Where have I been for two years?

Well two very fast years have passed here on R-Dub Outdoors without one single post.  I am going to try my best to make a come back. The last two years have been a mixture of greatness and heartache. I will touch on it all.

First of all two years ago my second daughter Elsa was born. Life with two kids was busy and that started the slow down in my writings. I wrote about my 2013 high buck and that was about it.

Maddy and Elsa may 2014

In 2014 starting in June I was involved in a roll over collision where I hit a deer driving 60MPH at 0430 in the morning after a night of work. My car went into the ditch sideways and rolled. I was able to climb out of the vehicle and sat on the side of the road until help arrived. All I suffered was a slight concussion and I was transported to the hospital at the insistence of my wife. The very next day I left on vacation to Sun Valley Idaho with my young family. Where I tried my hand at some fly-fishing without any luck. Then all 4 of us came down with a stomach flu. Not fun, and not something I recommend to get any time especially while on vacation. We got to know the hospital ER staff well. High light of the trip was seeing a mountain goat and other wildlife on our adventure.

I was able to shoot my first turkey during the spring hunt. That was really enjoyable and was delicious.

In July in the area  I live the largest wildfires in Washington State History started. Named the Carlton Complex fire it burned over 250,000 acres of land. Which included my 10 acres. Luckily I was able to stop the fire 5 feet from my house with a dripping hose from my irrigation line.  Three days before the fires came the transmission in the jeep went out. I walked home and could not return to it before the fire burnt it up. Luckily I was able to buy a new hunting truck shortly after wards

The fire getting nice and close to the house.

Flood Waters in Alfalfa field

  

Then in August the rain came in and broke the dams on the irrigation lakes above my house. So our 2 foot wide creek was now 100 Yards across. Pieces of my neighbors house’s where floating down along with fence posts and other debris. When the waters receded my rich soil in my fields were now full of sandy silt. 

Fall of 2014 was ok for hunting. My family any I shot a few grouse and I was able to get 2 deer. I was able to draw a second doe tag. I took Maddy out on her first deer hunt and we were able to take a doe with out much fuss. Now every time we eat venison she asks if it is the deer we shot together. I was also able to shoot my buck, nothing special an average 3x3 Mule Deer. Which was nice since the fires affected a lot of friends as well so I was able to give some of my meat away.  Duck hunting was fun as always. Spending time with family and friends is always fun, even got Ron out for some duck hunting. First lake we hunted we shot 3 geese off of which was great.  

In spring of 2015 my son Rowan was born. Thinking a house with 2 was busy, Yikes three is jumping off of the deep end. HAHA.  In the spring Maddy and I went and harvested another turkey, which was a lot of fun for both of us. Anytime I get to share something like that with one of my kids is amazing.  I was also able to get onto Ron’s boat for some sockeye fishing in the Columbia River by Brewtser, Wa. We limited out with 12 fish in an hour and a half. Do I need to say more !!!!

Summer of 2015 the fires came again. This time they did not come close to the house but in our area over 300,000 acres burnt surpassing the year before in size. Making things worse 3 local fire fighters died fighting the fire in my hometown. Even though I did not know the three fire

Me and all three kiddos

fighters myself, my best wishes go out to their family and friends.

On a positive note I have been into backpacking more. I have gotten myself into much better shape. My friend Jason and I went on a 34-mile pack trip, which was a great time. I will write more about it in another post.  

We are into the 2015 hunting season and I have lots to write about. I don’t want to ruin anything yet. Some of you already know. I also have lots of new gear to review. We will have reviews of some new Muck Boots my wife received coming up soon, along with other hunting and packing gear. I am hoping to arrange some giveaways so pay attention so you get have your chance to win some great gear.

Grouse Hunting Through My Wifes Eyes

Rory and I met online back in 2008. Our first date was at a Starbucks, where I proceeded to shock him by ordering hot chocolate on a 100 degree day. I'm not sure if that is what prompted him to follow up and ask for a second date (a hike up nearby 'mountain' looking for Shorthorned Lizards), and then a third (another hike on another very hot day), but whatever the reason, a bit over a month later I found myself out hunting for basically the first time of my life.

