Finally, after two days of delays, we managed to get the hunting license in the last five minutes of the day. Otherwise we would have been waiting until the Ministry of Environment for Peru opened on Monday again. Thomas Saladias has worked so hard on opening up the hunting markets in South and Central America, and all of us who hunt internationally definitely owe him a thank-you. He has single-handedly, and with nearly no budget, managed to get Peru open and is on the verge of opening up El Salvador and Paraguay. I've done what I can to help him, both financially and with promotion and marketing, but he definitely could use more support. The problem is that most hunters cannot see the reason for pushing to open these South and Central American countries. I personally believe these countries are the key to pushing back the cloak of disinformation that anti-hunting organizations have thrown over a good portion of the world.

Sorry if this is a bit of soap boxing, but I really think it is important.

First off, these countries, because hunters never had a strong presence, at least organized hunters, the animal-rights groups used this part of the world as their personal playground. Now, after nearly 40 years of no hunting, the animals here are suffering and on the edge of truly being endangered. All because the animal-rights groups have effectively taken the thing away from these animals that was the key to their survival and viability. The animal-rights groups have taken away the "value" of these animals. They have in reality, nearly 'Saved them to Death.'

Right now jaguars are being killed everywhere across South America. Killed because they prey on cattle and goats. Killed by "tigeros" the poachers who are paid $100 per jaguar hide by the ranchers. This has to stop, and hopefully there are sentient people in decision-making positions down here in South America, who can see the writing on the wall. WITHOUT SUSTAINABLE HUNTING, JAGUARS AND MANY OTHER BIG GAME SPEICES ARE DESTINED TO DISAPPEAR.

More on the above later. Right now the truck has just shown up to take us on the 20-hour drive to the north of Peru, to begin our hunt for the toughest of all the white-tailed deer in the world to hunt, the Andean whitetail! This is my third try, but this time we are going to a ranch that is supposed to hold the highest population of these elusive animals in all of Peru. From what I have been told, the hunt is far, far, far, far easier than the hunt Todd Bissenden, my cameraman, almost died on two years ago. The hills are supposed to be smaller and the whitetails easier to get to ... we'll see!