Following the river back in time.....

I am gearing up for a short but intense trip this weekend to the Owens river and more specifically The Gorge, The Lower, The Upper and big water drifting section that is near bishop which will go nameless.  I am really going up for a few reasons, 1.To Drift my Diablo PS down the Owen River and give the Adios a trial run on the rapids loaded with camping gear, food, gun, fly stuff and well a big fat bearded guy. 2. To hook up with David at Sierra...

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Christmas Pigs and White Deer

I wish I could say that I was able to shoot both a pig and an the an albino deer, but sadly I was unable and unallowed (sp?) to remove the pig hoard and genetic freak from the lush gated community of Bear Valley Springs in Tehachapi, CA.  All the same it was a pretty game rich holiday for me starting on Thursday when I took a friend and his son out to my local duck hollow for a little evening jump shoot and flyby massacre.   Boone...

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Gear Review- Tight Spot Arrow Quivers

Ready    Hi, my name it Tony and I am a gear freak.  I love getting new product, setting it up, tweeking it over, over and over again. I can not and will not settle for what is "basic" or the "good enough", I need the best.  And so you give me a product like the Tight Spot quiver and I am in seventh heaven.  With vertical, horizontal and lateral adjustments the possibility of having my Matthews Reezen in Perfect balance was too hard to resist.  With all that being said, man I feel better.  And now that I have...

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Where has the heart of American gone?

  So here is my top five place I would rather be than my house right now, in no particular order. 1. Kona, HI 2.  Salmon Creek, Idaho 3.  Craig, Montana 4.  Rifle, Colorado 5. West Canada Creek, New York   Okay, so a lot of out of the way places that time may have forgotten or really maybe places that we have forgotten.  Places where old barns still stand in picturesque pastures and where the phrase "Just...

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Fly Tying Tip

  So I had a bunch of Chenille ,the yarn stuff for you non-fly guys, that was just taking up space in my tying box and getting in the way. I also always seem to cut way more than I am going to use and I ended up wasting a good inch or two each.  So I came up with this idea.  I took a bunch of old 35mm film cases that a friend gave me and put them to good use. 1. Start by putting a hole in the cap of the film case.  2. Next insert...

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Work, work, work......

I know people say work is a four letter work, but we all know it is not. Though I may loath the days when I get up at 330am to go to work and then return home after 8pm, hey its a job and the fam is taken care of. I think most of us agree it better then reading the unemployment ads and waiting on Uncle Sam to send up a check. Man was meant to work and work hard, "Toil upon the earth". The past two weeks have been pretty rough on me for sure. I have only hunted one time and that is it, no fishing, no diving, no surfing and heck I haven't even...

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Hunting Story- Elk Hunt 20+ Years In The Making

 Here is a story from Bobby N. on his fathers La Panza Bull Elk hunt here in California.  It is a really cool story that I thought I'd share with you all.   Well after 20+ years of applying, my dad drew a Tule Elk tag this year. La Panza Period 2 Bull. We were lucky enough to have some friends with a couple small ranches in the northern part of the unit, so we knew we had a decent chance at seeing some elk. We hunted the Carrizo...

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Introducing Boone Derbar

I have been thinking for quite some time that it was time for me to start training hunting dogs again.  As my drive for hunting has been increasing over the past few years, I have been in need of a retriever on land and in water. In short I am getting tired of having to wade chest deep water with a stick trying to retrieve my ducks.  So in comes in Rocky Point Retrieves in Carona, CA.  They had two 10 week old males left in their litter, both with a genetic trait that caused both of them to have speckles on their paws.  Boone...

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A Love One Lost & A Lost Love Discovered

     I do not usually get too personal or divulge deep feelings of my life over the Internet or discuss things about my family too much, but this week a few things happened to me that caused me to rethink my commitment to keep the blog centered on "The Beard".  First on a sad note my grandmother Joyce Kathleen Summers-Catalde passed away at the distinguished age of 93 years old.  She was a wonderful woman that loved...

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Survival Straps- Review

The Intro  They say necessity is the mother of all invention and that rains true for my new favorite company Survival Straps.  Not only do they make products that are useful and practical, but they are a company that encompasses the American dream and Spirit. The Company   Five years ago Kurt, the owner and founder, had a need.  On a spearfishing trip his watch band had broken and using what he had with him he...

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Adventure is under a hat.

