Dustin Roe of Backcountry B.C. & Beyond is a professional hunting guide in the mountains of Western Canada as well as a video maker who documents some pretty remarkable hunts. He recently sat down to take on an interview with Rack Camp.

Why do you love to guide where you do?

I think we hunt some of the hardest and harshest country in the north — it requires you to focus everyday and put in the work to be successful. It's very diverse from mountains to swamplands.  The challenge is what I love, and we can feel proud of the results we achieve due to these conditions.

What is your favorite animal to hunt?

Stone sheep is my favorite animal to hunt. They are in my opinion the hardest animal to locate, and the country they take you in isn't bad either. 

What is your favorite thing about guiding?

Helping others chase their dreams is the best part about guiding. Getting to watch someone challenge themselves and push past their comfort is always rewarding whether successful or not. Getting paid to go hunting is just a bonus.

What is the most memorable trip you've guided and why?

After 153 successful sheep hunts and an unknown number of other hunts it's really hard to pick just one. Top three would be easier to choose, but even that I'd have to really think through. Here are a few in a random order that stick out.

  1. Archery stone sheep hunt with Jim Hens as the first B.C. auction tag to hunt stones.  We took the world record archery ram and hard to work for it.
  2. Montana archery bighorn (also with Jim Hens). We took a 202 (199 6/8 Net) ram and the was the largest sheep I have seen at over 45" long.
  3. Archery desert sheep on Tiburon Island, Mexico with client Murray Fain, where we took a 180" ram at 10 yards.  This was my first trip to the island and a pretty memorable trip.

    I could list a bunch more and honestly I can remember all of them like yesterday.  The are all special. 

What makes your guide service great?

I think the crew we have is what makes us special.  These guys work day in and out to provide an exceptional service for clients no matter the challenges me or mother nature throws at them. They get up earlier and stay out longer than most and will do whatever is needed to make the trip successful for our clients and their teammates.  I think the quality and remoteness of the area also is an advantage that we are fortunate to have. 

Do you have any dream hunts yourself?

Polar bear was always my "dream hunt." I did that hunt a few years ago and it lived up to it.  Azerbaijan for Tur was also high on the list and it was also pretty epic!  Next on the list would probably be archery Marco polo or blue sheep. 

What are some of your favorite gear items?

"The gods eye" — my Swaro spotter is a must have on any hunt for me.  I also use a Black Diamond Carbon Whippet walking stick that I love. Boots and backpacks are super important. Rain gear and a bomb proof tent are a must.

Do you have any other passions?

I played hockey basically everyday from 5-20 years old. I think that was my life. After hockey ended I dove head first into the hunting business and basically spend everyday working on it and any spare time goes to my wife Heather and two girls Nevaeh and Sadie.  Those are enough passions for me right now.

You've been documenting your hunts with a good number of videos each season. What inspired you to want to film these hunts?

I have actually been filing my own hunts for about 15 years but never did anything with them. Documenting the experience was just a keepsake for me and my clients. Over the last few years we decided to film what we can to help showcase what we do and help market our hunting adventures.

Your videos cover hunts from start to finish. What do you hope viewers take away from each video?

I think the idea is to show people what it takes to do what we do and not just the highlights.  Hunting where we are isn't a simple task and a lot goes into each aspect. We have a long term plan to dive into the nuts and bolts of outfitting, guiding and the life around the hunting business. It's a year round job that takes allot of people to make an operation like our work.  By documenting these aspects we hope clients will show up with the right expectations, and appreciate all that it entails to make a hunt a success. If people know exactly what we do, we should hopefully get the right people on our hunts and allow us to provide the service they are looking for. It doesn't help anyone to sugar coat what we do, sell hunts with unrealistic expectations, and only focus on the Kill. Our videos are about the adventure and the people and less about the success. Simply put… we want hunters that are hunters.

To check out more from Dustin Roe and Backcountry B.C. & Beyond, please click here.