Hunting and Fishing News & Blog Articles

This seems like a bit of a joke and it is to some degree, but there is also some very solid truth built into this short and overly simplified statement. Elk are roamers and need plenty of open, varying country to roam in. Over the past 25 years, I have found elk in some very obscure and off-the-wall places. For instance, I once found two big bulls in a fight to the death while antelope hunting over 30 miles from the nearest pine tree. On another occasion, I found a herd of elk while turkey hunting in the tobacco country of Eastern Kentucky. While hunting ibex in the Altai Mountains of northern Mongolia I even shot at a jet-black wolf that was stalking a 360-bull. While these may be extreme examples, I think you get the point, but if not, the point here is you just never know exactly where you might find a big bull elk, even within the confines of your hunting unit.

Getting to know your elk area is one of the most powerful tools you can employ to find more elk. Just by hunting an elk area even for a second time can increase your odds at killing a bull drastically. Learning a new elk area can be a difficult process, a process that takes time, effort, and a bit of a plan that makes the most use of your time in the field.

In my experience, it takes a good three or four seasons to even begin to fully master your elk area’s full potential. This learning curve can be somewhat reduced by employing some simple techniques and strategies that will put you ahead of the curve the next time you head into a piece of elk country with a tag in your pocket.

At-home scouting is probably the most useful tool to make the best of your time before the elk season even begins. Employing some solid at-home scouting tools such as custom and digital maps, Google Earth, state game and fish proclamations and web forums can put you way ahead of the game right from the comfort of your man cave no matter where you live…

Guy Eastman goes elk hunting in Colorado. Antler growth is strong after a wet spring making for great fall hunting opportunity. Fall rain showers add to the advantage creating the perfect conditions for stalking and hunting elk in this web episode of Eastmans’ Hunting TV.

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

Probably one of the most debated topics among hardcore big game hunting enthusiasts is the best gun, caliber and bullet setup for taking down big bull elk. The Eastmans’ staff and I scoured the industry and came up with what I believe are the best half dozen elk rifle setups. These rifles fit the bill as true elk gravediggers. This is a grouping that completes the spectrum for any budget and performance requirement. Keep in mind, these setups are all different and could easily be mixed and matched to suit your personal needs and expectations.

These guns and loads are based on what we would personally choose, optics are up to you! Here is how we came up with the tough decisions that created the lineup…

Rifles | We wanted to select a good spectrum of rifles that would suit every budget. Whether you have $800 to spend or $8,000, there is a semi-custom or a production gun in here that will probably fit your budget. There are some very good guns available on the market today, but when you have to boil it down to only a half dozen, the decisions get very difficult.

Caliber | The .30 caliber is considered the best all-around caliber for elk but there are other excellent choices as well. The big 7’s edge out the 30’s in B.C. and sectional density but if you want the absolute best elk caliber look to the .338. However, the .30 caliber and its variations have probably crushed more elk bone, creased more elk lungs and blown out more elk hearts over the past 20 years than all the other calibers combined. Oh, and yes, we did include the 6.5 as well, not the Creedmoor though.

Bullet | We chose a pretty wide array of easy to find and readily available elk bullets for the group. We also went with the heaviest loads that are readily available for the cartridges chosen in order to maximize performance on tough old bulls. Thanks to ammunition manufacturers such as Hornady and Federal Premium, and a lot of others, today’s factory ammunition is better than ever and leaves little wanting.

Have you ever visited or traveled through a wildlife refuge and found it is closed to hunting and fishing? Or maybe it’s open to waterfowl hunting but you can’t shoot turkeys or grouse? I sure have and it always left me scratching my head. A large portion of wildlife refuges are waterfowl production areas and some can be hunted, but also have plentiful resources of big game and fishing that have been untouched for decades. The Trump administration analyzed all the refugees across the county and took a look at what was closed and what was open and for what reasons. They found many areas that could be approved upon and came up with about 50 from all over the country. 

What refuges are going to open you might ask? There are more than 100 of them across the country from Bombay Hook in Delaware to San Diego Bay in California. For a full list of the refuges that are opening click here. Four in Wyoming, two in Montana, three in Colorado, and two in Idaho. Washington leads the pack with seven new openings. A lot of the openings just make sense, for example, Hart Mountain Refuge in Oregon will open to waterfowl and expand upland game bird hunting to new areas already open to other hunting. And then you have other refuges like Fallon National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada that is going to open migratory bird, upland and big game hunting for the first time. The opportunities this is going to create for sportsmen are unprecedented and a huge win for the conservation world. There are even three refuges in Georgia, Texas and South Carolina that will be open to alligator hunting for the first time. These are just to name a few. Once again, check out the link for the new openings in your state. 

