Elk Horn Hunting Gear Testimonials

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Testimonial For	Dear Mr. Horn: I wrote you earlier to ask when the videos are coming out you mentioned last year. I also saw you speak Capital Sports in Helena Montana a few years back and have patterned my calling from your instructional cd's and the staff. Also I mentioned inviting you to hunt with us and know there is a snowballs chance on a hot day. We hunt public land in the Belt Mountains by Kings Hill out of White Sulphur Springs where I grew up. We have sweet spot that every year and almost every time we go produces elk and lots of them. This year was no exception and we are learning, but this year your calling strategies gave us the most incredible hunt of a life time!!! Two bull elk in fifteen minutes in the exact same spot, with other hunters hundreds of yards away calling, but your techniques brought them running to us. At 7:15 in the morning of opening day, we were in our special area , a drainage that has much water, tall grass and cover, that resists the dry areas of Montana this year. It is like going into another time zone. We started location bugles with the terminator and to a lot of responses immediately and weren't sure if it was the other hunters in the area, but kept going, doing some cow and calf sounds on the imperial plate. The herd seemed to follow us for a half mile to the thick timber of the other north side of the drainage, but we were still not sure of how many there were or if we were calling hunters in. We encountered warm dropping and urine all the way and tons of it, so we knew many elk were in the area that morning and night. My son and I had only walked for about 1/2 hour and decided we better not take the long preplanned walk we had mapped out on ridge tops. Mainly this was our plan due to gas prices and we hunt to eat, don't have a lot of excess income and had four days to hunt as father and son, with no folks along that hadn't practiced calling or shooting. We started doing a silent calling routine with the imperial plates, hyper-lip single, hoochie mamma and the terminator bugle. We were in heavy timber and next to a finger park of lush grass and much water, not sure of exactly where the other hunters were or the elk, but decided to stop and try your routine we had practiced to death. Our plan was to walk a 3 to 4 mile ridge top walk in a triangle back to the truck, but the excitement of the morning said stay and call. It wasn't but a couple of minutes into it and my son Monroe said, " Dad they are coming!" Sure enough I heard hooves pounding and grunts and growls of the bulls and cow calling. I told my son I was dropping back to call just for him and barely got 25 yards behind him and hear they came hard and fast. My son dropped to his knees and didn't have time to put on a face mask or range a darn thing. We were in the magic circle as you say and elk were everywhere. A huge 5 or 6 by with a raghorn, spikes and a few cows came in just like that and I saw my son draw back and as fast as he did that I heard the thump of the arrow release and a swack sound of the arrow hitting. Elk busted everywhere and my son looked back with a huge smile and bow in the air of victory. I started to weep (just like you my friend) as I knew my boy had just hit his first elk. I snuck down to him after we both called and I bugled to calm the herd. I asked where he hit and he said high in the front shoulder and I told him he had him! We whispered and began to mark the area he shot and mark with tape to blood trail in a half hour or so. My son said he only had a small window to shoot through and could only see the body and a velvet base of horns. He said he thought of my words we talked about, shoot the first legal elk you see and you will never be sorry, as we hunt to eat and don't have a lot to time or advantage on low pressure land. I asked him what pin he used and he said instinct told him 20 yards and let 'er rip. Practiced paid off, as did calling, which we kept doing while we looked for the blood trail. We began to worry, as it was very hot out and finally I found massive blood and spurted up 3 to 4 feet on trees. Exclaiming softly to my son, you got 'em and tears flew again, so we began to round up gear and get ready to trail the no doubt dead bull. It didn't matter to us which kill zone he hit, he just saw the opening and took the first legal elk he saw. Just then my son told me he could hear elk sounds and more coming to the calls and I said no way, but soon heard the pounding of hooves and got down to ready for a shot. My son dropped back and did some great calling on the hyper-lip single binging them right to me. I barely had time to nock an arrow and draw back, again no range finding time, only tons of practice all year guided us both. I saw a velvet spike come to broadside 30 yards away and put my 