Many famous caribou-hunting regions are now closed, but in other areas there are still good opportunities for success.

On the final morning of a caribou hunt in Quebec many years ago we awoke to a blustery, threatening dawn. I was still in my sleeping bag when one of the guys ran into the cabin saying, “Hey, you gotta see this!” Several of us stumbled out to the porch and gazed across the lake at a scene straight from a John Ford western. However, instead of angry Apaches lining the horizon, the ridge on the far side of the lake was rimmed with caribou, on the move and headed our way!

The week had been fairly slow, at least as Quebec caribou hunting was in those days, but there were singles and small groups moving around, and we’d hauled some good bulls into camp. By evening of the next-to-last day most everybody was “tagged out” with two bulls. Except gunmaker Lex Webernick (of Rifles, Inc.) had managed to hold out and hadn’t fired a shot…and I had one tag left. You could say that our camp-mates had been too hasty but, after all, there was no guarantee a mass of caribou would show up! However, it worked, and Lex and I were in the driver’s seat. We grabbed our gear, jumped in a canoe, dashed across the lake, and had our pick of exceptional bulls.

A very fine Quebec-Labrador caribou taken in 2001, toward the tail end of the golden era for caribou hunting.

It’s easy to recall exactly when that memorable hunt occurred, because we got home just a few days before the dire events of 9/11/2001. That, of course, changed our world forever, but since then, the caribou world has also changed. Twenty years ago—and even ten—caribou hunting was affordable and available across much of North America. Woodland caribou—or moose and caribou combo hunts—were readily available in Newfoundland. Quebec was wide open, with options between the George River and Leaf River herds, both hundreds of thousands strong. In Northwest Territories the Courageous Lake herd of Central Canada barren ground caribou was wide open, with good numbers of mountain caribou in the far west McKenzie District. Yukon had mountain caribou in the south and barren ground caribou in the north. The mountain caribou of northern British Columbia were in decline, but strong enough—in enough areas—that numerous great bulls were taken in the 1990s and early 2000s. Alaska’s wildlife managers figure there are thirty-two separate caribou herds in that vast state, so at any given time some will be up and some down, but back then many herds were up.

It’s a far different picture in 2019. Newfoundland’s woodland caribou declined drastically, with much discussion of a complete closure. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed; instead of a precipitous shutdown the number of permits was seriously reduced. Although it isn’t at all clear that overhunting was a factor, the downhill slide seems to have stopped. Calf survival is up, and some great bulls are being taken. However, outfitters in caribou country now get a very small permit allocation, and, of course, are charging accordingly.

Continent-wide, the worst news comes from northern Quebec. First the George River herd collapsed, with hunting closed in 2013. Then the Leaf River herd went into a steep decline, with the last nonresident permits issued in 2018. At the time of the closure the Leaf River herd was still estimated at 150,000, plenty enough caribou to support the relatively small (but financially important) nonresident harvest. The fact that almost nothing has been done to reduce subsistence harvest says all that needs to be said about the politics of the issue. At this writing it is not clear if the Leaf River herd will stabilize or continue to crash, but nonresident caribou hunting, long an important industry in northern Quebec, is now closed. This means that dozens of camps are moldering on the tundra, along with the infrastructure that supported them. If there should be a reopening it won’t be as simple as turning on a switch.

Central Northwest Territories is similarly closed, with northern Manitoba now the only option to hunt Central Canada barren ground caribou. To the east, Nunavut is open for Central Canada barren ground caribou on the mainland; and the small Arctic Island caribou to the north, primarily on Victoria Island. In the west, the McKenzie Mountains still hold good numbers of mountain caribou, as do some of the guide territories in southern Yukon. That’s good news, because opportunities for mountain caribou are very slim in British Columbia. I was a youngster when I shot my one and only mountain caribou in northern B.C. back in 1973. I’ve long wanted a bigger bull but, in recent years, I’ve tried twice in northern B.C. Both times I saw caribou, but nothing legal or shootable. Yukon and the McKenzies have appeal, but having priced those caribou hunts, my ardor has cooled somewhat.

