The Renaissance Rancher
James is a man of many tough-guy talents — hunting, ranching, conservation — but don’t let his rugged persona fool you. He’s just as likely to be out in the field with a rifle as in his studio, pen in-hand, researching how amino acids tenderize meat, making Japanese-style art prints of fish, or contemplating the fine art of improving our natural resources. Rather than us telling you about James, we thought we’d have James do it himself. Here are five questions (plus a few more), answered by the outdoor bard himself.
1.How many jobs do you have? what’s the toughest you’ve ever done?
I work at (and own) 6 Ranch Outfitters, a wildlife/habitat management and hunt guiding service. I work on the 6 Ranch as a cowboy and conservation manager. I host the 6 Ranch Podcast, which has published weekly episodes for almost seven years. I also work as a consultant and brand ambassador for some badass companies in the outdoor industry. The toughest job I ever had was being a tank platoon commander in the United States Marine Corps. Any job is only as difficult as what it demands of you, and that job demands that you be worthy of leading US Marines — a task that takes everything you’ve got and more that you don’t.
2.What does “rigorous living” mean to you?
“Rigorous living” is one of my personal mottos. The most meaningful testing anything can go through is rigorous. To me, rigorous means exact, demanding, and thorough, requiring strict discipline and uncompromising standards. How I do one thing is how I do everything; let it be rigorous.
3.What’s the best meat on earth?
The best-tasting game meat is always from an animal you hunted, butchered, and cooked yourself to share with people you love. At the species level, I’ve never had anything that beats axis deer. But yearling elk come close. Elk is one of the healthiest meats you can eat. It has close to 10 grams of protein, and less than one gram of fat per ounce. Elk has less cholesterol than any domestic red meat. It’s high in iron, zinc, selenium, and B12 vitamins. The nutritional value of elk is so high that you could live for years off just elk, salt, vitamin C, and some time in the sun.
4.What’s your mustache routine?
My mustache maintenance isn’t a huge burden. I make a wax with beeswax, pine sap, and rendered bear lard for the times I really need it dialed in. When I’m hunting, I just brush it out when I wash my face and move on with life. When I’m spearfishing, it gets pretty wild. Maybe that helps attract the fish?
5.Can conservation, recreation, and agriculture all work together?
On the 6 Ranch, we spent 18 years waiting on permits to restore the Wallowa River and make it a better habitat for fish, aquatic insects, and the land animals that benefit from a healthy river. In the end, we got the permits and grant funding, built a new river channel and moved the water into it — increasing the number of fish per mile by 10x and creating habitat for chinook salmon to spawn in, which had never happened before in my life. Governments, non profits, ranchers, engineers, tribes — everyone came together to make that happen and it worked. Since that time, dozens of other ranchers have restored the river through their properties with more projects to come. Cattle graze near the river alongside deer and elk, osprey and eagle nest in the cottonwoods, salmon and steelhead spawn, anglers cast to rising rainbow trout — all in the same place. It’s a perfect example of how conservation, recreation, and agriculture can and do support each other in a sustainable way.
LIGHTNING ROUND
Where’s your favorite place on Earth?
Hells Canyon
What’s your favorite animal to hunt?
Bears
What’s your personal record for pounds of meat you’ve put on a DECKED Drawer System?
About 1,150 pounds
What’s the heaviest rig you’ve ever driven?
The 76-ton, M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank is God’s gift to Marines who need to shoot, move, and communicate.
What are you driving nowadays?
I’m currently driving a ‘99 Toyota 75 Series Land Cruiser and an F150.
What’s your go-to knife?
If I could only have one knife for hunting, it would be a Victorinox 5” semi-flex boning knife. They’ll set you back about $33. I’ve used one of mine to cut over 100,000lbs of elk, and it’s still going strong.
How long can you hold your breath?
My current record is 3 minutes 40 seconds. I know I can go longer.
What animals have you been charged by?
Cape buffalo, feral pig, hippo, black bear, and raccoon
Would you rather hunt on land or on water?
Water
Bach or Mozart?
Bach. The violin work in his Sonatas is intimate, sincere, and disciplined.
Who has a better mustache: Tom Selleck or Salvador Dali?
Tom Selleck, no contest
