Him

I don't have much time to write, there has been so much happening. I don't think I'll be able to keep this updated anymore. I'm trying to get myself out of here. But there's too much to keep writing actively.

I thought he was so normal. He was so kind. Wait. I can hear him. He's coming.

My life is in danger.

An Unusual Rumor

I'm staying in a small town in the mid-west for a hunting tournament - I'd prefer to leave the tiny community anonymous because I don't want some crazy little rumor to drum up all this trouble and ruin the reputation they have from the great hunting out here. The other day I was in town loading up on some supplies when I overhead some freaked out kids telling the Sheriff that some guy had taken aim at him out in the wilderness just outside of town. The Sheriff waved it off as just some kids who drank too much and were fooling around and then got scared, but the fear in this poor kid was palpable.

Now, I doubt that there's anyone out here trying to shoot some kids. It's more like the property owner was just trying to scare them off because they may have entered his woods accidentally. But some of the townsfolk have been talking about a stretch of woods that are cursed, and it seems like that's where the kids were. Pretty interesting, but I'm sure it's nothing.

I'm headed out to that area to do some hunting tomorrow, so I'll be on the lookout for some loony with a gun!

A Few More Trips

My best friend, Len, and I have been taking some more trips to do some hunting. Recently we went to do some pheasant hunting, which didn't end quite well for me. I had an off day and only bagged a single bird, which is fine since I don't particularly care for pheasant anyway.

It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the hospitality of some big name hunters out in South Dakota. Our host also happened to be a fantastic cook and made us some amazing pheasant roasts that were one of the most amazing things I've ever eaten - yes, even better than the ostrich I had two years ago that I had freshly killed in Africa. It was that unbelievable!

The sunset was fantastic!

We got in last week from a trip to Switzerland where I nailed a fantastic 8 point buck. Not my highest count, by far, but I'll be damned if this wasn't a great experience. So many hunters complain that deer don't offer enough of a challenge, but I swear this beast was so intelligent. I had to track him for 4 hours before I finally got him in my sights, and even then I slipped on some snow and accidentally spooked him. It was another 2 hours before I caught up to him and got him.

I gave the venison to a friend of mine over there and had the head mounted and shipped back home. It will make a fine addition to the pelts and head mounts that I have in the den. I may even have to move that bear so I can mount it near the fire place and bricks. It'll look fantastic!

The beautiful 8 points!

New Book

I have a new book coming out in 2 months. It will highlight all of my hunting trips, tips, and stories for the last year and a half. There are some pretty great photos from my trip to Africa, including what I did with the pelt after the kill.

 I was lucky enough to snap this picture of the beast when I first arrived.

When I was at the expo the other day I had the opportunity to talk about the book, titled The Great Art of Hunting, and I met some really great fans and heard some really awesome stories about their recent hunts. It was a lot of fun.

Hey Africa!

My trip to Africa went better than expected! I only had to build two net traps before I caught the lion. It was so much more amazing than using a gun, really. I also got to try out the bow a little bit more, it was an incredible trip. 

Unfortunately I’m a bit tired, I just got in a few hours ago and I’ve got to be up for another expo tomorrow morning. I promise I’ll post some more soon!

Traps and Snares

I’ve been practicing my traps and snares lately when I’m out tracking game. Yesterday I spent my time trying to perfect a net trap to use on larger animals. I have a trip to Africa coming up in a few weeks and will be hunting my second lion. Last time it went well, but I found that using a gun was less exciting than I thought and the trip was over sooner than expected. I decided to give trapping another try and have been working on building nets from raw materials in the woods and trying to trap my hunting dog Blue. 

Yesterday I set up the trap, securing the net to a frame work above some bait to lure in Blue. The first few times the net caught on the frame when it was released and Blue just ended up walking away after a full belly. But once I was able to work out the kinks it went much smoother and I caught him 4 different times. 

Hunting an old dog is substantially different from hunting a lion, but I’m pretty confident in my net trap making abilities and can’t wait to put them to the test. 

I also practiced my basic snares so I could catch some small game to butcher and use as bait. Those went very smoothly, but that’s not too surprising. I’ve been making snares since I was old enough to tie my shoes!

I'm going to be doing a lot of traveling in the next few months, so my posts may be limited. Be sure to follow my Twitter account here to stay updated with everything that's going on.

New Bow

Earlier this week I went to a hunting expo in Utah where I gave a keynote speech and did a workshop on proper tracking techniques in the North American forests. It was a really fun few days and I got to meet some great people. There were so many vendors and hunting enthusiasts, it felt great to be in my own element. I got to take a course on Native American hunting techniques, and just cannot believe how amazingly advanced the methods they used were for the time. Wow! It was so fascinating.

I also spent a little time… ok maybe a lot of time, browsing the different vendors that were set up at the convention center (rain forced us inside for most of the time, unfortunately). Hot damn, there were some amazing guns! Normally I stick to firearms when I’m hunting, but I got to talking to one of the bow vendors and they got me to give one of their new models a try... needless to say I now own a bow. I have no words for how amazingly accurate this thing is. It completely changed my view on bow hunting and I can’t wait to give this bad boy a go tomorrow when I go hunting with some of my friends. Here’s hoping that I get a buck with the most points!