Join us in our 1st outing as we search for a Bull Moose. We will be chronicling all our adventures in the "Year Of The Moose" so make sure to subscribe so you don't miss any of the adventures as we work to fill this Once in a Lifetime tag!!
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Thursday, June 7, 2018
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Weekend at the Ranch - Nimrod Outdoors
Join us as we spend the weekend on the ranch in NV doing what ranchers do.
Its not always fun and game, sometimes we have to work, but we do manage to get in a little shed hunting!!
www.beanimrod.com
Its not always fun and game, sometimes we have to work, but we do manage to get in a little shed hunting!!
www.beanimrod.com
Friday, May 18, 2018
Utah Turkey Hunt 2018 "Big Tom for Little Joe" - Nimrod Outdoors
While the
doldrums of winter raged on, one day was made much brighter by my son Joseph.
He came to me one day and said “Dad, let’s put in for a Turkey Tag”. We had
never hunted turkeys before so….. Why not!!! It was something we could do to
get out in the hills during the spring and give us a little break from our Shed
Hunting.
Being
complete novices to the turkey hunting scene I didn’t give much thought to it
after we had put in for the draw. That is until I got the email confirmation
that said “Successful”. Not only did Little Joe draw but I did as well. All the
sudden we realized we had a lot of work to do. We had no idea what we were
doing. Where do we go? How do we hunt them? How do we call? What are the habits
of turkeys? We were totally clueless!!
We began our
study of turkey. We talked to lots of people, read a lot of articles and
watched a lot of YouTube videos. We were starting to gather a lot of
information and man… having never hunted them before, I had no idea how crazy
these birds were. From what we could tell, they are a lot like a big bull elk
during the rut. They strut around making lots of noise and chase the girls,
this is something we can work with.
As the days
rolled on and the opener got closer we continued to learn. We went out scouting
and located some turkeys, we talked to the biologists and game wardens from the
Utah DWR and put together a great game plan.
We returned to our spot the evening before the opener to do some final
scouting. The birds were out just like expected and there were a couple great
Toms in the group. The wind was blowing so hard we were not able to get our
blind set up for opening morning.
Opening
morning came early. We made our way out to our predesigned spot. We were in a
great position and as the pre sun dawn started to make its way up into the sky
we could hear the turkeys starting to make some noise. We got set up quickly with our decoys hoping
to pull the turkeys off the roost in our direction. As we waited for the sun and as the light
continued to get brighter we could see the turkeys in their roost and they were
starting to wake.
As our luck
would have it, the turkeys would come out of their roost and head in a
completely opposite direction. We set there trying to call them back (not
really knowing what we were doing) and mostly just stared at each other as the
decoys. After a while we realized the turkeys were not coming our direction. We
made a game plan and decided to try a little spot and stalk/ run and gun
method. We had no idea if it would work or not.
We headed
back to the car to regroup and make a plan. We went up the road a ways and then
hiked back into a drainage we knew the birds had gone into after the shots, in
hopes of cutting them off. We didn’t get
back into the turkeys so we continued the hike and it turned into a midday shed
hunting trip. It paid off as we picked up a few horns and got Joeys mind off
the morning hunt.
We decided
to set up or decoys where the birds had gone out that morning, as all heck
broke loose, in hopes to get them coming back into the field for the evening. We
were there well before the birds would come in and most of us took a little nap
after our long shed hunting hike. We had been there for about an hour and a
half when I thought I heard a gobble. We listened quietly but couldn’t confirm.
About a half hour later Joey though he heard a gobble, again no actual
confirmation. We waited patiently and about 20 minutes later I DID hear a
gobble but it was all wrong. It wasn’t coming from where it was supposed to. It
was coming from the other side of the field when we had been set up at first
light that morning.
Again Joe
and I made a run and gun effort to get over to the other side of the field and
set up before the birds started coming out. We got to our position and get set
up and waited. It wasn’t long when I saw movement coming through the sage
brush. We pulled up the binos and could see a group of Jakes making their way
through the sage toward the fields. At the same time we heard the gobble again
and it wasn’t with the Jakes, it was coming from our right and getting closer,
and the Jakes were right in front of us. The course the turkeys were on was going to
put us in a really bad and exposed spot.
We watched closely and decided we were going to have to move but it was
going to have to be done very carefully.
We crawled on our
hands and knees through the sage brush to get around the back side of the
bushes. The plan worked, and we were able to get to some good cover. I popped
my head up above the brush to see if the Jakes were still coming in. They were,
but that was not what got me excited!! The Tom was right there in front of us.
It saw me at the same time I saw it, and it was deciding to get the heck out of
there. I popped up to full height and said “Joe, its right there, get it”!!!!
Joe popped up and got his bead and BAM!!!! The big Tom hit the ground hard. It
was all over and it happened so fast!!!!
We took some
time to take pics and video and check out this awesome bird. Little Joe had
just killed the biggest Tom we have seen in this area. He was so excited. I
took a second to remind him how happy he was now was just because he missed
that morning. We were setting there talking and telling Jake and Jace (Who had
stayed back at our original setup) how it had all played out when Jacob said,
“Now what do we do with it”? We had taken the time to learn how to hunt them
but not how to take care of a bird if we got one. I looked at them and said
“YouTube” LOL
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Big Trophy Contest
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"
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
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.
Friday, September 29, 2017
Website Excitement!!!
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.
Monday, September 11, 2017
Trophy Hunter to Trophy Teacher
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.
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