Moose Hunting on the Last Days of the Year

Place: Långhundra härad, Uppland, Sweden
Coordinates: Lat: 59.75041, Lon: 17.91107
Time: 1 day in December

I'm truly grateful for this Christmas Holiday. It's a privilege to be able to reload the brain and soul after a busy Fall by getting out in the great outdoors. It's refreshing to feel the morning breeze in my face while I'm poring my morning coffee from the thermos. Today I'll be hunting moose, these last days of 2013. The weather is amazingly mild for being this time of the year, but I hope we'll get a crispy and sparkling start to the new year.
Today is a calm day in the woods, only one moose lady wobbling over the mire at lunchtime.
After finishing up my sandwiches it's starting to get dark. Time to go home to the cabin's warming fire place. Thanks for a beautiful hunting day. Tomorrow I'll sleep in without any alarm clock... Good Night my dear friends!

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Christmas Peace, Steak & Survival

As the crispy cold and snow haven't turned up yet here in Uppland I postpone my Christmas Survival - JVMS 5, and meanwhile I enjoy my moose tjälknöl (steak). This time I let the steak in the oven for 17 hours... amazingly delicious, so grateful for this luxury!
I hope you to have a nice Christmas and enjoy these last days of the year by spending some time out in our beautiful outdoors; a great way to reflect on the gone year and dream of upcoming adventures.

I wish you a Peaceful Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!

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Moose Hunting on Gålö

Place: Gålö naturreservat, Haninge Municipality, Sweden
Coordinates: Lat: 59.11089, Lon: 18.27711
Time: 1 day in October

It's almost a year since I was out here at Gålö the last time. Therefore it feels really nice pulling up by the hunting cabin in the dark. Really a blessing to get to hunt two days in a raw in two different places. Yesterday I was out in Bogesund, and today I'm enjoying Svenska Jägareförbundet's other hunting ground here on the outskirts of Stockholm. I start of in tower 16 that offer a nice morning with some roe deer and low flying swans.

After lunch by the fire I take on tower 3 in the rain. Still very calm in the woods today. But just before calling off the hunt the dogs find some moose, but they escapes by swimming away from the dogs.
Thank you Gålö for a relaxing and beautiful day. Looking forward coming back here soon.


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Hunting Moose & Wild Boar out in Bogesund

Place: Bogesund, Vaxhom Municipality, Sweden
Coordinates: Lat: 59.41233, Lon: 18.23497
Time: 1 day in October

It's grey, cold and a nice soft rain caresses my face; a perfect day for hunting! It's really nice to be back out here in Bogesund on Svenska Jägareförbundet's hunting grounds. Today we are out for moose and wild boar. Permitted game is young moose and wild boar yearlings.
After a nice cup of coffee I head out to tower 32 where the show can begin.

Soon I hear huffing and puffing behind the trees. It's two really big group of wild boar moving North. I can't get a clear shot on the right animals among the trees. After a while six new animals come running in full speed straight towards me. I hold my shot this time also, but I have a giant smile on my face from the excitement out in this beautiful forest.
Oopph! ...there goes a nice little roe deer buck. Man this is a crowded spot today!
But the show is still on; a new group of wild boar is now climbing down the hill headed towards me. Perhaps this is my chance.... But the clever small pigs hide out in the bushes not leaving me a clear shot. Haha, this IS a beautiful and crazy morning!

After a short wait I now hear the dog driving something. It's a moose and her two calf way up on the hill behind me. On the radio my friends tell me the animals are heading my way so I get ready. But the animals take of in another direction. Instead I find a couple of magnificent roe deer in my binoculars.

After a warming lunch by the fire it's time for this day's second act. I climb up in tower 48 and enjoy a relaxing afternoon with good entertainment over the radio as I can follow my friends taking down a moose.

After taking care of the calf and three wild boar we are truly grateful for this day.

Thank you Bogesund for always delivering nice experiences. My game observation count this day: 50 wild boar, 4 roe deer and 3 moose.
Now it's time for me to head on home for some sleep until tomorrow's hunt out on Gålö.





