A really fishy dude and a really chrome Dolly.
Photo: Cameron Miller

Besides the salmon and the leopard rainbows that are usually targeted while fishing in Alaska, we have a whole lot of fun fishing for Dolly Varden.

Dolly Varden and Arctic Char are really closely related in this part of Alaska. So closely related, in fact, that the Alaska Fish and Game biologist responsible for them thinks we\’ve got both in our river. They have complex life histories and in our neck of the woods =they\’re indistinguishable without a genetic test…we tend to call them all ‘dollies\’ regardless but we know for sure they\’re a ton of fun to catch.

Most of these dollies spawn multiple times. They run up the Kanektok pretty much all summer long, with a number of noticeable \’sub runs\’ overlapping and containing fish of different shapes, sizes and colors. In general they\’re chrome with a slight green tint when they enter the river, and some in their spawning phases turn the wacky circus colors that led to dollies near the spawn being called ‘clowned up\’.

Dolly the Clown.
Photo: Cameron Miller

They sometimes eat flesh and streamers, but most of our time spent targeting dollies involves fishing beads. Fishing your 5 weight on a productive dolly flat is a whole heck of a lot of fun. Some sections of river have an almost uncountable number of fish. The action is fun, fast-paced and easy!

If you find yourself on the Kanektok one of these years, make sure to spend some time fishing lightweight gear for dollies. You\’ll be glad you did.

See the original article at GotHunts.com

Tags: alaska-fishing, cameron-miller, dolly varden, dolly-the-clown, fishing, kanektok, linkedin, river, time

One of our mountain lion hunting outfitters treed this tom last season. They cut the track at daylight and got to the tree about 1:30.

One dog treed did the job after working out a 2 day old seven mile track.

The hunter shot the cat with one shot through the pumper. It measured over 7ft.

See our mountain lion hunts

See the original article at GotHunts.com

Tags: begin-sexy, hunting, international, linkedin, measured-over, mountain-lion, our-mountain, outdoors international, shot-the-cat, stumble, tree

Huge Wisconsin Whitetail

On December 6, 2009 this buck was take with a muzzelloader in Wisconsin. He was hunting Outagamie County with a group of guys. It was his turn to post on this push. He was standing just inside the woods when a group of does came running by. This buck just walked by trailing the does, he was about 60 yards away when he shot. He only ran about 40 before piling up.

They scored the deer that night and came up with a green score of 264-0/8″. It has 33 scorable points and one drop tine. If the score holds close, it will be the 2nd largest buck harvested in Wisconsin; next to the Albia Buck.

See our whitetail hunts

See the original article at GotHunts.com

Tags: before-piling, begin-sexy, buck, chris-wood, linkedin, stumble, upon-something, wisconsin

Training a new pup isn\’t easy and it is going to take time! Start with the basics.

It isn\’t easy and it is going to take time! Start with the basics. Sit, stay and come, and make him understand that a command given is to be obeyed. This is done through repetition but keep the sessions short. You must also understand that dog training isn\’t a democracy, the pup has to understand that he has no say in what takes place. If the pup gets the idea that he can obey only when he feels like it, you are going to have problems.

There are lots of good books on dog training out there but my favorites are Gun Dog, Game Dog and Family Dog all by Richard Walters and have been in publication for over 30 years. These three great books will help you train your new pup without making lots of mistakes that will create consequences that you might have to live with for years. By avoiding a few common fundamental mistakes, you can help your pup achieve a high level of performance that you will enjoy for years.

Here are a few things in my opinion that you should not do with a new pup.

