Very generous of you to take the time and put this together. I also appreciate breaking down the cost to get it done. I think alot of us don't realize the commitment in time and money it takes to achieve this.
Rick M
P.S. I may still hit you up for those trekking poles. After reading Big Pizza's bear hunt, you can keep the hat:)
I can just tell the other "predator" is younger!
I found several grammatical errors, I don't think those are the mistakes you are talking about though :)
THANK YOU Jake and Pat for putting this together. Very interesting information!
OFFHNTN
The area an hour west of Eureka, CA is better for tuna than blacktails. ;-)
Congrats on a job well done!
THANKS for sharing--very much appreciated!
Hope youre well..
Scott
Matt
The 29 is a function of money, commitment, skill, and flat out determination, but realistically someone can do it in 60 years if needed. As long as they start soon enough, hunt enough, spend enough, and don't quit they will get it if they want it.
Adding the time variable, which is fixed and finite, to the Sheep Slam makes it a world apart in my mind. that goes well beyond having the stamina and funds to stick it out...........that is an accomplishment with the clock ticking and it is really special
Thanks for taking the time to put this all together.
Good luck, Robb
Matt beat me to the "West of Eureka" joke.
Lenny
The kill photo is bull #2, it isn't back from the taxidermist yet....the taxidermy mount is bull #1. Someday, I was thinking about posting photos on Bowsite of taxidermy photos for the left side, straight on, and right side of many of the animals, along with the P&Y score for each animal. That way, people would have some idea of what a given sized animal might look like.
BTW, three of the tweny nine animals made B&C, and 24 would make P&Y if they were entered. I was thinking about entering ALL of them at once, if I ever get P&Y animals for the last five species....wanna guess which ones do NOT make P&Y? (WARNING>>>>This is kinda like Pat's Bloodtrail Challenges.....there is a little twist in getting the right number).
As for the 4 that don't make P&Y. Just a wild guess but I'll bite, I'd say Canadian Moose, Roosevlt Elk, Mt. Lion, and Woodland Caribou?
OK now for the new challenge I will have to go back thru them all to see if I can figure that out, this will be tough working from pictures as they can be very deceiving.
The one that comes to mind right now is your Canadian Moose. Then I would guess the Plains Bison, Pronghorn Antelope and Rocky Mountain Elk.
In addition I would say the Quebec Lab Caribou in the kill photo did not make it either, but the mounted one did. The mounted Rosie does not make it but the one in the kill does make it.
So am I close or even in the ballpark with this?
Nick
What a fabulous collection of animals! Good for you!
Very impressive collection.
Jake, we are not so patiently waiting for you to tell us if we won and what the prize is.
I don't know the specifics of Pat's data storage (whether it is on "the cloud" or whatever ever other means of data storage), but considering that he is THE man for his companies IT department, I rest easier knowing that the memory of my trophies are preserved in at least one forum that is NOT located at my house. You might want to consider that, the next time that you debate whether or not to share a hunting story....It can also approximately DATE the trophy (depending on how soon you enter it on Bowsite after it was taken), in case you don't program the date and time into your camera AND forget to write the kill date on the back of the photo.....like at least bowhunter that I know....
Now I just have to get a few minor mistakes corrected, and I will have my "memories" accurately chronicled offsite.....(small hint there, Obewon LeFemine).
"Mr. Ensign"? I had to look around and see if someone else was in the room behind me!!
Bear down,
I have lifesize mounts of all four sheep, all four bears, mountain goat, mountain lion, and muskox. Seventeen species are shoulder mounts, and one was made into a rug. Total taxidermy cost will be between $80K and $100k.
Thanks so much for sharing your adventures with us all.
Enjoyed the evening looking thru your hunts. Especially enjoyed your Caribou video. That video speaks volumns abour your journeys end. Congrats. Surprised that you rated difficulty on your Brown Bear as a 1.
I bet you were pissed at the butcher who jobbed you on the moose meat. 153 lbs? That's an average cow elk.
Love the Sonora buck.
Congrats again. Great write up and amazing pictures. It sure helps some of us dream big! I know that I am going to start keeping details of each hunt from now on after seeing this.
The best part about this is the super slam couldnt have happened to a better person. On multiple occasions I have PMed Jake and his response was simply, call me. We have talked a few times and each time he was extremely helpful, informative and most importantly, excited to help. Once getting off the phone I was so jacked up for the hunts that i couldnt stand it. Jake, once again, congrats and it couldnt have happened to a more deserving and better guy.
Quick question- Whats next? Exotic species over seas? Finishing up getting the final 5 species that dont make P&Y? What ever it is, im sure that you will complete it and will have a blast along the way.
