Well, as far as details......
I was invited to perform and hunt with another magazine's yearly get-together. Our host was Curtis Kellar of 7th Age Bowhunting. The ranch was 65,000 acres of desert/brush country. It hadn't been hunted in 7 years,and their were javies and hogs on the farm(along with more coyotes and jack rabbits than I have ever seen in one place)
To give you an idea of how big 65,000 acres is....I would drive out of camp on a dirt road for 19 miles. From there, I would set my GPS, make a huge circle, and try and make it back to the truck just before dark. I never left the ranch....
I spent some time with Mike Yancey(Pine Hollow Longbows) talking trapping and building bows, and we hunted an area together one evening. I also had the pleasure of spending some time with John Rook,known as the blind bowhunter. John has hunted with a bow and arrow all his life, and even afer losing his sight 29 years ago, has managed to take moose, elk, antelope,mountain lion, bear, and a string of whitetails with traditional equipment. Hunting with John will give you a new perspective on what we do.
Mike and a few of the guys stayed in his tee pee, while the old guys and the "entertainment" got the bunkhouse. Every evening we would eat a big dinner, have a few adult beverages, and then share some stories between songs. Ken Hoen and John Rook have been bowhunting for nearly a 100 years combined, and have hunted with some of the legends, so hearing some of their stories was a real treat.
I didn't get any shots on this trip, but I had a few good opportunities for stalks that were thwarted by the fickle wind of such flat country, and I passed on a group of small hogs.
There is nothing quite like spending a few days in the desert, though. I think Jim Morrison may have been on to something there....