1. Don\’t ever play tug-of-war if you want your pup to retrieve. That teaches him to play keep-away and teaches him he doesn\’t have to give up the training dummies. Don\’t let him chew or mouth training dummies either if you ever want an edible bird retrieved.
2. Don\’t verbally or physically discipline a pup for picking up or carrying something you don\’t want him to have. You might send him the message that retrieving is bad. Simply take it away from him.
3. Don\’t use different terms for a command. For example, “Here” and “Come” mean the same thing so just pick one and stick with it.
4. Don\’t chase a pup because you might scare him, or he might just see it as a game and you will have a harder time teaching him to come on your command.
5. Don\’t ignore the small things like occasionally barking in the crate or kennel. Once these behaviors become ingrained, the more difficult they are to break.
6. Don\’t let the pup get away with anything like sleeping on the sofa, stealing food, or eating birds that you don\’t want him to do for life.
7. Don\’t get stuck in a rut. Training in the same place at the same time with drills in the same order doesn\’t allow him to think on his own. Teach him to adapt by varying his training grounds and routines.
8. Don\’t discipline a dog randomly. Be careful that the pup can connect the discipline directly to his behavior. The same thinking applies to his rewards.

These simple don\’ts will help turn you pup into the hunting dog that will give you more pleasure and pride that could possibly be explained in words. Please let me know your thoughts.

See the original article at GotHunts.com

Tags: basics, cory glauner, discipline, facebook, family, hunting, linkedin, training

One of our PH\’s in Zululand has a Rogue Elephant bull available. He is approx. 20 to 30 years old and very similar to the one on this picture (approx. 25 to 30 pound tusks).

Rogue Elephant Bull Hunt in Zululand

$28,950 plus daily rates – 7 days minimum
It\’s a good deal but the hunt needs to take place in the near future.

See the original article at GotHunts.com

Tags: begin-sexy, cory glauner, daily-rates, days-minimum, discounted trips, elephant, facebook, general outdoors, international, linkedin, picture, pound-tusks, the-original, upon-something

This is why you ALWAYS wear sunglasses fishing.

It\’s up to you whether the lenses are glass or plastic, but I would say plastic is safer.

See the original article at GotHunts.com

Tags: begin-sexy, facebook, fishing, general outdoors, lenses, linkedin, outdoors international, safety, stumble, the-lenses, the-original, wear-sunglasses

From: North Dakota Game and Fish Department

CWD affects the nervous system of members of the deer family and is always fatal.

North Dakota Game and Fish Department officials were notified this morning by the U.S. Department of Agriculture\’s Veterinary Services that a sick-looking mule deer taken last fall in western Sioux County has tested positive for chronic wasting disease. This is the first time CWD has been detected in a North Dakota animal.

Dr. Dan Grove, Game and Fish Department wildlife veterinarian, said a hunter in unit 3F2 shot an adult buck that did not appear to be healthy. “As we do with our targeted surveillance efforts, we collected the sample to test for CWD and bovine tuberculosis,” Grove said.

The Game and Fish Department\’s targeted surveillance program is an ongoing, year-round effort that tests animals found dead or sick.

“We have been constantly monitoring and enhancing our surveillance efforts for CWD because of its presence in bordering states and provinces,” said Greg Link, Game and Fish Department assistant wildlife division chief.

In addition to targeted surveillance, the department annually collects samples taken from hunter-harvested deer in specific regions of the state. In January, more than 3,000 targeted and hunter-harvested samples were sent to a lab in Minnesota. As of today, about two-thirds of the samples have been tested, with the one positive result. The remaining one-third will be tested over the next month.

Link said monitoring efforts have intensified in recent years and all units have been completed twice throughout the entire state.

“The deer population in unit 3F2 is above management goals, and hunter pressure will continue to be put on the population in that unit again this fall,” Link said. “We are going to be aggressive with licenses and disease surveillance in that unit.”

Since the department\’s sampling efforts began in 2002, more than 14,000 deer, elk and moose have tested negative for CWD.

CWD affects the nervous system of members of the deer family and is always fatal. Scientists have found no evidence that CWD can be transmitted naturally to humans or livestock.

See the original article at GotHunts.com

Tags: agriculture, deer, department, linkedin, mule-deer, nervous-system, sioux-county, surveillance, upon-something

Venison Round-Pot Roast

When I think of Soul Food, I think venison. Remember the homemade meals mom and grandma used to labor over for hours in the kitchen. They filled the house for hours with the unmistakable aroma of love. These meals were the kind of meals childhood memories are made of and set the standards for the meals I eat today.

