Big Trophy Contest

www.beanimrod.com

We we have been overwhelmed with the response we got from our 1st ever "Big Trophy Contest". It was amazing to us to see how many of you sent in pics and to hear the stories that went along with these photos was pure awesome. We were able to meet so many new people and get to know you and that was the best part of the entire Contest. We structured it to have 3 categories, a Men's a Women's and a Youth category and had so many great entries for each category. It was such a hard decision for all of us to narrow it down to the finalists. We looked at things like, the smile on the face, the lighting of the photo, the likes each photo got on our social media pages and how many time you shared and posted and commented. It was so hard to narrow it down.

This was such a great experience for us that we will defiantly be doing it again next year. We could not have done this without your support and without the generous contributions of our AWESOME partners and sponsors. These guys from the moment we contacted them we all in and were a great support through out the process. It is amazing to work with such great companies and people.

Our partners and the prizes they supported this contest with:

Horn Hunter (www.hornhunter.com)
          3 Horn Hunter backpacks

Redy Nutrients (www.liveredy.com)
          Nutritional Supplies 

Kings Camo (www.kingscamo.com)
          3 Kings Camo Sleeping bags)

PhoneSkope (www.phoneskope.com)
          3 $100 Gift Certificates

Ultimate Predator (www.ultimatepredatorgear.com)
          3 Elk Decoys

Vortex Optics (www.vortexoptics.com)
          Vortex Optics apparel 

So without further ramblings here are your Finalists from each category.

Youth Category:

                                      Jesse Heins (Alberta)                  Caleb Latteier (Colorado) 

Tai Tiumalu (New Mexico)

                                    Jessica Terry (Utah)                      Wyatt Tebbs (Utah)

Women's Category:

 

                                  Lori ONeal (Utah)                           Tiffany Ross (Montana)

Autumn Spencer (Utah)

 

                         Robynn Culver (South Africa)                                   Jordyn Oman (Utah)

Men's Category:

 

                            Yahsti Perkinskiller (Montana)           Austin Anthony (Colorado)

 

                                 Tanner Matott (Texas)                       Chris Davis (Utah)

 

                                 Tim Cobb (Missouri)                       Michael Burnside (Alaska)

Zac Adams (Utah)

We cant express to you how much this contest has meant to us. It have truly been an honor to host it. A big congratulations goes out to the finalists and a HUGE thank you goes out to everyone else that has been any part of this contest, from submitting a photo to just liking a post. Thank you so much one and all for your support of Nimrod Outdoors. We will see you all again next year for the "Big Trophy Contest #2"

“Battle with the Bull”
www.beanimrod.com

   The spring of 2015 was upon us and we were putting in for the hunts. We were not expecting anything because no one in the family had any points to draw with. Our oldest son Joshua then 16 had only been able to put in for LE hunts for 2 years here in Utah, so with 2 points he wasn’t expecting to draw either.

   I hadn’t checked my credit card (again not expecting to draw), so we knew nothing. Days later mail came. Half-heartedly, I opened the envelopes as I was getting ready for bed. My wife walks into the bedroom to me screaming and doing the HAPPY DANCE!!!  Joshua had drawn a LE Early Rifle Bull Elk tag!!! I don’t know how it happened, but at that point I didn’t care!!!

   We spent the next month’s getting ready for his hunt. We scouted, set out trail cams (one of which got stolen) and went to the range to get him all straightened out. When all was said and done at the range, he was hitting very consistently at 12” steel plate at 600 yards with his 308.

    We did get out opening weekend with no success. I was saving my time off work for the last week of the hunt. We finally got after it once I was able to get out of my responsibilities at work.  The second to last day rolled around and our spirits were still high, but I could tell Josh was starting to feel the pressure. He had been with me the year prior when I had a Paunsauguant archery deer tag and had eaten tag soup, and he know he didn’t want to do the same thing. He was putting the pressure on himself, and I was trying to ease his worries.

   We started out that morning listening to some bulls bugling. We knew where they were and headed their direction. We were moving in close in the pre-dawn light when all the sudden we heard movement. We stopped dead in our tracks. We had walked into a herd of sheep with a couple big sheep dogs. Most the sheep were still sleeping, but some were starting to stir. We did not want to get the sheep, and for that matter, the dogs nervous and making noise. We were too close to the elk at this point.

   We stood still for what seemed like forever. We tried to devise a plan as to how to get out of the bad situation. Some of the sheep finally got up and calmly feed off in the other direction, which allowed us to be able to back out and make our way around them without spooking them.

