Photo Diary: Exploring Oregon With Ben Potter

Ben Potter, of Cana Outdoors, grew up in the California Delta area. With tons of experience in duck hunting, but little in big game hunting, he was inspired to try something new. He describes elk as “phantom beasts” that come out of nowhere and took it upon himself to learn the tricks of this trade. 16 hours of driving north lead him to a long, exhausting experience he’ll never forget. Follow along on his first solo hunt in Oregon... 

“One of the beauties of bow hunting I have experienced is the silent down moments. When you force yourself into the country that doesn’t have cell service, distant sounds of cars, or in my case anyone else to talk to, it just works on you. It’s the unexplainable peace people try to put into words when going off the grid.”

“One thing that I observed is my elk calling style was different. I had learned to be very aggressive, call a lot, locate elk, and if you couldn’t find a bull that wanted to fight then move on.”

"As Corey Jacobsen, my elk guru/Jedi has said, 'the thrill of elk hunting is calling elk.' There is something that happens to you when you stir an animal up so much so that he is willing to jump out of his bed and start a fight with you.”

See the emotional and exciting results of Ben's trip HERE.