Adam Foss

I think it’s important for people to do tough shit and spend time in nature. At its simplest form, archery hunting for mountain animals is my best attempt at adhering to those beliefs. It’s given me more than I can ever repay and provided answers to questions that I didn’t know I had. Hopefully, through a few photos and a story or two, I can help share what the wilderness and pursuit of wild animals mean to me.

It’s common for people to ask “what do you do for a living?” at a dinner party, but I argue a better question is “what do you do for FUN?” I’ve found myself with the extreme luxury of being able to give the same answer to both.

I get to take photos and videos of very awesome people doing interesting things in amazing places. The things they do? Well, it’s usually some sort of wild pursuit—bowhunting a mythical mountain beast, casting flies to picky fish, or ass-dragging on a remote expedition wishing.

I’m particularly lucky when I can participate in conservation-based wildlife filmmaking. If we don’t pass along the opportunity to hunt, fish and camp to the next generation, then what was all this really for?

I also get to test gear with some of the finest companies in the hunting and outdoor space—trying out their equipment in various corners of the earth, and I try not to break them… or try to break them.

I grew up on the foothills of Alberta’s Rockies, following my dad and brother into bighorn sheep country. We carried our bows, and I often carried a camera loaded with black and white film to develop in my high school’s darkroom (go Cobras).

I wanted to pursue a career out-of-doors, so I studied Environmental Science and earned a Bachelor’s. I then promptly realized two things: I needed more education to make this gig work, and “environmental consulting” has about as much to do with being outside as a vacuum salesman. Neither of those options appealed to me, but a real-world education suited me just fine.

I’d continually pack a camera on my mountainous adventures over those years—honing a view of what the world looked like through a series of glass elements. From there, I wandered into a career of photography and film, right at a time when the pursuit of hunting aesthetics was on the verge of a major evolution.

I’ve been lucky enough to bowhunt some of the coolest mountain ranges in North America and abroad. But best of all, I get to work alongside my wife and best bud, Frankie, who eventually figured that if she couldn’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

Accomplishments:

• That fact that my mom is proud of me (I’m pretty sure) 
• The fact that the handful of team members, companies and conservation organizations we get to work with are some of the best folks I’ve ever met. 
• Co-produced and co-DP’d a wildlife documentary about Bighorn sheep, Wild and Wool, which screened at a number of festivals around North America, including Banff, Telluride Mountain Film, and Wild and Scenic in 2020. 
• Directed Will to Live: The Gary Edinger Story, a film I produced alongside my two best friends in 2019, screened at 5Point, Durango and Crested Butte film festivals. 
• Curated a large-format book “Wild Sheep” for Yeti that my mom thought was cool and helped raise money for wild sheep conservation. 
• I was the youngest bowhunter to complete the Grand Slam of North American Wild Sheep when I had a lot fewer gray hairs than I do now. 
• I still like to take someone out who’s either new to hunting or new to a particular type of hunting at least once a year.

Foundations:

• Wild Sheep Foundation (past membership committee and current Summit Life Member)
• Wild Sheep Society of British Columbia (Monarch Life Member)
• Rocky Mountain Goat Alliance (past Founding Board Member)

What Mystery Ranch Packs do you Run?

• MARSHALL
• METCALF 
• BEARTOOTH 80 
• FORAGER HIP PACK enthusiast

Other Sponsors:

• Sitka Gear
• Yeti
• Gerber
• Mathews Archery
• Hilleberg the Tentmaker.

Favorite Quotes:

“Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” - Howard Thurman

I was among the early adopters of MYSTERY RANCH packs for hunting around 2009 when we carried multi-cam NICE 6500's and CREW CABS into the bighorn sheep country of Alberta. I even used found myself working the MYSTERY RANCH booth at hunting on the tradeshow circuit with the likes of Tim "Rusty" Gates back in those early years.

I've experimented a lot with gear over the years and swung to the lightweight side of the market for specific hunts and certain gear items, but ultimately continually found that durability is a critical factor when investing so heavily in the time and money it takes to be in remote mountain ranges. Without a doubt, the strongest attribute of MYSTERY RANCH's products is how hard they are to break — a real lifeline when "out there." I'm excited to see MYSTERY RANCH continue to find lighter-weight solutions for backpack hunting while sacrificing the pack's durability as little as possible.

I also listen to Taylor Swift on repeat, and I don't care who knows it.