Hunting and Fishing News & Blog Articles

Wyoming Senators Cynthia Lummis and John Barrasso have stepped up as a tri-state coalition and four US Senators jump into the fight to delist the more than recovered grizzly bear. 

The grizzly bear delisting saga continues in the northern Rocky Mountain states. A new development has in fact arose as of late with a recent collaboration between the states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho along with a coalition from Federal legislators in said states that places a bit more muscle and credibility behind the ongoing effort to delist the overpopulated predator in the region. A democratic federal administration will more than likely make this possibility nearly impossible, however it looks like the states of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho are poised to make another run at a grizzly bear delisting in the next few months. A process that will neither be easy nor quick.  

The primary goal is for the states to regain control of the bears outside the scope of the protections encompassed within the confines of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The state of Wyoming in particular has aggressively engaged in this process for the better part of two decades with no avail as court case after court case has shut the effort down even after the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service themselves have agreed with the release of the species as “recovered”. All the while the population of bears in and around the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem has continued to expand well beyond the carrying capacity for the predator causing massive wildlife management issues and conflicts.  

The primary complaint or reason for the Montana judge and an appeals court panel to reject the move to “delist” was based on the risk of a lack of genetic diversity related to connectivity within the region’s bear populations. This new memorandum of understanding, which has yet to be agreed to fully by the states of Idaho and Montana, would create an agreement or pact between the states to open up the possibility of embarking on a relocation program between the not quite connected current populations throughout the states. Essentially, genetically connecting the Yellowstone bears with the Glacier bears in an effort to create a larger and more blended genetic pool in both regions. Basically, a good old fashioned bear swap. 

As a side note, the state of Montana has also recently begun to move forward with the process of a potential removal of the grizzly bear in the Glacier National Park region of Montana from the ESA as well. Northwest Montana is now experiencing many of the same negative effects and problems of an overpopulated grizzly bear population that we have witnessed in northwest Wyoming. 

“Officials have agreed to allow as many as 900 bison from Yellowstone National Park to be shot by hunters, sent to slaughter or placed in quarantine this winter…” 

Anyone who has visited YNP recently can attest that there are too many of two things… people and bison! It is virtually impossible to visit “the Park” without running into droves of each animal. I live along the borders of the nation’s first national park and much of our local economy comes from the millions of annual visitors each year and just like the tourists, bison spread out from the Park as well, finding nooks and crannies to live in, especially during the winter. Like the money made from tourism it would be nice to have a crack at those big shaggies too! 

However, before we dust off the Sharps and get our Quigley on I’m betting that any “hunt” won’t be a hunt at all but a cull carried out by government “sharpshooters”. That would be sad indeed! I for one would pay a handsome fee to hunt a wild bison and do my part to thin the over populated YNP herd. I don’t know about you but there’s just something about a big old “buffalo” that’s romantic, the skull, the hide, the meat… every inch of the American bison is pure nostalgia, they are the true symbol of the American West. 

Romance aside, we owe these animals a balanced ecosystem and YNP is anything but right now. Too many predators, too many bison, each wreaking havoc on the flora and fauna of one of the most incredible places on the planet. That balance, and a fair bit of monetary profit could assuredly be generated via a limited public hunt on the bison of YNP. 

I will keep my ear to the ground on this, looking for opportunities for public comment about an open hunt. Fingers crossed the Park Service will use common sense on this and allow John and Jane Q Public to participate in the balancing of our Nation’s bison herd. 

GUEST AUTHOR: Brian Clintworth

Hunters in Washington have just lost their Spring Bear season for 2022, but hunters everywhere should take note as the anti hunters will see this as a victory and look to further their agenda across the nation.  Last month the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission had a tie vote when approving the 2022 Spring Bear proposals.  Because of the tie vote, the hunt has been put on hold while the commission decides what to do.  Let’s look at what caused this outcome.  

Spring bear seasons across the nation have always been controversial.  Anti hunters are concerned with cubs being orphaned, too many females being killed, bears being in a weakened state from just waking up from hibernation, are a few of the many reasons they oppose these hunts.  From a biologist and sportsman perspective, spring hunts have been very popular with hundreds of hunters applying for the limited number of permits.  Spring hunts have been effective in harvesting bears(mainly boars) which subsequently helps out ungulate populations. In the Blue Mountains of Washington, it is estimated that up to 80% of the elk calves are killed by predators each year, primarily bears and cougars.  Spring harvest also helps minimize timber damage on westside timberlands.  