Northern Yukon also has good barren ground caribou, with Alaska’s Porcupine herd, estimated at 170,000, shared between northeast Alaska and northwest Yukon. All of Alaska’s caribou are considered barren ground caribou, estimated at 950,000. Her numerous regional herds vary from remnants of a few dozen to the huge Western Arctic herd at 325,000. Collectively, Alaska holds lots of caribou and plenty of opportunity.

Aside from those two blank attempts for a mountain caribou in B.C. and a frosty hunt for an Arctic Island caribou in 2012, I did almost all of my caribou hunting before 2000, in a time when caribou hunting was affordable, available, and routinely successful. I didn’t always punch both tags, but In N.W.T. and Quebec, two caribou were generally on license. Much Quebec hunting was what I’d call “semi-guided,” meaning we’d go into an established camp with logistical support and hunt on our own, a wonderful way to hunt caribou, especially when there are lots of them moving through.

There was one exception to that “routinely successful” business. Between 1975 and 2000 I hunted Alaska numerous times, both guided and DIY. I’m not sure how many caribou tags I purchased, and for sure I wasn’t always hunting caribou exclusively (or specifically)—but I never had a chance at a decent caribou in Alaska. I can’t really call it a bucket list thing, since I took a nice barren ground caribou in north-central Yukon back in 1999, but I’d long felt it was a gap in my experience.

So it was that in September 2019, I hied myself (as my old friend Colonel Charlie Askins might have said) to the Alaskan Peninsula for a caribou hunt. Now, if I were you, and hankering for an Alaskan caribou, I’d consider the North Slope of the Brooks Range, where four large herds come together and more than half of Alaska’s caribou reside. Fortunately for you, you aren’t me, and there was both method and circular thinking in my madness. On hunts for both moose and bear, the southern Alaskan Peninsula out of Cold Bay was one of the places where, back in the 1980s I’d carried (and eaten) caribou tags. So, there was some unfinished business involved. Occupying a small area with limited habitat, the Southern Peninsula caribou herd isn’t large, today estimated at just a thousand. However, these are big-bodied caribou and antler quality is excellent.

Guide Jordan Wallace and Boddington with a very nice caribou from the Alaskan Peninsula. Amazingly, this was one of the smaller bulls taken in the author’s camp.

Back in the day I saw a lot of caribou, just nothing I wanted. Then the herd declined, and for some years there was no hunting, reopened just two years ago. My buddy Dave Leonard of Mountain Monarchs of Alaska was able to add a couple of weeks of caribou hunting before his alternate-year bear season.

Hunting from his David River base camp and fly-in spike camps I had a wonderful caribou hunt, and took a very nice bull. That said, it was a lot different from so many caribou hunts in years gone by. The area does allow two bulls, but it’s not a big herd and Leonard discourages a second tag. At the current cost of nonresident Alaskan tags, that’s perfectly fine with me. Come to think of it, my friend Mr. Leonard’s fee was more than I ever thought I’d pay for a caribou hunt, but that’s the way of caribou hunting today. Alaska remains the only option where DIY caribou hunting remains possible, but, realistically, by the time you do the flying and all the freight I’m not convinced there’s much savings. Bottom line: Caribou hunting is pricier than ever before!

According to my experience this was not an easy hunt. It wasn’t like northern Quebec or N.W.T.’s barrens in years gone by. There was no sitting at a known crossing and waiting for a nice bull to amble by. It was more like hunting pronghorn on foot in big country, except with miles of spongy tundra tussocks to traverse. We glassed caribou from a couple miles; sometimes we caught up, and sometimes not. Leonard’s two groups for the last two weeks of the season were not 100 percent. Obviously, that has been my experience with caribou in Alaska, and recently for mountain caribou, but failure was unusual in the halcyon days of caribou hunting! That said, success depended on tough hiking, fairly long shooting, reasonable expectations, and luck. I saw plenty of caribou and shot a reasonable bull on my next-to-last day. I was happy; I got my Alaskan caribou. Four of my camp-mates were even happier: I saw four bulls carrying over 400 inches of antler brought into camp. The big ones were there!