September first for Rory means grouse hunting. And from the start of our relationship, I've tagged along - taking pictures, staying behind the hunters, and keeping a look out for grouse & where they fall once shot, and then more recently I've joined the hunt with a shotgun myself.

That first hunt we got up at what I (somewhat) affectionately refer to as stupid-o-clock, which basically means anytime far earlier than usual, generally well before dawn starts to make the outside world visible. Rory was living at his old house in town, and I was down visiting. We had a 30 minute drive just to get to where we live now, then further still on the forest roads to get up to the good grouse spots.

There was nervous excitement in the pit of my stomach, and chilly wind blowing on my cheeks, in part to alleviate the foul air that I've come to accept as part of the Jeep experience.  I quickly realized I was expected to peer sideways out my wide open window either upslope or downslope, depending on the road, and look out into the dawn light for grouse sitting on the ground, on logs, or on stumps, or perched on tree branches.

 

I don't remember whether he shot his limit that first time out or not, but I know I had a good time. Although by now I've hunted other animals with Rory - ducks, quail, huns, chukar, turkeys, and deer, my favorite by far is grouse. There is something about that first hunt of the fall. The cooler morning temperatures, the early dawn light, the scenic views from where we grouse hunt, the leaves starting to change color and drift to the ground, the first waft of smelly Jeep air.

Grouse hunting is something we do as a family, usually just Rory, the girls, and myself, with the hunting dogs bringing up the sides. We drive around looking for grouse, go on hikes with beautiful views, and have so much time to bond as a family - experiencing nature at its finest, while bringing home meat for the freezer.

 

As I looked back through 6 years of September grouse hunting pictures to accompany this post, family is definitely the center of the event. I can look and see Maddycakes growing up, from the first year I hunted grouse, when she was in my belly, to the following year where she wasn't yet walking, and on and on to this year, with new little Elsa just 3 months old.

 

That brings us to this year, these hunts with 2 littles, and a mama not yet back in shape from pregnancy. Rory's been just as interested in hunting every morning and night he isn't at work as ever, and hasn't been put off by us slowing him down. Ever the gentleman, he's instead adapted to our speed, accepting our limitations in stride. Too bumpy of a road for the baby? Nevermind mama, we'll just do this one over here instead. Too tired to be anything but cranky? Nevermind mama, how about I hike in and find you another grouse to finish out your limit and call you in when I've got it perched in a tree. Baby occupying your hands so you can't even help feather one bird? Nevermind mama, you just sit over there and Maddycakes and I will feather all your birds.

Although the first day this year we focused on getting him his limit, the second day was all about getting me mine. The daily limit here is 4 birds per person, and that second day we both limited out on our morning hunt. While the first day was a joint effort spotting the birds and finding where they lit up, the second day was all Rory. Bird after bird he spotted, and I'd move in for the shot. Five birds he spotted for me (the first one I would have gotten if I had been shooting high base not the low base that scared it off but didn't penetrate), and four birds he feathered and cleaned for our freezer for me.

 

With the baby this year, I'm not going to be duck hunting, and don't expect to be doing any deer hunting either. But grouse hunting was one thing that brand new baby or not, I was not going to skip out on this year.

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Opening Day Grouse hunting 2013

The night before grouse hunting opened I had to work a night shift. I arranged my schedule to get off at 4 am instead of my usual 6 am. That gives me two hours to drive home, get ready and get the family up and awake for hunting. So I get home get both the car seats moved over to the Jeep. The best thing for me about getting the family up is waking up my three year old daughter Maddy by giving her a little shake and asking her if she wants to go hunting. I am always greeted with a big smile and a soft whisper of  "yes". The wife heard me get home so her and baby Elsa got up without any help. We loaded everything up and got going about 10 minutes late.

While I am grouse hunting I am very superstitious. Silly things like, I have to be wearing the right clothes, I have to ride the gate to our hunting road and when I am driving I have to hold two shells in my one of my hands. I don't know what to say but it work for me.

We get to the road we will be hunting and start the slow drive. Since we had the baby a few months prior my wife wont be doing any long hikes this year. We get all the way to the end of the road and did not see a simgle grouse. I figure its going to be one of those frustrating opening days. We tell ourselves that sometimes we see birds on the way out to make ourselves feel better.  So we turn around and start making our way out. A ways down the road I see the first grouse. As it starts running through the bushes it flushes into a tree. The wife offers me the first grouse of the year and I take the shot. The bird came tumbling down out of the tree.

