Unlike many outdoorsmen, I did not grow up hunting and backpacking. In fact camping only occurred when I was a small child in a tent trailer! Which despite having the word tent in its name is a far cry from backcountry camping! While I was lucky enough to do some fishing, that was also limited to a fairly routine process of trolling at the family cabin, which yielded little success.
Given the limited exposure it is no surprise that in my teens and early twenties I did not spend much time enjoying these activities.
Then a short video, and a desire to try something new led me to fly fishing, which, in my journey, became my gateway drug.
Two years after learning to fly fish, my brother and I decided to learn to hunt, as the thought of sourcing our own meat was intriguing.
After 4 years of learning to hunt and moving into a slight addiction (okay, major) I have made many mistakes, read countless articles, bought loads of gear and listened to hundreds of podcasts. Very few deal with the new hunter, and even less in my home province of Alberta.
While it is always valuable to listen to seasoned hunters, anglers, and backcountry adventurers, I would have loved to learn from and more importantly with a “newbie”. The barrier to entry can seem somewhat daunting and the cost to all the recommended gear from the “pros” is astronomical.
Follow along as I recount my steep learning curve into this lifestyle from learning to fish, hunt, backcountry camp, and even process my own wild game.
I hope to share lessons learned, gear reviews, helpful resources and recall some highs and lows from the last 4 years. Join in and lets continue this journey together.
-R
