Long before the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776 or the United States won its independence from Great Britain, westward expansion was leading rugged, hardy men and their families to settle the western frontier. They were carving out a life in what is still known as Appalachia.

If you are a hunter that keeps their finger on the pulse of this world and the news that follows, you would understand that hunting is under attack more and more every day. All over this great nation, a group of politicians combined with anti-hunting organizations are pushing to remove hunting opportunities and eventually hunting all together as a whole. As Clay Newcomb would say, we need to stay vigilant and active in order to “Guard the gate.”

Jet

Jet was a hound from Mike Kemp’s Three Bear Kennels. Now, Mike Kemp’s dogs mostly aren’t registered, but they do have pedigree.
Independence is a good thing, right? As Americans, we started a nation because of a document called the Declaration of Independence. Independent is synonymous with self-reliant and self-sustaining. Our entertainment industry has capitalized on the rugged independent character since the inception of movies. People love a good story and romanticize about being the self-sustaining, self-reliant, and independent personality that can ride into town alone, take on the world’s problems, and ride off into the sunset…alone. Being independent is a great attribute, if not a core principle for success.
It is a real honor to write this column for Bear Hunting Magazine. When Kolby asked me to take up the mantle and share my experience of hunting with hounds, my first thought was what can I contribute that would be useful for this diverse audience. Bear Hunting Magazine is such an in depth magazine that covers every aspect of bear hunting; nuance to the max from spot and stalk to cooking to hunting with hounds. Finding regular topics for this column that will intrigue every subscriber will be a fun and fulfilling task.