Born in the Adirondack Mountains, Jim Abbott grew up trapping from a young age to help support his family. At 13, he was already patterning bucks, and his deep fascination with the big woods and the animals that lived in them never faded over the next 50+ years.

Jim first experienced WeatherWool after buying an Anorak on eBay and eventually calling WeatherWool to express how happy he was with it. Ralph, owner/founder of WeatherWool, could tell pretty quickly that this guy knew his stuff and put me (Cody) in contact with him. I called him, and we spent the first hour talking about fishing. He invited me to come out there sometime, and I didn't waste the invitation.

On that first visit, we did a little video about Jim's fly-fishing technique with a sinking line. The following year, we made a film documenting his beautiful craftsmanship of making Black Ash Pack Baskets. In some ways, though, it all felt like it was leading up to this film. People like Jim take whitetail buck hunting very seriously, and this opportunity to learn from him felt like something I needed to earn through friendship and trust-building. The locations, the techniques, and the process can at times be secretive and very personal. The hunt is a duel between Jim and the bucks. Like a game of chess, Jim and the bucks are paying very close attention to each other's moves. As Jim explains, it's about matching wits with these mature whitetails, and when you're successful, it's rewarding. But for Jim, it's the process that's most fantastic. He loves being up in those Adirondack Mountains and is so grateful for those bucks, who put his physical and mental capabilities to the test year after year.

It was an absolute honour to have Jim invite me to hunt with him for a few days and to share this with all of you. We hope the pleasure is also yours to enjoy.

These skills may take a lifetime to master, but Jim gets us pointed in the right direction and shares some wonderful stories of success along the way that we can all learn from.

We hope you enjoy.

Cody Bokshowan