Hunting and Fishing News & Blog Articles

CONTENT COMING SOON…

The post Eastmans’ Bowhunting Journal Updated: EBJ 131 appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

It’s no secret that much of Utah is struggling with drought. The last four years have been tough and conditions have been subpar for fawn recruitment. DWR counted 35,700 mule deer back in December which is down over 9,100 from last year and some 100,000 below the state’s management objective. DWR is seeking to reduce the general deer permits by 950, 300 antlerless deer permits, and 50 limited entry deer permits. This is the fourth year in a row we have seen reductions in tag allocations for general areas. 

However, the plan would add about 2,200 general tags in northern Utah and 150 in southeastern Utah where populations are doing a little better. The reduction of permits is coming from the southern region (2,750), the central region (450), and the northeastern region (100). There will be just over 73,000 deer permits available which fulfills about half of the applicants if numbers are similar to last year. 

Elk have fared a bit better during the drought so tag allocations will stay the same this year. The only increases come from limited-entry bull elk areas where there will be an increase in 66 permits from last year. Total Bison permits will increase by 9 this year, buck pronghorn will increase by 76 and doe pronghorn will decrease by 125 permits this year. Bull moose permits will be reduced by 2 this year and mountain goat permits will decrease by 18 this year. There will be 10 fewer desert sheep tags, nine fewer Rocky Mountain bighorn ram tags, and five fewer Rocky Mountain bighorn ewe tags, from 10 to five. 

https://www.ksl.com/article/50373933/utah-biologists-seek-to-reduce-deer-hunting-permits-again-as-populations-struggle

In today’s confusing times it’s important to surround yourself with people and communities that share your values, interests, and beliefs. Eastmans’ Hunting Journals has always been staunchly pro 2A, defended our Constitution, supported veterans and aligned ourselves with hunting patriots that love America and the freedoms it affords its citizens. Therefore it is with great pride that we announce our partnership with Kryptek Outdoor Group! 

Kryptek is a Combat Veteran-Owned company that is made up of pro-Second Amendment, Constitutional patriots who fully understand and embrace fair-chase trophy hunting and the vital role these values play in protecting, preserving and pushing forward the American hunting heritage. 

“Kryptek and Eastmans’ align so well in our passions for western big game hunting and the protection of our Constitutional rights,” said Ike Eastman, President of Eastmans’ Publishing, Inc. “The Eastman family has known the Kryptek founders, Butch Whiting and Josh Cleghorn, for years and we couldn’t be more excited to forge this partnership, further building both brands and working together to protect our hunting heritage and 2A rights as Americans. We are excited to be wearing their top notch line of gear and help in new product development!”

Kryptek’s ethos can be found in the company’s DNA, derived from the battlefield and built for the backcountry. Based on the highly effective netting used to camouflage tanks or hide-sites, Kryptek Camo is the only camouflage pattern rigorously tested by the United States’ Military during the US Camo Improvement Project, selectively used by U.S. and Coalition Special Operations, and available in the Civilian Hunting Market. Today, Kryptek camouflage remains one of the most effective on the market. Its popularity resonates with end-users across a wide spectrum of fields – from hardcore backcountry hunters and tactical SWAT teams to mainstream Hollywood films. Kryptek prides itself on producing the highest quality gear to match the epic nature of its camouflage patterns, offering apparel and gear for any outdoor adventure.

“Kryptek is extremely excited to be partnered with Eastmans Hunting Journals!” said Kryptek CEO, Butch Whiting. “Their family legacy has been extremely critical in establishing the foundation of the American hunting culture as we know it today, and their mentality, philosophies, and authenticity will ensure these cherished traditions are honored for generations to come. The Kryptek brand nests extremely well with Eastmans’.”

A Bozeman based group formerly known as the American Prairie Reserve, now known as the less eyebrow raising American Prairie, has recently secured grazing rights and fencing removal permission for more than 800 bison to roam a mix of public and private lands in Montana. The group’s long range plan is to secure 5,000 square miles, a swath including the C.M Russell National Wildlife Refuge that would act as a nature preserve for bison. 

Local ranchers are concerned that this plan will displace them, put their cattle at risk of disease and ultimately end their agriculture based lifestyles. I for one am concerned about the loss of hunting, recreational opportunities and true conservation work that loom from not only American Prairie’s master plan to parse together such a massive tract of land but the federal government’s approval of it. 

