Busy filming videos!

I have not been blogging because I have been busy filming videos over the past few months!  Please visit me at RockyMountainMeatHunter.com and link to my YouTube videos!

-Todd

Hey, Diddle Diddle, Check Out This Griddle!

Over the years, I've assembled smokers, grills, and cooking devices from the big names in the industry.  Most of them either took hours to put together or had terrible instructions.  I recently acquired a 36" Griddle Cooking Station from Blackstone and was a bit skeptical when it came to the assembly.  Was I pleasantly surprised when assembly out of the box took a grand total of 15 minutes!  The best part was that all the holes were drilled in the right places and everything fit securely.

After setting up the 36" Griddle Cooking Station, I was immediately impressed with aesthetics of the product.  The black powder coated steel frame looked impressive and substantial.  The Cooking Station weighs in right around 125 lbs.  The 55 lb griddle cooktop reminds me of restaurant flattop grills.

The next thing that impressed me was the electronic ignition.  The spark comes from a AA battery.  It's the best ignition I've ever seen on an outdoor cooking appliance.  All four independently controlled burners produced beautiful blue flame instantly.  Within 10 minutes, the rolled steel top was heated and ready to go.  

I've cooked elk burgers and sausage, bacon, eggs, potatoes, onions, and quesadillas on the Blackstone Griddle.  Not to sound redundant, but this thing works great!  The cooking surface gives a caramelized coating to the outside of burgers that seals juices and flavor inside.  Hamburger buns are toasted to perfection.  It makes the best sauteed/grilled onions you've ever had.  Just sprinkle some vegetable oil, add onions, and watch the magic happen.  

The Cooking Station has three good-sized shelves to hold all your supplies.  The unit sits on four industrial strength caster wheels, two of which lock, so your downhill neighbors don't end up enjoying your dinner.  The huge rolled steel griddle top provides enough space to cook for a larger crowd and conducts an amazing amount of heat.  So whether you're cooking dinner for a small family or burgers for 20 of your closest friends, the Blackstone 36" Griddle Cooking Station can handle it.  Two thumbs up, 5 stars, standing ovation, and whatever else I need to do to let you know how much I like the Blackstone 36" Griddle Cooking Station.

Visit me at RockyMountainMeatHunter.com

UPDATE

Please don't think that I've disappeared!  I've actually been busy working with several companies in the cooking, camping, and outdoor industries.  God has provided many exciting ventures for me and you will soon be reading about it.  I have been blessed to start using products from companies including Blackstone Products, Hi Mountain Seasonings, Mr. Heater, and Nature's Coffee Kettle.  Stay tuned for a whole year's worth of videos, reviews, blogs, and updates on some of the best names in the outdoors!

Do "Camo" Clothes Make The Man?

The hunting apparel industry has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade.  Athletic apparel giant, Under Armour, is now a major player in the high-end hunting apparel market.  $200 Under Armour camo jackets fly off the shelf.  I know, I've sold many of them in my ebay store.  Sitka has a jacket called The Incinerator that retails for a mind-boggling $600!  For that price, you'd think the jacket would do the stalking and harvesting on its own.  There are camo baselayers on the market that sell for nearly $100 a piece.  To the old fashioned people out there, that's $100 for a pair of long john bottoms.  

What happened to the good old days when a man would put on a service-worn pair of military fatigues, grab his gun, and head to the woods in search of a deer?  Well, we've progressed as a culture.  We now pay $5.00 for a cup of coffee at Starbucks.  Now, you can still buy your camo at Wal-Mart and have plenty of money left when you leave the store.  Wouldn't you be a more successful hunter if you had to take out a one-year loan to buy a camo jacket and pants though? Are you at a breaking point because you just don't know how much to spend on your hunting apparel anymore?

I've worn lots of camo over the years.  I've worn camo jackets that retail for $269 and camo pants that I found on clearance for $10.00.  Guess what?  I've been successful at both ends of the hunting apparel spectrum!  I've hunted elk all over Colorado's Rocky Mountains over the years.  The first weird outfit I wore consisted of a $25 blaze orange Cabela's flannel shirt, a noisy pair of upland bird hunting pants I purchased in the Cabela's bargain cave for $10.00, a pair of Wal-Mart hunting socks, and a used pair of Rocky hunting boots that were too small and hurt my feet.  I killed a huge cow elk.  

Over the years, I've taken elk, mule deer, and pronghorn wearing mostly unmatching camo patterns that I've purchased everywhere from Gander Mountain to Wal-Mart and from Cabela's to ebay.  I've worn some expensive Under Armour camo for the past 3 years simply because I was able to purchase it at an incredibly low price.  Don't get me wrong, their apparel is great stuff.  It is comfortable, lightweight, water wicking, and it just looks cool!  I can't afford it at retail though.  I've now taken several elk while wearing Under Armour.  Growing up in Pennsylvania, my dad hunted in old blue jeans or work pants my mom bought him at Salvation Army.  He brought home rabbits and whitetail deer.  