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Christmas Survival - JVMS 5

It's time for me to do yet another JVMS. My latest survival training session was executed this summer, called Midsummer Survival - JVMS 6. This time I'll do an bushcraft adventure in the wintertime, called Christmas Survival - JVMS 5.
This holiday, if old Jack Frost arrive on time, I'll spend 50 hours (two nights), carrying only 5 objects when hiking 50 kilometers. Read more about my survival training method JVMS.
It will be interesting seeing how my method will do during winter conditions. This time the cold will be a bigger challenge. But on the other hand I'm hoping for a lot of snow so I won't have any trouble finding water. I'll be operating in the beautiful surroundings of Långhundra härad. The gear I'm planning on using during this little Christmas adventure is the listed below.

1. Winter overall
2. Stockings
3. Winter boots
4. Water bottle
5. Lighter

I hope you'll be following me also this time via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, giving me interesting and inspiring feedback.

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Fjällräven Polar Expedition

300 kilometers alone on a dog slay between Signaldalen and Jukkasjärvi... Fjällräven Polar; an inspiring initiative of the company Fjällräven. Soon we'll see who the winner will be, who will be offered this adventures chance to a polar expedition.
Jenny Widebeck is one of the candidates; a genuine nature lover waiting for you to put your vote on her. So enter the site, read, get inspired and vote.
Take care and enjoy the beautiful winter.

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Croix-Paquet - Nature meets Concrete in Lyon

Place: Croix-Paquet, Lyon, France
Coordinates: 45° 46′ 14″ N 4° 50′ 11″ E / 45.770614, 4.836367 / 45.770614; 4.836367
Time: 1 day in November

When I visit cities around the world I always try to also explore the "wilderness" that can be found inside the city. The subway station Croix-Paquet in the old parts of Lyon is an interesting example on how Nature and City can merge. The station is situated in a non-fancy sloping park offering a suburban and rough feeling with its graffiti and smashed phone booth in a jungle like environment.

The cool thing with this particular day is that I really can see Summer, Fall and Winter meet; yellow autumn leaves on a green background partly covered by yesterday's rain mixed snow.

Visit and explore these, sometimes underestimated, spots inside cities all around the world. A great way to find a moment of peace in your day to day activities.

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The Survival Magazine Överleva - No. 2, 2013

This Spring I had the pleasure of participating in the Swedish Survival Guild's magazine Överleva (no. 1, 2013). In that number I told you about my survival training method JVMS and my plans on a JVMS 6 called Midsummer Survival. The Swedish Survival Guild (Svenska Överlevnadssällskapet, SÖS) has been around since 1982 and the mission is to explore and spread knowledge regarding survival skills and bushcraft.

A new number of Överleva is now out; Överleva (no. 2, 2013). In this issue you can read about how my midsummer survival adventure went. In the same issue you'll find interesting reading about Elina Kekkonen's experiences from SÖS Basic Summer Training, Anna Björklund and Andreas Engholm's report from SÖS Advanced Summer Training 2013 and also Magnus de Besche's story on SÖS brave presence at this years survival competition Porgupohja Retk out in the Estonian swamps.

I'd like to recommend you to visit SÖS webpage and Facebook page for inspiration and contact.

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Kenving Paracord

The Swedish craftsman Rolf Kenving has now also started to do paracording. I've tested two models of these nice bracelets of good quality in material and handcraft. They are made of black and yellow paracord (7 inner yarns) able to hold 250 kg and black plastic quick locks. One nice thing with the quick locks are it's easier to avoid the strong odor a paracord bracelet can get after a couple of weeks of constant carrying. On the other hand a bracelet using a steel shackle can come in handy when in need of rappeling something.
So far I'm very pleased with these Kenving bracelets and I'll get back to you when further testing has been made. If you are interested in Kenving's handcraft; you're welcome to contact me.
Hope you'll have a nice and outdoorsy weekend!

In Swedish

Föräldrar & Barn - No.10, 2013

The October issue of the magazine Föräldrar & Barn (Parents & Children) is now out in stores. In it you can read an article on Sonia and I. In the May issue I told you about our plans during the up coming parental leave. In this issue I summarize how it went. You can also read a web version of the article by clicking HERE.
Hope you like it.

In Swedish

A Nice Start to the Moose Hunt 2013

Place: Långhundra härad, Uppland, Sweden
Coordinates: Lat: 59.75041, Lon: 17.91107
Time: 4 days in October

A week has now gone by since the start of the Moose hunt here in the Sothern parts of Sweden. I've had a really nice time in the Woods with a remarkable October weather. The peaceful wait of hunting is a relaxing way to unwind and let the thoughts flow freely. I love listening to the silence of the Woods and to observe the life around me. Although I haven't had the honors of laying down a Moose yet I feel truly happy for this premiere week. The Moose hunt is continuing until the 31st of January here in Sweden and I'm already looking forward to next weeks hunting adventures.





