Joseph Wallace has been adding Filson gear to his closet for 15 years now. With winter around the corner, he is getting his Filson wool ready for the cold months in Michigan.

I bought the Filson Wool Packer hat about 15 years ago. It served me very well in late fall to late spring sleet, snow, and cold rain. I bought the vest shortly after and have had many years of comfortable hunting and ice fishing with that warm Mackinaw vest on. Last December my wife bought me a Double Mackinaw Cruiser coat. THAT put a whole new spin on winter comfort. Snow blowing, ice fishing on Lake Superior, and various other winter activities are far from painfull now. I spent 24 hours out in the sleet and snow last spring and from the bottom of that coat to the top of my head was warm and DRY. My wife is getting tired of hearing me say “I love that coat.” I always tell people to “invest in wool” and your wool clothing is well worth every dollar spent. Looks good and feels great!

Peter Searson of Mill Valley, CA has been a surfer since 1979 and he knows a good wave when he sees it. But in Northern California, the best wave breaks come in the colder months. After discovering the Yukon Cape Coat in his brother-in-laws fly fishing magazine he was hooked to the warmth it provided before a surf. The coat continues to be his jacket of choice after 21 years. One day, he will pass it along so he can enjoy the simple pleasure of a morning surf.

I have been a surfer in California since 1979. After moving to San Francisco in 1989, I realized waves really only broke well during the fall and winter months. Early mornings were brisk and my outerwear assortment fell very short of the mark. My brother-in-law was a fly fisherman. During one visit in 1990, I was flipping through his fly fishing magazine and stumbled on what looked like a perfect, early morning Ocean Beach jacket to keep me warm before the inevitable change into the wetsuit. This was pre-internet so I just called the number on the ad to inquire about the Yukon Cape Coat. I believe it was a fly fishing shop somewhere in the Pacific NW. The old timer gave me a brief description and things sounded pretty good, except the price. It was a little steep for me being a 25 year old kid out of college looking for some financial footing. I was on the fence about it then he closed it with, “Son, you will give this to your grandson someday.” The only thing I could say was “sold!” 21 years later, it is still my go-to jacket for the early morning surf.

When you talk to Rudy you can’t help but see a man who is passionate about the heritage of hunting and the stories it creates. We are excited to highlight season 2 of “Huntography” on Filson Life, which follows hunters in deer camps, over 12 states, all who have connected through social media and their love for American hunting. Everything kicks off tomorrow, safe Travels Rudy!

Huntography is a grassroots hunting movement. I am on a journey to film and document the authentic stories and experiences of America’s hunters, one at a time. Through first person storytelling, I want to show what really happens in our deer camps. It’s a type of reality that has been missing from outdoor television and videos. One that everyday hunters want to see and can truly relate to.

To add another level of uniqueness, I wanted to use social media to find some folks to film for season 2 of Huntography. Actually, that turned out to be quite easy.

You see, when I started getting active on Twitter, Facebook and blogs within the deer hunting niche last October, I just followed, friended and talked to regular folks like you and me who were talking about deer hunting online. The conversations came naturally as we all had the same interest in common.

Over the course of a few months, I had found myself talking to these folks virtually everyday about deer hunting. Now think about that for a second. Although the deer hunting season had ended, our passion for deer hunting had kept us online and communicating with each other.

In the traditional offline world, most hunters typically go back to their daily routines and don’t have the burning passion for hunting on their minds 24-7.

So for season 2 of Huntography, I wanted to tell the story of some of these super passionate hunters who used online technology to share their whitetail deer hunting passions. Hence the title – Getting Social with America’s Whitetail Deer Hunters.

1 Huntographer. 12 States. 19 Deer Hunters. 5,000 Miles. Fall 2011

Starting October 15th, I will make the journey across America for the social media deertour. From deer camp to deer camp, I will capture what everyday hunters experience before, during and after the hunt.

To make it even more challenging, I will be using multiple Canon HDSLR cameras. These cameras are not the standard within the hunting industry. They are mostly used by indie documentary film makers to tell a story in a more cinematic fashion.

From my first hand experience using them in season 1 of Huntography, I can say that it is very challenging to get everything right. This includes lighting, audio, focus and more. But it’s this challenge that’s drives me to try harder. And when everything comes together, the reward is quite satisfying.

