I started hunting elk with my dad before I could walk. We hunted with
rifles and had very little success in those days (probably because I was
so loud in the woods). I began elk hunting with a bow at the age of
14. I actually started calling elk at age 12. I have enjoyed many
successes and had many failed attempts in the elk woods. In the past six
years, I have called in and missed more bulls than I care to mention (My
hunting partners had placed tree seeking magnets in my arrows). I really
wish I would have known back in the early days what I know now about
calling in bulls! I have now taken a very common sense approach to
calling that incorporates the use of basic mammal survival behavior. This calling technique has proved to be
extremely successful and consistent in the past few years. In the
2008 season, I called in 19 bulls to within archery distance in two
states. Four of those bulls were harvested by my hunting partners.
I am such a freak about call quality that I purchased my own diaphragm
call press and I now make my own diaphragm elk calls.
I began competition elk calling in 2005 at the Rocky Mountain Elk
Foundation (RMEF) World Elk Calling Championships. In 2005 I tied for
seventh place in the professional division. In 2006 I took third place
in the professional division. In 2007 I was unable to compete due to
the birth of our son, Bodie Hunter. I then won the RMEF World Elk
Calling Championship in 2008. In 2009, I took third place again in
the Professional Division.
I believe that my seminars are very unique and informative. I
illustrate my calling techniques and tactics in a very open and informal
manner. I readily divulge the mistakes I have made and the
mistakes I see in the tactics of others. My seminars are unique
because I incorporate human intuition and natural elk behavior into my
calling and set ups. I also expound on subjects such as meat care,
equipment, and a phenomenon I call shot psychology. Shot
psychology involves the mental processes of a shot (archery or firearm)
and how adrenaline affects those processes. I will explain "Buck
Fever" and I will give you the tools to counteract it! I hope to
see you at one of my seminars.
SEMINAR DATES
June 27,
2009 - Wenatchee, WA
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
High Mountain Hunting Supply
July 25, 2009 -
Graham, WA
Two Times:
12:00 PM - 3:00 PM and 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Rainier Archery
August 8, 2009 - Longview, WA
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Three Rivers Archery
August 9, 2009 - Lacey, WA
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Sportsman's Warehouse
August 23, 2009 - Ellensburg, WA
4:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Kittitas County Field & Stream Club