For more than a century, Africa has been the dream destination for many hunters, including such notables as Theodore Roosevelt and Ernest Hemingway. A young Frederic Courtenay Selous was so enthralled by the idea of hunting Africa that when the director at his boarding school in England found the boy asleep on the floor of his room and asked why he wasn’t in bed Selous retorted, “I’m toughening my back to sleep on the dirt of Africa!”

The idea of venturing into remote lands in search of exotic and dangerous game has intrigued hunters worldwide since the days of flintlocks and Pith helmets, and even today thousands of hunters are compelled to explore the far-flung corners of the continent just as Selous did in the late 1800’s. As Peter Hathaway Capstick once said, “more of Africa gets into your blood than just malaria.” [ Read Full Post ]

As Ursus arctos horribilis outgrows the Montana backcountry, bears are moving into plains and river bottoms. This is Outdoor Life's in-depth report on the population expansion. Is it time to once again hunt this symbol of the Western wild?

Mike Madel and I are driving north out of Choteau, Mont., in his Fish, Wildlife & Parks pickup, looking for trouble in the 2,500-square-mile area he patrols with his Karelian bear dog, Ursa. Madel has been trapping, darting, and bear-proofing his way to an understanding with grizzlies for 30 years now. He knows every rancher, butte, and drainage, and a lot of the bears. He keeps a list of the names and radio frequencies of the collars on local grizzlies’ necks by his right hand. I glance down and see that they have handles like Dex, Beenie, and Bonita. I look out the window, knowing the bears could be anywhere from the snow-capped Rockies on our left to the flat plains and grain fields on our right. [ Read Full Post ]