From the great NorthWest to the far SouthEast, deer hunters are still out hiking, spotting, stalking and bringing deer home for the freezer. By all measures, much has happened these last couple years that has many running for the hills. Why? Because providing for yourself and your family has never been a more important reality and way to keep your sanity!

As a long-time Hunter Education and Outdoor instructor, I’ve been asked a lot this year from friends and acquaintances if they can tag along because they want to learn to hunt. Lately, it’s expanded to trapping since temps are dropping up here in the north. Ladies in particular are coming out of the woodwork this year looking for more outdoor experiences, looking to “learn how to fend for themselves”.

I always say, there’s no better time than now to learn and get out there!

For having a graduate degree in the outdoors and having worked for an outdoor agency for much of my professional life, I have to tell you, most of my knowledge of big game and furbearers has straight up come from hanging out with sportsmen and women and being out there myself.

If you’re looking to turn over a new leaf, there’s never been a better time!

While my family is sorely missing Sitka Blacktail deer hunting in SE Alaska this fall, there’s a conservation issue brewing there that we are watching closely. You see, some of our favorite deer hunting happens on Prince of Wales Island, an island of a little less than 13,000sq miles. As of late, the anti’s have set their targets on the island’s wolf population, attempting to harness the power of the Endangered Species Act. While POW predator and prey populations have managed to get along just fine for thousands of years, there’s now a new meddler in town. People.

Well, we should trust the science, right? We sure have heard that statement a lot lately. It doesn’t make it any more clear though as to what “data” to trust. While I want to trust ADF&G on this one, they admittedly recognize that coming up with accurate deer and wolf estimates on this thickly timbered island is an arduous task, and one that has yet to be perfected.

When it comes to issues that affect your ability to hunt and recreate outdoors, we see through experiences such as these that it’s prudent to do your own research. Ask around, talk to people that have a history with the area and the resource. Get different perspectives. Most importantly, weigh in if there’s an opportunity to do so.

Here in Alaska we’re very lucky to have a voice in hunting and trapping regulations through an appointed 7 member board, our Alaska Board of Game. In between Board meetings, we also have a voice through our local Advisory Committee meetings where we can talk to local F&G staff, ask questions, debate controversial topics.

If you haven’t sat down with your local wildlife biologists, now’s the time. Whether you feel you need more information or not, getting to know your local wildlife biologist is a good thing. Maybe you can help them understand perspectives from the field they don’t have access to. Maybe you can offer insights and perspectives they don’t have.

Knowing your resources and your resource professionals are critically important to being successful outdoors year after year. If you’re not actively involved, you may see your opportunities change or worse yet, come to an end.

If you get a chance to take a new hunter this year, please do it. Sometimes it doesn’t work out with our schedules, or our family trips, but if you can swing it, we’ll all be better for it later.

This fall in the SE, we had a wonderful week out in the field whitetail hunting. For the most part we had great temps, with mornings dipping into the low 30s and the afternoons touching the high 50s. While the adults on the trip never could connect, nobody was disappointed with the end result! Our two kids both came home with amazing bucks! Both put in the time and effort, and were handsomely rewarded.

So no excuses! If you’re tired of the grind, get outdoors. If your freezer is empty, get outdoors. If you’re looking to get some exercise, get outdoors.

There’s no better time than now.

Good luck friends.