Author: Brad Fenson

Kids Fishing at Cree River Lodge & Pilot’s Lodge on Fond du Lac We backtrolled into the strong current to keep our jigs at the bottom of a steep drop-off. The fishing lines pulled downstream at an angle but didn’t keep the telegraph of a bite from running through my graphite fishing rod. A subtle hook set put a good bend in the rod, and another walleye was brought to the side of the boat. My daughter Addy looked at me with a grin as she struggled to reel in a fish at the same time. It was a special…

Sorting out the confusion in the Shotgun Shell world We bustled through the field like a colony of ants to set the decoys out in a steady drizzle of rain. The dark clouds looked ominous, but the anticipation of geese decoying helped us overlook the damp conditions. We were hunting in northeast Alberta with Take-Em Outfitters, with a unique crowd of people from within the ammunition industry. There have been some big corporate changes in the shotgun shell world, with Vista Outdoor now being The Kinetic Group, owning Federal Premium, Remington Ammunition, and HEVI-Shot. Companies that once guarded secrets about…

Our review of the Mossberg 940 on a high desert Gould’s Turkey hunt The best time to book a turkey hunt for next spring is right now, and here is a little food for thought about an often-overlooked bucket list adventure. Orange and violet hues backlit the mountains as the early morning sun tried to break over the horizon. The jagged peaks looked old and weathered. The 8,000-foot rocky cliffs are considered high desert in the Sierra Madre Mountains in Sonora, Mexico, and home to the Gould’s turkey. We wound our way down rough ranch roads in the dark and…

Are you ready to face the most dangerous animals in the world? After five days of searching for the old cape buffalo bull, we found him grazing in dense thornbush. The bull was flanked by two of his compadres, an old scrum-capped bull that had worn his hooks down to flat bosses on his head. The other bull did not have the age of our target animal but showed the ill temper of an aging breeder. We wasted no time getting downwind and working through the dense brush to where we last saw the bulls. Our tracker, Albert, was tall…

We had a chance to review the Mossberg 940 Pro Waterfowl shotgun on a busy sea duck hunt on the Maine coast. The fast wingbeats and steady action made me feel like I was living in a three-dimensional video game. Two buffleheads soared through the narrows in front of us at breakneck speed, with shotguns thundering a barrage of steel shot through the Atlantic air. Seconds later, a black duck made the mistake of flying within range, and a three-gun salute ended with a crescendo and a watery splash. Our trusty black lab whimpered with uncontrollable excitement, waiting for the…

The sky was filled with the twinkle of a thousand stars as we rode across the pasture in the ATV to put us close to the turkeys. We had heard the birds on the roost the evening before and thought we had a good idea of where to find them. Sneaking through the cedars, we found a long lane to set up decoys and hide in the cover. As the sun started to rise, several big gobblers sounded off. They were so close that it was a little unnerving. We wanted to be close, but the thundering gobbles sounded like…

A Dream Hunt for a Mature Bull Elk and a Tremendous Bull Moose We started down an overgrown cutline right at legal light in the morning. My hunting partner, Jason Frank, from Northern Backcountry Adventures is passionate about chasing elk. From late August until the end of November, he is chirping, bugling, and living with elk. Frank grew up in northern Alberta and started hunting elk when they first appeared on the landscape. Since then, he has mastered calling and decoding where elk live and how they communicate. Our early morning started with a distant bugle we knew well. Several…

Sometimes, all we need in this life is a perfectly cooked wild steak! Brad shows us how to treat your venison cut right from start to finish, for a tender, flavourful experience right off the grill. Beef…watch out! Be sure to subscribe to see all the videos of this cooking series featuring Brad Fenson. An avid outdoorsmen and wild game cook who has lived off the land for most of his life, Brad wants everyone to know just how amazing wild game can be. He shares his passion and knowledge by helping others earn, cook, and enjoy their Alberta harvest…

I have been fascinated with shotguns since I was old enough to hold one to my shoulder. My dad and uncle were shooting hand-launched clay targets, and I begged to try. Reluctantly, they finally set me up with the old 12-gauge pump and showed me how to place my feet. My uncle jokingly knelt behind me, acting like he would catch me when I flew backward from the recoil. My dad launched the clay, and I swung the old smoothbore and jerked the trigger. To everyone’s surprise, including mine, the clay burst into a thousand pieces. The entire family erupted…

It was overcast and the dead-calm air felt heavy as the eastern sky brightened. I pointed to the far end of the field where a moose was meandering through the large round bales scattered randomly in the alfalfa. Binoculars confirmed this sight was a young bull moose. I looked at my wife, Stef, and asked her if she was ready to go. Our girls Maya and Addy were along for their mom’s first moose hunt, and things looked promising. Seeing the moose and understanding what we needed to do to be successful, the girls chattered with excitement. It was November…