Kansas Wheat Harvest 2011 - Part 2

There's something very empowering about running the combine. Not only do I have control of a massive machine with tons of moving parts, but I also am contributing to the success and well-being of the family farm. With every pass, I share in the hard work and legacy that has been passed down through multiple generations. Nichole's grandpa farmed some of the same ground her dad and brother are farming today. Her other grandpa farmed in Oklahoma and Kansas, and had a custom cutting business, too.

Cutting wheat!

Between Nichole's brother and dad, they have more than 80 years of farming experience. What's really cool is they seem to balance her dad's old-school farming practices that built the farm with her brother's new-fangled ideas and processes. It's clear that to be successful you must have both strong roots and branching limbs.

Cutting in Mattox Draw.

Combine header - the sickle cuts the straw.

Unloading wheat at the house for storage in the bins.

After harvest finished, one of the main chores we tackled was cleaning the combines. With an air compressor we blew off every nook and cranny where dust and chaff collected. It is one of the dirtiest jobs on the farm and luckily we chose a day when the wind was blowing. Not only did it keep us a little cooler, it also moved most of the dirt away.

Once we loosened up a bunch of the dirt, Heath started up the combine to move it all out the back end.

Kansas Wheat Harvest 2011 - Part 1

The Tree Quarter/Lone Tree Field.

Nichole and I loaded up Mattox, the two cats, and two dogs, and then headed to Western Kansas to help Nichole's family with wheat harvest. On the way in we saw deer, antelope, and quite a few pheasants. A couple fields got hailed out just a few days before needing cut, and the custom cutters took care of a bunch of fields. That meant that our part of harvest only lasted six days - a record for sure!

Wheat!

On our way to the farm we spotted deer, antelope and pheasants.

The first day we arrived, we fed the baby calf, rested, and took some photos at the Tree Quarter, which is the lone tree on the farm, and THE lone tree used for Nichole's business logo. There just happened to be a whitetail doe bedded near the tree that posed for a couple photos before we posed for photos. The next day we started cutting. Nichole took a couple breaks to nurse Mattox when her mom brought him to the field. Otherwise, we were on the combines for about 10 hours. Each day was similar to the next... up early to feed the calf, check the wheat, haul water to the cows, service the combines, and then cut until 9pm or so.

Cinnamon the calf.

A whitetail doe posed for photos, too.

The best girl and the cutest boy in the world!

One night as we were making the first pass around a field straddling Mattox Draw (yes, THE Mattox Draw), I noticed the bin in my combine had way too much chaff. It turned out that a bracket broke, which caused one of the main separating fans to stop working. A quick weld the next day, along with a new bearing, fixed it like new!

The view from the combine.

One quick weld and my combine was back in the game.

Four Rules of Firearm Safety

Okay, so I might be a safety geek, especially having worked in the outdoor recreation safety industry for the last eight years or so. However, as long as we always keep gun safety in the forefront of our minds, shooting and hunting will remanin two of the safest sporting activities.

As a reminder, here are the Four Rules of Firearm Safety as devised by Jeff Cooper, founder of Gunsite:

1. All guns are always loaded.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
4. Always be sure of your target.

If you ALWAYS follow ALL FOUR rules, you will never have a shooting accident.

Also, don't forget your eye and ear protection... now get out there and turn show powder into noise!

Gunsite 270 General Rifle

Back in 2008, after I took the Gunsite 250 Defensive Pistol course, I also took the 270 General Rifle course. It is designed to give new shooters the familiarity and confidence to handle their rifles, while honing the skills of experienced shooters for shots ranging from “up close” to 300 yards. My class had students of all experience levels and we all benefitted from the thorough teaching.



Similar to the Defensive Pistol class, we were all made very familiar with our equipment and learned the most efficient ways to manipulate our rifles and their controls. I took my Christensen Arms .270WSM topped with a Swarovski riflescope. We practiced loading, unloading, feeding, mounting, carrying in multiple slung positions, and of course, many different shooting positions.


Prone


Sitting


Kneeling, using concealment and a rest

The main thing I took from the class is the idea of “natural point of aim.” Every time you hold your rifle, whether supported or not, your hands and body will “naturally” point the rifle. If you try to force the sights away from this natural point of aim and onto your target, different parts of your body will be competing against one another and you will shoot less accurately. However, if you shift your body so that your “natural point of aim” is at your target, you will only need to make slight adjustments to your point of aim while pressing the trigger. It was amazing to see how our groups shrunk after making sure our natural point of aim was the same as our intended point of aim.

