Mountain Hunter Magazine Spring 2015 - Convention Issue

Spring 2015

NOT YOUR

Joe

AVERAGE

Feature Story

Read about Mike Hawkridge’s star-studded late season moose hunt with Joe Rogan, Ultimate Fighting Championship commentator, Fear Factor host & standup comedian.

Also featuring...

MY DREAM WAS A GOAT THE COOK’S CARIBOU BEARS & INCREDIBLE ADVENTURES

$

8.95

MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015 |

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MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015

INSIDE Mountain Hunter is the official publication of the Guide Outfitters Association of British Columbia (GOABC), Association of Mackenzie Mountains Outfitters, & Yukon Outfitters Association.

COVER STORY

Articles, photos, editorial submissions, comments and letters to the editor should be sent to:

NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE

MOUNTAIN HUNTER:

Mike Hawkridge

c/o GOABC, #103 – 19140 28th Avenue Surrey, British Columbia Canada V3Z 6M3 Tel: (604) 541-6332 Fax: (604) 541-6339 E-mail: programs@goabc.org www.MountainHunter.com

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MOUNTAIN HUNTER is published three times a year by the Guide Outfitters Association of British Columbia 2 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION

4 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION

Canada - $50 CDN USA - $50 USA International - $65 CDN

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All prices include tax.

BRIAN GLAICAR MARK WERNER MICHAEL SCHNEIDER AARON FREDLUND REG COLLINGWOOD COLIN NIEMEYER DARREN DELUCA LEIF OLSEN

President Past-President First Vice-President Second Vice-President Director Director Director Director

LOCAL PRESIDENTS: SEAN OLMSTEAD AL MADLEY CLINT LARSON MIKE LEWIS KEN WATSON BRUCE AMBLER MARC HUBBARD KEN ROBINS

Northern (Peace) Cariboo/Chilcotin Northwest (Skeena) Vancouver Island/South Coast North Central (Omineca) Thompson Okanagan Southern (Kootenay)

STAFF: SCOTT ELLIS JENNIFER JOHNSON AMANDA SAWYER

Executive Director Executive Assistant Marketing and Programs Coordinator

FEATURE STORIES

www.facebook.com/mountainhuntermagazine @MtnHunterMag

President Past-President Secretary

Rick Buchanan

28

Conservation Matters

News & Views

41

From a Legal Perspective

6

Preferred Conservation Partners

42

Guides Gallery

12

Convention 2015

52

Artist Feature

18

Artist of the Year 2014

66

Camp Cook’s Corner

19

Story Contest Winners

68

That Some May Follow

21

Thank You to All Our Donors

ADVERTISERS Ambler’s Bighorn Country Guiding................................11

Gunwerks.............................46

Ram Creek Outfitters.........OBC

BC Trophy Mountain Outfitters..........................56

Grand Slam Club/Ovis...........10

Ram Head Outfitters.............50

Grand Slam Outfitters............9

Redstone Trophy Hunts........11

Gundahoo River Outfitters..44

Rocky Mountain High Outfitters.............................56

Besa River Outfitters............44 Big Country Outfitters..........39 Bonnet Plume Outfitters......26

Collingwood Bros. Guides & Outfitters..........................40

iStockphoto: David Parsons, jonmccormackphoto

Dallas Safari Club.................51 Double Eagle Guides & Outfitters...........................44

Designed in Canada by PG Web Designs

Terry Gerber

GOABC President’s Corner

Depositphotos.com: nuttakit, Irochka, Sandralise, belchonock, makarova.alex

Printed in the United States of America by Forum Communication Printing - Fargo, North Dakota

THE COOK’S CARIBOU

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Claw Mountain Outfitters......9

All rights reserved. Articles and advertising in Mountain Hunter do not necessarily reflect the view or directions of the GOABC. The GOABC reserves to the right to refuse any advertisements.

BEARS & INCREDIBLE ADVENTURES Joan Fuhse

58

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Cariboo Mountain Outfitters...44

Dollar Photo Club: monticellllo, mkinlondon, Lukas Gojda

47

DEPARTMENTS

Bugle Basin Outfitters............5

President Past-President

Celebrity Joe Rogan and his late season moose

MY DREAM WAS A GOAT

Boone & Crockett Club..........67

DEAN SANDULAK DAN REYNOLDS

ON THE COVER

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Beaverfoot Outfitting............26 HAROLD GRINDE KELLY HOUGEN WERNER ASCHBACHER

THIS ISSUE

Elk Valley Bighorn Outfitters..65 Eureka Peak Lodge & Outfitters............................31 Findlay Creek Outfitters.......40 Gana River Outfitters............39

HUB Phoenix Insurance......33 Kettle River Guides & Outfitters..50 Lehigh Valley Chapter SCI....50 Leupold & Stevens................33

Safari Club International...IFC Scoop Lake Outfitters...........31 Shadow Mountain Outfitters..9

Little Dease Ventures............11

Sikanni River Outfitters......39

Mackenzie Mountain Outfitters..........................65

Silent Mountain Outfitters........5 Sitka Gear.................................27

McCowans Sporting Properties.............................11

Skinner Creek Hunts..............33

McGregor River Outfitters...26

South Nahanni Outfitters..........5

Mervyn’s Yukon Outfitting.....5 Nahanni Butte Outfitters....IBC North River Outfitting..........50 Packhorse Creek Outfitters..33 Pelly Lake Wilderness Outfitters..........................56 Pioneer Log Homes..............66

Sonny’s Guiding Service.........26 Sports Afield.............................45 Stone Mountain Safaris.......OBC Tatlow Mountain Outfitters....65 Tuchodi River Outfitters........31 Wholesale Sports.....................57 Wild Sheep Foundation.........32 Yukon Big Game Outfitters....40

MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015 |

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GOABC

PRESIDENT’S CORNER I sit here in a small valley overlooking glacier capped mountains that are giving way to avalanche paths where we are awaiting the arrival of the ever elusive grizzly bear.

Being out in this amazing province and having a chance to experience all it has, is one of the most rewarding experiences for a person to have. I see many people wearing shirts that say “I’d rather be hunting” or “I’d rather be fishing.” I want one that says “I’d rather be working.”

We had yet another successful convention in Kelowna at the end of March. It was a great time and a bit of an embarrassing one (I thought it would be a good idea to be hypnotized). It was great to see some old friends and meet some new ones. We are looking forward to next year’s convention in Victoria British Columbia. It will be our 50th anniversary and it is sure to be one you will not want to miss.

The past year has been a trying time for both our board and our members. With the wildlife allocation file coming to a final decision in February, we have been anxious to get this file closed. While the file has caused some resident hunters to react negatively to the decision, I think it is time to rebuild the partnership between guide outfitters and the resident hunters of the province. Working together and focusing on strong wildlife initiatives for continued wildlife and habitat growth is essential for future generations.

Brian Glaicar, President, GOABC

It is equally important to be involved with your local politicians to ensure an adequate understanding of the industry, regardless of what party they are from. Decisions regarding rules and regulations within the industry are made by our provincial government, and without a strong understanding it could result in a negative impact. Communicating the contributions of the hunting community and our ongoing work to increase wildlife, and While we have always had wildlife’s best interest in our habitat growth, is essential to a better understanding of us minds, understanding that us as guide outfitters would like to as a united hunting community. see abundant wildlife for everyone. With increased wildlife populations allocation becomes less of a concern. Having For those of you who have a hunting trip scheduled this coming a strong relationship with the resident hunters is the only fall, I would like to wish you all a safe and successful trip. For way we will be able to achieve our goal of abundant wildlife those of you who are looking to book a hunt in the coming populations for everyone to enjoy now, and in the future. I year, you can be sure that a hunt with a GOABC member will know many members are already involved, but I would like to be a hunt to remember. encourage each and every one of you to become involved with your local clubs and attend their meetings. I think you will find that we have a common objective - supporting healthy, sustainable, wildlife populations.

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MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015

VIEWS

NEWS &

Scott Ellis, Executive Director, GOABC

We are pleased that the provincial government has made their final decision on the Harvest Allocation Policy. This has been an issue that has divided the hunting community in British Columbia for more than a decade. The move to legislated fixed shares of allocated animals is welcomed by the guide outfitting industry.

The allocation decision will have no impact on the opportunity to hunt for species managed through general open season, tags purchased over the counter, and very little change to the species managed through Limited Entry Hunting (LEH). The GOABC predicted minimal change to the resident hunter LEH draw opportunity. This was confirmed with the issuance of the 2015/2016 LEH regulation synopsis.

to make hunting memories every year as I pursue these animals.

Hopefully now resident hunters, travelling hunters, sustenance hunters and trophy hunters will start to be more inclusive and less exclusive. Let’s drop that adjective – we are all hunters.

Hunters are a very passionate group and can achieve great things when we work together. I think hunters have something unique in their DNA; a drive and compassion that is difficult to explain to non-hunters. It is a drive or obsession that is rarely seen in other sports.

We are looking forward to rebuilding the partnership between recreational resident hunters. In the past the Many of my hunting friends have said, “I am not sure what hunting community has done important conservation work. all the allocation fuss was about because I do not see any Now we have an opportunity to build on that earlier work and changes in my LEH odds.” My only response is “exactly.” develop new initiatives to enhance wildlife populations and Just like every other year, we plan for the upcoming season, the habitat they depend upon. book holidays and review the LEH odds looking for the best chance of being drawn. Since there is no change to the LEH Allocation becomes less of an issue when game is abundant. odds in our favourite spot, we will apply in the same place The vision of the GOABC is a province with a strong and stable guide outfitting industry, innovative wildlife conservation as last year. projects led by hunters and abundant big game populations As a resident hunter I am blessed with significant opportunity for all to enjoy, both today and in the future. to hunt big game. British Columbia hunters enjoy some of the longest and most liberal hunting opportunities of any jurisdiction in the world. BC hunters are able to pursue 18 of the ‘North American 29’ big game species. I am fortunate

Straight shooting and safe travels.

