About A. Preston Taylor

Preston lives in northern coastal California, where he is a board member of the Humboldt Archers Club. When he isn’t carrying his bow, he and his wife spend their time on the water clamming and fishing.

Identifying the Sex of an Elk from its Tracks

There are lots of hypotheses on how to determine the sex of a deer or elk from its footprints. The following technique was shown to me by my tracking mentors, and I have tested it on hundreds of deer, elk, hog, and a few bighorn sheep trails. When I encountered the trail of [...]

Identifying the Sex of an Elk from its Tracks2024-06-05T10:19:41-06:00

Backcountry: Sharing the Woods

Heather and Meghan practice casting on the fly rod. Fishing, especially while backpacking, is another easy avenue to introduce people to consumptive outdoor activities. I was a quarter-mile from the trailhead when I remembered I had left the most important piece of gear at the truck. I turned back to retrieve a pair [...]

Backcountry: Sharing the Woods2022-04-20T10:04:14-06:00

Tangling with Tajacu—Javelina in Arizona

It’s my goal to become as familiar as possible with the lives of the flora and fauna in my eco-region. There is an excess of 3,500 plants in the California Floristic Province, so it is unlikely I will know them all in my lifetime. Likewise, the kingdom Fungi holds a great diversity and [...]

Tangling with Tajacu—Javelina in Arizona2022-01-05T13:13:47-07:00

Walkabout for Wapiti

I was sitting on a saddle over four miles into a small wilderness area in eastern Oregon, watching the sun descend in the sky. A brisk wind blew steadily in my face giving the thin air at 7,000 feet a little sting to my cheeks. Every half hour I let out a couple of [...]

Walkabout for Wapiti2019-07-03T09:05:38-06:00

There’s No Place Like Home

It can be easy to read stories and watch shows of other hunters and become consumed with the “it’s always greener on the other side” frame of mind. But I’ll bet you have hidden treasures in your backyard. It could be endless acres of squirrel, rabbit, and woodchuck habitat. Maybe you live near [...]

There’s No Place Like Home2018-04-16T11:13:49-06:00
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