Hunting and Fishing News Blog Articles

Migration has long been a theme that mule deer hunters across Wyoming have wanted to understand. In 2020 Eastmans’ launched a video shed light on the trek that Western Wyoming’s mule deer take. Now new research focused on Central Wyoming mule deer has started to make its way to the forefront.  

This data shows that the mule deer in Central Wyoming don’t migrate based on interactions with hunters. Rather forage and weather were the two key factors that triggered mule deer migrations. 

One piece of data that will come as no surprise to the hunters reading this blog is that mule deer bucks look for two things when it comes to preserving their lives during hunting season. The first noted in the study is that they look for seclusion/cover, and the second is they look for areas as from vehicle access as possible. In terms of how this affects hunters, keep the boots tight – you will be walking to find the bucks!\

Another piece of the equation that hunters need to be aware of is that bucks take completely different migratory patterns than does. Does travel in areas that are going to cause as little stress as possible to their fawns. Bucks, on the other hand, will use harsh terrain to their advantage to stay secluded. What does this mean for the hunter? If you are seeing a lot of does it probably means that you are hunting in the wrong areas. 

Mike Eastman shares the story of how the Eastman legacy of filming and fair-chase hunting began with his father Gordon. The late Gordon Eastman was a pioneer in the industry, and even worked with Walt Disney for part of his career.

The post Eastmans’ Family History appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Guest Author: Travis Hobbs

Technology. When you stop and think about it, it will blow your mind how much all of our lives have changed recently, thanks to technology. How we communicate, how we travel, work, recreate, even something as simple as me putting this to “paper” so to speak. For better and worse, it effects every one of us. There really is no escaping the ever evolving technological advances.

Hunting is no different. Unless you have been living under a rock, technology has changed hunting dramatically. Long gone are the days of open sight 30.30’s, military surplus gear, even something as simple as a paper map isn’t as common as it was in the not so distant past.

The other day, I was talking with a young man that is new to archery. We got talking about estimating and calculating ranges, shooting uphill and downhill. I told him when I was learning to shoot, no one I knew, even had a rangefinder. We both laughed and I’m still not so sure he believed me. The crazy part, I am only 35 years old, and the period I’m referring to is the 90’s. Talk about making me feel old, and it really got me thinking, rangefinders are ancient technology compared to what we have now.

Technology is a fairly common debate among hunters, from the local coffee shop, to social media platforms. There are strong opinions on all sides. I think respectful debate is a good thing, and is something we should continue to discuss if we still believe in fair chase at our core. Often times, however, it brings up more questions than answers.

Below you’ll find the breakdown of HB 122 by The Wyoming Wildlife Federation. I’m not going to attempt to reiterate what WWF has done a marvelous job doing but I am going to opine on HB 122.

Personally, I think a bill like this is long overdue! Who wouldn’t pay $21 for a Conservation Stamp if it means more public access to hunting, fishing and trapping here in old Wyo? Not to mention that a portion of the $21 will also go to improving the health of our game animals by improving/implementing highway crossings. This is truly a chance for Wyoming sportsmen to continue to put their money where their mouths are by ponying up for wildlife and the future of hunting in the Cowboy State. 

Go elk hunting with the Eastmans’ TagHub 2020 elk hunt winner. Eastmans’ TagHub member Jared Boyd joins Ike Eastman for his very first elk hunt in Colorado. Jared’s Missouri whitetail skills are put to work when he jumps at the chance to take a nice trophy bull at ONLY 60 yards!

The post Elk Hunting – KILL at 60 Yards! Eastmans’ TagHub Hunt Giveaway appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Eastmans’ TagHub is more than first-rate hunting research and data, so much more! Ike Eastman breaks down the benefits of being a TagHub Elite member – you can even win a hunt with the Eastmans’!

The post TagHub Elite Member Benefits – Ike breaks it down! appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

House Bill 505 was introduced to allow Montana landowners to have 10 elk-only combination landowner sponsored tags for their deeded or leased lands. This means they are for sale directly from FWP for the same price as the normal nonresident general elk combination tags that you would win in the draw. These landowner tags would be in addition to the already elk-only combination tags that are offered by FWP. The verbiage of this bill does not indicate that these landowner sponsored tags will be available for the landowner to resell for a greater profit, but technically the landowner could sell those hunts for much higher of a price because they have guaranteed tags. Any landowner that has at least 640 deeded acres would be eligible for this consideration. 