Here in Washington over the last several years, there have been attempts to shut down this hunt but they have not been successful until now.  In December 2020 there was a lawsuit filed to stop the Spring Bear hunt.  The state of Washington recently implemented new regulations for successful hunters to present proof of sex to a district office so they could document the low number of lactating sows that were harvested.  

The WDFW staff, presented science based evidence that these hunts do not cause a concern for the bear population.  Despite this evidence, the commissioners had a split vote, and because there was not a majority vote, the hunt was placed on hold.  During public testimony on zoom over 90% of the voices were to ban the hunt.   You can bet that many of these folks were from states other than Washington.  The anti hunting crowd showed up, and the governor appointed commission, many of whom are non hunters(or even anti hunting) listened.  They voted with emotion, rather than the science and data of the Department and hunters lost another season.  It is decisions like this, that should strike fear in hunters across the West.  The anti hunting groups are getting more organized, more active in wildlife management and this puts additional hunts at risk.  With more meetings being held via Zoom, it has become easy for these national organizations to flood the public comments with their emotionally charged thoughts.  

Corner crossing is one of the most controversial topics out there right now. Let’s define corner crossing as it pertains to this conversation before we go any further. Corner crossing is simply where two pieces of public land share a corner and someone from the public steps from one section of public to the other. In theory and in the eyes of many in the public land hunting world it would seem that no trespassing has occurred.

In the eyes of many landowners they believe that their property has been trespassed on when this happens. Their understanding is that they have a certain level of ownership above the ground. A quick Google search on this is clear as mud because the definition varies from state to state, but anywhere from 80-500 feet above the ground seems to be where some of the articles settle. 

Which brings us to where we are with a case here in my home state of Wyoming regarding corner crossing. In the fall of 2021 Brad Cape, Phillip Yoemans, John Slowensky and Zach Smith were each cited for trespassing by corner crossing from one section of public land to another. The ranch involved is the Elk Mountain Ranch in southeastern Wyoming. 

According to witnesses the men built a ladder-like device that allowed them to cross several stakes without touching the ground or any “piece” of private physical property in the process. So why were they cited for trespassing? Well according to the most recent Wyoming legislative statute criminal trespass is what “can” be cited by local law enforcement such as a sheriff if the case warrants it. A Wyoming game warden cannot cite hunters for this as ruled by the Wyoming Supreme court. Every case is investigated on a case by case basis as the 2004 supreme court ruling implicates. Yup, it’s more than a little confusing. 

The four men are going to fight the citation with financial help in the form of a GoFundme account funded by many public land hunters who want to be able to hunt the public land that tax dollars maintain. Therein lies the crux of the issue…public land that the public doesn’t have access to. Essentially private public property if you will that can only be recreated on by the landowners who border it or with permission from the said landowners. With the renewed and increasing interest in accessing public land in the covid era as well as the tools in GPS form that make it very easy to find property boundaries, this has the potential to be a very long litigation. Expect it to be a challenging issue to navigate for all involved. 

“Idaho Fish and Game conservation officers discovered a dead mother grizzly bear shot several times near Little Warm River in April. Jared and Rex Baum of Ashton are charged with felony unlawful killing possessing or wasting wildlife for killing the grizzly bear.”

Jared and Rex Baum gunned down this sow grizz with the intent of walking away and saying nothing. Afterall, people in glass houses sink… no wait… it’s loose lips sink ships. Getting caught by Google was obviously not in their plans. That’s right, Google! 

IDFG discovered the poaching bear and her nearby deceased cub in mid-March, she was being monitored via game camera. The sow had 10 5.7mm bullets inside of her leading to the obvious conclusion she had been killed on purpose. Whether or not the slaying was self defense or even justifiable was yet to be determined. A reward was posted for information regarding the case. 

IDFG waited until May and then sent a warrant to Google for a release of electronic devices in the area of the bear’s death around the time of her killing. Jared Baum’s device was discovered to have been present in the area at the suspected time. Busted by Google! 

This bow review features the Mathews V3X. This bow has 3 new features that set it apart from the V3.The Bridge-Lock Sight system and a sleek new Lower quiver design provides better balance than ever. You can even make easy adjusts at home or in the field without a bow press! The new Stay Afield System allows you to quickly and easily remove or repair strings and cables no matter where you are. Dan Pickar also speed tests this bow with a chronograph.

MORE CONTENT COMING SOON…

The post Eastmans’ Bowhunting Journal Updated: EBJ 129 appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Go hunting for a trophy mule deer buck during the November rut with Guy Eastman and his wife Rinda. The hunt begins on a backcountry horse ride for elk, but as the rut peaks the pair switches focus to filling Rinda’s limited quota mule deer tag. Watch the DIY, public land action unfold on this web episode of Eastmans’ Hunting TV.

