Table of contents for August 2022 - Big Game in Bowhunter

IT TOOK OVER A DECADE TO DRAW THE TAGS, BUT THIS IS ONE HUNT THAT EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS. My ears were still ringing when I walked up to Jared with a smile on my face and said, “Son, keep in mind, what you just experienced is not what real elk hunting is like.” It was the first morning of Jared’s first elk hunt — the first setup — and it was mayhem. I’d positioned my oldest son, Jason, to my left and Jared to my right — in a pincher formation — while I hung back and did the bugling and cow talk. There were bulls bugling in every direction. A herd bull was screaming to the north, raghorns right and left, and a good 5x5 running up from behind me.…

THE CLOAK of darkness descended upon us. We knew the grizzlies would soon follow. Never before had we experienced this level of grizzly activity. Each day they followed us, at times coming to our elk calls, other times leaving tracks on top of ours as evidence of their presence. Just yesterday, we had pistols in hand after calling in a big bruin. With the photographs of Randy’s bull taken, we began the task of breaking the bull down for the arduous pack out. One of us worked on skinning and cutting. The other held legs and remained vigilant, painting the surroundings relentlessly with a headlamp, praying not to see eyes. If bears got that close, not much would stop them from claiming the elk. As we finished moving meat bags…

“Hi, Adam, this is Glenn from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. You won the raffle ” Several months earlier, while applying for my annual Wyoming mule deer tag, I had purchased a couple of chances for the state’s Super Tag raffle and put them all into the drawing for Shiras moose. I had been applying for a Shiras moose tag in Wyoming for 23 years, with no luck. I remember thinking as I clicked the “Pay Now” button on my laptop that buying Super Tag raffle tickets was good karma, since all the money raised goes toward conservation in Wyoming. …Glenn ended our conversation by saying, “The best part of winning this tag is you won’t lose your 23 preference points and there is no waiting period, so you…

IT SEEMS TO ME, that hunting is a constant search for greater perspective. Greater perspective of the terrain, the quarry, the world, and myself. Over the years, I’ve had numerous opportunities to talk to fellow hunters packing out early and empty-handed, only a couple days after their arrival in the backcountry. Often, as we chat, they share their excitement in planning and preparing for the seven to 10-day hunt, and then they share their disappointment as they head home when their hunt has only just begun. Everyone’s situation is unique, but I find that focusing on results or a specific outcome tends to diminish perspective of, and gratitude for, the opportunity we have to pursue big game. Finding gratitude for the daily adventures and appreciating all that surrounds us in…

The very first Pope and Young animal I ever harvested was a pronghorn antelope in Wyoming, in 1994. After that, I bowhunted pronghorns some where in the Southwest nearly every year. It became a “starter type” hunt, prior to longer elk and mule deer hunts. When I moved to Alaska in 2001, I had arrowed 11 P&Y pronghorn bucks. Alaska would keep me immersed and busy, researching and learning all the difficult logistics necessary to bowhunt there, and many seasons would pass before I would get back to the sagebrush country that the pronghorn calls home. In 2021, I managed to put three pronghorn tags in my pocket: One for Oregon, one for Colorado, and a third for Wyoming. I planned to hunt the farthest des tination first, and then…

I was really sweating now. And out of breath. But I felt pretty sure this was right where I wanted to be. The ridge I was on looked down over a grassy meadow. There were a few tight clusters of pine trees, as well as a few stand-alone pines I could range from my position. The closest pine stood at 40 yards, the farthest at 60. Kneeling, I nocked an arrow and let out one more cow call. The total stillness was suddenly broken by what sounded like an elephant crashing through the forest, just as another shrill bugle simultaneously rattled the limbs around me and reverberated off the cliffs behind. The crashing grew louder. Then, out into the open he ran — on a mission as old as time.…

Q I’M STARTING to travel for my bowhunting adventures. What tips do you have for me? Walker Innerst, via e-mail A MY FIRST ADVICE — if you can drive to your bowhunting destination, do it. You’ll save money, you can bring everything you might need, and there’s no need to worry about missed/delayed flights, lost baggage, or getting your animal home. Your schedule is yours. Obviously, we’re forced to fly to some adventures, so here are some more tips. First, I recommend adding a day on both ends of your trip, especially the front end. If your bags don’t show, you have a day to get that resolved. This could be critical if you have a bush flight waiting for you. When flying into Canada, book flights with at least…

I’VE SPENT the better part of my life guiding hunters across the West and have been blessed with amazing opportunities to hunt, guide, and develop a life time network of outfitters, clients, and friends with a knowl edge of international hunting experiences. Wh I was 13, I accompanied my father, Wade Lemon, and a pack of hounds to Africa where Dad pioneered leopard hunting with hounds. This sparked my love to travel and experience hunting on a worldwide scale. As a young kid, I remember Dad’s dislike for bows and arrows. Having had some unfortunate mishaps in the field, he preferred rifle hunters. As a joke to my father, some close friends and clients started to nurture me into bowhunting. The joke really got played when they sent me a…

It’s 3 a.m. and rain is pouring hard outside. The noise of the drops hitting the tent roof has awakened me. It is hard to sleep, not just because of the sound, but more because of what it means. Rain is bad for hunting. It’s June and the rainy season in Mozambique should have been over, but this year, for some reason, it is giving us a hard time. With my eyes open in pure darkness, my demons are sitting next to me on my bed. Yes, we all have our little demons that sit by our side, just to highlight all the things that are going wrong now, and the bad things that are coming our way… Much has gone against us on this trip, way before we even…

THE TWILIGHT ILLUMINATED what is probably my favorite place. Heaven on Earth. The palace of old-growth Douglas fir gleamed with a vibrant, chilling frost. Whenever I’ve hunted here, I’ve always marveled at the natural beauty of the towering trees that seem to hold memories of times gone by. In many ways, the best part of hunting here now is remembering the extraordinary experiences I’ve been blessed with in exceptional places like it. These memories are etched into my mind, like the passing of rock against stone, carving a mental petroglyph. It was November 21 — opening day of the late archery blacktail deer season in Oregon. I was sneaking along slowly, carefully guiding each footstep, when my silent precision was interrupted by my wife, Sami, who asked, “Did you hear…

AS HUNTERS, there are many things we look forward to as a new season approaches. It’s as if a blank canvas is laid before us and we hold the brush in hand, just waiting for the story to unfold. But for me, it seemed as if my story never started before November. I had little hopes for early season success as I climbed the tree on Maryland’s opening day. I had my camera in hand, enjoying nature’s show, when I caught a glimpse of movement along the treeline. Was I seeing things? Could those really be velvet antlers moving through the brush? My heart all but stopped as reality hit me, and a beautiful velvet eight point entered the field. Late summer in Maryland is not for the faint of…