In with a BANG!

(Me with my dad's gun on the left and my little gun on the right)

We’re bringing this season in with a BANG! As we do every Autumn, my dad and I just got done sighting in a couple rifles. I usually take some shots with my little Model 7 Remington 7mm-08 with a shortened stock to make sure that every thing is running just as smoothly as it was last season. We make sure that my gun is accurate, meaning that my shots are all falling in around the same area, and precise, meaning that my shots are hitting where I’m aiming. Also, I like to take the time to remind myself what it feels like to pull the trigger again. Not that I ever really forget. But, I like to make sure that I’m ready for when the animal is in my sights and I don’t jump from the sound of the gun or make some other silly mistake.

(My dad giving me the "thumbs-up" after checking my hits in the spotting scope)

This season, however, we also brought out my dad’s trusty 7mm Remington mag. This gun has passed the test of time. My dad has used it for about twenty years. It’s been through many Montana seasons and has traveled to New Zealand, Kirgizstan, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia. This year, we’re anticipating some longer-range shots and my little gun would probably do just fine, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. It’s not worth wounding an animal by using my smaller gun.

But, I do have to say, my dad’s 7 mag has a bit more of a kick than I’m used to. 

                                          (Even Jesse got to take a couple shots!)

-Hannah

Heating Up!

Things are heating up for Hot On The Trail!

We now have our kickstarter up and running. A few awesome friends and family have made their pledge and are passing the world along. We sincerely appreciate all your support! We are currently about 7% funded with 28 days to go. So, we have a ways to go, but we think we can make it!

        (Antler is pretty nasty to cut. It's almost essential to wear a mask simply because of the smell.)

We offer some pretty cool rewards in exchange for a pledge, from Still Photo Prints to Antler Earrings or even time-lapses or aerial shots. Here's the link to our Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1555066985/hot-on-the-trail?ref=live

We’ve been working hard on getting a few hunts produced. We have at least one hunt completely organized and we’ll be filming it in late October. For all you Montana hunters, you know what that means! But, we won’t be giving anything away just yet. ;)

We’re also organizing a hunt for mid-September. All of our equipment is ready. We’ve done our research. We’re just testing our wings, but we’re ready to soar (hint, hint).

-The HOTT Crew

Options

Now that it's summer, the action has slowed down a bit but there's still a lot of planning left to do. We're looking at a few different hunts for the upcoming fall. We've made some good contacts over the last couple months and we're making progress.

Stay tuned for more!

-The HOTT Crew

P.S. Take a peek at our new camera set-up!

Irons in the Fire

Ready, Set, Go! 

     Now that we have our website up, our promotional video finished, and all the right gear, it's just about time to start filming the pilot episode. All we need now is to set up the first hunt. We've been talking to a number of people that could help us get the ball rolling. 

     Last week, we drove to Helena, Montana to meet with Jim Posewitz, a dedicated conservationist and founder of Orion: The Hunter's Institute. We sat around the wood stove in what he called his "in-town cabin" and talked about Teddy Roosevelt, Charlie Russell, and Bison issues. Jim is an incredibly intelligent man with a memory like a vault. He knows his history and recounted a number of buffalo tales and some hunting history as we toasted our toes. 

     One topic that Jim brought up was the loss of our hunting history. We don't hear about how hunting evolved or how hunter ethics came into play unless we specifically research it. You don't even get the basics in Hunter's Education courses anymore. This is where we come in. I think that Hot On The Trail will begin to fill in the gaps of our knowledge and retell those long silent stories. Young hunters and even just the youth in general should be aware of our history. The human race began as a society of hunter and gatherers. We all have roots in hunting somewhere in our past. It's exciting to be part of something that is working to preserve so much culture and traditions!

     We are also trying to get in contact with the Salish Kootenai tribes this week to see if they would be interested in our project. We would love to work with them for our pilot episode. So, tomorrow, Jesse and I will be driving to the reservation to talk to the right people. Hopefully it goes well!

More HOTT Secrets soon!

     -Hannah 

                                                      

Wanna Know a Secret?

Wanna know a secret? A HOTT secret? Well, now you can! Keep updated on Hot On The Trail's latest news and activities here. More to come soon! Thanks for tuning in!
-The HOTT Crew