For years the states surrounding Idaho have been wrestling with the possibility of Idaho’s wolves, from re-introduction in the 90′s, would spread to their neighboring states.  Oregon has now officially acknowledged that it does have wolves within its borders. 

Here is the LINK to the official Press release from the Idaho Fish and Game.

A LINK to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Wolf Page 

I took my daughters on a whirlwind trip to  the International Sportsmens Exposition Show in Sacramento this past Saturday.  We arrived in time for the girls to give Cameron the drawings they had made for him and the other Eastman’s folks.   Cruising on the ‘net, I was surprised to see an entry on Cameron Hanes Blog, that mentioned our visit with him.  If you ever get to meet Cameron in person, I am confident you will see he is a down to earth family guy, in addition to being a bowhunting machine! 

 As always there was a plethora of vendors, from outfitters and the latest, greatest gadgets available for hunting and fishing, plus more than a few great taxidermy displays.  I always feel like a kid in a candy store (without any money) when I am there.  But it gives me a feeling for what is out there in terms of the “Hunting industry”.

Compared to years past, there seemed to be more “ranch hunts” and international hunting booking agents than before.  I wonder if this is a growing trend in the industry?  Because of  our limited time schedule, I didn’t have an opportunity to see if that was truly the case.   Outfitters were there from all the western states, including a number that were ISE regulars that I recognized from years prior.  I noticed one outfitter from Eastern Wyoming is now booking hunts in the Western part of Wyoming, as well as other states.  After an incident that left a bad taste in my mouth a few years ago with one of their guides, I am wondering if the birth of “mega-Outfitters” is really a good thing for folks like me who do “low budget” guided hunts and “Do-It-Yourself ” hunts.   Time will tell, but I may develop this idea more in a future column.

On a more pleasant note, Tony Adams, a wildlife and western artist from Utah was a pleasure to visit with.  He gave my daughter Erin some great encouragement to continue drawing wildlife.   

At the end of the evening, we drove home with a couple of tired girls, sacked out in the back seat clutching their “Splash Dogs” sweat shirts, and NWTF  J.A.K.E.S. memberships. 

If you get a chance visit an ISE Show near you. 
San Mateo, CA — Jan 10 – 13, 2008
Sacramento — Jan 17 – 20, 2008
Denver — Jan 24 – 27, 2008
Phoenix — Mar 7 – 9, 2008
Salt Lake City — Mar 13 – 16, 2008

This Weekend while opening the mail, I saw the January/February Edition of the Eastmans Bowhunting Journal.  Thumbing  through, I came across a familiar face in the members success pictures…Me!

Of course I started getting phone calls and e-mails from  all my buddies across the West with obligatory “Hollywood” jokes.  I had submitted a story along with a bunch of photos that I haven’t had the opportunity to share with my readers.  So I’ll do that here, now.

The Preparation

It was February when I saw that I was unsuccessful in drawing a Wyoming elk permit. I gathered my composure, and called my friend Shane, who lived in Oregon. Shane invited me to join him in Oregon where I could get an over the counter archery license. I was happy that I would have a chance to hunt elk this year.

In July, I received the news I had drawn a Wyoming deer tag. I was worried that the seasons would conflict. After numerous calls to my Wyoming and my Oregon hunting partners, we figured out a schedule that would accommodate both. I would spend 5 days hunting in Wyoming, then drive 12 hours to central Oregon to catch the last 4 days of the Oregon archery elk season. I knew if I was going to hunt for two weeks straight for two of the toughest game animals the West has to offer, I’d better get in shape.

Over the next 12 weeks, I had signed up with a trainer and began a regime of weights and cardio training 5 days a week. I dropped 4% in body fat and lost 25 pounds. I shot my bow every night, and competed in the local 3-D league with my daughters. By the middle of September we had all won our divisions. I also let my moustache and a goatee grow as a reminder to prepare for my upcoming hunts, much to my family’s amusement. My wife asked me when I was going to shave it, I replied, “When I arrow a bull elk”. (more…)

For hunters who want to apply for the Spring bear hunts in Oregon, the deadline is fast approaching.  February 10th is the last day to apply.  Results will be posted on or after February 20th.  successful applicants must purchase their bear tags BEFORE the first day of the season.  Spring Bear Seasons start as early as April 1st, and all controlled bear hunts end May 31st.

 On the Controlled hunts page of the Oregon Fish and Game website you can check draw odds and success statistics, as well as check your preference point totals.  The 2008 regulations are also now available for those hunters looking forward to the Fall Controlled Hunt application due May 15th.

When an 80 year old South Dakota woman found that her dog had a mountain lion cornered in the back yard, she took care of it herself when Fish and Game was not able to get to her in time. 

She dispatched the cat with a shot from her .22 rifle, she keeps loaded “just in case”.

Just goes to show you that our Western Women are quite capable in defending them selves and those they love.  That is what I love about this part of the country.

Check out the the Story in the Rapid City Journal Link.

“Hello, My name is John Martin, and I CANNOT Outshoot a Fifth grader”

Let me explain this…..
Newark California, 6pm on Saturday night. 450 indoor round at 18 meters. Vegas Targets, at Archery Only in Newark. As we filed into the range I met a young man,
Mr. Michael DeCosta.
We were on the same bale, and as we shot our two practice rounds, I knew I was in trouble…

By the end of the night “DC” (“Dead Center”) DeCosta had a score of 441 with 18 x’s, while I was suckin’ hind teat at 427/13x.