30 yard pin on him and he began to move and like you said once I punched the trigger. I did one thing wrong, I began to look at the whole animal moving and not concentrating on the one sweet spot . The arrow slammed through him below the spine in the upper hind quarter. The spike stood there immediately starting to wobble and in amazement and thinking I made a bad shot, nocked another arrow and just then he turned down hill, taking a few steps and fell over. Amazed that we had taken place - two elk in fifteen minutes apart, we went down to him and I put another arrow through his lungs, as we couldn't stand to watch him suffer. It was over, less than an hour into opening morning on September 2nd, 2006 and we stood there thinking, what the hell just happened, no time for ranging, calling from 75 yards back or any prep-work, just instinct from practice. What a feeling, my son with his first elk and my second one. We have only been bow hunting for a few years. Just then 3 bow hunters came to us from across the park. They told us they had followed the herd for an hour than morning and couldn't get them in much. One fellow was at full draw the spike I shot but couldn't figure the yardage and watched the elk fall to my arrow from across the park. We shook hands and wished them luck, knowing their amazement and disappointment for themselves, but they were nice fellows congratulating us and went on hunting. We got on my son's blood trail and it was amazing, blood everywhere and we found his bull pilled up less than 100 yards, a nice, but weird rack two year old bull. Mine was a two year old also. WOW, we had never even heard of this happening or seen it in a video. Can you imagine the video this would have produced, two nice young good eating spikes, fifteen minutes apart from exactly the same area and we could darn near see the truck a half mile away on the other side of the drainage! We dressed out my son's bull first with tag proudly on him, placing him to cool with game netting over the body cavity to keep flies to a minimum and did the same with mine. We were back at camp by 10:30 am and my son went to get cell coverage to call buddies we had helped haul elk out before. I broke camp down about 14 hours after I put it up, which was going to be a 4 day deal, My son arrived back and we got one bull off the hill in our otter sled when help arrived. We halved them up and by 5 pm we were in route to White Sulphur to wait dark to drive home for less heat and cooling. We got home at 11:30 and up the next morning to have the two bulls in the freezer by 3 PM the next day. The meat was fine we shared our bounty with our helpers as they have done for us. This is a condensed version and I couldn't wait to tell ya our luck. Thank you Mr. Horn and we would be proud to hunt with you and call for you, of course learning all the way! THANK YOU MR. HORN AND PRIMOS FOR YOUR CD'S, SEMINARS AND CALLS. We were like magicians that day, we could do no wrong. Don't get me wrong, we messed up a lot of other times, but we always get in the elk at some point in long hard work and many miles logged, not to mention the year of preparation. Dang it man, we were in the magic circle and as Will Primos would say, I would rather be lucky than good any day! Gratefully yours, Lane F. Mathis Monroe Mathis (son) Clancy, Montana
Testimonial For	"I must have listened to your CD 200 times before we went (hunting) and am convinced in your methods...Thank you for putting out your CD, and please let me know when you will be offering tips on calling in late season elk." 09/04 R. Wright Clackamas, Oregon
Testimonial For	"Jim, I recently bought both of your elk calling CD's and I am stoked! Man, just 8 more months! Just wanted to let you know that these are just what I've been looking for and it's very clear that I've been doing quite a few things wrong. These CD's will definitely fast track me to where I want to be instead of trying to learn it all through hard knocks and mistakes as has been my experience to date. I've watched many of the "Truth" series videos, own a few, and really love their content but I've been wanting more instruction and logic regarding timing, setup's, and technique - these CD's bring it all together!" 01/05 John Dick via e-mail
Testimonial For	This was my first year ever hunting. I chose to bow hunt. I purchased your early season elk CD knowing I would need as much help as possible. I actually called in three different bulls!!! I was fired up!!! Thank you for giving me a little piece of your knowledge it has brought a new love of the outdoors to me and my family. Thank you once again, Sean Kennedy
