Longrange blog 189: Wilderness hunt

[@Kman31ca]

Love your videos! The no dialogue and just the quick script that tells you what's going on is just delightful. Very good editing and humor. Cheers from Canada!

[@THLR]

Thanks for taking the time, glad you liked it. I think my next investment will be a proper microphone so I can better bring you the nature sounds. The in-built ones on my camera is not very good.

[@gpo1956]

I am amazed at how enthralling a 9 minute video with no dialogue can be.

[@THLR]

Thanks for that Gary, I was quite worried 9 minutes of this would be too much. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@regsparkes6507]

That goes for me too,...I couldn't believe the 9 plus minutes went by so quickly. Very interesting and for you,...satisfying too.

[@THLR]

Thanks, it appears I have succeeded with this episode. :)

[@THLR]

Many thanks to you as well. It is surprise response like this that makes my day when it comes to the films.

[@MemoryLaneCinema]

silence is a luxury. too much talk in the world :)

[@KD0FIN]

Have been watching your videos for awhile now, and I really enjoy them! Thanks for taking the time to put them together. I would love to see a future video that covers your rifle - why you chose it, and what you like/dislike about it. Additionally a video that covers your preferred clothing for field outings and how decide what to bring and wear. There's a lot of people who could learn from your experience!

[@THLR]

I've never really given that too much thought, clothing has evolved slowly. A lot of my outerwear is high-end membrane clothes. I find the lesser membranes just moist up my insulation too much, and I'm actually better off wearing windproof, thin/breathable non-membrane instead of a bad membrane. But yes, I think I could do that. On the next hunt I will be bringing two sets of outerwear as the activity level is very different, despite both being in the same climate/area. The rifle film is actually planned, I have a new rifle now and intend to film that almost from unboxing to ready.

[@cratxn1]

I know how much you savor your hunting and how few opportunities you get on these big birds. Thank You so much and your hunting partner for all the added complications of sharing this adventure with us on film. All this and you actually got the bird as well. Sierra Hotel Stud

[@THLR]

Thanks for that CR. Filming this hunt was actually a fair amount of risk, the deer is much easier as I usually know where they are and can track them and just pick up the rifle when needed. These birds are very different. The stalking is more challenging, and until the last moment the bird is usually just an invisible presence. I had another good stalk which I filmed, but just as I moved slightly right to investigate a possible shape (the light didn't penetrate and it had the shape up a bird belly), the bird spotted me and flew out. She was sitting one tree ahead of the one I was investigating with my binoculars. Ulf has almost 30 years more experience with this type of hunting, I am a novice but I have reached sufficient proficiency to stalk the bird alone (and make my own mistakes, I don't have his success rate).

[@julian11able]

Always hidden gems in your videos. Thanks, they are timeless!

[@THLR]

Thank you, really appreciate you taking the time to comment Julian.

[@philippefrater2000]

No words can beat the nature sounds... Well done! Greets from France. Philippe.

[@THLR]

Thanks for that Phillipe! :)

[@BuzedPotato]

This channel just gets better and better.

[@THLR]

Thanks! Hopefully you will enjoy the upcoming videos as well. I've had the privilege of hunting in Westeros/ Game of Thrones country.

[@BuzedPotato]

Looking forward to it. Keep up the good work.

[@ninety85]

so far I've watched only two of your videos. Awesome work! Love how you guys do all the recording without talking. Well done

[@THLR]

Thanks for that! This wasn't intended to be a film, but I had a camera along and just started filming and soon realized there was enough material to put together a short episode. THere will shortly be a string of deer hunting films coming, I just need to find the time to edit the material.

[@Speargrass2015]

Very nice Thomas thanks, I like the barrel camera style.

[@THLR]

Thanks for that. I had a long look at your cuben fibre tarp before leaving, but ended up with a cheap, small and fairly heavy one. My partner had a more expensive version, it was basically the same weight, twice the room and for sure more stormproof. But all in all, a good experience using a dedicated shelter tarp (I've previously only uses mountain bags which makes mediocre tarp shelters).

