A Dream Becomes Reality

[Straight Arrow]

Wow! What a truly wonderful manifestation of a lifelong dream! Thank-you for allowing us to savor each and every aspect, including temporary discomforts evolving into exciting sight pictures and trigger-pulls, with the camaraderie of the ensuing meat gathering, cooking, and packing fun. (and not to overlook the incredible supporting encouragement of wife and best partner ever.)

Five star, extreme kudos to Marcus ... as those photos are fantastic and of the high quality which deserves publication and wide dissemination for many to study and enjoy. (How about a large page "Hunt-the-Wild-North" coffee table type publication?)
The images with aurora borealis backdrop are amazing and will remain in my mind's eye forever. Well done!!!

 

[BrentD]

Five star, extreme kudos to Marcus ... as those photos are fantastic and of the high quality which deserves publication and wide dissemination for many to study and enjoy. (How about a large page "Hunt-the-Wild-North" coffee table type publication?)
The images with aurora borealis backdrop are amazing and will remain in my mind's eye forever. Well done!!!

Yeah, what he said. Exactly!

 

[Addicting]

I was thinking about this last night and how apprehensive you were a couple years ago on using a guide and straying away from public hunting.

However, even with the guide you stuck to who you were and it shined through your writings in this thread. The outpouring of support here goes to show something. Good honest people, doing good honest things, gets good honest respect. I would imagine that after the crew gets done doing their magic with the footage this will be in your top ten most viewed.

As said before Congratulations.

 

[Big Fin]

I was thinking about this last night and how apprehensive you were a couple years ago on using a guide and straying away from public hunting.

However, even with the guide you stuck to who you were and it shined through your writings in this thread. The outpouring of support here goes to show something. Good honest people, doing good honest things, gets good honest respect. I would imagine that after the crew gets done doing their magic with the footage this will be in your top ten most viewed.

As said before Congratulations.

Yes, I was. It has been a struggle for me, as I know that our brand is defined by a lot of what I do. And, no matter the reasons for having to use a guide, a segment of the viewership will make a big deal of it, as is the case with some of the blowhards over on 24hour Campfire who love to hammer us. Just part of the gig I operate in and I have decided that I am willing to be exposed to such critique as a price for seeing this dream happen.

I refer a ton of people to outfitters each year, as it is the best option for that person. It is funny when I hear the anti-outfitter claims often made against me and our platforms. Yeah, we promote self-guided hunting and we advocate for that and public lands. It is easy to promote one and not be be "anti" all other style of hunting, whether guided, private land, etc. I say do whatever you have access to, just make sure you get out there.

In this case, and the Dall sheep hunt of last year, there is no other option. And, even when I am on a guided hunt, I want to hunt hard, do as much work as I can be useful in doing, and enjoy the hell out of the experience. Some of that can be obtained by selecting the type of hunt in the kind of places that are conducive that my desires. Some of that can be obtained by being upfront with the outfitter about what you want from the experience. I have no regrets for this hunt or the Dall sheep hunt. Given the positive responses both hunts received, my concerns now seem to be self-imposed and unjustified.

James, Braden, and Blythe all commented that they appreciated our enthusiasm for the work and the field dressing. Additionally, when we asked what the normal outcome is for hunts, they all mentioned that even on outfitted hunts, the result is often a reflection of how hard the hunter is willing to push it. I suspect that there is seldom a situation where James and Braden are the boat anchor that is dragging down the hunt. I'd like to think that our enthusiasm and pleasure of pursuit helped with the great outcome we experienced, though there is always some level of luck in determining what animals present themselves.

With all of that, my dream list is now back to the more pedestrian hunts of elk, deer, and antelope. And though I dream of sheep, goats, or Shiras moose, those just require the great luck of drawing a tag. I hope to go and retrace steps from past hunts and soak in even more of what those landscapes and species have to offer. I am at the point in my hunting life where the success of others is as rewarding, sometimes more rewarding, than any tag I could fill. You see that in many of the hunts we are doing this year. I have two of my dearest uncles lined up for different elk hunts. No elk I could shoot would ever bring the smile that will come of these guys fill an elk tag.

