As a life-long midwestern bird hunter, my expectations for hunting in California were extremely low.  I moved West late last summer with a chip on my shoulder, ironically from a “flyover state”.  I had written this state off to surfers and beach bums with little idea of what California has to offer outdoorsmen (and women).  Fortunately, California has been quick to proven me wrong.  September 1st, 2019 and I found myself with my shotgun loaded in the back of my electric car heading to meet a fellow member of Quail Club, and my newfound friend, Matt Rose. Matt, is what some might expect to see when you describe an outdoorsman who lives in SoCal. His hair slightly bleached from the Californian sun,...

The first time I started writing down notes of my Dad and my experiences on [REDACTED] Mountain was 2006.  It was August which from a purely hiking and scouting standpoint is my favorite time to be in the woods.  Since then, I have attempted to document the animals we run into on all of our countless sunrise jaunts to the top and back. During our most recent trip we spotted: 3 cow elk 1 small-medium white-tail buck 2 big, huge, giant bucks 1 hen turkey and her poults 1 bull moose 1 cow moose 6-10 grouse 1 ominously fresh mountain lion track at the trailhead that hadn't been there on the way up. [REDACTED] Mountain is the backdrop behind my...

The first rule when you're tagging along on a hunt is be the quietest one in the group.  The second rule when you're tagging along is don't quack like a duck when your friend is hunting for elk. My friend Patrick had put plenty of offseason work into his archery elk hunt,  and was kind enough to invite me to join him for a day while my wife and I were in town.  I wasn't sure whether he would fill his tag that day, but I knew damn sure I wasn't going to be the one who blew the elk out by breaking branches and stumbling through the woods. For simplicity's sake, I won't even mention which state Patrick lives...

The wide variety of dishes and impeccable execution made last night's Quail Club gathering another new bar-raising feast. Off the top of my head, we were privileged to: Smoked Yellowtail Collars Venison Heart 6.5 hr Smoked Pork Shoulder (pulled for tacos) Bourbon Rub Tri-Tip Homemade Tuna Poke Steven Rinella's Coleslaw A stack of fresh tortillas that was taller than a 1990's phonebook A Yellowtail/Brussells Sprout/Potato Medley that has me inspired to try to copy it sooner rather than later. All of this was the result of the generosity and hard work of you guys—the members that make this club possible.   Sharing a meal that is primarily centered around wild fish and wild game is simply a venue for the friendships, knowledge,...

Twin brothers, Matt and Zach Rose, headed out patty-hopping on Saturday morning with Connor Van Orden at the helm of their outboard powered vessel. The goal was to search for kelp patties between Newport and Catalina Island, and check under each stand of kelp with the hopes of finding schools of Yellowtail.  Even from the deck of a boat, you can often see the flash of a passing school of yellows swimming beneath you. Having had success over the last several years on Sheepshead and Sea Bass, neither Rose brother had yet to take a Yellowtail. On this morning, not one but both Roses were able to seal the deal on fantastic specimens in open water, diving on separate kelp...

I honestly wasn't sure we would ever top June's installment of Quail Club—but you guys blew me away.  Incredible turnout of outdoor-appreciating, wild game eaters. On the menu were: lobsters that Bortch pulled out of the freezer, yellowtail, tri-tip roasts, whole sea bass, pickled vegetables from our head culinary mentor Jesse Inman, and plenty of beers from our new beer sponsor: Latitude 33. We closed out the night by watching Steven Rinella's new film Stars in the Sky, as the Meateater crew analyzes the complex relationship we have with hunting.

A ton of preparation goes into the front-end of a hunt—between gear, species, maps, draw-odds, and calendars, executing a successful hunt is a puzzle that often takes years to perfect. There is so much excitement over harvesting a game animal, whether it be a dove or an elk and then you realize that you have a whole new set of challenges ahead.  From field dressing to transporting, from breaking-down into manageable parts, to cooking a meal. A game animal, particularly a big-game animal will provide many months worth of meat, and generally a bunch of cuts of meat that are unfamiliar to city-dwelling grocery store shoppers.  Not everything that comes off a cow, elk, deer, or wild pig is a...

The June gathering of Quail Club took our city-dwelling Wild Fish & Wild Game club up a notch thanks to our new club Traeger Grill (sponsored by lululemon), and some incredible contributions to the table from you guys.  On the menu last night were: Elk Steaks, Fresh-As-It-Gets Sheepshead Ceviche, Home-Made Tortillas, Venison Nachos, Yellowtail, and of course a couple beers. Thank you guys to all of you who came out, and all of you who brought something to share at the table.  The enthusiasm for wild fish, wild game, and spending more time outdoors is at an all time high.  See you in July!

My friend Ryan is gifted and inventive in the kitchen, and his fascination and love for food is about to go to a new depth—Ryan is planning his first Pronghorn hunt for Wyoming this Fall.  Kind of a fork leading him to the field thing... Having been on exactly one more Pronghorn hunt than Ryan has, I feel compelled to help get him as ready as possible for this experience. My 2016 Pronghorn Hunt with my Dad was one of my all-time favorite experiences, and a memory I will cherish a lifetime.  The amount you learn by experiencing something once is significant, although I know enough to know I'm no expert. For the sake of this article, we are going...

How many fewer paper and plastic cups would we all use if we carried a steel mug around with us everywhere? It’s like when you go backpacking and you drink your coffee and eat your ramen noodles out of the same mug... but in everyday life. Photo: @cam_oden