Skylines

Stand Alone Essay #34 "Go Fly a Bike!" As a little kid, I never had an overly strong desire to fly or glide through the trees like a bird. Much of what I was interested in was on the ground or in the water after all, and I felt like moving through the world in a magical way was already at hand... I'd just ride my bike!    Riding a bike is to me- a form of flying. It's flying that is exponentially more obtainable to the average person, and a source of unbridled freedom for those who take hold of handlebars, grasp the balance of life on two wheels tap its potential. I've been tapping it's potential since I was 3 years old, fortunate to enjoy most my life behind bars. Handle bars that is of course!   Riding is one of a few mental spaces I can always call 'home' and it's played a major role in forging the person I am today. For those who may not relate to this connection, I offer this essay as a recommendation of why you should try ride a bike. I sincerely consider riding a therapy as powerful as any other. And

Stand alone essay  #33 "1995 In The Beginning"  The year was 1995. I had a good paying job and owned my own truck. I’d just graduated high school and moved out of the house. Life for me was shifting gears and really opening up!  Following my first home-town summer as an adult in Bend, Oregon, September found me pursuing new and exciting endeavors that would shape the rest of my life; like community college. And archery hunting. My first archery season began in the pine forests of an area South of Bend called China Hat. All summer I’d blazed down the endless miles of logging and forest service roads of the region, and in doing so had deduced areas with highest traffic of elk. Music by Wrinkle Neck Mules

Stand alone essay #32 "The Willow Wicket Hotel" is a quick essay about an archery mule deer hunt. 

Stand alone short essay Howdy folks, Bryan Huskey here and THANK YOU for tuning into my Skylines podcast! This is episode #31, my journey in chukar hunting, called "I'm the Birddog". Enjoy!

#30 "Now What?!?" A process for after big game is down My hope for the SkyLines Podcast series is to empower people to feel confident and capable in their outings- whatever they may be. For those who ponder if hunting alone is a possibility, (especially in the backcountry) this is my process. It may serve as a guide for what to expect and a list of things to remember and prepare for.  From the first glance of a critter on the ground all the way to the freezer, I explain every step along the way and what works for me. 

2017 Archery Elk Complete Season This includes episodes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 that make up the 2017 archery elk complete season.

Chapters 1-5 of the 2019 Archery Elk Season.  Listen to 'em all in one click.

2019 Elk Ch 5 "Luck of the Draw" There is a saying I've always repeated in my head during encounters with big game: "Don't look at the antlers!" It's a reference to keeping your composure and staying focused on executing the shot- without the distraction of what the rack looks like. It totally makes sense, and in many situations I've been left yearning to know more about the rack following the encounter- or in some cases.. the shot. Like any hunter, I want to let my eyes admire the critter, including it's rack. I want to let my eyes scale each inch of antler. I want to imagine what it would feel like to grip the antlers in my hand. And so eager as I may to see it up close and on the ground in front of me, my rule is to avoid admiring antlers for the sake of focus, but also in hopes to find the critter like a Christmas morning surprise- with barely a peek at inside the wrapper.

Stand alone short essay I like fishing downstream. Swinging flies for Steelhead is a welcome seasonal transition following months of facing and casting upstream for trout. It’s an entirely different tempo, two-stepping your way down a run. The casting and presentation is different, not to mention that some days even the fly rod is different. Two hands holding cork now. Cool!  I recently took a day just for myself, the river, and two handed casting. It seems like it’s been years since I’ve had a full day for just myself and the river. No photos or video to worry about, nobody else along to divvy up runs with and no drift boat in the river to dictate the downstream order of things throughout the day. With no pressure to land fish, it was just a day to cast, swing, strip, step, and repeat. Very cool.

2019 Archery Season Ch 4 "Reckless Precision" It was September 24th now, the final full day of my final trip of the season. I was well aware of the circumstance- that this would be my last opportunity for archery success in 2019. Looking back I realize I'd been in this same position two years prior, just before taking my best bull (which is described in SKYLINES Episodes 2017 Rut Reports) Although in the moment, that specific recollection did not occur to me at time. My dear friend Ian had joined me for this trip, and the two of us has split up earlier in the morning. From a ridge top, we had each pointed in different directions at the sounds of bugling elk, and agreed we would investigate our respective leads individually. I dropped into a panel of timber I referred to as the Storm Front, where a great sounding bugle had earlier boomed out of. A few minutes into my descent I had a good bearing on where I thought the bull was located, and a powerful bugle followed by a sequence of chuckles confirmed that I wa

2019 Archery Elk Chapter 3 "High in the Mountains"  Hi there folks this is chapter 3 of my 2019 essay. I'm jumping back in time a little bit with this chapter, reflecting on the circumstances that led me to the mountains where chapters 1 and 2 took place. So it's a bit of skipping around in timeline but it all ties back in with where we left off in chapter 2.   Dry hole cost. It’s a phrase that a wonderful and influential old timer in my life named Jack introduced me to: "How much I’m willing to invest in an any given venture before pulling the plug.“ as Jack described it, a term often used by oil drilling outfits considering how long to drill before pulling out and trying someplace else. I contemplated various angles of this question when last December's elk hunting day dreams pressed me: "Just where are my new day dreams going to take place??? Should I stick with the zone I'd hunted the last two seasons?" The area had more than enough elk, but hunting pressure was clearly trending in the wrong direction. I

