Arizona Afield

In the upland world,  Chukar are known as a brutal bird to hunt. It's not their brutish size that earns them the name "Devil Birds", most are roughly the size of a forest grouse. It's their tenacity & wiles in the rugged and rocky terrains they inhabit that have earned them their many nicknames and reputation. Within Arizona, there are very select and remote locations where to find these birds and hunt them. I had a chance to sit down with Michael Cravens, a small game fiend on his way to completing all 4 of the Small Game Challenges in Arizona, with the goal of being the first person to do so. Mike recounts the hunts as well as some tangental topics of living in his new home near Flagstaff, his passion for cooking wild game and more! We hope you enjoy this episode!

In Arizona, the biggest state holiday following the Fourth of July is the Dove Opener on September First. While it's not an official holiday, it should be, as thousands of Arizonians & out of state hunters flock to the deserts to pursue Mourning, White-winged & Eurasian Collared Doves. With all this excitement, one place stands apart from Arizona for the sheer amount of Doves, and coincidingly, Dove Hunters. Yuma. Just saying it evokes thoughts of dove hunting to hunters across the southwest. Join me as I talk dove hunting in this Dove Mecca with staff from Quail Forever & AZGFD!

After a dismal display of archery recently, I sat down with Travis Browning of Archery Headquarters to talk about conquering Target Panic or "The Gitch" as it's known around the shop. Travis breaks down drills and tips on how you can figure out this issue before the season gets here and as always, we talk a little deer hunting around State 48

Last week I met up on a frigid and damp December morning to talk about January OTC deer hunting. Like all good conversations, we followed many rabbit holes and general tangents were taken. As always, it was a great convo with tons of great info for anyone interested in learning more about hunting the winter & spring seasons in Arizona

After dinner, the hunters and mentors of the 1st annual Women's Gambel's Quail Weekend joined me to record a podcast. The conversations and laughs of this episode made for what is easily the most enjoyable and informational episode I have had the pleasure to be a part of. Ranging in experience levels from brand new shooter to multiple seasons behind pointers, our guests share the lessons learned and dispense their own advice to those who are interested in hunting. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did. Thank you to the Valley of the Sun chapter of Quail Forever and the Horseshoe Ranch for facilitating this awesome hunt. 

Who out there wants to take better outdoor photos? That's the focus of this episode, where we dive into some of the tips and guides of outdoor photography,  running down a few rabbit holes along the way

Hey Folks!

It's Jess with AZ Afield, You bet!

If that intro sounded a bit familiar, it's because you've watched some of the content generated by Phoenix's new fly shop owner, Chris Rich. An AZ native, Chris has a passion for the sport that has led him and a team of fish minded and dedicated staff to creating "The World's Friendlist Fly Shop" 

Be sure to check out this episode, and the Shop this summer in preperation for your next Fly Fishing Foray!

I was able to track down and hang out with Brad Brooks for a few minutes between meetings at Argali. Brad is a wealth of outdoor knowledge and a fun conversationalist. We talk about Argali, their products both digital and material, as well as his passions for wild places