Mountain Monarchs’ David River Camp, near Nelson Lagoon on the Bering Sea side of the Peninsula, is famous for big brown bears. The caribou herd here is small, but after several years of closure the area is again producing very big caribou.

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A camp in Texas is helping women learn the skills they need to become successful hunters.

Yes, she hunts! Although hunting remains a male-dominated activity, women are the fastest-growing segment of the hunting community, and they are a much larger minority than when my generation grew up. In a time when declining numbers are the greatest threat to hunting, this is extremely important. We spend much time pontificating—and wringing our hands—over the criticality of recruiting young hunters. This has always been important, but increasingly so as our hunting demographics age.

As our society becomes ever more urbanized, the recruitment and retention challenges increase because of hunter access and ever-escalating costs. The sad reality is that potential young hunters trapped in cities—even those with innate interest—are difficult to reach. The same problem applies to all ages and sexes, but the women within our own extended circles are joining us in unprecedented numbers. From what I hear, there are still a few Neanderthals among us, but I believe (and certainly hope) most of us male hunters are welcoming.

Unlike previous generations, these days many daughters, sisters, and moms grow up with hunting as a normal thing. But unless you grow up with it, suddenly “going hunting” can be intimidating, and even with the best intentions we mentors of the male hunting majority don’t always do things exactly right.

Dani Parris-Exline stalks a “rogue elephant.” We put on a bit of pressure, with the target hidden until the last minute.

Perhaps it was because of my failings that my daughter Brittany established her She Hunts Skills Camps. Britt has been doing this for four years now, hosting groups of up to a dozen—now more than a hundred “graduates”—for busy and intensive, but also fun, four-day sessions. The ladies span all age groups and experience; some are veteran hunters, many new, and some, quite honestly, arrive very undecided about this hunting thing.

The idea is to provide a safe, positive experience, helping women to be safer, more competent, and independenthunters. Recently her camp has been held at Record Buck Ranch near Utopia, Texas, a gorgeous piece of the Hill Country. The food is fantastic, the lodge comfortable and homey, and wildlife on the ranch is amazing, hosting dozens of non-native species, plus white-tailed deer, turkeys, and oceans of wild hogs. Hunting—or “safari style” game viewing drives—are optional early morning and late afternoon activities. Experience has shown that most attendees hunt, even those who initially say they won’t.

Britt obviously can’t do it all by herself. Donna, who has a vested interest in women hunting, usually attends to help out, as does Brittany’s husband, Brad Jannenga. I’ve attended a few, and sponsors, including Krieghoff, Leupold, MGA, and Norma come in to provide expertise for various sessions. In the session just past, in mid-October, shotgunner Kayle Browning interrupted her Olympic training to give the ladies some of the best shotgun instruction I’ve ever seen. Honestly, every time I’ve attended, I’ve learned something. Kayle used some amazingly simple techniques that were absolutely certain to allow new shotgunners to break targets.

So, suppose a lady in your life shows interest in shooting or hunting? How many of us, me included, have taken her to the range, gone through the Ten Commandments of safety, and handed her a firearm ready to shoot? That’s not bad, but it’s not enough. Women are more curious than that, and most want more knowledge, beyond just hitting a target.

Brittany thought this through (without consulting me). Of course, she starts with safety, reinforced throughout, but before shooting they start with functioning and loading, then mounting a scope, then bore-sighting, and then zeroing. It makes me feel pretty stupid because I never taught my girls these things. Those were my chores. Now, there are some great shooting schools out there. She Hunts is not a shooting school, not in four days with all the rest. In military terms it’s a bit more like “familiarization fire,” not in-depth training. But shooting includes off sticks with both .22s and centerfires, shooting off the bench, and at distant targets. Basic archery is included—in this recent session several of the ladies were already bowhunters—as is basic shotgunning with, as I said, exceptional instruction.