In the past American Prairie has expressed a willingness to allow public access for hunting. However, it comes with a massive BUT… They have also publicly stated that hunting would not be granted in perpetuity and while they fully retain that right on the massive amount of acreage they have gobbled up, they do not have that right on the “leased” public lands they plan to pasture their bison on. That is, unless I’m missing something. That is a problem and should raise questions as to exactly what the endgame for American Prairie is. 

Hunters should be very suspicious of the motives of American Prairie. Taking the word preserve out of the name hints at deception. A look at their list of Collaborations reveals an alarming lack of hunting-related partnerships with true conservation groups such as RMEF, Ducks Unlimited, TRCP and others.

While I applaud the overall vision of American Prairie I question the alienation of hunters in the group’s plan. Afterall, Trophy Hunting IS conservation and hunters remain the greatest stewards of wildlands and wildlife, why not get us involved? 

Learn how to survive a bear attack and defend yourself from a black bear or grizzly bear. Know your self-defense options and how to prepare for bear country whether you are hiking, camping, backpacking, or hunting. Dan Pickar (IG @danpickar) tests bear spray and shows how to use it properly. He also simulates a bear charge and tries to shoot a moving target with different types of firearms.

The post How To Survive a Bear Attack! appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Go mule deer hunting during the rut in California’s desert country. Eastmans’ family friend Fred Trueblood hunts for a mature trophy mule deer buck. Fred also travels to Wyoming to hunt with Guy Eastman in a highly coveted pronghorn antelope area in Wyoming. It’s a two-for-one hunt on this Eastmans’ Hunting TV web episode.

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

“We applaud the efforts of the sporting community to support the department in resisting attacks from activists trying to ban hunting.”

https://sportsmensalliance.org/news/arizona-reveals-proposed-2023-28-hunting-guidelines/?fbclid=IwAR1EUoYfUTu3Rpnph7j-Tutt8oTiWFEdaq3kQ3iLh8_gtCAkiC8eXvbJbV0

It appears that states like Washington could take some lessons from Arizona on dealing with rabid, anti-hunting radicals! Kudos to Arizona sportsmen/women and Arizona Game and Fish Department for not bowing to pressures demanding hunting bans on bears, mountain lions and bobcats. The good folks of Arizona stood firm and refused to give an inch. What a refreshing bit of news this is. 

All too often the opposite is true these days… When the anti-hunting radicals begin their assault on scientifically based, sound game management plans, such as the controlled hunting and harvest of predators, too many states kowtow to these irrational people who are ruled by emotion instead of logic. Just last week we regretfully had to inform you about the postponement of the Spring bear season in Washington state thanks to an anti-hunting takeover of the Game and Fish commission there. It seems that everywhere we turn our hunting privilege and heritage is being trampled. 

2022 Montana Limited Draw Mule Deer

Much like elk, the mule deer regulations and districts are being restructured in all 7 regions. I would say, not quite as extreme as elk but there is definitely going to be more opportunities for either sex and either species. There are going to be a lot of boundary and hunting district changes which means there are a lot of combining two or three units into one and allocation of tags accordingly based roughly on what was already in place.

Unit Changes: HD 291, 293 and 298 Boundary Change | Combined HD 291, 298, and the south portion of HD 293. New HD will be named 291.

The bulk of the changes are happening in Regions 1-4, Regions 6 and 7 are mostly left alone. Additional changes we are seeing are in Region 2 and consist of eliminating the Antlered Buck Mule Deer Permits and making them general but cutting the season to the first three weeks of the general season. Numbers are down and these permit areas were changed to general so the shortened season was to help prevent over-harvest. Harvest will also be allowed on the general tag during the archery season. We are seeing this change through most of the unlimited mule deer permit areas throughout Regions 1-4. The full master list of changes and updated maps will be available on Eastmans’ TagHub as soon as they are made and we can upload them. If you’re not an Eastmans’ TagHub member now would be a good time to get signed up!

If you have been following the now-famous corner crossing case through our blog or other news outlets reporting on the case, it will be no surprise that the defense has filed a petition to move this to federal court. The petition filed makes the case that because the incident happened in Wyoming, involves federal land access, has nonresident defendants and the landowner involved is from the east coast, the case and its moving parts belong in federal court. 

As part of this petition, the defendants have asked for a trial by jury. The trial would likely revolve around the Unlawful Inclosures Act of 1885 which was designed to allow the public to have access to federal land. 

