Close Range Hunter

It's been quite a while since my last episode, but I'm back! Since Christmas Janice and I have been pretending to be retired, not just from our regular jobs, but also our pack llama business.  No social media, podcasts, or YouTube videos.  Just fun enjoying the Arizona backcountry. In this episode I first catch up on some of the adventures we've had and tell a couple of hunting stories.  After that I go into an  analysis of the data from the first year of the Arizona archery deer hunt quota system.  I get into some of the questions I've had like: How did it work out?  Which hunts closed and when?  What are some of the problems and solutions?  (Hint: It's not all bad.)  I also go into the proposed changes for the upcoming 2023 Arizona general deer hunt tag numbers and how that compares to changes to the archery hunts for the upcoming seasons. Thanks to all the people who have continued to download and listen to my past episodes and have encouraged me to get going again.  If you enjoy them please share with your friends.  Thanks, Chris

Josh has a wealth of knowledge, and more importantly, experience with backcountry search and rescue, whitewater and technical rescue, wilderness first aid, exercise physiology, and lots of other interesting and useful stuff.  He's a family man and very accomplished hunter, college professor, SAR and SWAT team member, and all around good guy.  He's one of the very few people I will hunt with anytime anywhere.  Even when things are rough he has a positive attitude.  He's also the guy you want backing you up if a mountain lion is about to jump on you!  In this episode we tell some hunting stories and talk about the simple things you can do to decrease the chance that you will need him to come rescue you.   Lots of useful information.  Let me know if you want Josh back on another episode or on a regular basis.   Message me on IG @closerangehunter.Sorry but there is a bit of bleed over between the two microphones.  While recording it sounded great, but after downloading from the recorder it has a little excess "stereo" sound.   This is the first time I've used this particular recording setup and I'm still learning. 

For this episode I took my recorder into the field to document my 2022 rifle coues deer hunt.  I packed into the Arizona desert wilderness solo, but with a couple of my llamas carrying all my food and gear.   It was a great time to be hunting in the desert.  I go over some of the gear used as well as tactics I typically use for this type of hunt and recap the hunt as I go.  For the first time I ran into some other guys hunting in the area and one of them, Alex, shot a real nice buck.  Listen up to see how it went down for me.I also talk a little about the AZ OTC elk hunt and my hopeful guest/co-host for the next episode.I apologize for the slightly blown out audio for the second part.  I set the recording levels properly and it sounded fine in the headphones while I was recording so I'm not sure what happened, but I didn't want to wait until I had the time to redo it.

They say the first step is admitting that you have a problem.  In this episode I do just that, and talk about my debilitating addiction to archery hunting for trophy coues deer.   This quest has caused 30 years years of frustration and unfilled tags not to mention the paranoia that came with finding and pursuing a true world record class buck.  Yes, I spent six of those years attempting to match wits with and obsessing over a giant buck I called Big Fork.  After he died of natural causes in 2013 I was crushed and hit rock bottom.  Because of that I quit archery deer hunting cold turkey for ten years, but this year I fell off the wagon and picked up the bow and the bad habit again, just as bad as ever.  Yet another frustrating early archery deer season, complete with close calls, has me thinking about quitting again.  Maybe I need a Slump Buster and should go after an ugly carp deer. In this episode I talk about hunts gone by and my eventful 2022 early archery season in an effort begin taking the first steps to kick this nasty habit. 

Archery elk season is right on top of us!  In this episode I cover five big picture strategies that I think are the most important, overlooked, or misunderstood aspects of archery elk hunting during the rut,  especially if you are solo hunting.  This isn't meant to be a comprehensive treatment of elk calling, tactics, and gear.  There are already many sources for that kind of information.   I could write a book about all the lessons I've learned from chasing big bulls, but here I have summarized  an overall approach to solo elk hunting that has evolved from first hand experience and success in the field.   If you are a new elk hunter this is a good primer to get you started in the right direction.  Even if you are experienced I bet there will be something here you haven't tried.  No matter who you are, adopting even one of these strategies should improve your hunt.   Let me know if you have other questions or topics you'd like to hear about.  Send me a message on Instagram at closerangehunter.  Enjoy!

 As I said in my first episode, I hunt all kinds of things.  In this episode I give a brief introduction to meteorites and meteorite hunting and describe a couple of trips I took in June.  It's been a while since my last episode because I've been out of town and busy with some of the stuff in this episode.  If you ever wondered about how people can find meteorites listen up! 

