Well, here we are in the middle of some of the most wild country anywhere. Hundreds of miles from civilization; wolves, grizzlies, weather, the whole nine. Might be the perfect setting to talk a little about hunting the backcountry, which as you know, is my favored method of hunting the rugged mountains of the West and the primary focus of my book, Backcountry Bowhunting, A Guide from the Wild Side.

When did you start hunting the backcountry?

Mike Eastman: My first experience in the backcountry was when my dad, Gordon, came back from guiding in sheep hunters in AK in 1957. I started serious backcountry hunting when I was 15 years old and a freshman in high school. The year was 1962 and I think was inspired me most was an article I read in Outdoor Life about hunting mule deer above timberline. My dad was given some gear for the time from Eddie Bauer who was outfitting Mt. Everest mountain climbers. It was some of the best available then, down sleeping bags, backpacking stoves and so on. I grabbed some of this gear and headed out to an area near Jackson Hole, Wyoming called Cliff Creek. I remember it taking me all day to get up on top. Of course after the climb I was very tired so I threw out my one-man tent and took nap. When I woke up there were mule deer bucks feeding all around me. That is where it all started for me in the backcountry.

The term ‘Coyoting Out,’ where did it originate? A lot of guys now call it bivouac hunting, I have always referred to my ‘bivy camp,’ but really it is all one in the same isn’t it?

Mike Eastman: Yes, everyone is pretty much on the same page. Essentially, what all the references allude to is a hunter packing necessary survival gear, shelter and food on their back to avoid having to travel back and forth to a base camp. When I started Coyoting Out, with all of my gear of course, I would set up and glass from high vantage points with a spotting scope much like my dad had been doing for years while sheep hunting in AK.

I didn’t really refine the Coyoting Out strategy until after I was done outfitting, which was in the late 70’s. That was when I got serious about hunting the backcountry and really hit it hard for about 10 years. The only guy who I could find to go with me a fellow named Carl Oksanen. Carl loved Coyoting Out as much as I did, maybe even more as he did it all summer just because he liked backpacking.

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