Rob
Trust me, rating the brown bear bowhunt as a "1", is a mistake!!
"I have to go now, the salt water is pouring into my raft, and the sat phone is floating away. The blacktail has just dissapeared into the fog. We will have to wait for more stable sea ice before we pursue further"
Jake Ensign, CA blacktail hunt, about an hour west of Eureka.
PS due to Pope and Young's rule of fair chase, Jake decided to pass the shot opportunity. He did harvest a nice buck on the mainland.
That was hysterical!!.....banter, it's what's for breakfast!! LMAO!!
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!
One of the five animals that does NOT qualify for P&Y is the Canadian Moose....I'll give you another one tomorrow.....Ha!
I replied; he's MARRIED! hahahahaha! Mike
In fact, we got married in the gameroom.....under the Mountain Goat, just to the left of the Polar Bear. The wedding cost $40.00 for the license, and was 8 minutes long. "Cassman" (aka the Honorable Willard Cass officiated) made it official as he is a retired Surrogate Court judge. With the money that we saved, we are BOTH going on a pronghorn bowhunt in late August....
2. If I sent you a spreadsheet with each animal entered would you enter a number for the difficulty based soley on the animal itself, and some adjusting for physical difficulty, and number of animals seen? For example sneaking up on a moose is 10x easier then a cagey Ohio whitetail. Cost is not a factor.
Lol!!! Great stuff Jake, couldn't happen to a nicer guy...
One of the hunts was in the 1990's, and was quite bit less....a couple more were last minute cancellations, and therefore less expensive.
"Ike",
You haven't heard of this Jake guy because he's been floating out at sea (an hour west of Eureka) hunting for Columbia Blacktail!! LOL!!
That's quite an accomplish and a heap of trophies! Thanks for sharing!
Normally this is the point where I'd make some smart azzed comment that I like to think are jokes.
All I can come up with is congrats my friend. Pretty incredible adventure.
And thank you very much for sharing so much of it with us.
I bought a Mathews Custom Safari about 10 years ago. One year later, I learned that they were going to be discontinued. By then, I enjoyed shooting that bow so much, that I bought another one as a back up. My secondary bow was used to kill the animal that I was hunting on three different SLAM hunts. I have used a few different types of broadheads over the years, but the last ten species have all been taken with the same type of broadhead.
I am a firm believer in shooting the most poundage that I can accurately control. Unfortunately, Father Time is probably going to make me consider alternative bows within the next couple years. I will be 56 this October, and I don't see a high poundage bow in my future much longer....and if I really want to take an elephant and a hippo in my lifetime, I had better get on the stick....and soon.
Nick,
When I sold my business and retired young, THAT was when I hoped to accomplish the NA29 in my lifetime. I don't know if I really believed that it would ever happen, but I knew that I would die before I quit!! In 2008, when I killed the four sheep and the Mountain Goat, I gained quite a bit of additional momentum.
Tom Miranda,
I still remember walking up on stage and getting the Super 10 award in the Spring of 2011, and we shook hands and I told you that I would meet you on stage next year....and darned if we didn't BOTH make that happen! I have the photo of you handing my plaque to me in my gameroom. In fact, it is my hope to post it in this thread in the next day or two.
My Mrs wants to read thru your quest so I need to know if I am okay to Print it without getting you angry at me....?
So she can take her leisure and read your 29 presentation.
Her challenge is that if she uses your yearly Calendar you share with us...why can't 'I print and enjoy his/Jake's 29 bowsite article'?
Don't get me in the DogHouse here Jake!! haha
Good luck, Robb
Jake you did a great job of compiling and recording your adventures to the NA29. You will probably never know the influence you may have on young bowsiters who now hold the dream you once had.
Thanks for sharing and for being just being "Jake", a fellow bowhunter who is just "down to earth".
You have truly been and are a blessed man.
It's not my property....it is property of Bowsite. I have absolutely no problem with it at all....but it has a few errors....tell her to wait a couple days, and hopefully, it will be error free.
Jake
What criteria did you follow when picking an outfitter? What advice would you give to others looking for a good archery outfitter? Any big disappointments with any of the outfitters you used?
I did a lot of networking (and online research) before picking many of my outfitters. I never got caught up in success ratios....I was only interested in shot opportunities. If archers got reasonable shot opportunities, and weren't able to seal the deal, that is not the outfitters fault. I always ask if the outfitter is an archer. I also ask if any of his guides are archers....and whenever feasible, I always request a guide that is an archer.
I really try to follow up on unsuccessful archery references. They usually aren't listed in an outfitters list of references, but if you contact an outfitter directly, sometimes they will give you contact info for additional references.