This bill was introduced by Wylie Galt, Representative from Martinsdale, Montana who is related to the expansive Galt Ranch which is famous for its great elk hunting. This bill is meant to directly help Outfitters book clients instead of leaving their elk hunting fate up to the regular draw which has been about once every one or two years to acquire a permit. Is Montana ready to jump into the landowner tag game? 

Section 2 of this bill is somewhat of a shocker to me. It is an antlerless only elk hunting option where an applicant can apply for a cow elk only that is valid from August 15 – February 15 on private land for units where FWP determines there are too many elk per their surveys. Here’s the kicker. If you choose this option, you will not be eligible to apply for an elk permit for that year for anywhere else in the state. However, during that license year, since you are not participating in the elk permit drawing you can buy a bonus point, and since you participated in the antlerless-only option you will be awarded an additional five bonus points for your elk permit draw in the future. Jiminy Christmas! A six bonus point reward for NOT participating in the elk permit drawing for the year that you choose to hunt a cow only. Now that is a big deal. Just when you think you’ve heard it all for 2021…

The post Get 6 Elk Bonus Points in One Year with This New Legislation! – HB 505 appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Senate Bill 143 was drafted in an effort to reserve a large percentage of nonresident hunting licenses to outfitters. This received a large amount of blowback from the public and has since been scratched from SB 143. SB is still alive though with the last remaining part still up for consideration. 

The verbage states that 40% of the deer and elk combination licenses will be offered up in an early offering with an application period from December 1 – 31. The application fee is $300 and if you apply as a party it is still $300 per person. The bill instructs that the application fee will be used by the department to secure and maintain wildlife habitat. You still have the license fee on top of the application fee. 

Here’s the catch. For your application to be valid, you must have a resident sponsor you. You must include an affirmation by the applicant that the applicant intends to hunt with a resident sponsor on land owned by that sponsor. In addition the resident sponsor must produce a certificate that states that they will direct the applicants hunting and advise the applicant of the game and trespass laws of the state. They also must then submit complete records of who hunted with the resident sponsor, where they hunted, and what game was taken. They also must affirm that the sponsor is indeed a landowner and the applicant under the certificate will only hunt on land owned by them. The resident sponsor may not accept monetary compensation or enabling the nonresident applicant to obtain a license. 

The department shall issue a license to one applicant sponsored by each resident landowner who owns 640 or more contiguous acres. If there are enough licenses to go around the landowner can sponsor up to 15 individuals. If there aren’t enough licenses to go around, the department shall conduct a drawing.

If you are successful in this drawing, you are only able to hunt deer on deeded land of your sponsoring landowner. If you apply for an elk permit with this drawing and are unsuccessful in the permit application, you will have the choice to keep the elk or deer combination if you are successful in that draw.

Guy Eastman gives a fantastic update to Eastmans’ Taghub right before the application deadline on March 1st @5:00 p.m. MST. Make sure you take a look at his expert analysis for 2021!

The post TagHub Application Deadline Reminder 2021 WY Sheep, Moose and Goat appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Learn how to survive when a day hunting trip turns into an unexpected overnight stay. Fieldcraft Survival’s Kevin Estela covers the steps you should take if you have to spend an unexpected night out in the backcountry. None of us hope or expect to have to spend the night in the wilderness without the proper planning and preparation, especially in the winter, but sometimes unexpected events occur and you find yourself in an unfamiliar location or circumstances that prevent you from getting out of the woods. Kevin talks about the three components of an emergency shelter and how you can make the most out of an unexpected situation.

Learn more about Fieldcraft Survival Here: http://bit.ly/FcSurvival

The post How To Survive In The Woods – Day Trip Turns Overnight appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Just when you think you’ve seen and heard it all, this happens. A lady at the Solitude Subdivision in Jackson, Wyoming was reported by neighbors for feeding grizzly bears. When Game and Fish confronted this individual, whose identity has been protected, she told the wardens that they are a “bunch of wimps” and that the bears are her babies. At the base of her deck sat five grizzly bears calming munching away on grain. The bears were four sub-adult cubs and the National Park Service’s sweetheart, sow #399. 