To find your natural point of aim, get into any shooting position (following the Four Rules of Firearms Safety, of course), and then close your eyes and relax for a few seconds or a couple deep breaths. When you open your eyes, your gun will be pointing at your natural point of aim. If you are not aimed at your target, shift your body so that you are, but do not just push the gun around with your hands. Close your eyes again and check your natural point of aim. Continue shifting and checking until your natural point of aim is the same as your intended point of aim, and then fire. With some practice, you will easily and quickly find your natural point of aim, which should make you a better shooter!

If you get a chance to take the Gunsite 270 General Rifle course, I strongly suggest it. You will fire more rounds through your rifle in a week than you probably ever have, and you will leave with the skills and confidence to make the shot, whether it’s at cape buffalo in the thick brush or a mule deer on the prairie. The teachers are excellent and the knowledge they give you is worthwhile for real-life hunting scenarios.


A timed run through the Scrambler tested our stamina and skills.

Here is the article I wrote for Western Hunter about the Gunsite 270 General Rifle class:

Outfitters and Other Services

Just below the "Trent Uses and Endorses" section is a list of outfitters and other outdoor service providers. I know each of the companies personally and can say that each provided me with great information and opportunities. If you are in need of their services, you won't go wrong picking any one of them!

Trent Uses and Endorses

On the right side of my blog is a list of companies whose products I have used over the years and feel comfortable endorsing. This is not a complete list and I have not used every product made by these companies. However, based on the products I have used from each company, I can proudly and confidently back them. If you have a question about any of the products, feel free to shoot me an email at trent@trentswansonoutdoors.com.

Drownin' Worms

Teague proudly shows Mattox a catfish on Mattox's first fishing excursion.

We spent Easter weekend down in Phoenix with my brother and his family. Besides the huge Echeverria picnic on Saturday and an Easter egg hunt on Sunday, Erik and his oldest son Teague took Nichole, Mattox, and I on Mattox’s first fishing trip. One of Erik’s friends lives on a private lake in Ahwatukee with an abundance of warm water fish species such as catfish, carp, bluegill, and crappie.

We rigged up a couple rods with corn and worms, and let Teague do the catching as soon as the fish hit. We only fished for about an hour, but Teague caught a carp and three catfish. The carp put up quite a fight, but after I tightened the drag on Teague’s reel, he made short work of the big bottom-feeder.

Since I was trying to get a picture of Mattox with a fish (two of the squirmiest things on the planet), I was frustrated when the first catfish got off, and then when I dropped the second. It all came together on the third, which also happened to be the biggest! We got a great photo of Teague holding the catfish, me holding Mattox, and Mattox touching his first slimy fish.

Teague was totally unselfish and loved sharing the experience with the family. He couldn’t wait to go and was very proud to show his fish to Mattox. I think those cousins will have a great time in the woods together!

Even though Mattox’s first fishing trip was more about me than him, I hope he’ll recognize the value of exposing kids to the outdoors early. My parents took me fishing before I could walk and now we’ve done the same for Mattox. Hopefully he’ll do the same for his kids…






A sequence of photos showing Teague catching and releasing a nice carp with the help of his dad:

Eyes and Rocks Don't Mix

If you get a chance to have a rock imbedded in your eyelid, I suggest you pass.

It happened to me over Easter weekend, but I have no idea how. It might have been at my nephew's baseball game or possibly the Echeverria Famliy Picnic. It's not like I was riding the quad or doing it doggie-style... you know, hanging your head out the window of your pickup while driving down the freeway! Ha!

I thought it was just an irritation from my contacts so I waited until Wednesday to see my eye doctor, Dr. Todd Geiler. He happens to be one of my friends who also hunts and shoots, so he knows how much I value my sight. He said the tiny pebble was "like a boulder" in eye terms.

He put me on two topical antibiotics for 10 days to fight the accompanying infection, but when I went back yesterday, it hadn't cleared up. In addition, there is still a divot in my eyelid where the rock was lodged... so now it's 14 more days days of antibiotics, this time by mouth.

The one saving grace was that after the appointment Nichole, Mattox, and I went out to supper with Todd and his wife Leisa. Sometimes it takes a little suffering to realize some enjoyment, but I would rather have just met up with them on non-rock-lodged-in-my-eylid circumstances.