I must admit that I did have a few disappointments....and I would probably consider telling "my side of the story" in a private setting, but I won't air dirty laundry on a public forum. One has to remember that there are always two sides to a story....but in most cases, the outfitters did admit that I had a valid point.
Over the years, I have learned that there are some key questions which either seem to really facilitate a hunt, or in some cases dramatically reduce the cost of certain hunts (and "No", I can't bring myself to share some of THOSE questions). However, I have learned throughout the course of my life, that asking good questions is of paramount importance.
One of my mantras has always been to train harder. Instead of drilling holes in a toothbrush to reduce pack weight, I would log an extra mile with a heavy pack when training. Make myself stronger, rather than depend on newer, or more expensive gear. I own wool clothes....I have never owned Sitka or KUIU. Like every honest archer, I have made some less than perfect shots, but shooting a powerful bow turned a couple of those into lethal hits, just because of the additional trauma created by extra penetration or broken bones.
One interesting coincidence....Tom Miranda tracked his Roosevelt Elk over 600 yards before recovering it. We estimated that we tracked mine for almost 1,000 yards. I thought it was ironic that both of us had long tracking jobs on the same species....but they are a big animal, and they are an elk....thus known for really being able to take a hit.
Yendor,
I will tell you that in 1993, when I was 30 days away from being an unemployed geologist, the thought of being financially independent was almost laughable. If there is a reasonably common trait amongst super slammers, it is that they have uncommon persistence, a positive mindset, and a can do attitude. I will also submit that such traits will go far towards helping someone achieve their goals in ALL walks of life. Like I said before.....ask good questions.
Congrats and great job on the writing (minus the trivial errors)! I hope that one day I can be fortunate enough to complete an archery slam myself. I also am surprised at the lack of any mention of a golden horseshoe ;)
Brad
But one question was every hunt with a guide or was there any DIY hunts involed?
I thought of the horshoe when I noticed the picture in our game room of you with it laying across a sheep. I believe it was Thomas Jefferson who once said, "the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." It wasn't just luck; you worked for it and deserve it. In all seriousness, I think you did a great job putting it all together. I loved both the field and taxidermy photos. As others have said, the commentary on the "culinary value"of each animal was very cool. It was really a pleasure to read.
Have a great bow hunt. BB
One thing i am very interested in Jake and im sure you have documented is how many different outfitters you used and what hunt mentally challenged you the most of all,
i mean got you down to where the tears fell and nearly put ya down. For me it was the brown bear and bighorn sheep. I could sit here for hours jake and ask ya questions about your superslam but for me those two for now are sticking out. You deserve this buddy for all your hard work and effort.
In all seriousness though, and as much as it pains me to say this, it probably wasn't the shoe that helped him get this amazing feat done. Just ask Jake sometime about sitting in the walk-in freezer to get ready for his polar bear hunt and you will understand why he accomplished this in the manner that he did. I am unaware of any other bowhunter who took all four sheep in one year. That one will be hard to top.
Congrats my friend.
I have said this many times on this site. You are not only a testament to what hard work and dedication can bring one in the hunting world it will also bring and abundance to life in general. If anyone deserves this more than you I would like to meet them. You worked hard, made your way and now you are living the American Dream. Congrats to one of the most humble guys I have ever met.
Best of luck to you and the Misses!
Is moose meat any good to eat? :)
Write a book, Jake. It will sell.
Member features such as this hold much more relevance and meaning, IMO, than the usual outdoor publishing content that is out there. Kudos to both Jake and Pat.
Good things are worth waiting for, gentleman.....even if it takes 55 years.
Regarding the photo that Loesshillsarcher is referring to......I am out of town, and that file is unavailable....but if you want to see ANOTHER aspect of the NA29 that is priceless (aka the friends that you make....) go to a thread entitled "Thanksgiving and the NA29". Nothing else needs to be said.....REALLY.
it was a great read
Congrats!!
However, after spending 1 hour and 39 minutes on the phone with you the other day for our "30 minute call" on bowhunting sheep and learning in the above story that in 1993, you were "30 days away from being an unemployed geologist with the thought of being financially independent was almost laughable," that this whole endeavor is really about the power of the human mind and spirit when one dedicates to a cause or a purpose. As long as we keep perspective, many great accomplishments come out of serious adversity.
Congratulations my friend, I think you have this component of the game of life mastered!
Here is what my Mrs has been doing----instead of printing every harvest off....
She takes her laptop out on her Hamock, under our Pergola, and simply uses our WI-FI gig to read thru your hunts.
I am a pinch concerned though---as she has said: "that Jake guy is one hell of a bow hunter".....