You heard that correctly, she refers to the bears as her “babies” and even more interestingly, she’s been feeding grizzly bear #399 for several years now including many sets of #399’s offspring. Officers gathered evidence that could potentially lead to a violation of the Endangered Species Act. The woman said for them not to worry because she has an “aura” that allows her to communicate with animals and not be attacked. Although if she did get attacked, she said she would be “ok” with dying. 

Here’s the catch. She insists the grain is for moose, not bears. She’s simply feeding the moose and the grain is laced with medicine for what she described as conjunctivitis. Feeding moose, elk, and deer is legal in the state of Wyoming although the general public is discouraged from doing so. Over a month later the District Attorney’s office said they would have a “difficult time convicting” her of feeding grizzly bears because she stated that she placed the food for the moose, not the bears. She told the officers that the grizzly bears “came to her” when they needed help and that she administers drugs to the wildlife even though she knows it’s not legal. 

The investigation was initialized when grizzly bear #962 (offspring of #399) spent two weeks in the subdivision according to a GPS tracking collar. #962 and #964 were grizzly #399’s offspring from years past and frequented the same subdivision regularly. In 2016, grizzly bear #802 (who was later destroyed) was getting into trouble and had been tracked to the same neighborhood. There are eight grizzly bears getting into feed at the Solitude home site according to the current investigation. One Solitude Subdivision board member claimed that “In my 25 years in Solitude, we’ve never had bear problems like we are having this fall and winter.” Another resident told a story of being chased in the neighborhood by a grizzly. The resident was able to run away from the bear and it eventually lost interest. 

The wildlife feeder agreed to let two officers in her home, in which they noticed many dogs, cats, and rodents kept in cages. There were many cans of feed stored and the officers also reported the woman kept a collection of bear poop which was stored on cookie sheets! The officers had a two hour conversation with the lady explaining that she controlled the fate of these bears since she continuously feeds them. As of now all the Game and Fish can do is focus on education since there is nothing they can enforce. 

House Bill 295 introduced by Representative Casey Snider has been a controversial one. It started out as a conservation piece for some wetland areas regarding laws, management, and creating waterfowl management areas. Now, banning baiting and trail cam use on public land from August 1 through December 31st is also attached to this bill. This has sparked a lot of controversy in the Utah hunting community with a bunch of mixed opinions from all types of hunters. 

Ok, so let’s talk about trail cameras. This bill instructs that the wildlife board shall make rules governing the use of trail cameras. This falls under the amended section of the use of a computer or other device to remotely hunt wildlife. Basically, what they propose is to make a trail camera season from Jan 1 to July 31 on public land so there are no cameras in the field during hunting season and slightly beforehand. These restrictions will not affect private land. Some folks have said that trail cameras don’t really help the aid of harvesting a big game animal because there’s so much more to the hunt than a trail camera photo. Others have said they are tired of seeing trail cameras all over public land and when they do see the cameras, they feel like they are encroaching on someone else’s hunting area. There has been a lot of support to ban trail cameras that send real time photos via cell phone signal and some states have already made these illegal, such as Wyoming. 

The baiting portion of this bill is aimed at an all out ban. This bill considers any food or nutrient substances that will manipulate the behavior of wildlife bait. Bait does not include chemicals used as an attractant or masking scent. Salt, mineral blocks or other commonly used livestock substances for normal agricultural purposes are also not considered bait. Neither are standing crops or vegetation that has been planted. In short, this bill directly prohibits making an apple or corn pile or licks that are made to attract big game specifically. The majority of baiting is not legal out West and Utah is basically the last place you are able to do it and I think we can agree that hunting over a corn pile does increase success rates.  

Some things I look at is that maybe some people think harvest success rates are too high in Utah? Banning baiting could potentially save some big game for the next year and make hunting even that much better. Looking at three year average success rates for limited entry deer and elk on Eastmans’ TagHub I see that they are some of the highest in the West. 

