Up and Adam Adventures

A few months ago, shortly after moving back to Wyoming, I joined Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. BHA is an organization whose main goal is to provide education and action to stop the transfer of public lands in the U.S. into private holdings, thereby preserving the tracts of wilderness set aside by our forefathers, most notably Teddy Roosevelt. I had been aware of BHA for a while, but the reality of the neccessity of such a group has really begun to sink lately by wacthing the slow but sure erosion of our public lands, and the loss of accessibilty to prime hunting and fishing areas. For various political reasons, there has been a massive move to transfer federal public lands into state management. On the surface, this seems like a great idea. "The dang Feds" mishandle almost everything they do, and those politicians in Washington have no idea how to manage our land. Give it to the states and they will do a much better job. The problem that arises is that the states

As I plan for my African safari, I was asked to create a wishlist of animals I would like to take. This was more of a challenge than I anticipated because Africa has such a wide variety of animals, and they are all so unique compared to our North American game. Of course this list isn't set in stone but it helps the Professional Hunters plan the hunt around the right locations for particular animals. After quite a bit of thought, research and countless hours searching Google images, I've finally come up with my wishlist. The number one animal on my list is the Impala. To me they embody the best qualities of so many Plains game animals with their beauty and grace. To me, the trip would not be complete without taking one of these. Number two on my list is the ugly little warthog, and honestly, it may really be my number one. These animals are so smart and the behaviors I've read about them make them seem like more of a challenge than most would give them credit

If you've followed my blog for the last few years, you know that my elk hunting has been a struggle to say the least. I've been archery hunting elk for the last few years and have come up empty handed every year. Some years the hunting was tough, some years I made a lot of mistakes, some years I missed shots, but every year I ate my tag. This year I was able to break the streak. I moved back to Wyoming this year, but wasn't able to draw a tag of any kind. Not wanting to sit out the whole season, I decided to buy an over-the-counter elk tag in Utah. Having never hunted Utah, and with only a couple days to scout, my first days in the field were spent "bowhiking." The bulls weren't bugling at all, so I resorted to looking for sign and trying to find an active wallow. I lucked up and found a couple of wallows a few miles apart that were being hit pretty regularly. I set a trail camera on one of the wallows and got some pics of several smaller bulls, a

Lately I've been listening to a lot of hunting podcasts, especially when I'm running or at the gym. I know that most people listen to jammin' music when they're working out, and sometimes I do too. But the primary reason that I'm training is to be a better hunter, so there's no better time to listen to some of the good info coming from the podcasts available now. There are quite a few hunting related podcasts out there now, and from time to time I check out topics from most of them. There are 5 that I am subscribed to and like the most, all for different reasons. Im not saying by any means that you shouldn't listen to any others, but these are my picks.  The Gritty Bowmen The Gritty Bowmen is a podcast by Brian Call and Aron Snyder and is probably the most entertaining of the bunch. These guys and their guests bounce around lighter side of hunting while still giving you an hour or more of solid information every time. From gear recommendations an

At the National Wild Turkey Federation Convention back in Februaury, I had the opportunity to meet Todd Roark, the CEO of HunterVids.com . We struck up a conversation based on the fact that I was wearing a KUIU shirt, and KUIU is the official sponsor of Todd's site. That conversation led to an opportunity for me to work with HunterVids writing some web content, but this post is more about the website itself than that. HunterVids  is an online destination for  a huge collection of high quality hunting films. Some of these films are available elsewhere on the internet, but many are created specifically for the HunterVids network, and all of the films showcased are top-notch. They're all sorted by categories, so depending on what type of film you're looking for, you can find a bunch of them based on the species or geographic region you are interested in.  In addition to the collection of films available on the site, HunterVids has also created the very first onlin

I recently had the opportunity at work to move back to my hometown of Green River, WY and recieve a promotion in the process. While I've given thought to moving back home over the years, I never dreamed it would all work out the way it did. I am really blessed to be back close to my family, as well as back in the West which feels like home to me. Since I didn't draw any tags this year, I'm looking forward to having the ability to hunt Wyoming as a resident next year. In the meantime, I have a nonresident fishing license that I've got to get my money's worth out of! I'll be posting more regularly from now on so be sure to subscribe for notifications of new posts.

Turkey season is almost here in Georgia! I've seen a few pictures on social media from successful hunts in Florida and they're making me a little bit jealous. Season here opens March 26 and I've been selected for a limited quota hunt at Blanton Creek WMA that runs the first two weeks of the season. I'm excited to be back in the woods hunting and for the chance to participate. Check back soon for updates from the hunt!

Training with a weighted pack, or rucking as it's called in military circles, is a great way to intensify your cardio workouts, as well as prepare your body for carrying heavy loads come hunting season. In addition to the hunting I do out west, the mountain hunting here in Georgia can at times call for quartering up an animal and hauling it out as opposed to dragging it a little ways to the truck.   After doing a little research I found a good way to add a realistic weight to your pack without investing much money. This whole project cost me just $10 and some change.  The ruck "pill" basically consists of play sand inside a sandbag, and then wrapped in duct tape. For my purposes I skipped the sandbag and just used the bag the sand came in. I folded it over in half and started taping it into a "pill" shape. I used about a roll and 1/4 of duct tape to cover the entire thing well.  All finished, my pill weighs about 35 pounds, and is just th

