2007 Predator Masters Hunt Champion: A Story of Perseverance

In October 2006, I was supposed to take my 10-year-old son, Dakotah on his first deer hunt in Texas. Plans changed when just two weeks before the hunt, my father passed away.

By February 2007, I was set to attend the three-day Predator Masters Hunt in Globe, Arizona, representing FOXPRO. I asked Dakotah if he wanted to go after coyotes instead. He was all in. So, I pulled him out of school, and we headed south.

Dakotah killed a coyote and a javelina in the first two days, but on the third day, a freak snowstorm rolled into the mountains where we planned to hunt. We got a late start and thought everyone was going to blow up our spots, but as we climbed the road and the snow got deeper, we saw that all the vehicles had chickened out and turned back. As Canadians, we weren't about to let a little snow stop us. We had a rented jeep with summer tires, and an Indian guide who was freaking out and worried about getting stuck, but we plowed on through. Dakotah dropped two more coyotes up there.

There were 73 hunters in the competition, and after a brutal three-day hunt, only 11 coyotes, a bobcat and a javelina had been taken. 14 animals total.

Dakotah outshot everyone with a total of three coyotes and a javelina. His longest shot? 398 yards with a .221 Fireball. And it was all caught on film. My friend and legendary coyote caller Byron South even asked Dakota for his autograph, which was quite the deal.

This was a trip I'll never forget, and I had the javelina full-body mounted and shipped up to Manitoba, so Dakota would never forget it either.

That hunt wasn't about the competition, and it wasn't about FoxPro. It was about overcoming loss, embracing the challenge, bonding with my son, and introducing him to a style of hunting that I love. But having the right call and the right sounds definitely helped us bring home the win.

Dakotah in training back in Canada in -30c weather!