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NEWS & VIEWS The show season is over, spring bear hunts are well underway and the days are passing quickly. Summer will soon be upon us and that means the start of our North West Territories (NWT) hunting Season. Yes, even though it is only spring, the July 15 opening of the NWT hunting season will be here before we know it. We are all eager to get back into the mountains and do what we love. The love we have for this lifestyle does not stop with what we do, but it also extends to the amazing wilderness where we hunt—to the very animals we pursue and admire. I believe that the more time any of us spend hunting the greater our attachment to the ‘land’ Harold Grinde, President, Association becomes—the connection becomes vital, a part of our very being. No one questions of Mackenzie Mountain Outfitters aboriginal people’s connection to the ‘land’—or even a farmer’s connection to his ‘land’, but many people see the hunter as someone who is a user—one who pillages and destroys. Nothing could be further from the truth. Hunters are stewards of the ‘land’ and stewards of the wildlife that is sustained by the ‘land’. Our stewardship of the ‘land’ and the wildlife it supports is evident in the success of the North American Conservation Model and the abundance of wildlife we enjoy today. We hunters really are the feet on the ground, the rubber on the road, and the money in the bank of wildlife conservation. Surely it has been the hunters deeply rooted love for the ‘land’ and the passion he has for hunting that has inspired him to lead the conservation movement in North America.

Wherever your passion to hunt should take you this year, nurture that bond to the ‘land’ that is so vital to it’s very future.

- Good Hunting!

As of April 10th, 2015, I am the new president of the Yukon Outfitters Association. Dan Reynolds has served the past 3 years, and I can speak for the membership that he did a great job; his shoes will not be easy to fill.

Although I am new to the position, I am not new to outfitting. I am entering my 28th year of making a living at this business. I guided in Alaska for a couple of years, spent the last 10 years in the Yukon, and previously guided in several locations in Manitoba.

Our spring AGM was held April 9 – 10, 2015 with all of the membership in attendance.

We were fortunate enough to have our local Member of Parliament, Ryan Leef, speak during the AGM. He brought us up to date on the efforts Canada is making to promote the value of hunting, angling and trapping in our country. Mr. Leef highlighted developments including the establishment of a Hunting & Angling Advisory Panel, the Dean Sandulak, President, elimination of the Long Gun Registry and Bill C42, The Common Sense Firearms Act Yukon Outfitters Association (Bill C42). Mr. Leef is the Vice Chair of the Conservative Hunting and Angling Caucus, a group he noted, that has developed and secured over $50M for the Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnership Fund since 2012.

We are launching a public relations campaign and socio-economic assessment study this summer. This has been an on-going process for over a year and many members have worked tirelessly to make this happen. Guided hunting has existed in the Yukon since the 1800’s, and is as much a part of our history as the gold mining we are so well known for.

We had another mild winter with an early spring. This is the second consecutive mild winter here with average, or below average, snowfall. As I look out my window along the shore of Little Salmon Lake, the snow is all but gone in the low country.

The ice should be gone before the end of May, and the bears should be poking their noses out soon. It will not be long now, and we will be trailing into the mountains once again. Good luck to everyone heading into your season, there will be a new batch of stories to be told again this fall. Play Safe.

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MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015

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SAFARI CLUB INTERNATIONAL SCI is the leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and promoting wildlife conservation worldwide. They fulfill that mission in a variety of ways; one of which is by partnering with organizations like GOABC. Being involved with groups of guides and outfitters who know what conservation is all about is key to our

the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced advance restrictions on large scale hard rock mining in Bristol Bay, Alaska. EPA’s actions came after hunters and anglers, concerned about impacts of the proposed Pebble Mine on this hunting and fishing Mecca, joined a wide and diverse coalition to petition the agency for Clean Water Act protections in the region.

success. Because no group is more in

It’s not just a bunch of hunters and tune with the attacks on hunting, and anglers who are skeptical about the our way of life, than those that live it mine. I’m sure a lot of good folks that every day. also oppose the Pebble Mine are less than thrilled with the fact that I’m an avid Never been a member of SCI? Now’s the hunter who can’t wait for my next hunt time to join. SCI protects the freedom in Alaska. But, because the stakes are so to hunt in a number of ways; but it high, protecting Bristol Bay is something counts on a strong membership base that conservative-minded sportsmen whenever it takes on a new attack. For a and liberal environmentalists can all limited time, SCI has taken $30 off their agree on. regular price for new members. You can Home to numerous species of birds, fish, join now for just $35. To find out how, and large land mammals, Bristol Bay is visit www.safariclub.org or call not just a bucket list trip for sportsmen, 1-888-486-8724. but a thriving outdoors-based economy - Safari Club International, John for Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.

Boretsky, Guide & Outfitter Liaison Sport fishing in Bristol Bay contributes more than $60 million annually to the DALLAS SAFARI CLUB local fishing economy, which is over $1.5 Last summer, sportsmen and women billion in total. Though remote, 65,000 from across the country applauded when visitors come to Bristol Bay each year

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MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015

for opportunities to fish, hunt, and view wildlife.

My organization – the Dallas Safari Club – recently joined with other hunting and angling groups to urge Congressional leaders to support Bristol Bay and protect one of the world’s true sportsmen’s paradises. Sportsmen and women from around the country are joining us in asking Congress to let EPA finish the work it started nearly five years ago.

We hope others will also continue to make their voices heard, as they have for years, on this critical conservation issue. The future of one of America’s great hunting and fishing destinations lies in the balance.

- Dallas Safari Club, Ben Carter, Executive Director WILD SHEEP FOUNDATION The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) and the Las Vegas, Nevada based Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn have entered into a partnership agreement providing every Fraternity member in good standing a WSF membership. WSF will provide annual remittance and renewal processing services for the Fraternity

and will also provide the Fraternity a regular column in WSF’s quarterly and highly acclaimed Wild Sheep™ magazine under the agreement.

The Fraternity Board of Directors unanimously approved the joint Memorandum of Understanding linking the memberships during their Board meeting April 29, 2015. “We are proud to be the oldest Bighorn conservation and advocacy organization in North America, as well as now being the first WSF Affiliate to combine resources and join as partners with WSF to perpetuate our Mission as a membership unselfishly dedicated to the welfare and conservation of Desert Bighorn and Nevada’s wildlife” Fraternity President Brett Jefferson stated.

“It is so appropriate and gratifying that our community’s first bighorn advocacy organization, the Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn, has become the first Affiliate to link memberships with WSF and in doing so benefit from WSF’s headquarters resources to provide their new and renewal membership processing” WSF President and CEO Gray N. Thornton stated. “The Fraternity joins Nevada Student Chapter WSF, Alaska WSF and the newly chartered

Yukon WSF as chapters with linked membership whereby membership in the chapter or affiliate includes WSF membership. New Mexico WSF plans to link their membership with WSF as well” Thornton added.

recognizing hunting and hunters as the

“Eight years ago WSF launched a campaign and concept titled “One Tent – One Campfire” to bring WSF Chapters and Affiliates together to benefit the wild sheep resource and each of the organizations working for wild sheep.

This joint membership program is another extension of the concept” Thornton stated.

Boone and Crockett Club, which recently

- Wild Sheep Foundation, Gray Thornton, President and CEO

board with this concept as early as 1996.

conservationists on the front lines. One great example is the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, which began using the slogan “Hunting Is Conservation” a couple of years ago. Another is the adopted the slogan “Where Hunting Happens,

Conservation

Happens.”

Another interesting slogan comes from Ducks Unlimited, which uses “Hunter: Another Word for Conservationist.”

It has recently come to our attention that the Houston Safari Club really got on One of its past presidents, well known outdoor writer John Wooters, is credited

GRAND SLAM CLUB / OVIS “Hunting is the #1 Conservation Tool.”

This was designated as the theme for GSCO’s 2015 convention, and we have adopted it as our mantra. Even our original Purposes and Objectives indicated this, but now we are being absolutely overt about it because GSCO does, in fact, promote hunting as well as any other organization in this industry.

with coining their motto, “Sport Hunting IS Wildlife Conservation.” It seems John and HSC “got it” in the overt way earlier than GSCO and the other organizations we have mentioned. It was actually John Jackson of Conservation Force who pointed this out to us. Conservation Force

has

recognized

hunters

as

conservationists from its beginning.

It is refreshing to see that other hunting We should also mention that Safari organizations are also in an overt way Club International has a similar slogan MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015 |

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with its “First for Hunters,” but it comes bargains. Whalers hunt for whales, across in a more subtle way. With all sealers hunt for seals – there’s mushroom of these examples, GSCO would like to hunting, hunting for a job, and there is encourage all like-minded conservation hunting for game species classified by organizations to develop their own wildlife agencies as legal game. With all slogans along these lines of claiming this hunting, lines can and often do get our rightful place as hunters. We do blurred as to what hunting really is and not need to be ashamed to claim our what is something else. spot as conservationists, and certainly GSCO knows that “Hunting Is the #1 Conservation Tool.” We intend to continue letting the world know. Join us!

Sportsmen are allowed and often encouraged to take their hunting skills and equipment and participate in the population management of some - Grand Slam Club/Ovis, Dennis animals and birds that are not managed Campbell, Executive Director game species, but classified as pests, varmints, or predators. Such “hunts” can BOONE & CROCKETT be crows, fox, coyote, raccoon, opossum, Is all hunting, hunting? ground hogs, feral pigs and hogs, prairie Hunting is a widely used term dogs and a number of other animals that describing many activities in our society. can cause problems for people, property, Youngsters’ hunt for Easter eggs, police and other wildlife if their populations hunt suspects, college students hunt get too high in a given area. From public for apartments, and shoppers hunt for perception and acceptance perspectives

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MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015

there is a distinct difference between predator or varmint shooting and the traditional hunting of game.

We know hunting is still publicly supported when it’s seen as being conducted ethically and under the law, and the meat is used. When the objective is population control of varmints or predators it may look like hunting, but the rules of ethical conduct and securing food do not apply. The problem is, nonhunters don’t know the difference. Local “hunting” contests to reduce the number of coyotes, for example are increasingly coming under fire, and along with it, so is all hunting. Much of the push back against hunting today can be linked to these misconceptions. Clearly, lines need to be drawn and education is needed.

