Jordan's Link
I called him one night about a pack and ended up talking to him for over an hour about areas to hunt and what it was like back in the day.
He still does some reviews nowadays on his podcast (Kifarucast).
What do you base this on? He has killed plenty of critters with a trad bow. I dont even know him, and never have talked to him, but I can see that he is obviously damn good at killing shit with ANY type of bow.
The following spring I ordered a Kifaru Duplex frame intending to have it for my fall elk hunt. About 3 weeks before elk season I got an email from Kifaru saying that my frame was backordered until winter for various reasons and I was offered the option of a refund or waiting. Like Aron, I'm a guy who speaks his mind and tells it like it is. I emailed Kifaru, expressing my disappointment that they couldn't fill my order and with the late backorder notice and I requested my refund. I also commented in the email that I had hunted with Aron the previous fall, that I ordered the frame based on his recommendation and I was disappointed I wouldn't have it in time for my hunt. At the time I was somewhat desperate to get the frame and I thought maybe dropping Aron's name in the email might help.
A day or two later I got a call from Aron and he said they got an email saying that I hunted with him and he wanted to know who I was and if he knew me. I reminded him of the hunt with Les and and he said "oh Cheesehead!" I didn't know your last name. Then he said "you dumb c***sucker why didn't you just call me to order the frame in the first place" rather than going through the Kifaru order process. I told him I wasn't looking for any special treatment so I just ordered it. He offered me a used prototype for the same price but I chose the refund.
A few years later Aron did a podcast with Les and my name came up. They discussed our 2013 elk hunt and when referring to the big bull I killed, Aron said something to the tune of "Mike is one of those guys that if you stuff a lump of coal up his ass a diamond would come out" and there was some discussion of me being "lucky". Then he mentioned my email to Kifaru and what a "dick move" it was for me to drop his name when my frame was backordered. There was a fair amount of Cheesehead bashing on the podcast. It's funny, and contradictory that when he called me after my email he told me I should have originally called him to order the frame, but then later in the podcast he said that dropping his name in the email was a "dick move". So I guess it's okay to ask for special treatment up front but not later when Kifaru couldn't hold up their end of the deal...
The year after my frame was backordered and refunded but prior to the podcast, I ordered the new Duplex frame and it arrived with the carbon arrow ultralight stays that had been discontinued and which I did not order. I called Kifaru and they couldn't understand how I my frame got those stays installed because they had been discontinued for some time and they weren't installing them anymore. They made it right and sent the correct stays ASAP. I can't help but wonder if the wrong stays in frame were Aron f*cking with me.
Yeah, Aron is a great guy but he's ruffled a few feathers along the way. But then again who hasn't? Maybe I should be honored that he bashed me on one of his podcasts...
....and I only hump Ron Niziolek's leg.
My comment was a joke. Because he is undoubtably one of the deadliest, most accurate traditional bow shots on the planet. If you’ve ever watched any of the videos he’s made with Tom Clum, you’ll see that.
I can personally attest that Ron is right there with Aron when it comes to generosity and helping folks out with hunting.....and outdoor skillz. Lord knows there are a bunch of folks just like 'em here if you know how to find 'em.
I still laf when I remember Aron telling me about how his dad spelled his name wrong at the Hospital.......so he is stuck with one a instead of two.......LOL Or how impressed I was when he shared how he packed a goat off the mountain with a burst appendix...or was it kidney stones....hell I forget but it was painful to hear. And how he learned in the military to navigate to an animal he spotted miles away using a compass and a map without seeing the animal again until he arrived at the spot. I enjoyed every second hearing his history and stories.
I am excited for his next development, which he mentioned on a Poole podcast recently, that at the new Kifaru facility in WY he wants to open a school to help train folks in a wide variety of self defense and outdoor survival and hunting skills. That is his new jam. Pretty cool.
Had heard about Aron for a few years but never met him.
He had a live video going on Instagram talking about use of GPS and maps for hunting… I jumped into the conversation a bit and made some comments about how everyone having a GPS these days had ruined a lot of my good spots, that I learned to get around in the woods the hard way long before GPS’s and still did not rely on them.
Aron and I were going back and forth about getting lost in the woods and me saying I had never really been lost and he was calling BS until he looked me up and was then shocked when he saw some of the critters I have killed with a longbow over the years. He started pulling up my pictures for the group and they seemed impressed.
He saw a picture of me with a Kuiu backpack on and said I needed a better pack. He messaged me telling me he was sending me a pack and gave me his personal number to call. I called him and we had a great conversation. He sent me a Hoodlum that I have been very pleased with. It is probably the most comfortable pack I have ever used for packing out big loads.
Have had a number of chats with him since then about hunting and he seems to be a great guy. Damn glad to see his success in the hunting industry and hope that it continues.
Looking forward to actually meeting him in person someday.
So you do actually know him? ;-)
I still remember his first gear review on BS, on a Badlands pack. How far he has come. Aron has accomplished a tremendous amount, I am really proud of him. Proof positive the American dream is still achievable for those who are driven and willing to work hard.
That said, the leg humper comment is beyond petty.
