Fresh Tracks

Hunting Mountain Caribou in the Cassiar Mountains of British Columbia has been on Randy's mind since reading a story in a hunting magazine over 40 years ago. As a non-resident, the only legal way to experience the hunt is to go with an outfitter. Finally his dream comes to fruition in an epic adventure with some of the greatest mountain guides, wranglers and horses imaginable.

Randy wears a multi-colored paracord bracelet. The black represents those no longer with us, red for those wounded in action and green for those still serving. Ray White made the bracelet using material from kits used to pull IEDs in Afghanistan. After retirement Ray faced inner battles and found himself in a dark place withdrawn from family. To Ray, this hunt represents him living his life again.

While cameraman Michael Parente has elk hunted before, he has yet to be successful. This year he was lucky enough to draw a limited-entry elk hunt in Wyoming. Archery elk hunting presents unique challenges that motivate Michael. Taking his first elk with a bow would fulfill a lifetime dream. He and Marcus find bulls, the challenge comes in getting within archery range of the bull Michael wants.

Our good friend Beau Baty was excited about drawing his first limited-entry elk tag. Unfortunately, life had other plans; Beau was diagnosed with cancer. Instead of returning his tag, Beau used this hunt as motivation to get through the darkest days of his treatment. And that, he did. A rejuvenated Beau loads his llamas and heads into the Wyoming backcountry. In doing so, he finds more than elk.

Numerous stories have brought light to the troublesome nature of damming our wild rivers. This story is not of a river lost, but of a river saved. The Yellowstone river is the longest undammed river in the Lower 48. Had it not been for the foresight of key individuals, the spectacular Paradise Valley would be under water and the downstream communities would be dry like the river itself.

Randy's younger days included hunting with his many uncles. Taking Uncle Mike on a New Mexico public land elk hunt is his way to repay some favors. The elk are cooperative, but things don't always go as planned. Just when Mike thinks it won't happen, he takes aim and connects on a well-earned opportunity. Sharing hunting camps define the relationship Randy has with Uncle Mike and his family.

Mountain mule deer making their treacherous journey across Wyoming to their winter range has always intrigued Randy. This year Randy was lucky enough to draw a tag along this migration route. Making new friends along the way, Randy searches high and low in subzero temperatures for a worthy buck, and in the process gains a deep appreciation for the magnificent mule deer and their annual migration.

Hunting strengthens the ties that bind us. That explains the special bond Randy has with his Uncle Larry. Years of experimental chemo, a stroke, a heart attack, and the hand of time has tried to stop Larry from this hunt. Larry is undeterred, now he and Randy brave cold temperatures and high wind to try to find a Wyoming bull. Happiness for Randy is time with family, chasing elk on public land.

Randy is after bull elk in a general Montana unit with Beau Baty and Matt Seidel. This unit is a place anyone can go and hunt as long as they have a general elk tag. Because there is a lot of hunting pressure, the crew plans to use this competition to their advantage. It doesn't take long to spot herds of bulls, and they are even lucky to find a big bull that they hope to get close to.

Randy Newberg and Michael Wunnicke from Leupold Optics head to the high desert of Nevada to chase early season mule deer on public lands. It's August and the combination of hot temperatures and archery equipment will produce no shortage of challenges. They glass plenty of bucks; the only problem being the steep mountains that require a couple thousand foot elevation gain for each stalk.

Randy is bowhunting with Karrson and Andrew from Gerber Gear. They are searching for bugling bulls in the steep mountains of Montana. They use llamas to go in 7 miles with all of their gear, hoping to find the elk. The terrain is steep, rocky, and covered in thick timber, making the hunting very tough. But with good elk numbers in the area, Randy hopes to be able to put the guys on a couple bulls.

Randy's good friend Scott Jones has been applying for years to hunt these Nevada mountains for big rutting bulls. Scott gathers a group of good friends and they all help in his search for a good bull. They quickly realize that these mountains are rich with bugling bulls, but getting close enough for Scott's bow proves to be challenging. Scott hunts hard to find that perfect opportunity.

Randy promised his good friend Wade Zarlingo that if he ever drew an Arizona antelope tag, Randy would join him for the hunt. After 22 years of waiting, Wade finally drew his tag. Randy and Wade are joined by their good friend Jerry Pritchard as they all chase pronghorn in the high desert heat. Wade quickly finds a buck he likes, but closing the distance in this open country proves very difficult.

An annual trip to Southern Arizona is becoming a Fresh Tracks tradition. Randy and crew join with members of Arizona Game & Fish, The Hunting Public, Hank Shaw, and Sam Soholt to chase Coues deer, Javelina, Mearn's Quail, and Antelope Jackrabbit. After success with many of the small game species, Randy focuses on finally fulfilling an archery Coues deer tag and any javelina that want to cooperate.

Marcus Hockett got invited to Alaska for a moose hunt, and gladly accepted despite Randy's cautions about packing a moose out in such difficult terrain. Marcus has filmed plenty of hunts in Alaska, but now he is able to dedicate a whole hunt to filling his own moose tag. Rugged mountains and raging creeks make the hunting hard, but that is all part of the adventure for Marcus.

Randy's lifelong friend Jerry Pritchard and he have talked for many years about doing an Arizona Coues deer hunt and the time has finally come. They link up in southern Arizona in search of this small and diminutive deer, aptly nicknamed the desert ghost. Ditching his bow for a rifle, Randy hopes this trip to Arizona can be more fruitful than his annual archery Coues deer hunt.

A 70 million-year-old dinosaur lives in the rivers of Montana. The Fresh Tracks crew heads out to try their hand at catching the prehistoric paddlefish, a native species that has changed little since the time of dinosaurs. Hooking a paddlefish is just the start of the adventure, as these fish can easily top 100 pounds. That makes landing them from a river bank quite the challenge.