- Boone and Crockett, Keith Balfourd, Director of Marketing

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2015

Convention “New Beginnings”

FUN NIGHT

Convention guests enjoying some great food prepared by the Delta Grand Okanagan

Jenny Casey, Selina Ambler, Terry Ambler, Stuart Maitland

Stuart Maitland celebrating winning the Outfitter Saddle draw

Guests being hypnotized by Scott Christie, Impossible Hypnotist during Friday nights Outfitter Fun Night

Magician Leif David entertaining the crowd

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MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015

AWARDS

& GALA

Scott Ellis, Brian Glaicar, 2015 Fair Chase Award Winner Andy Hagberg, Joanne Kirkland and Brian Dack, BCTA

Scott Ellis, Shane Mahoney, and Mark Werner

Don Peay founder of Sportsman for Fish and Wildlife presents the 2015 Utah Serengeti of North America

Mike Slack of Leupold & Stevens with his wife Angela Slack enjoying their first GOABC convention

Mark Werner presented with a cheque from Karl Evans of Dallas Safari Club

Kelli Thornton (Rocky Mountain Goat Alliance), Gray Thornton and Becky Layne of the Wild Sheep Foundation

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2015

Keith Balfourd (Boone & Crockett Club), Doug McMann (Skinner Creek Outfitters) accepting Mountain Hunter Record Book Award on behalf of Craig Summerfield

Convention “New Beginnings”

AWARDS & GALA Mark Werner, Jennifer Johnson, Amanda Sawyer, René Schneider, Brian Glaicar, Mike Weinell, Scott Ellis

Darwin, Tiffany, and Wendy Cary celebrate winning the Frank Golatta award earlier this year at the Wild Sheep Foundation. Basket presented to them by Sean Olmstead.

Marc Hubbard accepting the 2015 Presidents Award.

Mark Werner, Pamela Cordova, Paul Cordova, and Joshua Cordova accepting his Mountain Hunter Record Book Award for Exceptional Achievement

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Keith Balfourd (Boone & Crockett Club), Jack Goodwin (Northwest Big Game Outfitters) accepting Mountain Hunter Record Book Award on behalf of Rollie Miller

MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015

Brian Glaicar and Dixie Hammett present Stefanie Leuenberger with the 2015 Lady of the Year award

Mark Werner, Keith Balfourd, Brian Glaicar, Sonny Perkinson accepting Mountain Hunter Record Book Award on behalf of Julian Steenbergen

Gray Thorton of the Wild Sheep Foundation with GOABC Executive Director Scott Ellis

Brian Glaicar, and Mark Werner present Michael Schneider with the 2015 Frank Stewart Memorial award

GOABC staff Jennifer Johnson and Amanda Sawyer

Brian Glaicar, Kelli Thorton (Rocky Mountain Goat Alliance), and Aaron Fredlund present Michael Schneider with 2015 Guide Outfitter of the Year award

MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015 |

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2015

Convention “New Beginnings”

AUCTION & FUNDRAISER

The auction team. Scott Ellis, Michael Schneider, Brian Glaicar, Lee Livingston, Keith Dinwoodie, Stuart Maitland, Doug McMann, and Sean Olmstead

Angela Slack looking through the silent auction items

The lucky bidders of some great wine from Quail’s Gate Winery, Harry McCowan, Marnie Bachand, Stefanie Leuenberger, and Aaron Fredlund . Each bottle has a combination to hopefully open the safe. Who is the lucky winner?

Marc Hubbard, Stuart Maitland, and Darwin Cary serving pancakes during the life members breakfast

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MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015

Mike Slack of Leupold & Stevens being welcomed onto the stage by Past President and Convention Chair Mark Werner

Albie Saloom, Scott Ellis Executive Director of GOABC, Kristi Greenwell, Mark Werner, George Saloom (Life Membership donor), Matthew Werner, winner of the 2015 Youth Life Membership draw

Aaron Fredlund is the lucky winner of the safe and the surprise contents inside; a magnum of Quail’s Gate Pinot Noir and a gift certificate for $1,000 to the 2016 auction

Julie McMann giving Albie Saloom the auction form for his Goat Hunt with BC Trophy Mountain Outfitters

Eugene Egeler taking a look through the silent auction items

Thank you to all of our hunt donors in attendance.

Tom Kotlarz, Kayla Solmonson, Mike Hammett, Anna Fontana, Brian Glaicar, Kevan Bracewell, Melvin and Tami Kilback, Leif Olsen, Denver Kitzan, Brad Bowden.

Brian Glaicar auctioning off the inside front cover of Mountain Hunter magazine.

MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015 |

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Artist

OF THE YEAR

BULL ELK BUGLING - John de Jong

WITH AGE COMES BEAUTY - Brogan Didier

EARLY MORNING HUNT - Wendy Mould

John’s artwork is collected by many corporate and private collectors across Canada and internationally. He has also been the subject of a number of magazine and newspaper articles. He has been featured on Cowboy Country TV, participation in the Masters in Miniature Show at the CM Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana, and in a month long two person show at the Medicine Hat Cultural Centre in Alberta entitled “Nature and the West - Two Perspectives”. He was also the featured artist for the Maple Creek Cowboy Poetry Gathering & Western Art and Gear Show and the previous Artist of the Year for the GOABC.

Growing up in the heart of the Northern Rocky Mountains, Brogan has been inspired and amazed with the natural beauties of Mother Nature. Spending as much time as he possibly could guiding, hunting and fishing, he’s seen more natural drawing and painting ideas then a man could possibly put to paper. “I sometimes wonder how I could ever find a way to capture all the things I’ve seen in one season to canvas, even a painting a day wouldn’t be enough” Brogan states.

Wendy Mould grew up on the southwest coast of British Columbia. She spends a great deal of time traveling around this area and this is where she gets her inspiration. She loves the reflections of the boats in the water, birds feeding in the lagoon and farm animals mixing in the fields; Life on the West Coast. She brings her art to life using the excitement of colour in her watercolours, or the soft touch of graphite in her black and white drawings. Wendy’s work may be found in collections both locally and internationally. Capturing a cherished pet on paper is one of her specialties. www.artbywendy.com

www.jdejongstudio.com

HONORABLE MENTION 18 |

MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015

GREAT BLUE FISHING - Colleen Phillips

SENTINEL - Alan White

STORY CONTEST WINNERS OF HEROES AND BLACK BEARS - Jeff Janosky, featuring Skinner Creek Hunts As we approached the tree, the hounds were screaming at the top of their lungs. I said these words to my guide and friend Doug McMann of Skinner Creek Hunts: “It’s not the bear in front of me that is the trophy, it’s the guys behind me that will make this bear one of my best trophies.”....Read more in our Winter 2014 Issue

FORTUNE SMILES IN SPATSIZI - Keith Holley, featuring Collingwood Bro’s Guides & Outfitters Get down, get down, they’re moving!” We had just started moving into position for a shot when my guide, Max, halted the three of us and we hunkered down again to wait. Three mature Stone sheep rams had just stood up from their beds 1,200 yards away and were slowly moving our way. Another band of six Stone rams grazed undisturbed on the steep slope 500 yards below us....Read more in our Spring 2014 Issue

A TALE OF TWO BROTHERS - Cody Shoman, featuring Scoop Lake Outfitters My brother Kyle and I took off from the main camp at Scoop Lake Outfitters in northern BC on the morning of our first hunting day and headed for base camp. It was our first ever Stone sheep hunt, and we were more than a little excited. We left from base camp the next morning on horseback, heading to where our guides, Tyler and Gino, had already set up camp. They had seen a ram that they wanted a better look at, but after hunting there for two days, the ram seemed to have disappeared....Read more in our Spring 2014 Issue

READ THESE STORIES AND MORE AT WWW.MOUNTAINHUNTERMAGAZINE.COM

“New Beginnings”

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Mountain Hunter Magazine

STORY CONTEST

HAVE YOU BEEN ON AN

UNFORGETTABLE

GUIDED HUNTING ADVENTURE AND WOULD LIKE TO WIN SOME

EXTRA CASH? The Guide Outfitters Association of British Columbia (GOABC) is accepting stories of memorable hunting experiences with GOABC members. At the end of the year all stories submitted will be reviewed and the top three stories will receive a cash prize (CAD).

PRIZES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1st place - $750 2nd place - $500 3rd place - $250

Each outfitter featured in the winning stories will also receive a one issue free ad displayed in the magazine. The size of the ad will depend on the placing of the story. Good luck to all entrants!

DEADLINE: December 31,2015 SUBMIT TO: programs@goabc.org

1.877.818.2688 programs@goabc.org www.goabc.org

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MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015

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Fredlund Guide Service MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015 |

21

MY DREAM WAS A

GOAT

by Rick Buchanan

H

aving already been on one goat hunt in Alaska, I felt more excitement and less nerves this time. I was ready to enjoy the experience instead of worrying about what I would encounter, whether I was physically capable of conquering the terrain, and if I was mentally prepared. I was ready! October couldn’t get here fast enough. I felt confident that I was going to bring home a billy this time.

games room where my billy would hang. I had already told my taxidermist to keep his schedule open. I had already told my wife to stop buying shoes so we could mount my goat. I thought “Watch out all you billies. I’m coming to get one of you. I just need one of you.”

In late October I landed in British Columbia with all my gear.

My guide Troy had his dad, Don, picked me up at the airport.

I had looked online for outfitters in B.C. and contacted several. We hit it off instantly and I knew this was a good sign. We After many phone conversations I decided on Beaverfoot stopped for a quick lunch and then continued toward my Outfitting in B.C. The same training began for this hunt as camp which would be a local Bed and Breakfast. it did for my Alaskan goat hunt, with my wife as my hiking That night Troy Wolfenden (owner of the outfit) and his brother buddy. The difference this time was a healthy shoulder and Warren (my guide) came to the B&B. We had dinner and knowing more of what I would be facing in terms of the hunt discussed strategies for the following day. The next morning itself. I had already picked out the spot on the wall in my Warren took me out for what they call a “test hunt” to determine

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MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015

AT my level of physical conditioning, and we spotted our first goat.

We started hiking up the mountain towards the goat. After about an hour and a half Warren spotted two other hunters above us hunting the same goat. Out of respect for those guys we headed back down the mountain and back to camp. Strike one! We arrived at the B&B for dinner and Troy joined us to discuss our hunt that day. Troy then informed us that due to circumstances beyond his client’s control, his next hunter was unable to come to B.C. for his moose hunt. This meant that now Troy would be my guide for my goat hunt. Warren would be going back to his daily job of hauling materials for the highway crews. Thank you Warren for a great first day of my goat hunt!

Day two started off by gathering and trailering the horses.

This would be my first time riding horseback, so I was pretty

“WATCH OUT ALL YOU BILLIES. I’M COMING TO GET ONE OF YOU. I JUST NEED ONE OF YOU.”

excited. We drove for about an hour, parked the truck, packed the horses with all our gear and food, and rode out to Troy’s family cabin about 2 hours away. Troy’s wife packed a bag lunch for us each day with a sandwich made with homemade bread, and homemade peanut butter cookies for dessert. It doesn’t get any better than homemade bread and cookies.