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Buck Hunt Premiere 2012 in Bogesund

Place: Bogesund, Vaxhom Municipality, Sweden
Coordinates: Lat: 59.41233, Lon: 18.23497
Time: 16th of August

Finally it's the 16th of August and buck hunt premiere. It's a beautiful summers night and I'm slowly walking over the dark field on my way out to tower 49 here in Bogesund. As I'm early it's almost pitch black and my heart races exited when I hear the sounds from at least three roe deer up close... I hope I don't scare them away! As the sun wakes up and the fog lifts I'm blessed with six deer observations. A small buck ends up in my scope and after a calm shoot he gets to follow me home.
Thanks for a perfect buck hunt premiere. This is a memory I'll cherish for life.


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Nice Finale to a Week Long Buck Hunt

Place: Långhundra härad, Uppland, Sweden
Coordinates: Lat: 59.75041, Lon: 17.91107
Time: 1 day in September

It has now been a week since the nice roe deer buck slipped through my fingers that beautiful morning. This time I'm here earlier for a second chance. It's 05:00 am and it's dark and quiet when I slowly shut the pick-up door and walk down to the field. Suddenly I hear an animal galloping just past me in the dark so I try to be even more quiet not to scare off any other animals out there in the night. I reach the spot where I last saw the buck and I make myself comfortable in the wet morning grass, to enjoy the sounds of the night. Soon the sun will rise and it feels good to already be in place.

As the fog lifts I slowly stand up to see if the field has woken. Two early bird roe deer female is pasturing on the edge of the field but no sign of the buck I'm hoping to meet again.

After a peaceful time spent on the field I decide to try my luck inside the forest instead. It's a marvellous feeling to slowly, step by step, silently get to experience the woods as the sun brings it back to life. Besides the rich bird life I see traces from moose and roe deer, but no sight of  the buck. Time to end this morning shift and get some rest.

I'm still enchanted by the buck I'm trying to track down. So when the evening comes I end up at the field again hoping for third time lucky. The evening sun of this magnificent Fall makes me stunned by beauty. The sun is slowly setting over the tree tops and the two deer females greet me once again, this time they are pasturing up in the North end of the field. I stalk closer to see if the buck is around, but no. It's starting to get dark so I decide to just take an extra look at the South end of the field before heading home. And there I see something in the distant, a roe deer, can this be "my" buck?!

My hand held binoculars can't sort if this is the right animal from this distance so I need to stalk out in the field to get closer. All of a sudden a moose with calves enters the field heading my way. A beautiful sight but as my goal is the roe deer by the end of the field I give my self away and the moose jumps back into the woods again. Luckily the deer just continues to quietly pasture. Now I can see that this IS the buck I've been looking for! He is standing right on the hunting ground border and I don't want to repeat my mistake and scare the animal away, so I stay where I am and try calling on the buck instead of approaching. It works; the buck gets curious and is heading my way. Time stands still. I try to focus on the moment. Finally my longed for roe deer buck is standing right in front of me, just 25 meters away. Now I need to make a quick decision; shoot or not shoot? I don't want to cause a tracking posse in the dark if I fail to deliver a good shot. The sun has settled but I still can see the beautiful animal and I have a clear shot. A second later I fire and the buck falls to the ground on the spot. It's with great respect I approach the game to show my appreciation.

What a hunting week! Words cannot describe the feeling I get when everything falls into place after a long time of stalking a game. I'm truly grateful be able to experience all of this.


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Exciting Stalking of Magnificent Buck

Place: Långhundra härad, Uppland, Sweden
Coordinates: Lat: 59.75041, Lon: 17.91107
Time: 1 day in August

The mystic fog is hovering over the beautiful field. It rained tonight and the wet gras has a relaxing smell. Up in the East corner of the field there's a magnificent roe deer buck pasturing together with his mate. What a great start to this morning. The sun is about to rise. My plan was to be here a bit erlier but the bed was to nice and warm this morning. But now I'm here and I have some exiting stalking ahead of me.

