Tommy Ellis enlightens us on how he maintains the traditional heritage of hunting while incorporating social media and technology to keep him connected. For him, this combination works harmoniously and helps him get the best out of both worlds.

The outdoors is about traditions and passing them along, I have believed this since I started hunting and fishing as a kid tagging along with my Grandpa fishing. He would drive down to the pond in his green and black Studebaker truck to show me how to catch bluegill. To find out what was happening in the area we went to the general store down the road to talk to local farmers. The original version of social media, you asked friends when you saw them. Today it is important to keep traditions alive in our more modern world where technology is such a big part of many peoples‘ lives. I am a tech lover, laptop, smartphone, things to gather and pass along information. This is how I happily combine the two.

Social media, including blogs, have become a great way to stay in touch, meet people and pass along our knowledge to others, especially kids that were born into technology. I find social media has some of the best sources of conversations, products and contacts you could ever find. I talk daily with people all over the world, mainly through Twitter, some as friends, others as outdoors folks or business. Social media has changed how many of us stay in touch.

As we share a successful hunt, good fishing trip or nice hike the responses you get will keep you excited. Friends from across the world add pictures or stories that make you want to get out and enjoy our world. It is their enthusiasm and friendship makes it easy to remain thrilled at what I do which I would never have if not for technology and social media

Earlier this month, a couple of our own Filson employees hit the Grande Ronde for the fall Steelhead run.  Although we have some avid fishermen (and women), the main objective was to get some great photography.  We took along a professional photographer, Kelly James, out of Salem Oregon.  The weather was still very summer-like with high 80 degree temperatures.  Water temperature was perfect for steelhead – around 52 degrees.    Catching was tough, but the fishing could only be described as wonderful.  Grande Ronde scenery is truly spectacular with virtually every run providing a picturesque backdrop to some of the ‘fishiest’ looking water you can imagine.   We sincerely look forward to using the photos we captured to help us showcase our products in our 2012 catalogs and website.

Here are a few pictures we hope you enjoy.

Submitted by Harry Egler, Filson Marketing Dept.

Here’s our own Dan Drust fighting a nice 7lb buck!    Photo by Kelly James.

Mark Henson was one of our 3 guides.  He’s out of the Tri-Cities.   He’s providing a
little instruction on fly choice in the photo above.  Photo by Kelly James.

Brett Wedeking was another of our guides.  He recently got engaged but we managed to
pull him away from his new fiancé for his other love.  Photo by Kelly James.

We were truly fortunate to have Dec Hogan as our 3^rd guide on the trip.  Dec is the
author of “A Passion For Steelhead” and a true spey casting expert (he often refers to
‘skagit casting’).  He put on clinics for us during the 3- day float.   Photo by Kelly James.

Our trip was arranged by Troy Dettman, the owner of River Guides LLC.  He’s been
in the business for over 20 years as a fly shop owner, fishing guide, and instructor.
Troy coordinated all the logistics for our 3 day float.  Photo by Kelly James.

Kelly James was our pro photographer on the trip.  He worked hard and his work
paid off nicely.  We hope you think so too!  Photo by Harry Egler.

Kelly James rowed a pontoon boat for ultimate flexibility and to get around
quickly.    Photo by Harry Egler.

Dan Drust took the opportunity to do a little Chukkar hunting during the trip.
Photo by Kelly James.

Muddlers were the fly of choice.  Photo by Kelly James.

The scenery on the Grande Ronde is truly awe inspiring.  Photo by Kelly James.

It’s hard to imagine a better place to spend time fishing and working on your loops.  This is my son, Jacob Egler- a real steelhead junkie.    Photo by Harry Egler.

Photo credit: John Riutta

Photo credit: John Riutta

With a B.A. in Literature, a M.A. in Education and a M.B.A., John Riutta has spent a good portion of his life in the classroom. Aside from Riutta’s extensive education he is also quite an accomplished bird watcher. In this installment of Filson Life, Riutta describes a week long journey to Panama where he will be digiscoping the magnificent birds that occupy its rainforest.

When I received the invitation from Leica and Canopy Tower to travel to Panama to spend a week digiscoping the spectacular wildlife to be found there, I was confident three things would happen during the trip. I would add hundreds of images of some the world’s most amazing creatures to my portfolio, I would be on the receiving end of Central America’s most friendly and generous hospitality and I would get wet – really wet.

When it comes to wildlife diversity, it’s hard to find a more lively place on Earth than a rainforest, and when it comes to rainforests, it’s difficult to find many that exceed those of Panama in terms of the birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, plants, and other forms of life to be found there. All of which are potential subjects for nature enthusiasts from bird watchers and wildlife photographers to biologists and ecologists both amateur and professional – and all of whom, when preparing to travel there, fully expect to get wet.

Getting wet in the Panamanian rainforest takes two forms: outside-in and inside-out. Outside-in is fairly easy to understand. Rainforests are called such for a reason. Receiving well over eight feet of rain each year, these forests are as lush as they are dense, so what doesn’t fall on you from the sky will either fall on or rub off onto you from the surrounding vegetation.

Carrying a tripod, 80mm spotting scope, cameras, binoculars, and all the other assorted necessary gear in 90 degree, 90 percent humidity heat provides the principle cause of the inside-out soaking. You sweat; a lot. Wearing waterproof clothing to protect you from all the water just makes you sweat even more. So you accept it all, dress as lightly as possible, (I packed six Filson Feather Cloth shirts for the trip; they breathe and don’t stick to you when soaked like t-shirts do and focus on keeping your lenses clean and dry to be ready to set up a shot whenever it presents itself.

After all, that’s why I went to Panama – to photograph wildlife; especially birds that live in the rain forest. Birds that are superb at hiding amongst the seemingly endless layers of branches, leaves, and grass that are guaranteed to be positioned between you and whatever bird you just heard call.

That’s why I find digiscoping is such a perfect photographic technique for Panama. By using a spotting scope connected to a camera instead of a traditional long lens, a much higher level of magnification can be achieved. Once a line of sight can be established between the subject and myself, I can zoom in on it at magnification levels far beyond what is possible using conventional camera lenses for a perfect portrait shot regardless of how far back in the vegetation it’s hiding.

The results clearly show the technique’s effectiveness. Each day in the field yielded hundreds of images, which – after each evening’s sumptuous repast back at whichever of the Canopy Tower locations I found myself staying that night – I could sort at leisure, flopped into a comfortable chair, listening to the wondrous night-time sounds of the surrounding jungle with my laptop across my legs and my field clothes from the day strung up to dry for the next. Life might occasionally get better – but not too often.