The general consensus for writing this bill is that baiting and use of trail cams during hunting season is not fair chase and makes hunting too easy.  SFW has come out and supported this bill while the Mule Deer Foundation opposes it. What I don’t like about this bill is that politicians are wanting to make the rules for the hunters of Utah. How about everyone that holds a Utah hunting license in their pocket gets to vote on these issues? More power to the people! What say you?

Building a strategy to keep your elk hunting skills sharp while you wait out that coveted elk tag.

My first bull was a spike by two taken at the hand of my PSE bow…bloody damn luck at the rightful age of 14. It was the first week of September high atop Munger Mountain in Jackson, and we somehow managed to find our way into a rut fest, more bloody damn luck. The satellite bulls were going crazy and two of them happened to walk past me at 18-yards. I drew back and forgot to even aim, luckily, I had practiced with my recurve a lot that summer. The aluminum XX75 hit the bull perfectly creasing his heart ending his travel plans only 30-yards away, even more bloody damn luck. It would cost me the better part of a decade to kill another bull, proof that luck just isn’t enough when it comes to killing a big bull elk, skill is a much better plan.

There’s no doubt about it, elk hunting is a skill sport. Most new elk hunters can hunt for the better part of a decade to kill their first six-point bull with a bow. While at the peak of his elk hunting career, the same hunter will kill a mature bull or two each and every year thereafter, once the skill is finally fully mastered. 

Keeping a sharp elk hunting skill takes practice and repetition. This is not always the easiest of concepts in reality, particularly if you live back East or in a state that does not afford an elk opportunity like California or Texas. There are still options available throughout the West however that will get you out into the elk woods each and every fall, you just have to put together a plan and be calculated with your options. Getting to know an area well can also produce some very solid results over long periods of time. You might be very surprised to know how many big bulls are actually taken each and every fall in general and OTC (over-the-counter) units. 

The key to a solid back-up elk plan is to first learn your options, weight them out, and then formulate a plan that puts you into the elk woods each and every fall possible in an effort to not only broaden your elk horizons, but you master your craft or cut your teeth under some of the toughest circumstances the elk hills have to offer. It’s like New York, “if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.”

In this Pelican review, Eastmans’ staffer Luke Washington breaks down all the features of the Pelican Vault 800 Double Rifle Case. Pelican is calling this product crush proof, dust-proof and ergonomic. We put that to the test!! Watch to find out if it survives a crush test in below zero temperatures!

BUY this V800 Case Here: https://bit.ly/3aeivvP

The post Protect Your Rights! – Pelican Case Product Test appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

GUEST AUTHOR: Jake Leonard 

I want to share this story in the hopes that it may potentially save someone’s life. I want to bring awareness as this now can literally happen anywhere at any time so if my experience helps any fellow hunter, fisherman, hiker, trail runner, or anyone else in the woods for that matter then it was all worth it. I’m not the type of person who would be okay if I saw in the news somebody had been attacked, injured, or killed if I had not shared this story. I believe that if this happened to someone with less experience in the woods they may not be here today….

I began my still hunt walking very slowly on a road with the wind blowing fairly strong into my left shoulder. I made my way into the thickest part of the riparian jungle that borders what looks like two fields but is really dried up drainage overflow ponds. The wind was now blowing directly to me as I weaved my way over and under branches that seem to go in every direction. I slowly made my way to a clearing that I had been headed for. As I emerged from the riparian habitat through a small clearing, I looked back and got my landmark. …

As I am still screaming at the mountain lion, for what felt like forever and my thoughts were running wild in the back of my head, I knew it was too long, completely uncomfortable with the thought that I had any chance of scaring it off. I realized the lion wasn’t going anywhere. I realized this thing just followed my steps exactly. It was directly behind me for who knows how long as the wind was playing to its favor covering any potential misstep it had made before breaking the twig at 16 yards behind me. It had come through the same exact route I took to my current location 16 yards in front of him. I knew it was going to turn into a knife fight real quick if I didn’t act as my bow could only be used as a shield if I hesitated any longer. I also knew I had to keep yelling just in case I had a chance of throwing him off of his intentions and holding him up….