The post Mule Deer Rut Hunt with Guy Eastman appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

PHOTO BY: Mike Eastman

Too many hunters and not enough game has been the theme of many of my conversations in recent years. The discussion on this subject will continue for the foreseeable future but the easiest way to remedy the latter issue is…put more animals in the field to hunt. How do we do that though? How do we make a real effort to see more animals in the field, year in and year out? One simple sounding option would be to cut down the highway related collisions with mule deer, elk and antelope that happen every winter. But is it simple? Is it really that many?

Let’s use mule deer as they are the species cited as having the roughest go of it in Wyoming with 85% of reported wildlife collisions involving them. That number happens to be the equivalent of 4% of the overall population of mule deer. OUCH! Let’s also be honest, this is probably a little low as I can guarantee there are a lot of unreported collisions in rural areas where heavy bumper guards are the norm. 

Let’s put that into some real world numbers instead of straight percentages. Right now our state holds about 350,000 mule deer, that means that roughly 14,000 mule deer die every year getting hit by vehicles. Now let’s break that down even further, most of those deer that are hit are going to be of the breeding age doe or juvenile variety. It’s pretty easy to see why Wyoming doesn’t need many antlerless mule deer tags with that many antlerless animals hit in the roads. 

Also consider that when a fawn gets hit on a busy highway it’s the equivalent of say compound interest in the banking world. If the fawn hit is a female we are talking about removing YEARS of fawn recruitment off the landscape. Her years to produce fawns are no more and by the time that she would have been 4-5 years older her fawns would have been reproducing. In Wyoming for example, highways by Rock Springs are collecting interest on basins in the Hoback by this logic. The mountain may have it’s own ways but the highways certainly have theirs, too. For migrating mule deer it certainly hurts populations. 

Yep, you read that right, just as many of us have feared Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) continues to spread across the west and now Idaho has confirmed cases found in two mule deer bucks just north of Riggins, ID. The specimens were harvested in October of this year. Now Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) is preparing for a cull hunt in an attempt to isolate this invasive disease, (some of the details of which are below.) Montana has tried similar hunts with what appears to be little success. But in some cases this method works, at least on paper. IDFG is asking hunters to hep procure 775 CWD samples by issuing 1527 deer tags to resident hunters onlhy. Public land tags will go on sale December 7th at 10am MST and private land tags will go on sale December 8th at 10am MST both will be available first come first served basis. Yes, you guessed it, they are only valid as described…thus you will not be able to mix match. If you have a public land tag you will not be allowed to hunt private land and vise versa. Perhaps this is an attempt to help with pressure? IDFG suggests many of the deer will be on private land during this hunt period. But of course this requires landowner permission and makes for a  tough scenario if you don’t have those connections already lined up. Successful hunters will be required to submit their harvest for CWD testing-no exceptions and abide by the rules and protocols set by IDFG. There will be 35 separate hunts each with set quotas and type of tags, i.e. bucks/does, whitetail/mule deer, etc. Here are a few key points to keep in mind if you want to participate in this hunt:

CWD is found in 27 states and much of Canada. Recently found in Montana in 2017 it appears to be spreading faster and is already hitting Idaho. A factor in this “wave” of CWD could likely be the fact that many deer have the disease, and it goes undiagnosed for quite some time. Meaning, discovery can be very difficult until late stages. All-in-all CWD appears to be very misunderstood…Share your thoughts with us, do you have any experience with this disease or animals tested positive with it?
Visit: idfg.idaho.gov/cwd/hunt for hunt specifics and details about each hunt. 

The post IDFG CWD Hunt appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

As a resident of northwestern Wyoming I hear it all the time, “Man, I saw bears everywhere I hunted!” “There was more grizzly sign than elk sign in that unit.” “There is NO way there’s only 700 bears in the GYE!” 

It’s the same old song every year. Residents of the GYE (Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem) in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming have sworn for years that the estimated grizzly population is much too conservative and that there are up to as many as twice the estimated number of g-bears on the landscape. Well, it turns out that all those folks claiming a disparity were darn close to being spot on. 

A current population estimate now puts grizzly numbers around 1100 bears in the GYE. What changed? The counting method used by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team in years past was purposely conservative to err on the side of caution when counting the recovering grizzly population. Past protocols granted sows and cubs a 30 kilometer distance between other sows and cubs. Current practice decreases that distance to 16 kilometers in order to gather a better estimate of bear numbers. The new protocols also take into account mortality rates, thus providing a much more accurate assessment of grizzly bear numbers. 