There's no shelter for me to use during this sneek up so I have to rely on my crawling skills over the wet gras to get a better angle on the game. But the perfect wind and the beautiful buck make me too eager so after 30 minutes of stalking I have 100 meters to the buck and my greed gives me away. The Buck starts barking and the only thing I can do as the athletic animals disappears into the woods is to lift my hat of and say; "next time".

Ahh, darn! But I learn from my mistakes. I'm grateful to have been blessed with this moment in life and I hope to meet this buck next time I'm here... And that'll be soon I hope!

After a refreshing morning out in the woods I take a nice picture on my way home; a couple of roe deer enjoying lunch out in a field.  It's a wonderful world we are living in!

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Tjuonajokk

Place: Tjuonajokk, Lapland, Sweden
Coordinates: Lat; 67.61422, Lon: 19.01883
Mountain Map: BD8 Kebnekaise-Saltoluokta
Time: 7 days in August

As I've spent way too little time in the beautiful Lapland I got really glad when my dear friend Per called me up and asked for some help up at Tjuonajokk FishYourDream. My good adventurous American friend Kate is in Sweden so we take this opportunity for some adventure together. No roads lead to Tjuonajokk so the helicopter ride out to the fishing camp is the usual way to get to this paradise. But Kate and I choose to hike out instead. From Nikkaluokta there's a 35 kilometer walk down to Tjuonajokk. The bus out from Kiruna Airport takes about one hour and at 05:00 pm we find a small and rough trail with a worn sign saying "Tjuonajokk". We get stoked as we realize this trail hasn't seen a pair of boots for some while. After a two hour walk East through the blueberry forest by Sweden's highest mountain Kebnekaise we decide to make camp for the night. Good idea to take some rest before we head South up the mountain Lárkinchokkas in the morning. After a nice dinner between friends the rain start falling so we hit the tent for some sleep. Feels great to be on our way!

Foto: K. Morley

Close Encounter with Bear
Around 06:00 am Kate and I wake up when we hear footsteps outside the tent. At first I think it's a person approaching but then a big curious nose pushes the tent tarp against my head and I realize that this is a bear. He smells me for a couple of minutes and we can feel the animals compact body against the ground. As we don't feel threatened we stay quiet without scaring the bear away. After he's left Kate and I start whispering and sudden the nose is back by my head again, this time after a soundless approach. Darn that we don't have a window in this direction; the pics would have been awesome! We get to settle for enjoying the bears shadow over the tarp. When the magnificent creature is gone we surprisingly find our food bag still hanging up in the tree outside the camp. Thanks for breakfast Mr. Bear!

Up the Hill
The rain and wind increase as we start climbing the hill. We get wet all over which is refreshing as the heart speeds from this beautiful and natural StairMaster; 20 kilos on the back and a steep climb offers a nice workout. As we want to reach Tjuonajokk on time we keep our boots warm only stopping for a couple of 5 minutes brakes. This trail is mainly used by snow mobiles in the winter so the maintenance don't have summer hikers in mind. Therefore you'll have to be prepared for some wading cross mires and rivers if you are going this way during summer. After three hills, three mires and ten hours of hiking we can knock on Tjuonajokk fishing camps cozy door.

Foto: K. Morley

 

First Class Fishing
Tjuonajokk offer the absolute best Greylings in the world. One night I get the honors of breaking my personal Grayling record with the help of a magnificent 48 centimeter (19 inches) Grayling. Also the Brown Trout and the Pike make your dreams come true up here. Fly fishing is the name of the game in these waters and the fishing guides make an incredible nice job in getting the guests up the river and showing them where the fish hangs out. I'm also impressed with the Tjuonajokk fishing camp's restaurant; fabulous food out here in this breathtaking wilderness. Tjuonajokk is genuine Sami ground and I can feel the wings of history as I walk this beautiful land.

Foto: A-M Persson

 

After a week of inspiring meetings with people from all over the world and working in these great outdoors it's time for me to say goodbye for now and it's with great respect and gratefulness I peek out the chopper window as I head back to Mid Sweden for some deer hunting via Kiruna Airport. During this healing week we have gotten to enjoy both Summer and Fall and I already long back to experience other seasons here in the magical Lapland.

Gear
For you gear junkies; here's some of the stuff I brought on this trip.

