I've hunted Mountain Quail across four states and in almost every type of cover imaginable. Nowhere have I encountered the numbers of quail that I've seen in the Cascades. Despite huge numbers of birds, thi...

I'll start by saying that I feel bad writing this product spotlight. I feel bad because there's only one of these available to the public. That's right, we teamed up with Final Rise to create a one of a kind Cheatgrass Cowboys edition XT. Not only that, the vest can be yours, for free. 

When the first light climbed over the ridge line, the two sleeping bags beside me started twitching like worms trying to burrow back underground. I cracked open the hood of my own bag and found a thin skin of frost had formed across it overnight, that alone was reason enough to stay put a little longer. 

When I hunt chukar I'm usually out for several days at a time. I used to have to charge my collars and handheld at the end of every hunt just to make sure I could get another full day out of them. Now I charge once before I go and the collars can last 60+ hours.

At the time of writing, the Garmin TT25 is undoubtedly the gold standard for upland hunters. The TT25 is a huge improvement size wise compared to the older TT15, this newer unit is smaller, lighter and has a battery life that let's you hunt an entire long weekend without recharging. Despite this, the collar still feels big on puppies and smaller pointing dogs. This simple 'hack' lets you size down your TT25 even more, resulting in a better fit for those smaller necks. 

The goal was to find a premium, easy carrying, lightweight and versatile shotgun that had new technology and was capable of shooting every load on the market. My everyday do-it-all gun that I would use 95% of the time. 

Is the Weatherby Orion the best budget chukar shotgun? I ended up buying a Weatherby Orion 20g in matte blue. Not only was It was very affordable, but it also had all the attributes needed to be a great chukar gun. It was light and snappy with 26" barrels, a great length for chasing fast moving birds. The wood and matte blue receiver aren't anything fancy but you also won't feel bad beating it up.

As the sun’s beam broke the horizon to the east, the two sleeping bags spread out next to me began to wiggle like earthworms trying to escape back into the ground. As I unzipped the hood of my sleeping bag, the thin crust of frost that had formed over the top made it easy to remain inside. The forecast had called for lows in the 20’s, and I didn’t need a thermometer to know it was cold.

We’re a group of lactic acid junkies that yearn for adventure in wild places. We enjoy good friends, cold beer, gritty dogs, steep country and type 2 fun.