Archive for the ‘meat’ Category

This is possibly the coolest youtube video I have ever viewed.  This video shows world champion archer Arthur Young on an epic expedition across the state of Alaska subsisting with only a traditional longbow and arrow.  He takes on dall sheep, moose, brown bear, small game, salmon, and basically everything in between.  Arthur shoots a moose with his longbow, then uses its hide to build a canoe and float down the freezing Yukon River.  He spends times hunting with the Alaskan Natives on the his way to hunt brown bears in Kodiak.  This black and white video is awesome, watch legendary bowmen Art Young take on Alaska “old school” with only stick and string.

Image Courtesy of http://www.stickbow.com/stickbow/history/ArtYoung.html

Check these links out if your interested.

DISCLAIMER: I am writing this article on a foriegn keyboard so I apoligize for spelling errors and anywords that are autocorrected.

Whether it is a week long hunting trip, a three night camping trip, or a day hike the same questions seems to always arise: Who are you going with? If you are anything like me then thats the most despicable question you will ever encounter.

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Solo Bear hunting trip with my Recurve bow

It is my belief that to truly enjoy the outdoors and completely immerse yourself in the beauty and raw power of Mother Nature you have to cut ties with all forms of civilization and really go by yourself. Now some people would say that is a death wish and call me ignorant and stupid. I call it adventerous and exhilerating. With that being said going hunting or camping with someone can be just as fun, but you absolutely need to find that perfect fit. Going hunting with someone is not as easy as it may seem. You need to trust that person completely with your life because if you dont, their true colors will come out in a time of most need. Perhaps not on the first or second trip, but when it does happen it could very well be fatal. When looking for someone to explore the wild with you there should be several componets that they possess such as physically fit, mental strong, a good attitude and a good personality. These are just a few, but the most important one is their morales and ethics. These two things are above all the most important things that you should look for when you find that someone who you will be outdoors with.

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Gameface

You want to be confident that your partner will not take Mother Nature for granted and disrespect her or any of the animals that she allows to live in her kingdom.

With that I leave you to ponder, but stay updated with missionak and spread the word, posts will be coming weekly hopefully so stay updated!

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This picture is from August’s and my 2009 spring bear brother hunt.  August and I, (as well as videographer Jon D) took to the spring hunt as if it was our last.  We hunted six hard days, deep in the Alaska wilderness and managed to harvest this beautiful black bruin on film.  Bears taste better during the spring, as they have yet to change their diets to the salmon runs of summer through fall.  August and I would eat plentifully off of bear backstrap after this harvest as we were nearing the end of our food supplies.

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This is a photo of me cutting bear back strap (in preparation of our beast feast over open flame) on a moose antler found during this 2009 spring bear hunt

I’ll be partaking in the traditional Alaska spring bear hunt again during this 2012 season.  To some hunters in Alaska, bear hunting is part of their culture.  I am proud to say that this tradition of spring bear hunting in Alaska has shaped my culture and parts of who I am as an Alaskan.  Every year since the sixth grade (12 years ago), I have been gifted  the ability to hunt bears in Alaska.  This is a blessing to be apart of such an awesome outdoor culture.

Hopefully after this spring I will be able to secure valuable bear meat to add to my 2012 collection of wild game fare.  I can see it now……Smokey bear jerky….. Bear stew…..Bacon wrapped bear sizzled on the grill w/ avacado….   You get my drift…

I can’t wait to head to the field.

-Austin Manelick

Hunting to many Alaskas means red meat for the freezer, enough meat to get a family through the winter.  Across Alaska many residents practice the art handed down by our ancestors and the cave men before that, the not-so lost art form called subsistence hunting.  Each Fall locals from around the state leave the comfort of there homes and thrust themselves into the wild attempting to fill the freezer against all odds.

2009 Moose Harvest

When your an Alaskan and attempting to fill your freezer, any animal deemed by ADFG (Alaska Department of Fish and Game)as legal under the states rules and regulations most likely will be harvested.  As Alaskan subsistence hunter August Manelick would say “a legal spike for moose will taste just as good if not better than a trophy moose.”  I agree with August in that the goal of hunting is first and foremost to be legal and secondly to fill your freezer.  All though most hunters (including August and myself) will agree that a 55 inch trophy bull moose would look better on the wall and in the freezer than a spike fork (small legal yearling bull moose) would.

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The goal of hunting is to fill your freezer and provide sustenance for the long winter months.  Taking a trophy animal is a bonus, providing in a sense two trophies the meat and the antlers.  The meat of an animal is the true trophy, don’t let anyone tell you different.  The hunt is about the experience, camaraderie, and the stories shared with loved ones post hunt.  The harvest of the hunt is a physical representation of the memories made while in the field, regardless of the animals antler size.  Any legal animal is a gift, take your blessings and eat plentifully through out the following year.

