Arizona Wanderings

Hunting and Angling Heritage Workgroup – HAHWG

January 21st, 2013

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I spent the weekend down in Tucson at the Hunting and Angling Heritage Workgroup, also known as the HAHWG. The Hunting and Angling Heritage Workgroup is a diverse group of individuals and groups who, in conjunction with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, meet twice a year. The goal of the HAHWG is “to gather leaders in the industry, conservation groups, youth groups and wildlife management professionals to synergistically preserve the hunting and angling tradition.”

I went to my first meeting last January followed by a summer meeting up at Bucks Springs. Each time the workgroup gets together I have the opportunity to meet other groups and individuals who are not only passionate about hunting and fishing, but they care about preserving the heritage of these American traditions and passing them on to the next generation.

This meeting was held in Tucson at the SEI International Wildlife Museum, which I had never been to before. The facility was beautiful and the back parking lot was set up with tents and trailers for our meals. As usual, the food was fantastic, thanks to Sportsman’s Warehouse and the Arizona Elk Society.

Over the past couple of years, the different groups associated with the HAHWG have focused on providing hands on camps to introduce and help new hunters and anglers. Although many of these camps are for young hunters, there are many for men and women as well. All of the camps have a family atmosphere and focus on safety and fair chase ethics while hunting and fishing. There is a whole page and calendar of events on the Arizona Game and Fish website titled Outdoor Skills that share those opportunities to learn from mentor hunters and anglers for free.

At this particular meeting, I was really challenged to think through some of the ways that I approach hunting and fishing. One of the main points that we kept talking about was the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and how important it is to how we as Americans approach the outdoors. In the coming weeks, I will be putting a couple of posts together on the subject of the North American model and sharing some of the things that I have learned over the past few meetings.

As always, it was great to see the regular crowd at the HAHWG as well as meet some new folks. Looking forward to the next one.

Breakfast by Sportsman's Warehouse and Arizona Elk Society — Breakfast by Sportsman’s Warehouse and Arizona Elk Society

Wild Turkey Chili

January 18th, 2013

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Wild turkey chili is one of my favorite dishes that my mother used to make on those cold winter evenings back in the Adirondacks. The greatest thing is that this is one wild game dish that my wife cannot resist.

Preparation:

1. Brine Turkey for 8-12 hours (great article here on the NWTF page.)

2. Season and cook turkey

Wild Turkey Chili Ingredients-

2 Tablespoons of olive oil

1 large onion

2 teaspoons of cumin

5 cloves of garlic minced

2 chopped jalapenos

8 oz can of jalapenos with juice

4-4.5 cups of chicken broth

1+ pound of cooked turkey

3 cans of cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)

2 Tablespoons of minced oregeno

1/3 cup of fresh cliantro

1/4 cup of cornmeal

Shredded Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, and lime wedges for serving

1. Saute onion in oil, salt and pepper until softened (5-7 minutes)

2. Add cumin, garlic, and jalapenos

3. Transfer to slow cooker and add 3.5 cups of broth

4. Mix cornmeal with .5 cups of broth. Stir into soup

5. Cover and cook for 3 hours. Thin with more broth if desired.

Rambling Review: Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener

January 16th, 2013

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Rambling Review – Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener

Why:

Every outdoorsman requires his tools to perform at their highest level. This means keeping knives, broadheads, fishhooks and everything else with an blade razor sharp. I will be the first to admit that I have always struggled with honing a sharp edge on my knives and broadheads. When I received the opportunity to check out Work Sharp’s Guided Field Sharpener, I lept at the chance to try it out.

First impressions:

Fool Proof – Many of the sharpeners on the market today are a bit tricky to use and consistently hone a sharp edge. The Work Sharp Guided Sharpener does exactly what it says – Guides. On either side of the diamond plates, the 20º guides allow the user to maintain a consistant angle on the blade.

All-in-one design – The Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener is an all encompassing. It has a two diamond plates (one fine and one course) which are able to be removed and replaced. The Field Sharpener also sports two separate ceramic rods. The larger of the two has the ability to be turned to either a course or fine side, and the other side allows you to sharpen fishhooks. The smaller ceramic rod is for sharpening a serrated blade. A leather strop, broadhead head wrenches, and a small storage compartment finish out the major features of this all-in-one sharpening unit.

