Man-Eaters I’ve Known
How I would love to figure out a way to make a living hunting man-eaters around the world. I cherish my freelance hunting and fishing and writing career, but targeting man-eaters is like no other hunt. The focus, the rush, the zero room for error...it puts you in a place no words can describe. The encounters will leave you sleepless for days, not from fear or doubt, but from the surge of adrenaline. Sometimes it comes in a millisecond burst...sometimes it carries on for hours. Here are a few stories on encounters I've had. This one is a hunt for man-eating lions in South Africa, in June, 1993 https://www.outdoorlife.com/hunting/man-eating-lions-south-africa/ Here's an article that touches on the hunt for a man-eating polar bear in Alaska's high Arctic, in December of 1990...along with a recent hunt where I called in a mountain lion and shot it running right at me, full-speed, at close range. https://bornhunting.com/the-5-most-memorable-big-game-hunts-of-my-life/ This story touches on a hunt for problem Nile crocodiles in South Africa: https://www.grandviewoutdoors.com/predator-hunting/hunting-dangerous-game-modern-day-man-eaters-ive-known And this one captures some bear encounters from time spent living in and traveling through remote Alaska [...]
Hawaii Hunt Report
The count hit 400 deer, and we were barely three hours into the hunt. We were on the island of Molokai, hunting axis deer with Pat Fisher, of Hawaii Safaris (www.hawaiisafaris.com). I’d hunted free-range axis on the east end of the island before, but public pressure was high and trophy bucks tough to come by. This time I sought to hunt private land, and I was glad I did. Before nightfall we’d see nearly 500 deer. I closed that hunt with a good buck, and vowed to one day return. Two years later I was back, this time with good friend Tom Munson, marketing director at Trijicon, and his buddy, Jeremy Vaccaro. For both men it was their first axis deer hunt, for me, my third go-around in Hawaii, though I’d been fortunate to hunt them in other countries, too. Following a 3/4-mile stalk on a rutting buck, Tom was finally in shooting position. But the buck was bedded down. All we could see were his ivory-tipped antlers barely sticking above the extremely tall grass. Finally, after and hour and 20 minutes, the buck stood and Tom made a perfect shot. We were hunting grassy meadows on Lanai, where once grew [...]
Cooking Wild Turkey
Our family lives on wild game, and turkey meat is some of our absolute favorite. It pains me, every time I hear people commenting on how tough and tasteless wild turkey is. As with all wild game, the key is starting with a good product. As soon as you kill a turkey, get the guts out as quickly as possible. Next, get the meat cooling, fast. A whole turkey can be cooked in many ways, or you can breakdown the parts. We often grill or roast a whole breast. Legs and thighs are great smoked whole, then cooked down with the rest of the skeleton to create some of the best soup stock you’ve ever tasted. They can also be pulled, with the legs and thighs of one tom yielding about 1.5 lbs. of tasty meat! Sliced into strips, turkey breasts make some of the best jerky there is. Chopped into chunks, it’s great in a stir-fry or soup. The key with obtaining great eating turkey meat is the same as with all wild game: DON’T overcook it. For recipes, check out Tiffany’s website, www.tiffanyhaugen.com, and also visit her blog.The cream contains aciclovir that works to stop treat the virus. One [...]
Bad Weather Turkey Tips
Spring turkey season is off to a great start. Despite the rainy, cold weather, calling has been working for us. Here are some pointers that have helped me take early season toms in tough conditions over the years in the Pacific Northwest: •When hen’s aren’t yet nesting and toms are stuck to them, call lightly, utilizing mostly yelps. If toms respond by gobbling, don’t overcall. Offer just enough yelps to let the toms know you’re still around. •If a tom starts answering your every call, get more aggressive with the yelps. Calling louder and more frequently can help in this situation. This is especially true later in the morning, after a tom has spent a few ours unsuccessfully courting hens. •A single hen decoy can be the ticket to draw in a hot tom. In areas where there’s not a high tom to hen ratio, shy away from aggressive tom decoys early in the season. •Calling to hens may be the key to success. If a hen answers your yelps, and a tom is with her, call back to her mimicking the same sounds she produced. This will often draw her in, with a strutting tom in-tow. The cream contains aciclovir [...]
Antler Growth & The Rain
A lot of folks in the NW are complaining about the rain we’re having this week....I say, bring it on! More rain leads to better feed, and that means bigger antlers! Last hunting season saw many big-racked bucks and bulls being taken around the West. This was due to the wet spring and mild summer, both of which optimized antler growth. I predict this season out West will be even better, with more big bucks and bulls being taken than last season.This past spring was one of the wettest on record for some states. During the time of antler growth, rains spur the growth of quality vegetation which in-turn yields a nutrient-rich diet which optimizes antler growth. The fact heavy rains occurred from March through June–during the most critical time of antler production–leaves no question there are some big antlers growing. Recent mid-summer rains ensures the tops of buck’s and bull’s racks will continue growing. Velvet covered antlers are some of the fastest growing tissues on the planet. Under optimal conditions, elk antlers in velvet can grow nearly two-inches a day. Combine rain, quality vegetation growth, good genetics and increasing daylight hours and the stage is set for big antler production. [...]
CA Hog Wild
Just returned from a few days of pig hunting in Redding, CA. Who says there's no good big game hunting in the Pac. NW in June? While it's common knowledge the whitetail deer is the most hunted big game animal in North America, did you know the second most hunted animal in the U.S. is the wild pig? California is home to a huge and ever-growing pig population, and nonresidents can hunt them year-round. License and tags can be bought over-the-counter. Because the best pig hunting is found on private land, getting access or hiring the services of a guide are the best choices. On this trip we hunted with good friend and guide Parrey Cremeans (www.justforhunting.com), a man we've hunted with in the past. There's a reason we keep coming back. Zach Waterman, PR Director for Nosler, joined us on this trip. Zach was testing out Nosler's new M48 .325, a gun we'll both be using on upcoming bear hunts. I was shooting Nosler's Custom M48 in a .260 caliber. Both guns were topped with Trijicon scopes, making for the perfect setup in the potentially low-light situation which often comes with pig hunting this time of year. Finding pigs wasn't [...]