Testimonial For	Mr. Jim, I'm emailing you to tell you about our 2005 Elk Trip. You have answered some of my questions on the Primos Forums, but I found out about your CD's back around April of this year. My brother and I listened to them once or twice a week at least. We would focus on the Early Season Elk CD because we were going Aug. 27, opening morning in Colorado…ON PUBLIC LAND, which we have been gun hunting for 8 years. This was going to be our first trip in August (usually in October), and it would be our first Elk Bow Hunt. We drove 18 hours one way just to hunt Sat. and Sun. Let me tell you…YOUR CD WORKED PERFECTLY. We called in 5 bulls in 1 ½ days. It was incredible. Not knowing if we were even doing the calls right, we were going to stick with it to the end. On our first set up, after our 2nd calling sequence, a Spike came with 16 yards of my brother (we were 30 yards apart). Within 15 minutes, we had called up a Bull. On our 3rd set up, about 30 minutes into it, I hit my Hoochie Mama in between sequences, and a Bull bugled 40 -50 yards from me. This time we were about 35-40 yards apart, but around a bend on an Elk trail (I really couldn't see my brother). Since the bull came up on me, opposite side of my brother, he grabbed his calls and moved directly behind me from the Bull. My brother did a small bugle (to match the small one from the bull) and I cringed. I thought it was over. To my surprise, the bull bugles back…just a small bugle with nothing behind it. So, David (my brother) made a couple of cow calls (it was so thick, no of us could see farther than 40 yards and that was down the trail). The bull moved a little closer, but we still couldn't see him. All of a sudden, the Bull bugled again, but this time he chuckled behind it. This is where it would end. In my mind, I was praying David would cow call again, but then I heard a bugle with a chuckle behind it from him instead. Well, we never heard from the bull again. Inexperience at its best, and David admitted that he cost us that Bull. Oh well, it was fun… Later on that day, we set back up at the same spot we saw the spike. We made 3 sequences, and a 4x4 was coming straight to us. He stopped broad side, 35 yards right in front of my brother. David misjudged the distance (Bull Fever) and shot under him. The bull took off and I hit the Hoochie Mama and he stopped again, broad side 40 yards away. This time the bull turned the same time he shot and David shot him right in the neck, dead center right in front of the shoulder. We were going to leave him alone for a couple of hours, but then the biggest rain storm came, lightning an all. We trailed blood for close to ¾ of a mile before we couldn't see due to the rain. We couldn't find him. Our day was cut short at 2:55 p.m. when he shot. I wish we could have hunted that evening, no telling what we could have gotten into. The next day was rough, we had walked about 2 miles around to the backside of the mountain. David wanted to head back when I told him that I had found a funnel just over on the other side of this steep peak (I found it the year before). Well he agreed, and as we were headed down, we ran into a monster scrape that reached up the tree about 6 ½ feet. Needless to say, we set up about 25 yards apart where both of us could see down a lane headed down to a flatter trail. After 3 calling sequences, I stood up to signal to David for us to set up on the lower trail. As I waived to him, I looked down my trail, and there was a MONSTER Elk (at least a 6x6, if not bigger) walking by my lane 44 yards down. We scurried to get everything ready, but by this time, he had stopped broad side behind some brush. I could see just his shoulder, but by the way it was turned, I knew he was looking up towards us. He was supposed to cross my brother's lane but never did. We sat down and did another calling sequence (after I denied David from doing a bugle)…Nothing…I was about to get David again to set up lower, when I decided to do one more sequence…After doing the estrous call, I was waiting for David to bugle (I did the estrous and David did the bugle)…but it never came. I looked around and David was drawn back on a 4x4…Interesting enough, this Elk had circled us and stopped broad side 15 steps from David DIRECTLY down wind. David made a perfect shot…It didn't end like we had hoped. 4 hours later we went to bag his trophy. The arrow had broke off, and just after 65-70 yards, he quit bleeding. We found 2-3 more drops the next 50-60 yards and then nothing. We looked for 3 hours (until dark) to no avail. We both pride ourselves on tracking Whitetails, and other people call us to help them, so to let this happen 2 days in a row was very disappointing. Well, either way, it was one of the greatest hunts we have been on. Thanks to your CD, 2 Bow-Hunting-for-Elk rookies (hard working rookies) called in 5 Bulls in less than 1 ½ days. Just wanted to let you know just one of the success stories that your CD's have produced. Thanks for everything Billy Foster
