Hunting and Fishing News & Blog Articles

Recently the Casper Star Tribune reported on an issue that is getting some attention here in Wyoming. The issue revolves around Wyoming pronghorn permits being allocated to special interest groups to use as they see fit – 80 tags for one group alone.

While the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation espoused by individuals like Theodore Roosevelt states that our wildlife resources are “In the Public Trust”, groups like Lander One Shot Antelope Hunt are allocated 80 tags to do with as they wish and have been doing so since 1939.

The group claims to be doing good work with the money, and they may be, but many feel that any fundraising done with the public’s wildlife tags should be directly given back to the resource that helped raise the money, i.e. pronghorn in this case.

Accuracy with a firearm starts at the hands holding it steady, tightly against the shoulder pointed squarely down range! but what if the hands aren’t comfortable? That is where the iota Krux stock comes in! In this video review Dan Turvey of Eastmans’ Hunting Journals takes this stock on it’s maiden voyage mounting a Horizon Firearms action and barrel to while going through the features that make this an ideal option for the backcountry hunter. Give this video a watch and make sure you subscribe to the Eastmans’ YouTube channel to see how this rifle performs at the range in the second half of this review!

Subscribe HERE to Eastmans’ Hunting Journals for more great content!

“Everyone is lucky until they aren’t…” – John Barklow

John could not have said it any better and to take it a step further, luck breeds complacency which results in contentment and culminates in over-confidence. So if we take equal parts luck, complacency and contentment combined, you have the recipe for a potentially life-ending situation. This really strikes home in our location of Wyoming.

In January a local newspaper reporter went missing in the North Fork drainage west of Cody. A horseback rider found him earlier this week and it was determined he died from hypothermia. He was a little over two miles from the main road.

Why do I bring this terribly tragic example up? Lest we lose a life in vain. To learn and possibly save the life of another. Simply put, you need the proper gear with you at all times when you decide to leave the trailhead. A simple “day hunt” has been the downfall of more than one of our fellow hunters. On an extended backcountry trip, the risk factor is even higher.

Last year I had one of the best years of my hunting career for pronghorn. I was lucky enough to have tags for Wyoming, Montana and Colorado to fill. With a little luck I filled all three on quality bucks that now have places in my office and home. All the time in the field got me to thinking that it might be time to offer our digital subscribers the chance to be drawn for an antelope hunt in southern Colorado. This is the same place that we have had the opportunity to hunt and harvest some great bucks for the last 10 years and has produced some of the best memories from the field with our family and friends.

Over the years, our hunt winners have taken some incredible mule deer bucks and bulls and adding a third winner this fall is exciting. Some of my favorite hunting memories and new friendships have come from these hunts. Getting to offer a third chance for the Eastmans’ subscriber family to hunt with us this fall is going to add even more great memories.

The lucky winner will get to hunt with the Eastmans’ team and hopefully harvest the buck of a lifetime. Just like the deer and elk winners, we will record this hunt for Eastmans’ Hunting TV and air it on the Outdoor Channel.

To be eligible for this hunt all you have to do is be a subscriber to an Eastmans’ digital subscription. To kick this off we are going to offer a 24 hour sale on digital subscriptions. For the next 24 hours, $10.00 gets you both magazines in the digital format and $5.00 gets you a single title.

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“(AP) — A U.S. appeals court on Friday lifted protections that kept gray wolves an endangered species in Wyoming for years after federal officials removed packs in neighboring states from that list.”

After nearly four years of unchecked population control, Wyoming’s ever expanding, non-native gray wolf population may soon finally see the hand of sound wildlife management headed its way. At this point we are not 100% sure if this will actually mean a Wyoming wolf hunting season this fall for the super predator but things are certainly looking that way.

When asked late Tuesday about a possible wolf hunting season in Wyoming a prominent Game and Fish official responded with, “We believe it’s possible, the earliest would be this coming fall.” This was said by said Brian Nesvik, the Wyoming Game and Fish wildlife division chief.

Nesvik continued by saying, “Wyoming showed it could manage wolves in a conservative and responsible manner that met all objectives after delisting. We look forward to again taking on the important work of managing this public resource.” In my opinion the state almost seems to be surprised by the overwhelming 3-0 decision by the Federal Appellate Court in their favor. Either way, the state seems to be playing this out in a very conservative manner thus far.

Taking any big game animal with a bow is a challenge! Now imagine that you have a potential record book ram from a limited entry, once in a life time hunt in Arizona and the stakes go up tremendously! Press play to watch the video from Randy Spray’s feature story in the 100th issue of Eastmans’ Bowhunting Journal. Make sure you subscribe so you won’t miss an issue and great feature stories like this one!

Want to share the story of your hunt with us? Send a few of your best images to our editor for consideration at [email protected] and make sure you use the #myhuntstory tag on social media! We might just send you a T-Shirt for tagging us!

You will also want to make sure that you take a listen to this episode of the Eastmans’ Elevated podcast. Host Brian Barney is joined by Clint Casper, a successful bowhunter, and how they have adventure bowhunter across the West. Deciding what state to hunt, which unit to apply for and how to prepare physically and mentally can be a daunting task. Brian and Clint break down some of the tactics they use to prepare for an out of state hunt and hopefully help you prepare for your next western adventure hunt!

Eastmans’ Publishing, Inc. is a multimedia corporation whose roots are grounded in the ethics of fair chase hunting. We strive to help our audiences become more skilled and ethical hunters, while expanding their knowledge, appreciation, and awareness of the outdoors and wildlife through entertainment media.

Eastmans’ Publishing, Inc. is a holding company engaged in publishing. We publish book and magazines, along with producing videos, DVDs, and TV programs. We also develop and sell products such as apparel, hats and artwork.