  I was cleaning out my truck today when I realized something, I have and wear a lot of hats. Camo, Trucker, Visors, Bennies, Meshed and more.  I like to wear certain hats to do certain things, My Matthews hat is for Deer Hunting in the cold or at the archery range.  My HS hat is meshed so I use it for hot weather and turkey hunting, my red Patagonia hat I wear surfing and I can't forget about my blue Patagonia hat that I wear flyfishing.  Lets just say we would be here a while if I were to describe all the hats and their "Job...

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The Bearded Boar On the OBN!

So all I can say is wow.      A big thanks to Rebecca and Joe over at The Outdoor Blogger Network for selecting me as one of the "Weekly Featured Bloggers."  I'm not sure whether I should thank Rebecca or be offended, "You never know what he is going to blog about."  Well I guess it is a complement, I am pretty random.  So thanks and Cheers to Rebecca and Joe! Check out the post www.outdoorbloggernetwork.com. Thanks, The Bearded B...

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Winter is almost here, it's cold....It's time to fish!

  The "Snow Months" for most people means hunting big Mulies in the mountains, Whitetails in the hardwoods, Elk in the foothills, hunters freezing their butts off in a duck blind waiting for the skies bring forth our favorite feathered table fair or simply huddling around the tv watching football glad we have the heaters set to 85 degrees.  Not me, I think about the four magical months where trout fishing in California can be one of the...

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Hawke Optics- Gear Review

The Lead Off   Living out West I feel that one of the most beneficial things that you can have with you while hunting is your optics.  You can shoot what you can't see.  And when your glasses hill sides 30 to 500 yrds away you need to be able to clearly identify your prey of choice.  So to give you a little back story, I have been given the opportunity to use Hawke Optics Endurance Phase Corrected 10x42 binos over the last few months.  Prior to using the Hawke Endurance...

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My new Diablo Paddlesports Adios!

So here is my new Killing machine the Diablo Paddlesports Adios. This beauty is an American made multi-purpose water craft that is going to put the hurt on some ducks and fish in California.  No water born game is safe now that I have endless mobility in the water.  From the Kelp Beds of the California coastline to the marshes of the Central Valley to the High Sierras be patient little fish and ducks,...

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Well Here is your results for the Camera Mount Give Away, Congrats guys and I will contact you to finalize what you guys want. The Arrow Reaper True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:8Powered by RANDOM.ORG Mr Chuck Condor! True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:1Powered by RANDOM.ORG Thank you for those who participated and better luck to you all next time. The Bearded B...

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Hunting Rituals and Lucky Gear....Good Luck or Rubbish?

  I was getting my gear ready this weekend for my hunts this coming week and I was freaking out because I could not find my knife.  It is a 14" PIC Bowie Knife that was made in the 1950's in Germany.  It is just a knife but this summer it became MY knife. I NEED this knife with me at all times in the field and I was worried I was not going to find it.  I mean I did leave my headlamp in the field last time out. But, I did find it and that got me thinking, what other things that are "Musts" haves for me in the field whether it...

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Outdoor Blogger Network is 1yr old

Well let give a shout out to Outdoor Blogger Network, they are now 1 year old and have been a huge help to me.  Good for you guys and if you are a blogger you need to check them out. http://www.outdoorbloggernetwork.com/2011/10/18/1-year-anniversary-celebration-post-roundup/ The Bearded B...

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Camera Mount Give Away!

  10/25/11***I am going to add a to the mix a foldible compact mount so those who don't have a bow can use it with their SLR or pocket cam.****  I have been asked by people how I get so many camera angles with my cameras from my bow.  Well, I will unveil the secrets up my filming.  I make my own camera mounts.  Simple fact is I do not like buying anything that I can make.  My Handcrafted Gear Pages shows that.  I...

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Waiting on a Pig.... Part 2

  So day two was not much better in terms of success, but what is lacked in meat on the ground it was assurance that my spot and stalk and planning skills were up to par.  The night before I had met a gentleman in the campground who had only seen one doe and because I have become the "Doe Whisperer" I told him to come with me and we'll make it happen for him and I hopefully.   The set up was great, a open field where deer and pigs are feeding, their beds where they take the mid morning siestas, and us in between the...

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Waiting on a Pig.... Part 1

  So my weekend started out a little early last week, Friday morning to be exact and with my truck loaded with all the essentials pig sticking supplies I headed north to Forth Hunter Ligget in Paso Robles, CA.  I was a pretty uneventful drive, except for the guy that I met in a gun shop that said he hunts Grizzly Bears in Central California....um ya how's that straight jacket fitting?  Parents still give you coloring books...

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