2019 Archery Elk Ch 2 "Crown Point" The bull gave a small jump and kicked up his tempo, although with no idea of what/if anything had happened. My arrow had just zinged beneath him and I think he had a sense of some sort of close shave. He and the cows around him continued their frantic scurry off the exposed ridge. I didn't have time to consider what had happened to foil what should have been a slam dunk shot. The elk were still unaware of my presence and I was right in their midst with the violent storm providing multiple layers of "cover" for me to take advantage of. Yes, I could have knocked another arrow and almost certainly selected a shot from any of the many elk yet to pass through the window. But this bull was incredible, and without hesitation I swiveled to my feet and started running parallel to the herd. The break of ridge line and mixed timber & downfall gave me just enough cover to pursue this herd as they continued their way downhill. I was pretty much able to run as fast as I wanted (which

2019 Archery Elk Chapter 1 "Belly of the Beast"  Howdy folks, this is Bryan Huskey and we're going to kick off my first essay of the 2019 archery season. I hope you enjoy the ride! Chapter 1 Belly of the Beast   I've always LOVED storms. Late summer thunder storms in particular. But any kind of weather that's remarkable is worth remarking in my book. As a little kid on the Oregon coast, I can recall a few instances when major storms would slam the Tillamook region, and the larger than life old growth trees of the community would on occasion be blown over. The devastating look of shattered wood and crushed surroundings was fascinating to me. With every enormous tree I'd gaze upward at, I'd imagine what it would look like to break or be uprooted and come crashing down to earth. It was simply the way the mind of this young boy worked. And every time violent storms rolled in off the Pacific Ocean, I'd watch from our living room window at a row of towering hemlock that bordered a neighboring diary pasture.  The p

Stand alone essay I've cut my teeth fishing trout and steelhead, but a breaking point occurred that turned my focus to the world of bass and other warm water angling opportunities. I could not be happier with what's happened since. 

We dropped over the edge with leaps & bounds. Striding down the steep slope, we moved quickly as possible yet all the while careful not to dislodge rocks or anything that would roll down the hill and turn into a god dam avalanche. Regardless, apx mid way down, the bull heard us. And screamed a bugle across to our side, in almost- well, no I'd say it was an actual throwing down of the gauntlet. Adam's face was beaming as he barely contained in whisper "Homie wants to ParTaaay!" I don't recall if we'd made any bull sounds at this point or not, but whether the bull thought our sounds were from just the sassy-talking eustress cow, already a bit tipsy making her way to him, or a newly arrived herd, it was clear that he wanted to engage.    And to see some of the Homie footage and other following hunts, check out my film Endless September here.  https://vimeo.com/85019330

If you've never raced in one form or another, you should. Once in your life pick something... and race it. Practice, plan, train, prepare mentally and physically. Give your mind and body a chance to feel primal and perform something at it's absolute hardest- BUT DO IT FOR FUN!!! Sure racing is not for everybody. But if you've ever been half way curious how you'd stack up in the pine derby... or a marathon, pick something! Learn the nuances of the craft, set your mind to it, and get to work! For me, racing provides fantastic spice to life as well as all-around fitness, excitement and a feeling of youth!  Training for an event brings a great sense of being and purpose to the daily grind. Especially when you're committed to an event that scares you. If you are like me, and at certain times of the year wonder to yourself what you are looking forward to... and nothing comes to mind, you know that feeling sucks! Or how about when you bump into a friend who asks what you've been up to and all you can scratch up is t

The Jeep pushed confidently through the soft sand, closer and closer to the turquoise sliver on the horizon. From fifty feet back it looked like a solid and capable rig. From twenty feet out, you could certainly tell this vehicle had been around the peninsula a few times. If you were walking up to it at a used car lot, you'd be spinning around and ducking the greaser salesman in wrinkled slakes striding your way. At the rental facility where I first hopped in and went to let out the clutch in first gear- I shivered with doubt. Yep, it's a well-used rental rig alright! When you want a 4x4 for remote desert exploration, you want a stick shift. And when you get a stick shift in a Mexican resort town, it's been driven by a LOT of people who've only driven automatics. This poor Jeep had been through the wringer, and I felt sympathy for it like an abused dog as we filled it up with fishing gear, ice and boxes of beer. Reluctantly, we headed away from civilization and towards the Baja backcountry, skeptical of just

Bryan Huskey's 2018 archery elk complete season. Chapters 1-7. 1.5 hr run time Accompanying Video 

Standing now with a bright splash of red at my feet and much better defined tracks as well, I felt a giant weight lifted off my shoulders. It was like hitting a reset button on the circumstance, and about anything was better than the hand of cards I'd been holding just moments earlier. Over an hour had lapsed since my shot, yet I still moved with great care and caution to be quiet. Given that I was standing in relatively thick trees and my general visibility was fifty yards at best, I opted to do something especially cautious. Before taking another step and setting fourth on this new blood trail (which was loaded with new and better outcomes), I paused to take time to reflect on what I was doing and the discipline I needed to adhere to. You see the number one way to lose a wounded elk is to embark in tracking too soon and bump it from it's bed while it's still alive. I've always said that when you shoot an animal (depending on the hit location) it may have X number of seconds, minutes or hours to live. If it

How far had the bull walked through the shot? I was hugging the left boundary of the shooting window as it was, and as he walked further to the left getting a closer encounter with the cow he was checking, my arrow was already on it's way when his vitals disappeared behind the screen of chop stick pine bows. I was certain that my arrow had passed cleanly through the window, without trimming and possibly deflecting off any branches. But did it make it to it's moving target in time? Or was I in the disastrous predicament of a bad shot, outside the vital zone and too far back on the bulls broadside body?