#10 SCI Record Book Mountain Lion!!!
I awoke to a pretty cool surprise this morning. My friend Cameron Mitchell of Grand Slam Club Ovis texted to tell me that he had officially scored (he's a Master Measurer for SCI) my Montana Mt. Lion (that I took with a Kimber 10mm 1911 pistol with open-sights) had just become the #10 of all-time with a handgun and #16 of all-time with any weapon in the SCI Record Book. I was floored!
Hunting my first Mt. Lion was an incredible experience. I hunted with Westwinds Outfitters (www.westwindsoutfitters.com) on the Blackfeet Nation. We hunted from horseback, which is always one of my favorite modes of transport. Not only did I end up killing a giant cat, I got to experience many aspects of the Blackfeet culture and meet some fascinating people. You can see it all in the episode "Sweating Bullets" that airs this Friday at 7:30PM EST.
As I have become more and more involved in organizations like SCI and GSCO I have begun keeping track of the animals I shoot. Honestly, I've never been too concerned with the score of the animals I take. As cliche as it sounds, every one of them is truly a trophy to me. In fact, I've never had anything "officially" scored. But, after talking to Cameron about some recent hunts he suggested I put a tape to my Mt. Lion. And, I have to admit, I'm glad I did!
GSCO and SCI do amazing work to support hunters and their rights. They fight hard for us to change the public perception of what hunting is and what it does for the big picture of game animal conservation. I'm proud to be a member of both organizations and to have the unexpected honor of having my name forever in the record book for the first time.