Walking with Bears

On a summer night in northern Wisconsin, Hayden Walkush crouched low in a boat, flashlight in one hand, muskie net in the other. Ahead of him, a loon bobbed. In a flash, the bird was in the net—until it wasn’t. Without hesitation, Walkush lunged and grabbed it with his bare hands. “It’s not often you get to hold a loon like that,” he says. Conducting research with The Loon Project, the team put the loon in a tote, weighed it, took a blood sample, and released it. 

That mix of improvisation, curiosity, and grit defines Walkush’s journey as a wildlife researcher. Now 25, he’s a Boone and Crockett Fellow and graduate student at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point (UWSP), studying the intersection of black bears, human activity, and the landscapes they share. But long before GPS collars and trail cameras filled his days, Walkush was a kid in Waupaca, Wisconsin, learning to hunt whitetails and fish alongside his father. Those early experiences sparked his desire for a career dedicated to wildlife ecology.

Roots in Wisconsin’s Wilds

Walkush grew up surrounded by public lands and state parks, where hunting and fishing weren’t just hobbies but a way of life. “As soon as I could hunt whitetails with my dad, I did,” he says. Fishing trips, days in the woods, and family encouragement deepened his connection to wildlife. Today, he jokes that he’s teaching his dad new tricks about the outdoors. A passionate bowhunter, Walkush still chases whitetails in the fall and turkeys in the spring. But school and work don’t leave much time for that. 

Originally entering UWSP as a fisheries major, Walkush quickly realized his heart was in wildlife ecology. “Fishing was the gateway,” he says, “but I knew I wanted to be out there with animals on the landscape, studying how they live.” That pivot carried him into undergraduate research, professional fieldwork, and leadership roles within The Wildlife Society.

A Fellow From the Beginning 

One of the things that sets Walkush apart is how early he found his footing in professional research. As an undergraduate, he was awarded a Boone and Crockett fellowship to study eastern wild turkeys through the Snapshot Wisconsin program. By analyzing tens of thousands of trail camera images, he investigated how sex ratios and harvest data align. This research had direct management implications for Wisconsin’s turkey population, which translates into management decisions that help shape turkey seasons and bag limits to sustain the resource. 

That experience helped him realize that fieldwork has on-the-ground implications. His fellowship with B&C also made him realize that research and science don’t happen in a vacuum. It’s a community effort. “In the wildlife field, young professionals often struggle with imposter syndrome,” Walkush explains. “I’d read these scientific papers and then meet the authors at Boone and Crockett retreats. They’re real people. Talking with them about their mistakes and experiences helped me feel like I belonged. I feel part of the community.” 

Financially, too, the support was critical. “Very rarely could I have gotten through undergrad just doing wildlife work,” he says. “The fellowship meant I could focus on research, not just side jobs.” To make ends meet in the past, he’s worked at Fleet Farm and a kayak rental business. After graduating in 2023, Walkush returned to UWSP as a graduate student and Boone and Crockett Fellow. 

Hayden is the Swiss Army knife of field researchers. From left to right: He fits collars on black bears, he researches turkeys, and he's not afraid of diving head first into occupied bear dens.    

Into Bear Country

Today, Walkush is deep into his master’s research on Wisconsin’s black bears, part of a decades-long project at UWSP’s Wisconsin Center for Wildlife. Working under advisor Dr. Cady Sartini, he studies how bears move through and respond to a patchwork landscape of working forests, elk restoration areas, and intensive bear hunting activity. His work is part of a long-standing $1 million research project, which Club members helped revive and fund. His study area includes the Great Divide District of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Here, “bear hunting is king,” Walkush says. 

Each summer, houndsmen begin training their dogs in July, while hunters start baiting sites in June. By fall, the season is in full swing. For bears, it’s a landscape filled with both opportunity and risk. “Some sows have up to 16 bait sites within their range,” Walkush says. “That creates fascinating questions: when bears are foraging, traveling, or bedding down, what are they seeking out or avoiding? And how do individual bears differ in those choices? You look at satellite images, but until you get on the ground, you don’t realize how the landscape varies, be it logging or other human activities like hunting. Where are bears spending their time, and what are they doing there? This hasn’t been investigated much at all.” 

To answer those questions, Walkush and his team collar sows with GPS units that record locations every 30 minutes, 48 times every day. For comparison, the previous research dataset had just 22 locations per week. The collars also contain activity sensors, which further assist researchers in distinguishing when bears are feeding, resting, and traveling. Combined with trail cameras at bait sites, the data paints a picture of how bears navigate landscapes shaped by human hands. “It’s one thing to look at satellite imagery,” he says. “It’s another to be on the ground and see the effects of logging, baiting, or elk management firsthand. That’s where you understand how varied these landscapes really are and how bears respond.” Once his research is complete, the goal, like his research on turkeys, is to help biologists better manage bear populations and human activity. 

“One of my favorite things about Hayden is that he does not just want to use his work to understand bears, but he also has a strong drive to understand and work with bear hunters,” says Sartini.  “He has intentionally designed his graduate work to allow him to work closely with bear hunters so we can better understand that system.” 

Teaching the Next Generation

Alongside research, Walkush serves as a wildlife lab instructor, guiding undergraduates through the fundamentals of wildlife biology. The role wasn’t easy at first. “That first semester, there was a big learning curve,” he admits. But over time, he’s come to value the chance to pass on knowledge. “I really enjoy teaching. It’s not just about wildlife students, but also forestry students. You’re helping them understand the basics of how wildlife fits into the bigger picture.”

Mentoring undergraduates has also reminded him of his own journey and the mentors who helped him along the way. “I had people who gave me those opportunities early,” he says. “Now I get to do the same.”

“He’s dedicated to sharing his experience with other students,” Sartini adds. “He’s made an effort to involve as many undergraduate students in his work as possible, whether they are strictly needed to do the work or not.” 

Walkush plans to graduate with his master’s in 2026. Beyond that, he’s open to wherever the path leads—whether academia, a state agency role, or further research in the Great Lakes region. “I try to embrace the uncertainty,” he says. “What matters most is staying connected to the science and to the wild places and animals I care about.”

PJ DelHomme writes and edits content from the wilds of western Montana. He runs Crazy Canyon Media and Crazy Canyon Journal.  

Boone and Crockett Fellows Program

Through its Fellows Program, the Boone and Crockett Wildlife Conservation Program supports graduate students in wildlife conservation and related fields. A Boone and Crockett Fellow is an undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral student supported by Boone and Crockett funding and/or advised by a Boone and Crockett professor or professional member. In addition to displaying academic excellence, Boone and Crockett Fellows are committed to scholarship that:

1. Promotes effective conservation policy through dedication to research, education, outreach, and service.
2. Exhibits leadership in wildlife conservation.
3.  Helps others understand the mission of the Boone and Crockett Club and the evolution of conservation in the United States.
4. Recognizes and appreciates the values of hunting and fishing and the principles of Fair Chase.

For more information about Boone and Crockett Club Fellows or its University Programs, please contact Luke Coccoli, Director of Conservation Research and Education, at Luke@boone-crockett.org.