Testimonial For Western Pack	I have never worn a pack that is so incredibly comfortable. The Western pack allows the flexibility and freedom to shoot you bow without removing your pack. You can load it up and still walk for miles. Thanks for building such an awesome hunting pack. Shane Johnson
Testimonial For All American Pack and Alaskan Pack	Thanks for putting out such a great line of hunting packs. As a dealer, I am for products that I would use myself, and also enjoy selling to my customers. I know that I can stand behind your products. I used the All American fanny pack and the Alaskan Pack a great deal this hunting season. Both products held up great under tough conditions. I put them through a late season muzzle loader hunt here in California, and also just got back from hunting Sitka Blacktails on Kodiak Island, AK. I also packed out one elk and one mule deer in Idaho, using the Alaskan. Great products!!! Chad Hole
Testimonial For Alaskan Pack	This is the second year I have used the Alaskan series backpack from Blacks Creek. We had three Alaskan packs in our Alaska camp this year and they packed out a number of animals . There were a couple of times where we had multiple animals harvested requiring the guide and hunter to pack out one caribou each. The Blacks Creek pack held up repeatedly under the weight of all my normal day pack gear and whole caribou. Anyone who has had the opportunity to pack across the tundra will attest that the slightest shift in weight can mean a blown out knee or at least a face plant. Not to worry with the Alaskan. The pack is one of the most customizable and personally adjustable packs available. The weight is evenly distributed between the shoulders and hips and can be centered on the back with just a few short pulls of the support straps. My favorite feature of the pack, next to the durability, and ruggedness is the expandability. There is no need to have a day pack while you hunt and then make a trip back to camp for the pack frame once game is down. The pack can be expanded to the hunter's need. Flexible, expandable, durable, quiet, waterproof, and personally adjustable. What else does a hunter need? Jason Oswald.
Testimonial For Alaskan Pack	Just wanted to take a minute to thank you for the Alaskan pack you are making. I live and hunt elk in the mountains of Montana and this year I had the opportunity to ride horses into the back country. Your pack was perfect for the job; it allowed me to carry my bow and all my gear with out getting in the way or disturbing the horse. I was with two other hunters who both had different packs, both had constant headaches with getting there gear in and out and neither had a place for their bow. Needless to say they both ended up fighting not only with their gear but with the horse as well. To top it off, I shot my elk 6 miles from the road after my buddies had taken the horse's home which left me with a long packing trip. Again the pack was a savior in allowing me to carry all my gear, and about 50 pounds of meat, with my bow attached leaving my hands free to push a game cart with the rest of the meat on it. I won't lie by the end of the day I was a whooped pup but I still felt like your pack saved my ### so to speak. I also have your fanny pack with the shoulder straps (the American) and I must say if you do any video taping of hunts this pack is perfect. It not only carries my Sony pd-170 camera but all the accessories. I have yet to find another fanny pack with as much room and still small enough to be considered a fanny pack. Thanks and keep up the good work. David Holder
Testimonial For Western Pack	I choose the Western Pack because of the overall rugged characteristics it offers. I hunt in the West so what better pack to fulfill the requirements I put it through. From hunting in the high desert of Oregon , Sawtooth Wilderness of Idaho , and the mountains in California this pack as made my hunts more enjoyable. The idea that I can have a pack to use for all the different kinds of hunting I do means a lot. I can load this pack up with my H20 blatter, camera, gear, food, extra clothing, spotting scope, rifle and my bow. After it is loaded all I have to do to secure my pack to my back is pull the straps tight. There's nothing more frustrating than a pack that slides on your back as you hike or pack game out, and with this pack it stays secure and does not move. The vented back allows my back to stay cool and that's priceless when you are hunting in warm weather. If you hunt game in the West, then this is the pack for you. Bruce Brown
	Good day Jim, I was introduced to both of your cd's before the 2006 elk season in Colorado. They have made me a much better and more efficient hunter. Using the calling methods you explain, my partner and I successfully called in many elk multiple times per day the last two seasons. He connected with a nice 5x5 last year. This year I was able to call a magnificent 6x5 to 15 yds for myself. Thanks a ton! Matt Jackson Colorado

