allows my to use a very short lightweight tripod, very important when Mtn hunting. Another necessary piece of equipment for all types of hunting is a quality range finder, the confidence gained knowing the actual distance can make the difference between taking the shot or not. Small enough to fit in your pocket, the latest line of rangefinders from Leica work well under all conditions for all weapons. A couple of years ago I used my 1200 yd range finder to measure the distance between a bighorn ram we were glassing & the nearest cover we were planning on sneaking to for a shot.
Leica APO 62 Spotting Scope Leica Ultra-Vid 10x42 (Light Weight)
As a devoted mountain hunter, long distance shots are bound to present themselves. Rarely is there that perfect tree or rock for a steady rest, often times with foliage 6-18” high preventing the prone position. Krammer designs came up with the best bi-pod system I have ever encountered. They can be ordered custom fit for your body height, for prone,sitting, or standing positions. I personally use the medium height model which allows me to sit or lay prone, attaches to your rifle in seconds, 360 degree swivel to compensate for steep hill sides weighs a couple of ounces. Folds up like high tech tent stakes & fits in your shirt pocket. Can’t imagine why someone would want to mount a bi-pod on their rifle that weighs as much as their rifle? A comfortable rifle sling can be worth its weight in gold by the end of a long day of walking & glassing. The full line of Butler creek slings have always been my favorites. With or without cartridge sleeves.
Krammer Designs Snipe Pod Shooting System Magnum Research Composite stock, Carbon Barrel, Leupold Scope (My Baby)
I rarely travel to destinations with communication handy. Thus i never go anywhere anymore without my 9505A Iridium Satellite phone.
Durable, lightweight, crystal clear & very affordable. (Technology)!!
Back packs, Daypacks, & Fanny packs;
This could easily be an article in itself. Once again, many different styles, shapes, sizes but a good general rule of thumb.
External pack frames are best for extreme back pacing, & carrying heavy loads. In general, this is guides job or better yet, that is what they made horses for. I find the larger the pack one brings, the more gear they will leave camp with each day. Ever notice how by the 3rd day, only necessary items leave camp on your back. Unless of course you like being a pack mule??
Internal pack frames are more practical, very comfortable & can carry large loads as well. Either way, I prefer lots of compartments & pockets. Nothing worse than digging to the bottom on your pack every time you need to get at something.
Crooked Horn Outfitters has one of the best lines of Day Packs & Fanny packs. All the products offered by this fine manufacturer was well thought out & quality made. One of my personal favorites is the video hip pack. Providing excellent protection against the elements & quick access to your camcorder when precious seconds matter.
It would be impossible to cover all the subjects & details that could be encountered without a novel.
Crooked Horn Outfitters; Complete line of quality back packs & day packs; Worlds best bino straps!!
In general, take the equipment list that your outfitter sends you, apply common sense & most importantly, ask questions. It is equally as frustrating for your outfitter & guide if you show up for 6-14 days without the proper equipment. In some cases, they can fill in the missing pieces with borrowed gear. However, rarely does that borrowed gear fit properly or work as well as what you should have brought with you.
Far too many clients only consider the actual kill as the climax of what they paid for. I am willing to bet that before your next hunt if you focus on the details that you personally have control over you will agree that the fore play is what it is all about.
Please take the time to honor & respect this great trophy by taking well thought out excellent pictures.
Clean up all the blood, tuck in or remove the tongue, prop the trophy up in a natural position. Whenever possible, do not have brush in the background, this often times obscures the horns. Always try to take lots of photos, primarily on just the subject (not a lot of background). One of the most common mistakes is the subject is a small portion of the photos, (fill the frame with just you & your trophy). Try to position the trophy so it is level with or higher than the camera, this will maximize the appearance. Photos taken looking down at the trophy will dwarf your trophy.
Above are a few examples of properly composed photos. Clean or hide blood, Keep camera angle low.
One of the best compliments I get all the time is all my trophy shots appear that the game is alive. Even non-hunters enjoy looking thru my photo albums. We do not need to convert all non-hunters to hunters, but more importantly we need to keep them neutral. Tasteful photos can help accomplish this!!!!!!!!! Women & children are the most impressionable. Photos done in poor taste can sour them to what we Love so much.
As in most subjects, the first impression is usually the most important one. Be a role model & help preserve what is so fragile.
All of the manufactures (mentioned above) web-sites are linked to mine & many more. (My web-site consists of over 6500 pages). Premier outfitters from all over the world, specialized equipment, articles, hunt reports, photo gallery, basically everything you will ever need to prepare for a World class hunt is listed in detail on my web-site.I take my precious time in the outdoors very seriously & expect my clients to do the same.With proper education & preparation every serious hunter out there can; (Stack the deck)
For more info on quality products or Premier hunting opportunities contact;
Al Kuntz "Al`s Worldwide Adventures" (Professional Hunting Consultant) 31 years
www.alsadventures.com al@alsadventures.com 651-433-5366
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