Other seminars include conservation and hunting ethics, shot placement on game, stalking, basic gear, survival technique, and firearms maintenance. There’s even a fun thing where, with a “PH,” attendees “stalk” a life-size buffalo or elephant target, and take it on, usually with a double rifle in moderate cartridge.

One of the most confusing things in our male-dominated hunting world is “bullet basics”—cartridges, bullets, how they’re named, how they work, and what various cartridges are for. Many boys grow up reading Guns & Ammo; most girls do not. But, honestly, cartridge nomenclature is so conflicting that even many of my writer colleagues don’t really understand it. Trying to make sense of this arcane and boring stuff was my most daunting task at the last camp. Fortunately, there is no exam, but I found the ladies attentive and interested—and full of very good questions. Knowing song and verse doesn’t matter, but it’s important to know that a .30-06 is larger and more powerful than a 7mm-08 or .270…and why.

Many attendees have never used a shotgun, but Olympic hopeful Kayle Browning is able to get everyone to break clays in just a few shots.

One of the great advantages to doing something like this on a Texas ranch is the year-round hunting opportunity. Those who wish to hunt can, and plentiful wild hogs (no license required) offer an inexpensive opportunity with success highly likely. So, for the field dressing and butchering seminar, it was no great trick to produce two big wild hogs. Last time Brad and I did this together, starting with the traditional field dressing technique, from the belly. Then we did the “Alaskan” method, peeling down from the backbone, finishing with hung quarters and backstraps and tenderloins ready for the table. Field-dressing is another chore that I used to keep for myself. When Britt was a teenager, to my surprise, she begged me to show her how.

Come to think of it, my dad was a bird hunter, and I’m not sure he ever learned how to field dress a deer—that was my job! Ultimately, I suppose it really doesn’t matter who does it, but after all, it’s an essential skill that every hunter should know. As we got to the second pig, I was impressed with how many of the ladies pulled on rubber gloves and pitched in. Although this would be beyond me, the game care seminar is followed by an expert’s spin on game cooking.

Aside from availability of game, Record Buck’s facilities provide a perfect venue. Lodging for attendees is in the main lodge, with rooms off to the side and upstairs, with dining room and after-hours bar downstairs. Strap-hangers like me and “guest lecturers” are housed separately, so it’s a nice combination of privacy and coziness that brings the group together and creates a lot of camaraderie. Let’s face it, guys: Lady hunters enjoy being with other lady hunters now and then!

As for hunting, Record Buck offers plenty of opportunity, and over the course of a half-dozen early morning or late afternoon outings most hunters will have an opportunity at the game they seek. Several opted for wild hogs, which are truly a plague in this area, certainly the most plentiful and available species. One woman shot a beautiful blackbuck, another a fine axis deer, still another a scimitar-horned oryx. One young lady, Lauren, wanted a zebra! Guide Houston Erskine is a good friend and excellent (and patient) guide. Record Buck has a breeding population of zebra, but as Houston and Lauren set out, he mentioned that, as in so much of Africa, a zebra might be the most difficult animal on the ranch. I think it took four outings and several failed stalks, but Lauren took a beautiful zebra with a perfect shot, and I was delighted to be there to see it.

As usual, most of the attendees chose to hunt, and all who did shot well and effectively, with no drama. In my experience, having “created” several female hunters, this is typical. Women haven’t been subjected to macho posturing most of their lives–they start with few bad habits and are interested in listening, learning, and doing it right. And, with good instruction, they tend to do it right. With every one of Brittany’s camps that I attend, I realize I could have been a much better teacher! Brittany has four sessions scheduled at Record Buck in 2020. For information visit www.shehuntsskillscamp.com.

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True wilderness is getting harder to find on the Dark Continent.

Mentor, friend, and great hunter the late Jack Atcheson Sr. once said to me: “True wilderness is characterized by the absence of wildlife.” Atcheson was from Montana. As historical record, the Lewis and Clark expedition almost starved in what is now great elk country. Today, animal densities are much lower in wild places like the Bob Marshal Wilderness than in ranch lands. Perennial concentrations of wildlife are most likely to be found in areas where permanent water and year-around food can be found, which usually means the hand of man has been at work: Developed water sources and, often, agriculture.