Testimonial For

Dear Mr. Horn:

I wrote you earlier to ask when the videos are coming out you mentioned last year. I also saw you speak Capital Sports in Helena Montana a few years back and have patterned my calling from your instructional cd's and the staff. Also I mentioned inviting you to hunt with us and know there is a snowballs chance on a hot day. We hunt public land in the Belt Mountains by Kings Hill out of White Sulphur Springs where I grew up. We have sweet spot that every year and almost every time we go produces elk and lots of them. This year was no exception and we are learning, but this year your calling strategies gave us the most incredible hunt of a life time!!! Two bull elk in fifteen minutes in the exact same spot, with other hunters hundreds of yards away calling, but your techniques brought them running to us.

At 7:15 in the morning of opening day, we were in our special area , a drainage that has much water, tall grass and cover, that resists the dry areas of Montana this year. It is like going into another time zone.

We started location bugles with the terminator and to a lot of responses immediately and weren't sure if it was the other hunters in the area, but kept going, doing some cow and calf sounds on the imperial plate. The herd seemed to follow us for a half mile to the thick timber of the other north side of the drainage, but we were still not sure of how many there were or if we were calling hunters in.

We encountered warm dropping and urine all the way and tons of it, so we knew many elk were in the area that morning and night. My son and I had only walked for about 1/2 hour and decided we better not take the long preplanned walk we had mapped out on ridge tops. Mainly this was our plan due to gas prices and we hunt to eat, don't have a lot of excess income and had four days to hunt as father and son, with no folks along that hadn't practiced calling or shooting.

We started doing a silent calling routine with the imperial plates, hyper-lip single, hoochie mamma and the terminator bugle. We were in heavy timber and next to a finger park of lush grass and much water, not sure of exactly where the other hunters were or the elk, but decided to stop and try your routine we had practiced to death. Our plan was to walk a 3 to 4 mile ridge top walk in a triangle back to the truck, but the excitement of the morning said stay and call.

It wasn't but a couple of minutes into it and my son Monroe said, " Dad they are coming!" Sure enough I heard hooves pounding and grunts and growls of the bulls and cow calling. I told my son I was dropping back to call just for him and barely got 25 yards behind him and hear they came hard and fast. My son dropped to his knees and didn't have time to put on a face mask or range a darn thing. We were in the magic circle as you say and elk were everywhere. A huge 5 or 6 by with a raghorn, spikes and a few cows came in just like that and I saw my son draw back and as fast as he did that I heard the thump of the arrow release and a swack sound of the arrow hitting. Elk busted everywhere and my son looked back with a huge smile and bow in the air of victory. I started to weep (just like you my friend) as I knew my boy had just hit his first elk. I snuck down to him after we both called and I bugled to calm the herd. I asked where he hit and he said high in the front shoulder and I told him he had him! We whispered and began to mark the area he shot and mark with tape to blood trail in a half hour or so.

My son said he only had a small window to shoot through and could only see the body and a velvet base of horns. He said he thought of my words we talked about, shoot the first legal elk you see and you will never be sorry, as we hunt to eat and don't have a lot to time or advantage on low pressure land. I asked him what pin he used and he said instinct told him 20 yards and let 'er rip. Practiced paid off, as did calling, which we kept doing while we looked for the blood trail. We began to worry, as it was very hot out and finally I found massive blood and spurted up 3 to 4 feet on trees. Exclaiming softly to my son, you got 'em and tears flew again, so we began to round up gear and get ready to trail the no doubt dead bull. It didn't matter to us which kill zone he hit, he just saw the opening and took the first legal elk he saw.

Just then my son told me he could hear elk sounds and more coming to the calls and I said no way, but soon heard the pounding of hooves and got down to ready for a shot. My son dropped back and did some great calling on the hyper-lip single binging them right to me. I barely had time to nock an arrow and draw back, again no range finding time, only tons of practice all year guided us both. I saw a velvet spike come to broadside 30 yards away and put my 30 yard pin on him and he began to move and like you said once I punched the trigger. I did one thing wrong, I began to look at the whole animal moving and not concentrating on the one sweet spot . The arrow slammed through him below the spine in the upper hind quarter. The spike stood there immediately starting to wobble and in amazement and thinking I made a bad shot, nocked another arrow and just then he turned down hill, taking a few steps and fell over. Amazed that we had taken place - two elk in fifteen minutes apart, we went down to him and I put another arrow through his lungs, as we couldn't stand to watch him suffer.

