HUNTING GPS MAPS

Huntinggpsmaps.com is a website for the hunter that is sick off all those big bulky maps cluttering the dash of the truck and taking up much needed space in the back pack.  These  fine folks finally came out with what I have been asking for for the last 5 years.  A gps and computer downloadable version of the Bureau of Land Management surface maps.

These maps are either downloadable or you can get the sd card for your computer or the chip for your Garmin.  Than its plug and play,  No need for the computer or the downloadable version.  The one good thing about the downloadable version is the free updates that you get as they are available.  They have some pretty cool things like the BLM overlay for Google Earth.  I can’t wait to try some of this new gear  out in the field over the next couple weeks.  We will have a full review of this product in the next two to three weeks.  I suggest you don’t wait and order a copy for your hunting area as soon as you can.  Here is a link to their site:

Hunitnggpsmaps.com

Best Regards

Steve

No Better Time Than The Present!

It’s that time of year again!

For many of us this is the time of year we start to get our butts in shape for the upcoming hunting season.  July 1, marks an important date on my calendar every year!  It’s that time of year when I start getting reading for the upcoming hunting season. In all actuality its starts with my New Years Resolution and lasts at most a month and a half.   Then it starts again at the end of May for bear hunting season.  This lasts about a week as I pack the all the goodies to the many bait sites. Then for the next few days my legs throb and remind me how old and out of shape I truly am. Personally for me, July 1 is the perfect time to start getting ready.  The Super Hunt drawings have taken place and Idaho’s

For me the best exercise is to hit the hills and replicate hunting season.  Unfortunately,  time does not permit this as often as I would like.

controlled hunt drawing is just around the corner and that’s all the motivation I need to get back in shape.  Unfortunately, by July 10 I realize once again that I haven’t drawn that coveted Idaho tag.  My drive starts to diminish, but the phone calls and e-mails from the other lucky hunters gets me back in high gear.  You see, if I’m not hunting for myself, I’m busy filming other hunts for upcoming TV and video productions.  During hunting season, my pack weights approximately 50 to 60 pounds regardless if I’m hunting or not.  Trust me when I say, I need to have my legs, hips, shoulders and lungs ready for the action.

For me personally, the legs, hips and shoulders are the most important part to get ready for the upcoming hunting season.  If I have to stop every half hour to take of my pack to give my hips and shoulders a break, there is no sense in having my lungs in shape.  So, I train to get the hips, legs and shoulders ready to carry all that weight.   When I work these areas of my physic, naturally my lungs and heart are getting a workout of their own.  Just because I don’t run long distance or do any major cardio work outs that doesn’t mean my lungs and heart won’t be ready, because they will.  I mix the strength training with the cardio.  I’ll elaborate.

For me, the best way to get my hips, legs and shoulders ready for the upcoming season is to fill the pack with 50 to 60 pounds of goodies and essentials and hit the hills.  Unfortunately, I live 30 plus minutes away from the hills, which makes it kind of inconvenient with todays busy schedule.  Lucky for me, I have a big yard.  Any other time of the year I would complain, but I am on a mission to get ready.  Mowing over an acre of yard with a push mower is perfect exercise for the legs, hips, and shoulders to remember what it is like to work with that kind of weight attached to my back.  I grab an old Eberlestock pack, through 60 pounds of tire chains in it, and away I go. A half hour into the task and I’m ready to take a break and get the darn heavy pack off my back.  I must prersevere.  I must push through the pain that feels as though my shoulders are falling off and my hips are ready to burst.  If I can’t do this then how will I ever keep up with the hunter?  The thought of capturing the video of a 200 plus inch mulie hitting the ground keeps me pumping those legs.  It doesn’t hurt to have a  little Nickleback playing on the iphone either.  If you think mowing the yard for an hour and half with a fifty pound pack isn’t enough to get me in shape, you’re

Mowing the yard without using the rider or using the self-propelled mower,  is great exercise for legs, hips, and shoulders

right.  There is much more wickedness to my homework.  Right after mowing the lawn I drop half the weight of the pack and get ready to do “Up, Downs”.  Sounds pretty simple right?  Five sets of up downs for one minute each set, with a two minute rest between sets.  Yea right!  I start by jumping up and down thinking it pretty easy and by the end of the first set I’m thinking to myself I must be crazy.  By the time the fifth and final set rolls around I contemplate whether or not I want to finishing.  Trust me, take your time and step them off.  Make sure you alternate which leg you start with as this will help you in the long run.  Remember, stay hydrated.  Water is your best friend this time of year.

Here is the first set of  ”Up, Downs”. By the fifth set I wasn’t as energetic!

Now by the time I drag my butt off of the “up, Downs” I’m dead tired. but if  not there is more excersize to do; “Side to Sides”.  I like to use the small side walk that goes to the guest house as my barrier to hurdle.  You can use a crack in a sidewalk or lay something down to go back and forth over. I prefer the side walk, because it is a little wider and if I don’t clear it I will roll my ankle.  This helps me with me eye-foot  coordination, which is essential when hiking from rock to rock while hunting.

“side to Sides” over a barrier help with eye-foot coordination and really get the heart and lungs working’

I do 5, one minute, sets of “side to sides” with a 2 minute break in between each set.  After these, if I make it, its “Look out fridge”.   Ice and water in the door, what a great invention.  There are many exercises you can do around your home when you can’t make it to the hills, you just need to put your mind to it and get out and do something.  I even throw the pack on when I’m doing odds and ends around the property.

Even fixing sprinkler heads in the pasture is a good time to get your hips, legs, and shoulders ready for hunting season.

If you need a break from the same old work out, pick up the jump rope while you are watching TV. Jump rope off and on for twenty to thirty minutes a day. I do this while watching some of the guys I admire in the industry.  It helps get me motivated.

I’ll jump rope for 3 to 4 minutes then take a two minute break.  During this break I shoot my Hoyt.  I usually get 6 shots in then go back to jumping. It helps me concentrate on my shooting form when I’m tired and out of breathe.

I don’t recomend shooting indoors, but it can be done safley.  Keep your fingure off the triger until your confident with your shot!

There is no substitute for actually hitting the hills and training, but these stay at home tips will help you keep that edge you need to be one step ahead of the game.  Obviously you can only mow your yard once a week, but you can do the other exercises as many days as necessary to get in the shape you need to be in.  I have lost 25 pounds since New Years, and  I need to loose another 10 to 15.  Then I’ll be ready for anything the deer and mother nature can throw at me.  Start slow and work your way into a hard core workout.The rewards off hard work and lots of practice!  My 2009 archery bull

Hunting is a sport.  Sports demand the best from body, mind and soul.  If you are a little out of whack in one department or another it could cost you the animal of your dreams or even your life. For me, being in shape helps clear my mind of all the negatives when I’m out in the field.  No more worrying about the pack on my back or the hill in front of me.  My mind is in the game, the game of hunting and filming the biggest animals we can find.  Good luck to you on all you’re hunting adventures this year.  I wish you nothing but success.