Hunting

Steep country and mountain goats go together. The goats are built for rocky cliffs where few other animals can maneuver. Their feet are much more square than a deer or elk, and besides a hard edge

A once-in-a-lifetime bull elk gives a split-second opportunity for a risky shot. He’s running broadside through medium-thick old growth Quaking Aspen timber at roughly 60 yards. Do you take the shot?

It was great to take such a unique bull in conditions that do not provide many opportunities for success, using a technique that is so high risk. So many times, hunters are restricted by weather and are helpless. In this situation, I was able to draw on experience and a little luck and make something out of nothing.

This season, when you’re hunting public land, take a risk. Push past the perimeter sign. Move-in on bedding areas and put yourself in a position to kill a big buck.

I drew a premium deer tag in Colorado this year, which just so happened to coincide with the mule deer rut. I had seen many advertisements for the Ultimate Predator decoy on television and social media and believed that this tag would be the perfect opportunity to see if the product was all that it was cracked up to be.

You finally have the property that will allow you to put in a more permanent blind so you want to do this right. Your site inventory has provided you with wind direction, sunrise and sunset, water levels and proximity to the decoy spread. If you have done your homework this is your time to get the blind in while it is dry and more importantly so you can blend it in, in the late summer and fall to conceal as best as possible.

This hunt area doesn’t allow any motorized vehicles so you either walk, bike, or horseback it into your area. The area is very much a DIY and muscle power area.

hunting on public land isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s a grind. Regardless of the weapon you choose to tote, you can expect pressure from other hunters, daunting terrain and days where the lenses of your binos detect no hide. In short, elk hunting public dirt can suck.

Two caribou tags, three guys, and two days to do it in. No pressure.