I'm not certain how many of you have had the pleasure to meet Dunc at the various outdoor shows, read any of his wonderful books, or watch his educational outdoor videos. He was my hunting partner for a long time now and we spent many nights in the bush sleeping in remote areas of the PNW hunting and fishing.

His bear hunting books and his experience in Alaska helped form my whole outlook on the way I think about big game hunting. His Sheep work with FNAWS and his influence and dedication to the outdoors was second to none.

His daughter Dottie called me to let me know he died of a heart attack while filming a handicapped boy hunting for a bison in Montana. He was slower then the group and stopped to catch his breath. When they arrived at the site the bison were at he was not there. When they started to back track looking for him he was found.

I'm really choked up by this as he was like a dad to me in many ways, I learned more from him then anyone else about big game. He also motivated me to start writing 20 years ago. His books and big game videos will be around to help people for a long time, and I'm glad he was able to die in the field doing what he loved. I'll miss that old bugger's wealth of information and always optimistic attitude.

I am very sorry to hear about this. He will be missed by many in the hunting fraternity, particularly those in the sheep hunting "circle".

Although I had the privelege of meeting him a couple times, I never really knew him beyond his books and videos. My sympathies for your personal loss, Jim.

Canuck

My Sympathys to his family and friends.
At least he went doing something he loved. rws2

I'm sorry to hear that but he could not have picked a better way to go. The father of a friend of mine died of a heart attack on his favorite deer stand- another good way to go.

JJ--sad day indeed--he will be sorely missed--his videos and books are top notch like stated---condolences to his family and you------chris

JJ,
Sorry to hear about your loss of this close friend. The void can never be filled but you will carry his teachings and memory forever.

I'd read much of Duncan's work before I met him in Petersburg, Alaska in '95 I think. He was passing thru town with Jim Boyce on a bear hunt, and I was skinning a black bear on the dock. I was also a bit "under the weather" from the celebrations of the night before. The smell of black bear grease while hungover must be experienced to be appreciated.

Having Duncan Gilchrist watch you cape a bear while suffering with a world class hangover is an exercise in paranoia. I thought sure I'd wreck an eyelid or slice off a finger, but Duncan just sat and chatted, never acting like a know-it-all.

He was a great guy. I'm proud just to have met him.

Whitehurst, I can relate 100%! I was the one who did the bear skinning and fleshing in his video called " skinning the bear" It was a bear I shot while hunting with him in Montana at one of our many great spring bear spots in that wonderful state.

We had decided to kill a bear just to make this video. It was early in his video work when his equipment was not nearly as good as it was recently. Anyway we skinned this bear right were it fell and then packed it to the nearest road. We did the fleshing and salting at his house in Hamilton.

As I said in the original post he showed me much of what I know about big game. Even though I had skinned several hundred bears before that video was made, probably as many as dunc had done! I still felt like I was under a magnifying glass. He was always soft spoken and polite to the public but with his friends he could really send a good verbal jab out now and then.

We had a lot of edited comments during that video! All in fun of course. It probably took us three times as long to skin that bear because he needed different angles, and various comments made. Along with retake after retake with the over head sun light leaving the canyon we were in. He mentioned something about the us being lucky the bear had four feet so we could get at least one skinned correctly on the video. I was telling him it would be dark and this skin would be spoiled by the time his video was "perfect". I remeber saying we would need him to shoot a bear the same color( brown) to finish the video. Nobody would buy a bear preperation video where the guy skinning it had the bear spoil on him!

It's the banter between us while hunting I remember most. Like laying in the tent at night talking about our adventures together and individually, equipment, guns, etc. etc. Dunc had an amazing perception of basic value with equipment. It never had to be the fancy stuff or the lightest stuff. It did however have to be nearly bullet proof. He had a lot of gear that was very old, and still in perfect order. It's his fault my personal opinions on many things are the way they are! He drilled them into my head for many years!

JJ,

Duncan was a hunter's hunter and just a good person with a great reputation in the hunting community. He'll be missed.

Joe

JJ,

Sorry to hear of Mr. Gilchrist passing. My first thought upon reading this, was of how much my wife thought of him, all from just a couple of phone conversation. Several years back Mr. Gilchrist, came to my attention through one of his sheep books, that I read while in camp during a hunt in Alberta. My wife picked up on my conversation with a friend, and she tracked Mr. Gilchrist down and that Christmas I received several of his books signed as presents. They are wonderful reading. I'm betting there are some big Rams in the ranges he now roams.

Many Thanks

HBH

Sad to hear of Duncan passing on-2 quick thoughts from me here.

First off "to live in the hearts of those you leave behind is not to die"

And secondly Duncan went the way I want to go, and that's out "on the hill"!!

His book on bruins is the best ever written!

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog