Hunting - A Great Start to the Christmas Holidays

Place: Bogesund, Vaxhoms kommun, Sweden
Coordinates: Lat: 59.41233, Lon: 18.23497
Time: 1 day in December

Finally time for Christmas holidays; a beautiful time for reflection. Feels like the ultimate start to the Christmas to head out to Bogesund for some hunting. As always you get well taken care of when visiting Svenska Jägareförbundet in Bogesund. Today we manage to hunt three areas without any stress. I get the pleasure to spend my day in hides; 70a, TK and 32. It's an incredible beautiful December's morning, both frosty and sunny. Today we're out for Roe Deer and Wild Boar. No shootable game show though, so nothing brought home this time. Thanks for a good day hunting! Now it's time to light the fourth candle and start preparing for Christmas. I want to wish you a peaceful and Merry Christmas!

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Wilderness Party - Sonia's 3rd Birthday

Place: Jonas Vildmark's Cabin, Roslagen, Sweden
Time: 1 day in December

Time flies when having fun... Really flies; can't believe my little Sonia turns three today! To celebrate our oldest child we throw a wilderness party out at the cabin. It's a beautiful crispy December day and friends and parents meet up out by the fire. Time to eat loads of chicken and turkey hot dogs!

Of course we have a quiz hike with questions on stuff like game tracking and game anatomy. After the little ones together with the grown ups tested their skills about Hare, Deer and Fox it's time for coffee and presents.

Proud Sonia happy to take the quiz hike together with Grandma and Grandpa.

We want to thank all guest for helping us making Sonia's day a great day out in the fresh air. It got to be a day filled of playing in the woods, calm parents and rosy cheeks. Hope it won't take long until we meet again out at the cabin.

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Unna Áksu - Karesuandokniven's New Axe - Vapentidningen No 9 2014

I hope the Christmas Spirit is starting to show where ever you are. I'm gratefully looking forward to a simple and peaceful Christmas close to Nature. But remember to take a moment now and then is your Christmas preparation tasks, perhaps read a magazine? Now this year's last issue of Vapentidningen is available in stores. In this issue; no 9 2014, you can read about things like hand loading ammunition, testing of the Ruger GP Match Champion and an historical article on hunters rare choice of hunting ammunition. In this mag you also can read my article on the new product from Karesuandokniven. Since 40 years Karesuandokniven have supplied us with nice knives of Scandinavian design, and now they are expanding their portfolio with an axe, a small axe; Unna Áksu. I've tested this interesting axe and you can read all about it in this article. Please let me know if you have any comments on the article or if you just want to chat some about axes in general.

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Close Encounter with Fox on Bogesund's Moose and Wild Boar Hunt

Place: Bogesund, Vaxhoms kommun, Sweden
Coordinates: Lat: 59.41233, Lon: 18.23497
Time: 1 day in November

I want to thank everyone at Bogesunds jakt- och kursgård for yet another worthwhile day of experiencing hunting the Swedish woods. Today we were focusing on Moose and Wild Boar and the hunt offered many exiting situations. I was visited by a beautiful male Fox while waiting for Moose. He came as close at three meters, we looked at each other, and then he silently trotted away into the morning mist. It's situations like this that gives you humble memories for life. I had to smile when I realized that I could get a Fox this close while sitting there in the open wearing blue working clothes fitted with retro reflectors. Considering I lately have been so ambitious with dressing up in camo while out Fox hunting.
As the sun was setting we could sum up today's catch to two Moose and two Wild Boar... A truly nice start to the weekend!

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How to Choose a Knife - Vapentidningen No 8 2014

I can now proudly announce that I'm a regular writer in the Swedish weapons magazine Vapentidningen. As their Knife Expert I'll be writing in each issue regarding knives and other edge tools. Today Vapentidningen No 8 2014 is available in stores. In this issue I write about what you should think about when choosing a knife. Other examples of interesting subjects in the same magazine is; Long Distance Shooting, Mauser 98 Sporter and Tanfoglio Gold Custom Extreme. So if you not already gotten the latest number in your mailbox; I can to recommend you a visit to the nearest newsstand for your copy. Wish you a pleasant reading!

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Moose Hunting Day Before Father's Day

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

The day before yesterday the first snow arrived here in Upland. Unfortunately it was short lived therefore it's green and wet on the ground as I now sit down to start today's hunt. We still have individuals left on our ration of Moose, so today we're hoping to get in balance with our game plan of the season. It's a beautiful and calm morning. The fog gives that magic feeling that any minute now the Moose will appear between the threes. But the morning remain calm. Today we don't use dogs so after some hours I take a walk on the land to do a quick status check. The only fresh tracks I can find is from Roe Deer and Wild Boar. The Moose is elsewhere today so we call off the hunt and bring out the coffee instead. Better luck hunting next time. Grateful to be able to add yet another day of hunting and spending time in the woods to my experience. A great way to start off this Father's Day weekend... Congratulations all you Fathers!

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The Mora Knife - A Swedish Classic

The fridge is newly filled with longed for Moose meat, the Autumn rain is pounding the windows and in the hallway my greased boots are resting to soak. Then with perfect timing a new issue of Svensk Jakt (Swedish Hunting, No. 11/2014) arrives in the mail. In this magazine you can read my latest article on our Swedish classic; The Mora Knife. This dear peace of Swedish culture is truly worth acknowledging.
So put another log on the fire, fill up you pipe and relax with a moment of reading about our Swedish hunting culture. By clicking HERE you can download the article.

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Autumn Spider Romance

Place: Stockholm, Sweden
Time: 1 day in October

Just back from the maternity ward the family is enjoying the colorful autumn blowing outside the windows. Days like this is made for reflection and dreaming about future adventures. My little 2 year old daughter comes running to me yelling;
- Daddy, come look at the spiders hugging outside the window!

To my surprise my little daughter has managed to spot two dating spiders just outside our window, this we must see! We get to witness the male courting the bigger female, and as you probably already know a lady spider is no easy catch even if you are a spider Don Juan. A slightest mistake when flirting can result in a dead male.

Today the male manage to win the lady's heart to deliver his semen and even to retreat with his head still intact.

Now let's keep our fingers crossed that the female chooses to use this autumn gift she just received before she shed skin loosing the seed of life. It'll be interesting to follow this drama on our window-ledge.

I give my beautiful Sonia a hug congratulating her to what we just have witnessed. Then I look at my new born Miriam, just three days old, and my heart fills with joy... Life is a miracle!

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Jakt & Vapen - October 2014

Does size matter? In the latest number of the magazine Allt om Jakt & Vapen (All About Hunting & Weapons) you can read one of my articles. This time the theme is knives and their sizes. Crocodile Dundee Bowie or Scalpel... What do You prefer?
Wish you pleasant reading.

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Beautiful Evening Stalking Game After an Hectic Day

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

After an hectic day it's an amazing feeling to pack my hunting gear and head out into the green silence. The hunting method I like the most is Stalking and Still Hunting. This is the practice of walking quietly in search of animals or in pursuit of an individual animal. To slowly and totally focused wander around in nature gives me a special bound to my surroundings and the individuals living in it. Stalk Hunting comes with a big responsibility, not only regarding safety, as I'm moving around most of the time. It's important I'm updated on what activities may be taking place on the hunting grounds.

This evening I hope to catch me a Roe Deer Buck, But other legal game at the moment is also; Fox, Badger, Hare and Wild Boar. Unfortunately it seems that the Fox has outnumbered the Deer in the area this season; as I don't see any Roe Deer on the grounds. Instead I see a lot of colorful mushrooms and berries out in the calm woods.

The weather is perfect and after a couple of hours scouting the woods I sit down on the edge of a field awaiting dusk. A large Hare catches my attention, but I can't get close enough before he takes off into the woods.

I decide to place myself hidden in between two Sprice finishing up for this evening. An just as it's about to get dark I see movement to my far right. I immediately recognize that it's a beautiful Fox trotting along the forest line looking for his evening snack. no time to waste, need to be as still as possible as I'm arranging my gear for action. My rifle is already pointing in the direction I'm guessing the animal is heading. In a moment; when the Fox appear in my scope I' don't have time to hesitate; I need to make a really quick decision to shoot or not, pending on how good my angle is. When he's 50 meters from me I give a soft whistle to get him to stop... Bang!... The Fox drops instantly. And then it's all quiet again... I'm looking through my scope, ready for a second shoot if needed. But the only thing moving in the quiet is my pulsating temples.

I have a grateful feeling spreading in my chest. I truly needed this to regain my self esteem after my failure wounding a Fox a couple of days ago. I count it to 50 meters as I approach the fallen game. It's a fully grown male (the scale is about to show 8 kilos) and the fur is very nice for this time a year. My .222 Rem is perfectly placed and it's a good feeling thinking about more Roe Deer fawns reaching adult age from not getting snatched by this experienced Fox anymore.

This got to be one of my best hunting moments so far. Truly grateful to be able to experience this. The stress I felt earlier today is now all gone as I'm driving my pickup truck through the darkness... This is what I call seizing the moment!


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My First Time Tracking a Wounded Game

Place: Bogesund, Vaxholm Municipality, Sweden
Coordinates: Lat: 59.41233, Lon: 18.23497
Time: 1 day in August

Since I started hunting all the game I've shoot at have dropped on site. But I've always dreaded that day I would not succeed in delivering a killing shoot and wound an animal... Today that day came.
To wound the game is every hunters nightmare. Doesn't matter how experienced hunter you are or how good of a shoot you are; wounding the game eventually will happen if you're out hunting on regular basis. This is why it's so important that you prior to your hunt arrange so that you'll have a tracking dog within reach if anything goes wrong.

It's a peaceful beautiful August morning; perfect for hunting Fox. I'm in tower 39 out at
Bogesund calling for game using mice squeaks. It doesn't take long before a curious young Fox turns up at the other end of the field. I raise my rifle an await the animal heading my way. About 80 meters from me the Fox stops as something catches his attention. Luckily for me it's not me he has spotted. The Fox turns to his left raising his head scouting. This is my chance, I pull the trigger and the animal tumbles around from the hit. Then he takes of into the woods before I can deliver a second shoot... This is no good! But I'm hoping to find a dead Fox not far from the field. A lot of thought is spinning inside my head as I await the tracking dog called Axel. As I've memorized the hit spot and in what direction the game took off , Axel immediately get a lead. And as I've hoped for we soon find the hiding place of the Fox, but he's not dead. He has already taken off and now also Axel wants to do the same. We decide to let the dog loose so that he'll have a chance catching up, and immediately Axel finds the Fox and corners him. After approaching the staredown a killing shoot can be delivered finally putting the Fox down. After inspecting the dead game I can see that my bad shoot was placed to low in the chest to be instantly lethal. I feel relieved that we found the animal this quickly and was able to finish the hunt in a good way.

This was not only my first experience of tracking a wounded game; this was also the first time for the young hunting dog Axel. This by-the-book search of course made both dog and owner very proud. It's very valuable to get a situation like this; when the dog succeeds in his tracking, strengthening the dog's self esteem and experience. Of course I'm also glad for Axel and his owner, but as a hunter I most see me wounding the game as a failure. It was of course a inevitable accident, but luckily with a good ending. This experience have now made me even more humble towards the hunting moments Mother Nature offers me. The only thing I can do to posporn this happening to me again is to keep on practicing out at the shooting range continuously keeping my shooting skills at a high level. I like the target practice, but I absolutely learn the most by spending time in the woods hunting. So I'm now eager for my next hunting adventure!

I want to send my warm thanks to my helpful hunting mates for giving this day a good ending.


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The Buck Premiere 2014 - Blind Hunting Bogesund

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

Hunting has become a big part of my life. Easy to forget that it's just three years ago I got my hunting license. During this short period my passion for hunting Roe Deer has made this date; the 16th of August, a somewhat sacred day each year... Finally The Buck Premiere is here!

The head lights of my pickup truck sweeps over the dark field as I'm backing up into the woods and turn off my engine. I then get a glimpse of a really nice Roe Deer Buck and his mate out in the dark. I hope I now can reach my hunting spot as quietly as possible not to spook the two animals. This is the hunting grounds of Svenska Jägareförbundet and this morning I'm climbing into tower number 72.
Finally in place I can see the movement of the two individuals; they are still out there posturing. It's now about 04.00 am, it has been raining tonight but it's now starting to clear up.