What a great young man. Quiet, Focused, Polite. It was really a pleasure to see a 9 year old that could maintain his focus and stay calm as the x’s and 10′s kept rolling in. By the 8th end, I couldn’t look at him on the line… I had to look elsewhere just so my silly grin wouldn’t distract him as he demolished the center of that target with every shot. 15 ends later he had broken the current state record for cubs.

GOOD ON YA MICHAEL!
Here I am, purposely standing in front of MY target.
 

Here is his Dad George, who was pretty cool through the whole ordeal.

I posted a thread on Archery Talk .com, and it was great to see the support from the rest of the archery community.  Click on the link to see how the archery community supports their youth.

“The Grey Ghost of the West Coast” has a loyal following of hunters who pursue them in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California. Odocoileus hemonius columbianus, is more commonly refered to as the Columbian Blacktail deer, of just “blacktails”. For record keeping purposes, the Blacktail is found in the Western regions of the states named previously. The arbitrary line determined by the Boone and Crockett and Pope and Young clubs is placed so as to prevent entries of mule deer into the Blacktail class.

A Pope and Young Blacktail can be in one of four kinds
Typical
Non Typical
Typical Velvet
Non Typical Velvet
Velvet Entries are accepted in their own category, but to be “ranked” the velvet has to be removed
A typical Blacktail has measurements totaling more than 90 inches. Most good sized Forked horns with eyeguards will qualify for record book status. The “normal” main frame is 5 points on each antler (eye guard, front fork, back fork)
In order to be entered as a non typical the minimum score is 125 inches. A Non typical rack has “abnormal points in addition to the Forked main frame and eyeguards. While these points measurements are a deduction in typical scores, they are added in the nontypical scoring .
In order to be accepted in the non typical category, the antler score as a nontypical should be more points above the non typical minimum score than as a typical deer. Usually that level occurs when there are more than 7 4/8ths inches of abnormal points.

Oregon has the most Entries, as well as the world record Blacktail deer. Not far behind is California. With archery seasons that open in July, California leads the pack in Velvet entries.
Click on the Thumbnails below to see larger tables:

Washington and British Columbia certainly contribute their fair share of entries, but California and Oregon each have more entries than them combined. Late season hunts in Oregon have a higher likelihood of pursuing deer during the rut, but every bowhunter should know the joy of hunting in California heat in the 90-100′s! Either way the Columbian Blacktail is a worthy adversary, and has humbled many a bowhunter.

On Sunday, we lost a good friend, Bill Sweigert to his battle with lung cancer. Bill was a campmate of mine on the Sonoma County Trailblazer treks, as well as being a great friend to the Martin clan. I had the pleasure of visiting with Bill in October, when he presented me with a pair of his spurs. I treasured the conversations we had around the campfire and breakfasts in March at the Two-Niner Diner, the morning after the SCTB Hog Feed. I am a truly better person for knowing Bill, and I will miss him.

 Read more about Bill’s Life HERE

Bill was also a great fan of cowboy poetry, and I wanted to share one of his poems he wrote and gave me a copy of, referring to the Cowpoke Fall gathering in Loomis, California.

“It’s Cowboy Poetry Time”
by Bill Sweigert May 2007

Where the Hell did the year go?
Cowboy Poetry Time is here.
I ain’t even washed my Wranglers
The ones I wore last year.

I better practice recitin’
I’m kinda rusty, ya know.
I don’t want to stumble or mumble,
Or let my bloopers ruin the show

The verses should flow like a river,
Smoothly steady and strong
So the audience begins to resemble
A smilin’ buckaroo throng.

Why do I keep on recitin’?
This is my 20th Year.
It’s just cuz it’s so darn excitin’
And at my age it’s great to be here.

It’s a thrill to be center stage,
Especially when you’re on a roll
You feel lots less than your age,
Cuz cowboy poetry’s good for the soul.

When I think I am doing everything I can do to be a better bowhunter, Cameron Hanes, from Oregon, makes it look like childs play!   

Cameron Hanes’ New Years Resolution

I have to admit that part of what got me into bowhunting was the intensity and dedication I saw in other bowhunters. Cameron goes well above and beyond that.

Nothing is more of a Western icon than the Bison. Market hunting in the 19th Century nearly exterminated the species. Private Game ranches have been successful in developing a domestic bison breeding industry. For the bowhunter who wants to pursue free roaming bison there are still remnant wild herds that roam the West. For a bison to be recognized by the Pope and Young Club, it must be from a state or province that 1)recognizes them as wildlife, and not domestic stock, 2) and has a SPECIFIC big game tag or license, and a hunting season for the bison. Animals from private ranch herds and state owned parks are not eligible for entry.

If you want to find these free roaming herds, the places to find them include Alaska, the Henry Mountains of Utah, The Pink mountains in British Columbia, and the House rock Wildlife Area of Northern Arizona. Wyoming Bison are not recognized by Pope and Young. These Bison are residents of Grand Teton National Park, and the harvest of these animals may be viewed as a depredation hunt rather than a free roaming herd.

Bison are unique in the manner that they are measured. A ¼ inch steel tape is used for all measurements which are taken for each side Then the difference between left and right measurements is recorded . There are 5 measurements (made to the nearest 1/8th of an inch) which make up a Bison Score.
Length of horn – Taken from the lowest outside base edge to the tip along the outer curve.
Circumference measurements – Quarter measurements at locations determined by the length of the longest horn.
Base- is taken at a 90 degree angle to the axis of the horn
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third quarter
When all of these measurements have been added up for each side , and had the total differences for each measurement subtracted from the subtotal, you have the final score. The minimum score for recognition is 100.

Link to Score sheet

Click on the Thumbnail above for a larger view of top Bison Areas.