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Bulls & Beavers Tags along with Boulder Creek Outfitters for a Hunt of a Lifetime

Opening day of deer season, October 10th 2009 outside Grangeville, Idaho was a memorable one. Earlier this year I was invited by a good friend of mine Dave Suder to join him and 12 of his employees and clients for a deer and elk hunt.

Dave is an investor in Bulls & Beavers and also owns KHS&S contractors. KHS&S is one of the nation’s largest specialty contractors and is the nation’s leading theme contractor. Both Dave and his brother Mike are friends of mine from high school and it was great to spend quality time with them sharing old stories and hunting together.

Leaving Ketchum, Idaho on the 9th, I decided to take a shortcut through Stanley past the majestic Sawtooth Mountain range and over to Lowman, then North through McCall and into Grangeville. The drive was beautiful and fall was definitely in the air.

We all met at the Grangeville airport and headed out from there in three large SUVs. The drive to camp was an experience as we traveled up a steep dirt road through some very rugged country. We arrived at camp around 4:30 in the afternoon and met the staff. Tim Craig, the owner of Boulder Creek Outfitters, has been in business for over 25 years and has put together a first class operation with a staff that is both dedicated and experienced. His operation leases 55,000 prime acres that is home to large herds of Elk, Mule deer, White Tail deer, Black Bear and Mountain Lions.

Having two weeks earlier taken a nice bull elk with my bow, I was content to simply ride along and share in the camaraderie of being with the others elk hunting. I had several opportunities for a White Tail deer, but passed on two small crab claws.

The first day of the hunt was cold and the weather got colder as the week went on. Every morning we woke at 3:45am and were out by 5:00am. The food was great. Breakfast was always my favorite with eggs, bacon biscuits and gravy, French toast etc. We packed a lunch each day and often would not return to camp until after dark.

As for accommodations, they were far better than I expected. I would classify them as far superior to your typical back country camp. Hot shower, Satellite TV and heated sleeping areas with comfortable beds made for an incredible hunt post hunt retreat that I would recommend to anyone.

Opening day we had two animals down. By the end of my trip we had eight elk, seven deer, and one bear in camp with three days of hunting still to complete.

Now it’s fair to say that hunting is sometimes a misunderstood activity. It’s also reasonable to comment that many people don’t realize what hunting means to not only this outfitter, but to the State of Idaho and the many small rural towns across the state and country.

When I hear people criticize hunting, while at the same time watch them order a steak at a local restaurant or order fancy labeled meats at the local grocery store, my thoughts are confirmed.

Hunting means so much to so many people that it is hard to define. It is even harder to explain to people who have never hunted or never really understand its importance. Hunting is both a lifestyle and a tradition. It’s more than the morning mist, the thrill of a pursuit, the use of one’s forest knowledge. It’s primal and modern. It is raw cunning passed down from wood-wise veterans steeped in skill and interpretation of smallest details.

Hunting is more than anything, an opportunity to bond, to teach and to share. In an age of disconnected families and divorce, who could argue then with the value of a father teaching his son or daughter the respectful ways to hunt with integrity and purpose, as well as proper use and care of a firearm and cleaning one’s own catch.

Idaho’s 259,000 hunters and anglers are among the most prominent and influential of all demographic groups, spending more than $598 million a year on hunting and fishing, according to a recent report. In Idaho, spending by hunters and anglers directly supports 11,500 jobs, which puts $324 million worth of paychecks into the pockets of working residents around the state. Spending by local sportsman in pursuit of these outdoor activities generates $70 million in state and local taxes. These latest figures show that season after season hunters and anglers are the driving force in the economy from big business to rural towns through both booms and recessions.

When spending by hunters and anglers is compared to that by other sectors, their impact on the state’s economy becomes more tangible. Sportsman support more jobs in Idaho than Micron Technology, one of the state’s largest employers: 11,500 jobs versus 10,000. Idaho sportsman outnumber the populations of Boise and Pocatello: 259,000 versus 246,533.

On a national level 34 million sportsmen age 16 and older spent more than 76 billion in 2006, supporting 1.6 million jobs. If a single corporation grossed as much as hunters and anglers spend. It would be among America’s 20 largest, ahead of Target, Costco and AT&T. The economic stimulus of hunting and fishing equals and astounding 1.6 million a day being pumped into the state’s economy.

Spending by sportsman benefits not only manufactures of hunting and fishing related products, but everything from local mom and pop businesses to wildlife conservation. Because most hunting and fishing takes place in rural areas, much of the spending benefits less affluent parts of the state. When sportsman spending is thought in business terms and compared to other sectors of the economy, it is quite remarkable. From small rural towns scattered across our country’s landscape to the bottom line of fortune 500 companies located in major cities, taking away hunting and fishing removes the equivalent of a multi-billion dollar corporation.

As I sit here and think about my personal life as a hunter and entrepreneur, my thoughts revolve around both the passionate side of hunting, and the business side. Socially, culturally, and economically, hunting is part of who we are and contains all the good ingredients of what we need to be in the future.

This last week spent with both new and old friends only deepens my bonds to the life and lifestyle I love. Dave’s and Mikes friendship and Tim’s expertise and hospitality made this last week so memorable.

Because of our group’s overwhelmingly positive impression of the week, I am proud to provide a Bulls & Beavers, “Best of the Best” award to Boulder Creek Outfitters. If anyone is thinking of booking a trip please be sure to visit our website and check out this outfitter. This was my 4th guided hunt over the last ten years and it far exceeded my expectations.