So what does this mean for all of us wondering if there will be a clear answer on whether or not corner crossing is legal? Well the outcome of this case has the potential to give access to 1.6 million acres of public land that has been previously tough at best to recreate on and impossible at worst. Most of this land is part of the checkerboard landscape that passed from the federal government to the different railroad companies during westward expansion. Mobile mapping tools have accelerated the public’s interest in using these lands due to their high visibility of them on maps and then the ease of which people can find the corners to cross from one section to another.

On the other end of the spectrum, a ruling could come in where access remains murky and not much is resolved. Personally, I am hoping for a clear cut answer to this question as I have seen it argued about regularly on hunting forums for years.

So the question then is, what do you think? Will this case make it to trial? 

Hunting spot and stalk spring black bears, first a hunter needs to locate a bear! In this hunting tip bowhunter, Dan Pickar shares his strategy for locating black bears during the spring bear hunting season. Be sure to subscribe to our channel for more hunting videos and hunting tips. Tap the bell to turn on notifications so you don’t miss a thing!

The post Locating Spring Black Bears appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

By: Michael Deming

You are sitting on a dozen points or more all over the West and according to the Eastmans’ MRS and Eastmans’ TagHub, you are starting to be considered a real player in the upcoming draws.  What does that mean for you as a hunter? What have you done to prepare for the time when you draw this coveted tag? Are you going to be able to make the most of all those years of applying? There are so many questions to be asked and most don’t know what they are until after they have been on the hunt.  It’s too late to be asking the questions then. Now is the time to get serious about your future hunting plans and deciding to hire an outfitter or not should be at the top of the list. There are a mountain of questions you need to answer when making that decision. 

Just because it takes a gob of points to draw a unit, doesn’t mean that it is really managed for trophy quality.  The other question that needs to be considered is, what is your trophy quality standard?  All these points required to draw this coveted unit don’t mean that there is going to be a trophy buck or bull standing behind each and every tree. In most cases, it’s usually the contrary.  These units are often the hardest hunted by both trophy hunters and outfitters every year.  When you wait this long to draw a tag, most people want to get the most out of the tag and are planning on passing animals they would normally be happy to harvest in other units. Friends and family come out in droves to help locals who have drawn these tags and it often seems like there are hunters everywhere.  This pressure is usually very disappointing to most people who have waited so long for this experience.  

You can digitally scout with TagHub, Google Earth, onX, or various other software programs and I highly recommend getting as familiar as possible with your unit. However, there is so much more to know about a unit than what can be learned from E-scouting. What happens to the unit if you see an early snow?  What happens to the animals when stock ponds and springs dry up that haven’t been dry in over a decade? What happens when there is a fire in your unit?  Do the animals totally leave your unit in any of these situations or do they just relocate to a better location within the unit?  If there is a better location, do you know where that would be?  If the state starts offering an excessive amount of cow elk tags to help with depredation, how does this excessive pressure affect your trophy hunt?  Is offering over the counter deer tags for the first-time bringing pressure that hasn’t been seen in the unit before and affecting success?  

These are just a few of the examples of things I’ve seen over the past 30 years of building points in the West.  It has helped me to create a vast number of questions as well as gain a 30,000’ look at those units and what I need to know before I burn my valuable points.  

In 2021 the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation finalized the first phase in an acquisition of 15,500 acres for wildlife and hunters in northeast Oregon. When complete, the Minam River Wildlife Area will be 32 times larger than it sits now! The purchase of the first 4,610 acres was finalized in November of last year as part of a two phase project. The next phase includes acquiring another 10,960-acre parcel that will connect the wildlife area with the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and Eagle Cap Wilderness. Phase two is expected to wrap up at the end of 2023. 

Anyone who drives from Elgin to the town of Wallowa can see the property that was purchased in the acquisition from HWY 82 as they make the infamous hairpin left turn down the canyon. 

Though this land was previously owned by John Hancock Life Insurance – a corporation that allowed public access – the acquisition of the property for wildlife conservation will ensure public access to the property far into the future. Not to mention, the wildlife area will now offer a permanent trailhead into the huge wilderness, both technically designated and not, that lies south and east of the Minam River for backpackers, hunters, and other recreationalists alike. 

The canyon walls here provide great winter-range habitat for deer, elk, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats since their big steep walls and south-facing fingers rarely hold snow for long after a storm. As such, folks expect the wildlife area will likely host a closure of some kind in critical times of year to prevent unnecessary disturbance, but final future management will be determined through the adoption of a Wildlife Area Management Plan.