This is an almost universal truth, and it certainly applies to Africa. If you want to see a lot of animals on a constant basis and rack up a big bag, then there are no places on Earth better than the well-manicured and often over-stocked game ranches of southern Africa. There is nothing at all wrong with these places or this approach, but don’t delude yourself that this is wild Africa or that, having savored the amazing bounty, you have experienced wild Africa.

A typical scene at a waterhole in Etosha National Park, Namibia. If you want to see a lot of African wildlife—and you should—visit the great African Parks and enjoy, but don’t assume that typical hunting areas will hold such an abundance of wildlife.

Certainly, across the unimaginable vastness of Africa there are unusual areas that, by accidents of habitat, naturally host concentrations of wildlife. Many of these special areas have been preserved as National Parks, famous places such as Etosha, Kruger, Masai Mara, Ngorongoro, Serengeti. By long-established law and tradition, these are not hunting areas, no more than Yellowstone and Denali. There are parallels: If you want to view concentrations of North American wildlife in beautiful natural settings, visit our National Parks. Likewise, if you wish to view African wildlife in ideal habitat, visit the great Parks.

Naturally, many non-hunters don’t know the difference, and anti-hunters don’t want to know the difference. However, most hunting areas in wild Africa are marginal lands, often arid or swamp, unsuited for pasture and agriculture, and lacking the natural beauty and species diversity to be preserved as Parks supported by ecotourism. We crazy hunters are willing to visit such places because we’re willing to work harder for fewer encounters, savoring the wildness.

Obviously, “wilderness” is derivative of “wild.” In North America, large areas of more or less pristine wilderness have been set aside, with intrusion restricted, including use of mechanical devices, including vehicles and chainsaws. To be honest, true African wilderness is elusive. With Africa’s burgeoning human population, there are few areas (if any) that have noindigenous population. Human encroachment is forbidden in most National Parks (that are not hunted) and many game reserves (that are hunted), and even some hunting areas. For example, human habitation is forbidden in Zimbabwe’s Designated Safari Areas, set aside primarily for hunting.

Regardless of regulation and intent, almost universally there are roads, camps, and, business being business, there is almost always natural resource exploitation, such as logging, mining, and poaching. Absent some form of development, none of these things could exist—nor could lawful and well-managed hunting, or, for that matter, ecotourism. Thus, true, untouched African wilderness may not still exist. For sure I have never seen it. If it did exist, I probably couldn’t survive, pampered child of the West that I am. However, some areas are wilder than others!

Trying to be realistic in our twenty-first century, when I think of “wild Africa” I’m thinking of places where there are no fences, no major human development, and a minimal human population with inevitable agriculture and livestock. In such areas, wildlife can roam free as it must. Such areas exist all across Africa, and in fact are the norm in the majority of Africa’s twenty countries that currently offer regulated sport hunting. What I call the “roll call” of these African hunting countries is less than half of the nearly fifty sovereign nations that comprise Africa—and occupy less than a third of her land mass. Most African countries have National Parks vying for tourism. However, it is sad fact that wildlife has disappeared from vast tracts of Africa beyond these protected enclaves. The hunting countries are exceptions, with lands beyond sacrosanct Parks and reserves where wildlife still flourishes naturally because wildlife has value, generating revenues for both governments and local populations, brought in by sport hunting regulated as a sustainable harvest.

This is the reality of “wild Africa” today. Across Robert Ruark’s “MMBA” (Miles and Miles of Bloody Africa) situations vary widely, but animal densities are lower and conditions are more challenging than on intensively-managed private lands. That’s okay because we hunters don’t mind working for the experience.

An amazing bongo from the Congo forest. This was the only animal taken on a two-week safari, and one of only a half-dozen actually seen. In the forest, this is normal, and it was a very successful safari!