My future will be less exotic, yet still as compelling to me. I want more hunts with Matthew as his business life allows. My niece and I have spring bear tags for next May in Alaska. My lifelong friend, Jerry Pritchard and I are doing a long-promised Coues deer hunt in December. I think I will be back in the north woods of Minnesota next fall, either for grouse or deer, walking some old trails of where it all started.

And then there is this ptarmigan thing. For a reason I cannot fully explain, an adventures around ptarmigan has a lot of appeal. Their similarity to grouse and the landscapes they occupy have my dreaming of some crazy idea that involves this bird I've never taken.

Thanks for the kind observation and support for our hunting, no matter how it unfolds.

 

[JMG]

Randy—
You certainly are blessed. What a hunt ... the people in your life and the countless people you have met or crossed paths with on your adventures that we are lucky enough to hear and see in your write-ups, pictures, and show. There are many of us on this forum that have very similar dreams. Thank you for sharing. The photography is incredible with such vivid detail ... excellent job Marcus.

The picture that jumps out to me is in your 6th post where it appears you are cutting on the Caribou rib cage (last picture in this particular post) ... this picture at first glance looks like a painting.

 

[Jape]

Yes, I was. It has been a struggle for me, as I know that our brand is defined by a lot of what I do. And, no matter the reasons for having to use a guide, a segment of the viewership will make a big deal of it, as is the case with some of the blowhards over on 24hour Campfire who love to hammer us. Just part of the gig I operate in and I have decided that I am willing to be exposed to such critique as a price for seeing this dream happen.

I refer a ton of people to outfitters each year, as it is the best option for that person. It is funny when I hear the anti-outfitter claims often made against me and our platforms. Yeah, we promote self-guided hunting and we advocate for that and public lands. It is easy to promote one and not be be "anti" all other style of hunting, whether guided, private land, etc. I say do whatever you have access to, just make sure you get out there.

In this case, and the Dall sheep hunt of last year, there is no other option. And, even when I am on a guided hunt, I want to hunt hard, do as much work as I can be useful in doing, and enjoy the hell out of the experience. Some of that can be obtained by selecting the type of hunt in the kind of places that are conducive that my desires. Some of that can be obtained by being upfront with the outfitter about what you want from the experience. I have no regrets for this hunt or the Dall sheep hunt. Given the positive responses both hunts received, my concerns now seem to be self-imposed and unjustified.

James, Braden, and Blythe all commented that they appreciated our enthusiasm for the work and the field dressing. Additionally, when we asked what the normal outcome is for hunts, they all mentioned that even on outfitted hunts, the result is often a reflection of how hard the hunter is willing to push it. I suspect that there is seldom a situation where James and Braden are the boat anchor that is dragging down the hunt. I'd like to think that our enthusiasm and pleasure of pursuit helped with the great outcome we experienced, though there is always some level of luck in determining what animals present themselves.

With all of that, my dream list is now back to the more pedestrian hunts of elk, deer, and antelope. And though I dream of sheep, goats, or Shiras moose, those just require the great luck of drawing a tag. I hope to go and retrace steps from past hunts and soak in even more of what those landscapes and species have to offer. I am at the point in my hunting life where the success of others is as rewarding, sometimes more rewarding, than any tag I could fill. You see that in many of the hunts we are doing this year. I have two of my dearest uncles lined up for different elk hunts. No elk I could shoot would ever bring the smile that will come of these guys fill an elk tag.

My future will be less exotic, yet still as compelling to me. I want more hunts with Matthew as his business life allows. My niece and I have spring bear tags for next May in Alaska. My lifelong friend, Jerry Pritchard and I are doing a long-promised Coues deer hunt in December. I think I will be back in the north woods of Minnesota next fall, either for grouse or deer, walking some old trails of where it all started.

And then there is this ptarmigan thing. For a reason I cannot fully explain, an adventures around ptarmigan has a lot of appeal. Their similarity to grouse and the landscapes they occupy have my dreaming of some crazy idea that involves this bird I've never taken.

Thanks for the kind observation and support for our hunting, no matter how it unfolds.

Amen.

 

[choc dogs]

Well told story, both in print and photograph. If some of those photos were made available to purchase, somehow, A donation to a lens fund or something, I'm sure most of us have a favorite, or more.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Sounds like it an awesome hunt. Thanks for sharing. How did it live up to your expectations and dreams?