     We got back on the bulls that were still talking. We peaked down off a hill onto a little bench and there was a bull chasing cows. He was a cool bull, a little small, with a little kicker off his left side. Josh looked him over pretty good and decided to pass. I was really surprised; I guess my calm down talk worked.

   

   We continued sneaking in, trying to zone in on one of the other bulls. We lost track of the bulls for about 30 minutes because for some reason they stopped talking. We set down and got a good vantage point across the bottom of the canyon. One of the bulls started talking and making his way down to water.  We laid eyes on him as he got to the bottom, and Josh decided this is the one he wanted to shoot.

   We got into shooting position and got all set up. With his little brother over his shoulder with the video camera and me next to him giving him a range, Josh was ready to go. As soon as I gave him a range he adjusted and fired. The shot was just in front of the bull, but it turned him around which was a good thing. A few more feet in that direction and he would have been out of sight. The bull turned and started to make his exit and Josh took his second shot. HIT. The bull kept moving and Josh fired again, another hit. The bull stood on the side hill across the canyon and Josh took one more shot. When he fired the bull went down.

   The bull drug itself into the river and died.  When I saw where it died, I knew we were in for a bad rest of the day.  We went down to the bull and assessed our situation. It had died in a 2’ deep creek with banks about 2’ above the water’s edge. This meant we would have to lift this increasingly (water logged) heavy bull up 4 feet to the bank.

  After what seemed like an eternity we managed to get the bull out of the water and onto the bank. We had lifted and stuffed rocks under the bull until we built him up out of the water, and could pull him up onto dry ground. We were completely gassed at this point after the 3 hour battle with the bull. We began the slow process of cutting the animal up. We got the bull quartered and in our packs and started the brutal 3 mile hike uphill (remember we were in the bottom of the river) to the trail head. We got the first load back to the car and returned for the second load. Once back to the car and made the drive back to camp where the rest of the family was waiting.

   Josh had shot the bull at 8:30am and when we got back to camp it was 7:30pm. It had taken us 11 hours to get the bull out. I told Josh that this was a “Hate Love” relationship. We “Hate” the fact we “Love” it so much. It is and always be a hunt to remember.

Here is the video of this hunt on our YouTube Channel

Also a funny little video of a very excited little brother as his dad and big brothers worked to get the bull out of the water. Very Funny.

Website Excitement!!!

www.beanimrod.com

We are so excited to announce that our website is up and running. This has been a long time coming and we are excited about the future and what we can offer through our site.

We have our YouTube videos on there for your viewing pleasure located right on our Home Page.

We have a store (Work in progress) where you can get all your Nimrod Outdoors Swag.

We have a page where you can get to know us and the members of Nimrod Outdoors.

We have a page with our partners and connections to their pages where you can get all the gear you need. We also have our promo codes for each of our partners so you can use this code and get your Nimrod Discounts.

We have a page dedicated to the Land Owner Nevada Elk tags we have access to with information about them and how to get a hold of us.

There is also a page to contact us. Any questions, Comments, Concerns or just to say Hi. We would love to hear from you. 

We understand that currently our "Nimrod Shop" is not working.  We are actually waiting for our new shipment of hats to come in but it will be up and working very very soon.  You can order your Nimrod Swag from the comfort of your own home (in your camo jammies if you want)

Check it out for yourself and let us know what you think. We would love to hear your feedback both good and bad of  how our site looks and works.

Thank you so much for your support, we love all you Nimrods out there.

Trophy Hunter to Trophy Teacher

“Trophy Hunter” to “Trophy Teacher”
www.beanimrod.com

I love to Hunt and have done from a very young age. It is one of my greatest passions, to be out in nature testing my skills and knowledge against the skills and knowledge of my pray. There is something very rewarding about the experience, even when you don’t come home “Successful”

I remember as a little boy following in the footsteps of my father as we hiked the mountains of Southern Utah. Trying, but not succeeding very well, to step exactly where he did so we didn’t make noise. Stopping, not soon enough most the time, when he stopped to listen.  I also remember when we would set at a great vantage point and watch the surrounding hill for what seemed like hours. I would get impatient and want to go and hike, and dad would say “patients”. Undoubtedly we would finally see the deer that someone else that had been hiking pushed to us. 

Later in life I became old enough to become the hunter. I got to pack my own rifle and choose what I did while hunting. I took many of the lessons I learned early in my hunting day from my father, and implemented them into my own hunting style.  As I grew in both stature and knowledge I continued to improve my hunting style. I got to the point that I felt very confident in my knowledge and abilities. I became a “Trophy Hunter”. I spent many years before and after I got married hunting this way, Big country with big animals. Eating tags, more tags then I filled, just to try for a chance at the Big Boys!!! You know the “Trophy Hunter” mentality. I truly enjoyed my days as a “Trophy Hunter”.