In talking to hunters who live in the area, they admit it’s good for the long-term security of access and wildlife priorities, though there are mixed feelings about the acquisition. Specifically, one hunter I talked to, a gentleman named Tanner, was concerned about the acquisition because it puts this little slice of heaven in the limelight to folks from other parts of the state who may not have known it was accessible otherwise. Only time will tell if more users will move into the area, and if drawing odds get harder for the hunting opportunities in that unit from increased interest drawn from this project. 

This past weekend the Commission that is responsible for approving all hunting seasons in Washington voted 5-4 in favor of NOT having a spring bear season this year.  This is despite the WDFW’s own scientists backing the hunt.  This decision (and the reasons behind it) have significant ramifications for hunting in this state which I will outline below.      

After much pressure from sportsmen, in late January, the Wildlife Commission opened up a public comment period to consider a spring bear hunt again in 2022.  The spring bear hunt generated intense national interest from both pro and anti-hunting groups.   There were plenty of well-thought-out comments and sportsmen rose up to make their voices heard.  In the end, it did not matter as it was obvious to anyone watching that certain commissioners had already made up their mind what way they were going to vote.  They did not take the recommendations of the scientists from their own state who once again provided evidence that the hunt was necessary and did not negatively impact the species.  One of the new commissioners admitted during the meeting that they did not even know there was a spring turkey hunt in the state!       

The loss of this controversial season was a critical one for many reasons.  The first is that the standing Commission decided to make a policy change (voted against the hunt due to ethically not agreeing with it as opposed to the issue at hand which was season dates).  The second is it showed that the Commission is made up of individuals who do not see the benefits of hunting as a game population management tool and are more focused on a preservation approach.  

What’s next you ask?  The Commission has asked the department to provide more detail, more science beginning in June 2022 to prove that the spring bear hunt is sustainable and will not hurt the bear population(even though we have 48 years of data).  Is it likely that the 5 commissioners who voted against the hunt are really interested in seeing more science?  Hardly, most of them come from strong anti-hunting organizations.  Some of the commissioners at the meeting were asking why we have tags for goat, sheep, and whitetail deer when those herds are suffering.  The commission will meet again in mid-April to approve the Fall hunts. I would not be surprised if some of our OIL tags are canceled in the name of “conservation”.  If not this year, then certainly in future years.  Here in Washington, our hunting is under attack in a way we have not seen before and the outcome is uncertain at best. 

Hunt elk in Colorado with Ike Eastman and Bill Neff on this web episode of Eastmans’ Hunting TV. It’s the second cycle of the rut and they turn up lots of bulls cruising for cows. The year’s wet spring has translated into strong antler growth and good trophy potential.

The post Elk Hunting in Colorado with Ike Eastman appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Do politics belong in wildlife management? Yes, you read that correctly but this blog is about lighted nocks and expandable broadheads. Or is it? 

If you have been following the trends most hunters know that states around the country have widely accepted the advancement of hunting technology with a few exceptions, and Idaho is one of those exceptions. They have made a stance against what is being referred to as “technology creep” and for years have not allowed even simple changes. For example, lighted nocks are still illegal in Idaho. Why? Glad you asked, something as simple as a lighted nock can be used as a very helpful tool in the world of archery hunting. It doesn’t improve your accuracy, or help you kill the animal with more efficiency, but it does help the hunter follow the arrow flight better and subsequently make better retrieval decisions. This is hard to argue and therefore you will find most sportsmen support lighted nocks. So what is the issue? The issue runs much deeper than lighted nocks, in fact, this is a very slippery slope and that is why all of the attempts with the Commission or legislation on these issues has failed in Idaho. Because to put it simply, “you give an inch, they take a mile”. Therefore, sportsmen and IDFG’s Commission have shot down what would seem to be advancements in archery hunting for many years.

          Let’s rewind a bit and take a look at the bigger picture. Back in 1938 the people of Idaho voted in majority to approve the Idaho Fish and Game Commission Act. With 75.98% approval this Act was placed into law and has been running under this “commission style headship” ever since. Whether you agree with this methodology or not, there is very strong support for this system amongst Idaho’s sportsmen. There are 7 commissioners in Idaho, appointed by the Governor on staggered four-year terms. Each commissioner must be a resident from the region he or she represents and “be well informed and interested in wildlife conservation and restoration.” The initial goal was to create a commission independent from the legislative process. Being more connected and accessible to sportsmen and their associated groups than the Senate would be. As flawed as this process may be, it has worked rather well and kept Idaho an “opportunity” state for resident and nonresident hunters for many years. 