If you've been keeping up with me for a while, you may know that I'm going to hunt Africa in 2017. Even though I've been talking and thinking about it often, I don't think the reality of that sunk in until I met Mike and Karen Helbing at the NWTF Convention in Nashville. They weren't at the World Deer Expo last year where I won the safari they donated, and prior to meeting in Nashville we had only corresponded by email. When I sat down at their booth at NWTF and Karen started going over all the logistical details, it finally hit me....I'm going to Africa! Wild Wildebeest Safaris is based in South Africa, with hunting concessions throughout South Africa and neighboring countries. They offer hunts for almost every huntable African species, limited only by your pocketbook. Looking at pictures and video of the accommodations, the lodge appears to maintain a good balance between the African experience and still being comfortable enough for Westerners to relax and

On February 16, the Georgia House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee passed House Bill 859 on a 10-3 vote.  HB 859, sponsored by Representative Rick Jasperse, a Republican, seeks to amend restrictions in state law that prohibit law-abiding Georgia Weapons License holders from being able to carry and protect themselves on college and university campuses.  Today, the Georgia House of Representatives passed the bill on a 113-59 vote.  Although it's already obvious to many of us, CCW holders do not threaten public safety, as they are one of the most law-abiding portions of the population. They shouldn't be prevented from exercising their right to self-defense simply because they are seeking a college education. The bill will  now move to the Senate for committee assignment and consideration. In other college news, many colleges take great pride in bragging about their “diversity” and “inclusiveness,” but just wearing a tool of his trade was reason enough for one p

I'm doing a giveaway over on my Instagram and Facebook pages. Here's a chance to win some cool Muddy and Big Game Treestands gear. Find me on Instagram @_Up_and_Adam and on Facebook at facebook.com/upandadamadventures.

This time of the year is the perfect time to scout your whitetail property for sign from the rut and late season travel patterns. The advantage to scouting now is that the rubs, scrapes and trails from the past few months will still be fresh enough to read as a general rule, and you can piece together what the deer were doing toward the end of the season on your particular property. This can help you determine if you need to move your stand locations from the previous season. On the hunting club I'm a member of, scouting after the season closed led us to discovering an area full of sign that we just weren't aware of. We got the property in the spring, and although we did some quick scouting and food plot work, there was no way to know exactly where the deer would be when hunting season got here. Now that we've got one season and a general idea of deer patterns on the property under our belt, adding some post-season scouting should help us be more successful this c

I spent a day this past week at the National Wild Turkey Federation Convention in Nashville, TN. This event is a large gathering of turkey hunting and hunting related manufacturers, outfitters, production companies and pretty much anything related to the hunting industry. One day really isn't enough to cover every square inch of the show, but I did manage to cover most of the floor.  The show is held at the Gaylord Opryland complex every year, and it's a great host facility for this type of event, with plenty of space for the show floor, restaurants available onsite and of course the Opryland hotel itself. One of the main reasons I attended this year year was for a meet-and-great with Wild Wildebeest Safaris, the donors of the Safari I won at the Birmingham Deer Expo. I got to chat with Mike and Karen Helbing about my hunt, ask some questions and looks through photo albums of previous years' hunts.  One of the products I'm most excited about a

Every year, our hunting clothing options get more and more technical. Advances in materials and construction have created apparel that keeps us dry and comfortable in almost any imaginable condition. The one area of hunting apparel that has been seemingly overlooked has been blaze orange vests required during rifle and muzzleloader seasons. Until now. A company called Orange Aglow is making lightweight, breathable and fast-drying vests that compliment technical hunting apparel. Most blaze orange vests don't fit well, are made of cotton that retains moisture and tend to flap in a breeze, creating extra noise and movement. The best from Orange Aglow solves all of those problems.  The vests are sized from M-3XL and are athletically cut with elastic in the back to fit over bulky late season clothes. The size medium fits me perfectly without being to restrictive or baggy. The vests retail for $17.99 and are available through orangeaglow.com. It's true that you can

The main attraction at the ATA show every year are the new bows that are unveiled, or at least made available for us enthusiasts to fondle and shoot. This year was no exception and there are some great options out there from all of the major manufacturers. Some of the smaller companies are also producing great bows. This is truly a great time for archers because there are so many great shooting bows available. When I wasn't working the Muddy booth I was able to roam a little bit and check out some of the new gear. The year's new bows were my main interest. Having shot Bowtech for the past few years I was anxious for Bowtech's unveiling of their new bow. They are one of the few companies that always wait until the ATA show to reveal their new flagship bow. This year's release is the BT-X and it builds on Bowtech's basic speed now platform featuring a 6 inch brace height, 32 inch axle-to-axle length and IBO speeds around 350. I was able to shoot the bow and al

I  was fortunate to be back at the Archery Trade Association show this year in Louisville, KY working with Muddy Outdoors. This show is the Super Bowl for most archery and bowhunting related manufacturers and gives dealers and the media a chance to check out new gear that will be available this year, as well as network and tell hunting stories.  One of the most exciting new products in the Muddy booth was the Pro Cam 12, a brand new trail camera design featuring a 12 megapixel camera, blackout LED's, a 0.6 second trigger speed and 70' flash range. This camera also has a built-in cable lock channel making it easy to secure to a tree and the small size makes it easy to put a couple in your pack while you're scouting and hanging stands. The retail on this camera will be around $119.99. New also is the Pro Cam 10 which is 10 megapixels and more entry-level features for 79.99.  New in treestands this year is the Vantage Point, which combines the best feat