You know I was going to start this post by saying I was sorry for being gone lately and then it clicked… This is my Blog, my place to post what I want, when I want. Instantly I was reminded of a quote: A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to! -Gandalf. I found it very fitting for how my blog and life have been lately, I have been busy as can be and all the while feeling like I’m behind. Now I realize that how things are may actually be how they are supposed to be…… Everything has lead me to this point and other than the fact that hunting season is nearing it’s end I think I’m happy with where I am!!! I still have those reviews I promised, pictures to show and stories to share but first a quick update of life on the AMP’D side!

Work has been busy lately, I’ve made a few jumps but am now where I fell I want to be! I now work 8 on 6 off schedule which leaves a lot of time to hunt, but I have been putting in even more time there than needed. Of course being the outdoor junky I am that just sends me running for the woods when I finally take my days off….

Over the summer I went on a midnight fishing trip to the green river, a few fly fishing trips including to one of dad’s favorite creeks, along with a few solo trips in to find some hidden lakes!! (Don’t worry I’ll get back to the archery soon enough Frodo!) We did ok on the green river catching some decent fish but none that were large enough to keep! This trip left me with a few lessons as it was a night trip and I forgot a headlamp or a back up battery for my regular flashlight. Midnight fishing is best during the full moon but being impatient two friends and I went with no moon and so I was left running in the dark trying to catch my friends who had fished out of view around the next turn! OOPPPSSS! Yes, I bought a spare headlamp and threw it in my fishing bag for next time in case you were wondering! The trip up to dad’s creek was a fun time of fly fishing and we caught plenty of small fish, on the way down the mountain I used an app to help us find a hidden lake not so ironically named “Hidden Lake”. The spot was beautiful and fishing was good! (The app I used is called Topo Maps from Philip Endecott, you can check out the website at topomapsapp.com. This is by far the best app a hunter or fisher can have! I’m planning a review in the future so keep checking back!) The next fishing trip was me alone again using the topo app, dad was told of a secret lake that holds arctic graylings! Never having caught one I decided to make the trip one morning while on an elk scouting trip. I got back in and found it pretty easy and began to catch fish instantly! Sadly the rain was coming down quick and I didn’t want to get the camera or iPhone wet so I didn’t take too many pictures. After the first few hours I began to get rained out and once the lightning hit so close I felt it in my chest I decided it was time to leave! Dad and I went back the next week and caught a lot of graylings all coming in near the 11-14 inch mark, and if you have never caught one you are missing out!! They are a blast to catch and taste better than most trout and bass! Though I did have a few other trips those were the main ones that stuck out this year.

I spent multiple weekends scouting the mountain and found some good numbers but was still limited to some small hidden areas… I’m having trouble finding myself a deep secluded area with good animal quantity OR quality but only time will help me there…. I came into archery season with a fairly good head game and had an amazing experience, minus the upsets! I only took one shot at a non typical bull elk who I missed, I had to guess the range and guessed a little high which left me missing by mere inches. I was still happy with the shot though nothing better than the arrow shooting perfectly through a small shooting lane and CLEANLY missing the animal. A bad shot is worse than a missed one in my book!!! I had multiple chances at many animals but had set some higher quality goals for myself this year. Though I did have some close contact with some good bucks and bulls I just never was able to close the deal…,. Luckily Utah allows an extended season and I’m still out hunting! As I’m finishing this I’m up on the mountain on a rifle cow elk hunt. So far I’ve found some elk but have yet to get in close enough for a good shot but hoping that changes quickly!!

Well I hope I kept it (fairly) short and sweet for you all! As you may have noticed archery is where my heart truly lays but I couldn’t help but mention some fishing!!! Thanks for swinging by and don’t forget to follow me on twitter for day to day nonsense @amp713

Wish you all, hobbits and dwarves, the best!

Austin (The Grey?)