Successful Hunter (March - April 2020)

From the dawn of time, hunting has largely been a social affair, and for most of us that hasn’t changed. Beginning in the fall of 2015, Successful Hunter has shared success stories written by hunters whose names do not appear on our masthead listing of regular contributors. These new bylines, and the well-written stories of public land success that follow them have piqued a great deal of interest. There is a reason for this. Tales of antlered game adventure and success typed out by hunters one might bump into on a dirt road or on a high-country ridgeline on public ground during bow or rifle season are inspiring. ...Read More >

Kateline Tucker grew up in Minnesota where she hunted white-tailed deer with her family. They targeted deer in forested areas, meaning they spent most days in a tree stand to increase visibility. Even with an elevated stand, most shots were 50 yards or closer. After moving to Wyoming, the vista changed to wide-open country, and practicing for shooting longer distances was simply good planning. ...Read More >

There are some essential tools every public land hunter needs to be successful, but the newest clothing, most accurate rifle/cartridge, biggest pickup, trick broadheads and fletching or global positing system unit can’t hold a candle to good binoculars. Two recent events served as reminders that a hunter can’t shoot a buck or bull if he can’t find one, and for that, binoculars can be the critical element. ...Read More >

They scared me. Not during the daylight hours, but at night. At some point as a lad sleeping in a bedroom with two older brothers, I became consciously aware of the presence of creatures in my room. ...Read More >

Most bird hunters are more than content with one shotgun, usually a 12 or 20 gauge. If there never was another option, those of us who like “fowling” and are fond of fooling waterfowl or flushing wild prairie birds, from sage grouse on down to the small yet beautiful desert Mearns’ (Montezuma) quail, would be quite satisfied. ...Read More >

According to the map, there is an actual lake near the town of White Lake, South Dakota. It’s to the north. South of town there’s another, but in 10 years of hunting pheasants up there, I’ve never seen either one. Anyway, being from Ontario, Canada, real lakes have names like Huron and Superior. Everything else is a pond. ...Read More >

Growing up on British Columbia’s (BC) Vancouver Island, I cut my hunting teeth pursuing the elusive black-tailed deer. Weekend after weekend, we would slip into the old-growth forest at first light and spend our days sneaking around as quietly and slowly as possible, searching for the little deer. If at any time during the day I would snap a branch or even step on a crunchy leaf, I would sit down and wait five to 10 minutes. Quiet and slow movement was the key to being successful. Many days as we snuck around, we would encounter, or catch a glimpse of a cougar as it went about doing the same thing, going after the same prey. I suspect they were far more successful than us. However, the lesson at hand was to move slowly and be quiet as a mouse. Hunting cougars with dogs is far different. ...Read More >

Pursuing pronghorn, like hunting any other big-game species on public land, means rolling with the variabilities of weather and the presence of other hunters. A measure of luck also helps, as does hunting in an area with a stable or expanding antelope population. It pays to have a plan, especially for opening day. In our home state of Montana, similar to other hot pronghorn destinations, the animals can go from surprisingly tolerant of humans to wilder than the fabled March Hare in a matter of hours. ...Read More >

There are times in life that seem too good to be true. It was the first morning of my Colorado elk hunt, and the second my guide John-Michael Ferrier killed the engine on his Polaris General, we heard bugling in multiple directions. That was encouraging since it was late October. As we waited for shooting light to arrive, a dozen or more tan figures meandered through the inky predawn filter separating us. ...Read More >

Lucas Simpson wasn’t looking me in the eyes when he said it will be an easy hunt. “Remember where we saw the mountain goat?” he asked. That was my second clue. On the second day we had stopped at a wide spot in the road and looked across the creek at Sheep Mountain. We hoped to see a bear, but what we saw was a mountain goat. Sam Pyke spotted it with his scope dialed at 45x. The goat stood on an outcrop on a narrow ledge, pure white orneriness against the unforgiving granite. When it moved it was to the top of a spire, where it put all four feet beneath and balanced there where only an eagle would dare. ...Read More >

Sometimes a hunter just wants to do something out of the ordinary. Friend Jeff Ciallella called one day and said he wanted to go on a hunt, something different, not another hog or deer hunt. I suggested he look at the Safari Club International (SCI) hunt auction. Sometimes the hunts can be had at a bargain price and he could find something different, as SCI offered hunts all over the world. After a few phone calls from Jeff, conferring on hunt possibilities and ideas, he had narrowed down his bid list. ...Read More >