[@Speargrass2015]

I am taking Canada geese with an AR15 platform in .223 not so much style as a 6.5 Lapua but solids certainly damage less meat. Its not cool like that wilderness hunt, its in my backyard

[@THLR]

Speargrass Backyard hunting is my definition of cool. Travelling to hunt is a real hassle.

[@robkilcollins310]

Absolutly beautiful video. I envy you and your trip! Good idea with the FMJ as well.. I bet those birds are delicious

[@THLR]

Thanks for that Rob. Capercaille can actually be a little tricky to cook, even if you are aware it is very easy to overdo the meat and reduce it to dogfood. It doesn't measure up to ptarmigan or mallards, but given a quick, strong fry and then a boil in spicy broth usually makes for a very good meal.

[@cratxn1]

Try soaking a freshly cut pine board in white wine and browning the outside of the bird in garlic and butter. Then stuff the bird's cavity with cut up apples and cranberries or wild blueberries in your case. Place the bird on the wine soaked board and put in on the top rack of a 375F/190C pre-heated oven. Bake for 45 mins. Pour big glass of bourbon and sip, sip, sip, sip, sip. Pull the pine board out and throw away the bird..eat the board washed down with the rest of the bourbon.

[@THLR]

I was like "yeah, I can try this if I get another bird, much like I did geese..." until the finale came :D :D :D. You got me laughing good!

[@cazorp]

Lovely, looks like you and Ulf had a great time! :)

[@THLR]

No wind, no rain, dry forests... many positives I don't have at my location.

[@cazorp]

Welcome to Sweden ;)

[@THLR]

I know. You even have sun + sea...

[@downbytheriver501]

Thanks for another great video! Hello from beautiful Montana. Big game season opens here next weekend. hopefully all the time i have put into training with my 6.5x47 and 338 LM will pay off this year! Have yet to get an elk...they're elusive critters around here with the reintroduction of wolves, their numbers have greatly been depleted!

[@THLR]

Montana is one of those states I regret not travelling to, I was pretty much stuck in North Dakota and Minnesota when I was there. Good luck with the season, I think you will be surprised at how well the 6,5x47 works on deer. I watch a youtube show called Randy Newberg, Hunter and he does a lot of public land hunting for elk with both rifle and bow. Looks like a very nice animal to hunt, but yes they would be pressured by wolves just as our moose is here.

[@downbytheriver501]

Hah, yeah i am not surprised that you stayed in minnesota/ND given your ethnicity. I was born and raised in Minnesota. Lots of swedes, norweigians, germans, etc. in my neck of the woods. That is one thing that i really miss about Minnesota: the people there are so nice. My family didn't really retain much of their ethnic history, so i frequently enjoyed holiday seasons with friends who did. Got my fair share of Swedish meatballs and krumkake!

[@THLR]

Yeah, they had "Sons of Norway" in Grand Forks and one of the members used to visit my home town as he had relatives there. I found the interest somewhat unnerving, that I was "ok & interesting" solely because I was Norwegian. But as you said, there was nice people all around.

[@THLR]

As long as you avoid surstromming (or something like that, legendary awful...).

[@downbytheriver501]

what's surstromming? is that in minnesota?

[@johnfrederikson2002]

Great video of a great trip; thanks for sharing the experience. J.

[@THLR]

Thanks, glad you liked it. This hunt is possibly THE most enjoyable hunt for me.

[@randyschaff8939]

Caribou or Reindeer? I have never hunted either one. Never got far enough up North. Looks like wet country Norway 🇳🇴 Also l have never hunted with dogs exception being ducks and geese. Very interesting. Man and dogs hunting together is about as primal a thing as you can get. It goes back millions of years🇨🇦🤠Also l must add that l really appreciate that you don’t play any music. Everything natural 👍✊🏻 Good Hunting!

