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

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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!

The Taboo Of The Hunter In The Suburbs

I live along Colorado's highly-populated Front Range.  There are over 20 Natural Grocers stores, 10 Whole Foods Markets, and 6 Sprouts Farmers Markets within an hour of our home.  Fitness Centers that are literally the size of small shopping mall are now springing up in the area.  If I see another 24 Hour Fitness, I think I'll throw up. 

So am I opposed to a more natural or organic way of life?  Am I opposed to fitness?  No, siree Bob!  My family eats natural, organic, hormone-free, and delicious wild game meat almost every day.  I lift free weights in my garage and do cardio several times a week. 

I've come to notice that I stand out like a sore thumb living here in the suburbs.  Absolutely every friend I have in the area buys meat at the local natural grocer and doesn't have a clue where meat comes from.  When they see the Rocky Mountain Meat Hunter logo on our vehicle, they are perplexed.  When I tell them I lift weights in my garage, they look at me like I am a dork.  Then they continue on their way to the fancy fitness center complete with swimming pool, climbing wall, and everything else you could ever want. 

I try explaining the health benefits of eating wild game.  Some tell me, "all that hunting and getting your own meat just seems like a lot of work."  Yes, it is a lot of work!  You better believe it, sister.  Please don't start hunting.  Please continue to feed your family the cancer-causing meat our stores sell.  Please continue to waste money on the local fitness center and paying to walk/run in 5Ks to make yourself feel better.  I'll offer for you to come lift weights with me in my garage.  Sometimes I wear camo overalls when I lift and snack on protein rich elk summer sausage afterward.  You'd probably think that's weird though, huh?  Yeah, I guess I'm a dork.

How to hunt big game with an 8 month old baby

So you want to go huntin' for big game but you're busy taking care of your precious baby?  Don't think you can stalk deer, elk, or moose while you're babysitting?  Not getting sleep at night because you're precious little one is up crying and refuses to go to bed?  Lullabies not working?

Take your little one afield and let the call of the wild lull that sweet sugar to sleep!  Deer, elk, and other large game animals are often active in the middle of the night.  Get your motor runnin', head out on the highway and satisfy both your little one's need for sleep and your need for adventure at the same time. 

Our 8 month old baby girl refused to sleep during the night a few times while we were on vacation in Whitefish, Montana in early September this year.  It was 4:00 am.  We were staying at Great Grandma's house.  I decided to grab coffee and take Natalie out for a drive instead of allowing her to wake up everybody in the house.  She fell asleep almost as soon as I started the vehicle.  I had the camera with me so I decided to see if I could find any wildlife on the streets. 

Enjoy the video:

Give your turkey the year off!

Ok, so we all serve turkey for our Thanksgiving meal.  It's what our Mom did, it's what her Mom did. You get the point.  Since we're big game hunters, why not serve up a Thanksgiving feast that shows our true colors?  That's why the Thanksgiving dinner table at our house this year will feature...drum roll please: elk roast!

Just because the cardboard cutout pilgrims you paste on your walls show paper turkeys, that doesn't mean you have to follow suit.  If you're a hunter and have delicious elk, deer, antelope, moose or any large game roast in your freezer then you are already half way to the best Thanksgiving meal you've ever had. 


We typically use anywhere from a 2-4 lb. roast.  Thaw your roast in the refrigerator for a day or two, and put it in your crock pot 5 or 6 hours prior to dinner time.  We recommend keeping it simple like they did in colonial times.  Exact measurements are not necessary.  Turn the crock pot heat level to "high."  Pour a few cups of hot water in the crock pot as a start for your stew base.  Next we like to add a few tablespoons of Wishishere sauce along with garlic powder, salt and black pepper.  Finally, we add a few diced yellow or white onions, put the lid on the crock pot and walk away for 60-90 minutes.

Remove the lid about 60-90 minutes into the cooking time.  At this time, it's probably a good idea to add a cup or more hot water to continue building the stew/gravy base.  Add several washed, peeled, and chopped potatoes.  We like to make them decent sized...about the size of Jell-o jigglers.  We're talking big bites, not pathetic morsels like they give you in the cans of Chunky at the store!  Next, add several washed, peeled, and chopped carrots.  Sprinkle on some more of the spices to account for the fact that you now have all the veggies in the pot and put the lid back on.  Continue cooking on high heat checking on it once ever hour or so.  Make sure you add more water every time you check on the roast.  The more gravy the better. 

You can use a meat thermometer if you wish, but we recommend cooking the roast until it's the right tenderness for you.  If your roast is done and your guests aren't arriving for another 2 hours, simple turn the crock pot to "warm" and let it sit until they arrive.  Worse case scenario, if your guests have arrived and the roast seems to be an hour away from being done, pour the contents of the crock into a roasting pan and pop it into your oven at a temp greater than 400 degrees for 20 minutes or more until the roast is finished. 

Serve the roast on a platter, meat in the middle, veggies piled high in a circle around the outside and pour the gravy on top.  Make sure you have plenty of crusty bread (French bread, Sourdough rolls, etc.) on hand for gravy dipping.   Enjoy the best Thanksgiving feast you've ever had.  Let other people eat those water-filled, hormone pumped, steroid infected store turkeys.  As Uncle Ted would say, you've got the original Whole Foods in your freezer.  Use them and enjoy them!

God bless!

-Todd