That evening Troy cooked steaks and fried potatoes on an open wood fire while we talked and strategized for the next day.

Each day we would ride for several hours to get to a good spot and start our hike. On Tuesday morning we started on horseback bright and early. We located a goat and hiked up a very steep, rocky mountain in an effort CONTINUED ON PAGE 24 MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015 |

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...ALMOST AT THE CREST OF THE MOUNTAIN TROY TOLD ME, “GET DOWN! THERE HE IS!”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23 to get closer to it. Once we got close enough to get a better look While on top of the mountain, we took advantage of our position at it through the spotting scope, we realized it was a nanny. and glassed some more at that height. We found three more So we headed back down the mountain. Due to the location billies at two different locations. We decided we would go after there wasn’t enough time to glass or go after anything else the billies tomorrow, on my fifth day. I was a little disappointed that day. to see my dream right before me, and I was not able to capture it.

I have to say what an incredibly beautiful place I was in; majestic mountains, lush evergreens, cobalt blue skies and no shortage of goats. I couldn’t help but feel extremely blessed to have had the opportunity to be there and take in all the wonder. Later the next day Troy and I located a billy. He was on one of the mountains in front of us. Troy said he would be bedded down facing us, or facing away from us. The climb was tough, and by the time we got there he was facing us.

The billy and I saw each other at the same time, and he got up and started walking farther up the mountain. Troy asked me what I wanted to do, go after him, or start glassing some more. I said, “Go after him!” When we spotted him again he was climbing higher in altitude and into nasty terrain. He would have been non-retrievable. Troy and I watched him disappear. Strike two!

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MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015

I knew I had five more days left, so I was still hopeful. We started hiking back to our horses and then headed back to the cabin.

The next morning I was feeling excited about the goats we had seen the previous night, and I hoped they had bedded down in the same spot for the night. We fed the horses, ate breakfast, and left on horseback. We glassed as we rode up the valley floor until we got to our destination. We couldn’t see the goats from where we started hiking, so I was praying they were still there. We tied up the horses, grabbed our gear, guns, and started climbing the mountain. We climbed for another hour weaving in and out of large boulders, and rocks, when Troy abruptly told me to get down! He had spotted a goat feeding on grass 200 yards away. I got my gun ready, laid down, got steady and waited for Troy to give me the okay. Then I heard the words I didn’t want to hear…

It’s a nanny.

We hoped the nanny would go around the mountain and not spook the billy we spotted above her. Luckily, she did. We continued to climb, and almost at the crest of the mountain Troy told me, “Get down! There he is!” He was bedded down in the same spot as yesterday. At that point I knew it was about to happen. At 300 yards away all I could see was his face and his horns. He was asleep. I had to wait for him to stand up. I never took my eyes off of him in the scope. After what seemed like hours, but in reality was only about twenty minutes, his eyes opened. He stood up and took two steps towards me. I told Troy “Here we go.” I clicked the safety off, pulled the trigger, and watched him fall in the scope. Before the billy hit the ground, I was in tears knowing there wouldn’t be a strike three. I did it!

I got my dream goat!

I want to thank Beaverfoot Outfitting and everyone there.

Hunting for a mountain goat in British Columbia had been an ultimate dream of mine for as long as I can remember. This was, by far, the most physically challenging and rewarding hunt I have ever been on. I also want to thank my wife for her love and support as I pursued my dream.

EDITOR’S NOTE: You can reach Beaverfoot Outfitting at 888-830-6060 or www.beaverfootoutfitting.com

MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015 |

25

BEAVERFOOT OUTFITTING Troy Wolfenden • Golden, BC

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GOABC Mountain Hunter Magazine - Spring 2015

Family run for over 30 years YUKON HUNTS DALL SHEEP MOOSE CARIBOU GRIZZLY

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PO BOX 89 Calling Lake, AB T0G 0K0 (P) 780-331-2440 www.huntmco.com chris@huntmco.com

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MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015

www.moosehunting.bc.ca

MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015 |

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with Shane Mahoney

Shane Ma honey is co nsidered o the leadin ne of g internati o nal autho on wildlife ri ties conservati on. A rare combinati on of histo rian, scien and philoso tist pher he bri ngs a uniq perspective ue to wildlife issues tha motivated t has and inspir ed audien around th ce s e world. N amed one the 10 Mo of st Influenti al Canadia Conservati n onists by O utdoor Ca Magazine nada and nomin ated for Person of the Year by Outdoor L Magazine, ife he has rece ived numer awards in ous cluding th e Public Se Award of rv ic e Excellence from the governmen t of Newfo undland and Labra dor and In te rnational Conservati onist of th e Y ear by Safari Clu b Internati o n a l. Born and raised in Newfou ndland he brings to h is writing s and lectu a profoun res d commitm ent to rura societies a l nd the sust ainable use of natural resources , including wildlife an d fish.

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SHOULD HUNTER’S FEAR A WIDER

CONSERVATION COALITION?

T

he sad and often perverse slaughter of wildlife that marked the European colonization of North America remains one of the great examples of how selfish purpose has the capacity to impoverish both nature and society.

Fortunately, the great innovation we term conservation was itself an outcome of this unfettered onslaught and exemplifies how the spur of crisis can raise both a nation’s conscience and its resolve to progress. Indeed, the fading thunder of the once innumerable bison still echoes in our consciousness. It persists as a shadowed reality that settles upon our debates surrounding the future of wildlife on this continent today. So too do the images of denuded hillsides and debris choked streams, places of timeless abundance and beauty rendered silent, broken and impoverished within a few blind and voracious generations.

MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015

The great transformation that marked the rise of conservationist thinking in North America was fashioned by individuals who cared deeply about the natural resources of their sovereign countries, Canada and the United States. Their efforts, launched against improbable odds, led to the system of laws, policies, conventions and institutions we recognize today as the North American System (Model) of Wildlife Conservation. This is the only fully integrated continental system of conservation in the world and its spectacular and sustained recovery of wildlife is unsurpassed. Its success bears witness to the power of a citizenry whose motivations to protect wildlife and their cherished hunting and wilderness traditions would not be denied.

There can be no doubt that this system has been convincingly led and significantly maintained by individuals and organizations in support of sustainable wildlife use, but it was from the beginning joined by a much wider coalition of interests that included legions of non-hunters as well. The early commitments of women’s organizations to halt the slaughter of shore birds and the legendary wilderness advocacy of John Muir can never be dismissed nor denied. Nor must we ever forget the tireless devotion of dedicated hunters like Theodore Roosevelt and George Bird Grinnell to the conservation of songbirds and a wide range of other non-game species. In their love of all nature these advocates were united; though certainly many differences of opinion existed and intense debates and disagreements over specific issues were inevitable.

Over time this original coalition has become fractured, leading, in my opinion, to a weakening of the conservation movement. It has become almost fashionable to align oneself with a narrower view of what matters in conservation, a narrower view of what is worth fighting for. Far too often this decision has been considered and encouraged along the fault line of hunting, as though it is somehow inevitable that we must disagree over this founding tradition and that no inclusive coalition for wildlife is possible because of hunting.

This is ridiculous on so many fronts that it beggars the mind to even take it seriously.

social agreement on the legitimacy of hunting, and to use this as a basis for coalition building, not an excuse for inevitable dissent. Furthermore, the efforts of the hunter naturalists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in providing both the philosophical and legislative foundations for the recovery of diverse wildlife is beyond challenge, and has a deep and vibrant literature in its support. And, beyond question it was the hunter naturalist ilk of Leopold and company in the 1930’s who laid the scientific foundation for wildlife management and conservation policy.

And, if all this weren’t enough, there is the irrefutable truth that in the United States in particular, but increasingly in Canada, hunter dollars directly and indirectly pay for the majority of state run wildlife conservation programs and have consistently done so for over half a century. So why is this divide over hunting presented as a barrier to building a broader coalition? Is there real validity to this much-discussed chasm? Is it only one side of the divide which promotes this, let’s say the non-hunting side; or do both sides promote the idea and encourage it as a barrier to cooperative engagement on the larger conservation issues of our time?

I know from personal experience that some would point to a (contrived) historical narrative, suggesting that this divide was a deliberate construct decreed by the wilderness advocate John Muir of Sierra Club fame and the sustainable use/hunting advocates like Boone and Crockett Club (best represented by Theodore Roosevelt), and is thus a long standing reality. The truth of the matter, however, is that history does not support this narrative. Muir and Roosevelt had differences of opinion, certainly; but they were also very much admirers and supporters of one another in many regards. Muir was not in favor of hunting but he did not make it a crusade of his. Furthermore, the real division that came between Muir and the sustainable use community is well documented; it was over domestic livestock grazing on federal lands - not hunting.

So why do we find it so difficult to form a broader coalition on conservation? Is hunting really the barrier it is portrayed to be? Or is it just a distraction, designed to take the eyes and minds of people off the real issue? Is it possible that on both sides of the aisle we are afraid of a broad coalition? Is it just remotely possible that many players in the conservation arena find it both convenient and advantageous to force an artificial divide upon the broad mass of potential recruits For it is incontrovertible that the vast majority of North and membership by offering them a choice that will confer a American citizens support fair chase, legal hunting, thus sense of allegiance and fraternity? Are we afraid of a broad offering no social majority context for conservationists of any coalition because we fear our individual influence may then stripe to regard hunting as the celebrated and unavoidable be diminished? cause of dissent. Quite the contrary, this support for hunting CONTINUED ON PAGE 30 shows that there is every reason to believe and accept a broad MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015 |

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29 Well. Who can really say? But just in case the hunting public conveners, the broad-minded, the confident, the welcoming, and our hunting organizations are afraid of this, I would offer the statesmen and women of conservation. We must lead the the following personal observations. next conservation revolution. To do less will be to choose the narrow view and the self-righteous and self-congratulatory We have nothing to fear. We are strong and can become even path that has never been the way or motivation of the true stronger. The coalition will be formed; the movement in its hunter. direction is already underway. Hunters will lead, follow, or become irrelevant. So we need to take the lead, become the tip We began the conservation revolution over a century ago of the conservation spear and once again welcome all those by being inclusive. Let us not abandon this great history nor who care for wildlife, helping them to understand hunting diminish the hopeful path we have forged. Let us recover our or to accept its contribution, even while they remain less idealism, for the sake of wildlife, our nations and ourselves. than totally comfortable with it. We must be the leaders, the

The Guide Outfitters Association of British Columbia (GOABC) wants to start a fundamental shift among hunters from caring about hunting to caring about all wildlife. Ranchers care about cattle and anglers care about fish, but hunters seem to only care about their sport. Hunters must be committed to the responsible use of wildlife resources and passionate about preserving a diversity of wildlife species.