I suppose the “wildest” part of Africa I’ve spent time in is the forest zone, where heat and thick vegetation combine to offer difficult hunting conditions. There’s actually a lot of wildlife in the forest—but you don’t see it! I know hunters who have encountered bongos on forest roads, but I haven’t! Last year, in Congo, driving hundreds of miles looking for tracks, I saw one bay duiker, brief glimpses of a couple of scampering Bates pygmy antelopes and a female sitatunga. That’s it! Hunting hard and specifically, my hunting partner and I each took a bongo, and we called the safari a resounding success.

The forest is a special case; one goes there with limited and specific objectives, hopefully understanding you won’t seea lot of game, and you’ll sweat buckets for every encounter. Much of today’s “wild Africa” hosts wildlife in significant density and variety—but that depends on wise stewardship. Today there are great hunting areas in Ethiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, to name just a few. However, these countries also have depleted areas, where effective anti-poaching has not been conducted, or where game quotas have been too liberal, or where human encroachment has not been managed.

In the past I have considered the presence of lions an essential element of wild Africa, so much that I used the phrase “where lions roar” as a book title. I haven’t exactly re-thought this, but hearing lions roar cannot be a part of every excellent safari experience. Lions aren’t creatures of the forest, and wild lions will not be encountered on the game ranches of southern Africa. Sadly, across Africa lions have vanished from much historic range. However, a wonderful part of the African experience is to lie in your tent and hear lions roaring. You are in wild Africa. The days are over when this sound might be heard across wild Africa, but I’ve had recent experiences that give me hope.

Coastal Mozambique has become one of my favorite African areas. Following Mozambique’s long civil war little wildlife remained. In the last quarter-century the outfitters operating the big Coutadas surrounding the Marromeu Reserve have brought it back! These areas are supported only by hunting revenue, and they have wrought a miracle: From 1,200 remnant buffaloes in 1992 to 30,000 today, along with thousands of waterbucks, sables, nyalas, and so much more. In the 1960s, lions were plentiful in the area. Although none have been hunted in years, the lions never made a comeback. Occasional wandering males came through, probably from Gorongosa National Park seventy miles inland—but there was no breeding population. Area operators agreed lions were needed to make the area complete. In summer 2018, just a year ago, twenty-four wild lions were brought in. Widely publicized, this was the largest international transfer of wild lions, engineered and funded by Mary Cabela and son, Dan, of the Cabela Family Foundation. Habituated in enclosures and then released on the edge of a game-rich floodplain, the lions almost immediately formed small prides and began making natural kills.

“Mary’s Lions,” snacking on a reedbuck just a few days after being released into the wild in Mozambique’s Coutada 11. For unknown reasons the area was lacking in lions, so the Cabela Foundation introduced two dozen lions. After just a year they have doubled!

I was there shortly after the release and watched a lioness snag a reedbuck. My cameraman, Bill Owens, had the amazing fortune to be there when one of those elusive Mozambican males claimed three lionesses. Now it’s a year later and I’m back in Coutada 11, site of the release, with Zambeze Delta Safaris. In just a year the initial two-dozen have doubled. So far “Mary’s Lions” are subsisting primarily on reedbuck, warthogs, and bushpigs, but before long it’s almost certain we’ll have to share the buffalo with the lions, and that’s just fine!

I’ve spent a lot of time in Namibia, a beautiful country offering a vast amount of game. Most of it is private land, and except for the Zambezi Region in the far north, not much of it is lion country or “wild Africa.” But an area I hadn’t seen until recently is Kaokoland in the northwest.

I was there in June with Jamy Traut and saw a side of Namibia I didn’t know existed. His Kaokoland concession encompasses two tribal conservancies, 1.6 million acres: No fences, a few small villages and a scattering of nomadic herdsmen, and a surprising amount of wildlife for such arid country: Lots of mountain zebra, plentiful springbok and giraffe, good kudu. Plus bonuses: Kaokoland is too arid to be buffalo habitat, but has a permanent population of several hundred wandering elephants, and a breeding population of black rhinos…very possibly the last completely free-roaming black rhinos on the African continent. And, yes, it’s lion country! The estimate is about a hundred and fifty lions in several prides, with individuals coming and going from Etosha to the east. We saw their tracks; they stole our leopard baits—and we lay in our tents and heard them roaring. By any and all definition, this remote corner of Namibia is wild Africa.