Field Use:

I spent an afternoon messing around with the Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener on several different knives that I had and I could not have been more pleased. I was able to sharpen some very dull knives to a razor sharp edge. I also spent some time working on my two-blade broadheads and found I could sharpen them with relative ease as well.

The Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener is light weight and compact. It makes it the perfect addition to a hunting pack in order to touch up a blade while butchering out an animal.

The one thing about the Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener that I would change would be the grip. The unit has a place to grip the sharpener between the thumb and index finger, but I believe this sharpener would be even better with a more substantial handle to hold on to.

Pros:

Fool Proof Guides

All-in-one unit

Very reasonable price for all the parts that are included

Small and light enough to fit in a hunting pack

Cons:

Lack of a substantial handle to hold on to

Prognosis: The Work Sharp’s Guided Field Sharpener is an excellent, lightweight option for the outdoorsman looking for an all-in-one sharpening tool.

* Disclaimer:

The reviews at Arizona Wanderings are my honest opinion. Arizona Wanderings is not sponsored by or associated with any of the stated companies and is accepting no compensation, monetary or otherwise, in exchange for this review. The Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener was provided by the Outdoor Blogger Network and Work Sharp for the purpose of this review. My independent status may change in the future but, as of the date of publication, no relationship other than described above has been pursued or established.

Arizona Quail Hunting: Photo Dump

January 14th, 2013

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I have been able to get out sporadically the past couple of weeks for some Arizona quail hunting and have had mixed success. Between the wind and the extremely low temps, the birds have been in a bit of a funk and difficult to find. As always, the camera has been close by and these photos have not made the cut on the past couple of posts. Enjoy.

Burrito - courtesy of Doug Burt — Burrito – courtesy of Doug Burt

Desert Fly Casters and Arizona Wanderings

January 10th, 2013

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I want to say a big thank you to the folks over at the Desert Fly Casters club for coming out to the meeting last night, showing their support, and listening to me ramble on about my love of small streams. I had the opportunity to put on a presentation about tips and tricks for fishing Arizona’s creeks, and the whole club was very gracious and welcoming to me and my wife. Over 100 people were at the meeting and it was really great to put some faces with the names and talk to men and women who are as passionate about fly fishing as I am.

If you have never been to a meeting down there in Chandler and are wondering what it’s all about, you really need to get down there and go to one of the Desert Fly Casters meetings or outings. There is no better way to get hooked up with knowledgeable and caring people to help out on your fly fishing journey.

Thank you again to all who came out. It was great to spend the evening with you.

Arizona Quail Hunting: A day in the field

January 7th, 2013

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Antonio and I found a day last week to meet up and break out of our normal fly fishing mode to do a little quail hunting. We headed to one of his spots and found a whole mess of birds that seemed to not have been hunted this season. As has been the case for the past couple of months, the birds were tough to locate until about 9:30 or 10, at which point the quail started talking to each other. We had a great morning, and between the two of us, we knocked down ten birds.

I guess the one thing that I have learned hunting quail this season is that the birds are there if you are willing to work for them.

Female Gambel's Quail — Female Gambel’s Quail

KC Badger Brown Trout T-shirt (2nd round of printing)

January 5th, 2013

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I am getting ready for another round of printing on the KC Badger Brown Trout T-shirt. The first pre-order went well, but so did my stock of extras. So if you are interested in picking one of these shirts up, place your order here and be sure to get one on this next batch of printing. Thanks for your support.

Order your KC Badger Brown Trout T-shirt Here

Arizona Quail Hunting: An After-Christmas Special

January 3rd, 2013

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I did not find the first bird until after about an hour of hunting. The covey broke from the tall grass, scattering in all directions. Watching a particular cluster of birds careen towards another stretch of grass, I quickened my pace and within moments could here the faint clucking of quail in front of me. Even though my gun was at the ready, the single quail that rose at my feet caused momentary confusion, before I brought the gun to my shoulder and swung on the flushing bird. My first shot missed, but the second found its mark. It does not matter how many birds rise before me, the sight and sound of a flushing bird is only matched by a big trout taking a hopper on the surface.

Arizona Quail Hunting is great, even in a crappy year.