So how do you make a great product, which has garnered acclaim and helped put your company on the map even better? Well, if you’re YETI you step back, roll the dice and completely redesign it, to the extent that the product is unrecognizable. That is exactly what YETI did to their tried and true fan favorite, Roadie Hard Cooler. They rebranded it the Roadie 24 Hard Cooler and reimagined it from the ground up. 

The all new Roadie 24 Hard Cooler is 10% lighter, has 20% more capacity, and performs 30% better across thermoregulation variables. However, it’s also a better shape for stashing tall bottles you want to keep cold. Couldn’t do that with the old one. The new shape also fits in your vehicle better, a feature my wife and I appreciated when we road tripped with our kids this summer and she needed quick, easy access to snacks and drinks while I drove. 

I have to admit that when I first laid eyes on this new cooler I was skeptical but after a handful of uses I found myself reaching for it time and time again. I even used it in my drift boat on fishing trips that required a tad more room than my YETI Tundra 65. It was the perfect companion as it kept all the food cold on those blistering August days while the Tundra 65 housed all the drinks. 

I also used the Roadie 24 hunting and scouting this past September as a quick day trip cooler. It holds the perfect amount of snacks and drinks and served me very well as a seat while I was glassing. I used YETI ICE packs to save space and they fit inside the Roadie 24 as if they were made for it, wait a second… I also added the Roadie 24 Seat Cushion because, well, why not? 

The YETI Roadie 24 weighs 12.8 lbs. empty, stands 17.5” tall and is 16.5” wide across the top. Side to side, the Roadie is a trim 11 ⅞” at its base and 14” across its lid. This makes it easy to stow just about anywhere, which I did with regularity. 

Bow hunting public land elk takes grit! Eastmans’ Elevated podcast host Brian Barney stays persistent to get it done on a Montana elk hunt. Brian end’s up self-filming his DIY bow kill on this web episode of Eastmans’ Hunting TV.

The post Bow Hunting Public Land OTC Elk in Montana appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Be sure to get your applications in before February 9th, 2020 for Arizona elk and pronghorn! TagHub has every stat you need to make a decision on a unit!!

The post 2021 Arizona Application Deadline Reminder appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Hunting for a 200+ inch mule deer is a dream for many hunters! Two Eastmans’ subscribers, sisters Imari and Ellai Black, lived the dream on their fall 2020 deer hunts. Each sister harvested a trophy deer over 200 inches!

The post Over 400 Inches!!! DIY Deer Hunting appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

When looking at skills and training for hunters and fisherman, typically rifle and bow skills are the first to come to mind. Many outdoorsmen spend time learning animal behavior, conditioning their bodies for the backcountry, and honing in their weapons, but neglect proper training in other skills that could be needed for various situations and emergencies that could arise. Kevin Estela and Austin Lester from Fieldcraft Survival sit down and review medical equipment that you should know how to use and carry in the backcountry. They review survival wraps, eye cups, splints, boo boo kits, and trauma gear that they recommend carrying into the wilderness. 

About Fieldcraft Survival

Fieldcraft Survival’s mission is to expand your capabilities in the genre of survival. Our goal is to educate, train, and equip you to survive and thrive in any situation that life may bring. To accomplish our mission, we offer products built to enhance dependability, as well as training courses led by resident duty experts. Founded and run by Special Operations veterans, we have decades of real-world experience in survival and preparedness. We are excited to have partnered with Eastmans’, a three-generation media-based hunting company whose goal is to promote the pursuit of elk hunting, deer hunting, and all western big game. Our partnership with Eastmans’ is a great opportunity for both of us to use our combined expertise and provide education and gear to each other allowing us to connect with hunters and fishermen, teaching survival, medical, emergency preparedness skills. Our goal is to not only learn and grow in our technical hunting expertise from Eastmans’, but to help increase the overall level of preparedness and survivability of hunters if they are facing an emergency situation—with Fieldcraft gear they can depend on, training they can rely on.

The post Build a first aid kit: Fieldcraft Survival Gear for Hunting appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.