It was over, less than an hour into opening morning on September 2nd, 2006 and we stood there thinking, what the hell just happened, no time for ranging, calling from 75 yards back or any prep-work, just instinct from practice. What a feeling, my son with his first elk and my second one. We have only been bow hunting for a few years. Just then 3 bow hunters came to us from across the park. They told us they had followed the herd for an hour than morning and couldn't get them in much. One fellow was at full draw the spike I shot but couldn't figure the yardage and watched the elk fall to my arrow from across the park. We shook hands and wished them luck, knowing their amazement and disappointment for themselves, but they were nice fellows congratulating us and went on hunting.

We got on my son's blood trail and it was amazing, blood everywhere and we found his bull pilled up less than 100 yards, a nice, but weird rack two year old bull. Mine was a two year old also. WOW, we had never even heard of this happening or seen it in a video. Can you imagine the video this would have produced, two nice young good eating spikes, fifteen minutes apart from exactly the same area and we could darn near see the truck a half mile away on the other side of the drainage!

We dressed out my son's bull first with tag proudly on him, placing him to cool with game netting over the body cavity to keep flies to a minimum and did the same with mine. We were back at camp by 10:30 am and my son went to get cell coverage to call buddies we had helped haul elk out before. I broke camp down about 14 hours after I put it up, which was going to be a 4 day deal, My son arrived back and we got one bull off the hill in our otter sled when help arrived. We halved them up and by 5 pm we were in route to White Sulphur to wait dark to drive home for less heat and cooling. We got home at 11:30 and up the next morning to have the two bulls in the freezer by 3 PM the next day. The meat was fine we shared our bounty with our helpers as they have done for us.

This is a condensed version and I couldn't wait to tell ya our luck. Thank you Mr. Horn and we would be proud to hunt with you and call for you, of course learning all the way!

THANK YOU MR. HORN AND PRIMOS FOR YOUR CD'S, SEMINARS AND CALLS. We were like magicians that day, we could do no wrong. Don't get me wrong, we messed up a lot of other times, but we always get in the elk at some point in long hard work and many miles logged, not to mention the year of preparation. Dang it man, we were in the magic circle and as Will Primos would say, I would rather be lucky than good any day!

Gratefully yours,

Lane F. Mathis

Monroe Mathis (son)

Clancy, Montana

Testimonial For

"I must have listened to your CD 200 times before we went (hunting) and am convinced in your methods...Thank you for putting out your CD, and please let me know when you will be offering tips on calling in late season elk."

     09/04
     R. Wright
     Clackamas, Oregon

Testimonial For

"Jim, I recently bought both of your elk calling CD's and I am stoked! Man, just 8 more months! Just wanted to let you know that these are just what I've been looking for and it's very clear that I've been doing quite a few things wrong. These CD's will definitely fast track me to where I want to be instead of trying to learn it all through hard knocks and mistakes as has been my experience to date. I've watched many of the "Truth" series videos, own a few, and really love their content but I've been wanting more instruction and logic regarding timing, setup's, and technique - these CD's bring it all together!"

01/05 John Dick via e-mail

Testimonial For

This was my first year ever hunting. I chose to bow hunt. I purchased your early season elk CD knowing I would need as much help as possible. I actually called in three different bulls!!! I was fired up!!! Thank you for giving me a little piece of your knowledge it has brought a new love of the outdoors to me and my family. Thank you once again,

Sean Kennedy

Testimonial For

Mr. Jim,

I'm emailing you to tell you about our 2005 Elk Trip. You have answered some of my questions on the Primos Forums, but I found out about your CD's back around April of this year. My brother and I listened to them once or twice a week at least. We would focus on the Early Season Elk CD because we were going Aug. 27, opening morning in Colorado…ON PUBLIC LAND, which we have been gun hunting for 8 years. This was going to be our first trip in August (usually in October), and it would be our first Elk Bow Hunt. We drove 18 hours one way just to hunt Sat. and Sun.

