I went hunting in southern Oregon the other day with my buddy, Brandon Arn, and together, we bagged a terrific wild turkey. It was my first and I was really happy. I was going to write about how we spotted the turkey feeding near the timber and how we sneaked up around him, created the …
Author Archives: goathunter
Brother Owen 1972 – 2012
My brother, Owen Alford, lost his battle with cancer on March 26th, 2012 (OwenAlford.wordpress.com). We were life-long friends. Owen followed me into bowhunting several years ago, bagged a blacktail buck, and then set his bow aside for several years while he worked nights and went to school during the day. It was always his intention …
75 Years of Waterfowl Conservation
Ducks are thriving in North America, thanks in no small part to the wetland conservation group, Ducks Unlimited (ducks.org). DU was formed in the 1930’s, during the dark days of the economic depression. A drought was consuming the Midwestern United States and precious breeding ground in Canada was degraded, causing duck populations to plummet. While …
Duck Hunting 2011 – 2012 Season
We just wrapped up the 2011-2012 duck hunting season here in Oregon. It was the second season that me and Banjo were able to hunt ducks together and we had a great time. We even bagged some ducks along the way too. Banjo usually sits on a little porch on the front of the blind, …
KUIU Chugach Rain Gear – The Ultimate In Awesomeness!
I hunt in Oregon, all seasons, all weather, and it rains here a lot. Staying dry while hunting/hiking is difficult because if the rain gear is too heavy, then you get hot and soaked with sweat. When moving through heavy brush, “breathable” rain gear (like gore-tex) can load up with water and soak through. Balancing …
Banjo’s First Upland Bird Hunt
Bird hunting season is in full swing here in Oregon, with opportunities to hunt upland birds (grouse, quail, pheasant, chukar, hungarian partridge) and waterfowl (ducks and geese). My elk hunting buddy, Brandon, is a die hard upland bird hunter and when he invited me on a hunt last week, I jumped in the truck and …
Let’s go drinkin! (…water that is…)
On multi-day, backcountry hunts, having a source of drinking water is an important issue. Water weighs a lot, so it’s not feasible to carry enough to last more than a couple of days. Water in the woods can also be infected with nasty things like giardia, e-coli, and parasites, so drinking that “fresh” mountain spring …
Black Bears
During my recent elk hunting trip, we had a couple black bear encounters. This bear was feeding on currant berries very close to the trail I was hiking on. I accidentally spooked the bear as I walked up and it ran out about 20 yards, turned and watched me. The wind was blowing from the …
Backcountry Elk Hunt 2011
Question: what kind of whackos spend 15 days in the backcountry drinking muddy iodine-flavored water, eating the same food day after day, and chasing elk from dark until dark? You guessed it: the same two guys and eight goats who went to Hells Canyon for a spring bear hunt. Why? Because IT ROCKS! Archery elk …
Gun Dog Banjo – My Best Good Buddy
Meet my best good buddy, Banjo. He’s a four-year-old purebred golden retriever who is getting ready for his second season as a gun dog. Banjo loves being outdoors, getting wet and muddy, and chasing birds. Oregon has 107 days of duck hunting fun, starting in mid-October and Banjo has been training steadily in preparation. Waterfowl …
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