I’m sure that I’ll continue to hear tales of woe about bear ridden hunt units with nary an elk or deer to be found but at least now we have wildlife officials implementing an admittedly more accurate population estimate system. Perhaps this will lead to state management and a limited hunting season for the big bruins as we can prove that numbers have fully recovered and it’s time to implement the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. 

I think it’s time to hunt these bears, how about you? 

Facing down one misdemeanor charge for each year of his life, Brayden Reed of Shepherd, MT is in up to his neck. 

“Brayden Reed has been charged with three counts of hunting without a license, three counts of hunting during a closed season, three counts of unlawful use of artificial light, three counts of waste of game, three counts of unlawful possession of game, two counts of killing over a bag limit and one count of hunting on private property without landowner permission.”

It seems that young Mr. Reed has a taste for backstraps and antlers but an aversion to lawful hunting methods and apparently the rest of the mule deer he left to rot at the Ahi-Nei Recreation area where he also illegally felled a tree and burned it while littering the ground with “beverage” cans, I will leave it to you to guess what kind of beverage cans. 

It does not appear that need was the motivation for this poaching spree. So what then? Boredom? Teenage angst? Lack of guidance? Ego? Whatever it was, this young man’s blatant disregard for lawful hunting and methods of take is, unfortunately, all too common. We see the proof of this in the number of poaching cases streaming across our news feeds on a weekly basis. 

What’s the answer? 

This bow review features the Mathews V3X. This bow has 3 new features that set it apart from the V3.The Bridge-Lock Sight system and a sleek new Lower quiver design provides better balance than ever. You can even make easy adjusts at home or in the field without a bow press! The new Stay Afield System allows you to quickly and easily remove or repair strings and cables no matter where you are. Dan Pickar also speed tests this bow with a chronograph.

The post Mathews V3X Review 29 & 33 – 2022 Bows appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Recently, the director of Montana FWP informed wildlife managers that the state is moving away from shoulder seasons and will begin calling them early and late antlerless elk seasons. Shoulder seasons began in 2016 as an experimental season with the intent of curbing rising elk populations in areas that are over objective. The consensus is that shoulder seasons don’t work. This has been proven the case in over half the areas with shoulder seasons as elk populations have stayed the same, if not grown, because of the lack of antlerless harvest. This is largely due to hunting units that have a lot of private land and landowners not allowing access. 

Shoulder seasons were supposed to be a three-year trial which turned into a permanent situation even though the criteria were not met. The obvious consensus is that shoulder seasons can be effective if the majority of hunters have access to a majority of the district. For shoulder seasons to work, hunters must harvest at least half of the cow elk during the regular season to equal half the female offspring born that year in the district. Districts that have very difficult access because of private land end up being sanctuaries for elk herds if they are not being hunted and do not leave these private safety grounds, in which it is impossible to meet harvest objectives.

The new proposal will suggest that both public and private land can be used during early and late seasons and instead of extending the season until Feb. 15 like the past few years, the late season would be shortened to just three weeks after the general season closes. The current FWP director, Greg Lemon thinks that with these early and late seasons on public and private land, we will see increased harvest in areas that are over objective. 

SOURCE:

Hunt elk in the rut with Eastmans’ Hunting Journals’ hunt winner Dann Miller and Guy Eastman. This episode of Eastmans’ Hunting TV is packed with elk bugling action! With two big 350-class bulls working in close, which one will Dann close the deal on?

The post Hunting the Elk Rut – BIG Colorado Bulls appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Man! I hope this happens this time. This 20-year dance of proving the recovery of grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) needs to see these critters delisted from the overreaching Endangered Species Act (ESA).

“It was on Sept. 16 that Gov. Mark Gordon and Wyoming Game and Fish Department Director Brian Nesvik gathered in the Governor’s Ceremonial Room in the State Capitol to announce the planned petition. They noted that the state has invested 46 years and more than $52 million in conserving the species.”

The region’s grizzly bears have been listed as a threatened species since 1975, when as few as 136 bears roamed the area. The population has since rebounded to more than 1,000 animals.

“Grizzlies are moving well beyond areas where the bears can exist, causing loss of human life, damage to livestock, and eroding public support for the recovery of this iconic and important species,” the Republican senators wrote in their letter. “Clearly, this is not good for either public safety or the welfare of the animal.”

The protections and measures put in place over the years have more than recovered this species and it is just plain wrong not to delist them. Put the political posturing aside and get this done!

