I hadn’t drawn a controlled spring bear tag since 2019 and was ecstatic to be back on the trigger instead of my more common role as camp cook/ jet boat pilot. My excitement was darkened by the news that the elk population in the area I had drawn a bear tag for had decreased by about 50% in the last two years. Normally I’m stoked to just get out in the spring, see some green grass and spend time hiking and glassing. Knowing that there was an intense biological need to reduce predators in the area was extra fuel to an already hot fire. Game time.
In five days we killed five bears, for three of the hunters it was their first. This will keep a few extra elk calves alive through the spring, provide a pile of meat to the hunters, and make some fine memories. I’ve been doing these river hunts for about a decade now, and each time there is some kind of drama, usually involving a boat.
On the evening before packed up to leave my boat had a spark plug malfunction and the engine went into “limp mode.” Spark plugs don’t last forever. I texted the owner of Riddle Marine on my Garmin and he offered to run his jet boat all the way upriver in the dark if it was an emergency. He also helped me troubleshoot the problem. There was nothing to be done with the tools I had. Being around 50 miles up a whitewater river from my truck and anything resembling civilization with a boat that was loaded heavily with gear, men, guns, bears, and gear was a long way from ideal. I couldn’t get the boat on plane which made me sit low in the water, cost me maneuverability, and speed. Every single wave came over the bow, and in one class III rapid, we took enough water that the gunwales came within about two inches of the waterline. I credit luck and intimate knowledge of the river with getting out safely. Expeditionary river trips demand skill and experience and offer the same.
If there is a lesson here, it’s to get gear from people who are willing to support you and their product forever. Everything can break. Just don’t let it be your creativity, resolve, or sense of adventure.
About the author:James Nash is an outfitter, professional hunter and cattle rancher from NE Oregon where he resides as the fifth generation of his family to raise cattle, hunt, and fish on the 6 Ranch. He studied history at Adolf Øien Videregående in Trondheim, Norway where he also competed on the Norwegian National Greco-Roman wrestling team, then studied Literature and Writing at the University of Montana Western in Dillon, Montana. Afterwards, Nash served as an Armor Officer and platoon commander in the M1A1 Abrams main battle tank in the US Marine Corps for five years. Nash was wounded in Afghanistan and received two Purple Heart Medals and after a period of convalescence was subsequently retired. He returned to the 6 Ranch and resumed guiding and outfitting, with a focus on other combat wounded veterans. Nash has guided salt and freshwater fly and gear fishing, all kinds of hunting, and back country wilderness trips since age 14. He hosts the 6 Ranch Podcast, and you can learn more about him on instagram @6ranchoutfitters.
It’s Hell’s Canyon
Looks like Idaho, he didn’t mention where because we don’t want visitors.
No mention of the state, country or river where this hunt was located? Pitiful