For those of you who follow Outdoors International, you know that I am not only a hunter but I am also a professional chef, and for me, Chicken fried venison with milk gravy, pheasant pot pie, turkey tamales and venison pot roast are foods that comfort my soul (Soul Food). These foods bring back memories of family and friends around the dinner table. We all love our childhood memories when it comes to food.

Our families today have extremely busy schedules and eat outside the home more than ever. Even fast food restaurant are now offering foods that resemble those home cooked meals of old. But nothing for me really stands up to redneck soul food. Food like braised elk short ribs, pan fried rabbit or duck jambalaya. And there is no better place to enjoy foods like these than on a cold, damp day in hunting camp. So next time your stuck in camp and waiting for the weather to clear think about enjoying a great home cooked meal and instead of beef or chicken substitute game meat. Cook it slow and let the flavors permeate the lodge and bring back some childhood memories of grandmas cooking. Here is a great recipe to try.

Venison Round-Pot Roast
Ingredients:
2 lbs. venison round roast
1 tablespoon salt
1tablespoon of cracked black pepper
½ cup flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup butter
1 cup diced onions
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
2 cups diced potatoes
1 cup red wine
½ cup tomato paste
One bay leaf
1 quart brown gravy

Now rub meat with olive oil, blend spices and flour, and rub meat with spice blend. Heat 4 quart pot and lightly brown your meat. Now add the butter and vegetables and sauté. Deglaze with red wine and add tomato paste, bay leaf and gravy. Bring to a boil. Cover and place in a 300 degree oven and cook until fork tender (approximately 3 hours).

Imagine the aroma that will permeate the entire lodge after hours of slow cooking. These are the kind of memories that make a hunt truly memorable. Eating and thinking of mom and grandma mixed in with the memories of the hunt. Memories that are with you for a lifetime. An Outdoors International memory.

Happy eating and God Bless,
Doak

See the original article at GotHunts.com

Tags: general outdoors, house, kind, linkedin, pot roast, recipes, unmistakable

It\’s my opinion that men were made to hunt.
God put it in our DNA.

I am addicted to hunting. I don\’t golf or play tennis or hang out in the bars with my buddies. I hunt. When I am not hunting, I am thinking about hunting. When I am doing something my motives are simple, it is either doing something that will make a better life for my family (with me God and Family are always first) or to promote my next hunting adventure.

It\’s my opinion that men were made to hunt. God put it in our DNA. Tell me the truth… Have you ever been driving around and saw a cow in a pasture and thought to yourself, wow, the way he is quartering away with his front leg a little forward, that would be a great bow shot, and if that was a bull elk could I make a stalk. Or walked out of a store and when you felt the wind, you instantly knew it was from the Northwest and it would be a good day to be in your favorite hunting blind. Or have you ever agonized over which Broadhead to use, fixed blade or expendables, or should I use my 308 of my 300 WSSM. Now, lets throw a trip to Africa into the mix. You think your obsessed now, wait till you have Africa to think about. My partner Cory and I are going to Africa in May. I\’ve been several times but it\’s Cory\’s first trip. He is so screwed, he will never get over it. Tell me! Is this kind of thinking normal?

Yes, I am addicted to hunting and no I don\’t need help. I don\’t want help. I live to hunt. I crave a meadow full of Elk or a snow covered mountain with Bighorns working their way up the canyons and when I make it back to my dusty truck, I love to sit on the tailgate, light up a good cigar and ponder about some of Gods wonderful creations that have been so thoughtfully placed here for us hunters to enjoy. Whether I kill or not is not important. I have given everything to my passion and my passion is hunting and if your passion is like mine, it\’s a passion to be shared with friends and family. So to my friend Cory. Lets go to Africa!!!!!!

If you share the same passion that Cory and I have and hunting consumes your every thought we encourage you to leave a comment below. We would also love to exchange stories of obsession so keep us posted on your thoughts.

May God Bless,
Doak

ps. Sometimes I like to fish as well. Today I went crappie fishing. Enjoy the pictures!

See the original article at GotHunts.com

Tags: bars, facebook, hunting, linkedin, northwest, obsessed, opinion, outdoors international, passion, south-africa