All the hunters that I’ll be filming, including myself, will be using social media to share what is happening in real time. This means you’ll see LIVE status updates, photos and videos right from the tree stand and deer camp on Twitter, Facebook and our blogs.

Since we announced the deer tour 3 months ago, we’ve had a good amount of grassroots interest not only from hunters but from outdoor hunting companies. Many of which have shown support for our cause by donating their products directly to the hunters on the social media deer tour. For this, we are all thankful.

Huntography is here to tell a story. It’s the unique stories that bring hunters together. And nothing tells a better, more vivid story than video. We’ll use social media and technology to help like-minded hunters better connect with each other across the country, from online to offline.

To get a glimpse of what to expect, please watch last years trailer. See you in the woods.

Photo Credit: Ben Smith

Ben Smith of Arizona Wanderings is a junior-high social studies and science teacher that lives just outside of Phoenix, AZ. When he is not fishing or hunting, Ben loves to spend time with his wife and two dogs. His summer was spent fishing, hiking and exploring adventure. As his first featured blog post on, Filson Life, Ben discusses his return to a his favorite pristine pool at the end of the road where he returns to get the fish that got him last time.

The heavy truck tires crunch the small stones as I make the turn onto the washboard road that will take me to the trailhead. Even though I left the house at an ungodly hour and have never been beaten to the parking lot, my body still tenses at thought of someone else being the first at the pullout. To be on the water before anyone else, guarantees the angler a full day of wild small stream trout eager to take a well presented fly.

With the tailgate down, I assemble my fly rod and thread the brightly colored line through the guides. Opening the fly box, each individually tied fly screams to be chosen as the first fly of the day, in order to prove their worth. Quick to drain the last of my coffee and with an apple and a bottle of water tucked into the cargo pockets of my shorts, I put one foot in front of the other and make my way down into the canyon.

The faint footpath winds about a half-mile into the canyon where it meets the creek. The stream appears just how I left it in my mind’s eye and the sound of running water is pleasant music to my ears. Knee-deep in the flowing creek, the water swirls around my feet like a mother swooning around a wandering son who has been gone from home for too long.

The first couple hundred yards of riffles and pools are full of brightly colored fish, each one as hungry as the next, but even as I carefully cast each fly, my mind wanders to what is ahead, the pool.  This pool has haunted my dreams these last few weeks as I agonized over the bruiser who bested me. I can still remember the pulsing in the fly rod as his heavy body shook and dove to the depths of that pool in the moments before the line went lifeless.

As I round the corner, I can see it. A long pool that sits like glass, only disturbed at the very top where a small waterfall cascades downward into the deep water. I sit on the same rock and study the pool, taking my time to see if any of my finned friends are awake. Five minutes pass, as I recheck my knots and dress my fly with more floatant, I see the nose of a large fish break the surface tension.

“Right where I left you,” I think.

I wait another minute or two until he rises again to take an unseen bug in the film of the water, and carefully, on hands and knees, crawl into position. This is the moment I have been thinking about for the past few weeks. I bring myself into a crouching position and raise the fly rod. Back and forth, back and forth, back and then I let the fly drop ever so slightly a foot to the left of his last rise.

Patiently, I wait for the wild fish to accept my offering.

Dennis Lynch has been around the outdoors his entire life and understands what a “good time” entails. That’s why in this addition to Filson Life, Dennis explains Kentucky’s most anticipated event of the year. We’ll give you one hint; it’s probably something that Secretariat never won.

Seasons come and go in our lives and with these changes in seasons come different plans, events, parties and occasions.  Here in Kentucky, spring brings many things, including blooming Dogwood and Redbud trees as well as spring flowers.  As soon as these blooms start budding, so too are plans hatched for the “First Saturday in May.” It has been dubbed “The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports,” and is one of the biggest outdoor cocktail parties in the country.

Preparations are in the works.  Among the considerations are what to wear, such as hats, footwear and gear.  Attention and care given to each item considering the changeable weather patterns that are present in Kentucky. The food and drink must also be planned, and most importantly, the guest list has to be generated with special consideration being given to talents, personalities and the spirit of high living.

You might think this is the planning for attending the Kentucky Derby or planning a Derby party.  Well it could be, but it AIN’T!

