Average Joe's 2019

[Lostinthewoods]

And IU'm your BEST FRIEND! Wink,Wink

Hey bud! Did you draw anything in AZ this year?!

Guess I need to start building up points or something! Great threat as always fellas and I will be tagging along as usual. Make sure you put those knives to work, if you wear them out let me know I know a knife maker!

You really do need to start building points somewhere! Wyoming is always a great option!
Or we could play your odds in NM, I know some people who could help...

8 points for elk. I thought I might draw this year as I put the first cow elk hunt as my 3rd choice. I haven't heard about any changes in the draw. I also plan on trying to work Rita Blanca in this year but I have a deer tag and 2 antelope tags to fill in Wyoming first.

Congrats on the deer and two antelope tags!
That sounds like you're in for a great year. Looking forward to seeing how you do!

 

[Lostinthewoods]

All checked in at the airport!
I’m Utah bound and can’t wait for the festivities to come.

I’m meeting up with some very interesting people when I land!

 

[Crossbowguy]

Hope you have a safe flight, and have a blast while in Utah! Can't wait to see your pics of the Utah crew and your adventures!

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Utah was absolutely phenomenal!
Coming from Florida heat and humidity, it didn’t take long for me to start smiling when I saw the mountains and the weather was much more mild.


After a quick shop and a bite to eat, my trip was off to a great start.

When I go on vacation or when I’m hunting I love to pig out. I eat too clean every other day, so I made sure to enjoy myself and get some good “mountain snacks”.

The burger place was really good too.


I had what they called the “Gordon Hamsy” which was waffles for buns, maple ham, an egg, hash browns, and a burger!
Yum!!!

The resort was full of people, activities, and vendors.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

While I was there I had the pleasure of watching the elk calling world championship

I got to watch some elktalkpodcast live events

I also got to attend the RMEF banquet and then the Yeti after party where I got to watch Craig Morgan put on a wonderful show.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

One of my favorite parts was the Total Archery Challenge. I’ve never shot long distances like this before, but it was a ball! I left with the same amount of arrows as what I showed up with so it was a success!

I also got to see a nice bull moose while I was out shooting.



All in all it was a wonderful trip and amazing experience. I got to meet a lot of wonderful people and it had me so fired up for this upcoming season!

 

[WildWill]

Looks like about as much fun as a guy can have without actually hunting. Consider me officially jealous.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Good stuff!Glad you had a great Time.Randy's always a crowd pleaser.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Good stuff!Glad you had a great Time.Randy's always a crowd pleaser.

It was a great time for sure.
Randy and Corey put on some great Q&As. It was fun to see them in person!

Looks like about as much fun as a guy can have without actually hunting. Consider me officially jealous.

It was nice to be around a bunch of like minded people and to see the mountains.
I think it scratched just enough of the itch to hold me over until September's hunts...
57 days....

 

[dirtclod Az.]

P.S.drew nothing in Az. This year.OTC Deer in Dec. and Jan.
plus lefover Javelina tags.

 

[Crossbowguy]

Looks like an awesome time! Loved the looks of the mountains in the back ground. Would have been cool if you could have shot the shit with Big Fin out there too! Maybe on your next trip out there!!!

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Today I was able to do a test run on my new tent set up as well as my cot/pad.


All I can say is this is going to be a very comfortable and cozy set up.
My daughter definitely approves.

 

[Crossbowguy]

Very nice!

 

[sn.outdoors]

Don't worry guys.... I'm still alive, just been preoccupied with a work trip to the other side of the world.

Between moving in January, numerous house upgrade projects, and spending time with the family before this trip, I have spent exactly zero days in the woods this year. Heck... the last time I shot my bow was when I killed that deer in AZ. Working out is the only hunting prep I've been able to do so far. I have a pile of new hunting gadgets and gun parts waiting for me on my reloading bench, and I can't wait to start tinkering.

If everything goes ok with me getting home on time, I should be able to take the entire month of September off from work. My hunting plans aren't set in stone, but I'm thinking I'll do a long road trip/hunting trip with the wife and kids. I might try to sneak an Idaho and/or Oregon elk hunt into the 2nd week of Sept. I also drew an awesome NM 2nd archery season elk tag for 15-24 Sept. I hope to do some scouting and familiarization over Labor Day weekend, but I might be going in there blind.

I don't have any solid plans for October yet, but I'll most likely fit a Barbary hunt in on one of those weekends. Oklahoma whitetail and Idaho mule deer/bear/elk are also potential options, but my schedule is too unpredictable at this point to really say one way or the other.

November I will be committed to a long arduous archery hunt in northern Arizona. I have no idea what to expect for that hunt since I've never hunted elk that late in the season and I've never hunted in the area before. I imagine it will be a long hunt, full of glassing, and will be mostly uneventful. It could be awesome, but it could also be miserably boring... I guess we'll have to wait and see.

December has zero hunts on my schedule, but we are planning on having the 3rd annual Hualapi Bow Bash javelina/deer AZ combo hunt in January. It's just too much fun to pass up.

I also have a jan/feb rifle javelina tag in NM. I haven't done any planning for that hunt, but I know a few spots to start looking for them.

To summarize, here are the tags I have in my pocket so far: NM archery elk 15-24 Sep, AZ archery elk 14-28 Nov, NM rifle Javelina Jan&Feb. I also have an Idaho Sportsman's package, but haven't figured out if/when I'll be able to make it up there to hunt.

As far as personal goals for the year go and what you can expect from me... I don't really have any goals, and I probably won't hunt as much as I have the last 2 seasons. I'll fit hunts in where I can, but I'm going to start dragging my kids along on more of these adventures. I also have a few DIY projects I'll post about as they progress. Lastly, I'm going to change my writing style a bit from last year. The goal is to tell enough of the story with photos and snippets of the story (or humorous shenanigans) as they happen to give a general idea of how the hunt is going, and follow-up with a well-written story to tell the full story, which might delay the story posting a little. Hopefully that's not an issue.

I'm always excited to see what the next season has in store, and I've been doing as much as I can out here to be prepared for the hunts. I'm ready for another fun year, and I can't wait to get home and get it all started.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Glad to have you back in circulation,I'll be following along once again.Good luck this
year!Will you be sporting a mustache?Ha!,Ha!

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Today was an awesome day!
Took a day off from work and went out fishing with my brother in law.

We caught trout, lady fish, mangrove snapper, redfish, and more!
I’d say about 30 between the two of us.

The best part is after the fish was filleted a local restaurant right at the dock cooked our fish.

Blackened redfish, sweet potato fries, and veg! Nom nom
We will be back out tomorrow for more fun!

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Nice Redfish,those look taasty!

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Nice Redfish,those look taasty!

Yes sir they were!

That’s the finished product

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Now that looks delicious!

 

[WildWill]

Only way to make fresh seafood better is to catch it yourself makes me hungry. What's the limit on redfish where you are?