Life's a Beach

Last month Nichole and I celebrated our 6th Anniversary by taking Mattox to SoCal so he could dip his feet into the ocean. We also spent time with some great friends and ate some amazing food. We ate at Bubba Gump’s on the Santa Monica Pier and a fancy Thai food place. We also had amazing sandwiches from an authentic Italian deli, and Nichole’s friend Therese sent us off with her world-famous Korean bulgogi.

At the beach, Mattox loved playing in the giant sandbox, but his mom wouldn’t let me take him swimming. She said it was too cold, so I just let him kick the surf! At Mother’s Beach in Marina Del Rey Mattox got to check out his first sea lion up close. We also learned that Mattox LOVES the swings!

Arizona Sandhill Cranes

One of the most obscure birds to hunt in Arizona is the Sandhill Crane. All tags are issued through a drawing for hunts that mainly take place around Willcox and the Sulphur Springs Valley in southeastern Arizona. My brother Erik and I first were drawn back in 2004, and have hunted four other years since then. Most of our efforts have been focused on the Kansas Settlement area because we have a good friend whose family farms in the area. We have not been successful on every hunt, but we usually are able to convince a couple birds to at least fly by our decoys.


Results of our first Arizona Sandhill Crane hunt in 2004.


When drawn, you are allowed two birds.


Erik shot this greater, which was nearly twice as big as the more common lessers.

We typically set out a dozen silhouette decoys in picked corn fields or cut milo fields, and then do our best to hide nearby. As the birds lift off the Willcox Playa after roosting there for the night, we use binoculars to spot the birds coming our way. We have found that flagging helps tremendously to bring the birds towards us. Once on the way, we do a little calling and hope the birds stay low enough to be within range. Our shotguns of choice shoot 3-1/2” Hevi Shot Dead Coyote T’s through Patternmaster Chokes. We have found the combination to be deadly, especially on such large birds at long ranges.


We use binoculars to glass for cranes as they leave their roost in the morning.


Once spotted, our homemade flag lures the cranes close.

I always took Lacey with me, but made sure that the birds were dead before allowing her to make a retrieve. An injured crane, with its long beak and poor demeanor, can be dangerous to a dog. However, as long as they are dead, there is nothing like watching a Labrador bring back a bird that is nearly twice as long as her! My brother took his German Shorthair on a few of the hunts, too. The crane hunt is a perfect hunt for kids to come along, so as soon as Erik’s oldest son Teague was old enough to join us, he became part of our hunting crew!


A crane hunt is perfect for kids!


Cranes must be tagged like Arizona's big game.


A crane tends to be a mouthful for a Labrador, but Lacey always figured out a way to bring them back!

Wild Game Cooking: Marinated Elk Steaks

For the past few years, Nichole and I created quite the garden and incorporated its bounty into our meals. For this supper, we prepared marinated elk steaks, bacon-wrapped homegrown jalapeños, and sautéed homegrown yellow squash and zucchini.

For the elk steaks, I used my ol' standby: Trent's Secret Wild Game Marinade, and then cooked them on the grill to medium rare. We stuffed the jalapeños with a cream cheese/cheddar cheese mixture, wrapped them in bacon, and then grilled them alongside the steaks. For the squash, we just sautéed the slices in some butter with a few requisite spices like garlic, basil, and oregano.

It was a simple meal to prepare, satisfying to know it was mostly either shot or grown by us, and delicious to boot!

AZSFWC Heritage Banquet 2011

On Saturday May 14, 2011, join fellow politically-motivated hunters and conservationists for the third annual Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation (AZSFWC) Heritage Banquet. This year’s keynote speaker will be Former Vice President Dan Quayle and the Honorary Co-Chair will be Arizona Governor Jan Brewer.

AZSFWC and its partner organization, Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife (AZSFW) are the pre-eminent political voice for sportsmen in Arizona. The organizations include as members nearly all the sportsmen groups across the state such as the Arizona Elk Society, AZ Deer Association, and the Yuma Valley Rod & Gun Club.

Last year’s event featured Sarah Palin and was attended by more than 700 people. This year’s event takes place at 4:00 p.m. at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort. Individual tickets are available for as little as $125 and sponsorships of all levels are also available. Log on to the AZSFWC website for more information and to purchase tickets. Hope to see you all there!

3rd Annual AZSFWC Heritage Banquet
May 14, 20011 4:00 p.m.
Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort
Honorary Co-Chair Goveror Jan Brewer
Keynote Speaker Former Vice President Dan Quayle