Why the history lesson? Well, Idaho’s HB 507 brought the use of lighted nocks and mechanical broadheads back to the table and it passed with flying colors. The caveat? This time, the bill was pushed through completely bypassing the IDFG Commission. A long-standing process which is even considered sacred to some. This over-reach is not illegal, but steps on the toes of over 80 years of tested and proven process. In the end it is safe to say the IDFG’s Commission has probably been too stiff on topics such as lighted nocks and mechanical broadheads. To the point that people felt the need to bi-pass their system. When a power, like a commission group, is potentially abusing their position, it is in our rights to use the laws and systems in place to better the management of hunting and wildlife conservation. 

The question remains, was this the right decision? And so, the “slippery slope” topic is back again. Many sportsmen are in support of the use of lighted nocks and mechanical broadheads and this seems like a win, but all of us should be concerned at the bypassing of long-standing tradition even if it seems right this time. One thing is for sure, history repeats itself and nearly every-time the government obtains more power we as sportsmen and the animals we treasure and fight to conserve lose in the end. Hopefully this will serve as a wake-up call for the Commission and we as sportsmen can unite and help keep states like Idaho on the “opportunity” side of the scale. 

Wolves, these amazing predators claim headlines, article content, and conversation points often enough that it becomes overwhelming and even a point of contention for some. What started back in 1995 when 31 wolves were arguably “reintroduced” into Yellowstone National Park. Has turned into quite the wildlife conundrum, especially on the big game front. Ultimately what we thought we knew, what we were told would happen and the current statistics don’t match up. Not even close! Many of us knew that the reintroduction was a slippery slope and would likely have less than desirable consequences. But none of us knew what the following 25-30 years would bring. Elk herds in many places are a small fraction of what they once were, moose in certain regions are on the brink of no return and deer numbers are dismal. For those of us living in the woods from August through December, the impacts are more than obvious, the hunting and outdoor experience has changed and much of it can be attributed to the ripple effects of wolves and their impressive yet disastrous predation effects. I don’t have enough space in this article to tackle the negative impacts wolves have had on wildlife in the West. So let’s grab some highlights and get to the meat and potatoes of what we can do about it!

    In 1995 15 wolves were introduced into Idaho. The recovery goal was 150 wolves with a maximum sustainability number of 500 wolves. Fast forward to 1998/99 and the goal was reached, yet state management was delayed for 13 more years due to political issues and wolf numbers climbed out of control. Now in 2021 IDFG estimates 1543 wolves statewide and left unmanaged, wolf populations grow 40% annually, Wow talk about over objective! It’s not just ungulates that are experiencing issues, for example, a mature mountain lion that kills one deer per week is an easy target for wolves. The wolves chase away the cat and the cat kills another deer. This continues to happen and in some instances pushes the cat into suburban areas where they make pets their prey. Additionally; hound hunters are experiencing more and more interaction with wolves, many hounds are being killed by wolves each year and many houndsmen are leaving the sport and or changing where they hunt. Thus, leaving predators like bears and cougars to abound and cause their own damage to ungulates. Overwhelmed yet? How about the fact that wolves have pushed deer and elk down onto private lands in such a way that it has changed hunting in many areas altogether? Deer and elk already seek private land for shelter, but now they have gone to another level and in some cases don’t return to the mountains at all. This creates notable issues for public land hunters and also costs thousands of dollars in crop damages due to habitat change. We are only hitting the highlights here folks, it gets worse.

Is there hope? Absolutely! A group of sportsmen have come to the table and made solutions. Back in 2011 the Foundation for Wildlife Management otherwise known as F4WM was created as a 501c3 non-profit with a mission to promote ungulate population recovery in areas impacted by wolves. Their mission has gone from “who is F4WM?” To be embraced by sportsmen and women around the globe and be adopted by Idaho Fish and Game as well as Montana Fish and Wildlife and Parks. All in an effort to preserve ungulates by better managing wolves. 