Now many years later, as a father of 7 (6 of which are boys) I have turned from the “Trophy Hunter” to the “Trophy Teacher”. It did not happen all at once, it was a slow process. My first son got old enough to go with me and for a couple years it was just him and me. Then we added his little brother to our group. Now after 20 years of marriage we are up to 4 sons that go out and tromp the hills together. I have caught myself saying some of the same things I heard my father say to me. “You have to hold still”, “Keep the wind in your face”, “Don’t skyline yourself”, “Patients” and most frequently “Be quiet, stop talking” LOL. I realize that I have a wealth of Knowledge to share with my boys and I must share it.

  

 Here are some things I have learned making the transition from “Trophy Hunter to Trophy Teacher”. 

1-      Trophy Hunter I am NOT (Currently). For a few years now (I guess since my oldest son started to hunt with me as a little boy) I have had to put away the idea that I am a Trophy Hunter. Yes technically, I am still a trophy hunter, but with young kids tagging along on the hunt your chances go down dramatically.  I have come to realize that taking an animal, whether or not it’s the biggest on the mountain, is always more fun and exciting for my boys, then going home empty handed.  You are hunting to teach your kids, and not for the all elusive Ghost Buck. You have to concede, for a while you may not kill a giant in your book, but to a young kid, a forky IS a giant.

2-      Make sure to have fun. Think of things you can do to make sure your young ones are having a good time while hunting.  We like to play “guess the yardage” while out bow hunting and things are slow. Range find different objects and see who can get the closest guess. It is hard for little kids (and even some teenagers) to hold still. Don’t set to long in one place, they will get bored and wiggly. At the same time you want to teach them patients (like my father did with me), but try not to set all day in the tree stand or on a water hole.  We like to watch Hunting videos in the off season. Try to guess the score of the animals and see what you come up with. Hunting magazines are a great source as well because most the time they give a score in their article. Cover the score up and see how close they can guess, you too for that matter. When it is dead in the wood and no activity is going on, don’t be afraid to take out that bugle or cow call and teach them how to use it. They love making noise and now Dad is doing it right alongside them. Make sure to have fun with them and keep them interested in hunting.

3-      Don’t get frustrated. This is one of my hardest things to get over. My boys (Like most typical boys) are very active. They cannot hold still, or be quiet for that matter. It is important to teach them how to be quiet and to hold still but you have to hold your frustrations when they forget, and they do that a lot. Them being quiet and holding still for 10 minutes is like you going to work for 20 hours a day. It’s KILLER!! LOL Be patient with them and keep a smile on your face even when you have to remind them 100 times a day to stop talking.

4-      Teach them how to love the Outdoors. There is no guarantee that your kids will all grow up to be hunters (and love it as much as you). You can still teach them to love the outdoors and enjoy being out with family and friends. To respect the beauty of nature and to help keep it that way. We always have a camp cleanup time as we put camp down. It doesn’t matter if it is 10 miles back into the wilderness or at an organized campground. We leave it better then we found it. As we walk trails while hunting we take the time to bend over and clean up others trash. Teach your kids take care of the outdoors and they will grow to have a great respect for them.

These are some of the things I have learned over the years as I have transitioned from Trophy Hunter to Trophy Teacher. One day I will return to the High Mountain Peaks and Basins in search of the Trophy animal I so love. When that time comes I will have my boys by my side as they have grown into their own “Trophy Hunter.” I understand that currently I am a Trophy Teacher (I teach, and my children are my Trophies) and this is a very important part of the cycle of a “True Trophy Hunter”

Here is a copy of this article in the Mule Deer Foundation Magazine.

Modular Pack Systems

By Jeff Barlow (Nimrod Outdoors)
www.beanimrod.com

   Years ago I was hunting with my buddy in the back country of Utah. We spotted Elk early that morning and took off across a huge canyon to see if we could get into them. As luck would have it we were able to get into the herd and I was able to arrow a nice bull. This point in the story when we realized, we were not prepared.

What I mean by that is, as we left the camp that morning all we had on our backs were our little day packs. We had not figured we would see the elk in that location and figured we would find them much closer. After spotting the elk we were excited and took off without thinking or preparing. As we got to my bull we realized that we had put ourselves in a bad predicament. There was no way we were going to be able to get that big animal out that night with the packs we had on.

My buddy and I decided he would make the long trip back through the big nasty canyon to our camp to retrieve our meat hauling packs and I would start the process of taking care of the bull. By the time Travis was able to get to the packs and back to my location it was getting dark. He said, as he walked up to me, thank goodness for GPS or I would have never found you in the dark.