For this episode I had originally planned to get into the details and pros and cons of changes coming to Arizona OTC archery deer seasons.  At the last minute, I decided to more generally address why they are happening.  Spoiler alert:  It's due to the increasing mainstream popularity of hunting, monetizing hunting, and rapid technological innovation.  These things are putting increasing pressure on our western game species and forcing the wildlife managers to react.  Thinking about these changes reminded me of an article I wrote for the 5th edition of the Bowhunting in Arizona Record Book in 2010 called, "Changes."   Looking back on that I feel that I underestimated the changes coming in the decade that followed.  I thought it was worth reading that article aloud for the listeners, if for no other reason than to make me look like Nostradamus of hunting.  In the end, I make the case for using "traditional weapon" only seasons as a partial solution to preserve or reclaim hunting opportunities.   Let me know if you agree or disagree.  Thanks for listening.

In this episode I talk about the pros and cons of backcountry travel and hunting with pack llamas. (Spoiler alert: It's almost all pros.) Pack llamas have become very popular for backcountry travelers and hunters in the last few years, but we've been using them for almost 30 years.   In this episode I share some of our experience and basic info about why they are the ultimate pack animal and why they are a game changer for backcountry hunting.  We have been packing with llamas since 1995 and have a pack llama business called, Arizona Backcountry Llamas.  You can look us up on Instagram and Facebook under that name and our website is Arizonallamas.com. If you want to go on a pack trip with your friends and family or go on a backcountry hunting adventure check us out.

These days it seems like hunting has become all about the gear and the "Industry"  Gotta have all the cool stuff.  The problem is then you have to carry all that stuff and it can slow you down. Turns out carrying less stuff can make you a more effective hunter.  In this episode I break down what I carry in my pack for a day of hunting.  I wouldn't say it's a minimalist approach, but more about keeping it simple and light enough that I can hunt and hike all day, day after day.   I'm sure there will be some disagreements about it, and some things I left out, but my hope is to help people sort through all of the "must have" stuff to lighten the load and hunt harder and longer.   My philosophy is to keep it simple and light, but make sure the really important things are covered well.   This is about day hunting from camp or truck not about backpack hunting, but this same philosophy can be applied once you get to camp on that backpack hunt.  What did I miss here?  Let me know @closerangehunter on Instagram.

In this episode I talk about why I usually hunt solo and why I think it is the way to go, and sometimes not.  I cover some of the pros and cons of hunting solo and some tips on what it takes.   I offer my opinion on why more people are becoming  interested in solo hunting and why some won't do it.  It is just something I've always done and until recently didn't realize that being "solo hunter" was a "thing".   I'll probably ruffle a few feathers, but as the meme says, "Change my mind."

Trophy hunting, is it good or bad?  What constitutes a trophy?  In this episode I give some of my opinions and insight on trophy hunting, scores, record books.  Why I think trophy hunting is a good thing, and how it can become a bad thing.   My personal philosophy and reasons for trophy hunting, or not.   At the end I introduce some new goals for becoming a well rounded hunter, whether you hunt with a modern bow, traditional bow, muzzleloader, or rifle these goal can keep it interesting.  

It is that time of year again when the Arizona elk and antelope draw results are coming out and people are getting excited.   Every year at this time the internet/socials are flooded with posts saying, "I can't believe a drew this tag.  I've never hunted unit x before.  I'm not asking for your honey holes but..."  Don't be that guy and really don't be the guy who posts hunting spots on social media!  In this episode I'll tell you some of my tried and true methods for finding elk in new areas.  The number one thing you need to do it scout.  Specifically speed scouting if you don't have a lot of time.  These simple tips have led me to killing a bunch of nice bulls in many different units and helping clients do the same.  There were a few details I left out, but I'm trying to keep it close to 30 min.  This episode is about 38 min. I apologize for some background noise.  I recorded this episode sitting in bed with my leg elevated because of a broken ankle.   My phone goes off once too.  I thought it would be funny that many people listening will think it is their phone, so I left it in.  

This is the introductory episode of the Close Range Hunter Podcast.  In this episode I talk about why I started the podcast, tell a couple of hunting stories, talk about traditional bowhunting, javelina hunting, hunting in Arizona, and where I plan to take the podcast in the future.  It was recorded at the spur of the moment sitting in the front seat of my truck in Arizona after a successful javelina hunt.  It may not be perfect, but I have to start somewhere.  The episodes will improve over time.   I'm interested in feedback, especially suggestions on outdoor and backcountry related topics that people would like to learn more about.  It doesn't have to be about hunting.  I bet this is the first  hunting podcast that uses Funk music for the into and outro.  Gotta love the Funk!