Outdoor Buddies is an all-volunteer non-profit organization. None of our volunteers are paid a dime, and no member has to pay a dime to participate in our programs. We rely on donations from members just like you to keep the Outdoor Buddies mission alive and open the outdoors to all!

We have some incredible prizes lined up for our 2024 annual raffle fundraiser. Thank you for supporting Outdoor Buddies!

Are you looking to get back out on the ice for a fun day of fishing? Outdoor Buddies holds an annual ice fishing day at the highly accessible St. Vrain state park each year in February. Join us and enjoy some camaraderie, a hot lunch provided by Outdoor Buddies, and plenty of chances at a variety of species of fish including trout, bass, perch, and even walleye! Track chairs and adaptive equipment can be provided as needed (when ice thickness allows). Bring your gear if you prefer it, although plenty of rods and reels are available if you need to borrow some. Experienced volunteers will assist in all needs from access to the ice to rigging up rods. Come join us for a memorable day on the ice!

An exact date for this event will be announced shortly. The date of this event depends on ice and weather conditions.

Looking forward to seeing you out there!

We initially went to Craig, Colorado a day before the elk hunt with Outdoor Buddies. Debbie and I have grandkids and great grandkids there, so for hunts at Craig we have a place to stay. This past year the heavy snow was so bad that there was a winter kill of elk (and many other animals) of approximately 80%, so far fewer animal tags were issued this year. It took several tries to have Colorado Parks and Wildlife issue a tag for my hunt with Outdoor Buddies, but I was quite honored to have my license to hunt with Outdoor Buddies in a year that filling a tag might be difficult to come by.  

Friday, we met at the motel at 6:30. Terry Gleason, Tony Hodges, Chris Nowak from Outdoor Buddies and our local guide Dean. We later had Dean's Son Cody and his wife Carla join the group. I found that the hunting property was also extended to the territory that the guide service had leased and extended to Outdoor Buddies. I would like to extend my thanks to all the parties involved. That was some of the most perfect elk habitat I have hunted in my life. We covered thousands of acres over at least ten different properties for much of the day and we spotted a herd of elk (as many as 200) in the distance and had to wait for quite a period of time for them to wander into an area that was on the allocated property we were allowed to hunt.  

This group of elk were probably 600 yards or farther (out of the range of my electronic range finder, and far out of my personal range of comfort for shooting). The elk herd eventually made their way to other privately held land, then onto public land, but Dean was familiar with the location so the decision to wait until Saturday was taken. Saturday, we met again and proceeded to the private land and began to hunt once more. Dean spotted the herd (as many as 200) roughly two miles away slowly walking toward us. I did in fact, eventually get to shoot at near 400 yards and fill my tag. 

The Outdoor buddies and guides retrieved the animal and processed her for transport both effectively and quickly.  As the saying goes, "when the hammer drops the fun stops. That is when the work begins." Now the REAL WORK for ME began. Cody took me (and the elk) to my grandson’s home and also assisted me in quartering my cow (thank you Cody)! I eat what I harvest, and process my own meat to prevent intake of the "industrial processing chemical" methods. We (my family and I) began the 3-day process of completing the task of cutting, cleaning, washing, and vacuum packing all of the cuts of meat for transferring to my home.  

After completing and evaluating the results (3 days), I came to a decision based on many hunter's experiences that according to the weight (and thickness) of the TALLOW of this animal; This Winter Might be VERY COLD! It appears that the Elk of this area have prepared for very bad weather this year. Hopefully there will never be a winter that devastates herd populations as it did this past year and DOW game management will assist whenever required to prevent mass loss of animal populations.  

This was one of the most exciting elk hunts of my life and I thank everyone involved from the bottom of my heart for their guidance and assistance.                

-Bill Redd

Warriors on Cataract 2024 Season

Warrior on Cataract will launch 4 disabled veterans whitewater trips this upcoming Spring and Summer. We will raft a total of perhaps 80 veterans. We are arranging to have two disabled Ukrainian male and two disabled female soldiers on the trips. The launches and dates are:

May 2 Open Manifest, Moab UT to Lake Powell through Canyonlands on the Colorado River. All branches of the Military, all conflicts, both sexes. Four day excursion. Navtec is the commercial outfitter.

May 22 Special Operations, Moab UT to Lake Powell through Canyonlands on the Colorado River. Army Rangers, SEALs, Air Force Pararescue, Beret, and the like. Both sexes. Four day excursion. We are planning to have two disabled Ukrainian soldiers on this trip. WorldWide is the commercial outfitter.

July 18 Cheyenne and Salt Lake VAMCs. Desolation Canyon on the Green River, five day excursion. Sheri Griffith Expeditions is your commercial outfitter.

August 30 All Female, including the guides. Scenic and peaceful Gates of Lodore on the Green River, four day excursion. OARS is the commercial outfitter.

