BCJ_FALL17 Digital Edition

tography. It was something that I enjoyed doing, so I just took the
gear along with me anyways. I always had it with me whether I
was guiding, hunting on my own, or hunting with friend.
How did your videos develop
into you becoming a public figure
in the hunting world?
It was something I was doing
anyways. I ended up having a ton of
content. That’s when I got hooked
up with Tim Burnett of Solohunters.
He started this new show
and needed content. I happened
to see something somewhere. He
also happened to live near me. I
brought over all my videos and he
was like, “Holy smokes, this stuff is
pretty good!”
I felt really fortunate to be able
to go hunting almost year-round.
Most years when I was out hunting
and guiding, I’d have 120 consecutive
days in the field. If I was
able to do this every day and learn
so much so fast, it was my obligation
to share what I learned. I realized that I probably stacked up
more experience than a lot of people get the opportunity to in
their lives. I could share the experience with guys who may not
be able to go out that much but really want to make the most
out of the time that they have. It’s the coolest thing for me when
someone says that they’ve learned something or that they were
inspired to do a certain trip. To be honest, a lot of the things I did
were inspired by other people. I always had hunting magazines.
I watched hunting videos – any hunting video I could get my
hands on. One of my dreams was to go to Africa because I’d read
Death in the Long Grass so many times. All these influences really
shaped my desire for adventure. I picked up bow hunting because
of things I saw on TV and in magazines. I didn’t even know a single
bow hunter until I was probably 21 years old. Everything was
taught in a book, read in a magazine, or watched in a video. I was
really inspired by those things, and I hope to pass that on and do
the same for someone else.
Do you have any commentary on issues within the outdoor
media?
One of my main critiques is that some people do not show the
respect that is needed. I believe that hunters love the animals that
we are chasing because without them we wouldn’t be doing what
we are doing. When I see someone not showing respect to the
animal and respect to the way of life, I think that’s a big slap in
the face. I think the majority of hunters care about those things. I
think a lot of hunters care about keeping the places that they hunt
huntable – good habitat, conservation, keeping land public. They
care about the meat that they take home and the time that they
had with their friends and family. Anything that does not show
those characteristics of hunting just puts a sour taste in my mouth.
And it does the same to people who may not hunt. Hunting ethics
have always been self regulated. Look at the turn of the century
FOR ME IT’S MORE OF A
WHERE THAN A WHAT.
I LIKE HUNTING IN THE
MOUNTAINS AND I LIKE
BACKCOUNTRY AREAS. IT
WOULDN’T REALLY MATTER
WHAT I’M HUNTING, BUT
THE TYPE OF PLACE THAT
I’M HUNTING. ANYTHING
THAT HAS A LOT OF
ADVENTURE, REMOVED
FROM PEOPLE AND
CIVILIZATION.
when animals started to disappear from the landscape. It was the
hunters who put them back and started conservation efforts. And
it was also hunters who created what we consider fair chase ethics.
How do you handle yourself as
a hunter? What does it mean to be
a hunter? How do you decide what
is OK and what’s not OK beyond
the law? Now that someone can
produce anything that they want
and post it for the public to see, I
think we need a new awakening of
what ethics are and what it means
to be a hunter. Anything that does
not show respect to the animal and
the landscape is not okay.
What is your involvement with
conservation and BHA?
Growing up in Nevada, I’m used
to having access whereever I want
and hunting public land. There’s no
other state that has as much public
land as Nevada, at least in the
Lower 48. It’s 80 percent public.
We don’t know what a trespassing
sign is. And as a guide, a lot of my clients were thirsty to hunt
some public land. In Nevada, growing up not being told you can’t
go somewhere is really important to me. It’s how I live. And I
think it is very important to keep those places public. A lot of
what protects these lands happens at a governmental level, and an
individual might not have the ability to fight those things, but as
a collective organization we can really protect what we hold dear.
If you had to only hunt one species for the rest of your life,
what would it be?
I really enjoy archery hunting mule deer. But I also enjoy calling
for elk and elk hunting. For me it’s more of a where than
a what. I like hunting in the mountains and I like backcountry
areas. It wouldn’t really matter what I’m hunting, but the type of
place that I’m hunting. Anything that has a lot of adventure, removed
from people and civilization. It’s all about the place for me.
What is your spirit animal?
Definitely a wolf.
Now make your best wolf sound, Remi.
(Remi howls.)
What advice can you offer to people who want to pursue a
career outdoors?
The main thing is to just do it. You have to just do it, and not
give yourself options to do something else. I’ve heard people say
they want to, but they are going to do something else until it
works out. If you make it your only option, then you’re going to
figure it out. That’s always been my approach – if there’s something
I want to do, I just start doing it, and I’ll figure it out along
the way.
FALL 2017 BACKCOUNTRY JOURNAL | 55