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How to prepare for the upcoming hunting season.

Here in North America, most hunting seasons are geared around autumn. We American hunters are accustomed to short autumn seasons that we look forward to and plan around. Many European hunters, on the other hand, enjoy a six-month roebuck season spanning spring, summer, and fall. Some African countries have set seasons and others do not, but ideal times generally trend toward either cooler months or the dry season. But here in the U.S., our long-awaited hunting seasons are almost upon us, and we want to be ready!

GET IN SHAPE. Keeping in condition is probably the most time-consuming item on my list. And, as I’m unfortunately learning, the older I get the more constant effort is required. “In shape” is a flexible term, depending heavily on your age and overall health, and just as heavily on the kind of hunting you want to be ready for. Hunting whitetails from stands is probably the most common American hunting situation. You don’t need to be an Olympic athlete, but you need to be able to get to and from your stand and be limber enough to get in and out safely (if not gracefully).

Mountain hunting on foot is a different order of magnitude, and most everything else is somewhere in between. I’m neither a marathon runner nor a personal trainer (and for sure I’ve never had a personal trainer!), but I can offer a few thoughts. First, being in shape for hunting season is not an exam you can cram for. How long it takes depends on your starting point and the level of condition you wish to reach, but we’re talking regular exercise for weeks, perhaps months and even years. Therefore, it’s best to establish some sort of regimen and stick with it, although you can certainly step up your program as a particularly challenging hunt nears.

Second, always see your doctor before starting a new exercise program, and listen to your body. Muscle soreness is normal, but no matter what you’re doing, work up slowly and don’t overdo it: If you hurt yourself, you’re defeating your purpose and delaying your goal.

Distances, difficulty of terrain, and required load varies widely, but most hunting requires at least some walking, at least a light pack, and usually does not require sprinting or long-distance running. Therefore, I am convinced that walking is the best preparation for most hunting. We walk the dog regularly, and pound some of hiking trails near home in the coastal mountains with packs and hiking poles. These days, I strap on knee braces! In between, I go to the gym, focusing on primarily cardio and lifting light weights. Unfortunately, I travel a lot, and travel plays havoc with any fitness schedule. If I can’t do anything better, I jog wherever I am. This year I ran almost daily while in camp in Cameroon, again in Namibia. You need a safe place, but little space and equipment. Walking is as good and maybe better, but takes longer!

I don’t recommend taking up jogging, certainly not without a doctor’s clearance. However, you have to figure out what works for you. I’m too uncoordinated for team sports, I don’t play golf, and traveling with a bike is awkward. Long-term running is hard on the body but, thanks to the Marines, I’ve run all my life. So, when I’m short on time, I strap on my knee braces. These days, I can’t justify my Forrest Gump shuffle as “running”–but, for the purpose, it’s more a matter of time and distance than speed. Again, find exercise you like to do (and thus can make yourself do regularly). Start early and stick with it.

The shooting bench, with the rifle safe and muzzle pointed downrange, is a perfect place to do a careful inspection. Start by making sure all screws are tight, and finish with a thorough function check.

CHECK RIFLE AND AMMO. This shouldn’t take very long, but it can’t be left to the last minute because: What if there’s a problem? Mechanical problems can happen at any time but, typically, they don’t pop up overnight. So, whether Old Betsy has been in storage since last season, or is an old friend that goes to the range often, this final grace period before hunting season is a good time to do a careful butt-to-muzzle inspection. Make sure all screws are tight: Action, scope mounts, and rings.

Obviously, you want to do this in complete safety, so I follow an important member of the “Ten Commandments of Gun Safety” and treat guns as if they’re loaded when I take them out of the safe and make sure they’re cleared and empty. One of my pet peeves is screw-in sling swivel studs that become loose. The problem with loose studs is they tend to keep working looser. If they pop out when the rifle is slung (and they can), then your rifle is likely to take a hard fall. Screw-in studs can usually be re-secured with Loc-Tite or epoxy.