So, in the end I believe it all comes down to how much money you have and how much money you're willing to spend.  Remember the coffee analogy earlier?  You can get it at 7-11 for $1.00 a cup or you can get a blended coffee drink for a whopping $6.00 at a fancier coffee shop.  You know what's crazy?  They both have caffeine, they both have sugar, and they both provide a pick-me-up.  Spend the majority of your time honing your hunting skills, studying your prey, practicing with your weapon, and getting in good physical condition.  Know deep down inside that you can be successful no matter what you're wearing!

You can find out more about me, watch my videos, find out what I'm doing on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, and purchase Rocky Mountain Meat Hunter products & apparel @ http://www.rockymountainmeathunter.com 

Thanks for blessing me today!

-Todd Toven
Rocky Mountain Meat Hunter 

Learning To Hunt & Handle Firearms In Public Schools

I'm 40 years old but vividly remember my childhood and the excitement that surrounded hunting & fishing seasons in our house...and in our community.  My dad took me along on Saturday small game hunts as soon as I was able to keep up with him.  I carried a Daisy BB gun and got to wear a blaze orange vest.  How I loved those crisp autumn days walking mile after mile with my father.  He would "kick out" the occasional rabbit which he would blast with his Revelation (Western Auto Supply) 12 gauge pump action shotgun.  Using his knife, he'd make a slit through one of the rabbit's legs, run it through his belt, and allow the rabbit to hang on his hip as we continued hunting.  

My dad would always take time to stop somewhere in the woods and allow me to shoot my BB gun at rusty Genessee beer cans we found along the way.  He even let me shoot at crows and squirrels.  Those were fascinating times for me learning the skills of the woods and learning to do what men did to provide food for their families in that part of the country.  I will always remember my mom, picking the shot out of the meat and soaking the rabbit carcass in salt water in the refrigerator.  Later on, she would dip the rabbit quarters in flour and lightly fry it in an inch of very hot vegetable oil.  It was delicious.  Even at only 10 years old, I realized how special it was.

I remember being jealous of my older brothers when each of them arrived in the 5th grade at Union City Area Elementary School in Union City, Pennsylvania.  5th Grade was when the Pennsylvania Game Commission sent a Game Warden into the classes to teach the Hunter Education class.  My older brothers would bring the book home and I would marvel at how they got to learn various rifle shooting positions.  I was proud of myself for learning that the lying down position was called prone.  My older brothers were certified and received their Pennsylvania Game Commission sewn patches that they would later apply to their blaze orange vests.  I was proud and envious of both of them.

wildlife biology class

Eventually, the time came for my Hunter Education class.  This would, in my opinion, be the best day of the year in Mrs. Prenatt's 5th grade class.  I remember bringing my patch, an official card signed by the game warden, and my rules book home.  Looking back, I'm in awe that we were allowed to learn these things in a public school.  Our high school had school-approved "buck pool" contests where students brought their whitetail racks into school for official scoring and competition.  It was gambling with a cash prize!  I remember being in 7th grade reading class where my classmate, Trevor Vaughn, brought a huge bag of fresh deer jerky to share with his classmates.  I actually bit into a lead bullet!  It was hilarious.  Today, even if you were able to sneak a big bag of deer jerky into a public school, could you imagine the lawsuits for biting down on a lead bullet?  Back then, we were allowed to exercise our own rights of freedom.  We also understood that if you bit into a piece of deer jerky, tasting a piece of the bullet was a possibility.  That's just the way we rolled.

I remember that we weren't supposed to bring knives to school, but lots of us boys did bring our knives.  We would marvel at each other's Buck lockblades.  I still remember bringing the butterfly knife that I purchased the night before at the Erie County Fair to school the next day.  There was even a student in my class who brought throwing stars to class a few times!  We didn't harm anybody with any of these tools & toys.  We were just boys who grew up in a rural outdoor culture doing what we liked...being adventurous boys.  Can you even fathom being able to enjoy any of these activities in a state run public school these days? 

Just today, a Bronx public school was put on shut down for 90 minutes while SWAT teams stormed the school and teachers hid children in closets.  It was a 12-year old with a NERF toy gun.  Meanwhile, a 5-year old Cape Cod elementary school student is facing suspension for making a gun out of LEGOs during an after school program.  No pun intended, but the whole district is up in arms.  

Back in the day, I couldn't wait to get out of Union City, Pennsylvania.  I graduated from college and have lived in Colorado for a long time.  To this date, I still remember the basics of hunting safety that I learned in a public school way back in the early 1980s.  In one of my guiding jobs, I had to remind another guide to never point a gun at something he didn't intend to kill (a person in this instance).  I will always remember and practice another rule I learned in the 5th grade:  Always assume that the gun can load itself.  Even if you think it's empty, check again.  That's the only way to be sure there won't be an accidental discharge of the weapon.  

We have chosen to homeschool our children.  We can have hunter safety classes any time we want to.  Our 5-year old daughter requested and received her first bow for Christmas last month.  I will teach our children to hunt, to fish, and to have a healthy respect for wildlife management & to be a good steward over all of God's creation.  I will never forget the years growing up in Northwest Pennsylvania.  We were rebels.  We said the pledge of allegiance at our public school, had pastors and clergymen (not clergywomen) mingling with students at lunch, had Christian rock bands perform at our school who were allowed to sing about Jesus Christ.  Oh yeah, they also taught us about hunting!