[@THLR]

Thanks. Yes, this is possibly one of the "truest" forms of hunting I do. Very rewarding to work with the dog. This is reindeer, we don't have the caribou.

[@RoestalkerCoUk]

Looks like a great hunt Thomas, thanks for sharing.

[@THLR]

RoeStalker Thanks Greg. I'm off for red deer near Inverness this weekend. Looking forward to that, will hopefully catch some decent film.

[@RoestalkerCoUk]

***** Good luck in Highlands!

[@TheRekkr]

Love your videos! keep them coming. Hello from Arkansas!

[@THLR]

Thanks for that. Arkansas is a long way off, is that one of the states that uses slugs for deer hunting?

[@pvkjhilk8323]

no most here use 25-06 or 243 or 30-30

[@THLR]

30-30? That's actually quite interesting to hear. I bought a Winchester 94 30-30 as my first rifle, but the open sights and so-so accuracy was not a good combination for the small deer here. But I have seen the whitetails, and it makes more sense for them. Must be very rewarding to drop a deer over open sights.

[@pvkjhilk8323]

it probably is, most the guys using them are age 60+ but typically use them scoped, in a deer stand also .

[@randyschaff8939]

I must also add that fresh deer liver and heart is really good! Right from the deer to the frying pan. You can’t beat it🇨🇦🤠

[@THLR]

Heath sliced wafer thin with spice is really nice, can't say I'm too fond of liver.

[@jaycupples4362]

Hello from Tennessee! Like the videos 👍

[@THLR]

Good to hear from you again Jay, good luck with your Tennesse season. Rolling mountains covered by leafy forests is what flashes to my mind (and bourbon).

[@gerbrandgrobler]

Great. Good to see some vids again. Greetings from Finland

[@THLR]

Thanks for that! Enjoy the season, winter will be here soon enough.

[@enill31208]

Yup they are still there. Still gets pretty hoping when UND hockey is in town.

[@THLR]

Those matches gathered more spectators than our national hockey league. I remember people being good at turning up at various events, despite the small size of GF.

[@nwopeneve3619]

Another great film Thomas, thank you. What do Capercaillie taste like? Given their diet some have said like turpentine which doesn't sound very appealing. As you know we used to hunt them here in Scotland with shotguns and shoot them on the wing but even though numbers are gradually climbing here (mainly due to Caledonian pine forest regeneration i.e. deer fencing) still not at a level where they are hunted. Nick

[@THLR]

Yes I've heard the horror stories from the Scottish kitchens about cooking capercaille. Also heard the stories from the old gamekeepers that where under instruction to remove nests if they came across them in the plantations. It is a ground nesting bird, so very vulnerable when under predation from both predator and man. The meat is very gamey and very easy to overdo the meat (aka dogfood). But give it a quick, strong fry and then a boil in spicy broth usually makes for a very good meal - the meat should be red inside when you put it in the pan.

[@SwedishOutdoor]

Looked like you had a great time! Take care, Joachim

[@THLR]

Thanks, I will try to make the most out of my season!

[@danmacdonald1291]

Thank you for the excellent film Thomas, it's great to see some more hunting videos... I use a Blaser R8 6.5x284, I was curious how much of a 100 grain pill is actually held by the case neck. My chamber would have the bullet unsupported moments after firing, the freebore is huge! Have you chronographed the load? I imagine it'd be moving very fast. I hope my .300 Norma is a bit more sensible in freebore department.The pup look none too pleased with you stealing his bird haha. Great video!!