We finished taking care of the bull, deboned the meat and loaded up our packs. By this time it was very dark and we realized that there was no way we were going to be able to hike out in the dark through the rough canyon. We decided to move away from the carcass and make camp for the night. We hung our heavy packs up in a tree and moved away from them, we found a big tree we could use for shelter and to sleep under. We built a fire between us and tried to get some sleep while lying on the ground with no pad or sleeping bag. We took turns all night getting wood and stoking the fire to keep it burning so we wouldn’t freeze. The next morning we got up (won’t say we woke up because I am pretty sure neither of us really ever went to sleep), put our packs on and hiked ourselves out to the truck. It was a very long night and not one I plan on repeating, at least not that way.

The reason I tell you this story is because it could have all been prevented if we would have been prepared. Our biggest problem is that we didn’t have the right equipment on our backs. Since that time I have done a lot of research on packs and what the best option would be to help prevent this type of situation from happening again. I found what I believe to be the best option. Modular Pack Systems.

What I mean by modular pack systems is, a system that can be added to or taken way from to get what you need out of your pack. There are many different brands of modular packs out there and for the most part they are all good quality packs from companies that have reputable brands. I have used many different packs and they all have their strengths and weaknesses.

Here are some, but not all, of the packs we have looked at that would fit these category of modular packs.

Eberlestock- Eberlestock has a few options to create the modular pack system. Packs like the “Just One Pack”, the “Dragonfly” and the “BlueWidow”. All great packs where the outer tube pockets can be unzipped between them and folded out to expose more cargo space and allows for additional packs to be zipped into them to grow your pack even bigger. Price on their website $330 - $400

 

Horn Hunter- Horn Hunter has a great pack that fits the modular system. The Full Curl System pack is very versatile and can adjust to what you need very quickly. This pack consists of a frame pack that has wings that can fold out and a packing shelf on the bottom, a big bag that has huge cargo opening to store about anything you can imagine and a day pack that has plenty of space and pockets to organize all your gear. This system can be used and connected together in any configuration you want. Frame and Big Bag, Frame and Day Pack, Frame alone or Day Pack alone or all three hooked together. Price on their website $381

Blacks Creek- The Solution Pack is a great backpack that has a modular system to it as well.  It like the Horn Hunter has a frame that can open up and that other parts of the pack are able to hook into to create the pack you need for the hunt you are on. From shed hunting to elk hunting this modular pack is a great option. Price on their website $595

 

Kifaru- ERM II is a Functional, versatile and durable pack. The pack can expand to 8,000+ ci, but also transform into a functional daypack when needed. The pack also adds 1,200 ci wings to each side. The EMR II allows for mass expansion and/or compression and the versatility that is great for any situation you are in while back packing. Price on their website $383

 

Mystery Ranch- Mystery Ranch has a few packs that would fit this category. The Marshall, Metcalf and Pintler are all packs that can expand and give you more room to haul out your quarry.  The packs them self can be removed and expanded from the frame allowing space to store or haul anything you need.

Price on their website $450 - $595

 

There are a lot of great packs out there. These packs will all do the job when it comes to being modular enough to handle any situation. From a 50 mile backpack trip to packing out your trophy to anything you can imagine throwing at them. All of the packs reviewed here come from top manufactures and companies in the backpack industry. There are also many packs out there that we did not review in this article which we plan on doing in a follow up article.

Biggest advice is while all these packs are awesome and will do the job for you, the most important thing to do is to go out and try them on. Each of us is built different physically and not one pack will be perfect for every person. Try the packs on. Ask the store if you can put some weight in them and pack them around the store. If they have stairs in the store, go up and down the stairs and see how the pack moves with you. Check out the adjustability of the pack. Can it be adjusted the way you need it to fit your body type. Check out the other features like pockets and organization capabilities. Look to see if there is a warranty on the pack and what it covers. Your putting your hard earned money into this pack you want it to last and have a company that backs their product. Most of all, do your homework. Talk to as many people as you can and make your informed decision, then get out there and have some fun with your new pack.

Although our experience makes for some great memories with a hunting buddy, being able to go from a day pack to a full on meat hauling machine would have been a huge blessing for Travis and I that night we spent on the mountain. If we would have had a modular pack systems we could have gone from spotting the elk with a small compressed day packs on, to hauling it out that afternoon with our meat hauler packs. We would not have had to waste the time and energy running the 4+ miles back and forth to camp to get a different pack. We could have processed the bull, put it in our packs and hauled it out before dark and skipped the experience of sleeping on the ground and almost freezing.