Product Review: Steel Stick Ribcage Spreader by Outdoor Edge

Need an inexpensive gift for the big game hunter?  What if I told you that for under $10.00, you can speed up and simplify the field dressing of your elk, moose, caribou, or large deer?  If your answer is "yes," then The Steel Stick Ribcage Spreader by Outdoor Edge is just what you need!

The Steel Stick is a pivoting steel bar that spreads the ribcage of medium through large big game animals.  In the past, most hunters spent several minutes looking around for a tree branch to spread the ribcage of their elk, moose, or large deer.  Frustration followed as the stick broke or wouldn't stay in place.  To maker matters worse, pieces of bark would often fall into the chest cavity of the animal. 

The Steel Stick enables quicker access to the abdomen of the animal and allows for quicker cooling of your meat.  The Stick pivots/expands to a width of just under 12" giving you plenty of room to get your hands inside the animal and allowing air to circulate freely.    The steel stick is ready to go when you are, locks and stays in place, and is clean.  

The Steel Stick is made out of polished steel, not stainless steel.  Having said that, I've personally used my steel stick for three years now processing 3 Rocky Mountain bull elk and have never had a problem with rust or corrosion.  It's very durable and lightweight.  The Steel Stick won't add too much weight to your daypack either given its weight of just 6.5 ounces.  

The Steel Stick comes complete with a nylon belt sheath...and all for a retail price of just $9.95!  I think it's one of the best hunting inventions in recent years and should be in the daypack of every elk, moose, caribou, and mule deer hunter.  The Steel Stick is available from Outdoor Edge and many sporting goods retailers.

Check out my video review

Visit Rocky Mountain Meat Hunter 

Meat Matters Most

I’ve had a few unsuccessful elk hunting seasons over the years here in Colorado.  I used to try to make myself feel better by uttering slogans such as “at least I got out there and saw elk” or  “that’s why they call it hunting and not killing.”  A few years ago, I realized that I adopted this mindset to simply make myself feel better for not being successful.  After all, I’m a meat hunter.  Meat matters most.  Try as I might, I just couldn’t eat good memories.  What ate me up, however, was living for the next year knowing that I could have done everything in my power to bring home the proverbial bacon. 

I tend to go the extra mile in the field when I know that the freezer at home is empty.  Let’s take this year’s elk season(s) as an example.  I did not get an elk during the antlerless archery season in September and I wasn’t very happy about it.  I had my chances but couldn’t seal the deal to harvest an elk.  I drew an either-sex tag for the 1^st rifle season in mid-October.  The 3 weeks between archery and rifle seasons seemed to crawl by.  If there is such a thing as a biological hunting clock, mine was ticking and before long I would be out of time.  To make matters worse, I fractured or badly bruised some ribs in a furniture moving accident with some guys from my church. 

Rifle season rolled around and I was already thinking about the edible trophy that was at stake.  We only had 10 lbs. of elk meat left in the freezer from the previous year.  The pressure was on.  After hunting for 1 day, I came down with a scary stomach sickness, fever, and chills.  I emptied my stomach on the mountain that night, a blizzard moved in, and the situation seemed grim at best.  Praise God that my friend Ed went hunting with me.  He didn’t hunt, he came just to take video & photos and because he likes to camp.  Ed helped me off the mountain that day and I drove home literally falling asleep at the wheel and stopping at many a convenience store to visit the bathroom.

In my early days of elk hunting, I would have given up after the rib injury.  If I was trying to act tough, I would have made it to rifle season only to give up when I started throwing up and came down with the 102 temperature.  I would have spent the next year in regret that I waved the white flag and because my freezer was empty.  I finally realized that the memories of the quaking aspen, the bugling bulls, or the smell of elk weren’t enough to sustain me throughout the off-season.  Meat matters Most!

I got better just in time for the last day of the 5-day season.  Ed agreed to accompany me once again as we went in on stealthy one day mission to get meat.  We met at 3:30 am, hiked up the mountain in the dark, and proceeded to hunt.  The bulls were screaming and I almost got a shot at a cow at 120 yards around 7:00 am.  I was down but not out.  We hunted all day.  I knew that God was the champion of the down and out and could provide an elk at any time.  Sure enough, God provided the elk in the middle of the afternoon.  I made the shot(s) at 183 yards, harvested a mid-size bull with a small rack, and got meat to feed my family for the next year.  I had harvested my 4^th elk in the past 5 years in the same forest, all on public property.

The years of having an empty freezer finally taught me a lesson…Meat matters most.  I thank God for this lesson, for the ability to not give up regardless of the situation I’m in, and for the protein provision.  Friends, don’t give up.  If you value meat over antlers or fuzzy feelings, don’t throw the towel in at the first sign of adversity.  Pull yourself up and get back out there and give God all the glory knowing full well that while you are weak, he is strong!  Praise the Lord and pass the elk!