I’ve been cutting my own wild game meat for a long time. And for much of that paid little to no attention to the various cuts save for the backstrap and tenderloins. If it looked like a roast I’d make a roast. If it looked like a steak, I’d cut a steak. I had no idea that various cuts, coming from different parts of the quarters, could lend themselves marvelously to different cooking methods. The different muscles have different characteristics, some tough, some tender, some full of sinew. Once I started paying attention and taking the time to make the right cuts, the possibil ..read more

Field Dressing and Quartering Elk with the Gutless Method Field dressing and quartering big game is something that’s been covered a thousand times. There are only so many ways to do it. Skin the critter, take the shoulder, the hind quarter, backstraps, tenderloins, neck and rig meat, and bingo you’re done! This post and accompanying video will take you through the process of breaking down a cow elk into manageable pieces. But more importantly, it will show you a few tricks to make the process easier and more efficient. Although we’re working with an elk today, these techniques ..read more

Merino Wool Hunting Clothes When it comes to hunting gear the clothes you wear is one of the most important things to consider. In this post, we’re taking a look at what works for me in the places I hunt. A lot of this info will apply no matter where you are or what type of hunting you’re doing. But when we start talking about specific pieces of clothing you might need to switch things up for your own needs. I hunt elk in relatively high elevation areas where temperatures can swing pretty dramatically within the span of a few hours. A 50-60 deg swing isn’t uncommon. The weather ..read more

When building a selfbow from a natural bow stave split from a tree you’ll inevitably be dealing with the characteristics inherent in that stave. Figuring out how to bring a longbow or recurve to life from natural materials is one of the fascinating aspects of bow and arrow building. One common bow building problems is working with a stave that might not be large enough or deep enough to build the kind of bow handle or riser that we want. These thin staves are an inevitable result of harvesting your own bow wood. Rather than dismissing them as only good for kids bows, or perhaps a ..read more