    F4WM and its members have helped remove nearly 1,500 wolves since they opened their doors. Not only does this greatly reduce the impact on ungulates by saving roughly 200,000 elk, deer, and moose that would have otherwise been consumed by these k-9s. This effort also greatly reduces taxpayer costs. IDFG averages costs of roughly 9k per wolf and they don’t have the funding to tackle the problem head-on. F4WM however, has spent an average of $835 per wolf. All of which is funded by membership and sportsmen donations. 

    What is F4WM and how does it work? Glad you asked! Aside from what has been mentioned; F4WM is a member-based organization that promotes ungulate recovery by reimbursing hunters and trappers up to $1,000 for any legal wolf harvested in Idaho and Montana. (Wyoming may soon join the list as well) and you get to keep the pelt! Membership cost is only $40 per year, which is a drop in the bucket for the sake of conservation. Join up, speak up at Fish and Game meetings, and consider a new hunting season to help conserve our current hunting season! For more information and details please visit https://www.foundationforwildlifemanagement.org/    

To draw a tag or not draw a tag? That is the question. Western big game hunting research has always been something that puzzles the mind and with the influx of hunters into the systems of several western states, the mind puzzle is getting harder to figure out. TagHub is designed to help you narrow your big game hunting tag search and provide you with the best hunting content anywhere.

Western Hunting Research – State by State Breakdowns

Here at Eastmans’ we spend as much time, or more, doing our research on drawing tags for elk, mule deer, pronghorn (antelope), moose, sheep, and mountain goat as we spend in the field. In fact, over 2,000 man-hours go into the research we provide to our members in the Members Research Section (MRS) in the Journals (Eastmans’ Hunting Journal & Eastmans’ Bowhunting Journal) and in TagHub, the online research tool that is a monster of data and content. The end result is upwards of 750,000 data points of research to help us all draw the tags we want for the fall hunting season this year and in the years to come.

Nonresident big-game combination (deer and elk) licenses have been capped at 17,000 since 1975 and are to this date. I’ll be honest with you, myself and buddies always complained about too many nonresident hunters when we grew up hunting in Montana. Over the past five years or so I hear of the public land being more and more crowded and the hunting is getting worse and worse in many of these public areas. I do believe the general hunting for deer and elk has been declining in much of the state the last 10+ years but how is there more and more pressure? Not only has there been a huge influx of hunters moving to Big Sky Country and buying their resident general elk and deer tags (quota is unlimited), but there also has been a massive increase in nonresidents as well.

There are several options now for a nonresident to obtain a deer or elk combo in Montana now which include the following. Legislation in 2021 created the landowner-sponsored deer (2,000), coming home to hunt (500 elk and 500 deer), nonresident native (unlimited), nonresident youth (unlimited), nonresident college student (unlimited), and 454-Agreement (quota: none) combination licenses. These are all in addition to the 17,000 big game combination licenses issued through the nonresident drawing. During the 2021 legislative session, HB 637 allowed all nonresident hunters that had previously booked with an outfitter and not drawn a big game combination license to purchase one for the 2021 hunting season. This resulted in an additional 1,429 elk and 1,486 deer licenses being issued to nonresident hunters for the 2021 hunting season. In addition to this, nonresidents were issued a plethora of “B” licenses for antlerless elk and deer. 

When all the numbers are tallied up, it does indeed come out to 59,395 licenses issued to nonresidents during the 2021 hunting season. Those include 22,818 elk and 36,577 deer licenses. This shows that there is in effect no cap to the 17,000 nonresident deer and elk licenses. As a nonresident it does seem like a lot of “side deals” are going on here that are being used as a revenue stream and there is something to everyone complaining about the public land being overcrowded after all. 

SOURCE:

https://mtstandard.com/opinion/columnists/guest-view-montana-issued-59-395-deer-elk-licenses-to-nonresidents/article_1071ff0c-3124-56c0-84ad-63f607c271e7.html

If you are one of the nearly 12,000 nonresident sheep or moose applicants in the Wyoming preference point system this will probably be one of the most infuriating articles you will read this year. 

Before I go any further on this subject I need to highlight two important points of clarity, first off, most of my coworkers and I are residents of Wyoming and stand to benefit from this legislation. I will do my best to be as objective as possible on the subject with as many facts as possible. 

Would you climb up a tree with a mountain lion?  Mountain lions are dangerous any time, but a cornered lion is next-level scary. This mountain lion got hung up in a tree after being shot with an arrow. One the hunters has to climb the tree to get the cougar down.

The post Mountain Lion Shot with a Bow! appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.