From lions on the plains of Africa to polar bears in the freezing snow of the Arctic, big game hunts have taken Wes Vining around the world.

Over the decades, he kept detailed notes of the various hunts, writing down specifics about the animals he hunted — caribou, bighorn sheep, muskox, warthogs, bears and cape buffalo, to name a few — as well as the people he went with, and the places they experienced.

Though he didn’t know it at the time, those journals would eventually become a book. Last year, Vining published “Big Game Hunting Around the World, A Lifetime of Memories” to share his experiences with family and friends.

“For me, hunting was a lot more than taking great big game trophies,” Vining writes. “It was about exploring different regions of the world and different cultures … with the added benefit of traveling and witnessing some of God’s greatest handiwork.”

Vining’s passion for hunting and fishing started at a young age as he grew up in a hunting family — one that hunted and fished “whenever there was opportunity.”

“We weren’t into golf, tennis, skiing or those types of outdoor sports, but whenever a fishing or hunting season opened, we made every effort we could to be part of it,” he writes.

In 1956, Vining experienced his first big game season in New York, where he grew up. As a rookie hunter, he took two New York whitetails that year with only two shots.

Since those early days, he has had hundreds of hunting highlights.

Many of those hunts happened in Wyoming, where Vining has lived since 1966. He and his wife, Mary, moved to Powell when he accepted a teaching job at Northwest College.

Vining said he’s had the privilege of taking most types of game in Wyoming — bison, moose, bighorn sheep, elk, whitetail deer, mule deer, pronghorn, mountain lion, black bear, coyote and bobcat. He also hunted in Alaska and Canada for these and other species.

After teaching at NWC, Vining began his professional hunting career.

“During 1987 my entire hunting career changed from a local emphasis to more of a continental emphasis,” he writes.

He eventually started working full-time with Safari Outfitters in Cody. He later became president of JBW Inc. — the parent company of The Trophy Connection, Leading Edge Taxidermy and Cody Travel Agency.

The business took clients on hunts around the world, and needed firsthand experience in those countries.

“During these 13 years, from 1992-2005, I had the opportunity (and responsibility) to travel worldwide and ‘test’ the hunting for our clients,” Vining writes.

Those hunts spanned four continents and 16 countries, including Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mongolia, China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

“I’ve just been very blessed to have the opportunity to go so many places,” Vining said. “I had tremendous partners in my business.”

Many years ago, it became more fun for Vining to take people hunting than to go on hunts himself.

“I would always rather guide somebody than take an animal,” he said.

Vining still enjoys hunting, and plans on going this season. But what he loves most is the experience — being with people, enjoying the landscape and observing wildlife.

“There have been many times when I have just sat and watched wildlife and marveled at their habitat and behavior,” Vining writes. “In fact, one doesn’t need to pull the trigger to appreciate the thrill of the hunt.”

He recalled a time in Africa when he stalked an elephant and worked hours to get within 15-18 yards of the herd bull, “only to decide that the hunt was enough and that shooting was not the ultimate goal.”

Vining added that he’s not sure if “I was a purist at that point or just ‘too cheap’ to shoot and pay the $18,000 trophy fee!”

When he did hunt internationally, Vining would often contact museums and see if they wanted certain specimens to display or study; his animals are now all over the country. He tried to take older animals, but, he said, “you can’t always do that.”

Of all the different animals he’s hunted, Vining enjoys sheep hunting the most.

He recalled someone telling him that a hunter doesn’t know whether he or she has what it takes to be a sheep hunter until they go. Then, there are only two categories of hunters: the one who will never get caught on a sheep mountain again or the second, who is a sheepaholic.

“This appears to be very true: Once I had gone sheep hunting, most other hunting took a back seat,” Vining writes. “The only problem is that sheep hunting is expensive and the permits are extremely hard to acquire … so I didn’t get to go as often as I dreamed of going.”

Still, over the years he has had opportunities to go on various sheep hunts in America and internationally.

“There is something about sheep hunting and sheep habitat that is different from all other hunting,” he writes. “It can be very difficult, very high in the mountains, but always is some of the most gorgeous scenery in the world.”

Another joy of hunting is sharing the experience with his family. After growing up hunting with his dad and brothers, he’s gone on to share hunts with his wife, daughters, son-in-law and grandchildren, as well as other relatives and many friends.

“There’s no more fun than sharing joys and frustrations with family and friends who have the same values and enthusiasms,” he said.

Vining is writing another book of short stories with a working title “Oh Sh...oot! Mishaps and Misgivings on the Hunt.” He has 22 short stories in draft form, and plans to work on the book more this winter.

For more information contact Vining at vining@tctwest.net.