The day dawned clear and
crisp, with the mercury frozen
somewhere between a dime and
a nickel. I exited the cozy cab,
stealthily moved to the bed of
the pickup and placed my hands
on an e-caller nestled among
other calling paraphernalia.
Floating upon the breeze was the
familiar aroma of sage, a most
delightful bouquet that Estee
Lauder would be hard pressed
to bottle. My AR- 15 remained
fast asleep in the eggshell
foam padding that keeps it
protected from the rigors of a
predator-hunting guide. I then
delicately pressed the tailgate
shut, allowing darkness to fall
upon my collection of precious
predator-hunting tackle that
was stowed securely beneath the
tonneau cover.
With nothing more in my
hands than my e-call and
some European glass slung low
around my wind-burned neck,
I felt almost naked. I wasn’t
hunting predators today in the
traditional meaning of hunting
— the intent to dispatch them.
Instead I was hunting for
locations where predators make
their daily bread and reside in
the wilds of the Western states.
Simply put, I was scouting.
Webster defined the term
scouting as “To explore/observe
in order to obtain information
or evaluate — to find by making
a search.” After all, that is
essentially what we are doing
— exploring and observing
terrain or habitat in order to
obtain information and evaluate
our quarry by searching. Easier
said than done, right? Not so
fast. These scouting tips and
techniques have been developed
and honed by professionals of
the predator-hunting realm.
If you are diligent in your
scouting, you’ll know which
direction to point your hunting
rig on the next outing.
As a professional hunting
guide and videographer, the
most common question asked
of me is, “How many coyotes
can you guarantee in one
day?” Although that question
is at the forefront of anyone’s
mind who plans on spending
their hard-earned green on
a guided hunt, it’s better off
left unasked. Anyone offering
guided hunts who in the
very same breath speaks of
guarantees on harvesting
animals should be chased
down by a pack of hounds
and treed. My response to that
haunting question has been,
and always will be, “There
are no guarantees in fair-chase hunting,” and for that
reason it is crucial that I have
confidence in each and every
stand that I take my clients to.
In the beginning
From the time I was old
enough to tie my own
hunting boots I was Dad’s
hunting and fishing buddy.
Wanting me to experience
satisfaction like his own, Dad
taught me to fly fish. Several
times while in my youth my
father would utter the phrase,
“Fish for fish.” It didn’t take
me long to figure out what
he was trying impress upon
me. In order to put more fish
in my creel, it was essential
to point my fly rod to a
specific area where an active
fish was feeding. Sure, you
may look like Brad Pitt in “A
River Runs Through It” as you
throw beautiful lazy loops
of buoyant neon line with a
hand-tied fly knotted at its
end, but if you don’t fish for
fish, your chances of catching
something are just that, a
random chance. That’s why I
take the same principles Dad
taught me about fly fishing
and apply them to predator