The GOABC is a strong supporter of the North American Wildlife Conservation Model, which stipulates that law and science should manage wildlife. This model is the result of hunters and anglers who were dedicated to conservation. As anti-hunting pressure becomes louder, it becomes increasingly important to continue and enhance the legacy of the hunter conservationist.

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MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015

Darwin & Wendy Cary 5615 Deadpine Drive Kelowna, BC V1P 1A3

Tel: (250) 491-1885 Cell: (250) 859 4327 Email: info@scooplake.com www.scooplake.com

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Lake Trout, Bull Trout, Arctic Grayling, Dolly Varden, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout & White Fish MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015 |

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MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015

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33

“

Joe

NOT YOUR

AVERAGE

D

uring the fall of 2014, well into my scheduled hunts, I received a message from my good buddy Greg Ray. He asked me if I was available for a last minute booking; a late season, post rut, bull moose hunt. This was most likely going to be the type of high pressure quest that most sane outfitters would run from. The real kicker; not only would I have to find two bull moose in less than perfect conditions, but I would have only six days to do it. The clients were Ben O’Brien of Peterson’s Hunting magazine, and none other than Joe Rogan himself. For those of you that need an introduction; some of Joe’s mainstream endeavors include acting, producing, and hosting TV’s Fear Factor, and commentating for the Ultimate Fighting Championships. Greg Ray, who had hunted with me in the past, figured I was the one that could get the job done. I wasn’t so sure, but I would not be writing this if I had said “no” to the hunt.

November seemed to roll around quicker than I thought possible. With a so-far successful hunting season in my back pocket, I felt I just may be able to pull this one off. My wife, Karen, made the drive to the airport to pick up the photographer, Sam Soholt, and Mr. Rogan. I laughed when she sent me a text “He’s here!” with a quick image of Joe as he entered the airport. Karen loaded the two tired travelers up and started on the two hour drive back to the ranch. Ben was picked up even later, arriving at the ranch late but excited. We kept the intros to a minimum. We knew we had the next few days to get to know one another, and rest was what was most important.

Morning marked the start of our search for a bull and after a good breakfast we were off. I had a solid spot in mind, as I knew there was a good bull there…

CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

34 34 || MOUNTAIN MOUNTAINHUNTER HUNTERMAGAZINE MAGAZINE--SPRING SPRING2015 2015

by Mike Hawkridge

...SOME OF JOE’S MAINSTREAM ENDEAVORS INCLUDE ACTING, PRODUCING, HOSTING TV’S FEAR FACTOR, AND THE COMMENTATOR FOR THE ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP. MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015 |

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 34 there always was. I nosed the pickup off the logging road, we shouldered our packs, and quietly walked down the trail into the swamp. As we eased our way into an area adjacent to a small remote lake I could tell there was sign, but something was just a bit off. The sound of a crow calling out on the top of a spruce made me suspicious. We “camo-ninja’d” up along the edge of a willow flat, following the directions the crow was laying out. Before long we were standing around a day old wolf kill. The wolves had taken down a yearling moose, and with a kill that fresh any bull in the area would either stay quiet, or leave. Either way, it meant that we needed to carry on hunting a different range.

For the next couple of days we worked valley bottoms. These were typical spots for moose hunting in our area post rut. There was plenty of sign that moose were around, just none right now. The decision was made to look at a higher elevation. Looking higher naturally means hiking from the valley bottoms to mountain tops. As guides, we usually can out hike the majority of our clients hands down. Standing at the base of a small mountain preparing to put the sneak-on some unsuspecting moose, I looked over at my client. Reality hit me like a train. This was Joe “freakin-jacked” Rogan. I take pride in my physical abilities, but when my lungs lost air and legs lit on fire, I felt more like “Honey boo-boo” than a hard core hunting guide. When hunting the tops it is all about gaining altitude. The only way to do that is one step at a time. With Joe close in tow, and after about an hour and a half of hiking, we eased to the edge of the timber line. We could hear “protest” calls from some cow moose about 300 yards in front of us. It wasn’t long before we saw the bull causing all the commotion. Before Joe could put the bull in his crosshairs the

REALITY HIT ME LIKE A TRAIN… THIS WAS JOE “FREAKINJACKED” ROGAN. 36 |

MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015

cows decided it was time to bed in the thick timber, and the bull followed. That’s hunting. Sometimes it works out, and other times you’re hiking back down the hill with empty packs.

The weather didn’t want to cooperate and neither did the bulls. Then, on the afternoon of the fourth day our luck changed. After a morning hike we were back in the pickup bouncing down the gravel road. We were heading into camp when I caught a glimpse of a young bull standing in a small clearing. I eased the truck to a stop and Joe quietly, and quickly, got ready for action. We made a hasty stalk back to where I first spotted the bull. Much to my relief he was still standing there looking directly at us. I quickly informed Joe that it was not the biggest bull in the bush, but he was there to harvest for his table and not his wall. I said “Do you want him?” Joe responded “Hell yes!” The bull was thinking about taking

I SAID “DO YOU WANT HIM?” JOE RESPONDED “HELL YES!”

two steps into the timber and disappearing, but a cow call provided the extra split second it took for Joe to shoulder, and fire. The young bull dropped without taking a step, and the entire country heard our caveman roars! Relief, excitement, and complete contentment filled us all; we had accomplished our goal. We made our way to the downed bull, and for a few minutes we stood over the animal, each of us allowing what had just happened to sink in. The prize on this hunt was not a 50 inch rack, it was the 400 lbs of “bush beef”, and with knives in hand we went to work field dressing.

This portion of the hunt was just as important to Joe as everything that had led up to it. He wanted his hands to gut, skin, and quarter. That evening we celebrated and relived the hunt over and over. An event that I’m quite sure echoed back 30,000 years.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015 |

37

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37 The following morning, with a fresh dusting of snow, we made our way once again back to the tall open hill side to spot for the bull we had seen a few days earlier. As we rounded a corner, out at a couple hundred yards, two bulls fed along the road edge. One of the bulls wasted no time in leaving; but I was able to hold the attention of the second bull with a “loving” cow call. A second was all that was needed for Ben to drop the hammer. The big bull made it to the side of the road and toppled over. In a flash Joe lit out in an explosive sprint towards the bull. We hollered out “Where are you going?” but Joe’s feet just kept digging in. When we finally caught up to Joe as he stood looking at the bull, it was clear that he was lost in the moment.

He wanted to completely experience every heart pounding second. As we were all hot on his heels we got to share in the adrenalized wonder. Once again our caveman roars filled the valley bottom.

Again, the cameras came out, and grins were from ear to ear.

Knowing we still had a bunch of work to get done before night fall, I explained that after dressing the big bull, we would simply load it into the back of the truck and head for camp. “We are

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MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015

going to what?” Joe questioned. “Oh it’s easy, I do it all the time with less help” I answered. Now to be clear, I have never loaded an entire big bull into the back of a truck! I know now, it can be done, and we were back at the camp even before the coffee got cold!

As a side note, Joe Rogan is the real deal, and a true sportsman.

Although hunting is something he has embraced later in life, he has studied it, and is passionate about everything hunting. Joe, Ben, and Sam are top notch guys and I would share a campfire with them anywhere. Everyone knew the underlying pressure of this particular hunt, but from the outside looking in, no one would have guessed it from all the goofing and laughter. This hunt was definitely one of the high points of my outfitting and guiding career.

EDITOR’S NOTE: You can reach Big Country Outfitters at 877-482-8569 or www.bigcountryoutfitters.ca

Ph: 250-412-5209 SSIKANNI IKANNI Outfitters R RIVER IVER facebook.com/sikanni

MIKE & DIXIE HAMMETT

GANA RIVER OUTFITTERS LTD. HORSE OR BACKPACK HUNTS RIFLE OR BOW IN CANADA’S NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

Hunt the Beautiful Mackenzie Mountains

P.O. Box 11, Pink Mountain, BC Canada V0C 2B0 Email: sro@sikanniriver.com www.sikanniriver.com

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MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015 |

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MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015

from a LEGAL

PERSPECTIVE

Understanding the North American Model of Conservation increased my grasp of our hunting heritage. Most impacting is realizing that our hunting heritage is based on a political economy that is unique in history: that game management is the result of a merger of government and private consumer hunter interests premised upon individual liberty, firearms ownership and access to private and public land. Our heritage is, borrowing from Sir Isaac Newton, standing on the shoulders of giants: Roosevelt, Leopold and many writers and researchers.

For that we can be proud. We are certainly fortunate.

But I confess to a sense of unease: life is not static, and - by Michal G. Sabbeth having something today is no guarantee we will have it tomorrow. erendipitous meanderings of life’s little streams led to my speaking at the 2014 GOABC Wildlife Symposium. Shane Mahoney spoke passionately of his research I met Keith Balfourd and Shane Mahoney at the regarding caribou and referenced the research of other Boone & Crockett Club’s 2013 convention in Denver. There dedicated people, all nobly seeking to enrich and increase I became aware of the vile ‘social media’ attacks on The game animal populations. These epic efforts require a Dallas Safari Club and its principals regarding Namibia lot of funding and citizen engagement. Thus, there is a auctioning a hunt of an aged barren black rhino. sense of frailty about it all; and a sense of urgency that Michael Sabbeth is a writer and lawyer based in Denver.

He has written the book “The Good, The Bad and the Difference: How to Talk with Children About Values” available on Amazon.com. He is now writing the book “The Honorable Hunter: Defending and Advancing Our Hunting Heritage.” He can be contacted at author@makeyourcasehuntshoot.com

From Black Rhinos to Vancouver

S

I wrote an article about the rhino hunt in Fair Chase, Boone & Crockett’s magazine. Many lessons may be discerned from this episode, including the virulent rhetorical attacks.

At the GOABC Wildlife Symposium I addressed how that analysis can lead to clarity and then, hopefully, action. One may oppose hunting the rhino, I argued, or one can act to preserve the species, but one cannot logically and factually do both. The success of a policy, including its morality, is measured by its consequences, not the intentions of those promoting it. The reality is clear: those who opposed the hunt and threatened its promoters are causing the death of the rhinos (as well as subverting the lives of the human population), not preserving them. The opponents’ positions are factually and morally indefensible.

our dedication to hunting advocacy and conservation be sustained and not allowed to dissipate. I fear that the greatest threat to hunting and conservation is not the antihunter or the social media savages but the welfare state.