Each fall in Central Kentucky the dove season opens. Plans have been in the works since Derby Day itself, as the beginning of May is the best time to plant a field of sunflowers that will become a “dove field.”  Planting in May gives the sunflowers  the proper time, rainfall and sunshine to grow into a veritable “Golden Corral” for the millions of resident and migratory birds that dot the sky of central Kentucky each fall – particularly the elusive, fast flying dove.

Dove hunts are of two varieties.  The first type are those hosted by political and social power brokers, complete with snooty protocol, and sparkling water toting Sherpas that drive gators and deliver water to all the shooting stations surrounding the field. Dinner is served after the completion of these “pinky-raised” dove shoots, with the day’s hunt presented on linen covered tables serving the latest haute cuisine with chilled chardonnay or a full bodied red wine.  Boring conversation also abounds.

The second type of dove shoot (and my preferred style) is more typical of Central Kentucky hospitality.  It goes something like this: a group of friends (mostly guys) accompanied by high spirited, gun toting, camo wearing gals (more often than not the daughters of high spirited, gun toting camo wearing daddies;)  cold water within arm’s or tongue’s length for humans as well as Canines; and a sweltering Kentucky Fall sun.  The best shooting hours are usually 3pm to 5pm, as this is the time of day that the doves dive-bomb the sunflowers to feed before going to roost for the night.

After the Dove Shoot

Golf has the 19^th hole and dove shoots have their version. A group of friends with names like Bad Cat, Woody and Zack, faithfully accompanied by dogs named Lex, Clem and Ruffus, gather around a tobacco wagon. These friends clean their birds and enjoy cold beverages, which range from water, to beer, to a perfectly chilled “see through” – a.k.a. Gin Martini. Cleaned bird breasts are wrapped in bacon, stuffed with a jalapeño slice, and given a dollop of cream cheese for good measure, and then tossed on the grill. Stories are told and the hunt is recounted.

If you know of a more enjoyable occasion than afternoon bird shooting in autumn, let me know. I’ll be on my way.

Photo credit: Kevin Howard

After spending a few years of her life selling ads for the outdoors industry, Kristen Monroe discovered her true passion in life, hunting and fishing. Kristen loves to share her obsession with others by writing and giving motivational speeches to encourage individuals to spend more time in the great outdoors. In this post on Filson Life, Kristen explains what hunting is all about to her, including, camaraderie, good eats and the enjoyment of nature.

For me, modern day hunting is not about the kill, it’s about camaraderie, food and enjoying the great outdoors.  It’s different than back in the day when ones family would go to bed hungry that night if they had a bad day in the field. Sometimes I am outsmarted by the animals and I go home empty handed. Luckily, I can stop at the grocery store to feed my family. I recently had a taste of deep-rooted hunting, where that night’s meal was contingent on the days hunt.

Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers (AGLOW) holds its annual convention in September.   Outdoor writers, visitors’ bureaus and industry partners meet from all over the nation.  It’s not just networking- its meeting good friends, having fun and getting business done all at once.    This year the convention was held in Iowa at Honey Creek State Resort on Rathbun Lake.  I was invited by Brent Lawrence, representing the National Wild Turkey Federation, to partner up and compete in a Coleman cooking challenge.   The tasks at hand- use the Coleman outdoor cookware and prepare a meal that reflects the unique local culinary culture of Southern Iowa.

Lawrence and I decided to take a risk.  Instead of bringing the food already prepared from home to the convention like we could have done, we decided to cook our game from our Iowa hunts.  2011 is the first dove hunting season in Iowa’s history and Lawrence decided to take part.  Unfortunately, that hunt only produced two doves for us, not enough to feed the judges for the main course.  Nature is unpredictable; any good hunter has a backup plan.

The morning of the cook off, 11 members of AGLOW went to The Dunn Deal Hunting Lodge in Russell, Iowa for a pheasant hunt.  If we didn’t get pheasant, there wouldn’t be a main course to feed the judges. We had a lot riding on this hunt.   One of my favorite things about pheasant hunting is watching the dog work.  I’m not sure who was having more fun us, or Ginger-Eric Wilson‘s trusty German Short Hair.  We had a blast and plenty of pheasant for the judges and the audience.

Lawrence and I prepared bacon wrapped dove for an appetizer and a family recipe of creamy pheasant served over wild rice. For dessert, a Peace Tree Brewery’s Imperial Stout beer ice cream shake and a hot fudge Sunday with bacon, bananas and jalapeño peppers. Lawrence and I tied with our competition according to the judges overall opinion; however, we lost by one in overall points.  I still call it a success, the food turned out great and another fantastic memory was created.   I am grateful to live the life I do, The Filson Life.