Auggie with a double trophy, meat and antler.

Auggie with a double trophy, meat and antler.

Bottom line, there is a big difference between trophy hunting and subsistence hunting.  Trophy hunting individuals hunt usually for just the size of the antlers, bigger is always better.  Subsistence hunters hunt for the meat value of an animal.  Two very different ball games, playing by the same rules.

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I was recently invited to be a part of an outdoor photo shoot posed as two hunters stalking through a beautiful river side cottonwood hunting area.

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The photo shoot included host of Pure Hunting television program Willi Schmidt and free lance videographer and outdoor writer (me) Austin Manelick.

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I had a blast with John Depalma the photographer as he effortlessly snapped perfectly apertured picture after picture.  ”Keep the light to your back”, was the photography tip of the day.  (That tip applies to videography as well….)  He made the shoot so smooth and brought relentless energy to taking the perfect “sweet cherry pie shot.”  Thanks again guys for such a memorable and awesome outting in the field together.  Your friendship and camaraderie is what hunting and the great outdoors is made of, thanks again for everything guys.

Pure Hunting is found on the Sportsmen channel @

AIR TIMES:

Monday

7:00 PM

Wednesday

8:00 PM

Wednesday

11:00 PM

Thursday

10:30 AM

Friday
 8:00 AM
Show them your support!  Its an awesome series and a great place to see some of my work as Field Producer.  I worked on this series and can garentee once you turn it on you won’t leave the couch..
“Epic-hyper reality adventure television”  Pure Hunting is a must see!

La Frijolia management Brush Buck

Youtube link

OPERATION TEXAS MISSIONAK YOUTUBE VIDEO

Team Mission Alaska head to South Texas on a mission, attempting to harvest a wild bore and a famous La Frijolia brushbuck. Hidden Antler Camo owner and sponsor Brandon, leads the men on their Texas mission. Join the guys live on the stalk with the La Frijolia Ranch guide tony, bowmen Austin, and Vid cam dude John.
Check out http://hiddenantler.com/ for any sweet camo apparel you saw in this video.
OR
Check out http://brushbucks.com/ to book the Texas Hunt of lifetime.

DA PRO owner Austin Manelick pictured with Major League Baseball MVP Texan Ranger Josh Hamilton and family.

DA PRO owner Austin Manelick pictured with Major League Baseball MVP Texan Ranger Josh Hamilton and family.

D_A_ PRO LLC  is a full service media marketing provider, specializing in filming of remote and extreme shoot locations.   DA PRO’s, enlist a full staff of professional videographers willing and ready to shoot HD footage in the hardest most unforgiving terrain possible.   State of the art High Definition filming and audio recording equipment travels with each member of our globally experienced team of videographers.  D_A_ PRO, LLC is the next generation of video production, bringing revolutionary visions to the television industry.

PRODUCTION HIGHLIGHT VIDEO PRESENTS MISSION ALASKA

Follow this YOUTUBE link to watch the production highlight video a sample from the D_A_PRO LLC  Library.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72hU5wKa72s

                                                                                                 D_A_PRO LLC.

-THE PREMIER FRONTEIR PRODUCITON COMPANY.

I found an interesting article regarding a filming gig I filmed last summer 2011.  A true role model to the next generation will be outlined, noted is his message to the next generation of outdoorsmen.

Butch Cassidy the Sundance kids hideout on the Green River

Butch Cassidy the Sundance kids hideout on the Green River

During my professional career as field producer and videographer, I’ve had the remarkable opportunity to meet astonishing people with messages strong and resounding.  True heros of conservation, the people who have planted the metaphorical “acorns” or strong outdoor moral values in the next generation, people like the man I met this past summer during a film shoot.  This documentary style shoot was a float trip down down the Green River in Utah, the very same river Butch Cassidy the Sundance kid took refuge to hide out from the law in classical western stories.  The man I speak of, Jim Roche, is the ideal role model for the next generation of outdoorsmen.  Jim a professional hunting guide and owner of Magnum Guide Service in Eldorado Texas, after years of much guideing success found new enjoyment helping boys become men through faith and the outdoors.