When it comes to elk, Wyoming continues to be a very consistent state to hunt. With an ever-growing, lengthy list of hunt options, a stabilizing elk herd and a very consistent management plan, Wyoming is the quintessential elk opportunity state. The state Game and Fish Department has not made many changes to the statewide elk management plan and this year is no exception. It seems as though Wyoming has its elk herds figured out and maximized for the perfect balance between trophy quality and overall opportunity.

Historically, Wyoming is a very good place to gather preference points to hunt for a good bull. Wyoming remains a very consistent place to hunt for elk and we don’t see that fact changing anytime in the near future. Statistically speaking, Wyoming is a very strong elk state even when it comes to record book bull elk entries. The Cowboy State remains in the top four states to kill a book bull elk all-time and is still in the top five states to find a Boone and Crockett bull over the past 15 years, further proving the fact that Wyoming’s best elk hunting days are not in the rear-view mirror. Even with Wyoming’s wolf and grizzly bear problems, the state still manages to produce some very good hunting for some big bulls. Nearly six record book bulls per year have been taken in Wyoming the last few years. The next one could be yours.

So without any further comment from me, here are my top three units according to my research for the MRS. This year I have included the chart that covers those units. We also decided that we would sweeten the pot a little, when you buy the 2016  MRS Annual we will email you a full copy of the Wyoming MRS, for free. Good luck in the draws!

Every year here at Eastmans’ we say that this one went faster than the last and I hate to beat a dead horse but this year that seems to be very true. The western hunting world seems to be moving at a breakneck speed every day and the crazy part is that I think it’s only going to keep moving faster.

2016 has been a year full of challenges, growth and of course some great hunting. Our EBJ elk hunt winner harvested a great bull and you can find some great pictures and a short video on our Facebook page recapping that hunt. Our EHJ mule deer hunt winner harvested a solid buck and had a great time finding the right one. Every season I find myself looking forward to these hunts more and more and the 2016 winners did not disappoint, class acts who were a lot of fun for our crew to be around.

The MRS has continued to grow and improve and every year I learn a little more about where to apply in each state as I comb through the data. Our staff writers put together some excellent content and I am really proud of each of the contributions they have sent in, the content was some of the best I remember in recent history.

We are now kicking off 2017 with some innovative things moving forward. Many of you have received the E-News with our new digital show called “Beyond The Grid,” and the next episode will be dropping on our YouTube channel February 1. Make sure you find the Facebook and Instagram pages for this new show so you won’t miss a single episode.

We also put together our 13th digital issue and the reception has been great. Inside its pages were exclusive feature stories, exclusive gear reviews and tips and tactics to make you a better hunter. Make sure you bookmark this issue until the next time in 2017, it’s a great read in the backcountry and if you load it before you hit the trail it will be fully functional.

Eastmans’ Publishing, Inc. is a multimedia corporation whose roots are grounded in the ethics of fair chase hunting. We strive to help our audiences become more skilled and ethical hunters, while expanding their knowledge, appreciation, and awareness of the outdoors and wildlife through entertainment media.

Eastmans’ Publishing, Inc. is a holding company engaged in publishing. We publish book and magazines, along with producing videos, DVDs, and TV programs. We also develop and sell products such as apparel, hats and artwork.

When I hear the word activism I usually cringe. Like many of you I picture someone who has probably been labeled a hippie of sorts by most of middle America. They are usually touting some cause, likely one I don’t agree with. The question then is this, if hunting is conservation does that make me an activist?

After a little thought, I think that it does make me an activist. In fact I am not even a silent activist, I put my money behind three lifetime memberships for various hunting and 2nd Amendment non-profits that I believe in. I did my due diligence, made sure I supported their causes and methods and signed on the dotted line. Those memberships give my organizations of choice political clout to fight for things like access to land for hunting, gun rights and even the pull to stop bad tag allotment ideas and management practices.

Of course there are more ways to get involved and be an activist for hunting conservation. My schedule as a business owner dictates how much boots on the ground, hands in the dirt-type of work I can do and that isn’t much. For some hunters, getting out and working in the field for wildlife conservation is a way of life and a great family activity. It never ceases to amaze me how many people jump at the chance to help with habitat improvement and the great work they do.

It goes even deeper than that. Hunters put boots on the ground for conservation every time we buy a rifle, a box of ammo or a hunting tag. Wildlife management is primarily funded in most states by the people buying the tags. In fact in my home state of Wyoming the game and fish is self funding, they don’t get money from the general fund. The quotas that dictate tag numbers have to be put together by people who have built careers in wildlife management. By buying tags we are funding the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.

Eastmans’ Publishing, Inc. is a multimedia corporation whose roots are grounded in the ethics of fair chase hunting. We strive to help our audiences become more skilled and ethical hunters, while expanding their knowledge, appreciation, and awareness of the outdoors and wildlife through entertainment media.

Eastmans’ Publishing, Inc. is a holding company engaged in publishing. We publish book and magazines, along with producing videos, DVDs, and TV programs. We also develop and sell products such as apparel, hats and artwork.

Beyond The Grid is a new digital docu-series from Eastmans’ showcasing bow and rifle hunts across the West and beyond, delivered to you by our digital channels. This is exclusive big game hunting content at the tip of your fingers on your phone or the press of a button on your computer. In the first episode, Giant In The Mist, hunter Dan Netluch finds himself in elk heaven amidst the rugged western Montana hills. Surrounded by bugling bulls, Netluch, at first, has a hard time picking a target. Watch him harvest a 370-class bull in this Eastmans’ exclusive hunt.

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