Last week in Washington was an interesting one to say the least. Some may recall, back in November hunters showed up in numbers during two in person WDFW game commission meetings. They did this to stand up for their hunting heritage and to voice their concerns to the commission on several issues, which is their right to do so. It was great to see both young and old, male and female, hunter and even non hunter (but supportive of hunting) take action and express their stories and love of our heritage and way of life. It was a peaceful gathering, a sea of flame orange and apparently, not everyone ..read more

It was a tough pill to swallow this past Saturday, March 19th for Washington outdoorsmen and women who have fought very hard for quite some time. If you have been living under a rock this past few months, let me bring you up to speed really quick. There is more too this, but I am going to be giving you the Cliffs notes version. In Nov of 2021, there was a tie vote (4/4) by the WDFW Game Commission (who is responsible for enacting hunting policy) in regard to what should have been very minor, annual changes in a spring bear special hunt draw. These changes would have included an updated text (t ..read more

Ever hear the term, “guard the gate”? I am willing to be that as a bear hunter you have. It is a common term or hashtag now used throughout the hunting community thanks to in part, Mr. Clay Newcomb of Bear Hunting Magazine fame. It refers to the defense of our beloved hunting pastime, specifically with bear, but not excluding the rest. Unbeknownst to me (and many others) until recently, Washington State’s gate was wide open and under treacherous assault. Assault from not only within the WDFW (Washington Dept of Fish and Wildlife) game commission but the HSUS (Humane Society of the United State ..read more

As many black bear hunters are aware, there has long been a belief that large male black bears get to be large by avoiding the use of hunters’ bait sites during legal shooting hours.  This belief has only intensified with the advent and extensive use of trail cameras placed at most bait sites.  However, diving deeper into understanding this phenomenon is challenging without precise GPS collars on black bears, along with precise locations of bait sites. A research project in Wyoming is aiming to take a look behind the curtain of how black bears traverse landscapes during the hunting s ..read more

On April 21st 2022 bear hunters everywhere rejoiced the not so small victory over the Humane Society of the United States who previously issued a petition in California to ban all bear hunting (surprise surprise). Naturally, the Humane Societies logic was to “pause” the hunt until more “science” could be provided. It seems there is still some hope for even the most liberal of states game commissions to listen to the best available science and not the whims of fanatical antihunting organizations. I spent the day, like most who wanted to speak, waiting for hours on Zoom for the chance to talk fo ..read more

In a great first step towards addressing court concerns for the delisting of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Grizzly Bear.  The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission approved the MOA which recognizes the expanding number of grizzly bears that have grown beyond the edges of the bear’s biological and socially suitable range. With refined population estimates, data shows the population numbers more than 1,000 bears, far beyond all scientific requirements for a recovered, viable population. The revisions also include an explicit commitment to grizzly bear’s long-term genetic health and will prov ..read more

We trust you are all fairing well during these trying times.  It is no doubt a crazy time in all our lives.  We have had some down time as well and thought it may be a great time to share with you all the great success we had in 2019.  We are very proud to announce we put a record amount of money on the ground for bears and bear hunters in 2019 and we are hoping 2020 is even better. In large part to all your continued support we where able to fund over $40,000 in projects in 2019.  Not much when compared to the likes of RMEF and Wild Sheep Foundation but for an all voluntee ..read more

The alarm on my phone begins chiming at 5:30 am as the sun fights to light up the sky, waves crash on the beach, and the ocean air fills my lungs. The early morning hours on a beach in Alaska offer a sense of peace and serenity that can be found in very few places, if only right there. The air is cool, and wind is low, perfect for first light hunting, but we are not hunting. We are over a mile from camp, covered in mud, dripping with sweat, and have dried blood on our hands. It is here when my body begins giving up and my mind realizes what has just happened. It is not coffee I need, a hot bre ..read more

Bear hunting comes in all shapes and sizes and ranges from the southeastern most points of the lower 48 all the way to the grass covered beaches of Alaska and beyond. Being that their distribution rivals that of the White-tailed deer, they offer spring and fall hunting opportunities all over the North American continent. Often overlooked and in my opinion underappreciated, the mountain hunting opportunities in my home state of Montana provide some of the most rugged, scenic and demanding hunts in the rocky mountain west. You are bound to encounter steep and cliff littered terrain, wild swings ..read more