All-n-all, it is all good Jake!~ haha
Good luck, Robb
edge1771: If you really want to get working on the slam get your Dad to take you on a bear next June!!!!!!
Now are you up for the challenge of doing it again only using a real bow this time? HaHaHa
All kiding aside way to go and congrads on a great accomplishments.
Your story is a welcome change in the "hey look at me" society that permeates the BIG ego's in today's media driven wannabe world. Your humble spirit shows throughout the feature. As Pat put it, there is no strutting like a peacock or chest thumping and he is spot on in saying that this site is a better place for your contributions.
Jake, congrats again buddy!! Thanks for sharing.
I'm glad I was part of it ... great to meet you and hunt a little.
Congratulations !!!
Here is a questiong for you, taking the cost of the hunts out of the equation, knowing what you know now, If you were starting all over trying to complete the super slam, are their any animals that you would hunt sooner rather than later? Do you feel that hunting certain animals first would give you a better experience level later when going after different more difficult game?
Taking the cost out of the equation, if I were younger and hoping to chase the NA29, I would focus on the mountain species (sheep, Mountain Goat), extreme weather animals (polar bear, muskox), and then enjoy chasing the remainder as the opportunities presented themselves.
I would also recommend trying to hunt one species of each genus early on .....one bear, one caribou, one elk,etc. That way if a bunch of friends suddenly have opening for a extra guy to tag along, you can reduce your expenses while chasing a species that you are already somewhat familiar with....
Another thing that I would like to share.....is for people to consider building a video library. I probably own at least 200 bowhunting DVDs and another 100 bowhunting VCRs. I have learned some subtle nuances about animals and effective techniques for getting "archery close" by watching other bowhunters on video. These videos are catalogued and organized by species....now, whenever I plan a hunt, I can pull all of those videos and watch them again (I never tire of that)....it acts as a refresher of sorts, and it helps to put me into "hunt mode".
One thing that I noted through my journey, is that by the time some people have the funding to go on some of the more extreme hunts, they may not have the physical ability to do so....at least not on a repeat basis. When we are young enough to do these hunts, many of us didn't have the cash (but the question stated to remove cost of the hunts from the equation). This was a balancing act for me....
Many people leave out one other HUGE consideration....I was a bachelor until I was 55 years old. Having the time and financial resources to do this AND spend time raising a family would require a lot of additional consideration and sacrifice.
I will also say that if I could do one thing over again, I would restructure my arctic hunts. I agree with those bowhunters that focus on one species at a time (TThomas and Bou'bound recently addressed this in another thread)....HOWEVER, I do believe that if someone was going to attempt the NA29, booking a polar bear bowhunt with the option to add a muskox at the end, is a very prudent move. I hunted muskox first and then went back later for polar bear. Every trip to the arctic is to be savored, but they are big ticket items.
You could save a several thousand dollars by tagging a muskox after the successful completion of your polar bear bowhunt....but I suggest that you keep your mind on Ursus maritimus until he is on the ground....LOL. Then, simply negotiate the cost of a muskox add on hunt with the natives.....and be upfront with your outfitter about this strategy as well.
If I think of other helpful hints, I will add them as them occur to me.
That is actually a remarkably short list....I really need one thing on most hunts. A positive attitude. I have forgotten things or gear that would have made my hunt more comfortable or easier, but the simple truth remains, that if you are really out there to hunt, very few things can truly stop you.
Sure, cold weather gear is a prerequisite for an arctic hunt, and a gun is a darn good idea for most bear hunts. A spare release is a great idea....but there are very few things that can't be overcome with some woodsmanship and good old fashioned creativity and planning ahead. If you think that your bow may be lost enroute, because your flight has three connections, do what I have done a few times....since I own two identical bows, ship one ahead with half of your broadheads, broadheads, and release(s). Check the other one on the plane when you travel. One of them will make it there, and usually, they both do.....
I have also noted that when things go wrong, and they WILL go wrong from time to time, it is the people that keep a sense of perspective that seem to have the ability to make lemonade out of lemons. Outfitters and hunting buddies in camp will appreciate the cooler head, which may also pay dividends. Besides, who wants to dwell on the negative when we might be on the hunt of a lifetime?
I just wanted to thank you and Pat for putting this together. I also LOVE the fact that you have put things together in such a simple way. We all want to "major in the minors" in just about everything. Guess that is why I went to traditional archery last year. Anyway, congrats on your achievements and thank you for sharing your story.
As a 29 year old with a new family and building a business I don't have a lot of time to do everything. But this goal of "The Slam" helps me every day as I look at another investment property or speak with another uncooperative seller. It's not majic or gagets, just hard work and a goal. Thanks again.