A few minutes later I found my second bird. As I drove around a few corners all of a sudden there was a grouse running for its life in front of the Jeep. The grouse flushes into a tree and I get my second bird of the day.

A few more corners down the road I find one for my wife to shoot up in the bushes. So now the pressure is off and everyone is happy. Except now my wife has a bit of confidence and she tells me she would like to limit out in one of the up coming days.

We get to the main road and I decide to take the main loop around instead of the quick drive home. While driving down the main road I catch a flushing grouse out of the corner of my eye. I slam on the breaks walk back find the grouse and add my third grouse for the day.



We drive a few more roads and did not find any more grouse for the morning hunt. But we did see a bear with a funny yellow patch of fur on his right rear thigh. I was also able to get a rabbit in the bag as well.

We returned home so I could get some sleep since I had been up since 5 PM the day before.

My wife woke me up for the evening hunt. I was having a really hard time waking up, but then I remembered I only had one more grouse to go for my limit. We went to the same area but drove the upper road.  A mile in on the road I spotted a grouse running through the grass about 40 feet off the road. I chased after it and it flushed. I shot at it in the air and missed. I shot under it as it flew into a tree. I knocked it out of the tree and returned to the Jeep with my limit for the day.  We did not see another grouse for the night.

Five grouse for opening day was good enough for us and we went home very happy and content.

Gearing Up for Grouse Hunting

So grouse hunting starts in a week here in Washington State. This is the first day of serious hunting for me and my family. The family and I decided to take a drive around the main road in our hunting area to see if we could find anything.

We start off just before dusk, I mentally gave us enough time to get home just before dark. Of course everything goes out the window when you have a baby, and of course I did not factor in feeding time for Elsa.

We get back on the road and start seeing some rabbits.  We get through some more of the popular grouse area's without seeing anything. When we get to the paved Forrest Service road where we normally would take a left to hunt, we took a right to take us back to the main road which will take us home.

At this point my wife starts telling me how she doesn't know where we are. I told her we never come this way because there is no grouse on this part of the road.  Just as I said that we saw four Ruffed Grouse on the  side of the road next to a small stand of aspen.  My wife chimed in well I guess we will be coming this way this year.

The rest of the drive home we just saw a bunch of rabbits, more than we normally see and 4 whitetail deer(No Bucks). My prediction for this year is that it will be a good grouse season in North Central Washington. I think the spring rain held off long enough for the chicks to get big enough to withstand a heavy rain. We then had some early summer rain which would of let the berries and other food for the grouse come in nicely. Only time will tell.

Food Plots and Turkey's

This year while starting new food plots in my fields I found that just the tilled soil brought the turkeys in.  We watched the turkey all year starting in the spring, Of course they disapeared when turkey season came around. Then they came back with their chicks. When we first saw the chicks there were two hens with about 20-30 chicks. Now each hen has about 9 chicks each. Now that deer, grouse and duck hunting are getting closer the sun flowers, grass and clover have filled in and all,

I can't get hunting off my mind.  Good luck to everyone this hunting season and be safe.

Spring Coyote Kill

I hate it when I am lying in bed trying to get a few more minutes of sleep after my wife leaves the house for the day and the phone rings.  But this morning I ran out to the living found my cell and saw it was my wife calling. Since I was supposed to be awake already getting "The List" done I had to use my awake voice to say hello. My wife just called to tell me there was a coyote out in the field. Although she thought it was out of range she figured she would tell me anyway. So I quickly got dressed and got the Styre .308 with the bull barrel out. I got all set up on the back deck and started glassing looking for the coyote.  I finally saw it at about 500 yards walking through the alfalfa field.  It was slowly working its way from north to south, which was my right to left. I figured it was heading into the shady hillside where it was cool during the mid day heat. I noticed it was hunting as well so it was not moving quickly.  I folded up the bipod and slug the rifle over my shoulder and snuck to the road heading up the hill. Once I found some cover behind some leafy Aspens and walked up the road about 75 yards. I figured the sound of the creek and 200 yard of irrigation sprinkler between me and the coyote would cover any sound I make walking on the dirt road. From there I took an old cat track to where I thought the coyote would make its entrance into the woods. I found a small clearing between the trees that looked down into the field and proned out. I had to move multiple pinecones and had to put up with a few hundred pine needles  poking me . I could see the coyote about 150 yards in front of me with a 30 yard drop in elevation. I didn't take the shot at this point due to a ranch 500 yards behind it. Although the angle I was shooting down at and the up angle the ranch was from the coyote the shot would of been fine, but I decided to wait since it was heading my way anyhow. A few minutes later I watched the coyote jump the creek into some tall grass. I watched it pounce on a gopher or mouse then lay down and eat it. It was very hard to see while lying in the tall grass. Once it got up it moved to my right and behind the branches of a tree. At this point I was about 100 yards away still with about 30 yards of drop. I was just hoping that the coyote came back to my left giving me a shot. The coyote came back to the left turned and looked right at me and the 147 Grain FMJ boattail  center punched it at about 75 yards. The coyote just dropped like a sack of potatoes.


