The bear was still occupied with its meal, and allowed us a really good look at him. His coat had a dark base, but was silver tipped that seemed to shimmer and reflect the early morning rays, and was exactly the type of bear that Jim was looking for. We had to be careful as [...]
After stepping over what seemed to be the millionth alder branch, we looked up and there he was, 3 yards away, a huge ball of brown fur. Immediately we began cheering that our quest was over, but then, the ball moved, and slowly turned it’s head toward us. My first instinct was to raise my [...]
The thick bushes and steep ravine finally faded behind me, as I reached the shale and took a break to take in the beauty that surrounded my vantage point. It had been a tough climb, and the distance seemed to stretch with each wet and soggy step that I took. The feeling of being on [...]
When the heat of the day gets above 90 degrees, and the parks are full of weekenders, those in the Treasure Valley that seek an escape from the harmful rays, grab tubes and anything that floats and head to the Boise River. Here is a first hand look at a Classic Boise River Experience, but [...]
The feeling of finally stretching the tight muscles that had formed from four hours inside the confined space of the plane was one of mild euphoria, but it was nothing compared to the feeling of being back at the bear camp, heading out to pursue giants. And by giants I mean brown bears. There is [...]
Too much Fog, must turn around! Although those words were not spoken, you could see it on the pilot, Dave Wilder’s face, as he throttled forward and pulled left on the steering wheel of the Cessna 206, throwing us all to the mercy of pulling G’s. The bushes were so close, if the windows were [...]
The Sun beat down upon our already sweaty backs, causing our minds to wander to thoughts of cold drinks and rest under the shade. However those thoughts would have to remain only that, for we were on the trail of the canny and keen eyed Dall Ram. It was opening morning of the 2005 sheep [...]
The night Preston came to me with an offer of an adventure in the back country, it was snowing quite heavily, and it was the first real good snow that we had, bringing tidings of the upcoming winter that was close at hand. With the topography map spread out upon the table, he directed my [...]
Although the only part of the ram that could be seen was the horns, as they were silhouetted in the afternoon sun, it was enough to induce a grueling climb up the steep shale bowl that lay above us. The beginning wasn’t too bad, but a small group of curious ewes made it a stop [...]
It was opening morning of fall brown bear season on the Alaska Peninsula, and already we had seen more bears than most people will see in their life time. Nine o clock in the morning found us at the edge of a clearing, where several bears had been traveling, and we hoped that this day [...]
Although barely audible above our pounding hearts, we could hear the ram munching grass as it went from 30 yards to 20. It was only hours before the season would open, when this duo of rams, one nice full curl and a sickle horn, walked up on us. Frozen in the standing position, the big [...]
The end of the hunting season had come, and my departure to the lower 48 was drawing nigh, but my thirst for adventure was not quite quenched, so one more outing proved necessary. The trip plan was to boat across the lake, hike up a mountain, have Stacie shoot a ram, and then either I [...]
When I arrived at the moose camp it was just as Preston had described it, a nice tent location just below the hill, and a good place to land, with only a short distance to walk for a sweeping view of the country for miles. This was the location of Preston’s hunt with Ulrich in [...]