Next time you are looking at packs, remember our experience, and seriously consider getting a good Modular Pack System. It will save you time and defiantly saves you from that bad feeling of being unprepared.

New Partnership!!!

   We are very excited to Announce out new partnership with KINGS CAMO.

We know that this is going to be a very good partnership and are looking forward to the future for both groups. 

   Kings is a very established company with lots of different products. We look forward to introducing our followers to this great company and everything they have to offer. Check out all their great products at www.kingscamo.com and use the promo code "nimrod10" to get your discount.

Big Trophy Contest

   Also we are going to be doing a "Big Trophy" contest on you Social Media pages this fall. We have our great partners putting up some prizes for this awesome contest so make sure you are following our social media so you can get all the details. This contest will have some pretty simple rules and will have some great prizes. This will not by your normal Big Trophy contest. We will have 3 winners. A women's category a youth category and a men's category. It will run all fall long and we will pick winners mid November. Its going to be AWESOME!!!

Archery Season fast approaches

The archery hunt here in Utah is 1 week away. We are so excited to get out in the hills and have a chance at filling our tags. We are now on a 3 year quest for a buck we have named Dark30. This buck we ran into 3 years ago while tracking my son Jacobs buck. He was big and tall and had a few extras. The following year we found him again in nearly the same location. We watched him and patterned him and waited for our opportunity. We had him one evening right where we wanted him and made our play. We had our chance and my oldest boy missed the shot and slid his arrow just under his belly. 

We are now on to this year. Jacob has seen him again while out setting trail cams and said "Dad, he is even bigger this year" We will be on the mountain bright and early opening morning hoping to relocate Dark30 and get our opportunity to hunt him. 

Great things are coming this fall for Team Nimrod and Nimrod Outdoors. We have the best partners in the industry and thank them for all their support. We will press forward and would love for you to come join us and enjoy the ride. Come join the Nimrod Nation. 

Welcome to Nimrod Outdoors

www.beanimrod.com

Well this is our first blog so we hope you enjoy the new addition to the Nimrod Social Media platform. We are so thankful for all the support and kind comments we have received. We want to tell you we are going to continue to do what we do and hope you like it enough to spread the word to all your friend and hunting buddies about Nimrod Outdoors and help it grow into something truly special.

Jeff Barlow

  So to introduce us. My name is Jeff Barlow and "I am Nimrod" I started Nimrod Outdoors a couple years ago to have something to do with my teenage sons. Of course all teenagers are into Social Media so that is where I took Nimrod Outdoors (Plus the fact that my wife got sick of seeing all my hunting stuff on my social media and told me to do something else with it, LOL) I completely and totally love the outdoors, in anyway shape or form. Just being able to be out and enjoying nature is a great blessing in my life, and now to be able to share my adventures with my children is even better.
I decided to start filming our hunts and outdoor adventures and sharing them with anyone that wanted to see what we were doing, mostly so family could keep up with our activities. Today it has become much much more and we love what we are doing.
  We are just everyday ordinary guys (Average Joes) that love to hunt and fish and be in the outdoors. We don't have all the time and money to travel and hunt around the world (Yet) and we don't have all the latest and greatest equipment. We hunt general season hunts (Sometimes we get lucky and draw a Limited Entry tag) and hunt public ground. Our camera equipment is anything but professional. Most of our photos and videos are shot by cell phone, gopro or a 10 year old hand held video camera we have. We are not professional photographers or videoagraphers, in fact my 11 year old son sometimes runs the camera (and that is hard to watch at times, way shaky, LOL)
  Over the last couple years we have added to our team which started as me and my 2 oldest sons Joshua and Jacob. Now we have a total of 10 of us. Team members include Joshua Barlow, Jacob Barlow, Joseph Barlow, Jace Barlow, Denny and Ethan Mangum (Brothers), Paul Neese, Garett Criddle and Terron Hunt. All of us (Except for my sons) are fathers that love the outdoors and want to help the next generation love and respect them just as much as we do. Our goal is to get everyone we can introduced to the outdoors way of life and we have a definite focus on the youth and younger generation.
  Once again I hope you like the new blog and we will try to have good content her for you to enjoy.
We also have Social Media of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, SnapChat and our very own YouTube channel where we share our outdoor experiences at least once a week. Follow us, Subscribe and feel free to comment and let us know anything you would like us to cover, from how to topics to product reviews. We will try to have a wide variety of thing to keep you interested in coming back to our blog.
  Come back often and Be A Nimrod.

Joshua Barlow

Jacob Barlow

Denny Mangum

Paul Neese

Garett Criddle

Terron Hunt