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6500 In A Year
BY: MARCUS HOCKETT
After winning the Mystery Ranch 6500 in the BAYED contest on On Your Own Adventures Forum – Hunt Talk, I’ve been trying to give this pack the workout it deserves.
Immediately, this pack became my go-to pack while shed hunting and bear hunting in the spring and carrying the spotting scope and other goodies.
Over the summer I took it everywhere with me. The 6500 carried my gear deep into trail-less areas several times, on quests for cutthroat and golden trout.
Trying to get away from the crowds while paddle-fishing on the Missouri, I got a chance to haul out my first critter for the pack.
The pack even got to come to work with me a few times. Working on the Charles M. Russell NWR, I helped dig out a 75 million year old Elasmosaur fossil. I packed in bags of plaster and five gallon water jugs for the crew using the NICE Frame and Load Sling. I even packed out the skull of the beast encased in rock and plaster. It was the heaviest load I’ve ever carried. The pack did great!
August through November the pack never went more than a few of days … READ MORE >
Posted in Backpack Hunting, Mountains & Trails, Trip Reports, Uncategorized
Tagged NICE 6500, NICE Daypack Lid, NICE Frame, NICE Load Sling
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Freeskiing World Tour Photos
Featuring: BlackjackSaddle Peak
Congratulations to the winners of the 2012 Freeskiing World Tour in Revelostoke! Here are a few shots from our very own Meg Haywood Sullivan. Thanks again Meg. For full coverage, follow this link:
The next stop on the tour travels to our neck of the woods. Good luck to everyone at round 4 of the tour, at Moonlight Basin, Montana.… READ MORE >
Posted in Mountains & Trails, Skiing, Trip Reports, Uncategorized, What's Hot
Tagged Blackjack, Saddle Peak
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‘Solitaire’ in Bozeman
Who: You and your friends from Mystery Ranch.
What: After 2 years of filming, Sweetgrass Productions brings their ski epic, ‘Solitaire,’ to Bozeman.
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday, October 11
Where: Emerson, 111 South Grand Ave.
Why: See for yourself…
How: Tickets. $10 in advance, $12 day of. Available at Northern Lights Trading Company or buy online here.… READ MORE >
Posted in Uncategorized
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Immersion
Immersion means more days in the field, which yields more opportunity to mingle with elk, to learn from the elk, and perhaps to release an arrow. And so I immerse myself in elk. They have me captivated. Every day that I scout, photograph, and hunt elk, I learn something about them and their behavior. One thing learned is one thing gained, and that gaining is how I define success.
On the evening of September 23, all that success sparked against a bit of luck, which sent my arrow flying. And so I harvested a gorgeous Montana archery bull.
3– 2– 1– POLO!
For the past few years, hardcourt bike polo has been a Wednesday night tradition for bike geeks here in Bozeman. This year’s polo season saw a slow start with the loss of some longtime players who grew up and got “real” jobs elsewhere. But we can’t blame it all on them. Mostly, we have been hard up for a space to play since construction trucks tool over the blacktop of the elementary school. Thankfully, Mystery Ranch offered up the use of its front parking lot, and Wednesday Polo is back on! Our inaugural game at Mystery Ranch saw a great turnout of 25 plus individuals. What a relief to have a place to play polo, drink beer and talk trash without worrying about getting kicked out by the cops.
As a “sport,” hardcourt bike polo is still fairly young. The League of Bike Polo, a governing body, has formed and there are now tournaments around the world as well as an official set of rules that goes beyond the three rules we have always used here in Bozeman (of which I can only remember two.)
Polo in Bozeman was instigated in 2006 by bike culture aficionado, long-time wrench monkey, and … READ MORE >
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France avec un sac à dos bleu
Bonjour!
I find myself in the heat of France. Yes it is hot, hot, hot, and my route has been slightly altered so as to escape the afternoon asphalt melt fest. By about 10:30 am, the tar on the road begins to get tacky and stick to the bottoms of my shoes. Already by this time, the sweat is dripping off my forehead… and what happened to the breeze? But I am not here to write about the heat.
I have completed my first week on the trail. WOOT!! And it has been incredible: little sleepy french villages, rolling hills, flowers and gardens galore. I actually feel like I am on a very long garden tour, passing through backyards… I now know four different ways to set up poles for beans, and one day when I have land and a garden, I shall try them all and decide which I like best. I set forth on the trail with vigour and determination, ready for big long days covering many miles. Little did I know that the trail had other plans, being very much in charge, and offering challenge without hesitation.
On my second day, I encountered my greatest fear, a … READ MORE >
Posted in Mountains & Trails, Trip Reports, Uncategorized
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Cooke Pt. 1
Featuring: FuzeSaddle Peak
If there is a heaven, I think it might be near the NE entrance to Yellowstone..
On another random Wednesday evening, Brad and I planned a quick and dirty trip south to rip big lines in classic Montana fashion. The Tacoma adorned with my old Summit 700, a case of PBR, winter bags and a tarp, we blazed through the park, losing count of the numerous close calls with various hoofed animals.
We had some big missions in mind, and thankfully, the snowpack in the region has been very conducive. With no consistent weak layers, and a minor threat of wind slabs, our confidence in some of the bigger objectives started to overbear any fear of strength, ability or prowess. We toured around day 1 ripping some beautiful east facing lines only to be blindsided by one of winter’s deadliest predators. Skirting along a knife edge ridge, making it a point to stay as close to the windward side of the ridge as possible, Brad stepped just far enough to make everything go BOOM!! Scrambling to secure himself back into terra firma, a truck sized cornice ripped itself loose and tomahawked downward. Usually the best sign of instability, proved itself … READ MORE >
Posted in Mountains & Trails, Mystery Ranch Employees, Skiing, Trip Reports, Uncategorized
Tagged Fuze, Saddle Peak
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2010 – A Year For Me to Remember
As my 2010 hunting year comes to a close, I know I have been blessed with many opportunities and more than my share of success. In visiting with Mark Seacat, he asked if I wanted to write a short blog about my hunts. I’m certainly not much of a writer but I have a lot of respect for Mark and the products that he represents so I’ll make a stab at it.
I had several very memorable hunts this year but probably the highlight was my trip to the NWT to hunt with Ram Head Outfitters. My goal was to take a sheep, caribou and moose with my bow. On the third day of the hunt while stalking a nice 140 class ram, we ran into a real monster of a ram. With the conditions not being the best for stalking into bow range, I made the decision to take the ram with the guide’s rifle at 265 yards. He was a beautiful 10 1/2 year old ram with horns that stretched the tape to 41″ in length and 14″ bases. After drying, he officially netted 167 5/8″ B&C.
My Mystery Ranch 6500 really served me well for multiple uses.
Posted in Backpack Hunting, Uncategorized
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2010 Montana Archery Antelope Hunt – VIDEO
The learning curve in hunting as an archer is steep. Many seasons of spot and stalk techniques have left me close but empty handed. After years of hard work and persistence, I was fortunate enough to harvest my first Pronghorn Antelope with archery equipment. This short video documents my first two weeks of the season – from stalk to harvest. Enjoy!… READ MORE >