National Communications director of American Rivers Amy Kober takes us behind the scenes of the Elwha Dam removal and its effects on the state and river.

A chunk of Elwha Dam sits on my desk. It looks like just another hunk of gray concrete, but when I see it I think of a blue-green rushing river, big spawning salmon, and lush old-growth forests deep within Olympic National Park.

I was lucky – and humbled — to be there when removal of the two dams on Washington’s Elwha River began a couple weeks ago. It’s the biggest dam removal project in history – the river’s Glines Canyon Dam is 210 feet tall. Tearing down these dams will restore more than 70 miles of habitat for salmon and steelhead in the Elwha and its tributaries.

American Rivers and our partners worked for more than 25 years to restore the Elwha – so this is a wonderful victory. We will get to watch a river come back to life before our eyes.

Watch a video about this inspiring river restoration effort.

Here are some commonly asked questions about the Elwha.

Why is the Elwha River special, and why is this dam removal significant?

The Elwha flows from the heart of Olympic National Park to the Strait of Juan de Fuca on Puget Sound. Eighty percent of the river is protected within the park, so most of it is wild and pristine. The river was once home to all six species of Pacific salmon and steelhead and has been home to the Klallam people for millennia.

This is the world’s biggest dam removal, and one of biggest and most significant river restoration efforts we’ve ever seen. We will witness a river coming back to life, with great benefits for salmon runs, the tribe and community. The lessons we learn on the Elwha will inspire other river restoration efforts around the country.

How have the dams harmed the river?

There are two dams on the river – Elwha Dam (108 feet tall, built in 1913 just five miles from the river’s mouth) and Glines Canyon Dam (210 feet tall, built in 1927, several miles upstream of Elwha Dam). Both dams were built without fish passage, and completely blocked salmon from historic habitat.

How long will dam removal take?

The dams will be removed over the course of 2.5 to 3 years. The project is designed so that the enormous amount of sediment trapped behind the dams is released gradually, so as not to choke downstream salmon habitat.

What are the benefits of removing these two dams?

Dam removal will restore the river, from mountains to sea, opening access to more than 70 miles of salmon habitat. Salmon runs are expected to grow from 3,000 (current) to more than 300,000 a year. The entire web of life will benefit, from eagles to black bears to orca whales (137 different species depend on salmon). The lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, whose reservation is at the mouth of the river and who depends on the salmon runs, will have a significant piece of its culture restored.

Dam removal and river restoration will bring hundreds of millions of dollars of economic benefits to the community, from restored fisheries to recreation and tourism. The river will serve as an unprecedented laboratory for scientists to study how a river comes back to life – learning valuable lessons we can apply to other rivers around the country.

Will any electricity be lost as a result of dam removal? Why get rid of dams that are making money and creating cheap energy?

The amount of electricity generated by the dams (about 19 mw) was minimal compared to both the region’s needs and its power production capacity. The dams provided power equal to about one half the energy needs of just one local company, the Nippon Paper Industries mill. The mill is currently receiving all of its power from the City of Port Angeles via the regional electrical grid. The mill is seeking to construct a power facility at the mill that would exceed the amount of power the two dams produce on average.

Is American Rivers opposed to all dams?

No – dams can provide useful services and hydropower dams will continue to be an important part of the nation’s energy portfolio. American Rivers has supported the continued operation of hundreds of hydropower dams across the country. Dam removal makes sense when a dam has outlived its usefulness, is unsafe, or when its costs outweigh its benefits.

How many dams have been removed nationwide?

American Rivers has dubbed 2011 ‘the year of the river’ because the nation will soon reach the significant milestone of 1000 dams removed nationwide. This demonstrates great support and momentum for restoring rivers. The earliest known removal on our list is 1912. We expect roughly 50 dams to be removed in 2011.

What are some other big dams slated for removal in the near future?

Preparations are underway to remove Condit Dam (125 feet tall) on southwest Washington’s White Salmon River. The main blast at the dam is scheduled for October 26. Removal of dams on Maine’s Penobscot River begins next summer, in a major effort to restore Atlantic salmon and other fisheries.