Let me tell you…YOUR CD WORKED PERFECTLY. We called in 5 bulls in 1 ½ days. It was incredible. Not knowing if we were even doing the calls right, we were going to stick with it to the end. On our first set up, after our 2nd calling sequence, a Spike came with 16 yards of my brother (we were 30 yards apart). Within 15 minutes, we had called up a Bull.

On our 3rd set up, about 30 minutes into it, I hit my Hoochie Mama in between sequences, and a Bull bugled 40 -50 yards from me. This time we were about 35-40 yards apart, but around a bend on an Elk trail (I really couldn't see my brother). Since the bull came up on me, opposite side of my brother, he grabbed his calls and moved directly behind me from the Bull. My brother did a small bugle (to match the small one from the bull) and I cringed. I thought it was over. To my surprise, the bull bugles back…just a small bugle with nothing behind it. So, David (my brother) made a couple of cow calls (it was so thick, no of us could see farther than 40 yards and that was down the trail). The bull moved a little closer, but we still couldn't see him. All of a sudden, the Bull bugled again, but this time he chuckled behind it. This is where it would end. In my mind, I was praying David would cow call again, but then I heard a bugle with a chuckle behind it from him instead. Well, we never heard from the bull again. Inexperience at its best, and David admitted that he cost us that Bull. Oh well, it was fun…

Later on that day, we set back up at the same spot we saw the spike. We made 3 sequences, and a 4x4 was coming straight to us. He stopped broad side, 35 yards right in front of my brother. David misjudged the distance (Bull Fever) and shot under him. The bull took off and I hit the Hoochie Mama and he stopped again, broad side 40 yards away. This time the bull turned the same time he shot and David shot him right in the neck, dead center right in front of the shoulder. We were going to leave him alone for a couple of hours, but then the biggest rain storm came, lightning an all. We trailed blood for close to ¾ of a mile before we couldn't see due to the rain. We couldn't find him. Our day was cut short at 2:55 p.m. when he shot. I wish we could have hunted that evening, no telling what we could have gotten into.

The next day was rough, we had walked about 2 miles around to the backside of the mountain. David wanted to head back when I told him that I had found a funnel just over on the other side of this steep peak (I found it the year before). Well he agreed, and as we were headed down, we ran into a monster scrape that reached up the tree about 6 ½ feet. Needless to say, we set up about 25 yards apart where both of us could see down a lane headed down to a flatter trail. After 3 calling sequences, I stood up to signal to David for us to set up on the lower trail. As I waived to him, I looked down my trail, and there was a MONSTER Elk (at least a 6x6, if not bigger) walking by my lane 44 yards down. We scurried to get everything ready, but by this time, he had stopped broad side behind some brush. I could see just his shoulder, but by the way it was turned, I knew he was looking up towards us. He was supposed to cross my brother's lane but never did. We sat down and did another calling sequence (after I denied David from doing a bugle)…Nothing…I was about to get David again to set up lower, when I decided to do one more sequence…After doing the estrous call, I was waiting for David to bugle (I did the estrous and David did the bugle)…but it never came. I looked around and David was drawn back on a 4x4…Interesting enough, this Elk had circled us and stopped broad side 15 steps from David DIRECTLY down wind. David made a perfect shot…It didn't end like we had hoped. 4 hours later we went to bag his trophy. The arrow had broke off, and just after 65-70 yards, he quit bleeding. We found 2-3 more drops the next 50-60 yards and then nothing. We looked for 3 hours (until dark) to no avail. We both pride ourselves on tracking Whitetails, and other people call us to help them, so to let this happen 2 days in a row was very disappointing.

Well, either way, it was one of the greatest hunts we have been on. Thanks to your CD, 2 Bow-Hunting-for-Elk rookies (hard working rookies) called in 5 Bulls in less than 1 ½ days. Just wanted to let you know just one of the success stories that your CD's have produced.