[@THLR]

Thanks for that Dan. I will be leaving for Scotland shortly, and hopefully will capture enough material to make some more deer stalking films this autumn. But it's never a sure thing, I have previously been blasted so hard by the weather I barely scraped together enough for one film where I normally would have 5-6. Not really sure how far the bullet goes in, it is at least one bullet diameter in which is my absolute minimum. I was intending to use a 221 Fireball for this trip, but that project failed so I hurriedly loaded some FMJ's in my 6,5x284. I reduced my normal load with 10gr powder and checked the zero (3 clicks off from my Amax load) and just taped the turrets without resetting the mechanical zero. Considering previous experience with 6,5x55 loads, I'd expect the V0 to be somewhere around 800 msec. You have a 300 Norma inbound? I got my 300 Norma barrel yesterday and will be shooting it after Christmas.

[@danmacdonald1291]

I will have to purchase a box to see how the 100 grain projectiles perform, they should make excellent close quarters varminting ammunition. I'm in the midst of putting together a long range shooting videos a few friends and I have been filming when we head out to the farm. My .300nm should be here by January, I placed the order in June for a GRS longrange R8 package after watching Ulf and yourself shooting the .338 version on the fieldsports film. I purchased a Zeiss 2.8-20 V8 for it but am not a massive fan of that scope for longrange shooting, it'll make a fine hunting scope but the S&B 5-45 will be much better suited, it too will be here January. I look forward to watching more of your hunting videos when they're done. Cheers Dan

[@danmacdonald1291]

It's a shame that 221 didn't work out, I've not seen any successful Blaser stubs converted into precision rifles...

[@KiviTinppa]

Terrific stuff! May I ask what happened to mr capercaillie´s heart, liver and gizzard? :) It´s also nice to see that you have exactly the same delicacies on campfire as Finns do.

[@THLR]

The liver and gizzard was for the neighbours dog, the heart I usually fry and eat myself. Well, my campfire meals are usually simple, focus is mostly fluid plus heat.

[@javierbarragan2333]

Great video !! And good tips too. Your dog deserves his share too

[@THLR]

We carried high energy food for the dogs on this trip. Unfortunately we were not fast enough to the bird, so the dog actually took his share, the best bit even! :D

[@randyschaff8939]

Ha Ha smart dog 🐕🇨🇦🤠

[@TheCherryChampagne]

Beautifull bird I do say plus I love watching your hunting videos as much as your LR shooting videos, so thank you for sharing them with us. When using a high caliber round for hunting capercaille where was your shot placement on the bird plus how many meters away was the capercaille? Have a good hunt and once again thank you all the way from the USA in Indiana, Sir :)

[@THLR]

This bird was about 80 meters away. I could see the shoulders and head from the binoculars, but from the riflescope only the head and neck, so I shot him as low as possible in the neck (less chance of movement). For this hunting I also use only FMJ rounds and reduce the powder loads as much as possible to get the V0 down.

[@TheCherryChampagne]

+THLR.NO Great shot on such a small area of the bird :) Your video has my dogs looking around my house and barking from your your dog barking in the video lol. Plus my cats ran out of the room to hide also lol.

[@THLR]

..and thanks! Manners are not my strongest suit!

[@THLR]

Show him a squirrel or fox on the screen, that usually gets them going.!

[@TheCherryChampagne]

+THLR.NO lol my dogs have plenty red fox and squirrel in my back yard they bark at plus opussum at night which all live in the woods behind me or come from the Girl Scott camp down the street.

[@northernoutdooradventures3883]

Awesome! What kind of bird species was that? Looks a bit like our turkey!

[@THLR]

This is capercaille. It is about the same size of a turkey and it is one of my favorite hunts. It is basically a nice walk in the forest, and when the dog finds a bird the hunt converts to a very intense low-crawl stalk once you gain line-of-sight to the dog. Feels very rewarding to topple one of these birds out of a tree.

[@randyschaff8939]

Thomas l actually thought you were hunted ng caribou/ reideer and was wondering why you didn’t harvest one of those bulls lol. 😂I figured the bird was for camp meat. Good Vid🇨🇦🤠

[@T0myTune]

"Netflix-schmetflix..." :D true that! Great video, thumbs up!