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A look back at 2012

I would like to welcome all of our new readers. 2012 has been a great your for me and R-Dub Outdoors. Lots of things happened in my personal life as well as my outdoor life this year.

Here are some high points of the year.

-2012 produced another Deer for the freezer.
- I shot a limit of ducks and geese in the same day
- I got my first real coyote kill.
- R-Dub Outdoors signed up new pro staffer Ron Oules.
- I shot and edited my first duck hunting video.
-We did our first big giveaway from Muck Boots.
- I even grabbed a live and wild cougar by its tail.

Those are just a few of the great moments we have had from 2012.

There are many great things to come in 2013.

-I hope to get more sponsors for the page.
-We will be doing some fishing videos.
- We will be doing some great giveaways.
- Of course doing a lot more hunting and fishing.

The last thing I am expecting in 2013 is the newest member of my hunting party will be arriving around June 13th of 2013 and My wife, Maddy and I are very excited.

Have a great New Year, We hope all is well for everyone.

2012 grouse hunting first three nights.

The view from where we grouse hunt.

So here in Washington State September 1st is opening grouse hunting and the start to my crazy busy hunting seasons.

This year the 1st, 2nd and 3rd I had to work till 5 and drive 40 minutes home before I could go hunting.  I told my wife that she needed to have herself and Maddy ready to go when I got home so all I had to do was change clothes get in the jeep and go hunting.

Of course when I got home everything was good to go and we went hunting.  We got up to where we go hunting and there was a log across the road. So since we did not have the chain saw with us we parked and walked the rest of the way.

Remi started getting birdy and I sent her up onto the hillside. Remi flushed a grouse which we heard but did not see. My wife went up the hill to see if she could find it in a tree. Remi went up with my wife and Lily and I continued to walk down the road. Lily then got birdy and led me to a wide spot in road and a grouse flushed from behind a log. I shot the grouse and hit it and it continued to fall about 100 yards over the steep hillside.  The dogs and I walked down there and we were unable ti find the bird after about 15 minutes of searching, which did not make me very happy. I hate wounding a bird and not recovering it.

The rest of the night we saw 7 birds and were not able to get a shot at any of them. 

On night two of course I had to work again and of course when I got home things were ready to go hunting. As we pulled out of the driveway  the jeep had a strong pull to the right and i knew right away something was wrong. I got out and of course my luck we had a flat tire. After changing the tire we got back on our way a bit late. I did not see one grouse the whole night.

Day three while sitting at work all I could think about was "I DON'T HAVE A GROUSE YET!"  Then of course there is my 10 year old nephew with a picture on Facebook holding two grouse. This was just not going to do. Then I get a phone call from my wife saying "UMMM A bunch of fire trucks just went speeding up the creek." So i called and got some info..... Just great a 1 acre fire burning about 4 miles up the road from my house. (PEOPLE!!!!!! When an area has not had rain in over a month and 90+ degree temps you do not need to have a camp fire.) So for the rest of the day I was worried that there would be a major fire event at my house.

As I got off of work I could hear on the radio that some of the fire trucks were clearing the scene, which means they had it under control.