Thanks for everything

Billy Foster

Testimonial For

Western Pack

I have never worn a pack that is so incredibly comfortable. The Western pack allows the flexibility and freedom to shoot you bow without removing your pack. You can load it up and still walk for miles. Thanks for building such an awesome hunting pack.

Shane Johnson

Testimonial For

All American Pack

and Alaskan Pack

Thanks for putting out such a great line of hunting packs. As a dealer, I am for products that I would use myself, and also enjoy selling to my customers. I know that I can stand behind your products. I used the All American fanny pack and the Alaskan Pack a great deal this hunting season. Both products held up great under tough conditions. I put them through a late season muzzle loader hunt here in California, and also just got back from hunting Sitka Blacktails on Kodiak Island, AK. I also packed out one elk and one mule deer in Idaho, using the Alaskan. Great products!!!

Chad Hole

Testimonial For

Alaskan Pack

This is the second year I have used the Alaskan series backpack from Blacks Creek. We had three Alaskan packs in our Alaska camp this year and they packed out a number of animals . There were a couple of times where we had multiple animals harvested requiring the guide and hunter to pack out one caribou each. The Blacks Creek pack held up repeatedly under the weight of all my normal day pack gear and whole caribou. Anyone who has had the opportunity to pack across the tundra will attest that the slightest shift in weight can mean a blown out knee or at least a face plant. Not to worry with the Alaskan. The pack is one of the most customizable and personally adjustable packs available. The weight is evenly distributed between the shoulders and hips and can be centered on the back with just a few short pulls of the support straps. My favorite feature of the pack, next to the durability, and ruggedness is the expandability. There is no need to have a day pack while you hunt and then make a trip back to camp for the pack frame once game is down. The pack can be expanded to the hunter's need. Flexible, expandable, durable, quiet, waterproof, and personally adjustable. What else does a hunter need?

Jason Oswald.

Testimonial For

Alaskan Pack

Just wanted to take a minute to thank you for the Alaskan pack you are making. I live and hunt elk in the mountains of Montana and this year I had the opportunity to ride horses into the back country. Your pack was perfect for the job; it allowed me to carry my bow and all my gear with out getting in the way or disturbing the horse. I was with two other hunters who both had different packs, both had constant headaches with getting there gear in and out and neither had a place for their bow. Needless to say they both ended up fighting not only with their gear but with the horse as well. To top it off, I shot my elk 6 miles from the road after my buddies had taken the horse's home which left me with a long packing trip. Again the pack was a savior in allowing me to carry all my gear, and about 50 pounds of meat, with my bow attached leaving my hands free to push a game cart with the rest of the meat on it. I won't lie by the end of the day I was a whooped pup but I still felt like your pack saved my ### so to speak.

I also have your fanny pack with the shoulder straps (the American) and I must say if you do any video taping of hunts this pack is perfect. It not only carries my Sony pd-170 camera but all the accessories. I have yet to find another fanny pack with as much room and still small enough to be considered a fanny pack.

Thanks and keep up the good work.

David Holder

Testimonial For

Western Pack

I choose the Western Pack because of the overall rugged characteristics it offers. I hunt in the West so what better pack to fulfill the requirements I put it through. From hunting in the high desert of Oregon , Sawtooth Wilderness of Idaho , and the mountains in California this pack as made my hunts more enjoyable. The idea that I can have a pack to use for all the different kinds of hunting I do means a lot. I can load this pack up with my H20 blatter, camera, gear, food, extra clothing, spotting scope, rifle and my bow. After it is loaded all I have to do to secure my pack to my back is pull the straps tight. There's nothing more frustrating than a pack that slides on your back as you hike or pack game out, and with this pack it stays secure and does not move. The vented back allows my back to stay cool and that's priceless when you are hunting in warm weather. If you hunt game in the West, then this is the pack for you.

Bruce Brown

Good day Jim,

I was introduced to both of your cd's before the 2006 elk season in Colorado. They have made me a much better and more efficient hunter. Using the calling methods you explain, my partner and I successfully called in many elk multiple times per day the last two seasons. He connected with a nice 5x5 last year. This year I was able to call a magnificent 6x5 to 15 yds for myself. Thanks a ton!

Matt Jackson
Colorado