[@THLR]

T0myTune Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! I certainly enjoy these trips, the forest is so much drier than home.

[@miqqy7-08]

luv finnish spitz@2:29. adorable

[@THLR]

Absolutely. He is getting old now and lools like the owner won't replace him.

[@karelbrusten7591]

A hunt with dogs ,that is the the way to go! How do you have to train this dog?

[@THLR]

Karel Brusten As I understand it, just spend time in the forest and he'll figure it out. The owner hunts a lot with his dogs.

[@robotyagashulz3125]

very very nice vid!!!! it's longest vid of you!! waiting for more vid about hunting !! many thanks guys. good luck

[@THLR]

Many thanks for that, glad you liked it. Yes, this was one of my longer films. I actually removed 6 minutes so people would bear watching all of it. I'm going to review my material and see if I can make a "tips& tricks" episode as well.

[@Frolofsn]

Vet du vilket märke och modell Ulf's jacka är? (kamo med kardborre fält) Extremt bra video! som vanligt! :) What make and model is Ulf's jacket? ( The camo with velcro patches here and there.)

[@THLR]

Mange takk! Coldskill mener jeg det var, svensk merke.

[@Frolofsn]

Perfekt, tack! :-)

[@knieja37]

Cool adventure, as usual, interesting "narrated"

[@THLR]

Thanks for that Darek, good luck with your own season!

[@rova3414]

Mycket trevlig film och grattis till fågeln! Får man fråga vad Ulf använder för vapen och kaliber för trädskällarjakten?

[@THLR]

Beklager, overså denne posten. Han har en Blaser R8 6,5x55 og skyter Lapua 100gr FMJ (som jeg også gjør). Han har også en Blaser drilling. TROR kaliberne er 20/76 og 6,5x55

[@1HeavyHitr]

Do you guys use the 6.5x55 for moose as much as people seem to say you do?

[@THLR]

1HeavyHitr Yes. 6,5x55 - 308 - 3006 - 9,3×62 are the most popular cartridges.

[@1HeavyHitr]

Sweet. Im going to use my swede for my moose this fall - canada.

[@THLR]

A 140gr bonded bullet like Nosler Accubind should do. Your Canadian moose likely has more mass to it than ours.

[@1HeavyHitr]

I've shot a bunch of large white tail deer with 140 nos accubonds - MV 2650 fps out to 300 yards. Never have recovered one bullet yet. I am currently working up loads with 127 gr barnes lrx and 130 tsx. MV around 2900 fps with lapua brass and imr4350. Can't wait!

[@THLR]

Should work very well, you know what to expect then. I have been so used to the roe deer dropping on the spot that I get nervous if they take more than a few steps.

[@marceloamitrano2405]

Hi, I wanted to know that profile has its barrel 6.5x284, and twist, I'm buying an R8 and want a barrel in 6.5 I turn to their experience, to 140 gr bullets of the best twist is 1: 9?

[@THLR]

No, I think they have 1:8 in their barrel (or else my 140g shouldn't shoot). I use standard profiles only.

[@Hunt.Shadow]

Красивая охота и красивый фильм.★★★

[@THLR]

Thank you. This was never supposed to be a film, I just hjappened to have a camera along!

[@Hunt.Shadow]

@@THLR отличные кадры,профессионально сняты.

[@THLR]

Thank you.

[@enill31208]

looks like soo much fun. Can't wait to do some stalking. Love your videos.

[@THLR]

Thanks for that Evan. Good luck with your season, what will you be after?

[@enill31208]

North Dakota whitetail buck.

[@THLR]

Good luck! I used to live in North Dakota (Grand Forks) and would hunt a lot in the waterfowl season. Unfortunately I was away during deer rifle season, but I still enjoyed stalking them whilst checking out potholes for geese. You didn't have to walk very far from the road before antlers and ears became frequent along the bushes and tall grass.