 

I let the situation settle while I'm waiting for some morning light to hopefully get a clear shoot. Meanwhile I take a deep breath, smell the summer morning breeze and enjoy the moment. My thoughts wonder off to my preparations up until this morning; for example I've gotten a new rifle; a bargain off the used market, that I now feel confident in after good time spent with it out at the shooting range.
As the light starts to get shootable the buck has unfortunately wondered off into the three line about 150 meters away. I start to call to see if there's some more game around. At once a small young deer turns up to my left hoping to find an attractive female. He gets real close and starts barking at me in disappointment when he realize he has been tricked. I take some shoots with my camera and hope to see this little fellow again in the future.

During this morning I get to see the above mentioned two bucks and five females. Just as I start to pack up my gear the initial buck and partner turn up again among the threes. Perhaps the hunt is still on, if I only can get the buck closer to me out in the open. I call on him but I can see in my hand held binoculars that he's not even reacting to my calls. I guess he is more than content with this majestic female than to come running after my calls.

I lift my hat off for today; a beautiful and exiting start to this year's buck hunt. Truly grateful for the knowledge Nature has offered me this morning I drive home to my family to take a siesta. I again think back on when I started hunting and conclude that it's important to stay humble towards the fact that each day spent hunting is teaching me something new.

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Jonas Vildmark Basic Outdoor Training August 2014

Place: Jonas Vildmark's Cabin, Långhundra Härad, Sweden
Time: 2 days in August

A beautiful summers morning and I have the pleasure of welcoming a enthusiastic mixed group of guests to the cabin. This weekend we'll run a Jonas Vildmark Basic Outdoor Training; a day and a half filled with outdoor theory and practical exercises. My basic courses are designed for a maximum of four guests to enable a interactive and personal training atmosphere.

We start off with a tour around the facilities, start up the camp fire and sit down to get to know each other's outdoor experiences better. This morning's theory block passes quickly and then we prepare lunch together over the fire.

When we're full we go through different techniques for Starting a fire and test some different tinder. The inspiring persistence of the guests soon pay off and after I know it tinder is lighting up everywhere leaving big proud smiles on everyone's faces.

Pre-dinner we go through the subjects of; Water, Food and Packing. Always interesting to see what everyone has brought in their backpacks and then discuss the big variety of outdoor gear offered today.

It warms my heart to see how interested my guests are when it comes to safe Handling of edge tools. I hope this can help avoiding unnecessary cuts and other incidents that can spoil a wonderful outdoor experience.

We finish off Day 1 with some First Aid and hiking stories by the camp fire before crawling into our cozy sleeping bags.

Day 2 is spent talking Survival and Navigation and when we summarize this weekend we all agree on that time flies when you're having fun, and this makes me happy as I see this as a great compliment and evidence of a good basic training concept.

I really want to thank this weekend's guests at the cabin an wish you all good luck in your future outdoor activities. May all your adventures bring you happy memories for life.

You can read more about Jonas Vildmark's trainings by clicking HERE.

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Living Worlds - Mattias Klum

Place: Stockholm Concert Hall, Stockholm, Sweden
Coordinates: Lat: 59.334984, Lon: 18.062865
Time: 1 day in July

When you're in Stockholm I want to recommend you to visit Stockholm's beautiful concert hall at Hötorget. Right now you can  free of charge experience Mattias Klums fantastic photo exhibition Living Worlds (Världar av liv). The event is scheduled to continue until the 23rd of August 2014.

In a interesting, tasteful and important way the show mix the latest statistics from the science world with Mattias enchanting footage. All to highligt the big challange we all right now is up against; to achieve a sustainable way of living that preserve biodiversity and protect the earth's natural environments for future generations.

Thanks for a nice and mind blowing afternoon in the summer hot Stockholm.

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Öster Malma in Summer Bloom

Place: Öster Malma Castle, Sörmland, Sweden
Coordinates: Lat: 58.9528, Lon: 17.1569
Time: 2 days in July

On the way back home from a trip through the beautiful Småland me and the family stop by Öster Malma; owned by Svenska Jägareförbundet, to say hello and spend the night. I really recommend you to visit this fine facility to enjoy its exquisite surroundings. I've only been here during Winter so therefore its nice to now get to experience Öster Malma in it's Summer bloom.

I appreciate Öster Malma's peaceful feeling and the good food in combination with possibilities to education and leisure. My little Sonia especially appreciated the Wildlife Park where we got to see game like; Deer, Mouflon and Moose.

Now we continue our journey North back home to further prepare the start of a new hunting season.
Thanks Öster Malma for a very nice stay.

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