Ukrainian orphans: Part of the Mission Statement of Warriors is to support the citizenry of Ukraine. We fundraised almost $20,000 and sent it to our Ukrainian angel Natalia in Makachevo to collect Saint Nicholas letters from three orphanages in Ukraine and fill out the Santa requests and deliver to the orphans. One of the orphanages has 103 orphans, the second over 50.

We have some excess funds. Some wonderful families in Poland and Ukraine are taking orphans into their families and raising them as family in regular schools and social situations. Natalia is seeking out these families to see if we can offer some financial support.

Warriors on Cataract has expanded our Mission statement to include the suffering and trauma of conflict zones. Our focus has been and is on the citizenry and Military causalities in Ukraine.

We took a Ukrainian amputee soldier on our Special Operations Cataract Canyon raft trip with Navy Seals and Air Force Pararescue. Igor did not speak English, so we took an interpreter. Igor's daughter called back from Ukraine and said Igor is ""over the moon" about the trip, is chatting it up with all of his buddies. We are trying to take two male disabled Ukrainian soldiers and two female Ukrainian soldiers next year.

 We provided Saint Nick to orphans in 3 orphanages in Ukraine, to include the staff with gifts for their dedication. We want those orphans to know that the World cares about them, that they are Special. My Angel in Mukachevo Ukraine, Natalia, collected the Saint Nick letters, purchased, and delivered the presents. A big job. She is wonderful. Above is a picture of Natalia and some of her helpers (elves).

Some wonderful people in Poland and Ukraine are bringing in and raising orphans in their families. Better than an orphanage, they will have a family, normalcy, regular schools and socialization. Some of these children are disabled and will require some financial assistance. So Natalia is seeking out these families. We are funds limited, so I hope our Congress does something meaningful and sends some humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

There are many good people out there. Our Warriors on Cataract activities bring us to work with the Best of Humanity. Very rewarding.

-Fred Solheim

This stew has a nice spicy kick that you can easily adjust according to taste preferences. If you like it hot, add in the optional cayenne pepper in addition to the green chile powder or red pepper flakes. Chopped, roasted green and/or red chiles would be delicious here as well. Here in New Mexico, we refer to anything with both green and red chiles as “Christmas” style - no matter the time of year. Absolutely delicious all on its own, or serve topped with chopped cilantro, sour cream and cheese as desired. This versatile meal is quick to make and extremely satisfying. I think chili is one of my all time favorite meals, and this one doesn’t mess around with beans - it’s just straight up spicy, meaty goodness. Enjoy it on its own or as a topping on burgers, hot dogs or anything else you can think of.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground elk
• 1 teaspoon bison tallow
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons green chile powder or red pepper flakes to taste
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Sea salt to taste
• 1 ¾ cups bison bone broth
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons masa harina
• Sour cream and/or cheese for garnish if desired

Directions

1. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add in the ground elk and cook for 7-8 minutes or just until browned, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Add the bison tallow to the skillet. When it’s hot, add in the diced onion. Cook until tender, fragrant and golden brown.
3. Put the cooked ground elk back into the skillet with the onions. Add in the minced garlic, green chile powder, cumin powder, cayenne pepper (if using) and sea salt as desired. Combine thoroughly.
4. Pour in the bison bone broth, can of diced tomatoes and the can of tomato paste. Cook at a simmer, covered, for about an hour until the chili thickens. Then, stir in the masa harina which will cause it to thicken more. If it becomes too thick, simply add a little water. When desired consistency is reached, remove from the heat and serve, garnished as desired.

Larry Sanford

President

970-218-5356

popslarrys@gmail.com

Nate Lucht

Vice President

(970) 219-8817

nate.lucht@hotmail.com

Christopher Nowak

Treasurer

303-717-7159

christopher_m_nowak@yahoo.com

Terry Gleason

Secretary

303-868-2579

terryjgleason@gmail.com

Kevin Kassner

Director

(303) 946-2502

kevin@asktechnolink.com 

Matt Camilleri

Director

860-930-2389

mcamilleri7@gmail.com

Tony Hodges

Director

303-523-0583

thodgesre21@aol.com

Steve Medberry

Director

720-255-9453

stevemedberry@gmail.com

Edgar Munoz

Director

720-261-1857

edgar4jec1268@gmail.com

Jim Piper

Director

303-514-8944

geopros@q.com

Frederick Solheim

Director-Warriors on Cataract

303-818-7600

WarriorsOnCataract@gmail.com 

Non-board members are welcome. Please RSVP in advance.

Meetings are held from 6:30pm-8:30pm at the locations and dates below.

February 13 - Thornton Cabela's

March 12 - Lone Tree Cabela's

April 9 - Thornton Cabela's

May 14 - Lone Tree Cabela's

June 11 - Thornton Cabela's

July 9 - Lone Tree Cabela's

July 30 - Thornton Cabela's

September 10 - Lone Tree Cabela's

October - No Meeting

November 12 - Thornton Sportsman's Warehouse

December 10 - Thornton Sportsman's Warehouse