Season's End

It's that time of the year again, when I hang up my predator calls for a short time and get out my baseball glove and my fishing rod. The time when I bid a temporary farewell to my furry opponents and give them a chance to replenish and regroup. I still go out and call during these next few months, though mostly for ranchers and landowners, thinning out problem animals and protecting livestock. And sometimes, just for fun, I'll call in a few predators just to say hello, to let them know I am still around and that I'll see them again real soon. Once August and September roll around, I'll be back out in force - chasing Wile E. and Mr. Bob and the Not-So-Crafty Fox.

So until then, I'll engage in other outdoor activities, but spend time remembering the exciting moments that I had on stands during this last season. Like the mystery ghost fox that looked dead or asleep through the entire stand, only to disappear suddenly at the end. Or the bobcat that got the drop on me, but was distracted by a simple leaf blowing in the wind, which allowed me to turn the tables in my favor. There's all of those days and the many, many stands where no animals showed up, but time was spent with family and friends enjoying the outdoors and the wonders of nature. And I can't forget the coyote that came back to the call after being shot at . . . . twice! And there will be more memories to be made next season, so I will spend what time I have daydreaming about those future adventures.

But fear not! Though I have been a little sparse with my blog posts lately, I will continue to keep you updated throughout the summer. Look for my upcoming posts about camo selection, getting ready for predators in the off-season, how to find new hunting areas, new calls and sounds, and more!

In the meantime, check out Independence Firearms Training - it's what has been keeping me busy and therefore away from updating my blog lately. Training during the warmer periods of the year is ideal, and the best day to prepare for the worst day is today! We are available to travel to your location, or you can come and train in beautiful northern Arizona. Contact me through email or call me (520-831-3683) for more information.

I hope that your predator hunting season was as good as mine, and if you're still out there - Happy Hunting!

Rattler Skull

I haved cleaned the skulls from a lot of different animals, but a recent request from a hunter in New Mexico brought a bit of a challenge to my door. He wanted me to clean the skull of a rattlesnake he'd just killed, so he boxed the head up and shipped it over to me. I didn't know how my beetles would take it, but as usual they didn't disappoint. Once they got the skull cleaned it basically fell into a couple of pieces, and it turns out that a rattlesnake skull is fairly fragile. Once I got it put together, though, it was really interesting to see where all of the glands and organs go. That's actually one of my favorite parts of cleaning skulls, is to learn about the anatomy of different animals.

One of these days I'll buy a better camera, but for now I got as detailed of pictures as I was able to of the rattler skull. And if you'd like to see more pictures of some of the animal skulls I have cleaned up, click here to go to an online album.