Idaho Predator Hunts for the Canadian Grey Wolf is a relatively new concept to this generation. A century ago complete eradication was the objective, but today with a successful introduction and firm liberal/conservation minded approach to our wild lands, I doubt that will ever be the case again.  Personally, I'm somewhere in the middle when it comes to Idaho Predator Hunts for the Canadian Grey Wolf.  I think as long as we're given the tools to manage them correctly, the wolf, the ungulates … [Read more...]

One of the most difficult things for a man to endure is the loss of a hunting partner and great friend.  I suppose though, if we have no understanding of pain and loss, adversely we will have no appreciation of happiness and good fortune. Tammy left us a few days ago, fifteen years after she entered this world as no more than a squirming puppy with her tiny eyes closed and nothing but her nose to trust.  Little did she know, that wonderful nose would take her across more mountains and unbroken … [Read more...]

Many sportsmen view the summer as a down time without a large amount of significance to their hunting plans.  This couldn't be farther from the truth.  How you conduct yourself this summer will go a long way toward making that hunt of a lifetime a success or a failure. I can't stress how important conditioning will be on that big hunt.  Whether it be for that big moose or white ram, if you are in premium shape, your chances of success just doubled or tripled.  Make no mistake, the mountains of … [Read more...]

Proper care of your trophy is really the final step in a successful hunt. When you invest your time and hard earned money into a particular animal no one can blame you for wanting to preserve the memory and give that monster whitetail or sable a place of honor in your trophy room.  If you want premium results from your taxidermist, that job starts the moment you pull the trigger. Before you render the animal out, you'll need to do two important things,  take plenty of pictures and take … [Read more...]

Grizzly encounters are normal in Alaska. Thankfully most of them end in a calm fashion.  Most grizz don't want a confrontation and will inevitably head in the opposite direction once they deduce you are a human being.  The encounters that we read about in the papers are few and far between, mostly resulting from confrontations with sows with cubs, a startled bear, a bear on a kill, or a starving bear.  So hunters need not fear ursus arctos horribilis,  they just need to mind him and 99% of all … [Read more...]

Why do we hunt? It's an age old question that can't be answered in a single sentence.  Sure there's the instinctual drive that man has possessed ever since he decided to get up off his knuckles and run a woolly mammoth off a cliff.  The cave man who came back to the village with enough sustenance to feed the clan was held in the highest regard.  So there's definitely some of that left in us today, when we bring home that big whitetail buck or cooler full of moose meat from Alaska.  It gives us … [Read more...]

Following this weeks spring bear hunting theme, today I want to talk about the perhaps the finest hunt in the world, coastal grizzly and black bear hunting! Every spring in Alaska when the first bears emerge from the den, they wipe the sand from their eyes and decide they want to get the heck down out of the snow.  Black bear or brown bear alike, this means if they live in a coastal region they'll head for the beaches, where the first green shoots of sedge grass that will be easy on their … [Read more...]

The opportunity to hunt bear in the spring is something I look forward to every year. It's a chance to shake off the affects of old man winter and roam the mountains where the new growth and promise of spring time abound.  There are three basic ways to hunt bear here in Idaho, all having their positive aspects, spot and stalk, hound hunting and baiting. 1.  Spot and stalk bear hunting is probably the most challenging of the three as far as success rates are concerned.  What's wonderful about … [Read more...]

Getting lost while we're hunting, however rare, should be a important subject to every hunter! It can happen in the Eastern hardwoods while chasing after whitetail,  the Western Rockies while hunting for Idaho Elk Hunts or Alaska while in quest of moose, sheep or caribou.  What makes this subject so important is obviously the fatal repercussions of not making the correct decisions when the circumstance arises.  So today I'll offer a few quick tips, that hopefully will help if such a situation … [Read more...]

One of the most important aspects of a hunt whether it be in Alaska or Africa is good food! You may not realize it now,  but when you remember a hunt years down the road an exquisite meal at a fine restaurant may be just as vivid a memory as the tale of the hunt!  On a recent hunt for black bear in Alaska, I was honored to sit and dine, with the finest company (my brother Miles and best friend Fred), on the finest meal, possibly, of my life.   In the bottom of the Gilmore Hotel in Ketchikan … [Read more...]