When the day comes that the State must choose to allocate its last dollars to welfare payments or to conservation and game wardens, my bet is the game animals lose.

Our land ethic and hunting traditions will not advance themselves; they need advocacy, clarity and a confident affirming rhetorical framework. We cannot win adherents, funding or cultural support unless we can persuade that our causes are just and beneficial. To preserve what we value, we must become, in Ortega y Gasset’s words, the “alert man,” aware of hunting’s pleasures and In her presentation on the revitalization of game animals responsibilities and live and promote the due to hunting in South Africa, Adri Kitshoff, CEO of the highest virtues of hunters.

Professional Hunters Association of South Africa, showed that from 1964 to the present, the estimated number of game animals increased from about half a million to 24 million head of game, with approximately 18 million in private ownership. “There is more land under wildlife and more wildlife itself in the country,” Adri said, “than at any time over the last 100 years.” The data provides clarity: if increasing the number and health of the animals is the goal, then hunting irrefutably achieves those goals. Clarity can be motivating and inspiring; it can create the will to act based on morality, facts and consequences.

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GUIDES gallery WANT TO SEE YOURSELF IN THE GUIDES GALLERY? Submit your photos to programs@goabc.org with the outfitter’s name, species, and harvested date of your animal.

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5 1.

Tim Huckle with his mountain caribou taken with guide Rob Brown of South Nahanni Outfitters

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Michael Pepi from NY with his mountain goat taken with Babine Guide Outfitters

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Joe Conard from NC shows off his Dall sheep taken with Bonnet Plume Outfitters

MOUNTAIN HUNTER MAGAZINE - SPRING 2015

6 4.

Justin Shellhammer from SD with his black bear taken with Skinner Creek Hunts

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John Green with his sheep taken with Collingwood Bros. Guides and Outfitters

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Jessica Kimbell shows off her moose taken with Collingwood Bros. Guides and Outfitters

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Steve McFadden with his mule deer measuring 203 3-8 taken with Shadow Mountain Outfitters

10. Terry Gerber showing off his sheep taken with Mackenzie Mountain Outfitters

8.

Matt Raass from UT with his black bear taken with Copper River Outfitters

11. Mike Adams with his moose measuring 55 inches, taken with Little Dease Ventures

9.

JP Duette from CA with her color phase bear taken with Big Country Outfitters

12. Dave Aldridge from OR shows off his bull moose taken with Double Eagle Outfitters

13. Guide Travis Houle with hunter Dave Steinhauser from TX with their bull moose taken with Big Country Outfitters 14. Hubert Swarek from Poland shows off his moose taken with guide Brett Lucas of Nahanni Butte Outfitters

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BEARS &

Incredible Adventures

by Joan Fuhse

“

D

o you want to go bear drive is not the best idea. hunting?” I didn’t have to After three days of driving we made it think about it, of course I to camp. The scenery during our ride wanted to go! I have never understood was gorgeous! I wish I could show you why my dad asks me if I want to go a picture that would accurately capture hunting; he should really just ask me when the magnificent scene, but I just can’t.

I want to go hunting. The arrangements It is something you simply have to were made and soon we would begin the see for yourself. Please note that I’m long drive to the beautiful southern part a little biased as I absolutely love the of British Columbia. mountains!

Before we began the trip, however, I The crew we had on this hunt was had my dreaded college assignments to phenomenal. Judy and Cassidy were finish. I’m basically the procrastination our incredibly talented cooks. Stefanie, queen, so it didn’t come as a surprise Steven’s wife, was a big help as well! She when I still had college finals to finish kept me up-to-date with my college work the night before we left for the hunt. I that my mom would send for me. Steven, watched everyone go to sleep, and wake the owner of Ram Creek Outfitters, up the next morning. I now know that had years of experience that served pulling an all-nighter before a three day

us well on this hunt. Brodie was a big help around camp and out on the trail.

Thankfully, he was the youngest, which means everyone defaulted to picking on him instead of me. Tyler, like his dad Steve, was also very knowledgeable about the area. To sum it all up, the whole crew was very accommodating, caring, and knowledgeable. What more could you ask for?

After getting into camp we went for an afternoon hunt. We saw a small black bear and a beautiful chocolate color phase black bear. It was an exciting afternoon! It made me want to jump right out of bed the next morning to go hunting.

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 47 Unfortunately, the next morning I woke up feeling really sick, so I slept through the morning. We went out for another afternoon hunt and saw a sow grizzly and two cubs. I should note that we saw many, many, animals throughout this hunt.

I couldn’t even begin to tell you how many mountain goats, elk, sheep, and deer we saw during the hunt! Day five rolled around and we spotted another four grizzly bears. They were all sows, so we passed on them.

On day six, we decided to look for one of those beautiful black bears that we had seen on previous days. It was a gorgeous morning as we hiked into a logging block to glass. We spotted a black bear in the distance and decided to sneak around for a closer look. The wind was in our faces and everything was looking favorable. We peaked over the little hill that had been concealing our figures and saw two black bears – perfect! The boar was about two hundred yards away. Steve helped me get a solid rest and we waited for the boar to stop broadside. As soon as it was in the right position, I fired a shot.

Down he went! How many of you have heard of the hunting term “ground shrinkage?” The term refers to the idea that the animal is a total brute in the scope, but once you approach it, it’s a lot smaller than originally thought. I’m not sure what the opposite of ground shrinkage is. Ground growth? Ground enlargement?

Anyway, we experienced something like that. The bear looked good in the scope but looked phenomenal on the ground! What we originally thought to be a six foot bear turned into a big six foot, eight inch bear!

Day seven turned out to be another very exciting day. We didn’t see much in the morning, but during the afternoon we witnessed a fight between two sows. The sow we had seen the second day, along with her two cubs in the background, started brawling with another sow. What a show! We even managed to get some of it on camera. Whether or not my dad will admit it, he is a phenomenal camera man! On days eight, nine, and ten we saw several bears and many other animals as well. I’ve been on many hunts where animals seem non-existent. It becomes rather dull to go several days without seeing any animals, but this certainly did not happen at Ram Creek! On day eleven, we saw ten grizzly bears without moving from our glassing spot. The bad news was that they were all sows and cubs.

It was almost the last day and we had only two more days left to hunt. We had hunted hard and we were prepared to put in two more long days. We had been to three different camps, we hiked, drove, and rode miles by this point.

I was not complaining, as the scenery was absolutely

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breathtaking, but I wasn’t looking forward to going home without a grizzly bear. Steve said, on the eleventh day he hoped we would see two more bears. You might be asking, why two more? He went on to explain, “One boar with a sow.”

The total grizzly count was twenty-one and we were hoping to make it twenty-three.

Day twelve started out as many of the other days had. We didn’t see a large grizzly like we were hoping. That afternoon we rode back to a familiar spot. It was the same area we had seen the sows fighting just several days before. Any hunter will tell you, when things begin to happen, they transpire very quickly. That was certainly the case for us! We hardly had time to sit down when we spotted two bears across from us. There was no doubt that one bear was a boar. He was an absolute monster! Steven helped me set up with the .340 and I took a shot. The bear rolled as soon as the bullet made contact but he got up and started moving again. I followed up with a second shot. My first shot had taken out the top of both lungs and the opposite shoulder. It simply goes to show the incredible strength and will power that these animals possess.

The bear was a giant; I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I couldn’t even pick up the bear’s head! For photos we had to prop the head up.

This was the most incredible trophy I have ever taken. I’ll be surprised if I ever take such an outstanding animal ever again in my hunting career. As usual, my dad pulled out the video camera. I had no clue what to say; I was speechless! What can you say after harvesting such an animal? All I could do was admire the beautiful bear in front of me. After drying the skull and taking the official measurements, we learned that it was 24 3/16 inches. What an amazing animal!

I really cannot say enough wonderful things about Ram Creek Outfitters. A big thank you to the entire group! I would also like to say a special thanks to my dad for taking me hunting. I am blessed beyond words to be able to go hunting and experience these incredible adventures. Last but not least, I want to thank my friends and family at home for cheering me on and supporting everything I do in my hunting career.

EDITOR’S NOTE: You can reach Ram Creek Outfitters at 877-726-2735 or www.ramcreek.ca

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FORMERLY R

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portrait of an

ARTIST Laurel Barbieri

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Accidental Beauty in Nature:

MODERN CAVE PAINTING

By Chris Eberhart and Laurel Barbieri

A

rt is always an expression of individual experience. To be moved by artistic work is to share an almost intimate experience. There is a lot of art that I find aesthetically pleasing and exquisitely crafted, but that just doesn’t strike that chord of emotion. You can’t separate the art from the artist, and you can’t separate the emotions of the observer from the artistic experience. The intrinsic meaning of art is subjective and dependent on perspective. There is no such thing as objectivity in such matters. The feeling of encountering something special and personally moving is completely visceral.

It hits you like a rock, and you feel it to your very core. I had an experience like this at the SCI Convention in Las Vegas in February when I happened to stroll by the artistic expression of Laurel Barbieri.

After casually looking at the work of literally hundreds of the world’s best and most well-known nature artists I was stopped cold in my tracks. The works took my breath away. Immediately I was drawn to the intense color and texture. But it was the symbols of the eternal hunter that utterly captivated my imagination. These same symbols have been slumbering in my hunter’s awareness since childhood.

They were formed in me by a childhood spent growing and learning amongst the forest and its inhabitants, and indeed since the childhood of humanity, as witnessed by the similar motifs in the caves of Lascaux, or the designs on the cliffs and rocks in the traditional homeland of the San people, or the dreamtime reflections on stone of the Australian Aborigines. The archetypical images immediately had the allure of the warmth of a slow-burning fire around which hunters share their tales of success, failure, and dreams, but also the whisper of secrets hidden in a façade of bright color, an optimistic view to the future despite the dark struggles of our past.

As I studied the brilliant colors with more texture than I had ever seen in any painting an urge came over me to reach out and run my fingers across the designs, each of them awakening long buried memories closely tied to my path as a hunter. Swept away in my own thoughts I was a bit startled when Laurel politely introduced herself. “Wow!” I stammered, thinking that something more profound should part my lips, almost blushing at my base reaction. Laurel smiled, obviously taking my single word stammer as a compliment, and started talking. Her kind words made me feel comfortable, and were an invitation to look closer, to ask questions, and to explore her world. That day we spoke at length, and again the following day, and the day after that. I felt a definite connection to the art and the artist. Her expression was simultaneously universal and personal.

