DAN SIMMONS Sportsman's Quest MORE COLUMNS Advertisement

Following last week's column about young huntress Mallory Genet Garcia, I've received several calls from other former hunter safety class students.

Andrew Miller is one of them.

I also wrote an earlier story about his enthusiasm as a first-year bird hunter; he had a good eye and out-shot both his dad Jeff and me. I made sure never to go with him again; it was humiliating.

I'd like to claim he just had a good teacher, but all teachers like to think that.

Well, Andrew has done just fine on his own and his dad has surrendered the competition. He is now 22 years old and downed his first deer, with one shot when he was twelve. Then came successful hunts for antelope and elk in the Ruby Range.

Each of these hunts would make a good story in and of itself, but the real key to his success is his dedication to pre-season scouting.

This preparation is the mark of a true hunter and involves getting in shape; properly maintaining your 4X4, ATV, boat or other mode of transportation, getting your rifle or bow zeroed in with lots of practice and getting your personal gear sorted and ready.

At the top of the list for this last item is making sure you have a good worn-in pair of boots. Sore feet have ruined more trips than all other causes combined.

Andrew has also turned into a good horseman and makes use of it on his scouting trips. This is becoming more and more helpful as wilderness areas are created, and our four-legged partners are a heck of a lot better at packing out the meat than on the hunter's back.

Another extremely important activity is scouting the area from the kitchen table, using the latest topographical and aerial photo maps (try Google), as well as hunter success information from Fish and Wildlife. This is necessary even before applying for those elusive tags.

Then there are the final and most important ingredients: desire and love of the hunting challenge, the dedication to spending time honing ancient skills, and the focus to follow the Quest.

These young people are the hope for the future of hunting and our outdoor traditions. Congratulations to them, others like them, and especially to their parents for giving encouragement and opportunities.

Postscript: Andrew's dad, Jeff Miller, drew an elk tag this year and, as you'll remember, Mallory's dad also drew an antelope tag this year. With their kids' help they should both be successful. They are now out getting in shape, doing their pre-season scouting.

Andrew even bought his dad a new Remington Model 700 in .300-caliber Ultra Mag, and as Jeff says, "He's just takin' care of the ol' man."

Good hunting to all; I may even tag along as camp cook.

If you have an adventure, a story or a comment on this or other articles, give me a call 775-727-9777 or e-mail me at dansimmons@usa.net. What's New

If it's preseason scouting by boat, or exploring uncharted waters, I have found the right piece of equipment. It's the Instaboat, manufactured in Quebec, Canada, made of sturdy, aircraft-grade aluminum and will carry up to 540 pounds in its 11-foot length with a beam of 44 inches. It has full flotation and is safe and stable.

This boat will replace my canoe and, because it's foldable (this is not your father's plastic fold boat), lightweight, and extremely sturdy but portable, you can take it on foot, on your ATV, seaplane, recreation vehicle or the roof of your car.

I was able to set it up in less than two minutes without tools.

It is U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard approved and can handle an outboard up to five-horsepower; my two-horsepower is more than sufficient.

This is the explorer's and traveler's new equipment, and I am looking forward to using it in both the isolated waters of Canada, Central and South America, as well as on local fishing and water fowl ponds.

For more information go to www.instaboat.com or call toll-free at 866-839-7748.

Sportsman's Library

"Treasury of Great Fishing Stories," edited by Roger Caras, is a collection of some of the finest fishing literature by some of the finest authors, including Ernest Hemingway, Zane Grey, Herman Melville, Ernest Schweibert and Nick Lyons.

Caras has gathered these classic pieces of literature, about lone fly fishermen, battles with giant tuna, swordfish, marlin and salmon. There are also stories about sunfish, catfish, kids and old men fishing, and my favorites the big bill fish.

This volume is a good place to begin your fishing library.

Recipe of the Week

It takes Jeff three months to make this chili. It starts in April with the planting of tomatoes, peppers, onions, and garlic. These should all be ripe by the beginning of scouting season. He then puts it together and makes it a little extra-hot, because, as he says, "If it's not hot they will eat it too fast."

Here it is. I've tried it, like it, and it is now part of my camp.

"Jeff Miller's Campfire Elk Chili"

Six pounds of ground elk; 1 gal. of home-packed stewed tomatoes; 1/2 gal. freshly-made tomato sauce; 2 large onions, chopped; 1 head of garlic, chopped; 3 bell peppers, chopped, 1 pound Anaheim chili peppers, chopped; One 1/4 pound Jalapeno peppers, chopped; 1 gallon pre-cooked pinto beans; 3 beef bullion cubes;

Brown meat in large Dutch oven; add onions and peppers, cook until soft; add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for about half a day. You can freeze this chili and eat it for the next three months.