Glossary
Talk The Talk Before You Walk The Walk.
First-time hunter? Old hand needing a refresher? Here's the language of the camp, in plain English.
- The standard scoring system for North American big game trophies, based on antler or horn measurements. A 'B&C book buck' qualifies for the all-time record listings.
- The ethical pursuit of free-ranging wild game, in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper advantage. Every Picasso hunt is run 100% fair chase.
- A government-issued permit to harvest a specific species, sex, and quantity of game in a defined area and season.
- A lottery system used to allocate limited-quota tags. Many trophy units — moose especially — are draw-only.
- A hunting technique of glassing for game from a distance, then closing the gap on foot for a shot. The bread-and-butter of western muley and elk hunting.
- The annual mating season when mature bucks and bulls move aggressively and respond to calling — the most productive time to hunt most ungulates.
- The challenge call of a bull elk. Also, the act of imitating that call to locate or draw in a bull.
- A grouping of artificial birds set out to attract live waterfowl into shooting range. A good spread mimics the species, posture, and density of relaxed birds.
- Using binoculars or a spotting scope to scan country for game. Often the most productive activity of a western big-game day.
- The hide of the head, neck, and shoulders of a big-game animal, salted and prepared for shoulder mounting by a taxidermist.
- A numbered tag worn on the outer garment of a hunter, required by some jurisdictions for identification in the field.
- A canvas-walled tent with a wood stove — the classic remote-camp shelter on long backcountry hunts.
- The bowhunting equivalent of Boone & Crockett — the official record-keeping body for game taken with archery equipment.
- The soft, blood-rich skin that covers growing antlers in spring and summer, shed before the rut. 'A velvet buck' was taken in early season.