Jim Roche a true role model

“There’s so many kids that need to hear the word about Jesus Christ and who also need the hunter safety course. You’ve got to get outside the church to get across to most of these people.” -Jim

http://www.shortstoriesforchildren.net/hunting-guide-hopes-to-lead-youth-toward-christ

This float trip planned by Jim was a mission trip with a group of “boys” who would walk the steps of boyhood to manhood, walking the steps with Jim and Christ himself.  These 12-15 year old boys/men would be completly devoted to christ during the 100 mile or so float trip, learning campfire lessons about stories from the bible.  Each story had a different meaning, but all carried the same message, that message “Be a respectable, honoable man of society, who finds strength and courage through the almighty”. These men would be taught by Jim how to be sheppards of the land, good stewards of mankind.  They would also learn a valuable outdoor message through the bible and Christ “One of the things that we have to realize in the Bible, especially in Genesis, God’s given us dominion over the animals and over this Earth,” Hill said. “And so we really are in charge of this resource. and one of the things that we thought was important was to also work with the young people, boys and girls just like we have today, that help them be in a situation where they can manage that resource as they get older.

Adventure in Youth Mission Crew

Adventure in Youth Mission Crew

This trip was wildly unexpected and unanticipated, as I myself found this message to touch the roots of my christianity.  I could not help but to listen to the morning devotionals by the campfire as I filmed the young men read and follow Jims thoughts through each biblical verse.  I began to look at myself and how I could improve my relationship with Christ.  During this week long trip, I found myself on about the fourth day taking part in all parts of the mission trip, including prayer, sharing thoughts on bible verses, and sharing my own stories.  This became a very personal experience, not a work experience, I developed deep friendships with the young men around me and became one of the guys.

Vid Cam Dude known as "AK"

Vid Cam Dude known as "AK"

I immediately wanted to share my knowledge of nature with these young men, they were all very interested in what I told them before we embarked on the float trip.  I said “grab some hooks and some line, I maybe able to teach you how to catch a fish in a survival situation”.  The fourth night of the trip we ended up catching and realeasing a fistful of catfish, enough to feed the 16 or so people on the trip.  We used balled up whitebread on a single weighted hook, fishing right on the bottom.  We released the fish as we had enough food already reserved for the week, however we proved we could catch fish.  I taught the young men how to hand-line catch fish in a “survival situation”, to be ready for anything during adventures into the wilderness.  I imposed a small biblical lesson of my own, catch a man one fish feed him for a day, teach a man how to fish feed him for a lifetime.

Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime

Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime

I learned a few things from these young guys myself and ended up learning more than I could possibly teach.  I learned to speak more with the big man up stairs, and He discussed with me on this trip the mission of my manifest destiny.  The youth and the next generation of Outdoorsmen, teach them how to become respectable honorable men who care about nature and a healthy population of animals.  ”On a mission trip to Green River, Utah, two boys accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior. Surprising Roche and everyone else, a cameraman with a postproduction company in Denver knelt down and accepted Christ, too.”  Short Stories for Children writes.

I was hit with this epiphany like a thunder bolt from God, as I gasped for breath being pulled from the bottom of the Green River.  By the 6th and final day of the trip I became one of the guys, and found myself being baptized by my new buddy Blaine in a circle of men who were accepting Christ in the Green River.  What a wild experience, I was convinced the entire production crew and all those involved were brought together for this very special mission trip for a reason.  What each person would walk away with, was the discovery of why they were called to this Adventure in Youth Mission trip, and where they would go next.

Blaine "my hero" and designated Go-PRO Videographer

Blaine "my hero" and designated Go-PRO Videographer

Each of these men found friendships in both themselves and with the almighty above, they would leave with the fundamental values of how to be a respectable, honorable, god fearing and loving man.  These men would leave with a sense of pride an accomplishment, my new friends would leave me with an inspiring thought to encourage more youth to become men just as they.  My relationship with these young men continues today, Spencer Brent pictured above is a gentlemen I met on this float trip.  Spencer was offered a field editor position at missionak.com and will be reporting his findings in the field during the Texas hunting season.  Check back for more in the field action from our field editors like Spencer, the youth has been inspired!  Thanks again to Jim Roche for being such an outstanding role model to the next generation of outdoorsmen, the world needs many more of you!

Looking down on us... From Desolate Canyon

Looking down on us... From Desolate Canyon

This is an email I recieved after I posted an article asking for your thoughts, opinions, articles, pictures, etc.  This email comes from an individual from India, who runs a blog site called  greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com.  He writes me connnecting my blog with one of his adventures in India, and he shows us hunters in India are viewed with more respect and prestige with more animal skulls on the wall.  Here is the email and pictures, humans continue to amaze in our ability to share connections.