Osprey Xenith 105 Backpack
Biltema Kevon Tent
Boots Hi-Tec V-Lite Altitude Ultra WPi
Keen Newport H2 Sandals
Karesuandokniven Giron
Loop Fly Fishing Set Adventure 2
Camera Olympus Stylus TG-2
Multi tool Leatherman Surge
Paracord Bracelet Skarek
Kitchen Primus EtaPackLite

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Osprey Xenith 105 Backpack

Foto: ospreypacks.com

I've now tested the Osprey Xenith 105 for some time and I like it. It's a roomy and nice backpack for week trips or longer. My first impression of the Xenith is high quality, robustness and comfort. The choice of materials and the good fit gives a serious and inspiring impression. I've used the pack both in the Urban Jungle and out in the woods. The smart zippers along the bags sides and at the bottom enables an easy reach of the packs content, a nice feature when I'm operating in a urban environment. However when I'm out in the great outdoors I use the old technique of applying a big plastic garbage bag inside the backpack to keep my gear dry. Personally I think this works even better than the rain cover the Xenith comes with and as a bonus I get good floating assistance from the plastic bag if I end up in deep water.

I like the easy to reach pockets on the Xenith's bag, conveyer belt and lid. The zippers are robust and easy to manage. The different attachment solutions and compression straps makes a very flexible backpack. But remember to tie up all loose straps when checking the bag in for flight. The elastic pockets makes it easy to store sandals, jacket and water containers. If needed the lid can be removed and used as a separate hip bag.

A bigger backpack doesn't necessary need to come with a heavier load. If packed right I think a bigger packs advantages is the possibility to store all stuff inside and then yarn on the compression straps to give a tight and comfortable backpack for the long trip. This gives you a better balance than if you have to strap underlays and other stuff on the outside of the bag. The big Xenith bag comes in three different sizes (M, L XL), my backpack is a medium.

The Xenith's carry system consists of a light weight frame in HDPE (Polythene), a soft an ventilated back pad, robust and easy adjustable shoulder straps and conveyer belt. It's also possible to adjust the torso length of the pack. I've been carrying this pack for long periods of time loaded to about 20 kilos and so far with no problems. The manufacturer recommend a comfort load of 25-35 kilos and a maximum load of 45 kilos. If I compare the Xenith 105 with one of my other week packs; the Haglöfs Sumo 95, I think the Xenith is competing very well.  I'm looking forward to future adventures together with the Osprey Xenith 105.

Specs (according to manufacturer)
Volume: 105 liters
Weight: 2,49 kg (empty)
Size (M): Height 82 cm, Width 36 cm, Depth 38 cm
Price: 3000 SEK (Sweden 2013)

Welcome to read about Jonas Vildmark Bushcraftcenter's classes in  Bushcraft - Survival - Jägarexamen - Motorsågskörkort

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Biltema Kevon Tent

I seldom use tents when out in the great outdoors. I prefer to let the sleeping bag and the fire keep me warm at night. And when it starts raining I roll myself up in a light weight tarp. But when up in the mountains (Fjäll in Swedish) it can be nice with a tent when the weather is shifting fast and there's no natural shelter around. During my latest Lapland adventure I didn't wanna bring my old about four kilo heavy 4 man tent so I took the opportunity to try out Biltema's cheap 2 man dome tent Kevon (art no. 37-040). The Kevon weighs 2,8 kg (3 kg according to the manufacturer) and is a two layer tent.

After spending a rainy night in Kevon by the foothills me and my roommate could agree on that the tent did the job well. We didn't get wet from above or from underneath. The tent is quite roomy and I like the "hallway" with it's nice floor. The three bows consisting of several 7,9 mm thick glass fiber sticks hold together by an elastic line could have a better fit to hold together better. The Kevon comes with a lot of tent pegs and I understand why; they bend very easy. The inner "door" is equipped with a ventilation window with a mosquito net. This night the wind wasn't too hard so we'll see in future tent hikes how well the Kevon's thin outer tent holds up. But for 399 SEK I'm very satisfied with the Kevon so far. I'll get back to this post after additional nights spent in the tent.

Specs
Size: 2 man tent, 120 cm wide, 205 + 60 cm long, 100 cm high (erected tent according to manufacturer). 50 cm long, 15 cm in diameter (folded directly from the shop).
Weight: 2,8 kg
Outer tent: PU-prepped polyester, 1500 mm waterproof
Floor: Polyten plastic
Price: 399 SEK (Sweden 2013)

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