I got home and things weren't as ready as normal but nothing I couldn't handle.  I helped get my daughter ready to go and loaded up the chain saw for the tree in the road. We left the house and I felt good about my chances. We get to the good area and the log I mentioned earlier had a freaking grouse under it. I got out and got it just as it ran off the trail. Then another one flushed and went into a tree and a third flushed and sailed over the hillside. The one that went into the tree was just right for my wife to shoot.  She was out with her gun ready and POW limbs and sticks fell from the tree minus a grouse. I tasked my wife uhh can I shoot it now? She said no and then lost sight of it while I was watching it the whole time. It is amazing how time slows down when you think a grouse is going to leave a tree when you are watching it. Finally my wife sees it again and POW............. And the grouse flies down the to the canyon. This is not normal for my wife, I don't think I have ever seen her miss one in a tree. But i do know that my wife will be very upset at herself over this so I need to try and stay calm. So I tell her no worries there will be more. Which I am sure doesn't help her frustration.



So I cut the tree out of the trail and get going. A few corners later i see another grouse run across the road and then fly into a tree. Of course I load my gun get ready and let my wife take a crack at it. As my wife was getting her gun loaded I could see Remi and hard point over the hillside. As my wife shoots and gets the one in the tree and second one flies from about 2 feet in front of Remi into the same tree as I get ready to shoot it I hear "PLEASE , let me shoot it." So I lower my gun and let my wife shoot the second one which she does like a pro. We don't see anything for the rest of the night but it is ok because the weight has lifted.

Why I Hunt

Today I was driving home from a friends house and I asked my self the question "Why do I hunt?". A question I might not be able to answer in just one night.

This is a serious question,one that is debated by millions of people. I myself have been in this debate over hunting many times.

My normal responses are of course: Do you eat meat?  Who does your killing - Safeway?

But sitting here thinking about it, that isn't an answer really. It is the answer I am willing to get into with people who ask me why I hunt. The people who ask that question always ask with that smug tone of voice. Like I am a bad person for wanting to provide my own meat.

The answer of 'do you eat meat?', is all the breath I want to waste on that conversation with people. 

I'm not going to change their mind; they don't care about the deep truth or why I really hunt. It's not about the killing to me. But it's all about the killing to them - that's all they see. They see the killing of what they see as poor innocent creatures, like Bambi. I can't tell you how many times I have been buying a hunting license and heard "Oh you're going to kill Bambi, huh?" I will chuckle, smile and nod, and go on my way.

You want to know why I hunt?

I hunt because it is a drive to be in the outdoors. It is a bonding with your fellow hunter that you can't get anywhere else. The joy I get when in the field with my wife and daughter is like no other. It is the satisfaction that my family and I can and will provide for ourselves.

I hunt because of the memories of years past, knowing 60 years ago my grandfather hunted underneath this exact tree, or at this exact lake, or in this exact field, with this exact goal. It's like he is still there with me, and even that he will always be there with me while I am hunting. It's knowing my daughter will be in the same spot in years to come.  It's knowing that I am passing on to my kids what my grandfather taught my dad and what my dad taught and is still teaching me.

I hunt because failure is an option.  Failure is the opportunity to learn and become a better hunter. For every successful hunt there was likely a few unsuccessful hunts before. True hunters know that there will be another day and another hunt. The trophies on the wall are not only a sign of success, but a sign of learning from your past failures.

I hunt because it is a lifestyle - and it's my lifestyle. It's dreaming of being out on a hunt when stuck in the office. It's knowing that right now it's midnight, I just got my kid to sleep but it's ok because in 5 hours my alarm is going off and I am going hunting. It's knowing that when you're out there in the woods, in your blind, or in your tree stand all your worries are gone and that is a feeling that no substance can duplicate.

I hunt because the dog hunting next to me is one of my best friends and hunting means us working together as a true team. She will break ice and swim as far as it takes to get the job done. She will warn me of danger one second and let my daughter crawl over her and cover her with blankets in the other. She will keep my hands warm on cold mornings and keep my feet warm on cold nights in camp. And all she asks for in return is a scratch behind the ear every now and then.

Reading this has only scratched the surface of why I hunt. Most of it words can not explain. If you want to better understand why I hunt, why hunters hunt, you will just have to go and experience hunting for yourself. Even then I can't promise you will get it.


If you hunt and want to express why you hunt, I welcome you to write a post and put your link to in the comments!