 

[Europe]

Randy, in regards to your last post. We all have things that we believe in and work toward that in an isolated situation will be different. None of us who live in the U.S. can hunt Canada, Africa, New Zealand, etc without a guide. Of course you had a guide, it was the law first and foremost. I have donated to "Hunting for Heroes" for several years and those fellows would not be able to hunt without help. I am sure some and possibly most of them preferred to hunt alone, before their service to our country. I could not and definitely should not even hunt Arizona alone now because of my age and health. If there are those out there that will criticize you for your hunt in B.C., because you used a guide, they are very shallow thinking people in my opinion.

Sorry sir, but that part of your post, hit a nerve. I wont belabor it but wanted to respond.

Back to the "meat" of your thread. Enjoy your caribou roast tonight and again thank you for sharing your story/hunt with us. Loved it!

 

[Big Fin]

Sounds like it an awesome hunt. Thanks for sharing. How did it live up to your expectations and dreams?

As lofty of expectation as I had conjured over the decades of dreaming about Mountain Caribou, this hunt far exceeded what my loftiest expectation was.

 

[Cattleman]

All the ruffed grouse in koochiching state forest just got put on notice ...

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

As lofty of expectation as I had conjured over the decades of dreaming about Mountain Caribou, this hunt far exceeded what my loftiest expectation was.

That is great to hear, and encouraging!

 

[PaulRevere]

Thanks for bringing your adventure to us so vividly, great writing!

 

[Hem]

BigFin
Best comment coming from you...do what you have access to.
Great to hunt public lands and make a success out of it but there isn't one hunter on this site that would pass on decent private ground if it became available.

 

[timberman56]

just wow. congrats on following your dream... thanks for posting...CARPE DIEM !

 

[Deleted member 16014]

Some of the best field pics I remember seeing, congratulations on an outstanding bull.

 

[Randi]

I agree with April's last post on page 7 and what Hem said above.

I am so glad you were able to do this. Your dream hunt done, in your mind , in the freezer , and will be, on the wall. Congratulations.

BTW, we have had horses all my life and I still look for the easy way to get on (rock, fence, tree stump)

If your wife has a passport already, you might do what my dad did. He arranged everything and told her to pack an overnight bag he had a surprise for her. Two days before their anniversary he surprised her with a trip to France and they celebrated their anniversary in Paris. She had wanted to go to Paris , all her life . He even bought clothes for her, as she needed them, in Paris as part of the anniversary present. Just a thought Big Fin

Congrats on a fine hunt

 

[devon deer]

Such a great adventure and result, the company and guides were the perfect partners, I bet they appreciated all your hands on help and expertise.

Regarding the wife, coincidence you mentioned your wife's sister, I paid for my wife to go on a 'sun' holiday last year and she went with her sister, I went gallivanting in Montana after her trip to the sun.
Out of the blue last week my wife suggested we take a trip to New Zealand, minimum of 4 weeks, my thoughts were, great Tahr hunting, fly fishing....but once I got over those private thoughts, I thought yes, what an adventure and a bucket list trip for both of us, and knowing my wife I will get to do at least one of those things, the great thing about NZ is all the public land and it's down to you if you want to employ a guide or not as its not compulsory, although I do have a fellow fly fishing guide who has offered to show me around and I will take him up on it

Absolutely make the trip across the pond, Ireland, then 1 hour flight to me in Devon (free accommodation!), quick visit to London, then onto Scandinavia, where strangely enough they have great Ptarmigan hunting, as you probably know!
Sorry I have just planned your holiday!

Cheers

Richard

 

[JM77]

Your hunt brings back memories of my Yukon moose and mountain caribou hunt. Thank you for that and congrats on your trip Randy!

 

[Dan O]

Big Fin,
Thanks for sharing one heck of an experience. Your story and Marcus's pictures were outstanding. I agree every person needs to do it their way and in some cases the way of local laws such as required outfitters & guides. Those that would look down on this are themselves "small people" and not worth your time.
The main moral of this story and other posts I feel is. Don't put off your dream as tomorrow is not guaranteed.
Dan