When I was a kid, I was obsessed with turkey hunting. I used to dream about it, plan for it, and look forward to the coming of opening day with almost as much as enthusiasm as I did Christmas morning. Now, this wasn’t because I liked shooting turkeys any more than I liked shooting anything
Being a hunter is about accepting certain realities. The fact is, we set out into the fields, forests, and mountains to take the life of an animal, plain and simple. We do this not out of some perverse bloodlust, but rather because we choose a lifestyle that keeps us connected with the land. We choose
I remember the first western hunt I went on. I was black bear hunting at about 7,000 ft. in the Bitterroot Mountains of Idaho. Not exactly a high-altitude hunt. But I’m a flatlander from Minnesota who hadn’t been to the mountains in years. Having spent a lot of time adventuring in the mountains growing up,
I’ll admit, after a beer or two, my perception of my own strength and toughness can get a bit inflated. But I can recall no time in my life when I’ve ever considered myself more than a would-be morsel to a 600-pound fur-covered battering ram with claws and teeth, otherwise known as a grizzly bear.
The constant growth of the human race has had a devastating effect on wildlife over the years. Our perpetual need to expand, advance, and adapt our environment to fit our perceived needs has driven many species we share this planet with to the brink of extinction. Hunters have always been on the front lines to
Trapping in my home state of Colorado looks a bit different than it does in many other states. Body grips, leg holds, and snares were outlawed back in 1996, so trappers are confined to using exclusively cage traps. Having been born in the year they were prohibited, I’ve personally never used leg holds or snares,