This knife review features Outdoor Edge’s RazorSafe series of replaceable blade hunting knives. These knives were purpose built for hunters by a hunter. The Eastmans’ Hunting Journals crew has relied on these knives for over a decade and haven’t been disappointed. From elk, deer, moose, antelope and beyond the sharp, quality knives produced by Outdoor Edge have gotten the job done in the field and at home.

The post Outdoor Edge Knife Review – Replaceable Blade Hunting Knives appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

When I use the word “rockstar” I don’t think of grizzly bears. In fact, that is the last thing I think of. But if we step back to yesteryear when hair bands ruled the airwaves and their wild partying was the stuff of legends maybe “rockstar” is the appropriate title to give to a grizzly bear that feeds its four offspring from the trash of high end Jackson Hole neighborhoods. Or teaching it’s Cubs that beehives are an appropriate delicacy for their entitled, endangered lives. Much like the rock stars who trashed hotel rooms these bears are certainly crashing the party in Jackson Hole. Even better is that 399 has her own twitter feed and instagram accounts documenting her life. How she manages to run those accounts without opposable thumbs is rather curious. Maybe she employs social media strategists?

Even though the sarcasm is strong in this article, the humanization of animals has done far more to harm animals than help. I mean what is the difference between a rockstar bear and Axl Rose misbehaving? The difference is, the bears are just being themselves and will do what is necessary for survival. She is an aged bear who at this juncture has one goal and that is to live a little longer and make sure her cubs survive after they leave her. Rockstars on the other hand knew better but did it anyway because you know, their reputations and ego needed it. Bear 399 is doing her best to ensure the survival of her cubs but is in turn putting them in future jeopardy. Bears will be bears and just being herself, 399 may end up putting her entire Motley Crue in the crosshairs. 

How is she putting them in danger you ask? She is teaching them not to fear humans and in turn that a trash dumpster filled with all kinds of goodies with a side of beehive honey fresh off the comb is a good choice. In reality this is a very bad choice for the famous bear. The end result, in late October those behaviors turned into multiple agencies having to “harass” her to leave Jackson and push her away from potential areas of conflict. The bigger problem is that she is teaching four more bears to do the same and at some point this will result in conflict, at a minimum, injury and at worst, death for someone living or visiting Jackson and the bears being euthanized for their behavior. 

This is where her status as a “rockstar” gets complicated. A bear doesn’t operate like a human, we can’t put her in bear jail or rehab. Once habits are formed it is nearly impossible to end them. The worst part is that someone likely fed her and taught her the behavior. This ends in 399 and the cubs meeting an early demise or being moved with another strike against her name for “bad” behavior.

Therein lies an even bigger issue, she has a rap sheet a mile long. This isn’t the first time that she has been escorted away from human dwellings and development, in fact it may be as many as 10 times. Is 399 getting a bit more grace than the usual three strike rule that most grizzly bears get? My gut says probably, would you want to be the person who takes the “rockstar” in for the death sentence? I know I wouldn’t and honestly I feel for the agencies that are having to deal with this mess, it isn’t pretty.

Bighorn sheep are such an iconic species out West and tens of thousands of hunters want to hunt them each year, yet few get to due to the bighorn’s limited range and population densities.

With the ever encroaching and expanding human population out West, especially after the craziness of the 2020 events in the country, further wildlife-human conflicts occur, even in places where you wouldn’t expect them.

Most high mountain wildlife species migrate down-country to lower elevations and milder weather when winter hits the higher elevations. A subpopulation of bighorn sheep in the Teton Range in western Wyoming is one of the exceptions to that rule. 

“The sheep eke out a living in the winter on nubs of dried grass and flowers near backcountry ski routes cherished by locals” according to Wyofile.com. “The Teton Range herd shuffles slightly up to the sides of peaks in the winter where wind scours away the snow, exposing nubs of vegetation.”

“Every time the wary sheep see something — or someone — approach, they retreat, burning precious calories and abandoning valuable winter range, researchers say.”

Arizona Game and Fish Department is offering a lifetime bonus point as a reward for completion of its Ethically Hunting Arizona course. The course is designed to teach the following…

The cost of the discretionary course is $150 for Arizona residents and $300 for nonresidents. All students have two chances to pass the course with a minimum score of 80%. 

For more information: 

https://www.azgfd.com/new-course-allows-hunters-to-earn-lifetime-bonus-point/

This review features the 2022  Mathews Archery V3X bow. Bow hunter Dan Pickar unboxes this new bow and shares his first impressions before setting it up for a late season whitetail bow hunt. Full detailed review on this bow coming soon!

The post NEW Mathews V3X Bow – Dan’s First Impressions appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.