[@enill31208]

That's amazing. Grand Forks is where I live. But where I hunt is south of Jamestown.

[@THLR]

Hah! Are the bars down by the river/bridge to Cabelas still there or has the nightlife moved elsewhere?

[@emeryemond7904]

EXCELLENT, well done !!!

[@THLR]

Thanks for that, glad to hear you liked it!

[@da.2736]

Howdy there, Texan here. Quick question, why are you using a rifle to hunt the birds and not a shotgun?

[@THLR]

Hi Daniel. I honestly don't know. This is a very traditional hunt here and treated as big game hunting and the final approach can be extremely difficult. The same birds are also hunted with different dogs with shotguns. Sorry for the late reply, today has seen a rush of comments that KZbin hasn't displayed to me earlier.

[@justahappyfellow]

Really enjoyed this video.

[@THLR]

Thanks, glad you liked it!

[@sebducon5564]

Hello thomas you hunt with 6,5x47 lapua?

[@THLR]

No I have never hunted with the 6,5x47, but I have hunted with 6,5mm bullets travelling at the same velocities. I have no problems whatsoever recommending a 6,5x47 or 6,5 Creedmoor or 6,5x55 for hunting.

[@sebducon5564]

ok thank you, yes were of very good caliber I have two 6,5x47 mounted a Remington custom and Haenel RS8 the 6,5x55 try me Séb

[@THLR]

I think you'll find it works exceptionally well for its' size and low recoil.

[@vladla2790]

Bird " Glihar" Птица "Глухарь" 👍👏🍾

[@THLR]

Yes correct, this is the capercaille. Thanks for watching!

[@polunekable]

Nice video. I've share it on my site.

[@THLR]

Thanks!

[@robertmagnstrom6088]

Riktig jakt "in the wild"!

[@THLR]

Mange takk for det Robert, fint at du likte filmen!

[@bertkraan2817]

Great vid, thanks

[@THLR]

Many thanks for that, glad you liked it! There will be more hunting films coming next month I hope.

[@lostucu1840]

great video. amazing place

[@THLR]

Thanks! Yes this is a very nice place, very much drier than where I live.

[@shafabarza2253]

greeting from Berlin...nice Video. well done.

[@THLR]

Thanks for that, hope you get to do some hunting in Germany as well.

[@Darkhalfcustoms]

love the netflix comment. so true.

[@THLR]

darkhalfcustoms Fireflix only has one channel, but it is still good!

[@Darkhalfcustoms]

true but it's always some thing different and no commercials

[@predatortt7694]

Sehr schönes Video. Super!! Bitte bitte mehr davon :) Very nice vid. Please MORE :)

[@THLR]

Thanks, I'll do my best. Will shortly be travelling for more hunting.

[@lesthegreat]

Nice scenery

[@THLR]

Thanks. This part is actually quite nice as the forests are old and pretty dry. It is more spectacular out by the coat, but that land is also much harder for man and animal alike.

[@cel0023]

Very Nice 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@THLR]

Many thanks!

[@PATHFilmsNZ]

Terrific.

[@THLR]

It was a good trip! Best part was that I had no intention of filming this hunt, it just happened as I was throwing the camera around.

[@tuborgsommer]

Min første tanke var " eller et ekorn" før teksten kom...

[@THLR]

Hehe, ja det var et artig anti-klimaks. Første hint kom vel da han satte labbene på trestammen...

[@oaklindphoto]

Magi ❤️❤️

[@THLR]

This is one of those hunts where I'm thinking "damn, why didn't I start doing this 20 years ago"

[@TheMagcee]

Bålkaffe....

[@THLR]

The best! :)

[@antonkolding7563]

That is a strange way to hunt birds

[@THLR]

Anton Kolding Very different to most of the world I suppose. It is a very rewarding experience stalking a sharp-eyed and hidden bird that definitively knows something's up!