Hey…

First of all, awesome blog guys. I only reason I read about your hunting adventures, is because you guys respect the wild, and more like a part of it. Hunting is perfectly normal, if you do it in a sustainable way and not harming the nature.
I live in a tribal land, Northeast India. Here, hunting is a part of the culture, and at the same time, the tribes have a deep respect for nature which only a person like you or me would understand. But things have been changing recently. A lot of hunting takes place, so that the products go to China, where they make perfumes and what not, out of majestic animals such as Tigers, Leopards, Rhinos..etc..
Anyways, I am the admin of greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com. Received your recent mail asking for people to submit stuff.
Well, I think I have a picture which you would like, which I have attached with this email. It was taken inside a Mishmi tribal house, located somewhere far away in the mighty Himalayas. The skulls are hung like trophies in their house, and the more trophies you have, the more prestige and respect in society. I have also sent the picture of he tribal, who is the owner of the house. All respect to him. He’s been there, done that.
Please feel free to use the pictures.
And keep up the great work.
Regards,

Vaivhav Todi 

www.thegreenerpastures.com 

 

My response:

Vaivhav,

Firstly I wanted to note how awesome it is to have someone from across the world such as yourself reading my blog and interacting with me.  I noticed your blog activity after you comment on my posted article about the mountain goat burgers I made.  Thanks for following up withmissionak.com! I appreciate your email and it will be going up today!
This is very fascinating about your views on hunters and the way of life “in your neck of the woods”.  It is very sad and a shame to hear of the destruction that “poachers” not hunters, such as the tiger, rhino, and leopard killers you speak of have committed.  You know, as I, that this illegal black market where valued animal parts from tigers etc are taken and sold as aphrodisiacs or health remedies, and is viewed as normal by those who consume the goods.  The decrease in many species in places like Africa, Sudan, India, China, has led to an increase in demand for animals products on the Black Market.
In the USA, we have many rules and regulations that must be followed by a hunter or consequences and citations will be given.  Poachers and people hunting illegally in the US, who do not obide by the hunting laws set forth by each individual state will be regulated by authoritative figures.  Each state has many counties and cities, the wild game in these cities is protected by Game Wardens basically wildlife police.  Game laws are very serious in the USA, and individuals must abide by these rules or they will receive punishments.  There is an intricate system that ensure that the wildlife in the United States is cared for and payed for, payed for by the hunters licenses and tag fees it cost to hunt the animals.  In essence, hunters pay for the conservation of animals(to hunt legally), and work with wildlife agencies such as each States department of fish and game to ensure that a heatlhy population of animals exist for the next generation of hunters and fishermen.
Secondly, your mission statement and your blog greenerpasturesind.wordpress.com has an authentic and real message, a message that I can relate to, understand, and commend even being from a different side of the world.  Your adventures are amazing and I encourage you to spread you message to receptive ears and minds.  Who wouldn’t want to find themselves in a greener pasture?  I seek new green pastures every day of my life, everyday is an adventure in my eyes.
The man in your pictures is what I like to call a “grizzled vet” , as in, a person who has veteran experience gained through physically and mentally demanding experiences.  Like you said, a man that has been there and done that.  Here in the US, trophies are viewed in many different ways, some are disgusted by it, some are fascinated by it, some are jealous, some are happy.  I am very proud of each trophy on the wall, not because I feel powerful, or prestigous, or manly.  I never place emphasis on the kill of each hunt, as killing is not what hunting is about.  The adventure and experience is the catch for me, the harvest or trophy value of the animal is purley in the edible meat to be consumed over a long winter.  The kill of an animal is simply put, a physical representation of the memory had on the adventure pursued.
I only wish hunters were viewed here in the United States with more respect and prestige in society, considering their hunting license costs recycles directly into the wildlife programs set forth by the state to keep the environment healthy.
Thanks again Vaivhav, your email has been awesomely informative and perfectly placed into the right hands.  Keep pictures like these coming, I would love to hear more on the culture of hunters in India and your culture in general.
Truly great to hear from you,
Austin Manelick

If you have been reading missionak or following at all, then you would know that MA is all about the next generation and spreading the word on how “cool” the outdoors is.  I have been talking with every person I know personally and contacting all of the youth I have met over my lifetime of friendships, in attempt to spread the good word of the outdoors.

Men enjoying the culture of the great outdoors.

I want to thank all of the readers and followers of Missionak, since summer of 2011 MA has grown greatly and viewer numbers are through the roof!  I want to thank you again for following and reading my personal message to the woodsmen in all us.  If you have or feel like you want to be more involved on missionak.com, please feel free to do so, in fact please help me!

If you have any pictures, videos, stories, anything that you feel appropriate for missionak.com, please email me at austinmanelick@gmail.com

Once again, I would love for anyone to send me interesting photos they have found on trail cameras, taken on hunts, taken on fishing trips, taken on antler shed hunting trips.  Tell me a story, it doesnt have to be a trophy buck that you have taken I would be just as happy with a picture of a readers first deer harvest of a doe than of a monster 10pt buck.

I want to connect with my readers, help me!

-AM

SEND ME PICTURES AND STORIES!!!

Contact

austinmanelick@gmail.com

Man cave: 303-838-7869