Visual inspection and this kind of trouble-shooting can be done on your workbench. Much of the rest I do on the range because, unless you’re a handloader and have created dummy rounds, you need to work cartridges through the magazine and into and out of the chamber to do proper function-checking. Made sure that the basic functions of feeding, extraction, and ejection are smooth and trouble-free. Since we’re at the range, actual firing will also be checked.

It’s unusual for something bad to suddenly develop, but it can happen. Extractors, ejectors, and springs can become worn. When this happens either a trip to a gunsmith–or time to locate parts–is in order, which is why this stuff shouldn’t wait until the last minute. Sometimes, however, a good cleaning can fix the problem. Rust can develop in storage, and excess lubricant can collect gunk and inhibit functions.

Boddington does most of his gun cleaning at the range, making sure he includes cleaning gear with his range kit. The only advantage to doing it at the range: After cleaning you can fire fouling shots, and then your rifle is ready to go hunting.

I wouldn’t wish to admit this in front of my old Drill Instructor, but I don’t necessarily clean my rifles every time I fire them. It depends on the conditions, and how many shots down the barrel since the last cleaning. Instead, here’s what I do: I take my cleaning gear to the range for the last practice or zero session before I take a rifle on a hunt. Then, when I’m just about done and I’m happy with the zero and the load, I clean thoroughly on the range. Most rifles put the first couple of shots from a freshly-cleaned barrel to a different point of impact than after the barrel is slightly fouled (which, with my rifles, is a more natural state!). The difference is often slight, but can be a couple of inches. So, after cleaning and when I’m all done, I fire two or three “fouling shots.” Then I’m really done, so I’m ready to pack up.

Except for one more thing. Toward the tail end of that last range session before a hunt, it’s wise to run all the cartridges you’re taking with you through the magazine and into and out of the chamber. Just recently I was in camp with a gent who had a gorgeous rifle. Half his ammo was somebody else’s handloads—and they wouldn’t chamber in his rifle. Yeah, I know how silly this sounds, but obviously it happens. I don’t shoot other people’s handloads, and I don’t loan mine to anyone else. Problems with factory loads are rare, but once in a while you run into a dented case, bad case mouth, etc. It’s wise to visually check all ammo for a hunt, first to make sure everything matches, and then to make sure all cartridges feed and chamber in your rifle.

PRACTICE SHOOTING. Shooting practice really should be ongoing and continuous. As with conditioning, no one can say how much is enough, but nobody can spend too much time practicing. The only caveat to that is don’t overdo it: If you beat yourself up and acquire a flinch it’s gonna take a lot of work to undo it. So, practice smart. With hard-kicking rifles, limit your exposure per range session. Half a dozen or ten shots may be plenty, and twenty is probably too much. Intersperse with a good old .22 or a mild-recoiling varmint rifle.

Much effective practice shooting can be done with a .22, minimizing recoil and cost, and reducing barrel-cooling time on summer days. Everything you need to know about shooting over sticks can be learned with a .22.

A solid benchrest is essential for checking zero and evaluating loads, but in my view shooting off the bench isn’t practice for hunting. Get away from the bench and do as much shooting as you possibly can from positions you might actually use in the field: Shooting sticks, bipods, impromptu rests, and the good old basic NRA shooting positions of prone, kneeling, sitting, and standing. Whatever your hunting rifle happens to be, you need to shoot it enough to be completely familiar and comfortable, but a lot of this practice shooting can be done effectively with a good old .22, with no recoil and little cost.

I love long summer days, when you can start shooting early and stay late if you wish. However, summer heat changes the game. Barrels heat up quickly, and the pencil-thin barrels common on light sporters today heat up very quickly. Accuracy can deteriorate fast, so it’s important to be patient and plan on spending a lot of time waiting for barrels to cool. How long, and after how many shots depends on ambient temperature, bullet velocity, and barrel thickness, but you can’t learn anything shooting a hot barrel. Take your time, and spend more time shooting your .22.

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