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 53 Since then I’ve discovered much more about the artist and where she finds her inspiration. Laurel is well known in North America; in fact, I had previously noticed her work when it appeared in Hunting Classics Magazine, which struck me suddenly mid-conversation much later. Her painting style is autodidactic and unparalleled. She has never taken an art class in her life. Where an artist finds her muse is always an intriguing question. That Laurel’s youth was spent in the wild coastal rainforests of the American Northwest speaks volumes.

Until she was sixteen, Laurel’s life could best be described as a Grizzly Adams, Mountain Man lifestyle. She grew up in a rustic, primitive three-bedroom house nestled in the remote foothills of Mt. Olympus. That small house sits on thirty-six acres in an emerald paradise known as the Olympic Rain Forest, located in the northwest corner of Washington state.

She was born the eighth child of thirteen; all still living, including her parents, who still live in the same location, but now in a newly constructed home.

on a wood-burning furnace that sat below their house on a dirt floor in what could generously be described as a basement.

“More often than not, that furnace was just enough to take the chill off the never-ending damp, Pacific Northwest air.

“Arriving home from school, we had no time to waste as there were chores to be done, with daylight burning, homework would have to wait. The daily chores included hunting, fishing, milking the cow, chopping wood, gathering wild greens, and the list went on.” She explains. That early hunting and gathering lifestyle of necessity marked her for life. Laurel is still an enthusiastic huntress.

Laurel’s summers were often spent living in the freedom of the old growth wilderness that had become her playground.

“I spent many nights sleeping in the different forts that my brothers and I had crudely lashed together with salvaged rope and branches,” she says.

At the age of sixteen, Laurel left the mountains, “believing I was leaving it all behind, to spread my wings in the real world, and live my life.” Years later, she found herself in a successful As Laurel would say, “that setting made for a very interesting career with a focus on K-12 educational technology, believing childhood. Growing up, we were met with a wide variety of that lifestyle would satisfy her. “Indeed life was good, I had challenges. Water was often scarce, as the well worked only my own home, swimming pool, two beautiful daughters occasionally, often freezing in the winter and running dry in and a Black Lab named Scout. I was enjoying living in the the summer.” warmth and beauty of the Hill Country in Austin, Texas.” Still, Laurel learned early to be self-reliant. Her family depended something deep within Laurel kept calling her.

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“A few years ago, I returned to live in the Pacific Northwest.

I chose Portland, Oregon, where it’s much warmer than, and not as rainy as the Olympic Mountains; I have reacquainted myself with the woods where I grew up. Tall, majestic evergreens and the snow-covered Cascade Mountain Range, spotted with vast fields of sparkling glaciers offer a solace I cannot find elsewhere. As I walk these woods, my mind shifts naturally into neutral, allowing me to wander without direction, all of my thoughts and senses absorbed, examining the abundance of interesting shapes, colors and textures.

Then, catching myself, I realize I have forgotten my worries, and I am completely captivated by the beauty of the land.

Here, immersed in the fresh air, cradled in these wild woods, I know this is where I belong.”

the spacious caves. Since then I have continued to refine my method and art form, eventually coining the term, ‘Relief Sculpture’ to describe my work.”

Laurel’s Relief Sculpture Art is more dimensional than a painting on a flat canvas, yet it is not entirely a threedimensional sculpture, either. “My inspiration for Relief Sculpture Art came from ancient cave drawings that I have been intrigued with since childhood. My goal throughout the development process is to create an organic, textured

surface while at the same time visually depicting the coarse irregularities of rock. Equally important to me is to emphasize the meandering cracks found in rock walls and the colorful mineral deposits creating what I call ‘the accidental beauty in nature.’ When completed, each original Relief Sculpture Art and creativity have been a motivating force in Laurel’s painting has fifty or more layers of paint and is uniquely life as long as she can remember. “Until a few years ago, different unto itself. To replicate the sculpted foundation and I had only thought of my art as a hobby. However, when I layers of paint in any piece would be impossible, making each became aware that hunters and art collectors alike were Relief Sculpture painting an absolute one-of-a-kind work of feeling an emotional pull toward my art and expressing their art.” enthusiasm for it, I wondered if I had chosen the right path in life. While talking with many people after they had time to admire different pieces and absorb my work, I discovered a common thread among them. Each felt a close connection to Laurel Barbieri’s art speaks for itself. To find out more: our human heritage, specifically to the ancient and primitive times when wealth was measured by successful hunting and

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The Cook’s

CARIB

I’VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT, AND PROBABLY NEVER WILL AGAIN.

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OU

by Terry Gerber

B

oy it was cold, really cold. I was lying under a spruce tree at four in the morning in the Mackenzie Mountains in Canada’s Northwest Territories. Dawn was about 3 hours away and it was pitch black dark. The temperature was -4 degrees Celsius. No tent. No sleeping bag. The sky was clear.

All the stars were out and the moon was a waning, thin, golden sliver. The northern lights were spectacular, soaring down from the heavens, shifting and moving across the sky, filling the entire northern horizon from west to east. I’ve never seen anything like it, and probably never will again. The only sound was that of a nearby unnamed creek rushing its way down the mountain. I was so cold, and I wondered if Jody could hear me shivering. My guide, Jody Peck (who started the day as the camp cook), was about 4 feet away and just as cold as I was. Neither of us was dressed very warm. Jody had a light down jacket, but other than that we were just wearing early fall weight hunting clothes and rain gear. We decided it was time to rekindle our little willow brush fire.

I heard worldwide hunting personality, Jim Shockey, say that once in a while when hunting, due to bad weather or other extreme conditions, that there have been times when he wished he was anywhere else in the world except where he was at that moment. I’ve been there, but this wasn’t one of those times. We were both very cold, and it wasn’t comfortable, but we both knew we could tough it out. Besides, the setting was so awesome!

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 59 When recounting my hunting experiences to my family and friends I’ve often told them it’s not an adventure until something goes wrong. That’s probably not quite fair, especially for the hunter experiencing his first horseback or backpack hunt. And certainly too, because every hunt that you make and every animal that you take brings its own special thrill and excitement, it never really is routine. But when something does go wrong things can get pretty interesting.

This was my third trip with Stan Stevens’ Mackenzie Mountain Outfitters. I had previously taken two hunts with them for Dall sheep. Stan, his wife Helen, their sons Dan and Glen, and the rest of the guide staff do a wonderful job of putting their hunting clients in a position to be successful. Client is probably not the right term, you’re a friend the minute you get off the plane. The Mackenzie Mountains were magnificent, the alpine scenery was spectacular, and the game was abundant.

It is truly the last great wilderness in North America.

I was here primarily for Alaska/Yukon Moose. My guide was Glen Stevens, Stan’s youngest son. Glen was 28 years old, in great shape, and a bit of a free spirit, great fun to hunt with.

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He’d been packing and guiding for at least 10 years, knew how to take care of a 66 year old hunter, and most of all knew how to hunt moose. We had been dropped off along the river and we set up our tents in a small clearing among the willow brush, dwarf poplar, and spruce trees.

The next day after waiting out early morning fog we finally broke camp at about ten in the morning. Glen suggested we make for the shoulder of a mountain that was protruding out into the river valley from where we could gain enough elevation to glass for moose. The going was pretty tough through willow brush and muskeg all the while climbing. The last hundred yards or so got pretty steep. We made it in about 90 minutes. According to my GPS we were situated about a mile and a half southwest from our spike camp and 725 feet above the valley floor. We could see for several miles north and south along our side of the river. Across the river was off limits as that hunting area belonged to the neighboring outfitter. We settled in for the glassing. The day was cloudy and overcast with a slight breeze. Occasionally the sun would break out for a few minutes. We stripped off some of our

clothes to hang on the willow brush to dry the sweat off from our hike and climb. We saw absolutely no game for about five hours. Glen managed to get in his afternoon snooze. I stayed awake, content to glass for game and soak in the beautiful mountain scenery. There is a lot more to these hunts than pulling the trigger.

At about four thirty Glen woke up, glassed up and down the river, and spotted a bull moose about five miles north of us and about a mile off the river. He put the spotting scope on him and said, “That’s what we’re looking for Terry. He’s a good one!” We watched him through our binoculars and the spotting scope, browsing, raking the willow brush, and working his way toward us for a couple of hours. Eventually at about six thirty he laid down. Glen figured he was down for the night. At that point he was about a mile and a half north of our camp. Glen said we should go back to our camp and that he would be able to call him in, in the morning.

We arrived back at our spike camp and Glen went to the river to get some water for cooking. I began gathering dry pieces of wood and breaking them up to start making a fire to cook our supper. After he got back from the river Glen went

to the tent to get our food. He quietly called back, “Get your gun, I think that bull is coming in!” At that point we could not see him back in the poplars and spruce trees, but we could hear him raking the trees and coming toward us. Glen began calling and banging a couple of sticks together. The bull kept getting closer. After about twenty minutes of calling he came out of the trees and into the willow brush about one hundred and fifty yards away from our tents. We could not see his body, but his antlers were clearly visible above the brush.

Glen kept calling and the bull kept coming. He didn’t stop until he was about 40 yards away, looking directly at us and the tents. His head and huge antlers were above the brush, but we still could not see his body. We were both kneeling next to the tents. Then the bull turned and slowly began quartering away from us from right to left, not frightened, but definitely leaving. He cleared a brushy thicket, stopped, looked back at us, and presented a broadside shot at fifty yards. I heard the thump of my bullet hitting him behind the shoulder and he bolted, quartering away to the left. He again cleared some brush and a few trees and stopped again at 88 yards. Now I was standing. I shot him again in the same place and he fell over. We got him!

We walked over to him and I realized that this was easily the biggest bull moose I had ever shot!

The noise I had made gathering and busting up sticks had drawn our moose right to our camp!

Maybe nothing has to go wrong after all to have an adventure. The next morning Glen radioed Stan.

He picked us, our meat, and our trophy up at about noon and took us back to base camp. I didn’t know it, but the real adventure was yet to come.

As Stan and every other outfitter can tell you, things don’t always go as planned. Every once in a while every outfitter, despite meticulous planning, because of unforeseen circumstances and through no fault of his own, will find himself in the situation of having more hunters than guides. Such was the case when we got back to base camp. Stan needed Glen to guide another hunter for moose. As this was my third trip with his outfit, Stan somewhat apologetically approached me to ask if I would mind it if the camp cook filled in as the guide to help me fill my caribou tag. My new guide would be a girl.

