Successful Hunter Nov-Dec 2018

As a kid who, at the time, had just bought his first pickup, I chased mule deer around as often as work and school would allow. During that formative time, school was less important than deer hunting. School was, to my adolescent thinking, less important than hunting just about anything – wild chukars, valley quail, feral hogs, waterfowl, skunks . . . you name it. ...Read More >

When Keith Pullins drew a limited elk tag in South Dakota, he couldn’t express his excitement enough. He had been applying for the special elk license for 10 years, and his dream hunt was about to become a reality. Keith had only been on two other elk hunts in his lifetime, and both were in Idaho where tags are more easily obtained. Pullins shot a small 5x5 on one of the Idaho hunts but had much bigger expectations for his home-state elk adventure. ...Read More >

Following a move to northwest Arizona nearly a decade ago, regular opportunities to hunt feral hogs have been sorely missed. And I mean sorely! This is mainly due to the state having very few hogs – and the climbing nonresident license fees in nearby California that have become discouraging. ...Read More >

Intermittent flashes of fur could be seen as the coyote worked a brushy draw to sneak downwind of the caller’s remote speaker – never giving up a shot opportunity. It was the third coyote in a day and a half of hard hunting that had taken this approach, and I had a pretty good idea what was going on. ...Read More >

The procession of elk on the contour of a steep slope just below me was unnerving. I had dropped into a forest of squatty evergreens from above treeline and almost immediately encountered elk. Here they were, so close I might have whacked the light brown ribs of a matronly cow with a stone on an underhanded toss. Severely outnumbered and practically surrounded, I was more worried about being detected than trampled, though the latter seemed at least a remote possibility. ...Read More >

It’s not the destination, it’s the journey. So sayeth the group therapists who presume to advise all and sundry on how to live their lives. For once, however, I cannot sneer: With that one, they are dead on, and doubly so when it comes to hunting. ...Read More >

It was a chance encounter and an exhilarating sight for a mule deer hunter – nine mature bucks marching in formation down the spine of a sparsely brushed ridge less than 200 yards away. A full hour after sunrise, their gait was purposeful but not hurried. Lead by a massive-bodied, heavy-antlered 4x4, the brace of bachelor bucks turned south and disappeared single file into a deep, brush-choked canyon. Scouting in early August along the Sitgreaves National Forest interface with the White Mountain Apache Reservation in eastern Arizona, I was looking for fresh sign and a couple of good trail camera locations for a bowhunt later in the month. There was just one problem: These bucks were on the wrong side of the fence. ...Read More >

Nearly 20 years ago, I found myself climbing high on a ridgeline before the morning sun peaked over the mountains to the east. I was expecting to get to a vantage point and glass the lower hillsides and basins. Finally making it to the rock outcrop that would become my daybreak perch, the sky began to turn a lighter hue of purple. Shapes of deer emerged from the shadows below, and picking out antlers became easier as the morning waned on. ...Read More >

The buck showed itself on a warm August morning. An expanse of pastureland and wheat fields at the base of a low mountain on my family’s ranch was the perennial summer home of a pronghorn herd. Its number varied by season, sometimes containing as few as a dozen animals; at other times representing as many as 40. In early summer, a number of bucks might be found hanging about the band. But as daylight waned and grasses yellowed toward the end of July, a dominant buck inevitably became the sovereign of the herd. Winters were a bit harsh and the elevation slightly high for nurturing trophy bucks. Nonetheless, “nice” bucks with 13-inch horns of respectable mass and prong sometimes left their hoofprints on the grainfields and the native shortgrass prairie. ...Read More >

What I remembered about the motorcycle accident was the bike sliding away across the empty intersection and sparks grinding off the kickstand in the smokey morning light. Merrilee slid to a stop and stood her bike flat-footed as I bounced off the pavement; it was a delayed bounce. I had gone down on my left hip, my left arm pinned against my ribcage. I noticed a sharp stab in my ribs as I jumped up and walked over to my bike. It was still running – the faithful machine deserved a better rider. ...Read More >

For an entire week I had been getting into elk by walking right out of the house. There had been a close call with a talkative 6x7 bull, but I blew that by tiptoeing when I should have ran. Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but one rule stands: A hunter will seldom kill elk without maintaining an aggressive bent. That morning I had been giddy to witness such a bull so close to home, but within a few days – admittedly hunting those bulls much too conservatively for fear of losing the easy pickings – they moved on and sent me on the prowl once more. ...Read More >

The rugged Mark V Subalpine joined two existing models in the women’s series: the Mark V Camilla Deluxe and the Vanguard Camilla. All share the same specialized stock geometry developed by consulting female shooters. The stock features a slim forearm and a 13-inch length of pull. The narrow pistol grip has a short grip-to-trigger reach for smaller hands. A high comb provides an optimal cheek weld and eye/scope alignment for a natural balance and fast shouldering. A lightweight carbon fiber stock and weather-resistant CERAKOTE metal coating were combined to create a nimble firearm that stands up to harsh hunting conditions. ...Read More >