Not a problem. This was no ordinary girl, this was Jody Peck. I have known Jody for almost 7 years. I first met her when she was cooking for Tuchodi River Outfitters in British Columbia. She had virtually been raised in hunting camps. She

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 61 is a descendant of the Peck family that had helped pioneer the outfitting business in British Columbia. Starting from the time she was 4 four years old, helping her mother cook in hunting camps, she had held every hunting camp job imaginable (cook’s helper, cook, camp hand, wrangler, packer, guide’s assistant, and guide). I knew that Jody was perfectly capable of putting me on a trophy quality caribou.

shooter but he’s a long way off. Do you want to go back to camp, or go get him?”

I knew from experience that caribou don’t usually hang around for long. I made the decision to go for him.

now was to stalk him through the middle of the herd without spooking the whole works. After waiting for a group of fifteen to pass within twenty yards of us, we dropped down into the creek bottom, and snuck toward our guy using the creek bank and the willow brush for cover. We made it through the majority of the herd, and came up out of the creek about six hundred and fifty yards from the group. We then crept toward him through the grassy hummocks without any cover. Predictably the whole bunch started to get nervous and began pulling out. It was time to shoot. With nothing available for a rest, I got down on one knee for the offhand shot. Jody ranged him at 270 yards. We waited for the bull to clear himself of some cows and calves and two smaller bulls. I shot and he went down. We got him! The cook’s caribou! I don’t know who was happier, me or Jody! I usually get a handshake and a slap on the back, this time I got a hug!

The stalk took another couple of hours.

We stayed as high as we could, sidehilling the slopes leading up to the mountains, and trying to stay out of the hummocks. We lost sight of the caribou herd from time to time due to Shortly after noon the following day we the undulating terrain. As we got closer decided to take a little scouting trip to we caught sight of more and more see if there were any caribou migrating caribou in the drainage occupied by through the area to their winter feeding the group we were stalking. When we grounds. It was a beautiful clear sunny finally came around the edge of the last day, temperatures in the mid-fifties. We outcropping we realized that we were grabbed a few items for our backpacks surrounded by a herd of perhaps one and headed north out of camp to go hundred and fifty caribou! They were around the upper end of the lake. We in several bunches of fifteen to thirty made our way across some marshland, animals, and were grazing their way crossed a small creek emptying into down the drainage toward the river. the head of the lake, and then climbed What an amazing sight! There were the steep hillside rising above the lake’s three or four other mature bulls, but west side. It was not an easy climb. none as big as the one we were after.

There was plenty of opportunity to get He was across the creek that bisected We didn’t have much time to celebrate. winded. We rested twice. Once on top the drainage and at the very back of the It was now about seven in the evening. we hiked straight west toward a range herd, still a half a mile away. Our problem The sun would soon be down behind of dark purple mountain peaks. The area we were on was a rolling plain of grassy hummocks interspersed with the occasional boulder field. Both can be tough to walk on. We found several vantage points to glass the valleys and slopes that we encountered. For a couple of hours, and a couple of miles, we saw nothing but grass, rocks, and hillsides.

Then Jody spotted a small herd of about a dozen caribou far to the south, maybe three or four miles. They were just black spots on the green hillside and could have been mistaken for rocks, but they were moving. We decided to get closer and get a better look. After about a half a mile Jody pulled out the spotting scope and was able to pick out the white mane of a bull. Another half mile of closure revealed a great set of antlers! It was now about four thirty in the afternoon. Jody said, “It’s decision time. He’s definitely a

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the mountain peaks to the west, and we still had a lot of work to do. The caping and butchering took us about two hours.

Jody proved herself to be an expert at caping. I pitched in as I always do, doing the (back) end. We had everything packed up and ready to go at about nine thirty. We both had tremendously heavy loads, caribou are not small! Jody took the spotting scope, cape, horns, and as much meat as she could carry. I took the rest of the meat and my rifle. Thankfully, neither of us had much personal gear.

We were starting to run out of daylight and had five or six miles to get back to camp.

We made our way back down through the hummocks to firmer ground along the creek bank. It still was not easy walking, but we made pretty good time until it got dark. We put on our head lamps and kept going. I was having a pretty hard time. The pack was too heavy and I was stumbling a lot because of night vision problems due to cataract surgery a year or so ago. I fell a couple of times and began to drop behind Jody a bit. At one point, not realizing how close we were to the creek, I stepped off the creek bank and fell head first about six or eight feet into the rocks below! The barrel of my rifle secured on my pack and extending about 10 inches above my head hit the rocks first, and flipped me end over end onto my back. Luckily, I came back up the bank with only a couple of scratches on the top of my head. It scared the heck out of Jody. A half hour later, at about eleven thirty, we realized we weren’t going to make it back to camp, and decided to look for cover to spend the night.

I SHOT AND HE WENT DOWN. WE GOT HIM! THE COOK’S CARIBOU!

The spruce tree hotel. Somehow, in the dark, in the middle of nothing but willow brush and hummocks Jody had managed to find a lone little spruce tree.

We had no tent or sleeping bags. We managed to get a little fire going

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 63 with willow brush, and shared the one can of fish we had for supper (we decided to save the only candy bar we had for breakfast). Because there was so little fuel available we let the fire go out at about midnight and crawled under the spruce tree to wait out the night. Due to the cold neither of us slept at all.

After splitting our candy bar for breakfast, we got enough daylight at seven thirty to get under our packs again and begin walking. We followed the creek downstream for about a half a mile, forded it, climbed the bank, and set out for the south end of the lake. We had to slog it through hummocks for more than a mile. The going was terrible. We had to rest about every 100 steps. Jody had to reset her pack several times because the caribou antlers were digging into the back of her legs. At about ten in the morning we finally reached the lower end of the lake. We dropped our packs, and walked the 2 miles of shoreline to camp, arriving about eleven thirty.

Jody (reverting back to cook mode) made us a couple of BLT sandwiches for lunch. Later in the day another guide arrived

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and he and Jody took a motor boat back down the lake to retrieve our packs. What a hunt!

I can’t say enough about Jody. She performed every guide duty as well as any guide I have ever had. Not to mention, she walked me into the ground and out packed me! And I’m no slouch.

Mackenzie Mountain Outfitters has never let me down. They have a terrific game rich guide area and, as exemplified by Glen and Jody, very talented staff. Eight hunters had come into base camp on the first day. Every hunter left tagged out.

Thinking back, I’m not so sure anything really went wrong, even though Jody and I did have to tough it out. I will never hesitate to describe this hunt as a real adventure!

EDITOR’S NOTE: You can reach Mackenzie Mountain Outfitters at 250-719-8340 or www.mmo-stanstevens.com

Mackenzie Mountain Outfitters Stan Stevens Recent Trophies

proceed with printing

icated

Phone # 250-719-8340 www.mmo-stanstevens.com mmostanstevens@gmail.com Facebook Mackenzie Mountain Outfitters

ail approval or any changes to sawyer@goabc.org.

FORMERLY RED APPLE CREATIVE

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CAMP COOK’S

Corner

Moose Sukiyaki 1-1/2 lbs moose steak cut in thin slices, 2” long x 1/2” wide 2 Tbsp. salad oil 3/4 cup soya sauce 1/4 cup sugar 2 medium onions sliced thin

1/4 cup mushroom stock 1 green pepper - sliced thin 1 cup sliced celery 1 can bamboo shoots sliced thin 1 bunch green onions 1” length

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in fry pan; add meat and brown lightly.

Mix soya sauce, sugar and mushroom stock and add 1/2 to meat. Push meat aside and saute onion, green pepper and celery. Add remainder of soya sauce liquid, bamboo shoots and mushrooms. Add green onion tops.

Cook one minute more. Stir well and serve immediately.

Serve with rice.

Serves 6.

Nadeen Leonard Stone Mtn. Safaris More recipes available from our cookbook “Recipes From the Kitchens & Camps of the Guide Outfitters of British Columbia”.

Email info@goabc.org to purchase your own copy for $20 +shipping & handling.

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I

am pleased to present Mountain Hunter’s™ newest column, That Some May Follow. Back in 1969, the GOABC

commissioned Leo Rutledge to write “That Some May Follow.” At this time, the association was still in its infancy, but back to the 1800s. When I first entered the guide outfitting there was already a sense that something was special about industry in my 30s I quickly fell in love with the lifestyle.

I was also captivated by all the stories, both the humorous our industry. ones, and the ones describing the incredible challenges. My Rutledge had a love for outfitters and a unique story-telling outfitter mentors included Tompkins, Bradfords, and the ability. Written in Rutledge’s distinctive warm and rambling Collingwoods. vernacular, the book is filled with tales about the legends of our industry. Although limited copies of That Some May Follow In the second edition of That Some May Follow and within this were printed and our office still receives many requests for column, I hope to once again capture the spirit of the industry, introducing some of the key personalities, joys, and struggles the book. of the last forty years. BC’s guide outfitting industry is much In the last five years, the GOABC has again made documenting more than hunting; it is the sense of family and camaraderie, our history a priority. Collecting stories and photos has been an both with the clients and colleagues. It is sharing experiences ongoing project. We’ve created a historical film that provides while pursuing big game in the wild backcountry of British government and our peers a glimpse into our industry’s Columbia. background. Rutledge named our objective of this initiative so accurately: we believe there is value in maintaining this Next year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the GOABC history so that some may follow. My intent is to pay tribute in Victoria. We want to ensure we reflect upon the path to the pioneer outfitters and their stories through this new taken as we plan for the next 50 years. We have a proud column.

past and I want to celebrate our successes.

Guide outfitters are the founders of the tourism industry I hope you look forward to reading this column as much as in BC with several long-time family-run businesses dating I enjoy writing it.

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Partners in Conservation Excellence Ram Creek Outfitters and Stone Mountain Safaris are working together to promote wildlife conservation.

Steven & Stefanie Leuenberger Box 27, Wardner, BC V0B 2J0 Tel: 250.429.3238 Toll Free: 1.877.726.2735 hunting@ramcreek.ca www.ramcreek.ca 70 |

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Leif & Kellie Olsen Box 7870, Toad River, BC V0C 2X0 Tel: 250.232.5469 hunts@stonemountainsafaris.com leif@stonemountainsafaris.com www.stonemountainsafaris.com facebook.com/stonemountainsafaris