As you can expect there is opposition from environmental groups that claim the administration is trying to make up for the areas that it deregulated, like Bears Ears and Grand Escalante, for public use and possible energy exploration, however, most folks are in favor of the regulation change. Ducks Unlimited CEO Adam Putnam said in a statement the timing is perfect since Americans hunkered-down during the pandemic are looking for more areas to recreate.

 I would rather see our public lands be opened for “we the people” to use rather than be off-limits to recreation. Money used to run these refuges ultimately comes from you, the taxpayer and even more-so, hunters and fishermen. Hunters and Fishermen are the most taxed and prodded for cash of any group in the outdoor recreation industry and are the true conservationists. 

Well, that’s my opinion, what about yours? What do you think of this opening up move on refugees across the nation? 

In this backpack review, Scott Reekers tests the heavy hauling ability of the redesigned Pop Up 38 backpack by Mystery Ranch. Known for durable and tough backpacks, Mystery Ranch takes their innovative pop up frame system another level with this redesign. Designed as a day pack, but with the Overload Shelf System, Scott finds the Pop Up 38 to be plenty big for a 2 or 3-day backcountry trip too! This backpack could be just what you need for this hunting season.

The post 65 LBS! Testing Pop Up 38 Load Carry – Mystery Ranch Backpack Review appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Without a doubt, a full moon can be an elk hunter’s worst nightmare. Taking the moon phase into account when planning your elk hunt is probably one of the most foolproof practices to ensure that you have good elk movement and rutting activity during daylight hours. This is a guide to help you plan your hunt around the dreaded full moon this fall. Keep in mind, these are purely predictions and things can and often do change. Additional uncontrollable factors can alter these predictions; factors like snow, temperature and cloud cover can intensify or reduce the effects of a full moon significantly…..

The post Moon Phase Analysis appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

As the Coronavirus “Pandemic” continues to impact our lives more and more states are closing spring hunting seasons to non-residents. This move was addressed in a previous blog post by Guy Eastman as he made some predictions about fall hunting seasons. While we here at Eastmans’ don’t think that fall hunting seasons will see any impact western states are shutting down non-resident hunts for bear and turkey as we speak. 

Montana just announced yesterday that spring bear and turkey hunting is closed to non-residents but they will be refunding previously purchased tags.- Click Here To Stay Up-To-Date On MT

Oregon has closed all hunting and many other outdoor recreational activities to non-residents. No word on tag/license refunds. Click Here To Stay Up-To-Date On OR

Washington has postponed spring bear and turkey seasons until “at least May 4th.” Click Here To Stay Up-To-Date On WA

Go elk hunting with Santa Claus, sort of, and Guy Eastman. Eastmans’ 2016 hunt winner Mike Roduner is hunting or his first bull elk in the middle of a rut fest in Colorado. Antler growth that fall was prime too! It was tough to narrow it down to just the right bull on this episode of Eastmans’ Hunting TV.

Go On This Elk Hunt!

The post Santa Claus goes elk hunting with Guy Eastman! Colorado Rut Hunt appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

As we have seen more strict lockdown procedures in recent days many states are not allowing nonresident hunting and fishing. Not only could this be bad for hunters and fisherman, this also trickles down to local economies being hit which include outfitters, guides, local hotels, restaurants and other tourism based businesses. Montana currently has a stay at home order but outdoor recreation is exempt. Outfitters are canceling spring hunting and fishing trips that are scheduled for the near future as they are classified as nonessential business. This is going to be a hard hit on the seasonal workers that rely on these trips to pay off their boats or other financed equipment. Because of the uncertainty, outfitters aren’t taking people fishing or hunting and clients are also canceling ahead of time. Luckily under the Covid stimulus signed by President Trump, a number of provisions are set to cover outfitters to bridge the financial gap via loans,  while guides may claim unemployment.

Currently, the largest threat to the industry is uncertainty. This is all new territory so nobody knows what is really going to happen. Every outfitter is in limbo until restrictions are lifted. Unfortunately, May, June and July are the biggest months in the fishing industry and this revenue can’t be made up for later in the year. Another concern is if clients will have the resources to rebook trips even after restrictions are lifted. The owner/outfitter of Stillwater Anglers in Columbus, Montana says “The million dollar question is, for whatever you want to call normal is going to look like, when is that going to return?” Everyone is very hesitant to book trips for the summer. 

However, cases of Covid have been slowing down the last couple days and people are becoming more stir crazy because most areas have not seen the doom and gloom effects that the mainstream media is trying to push. The number of deaths from Covid has also been uncovered as not real Covid deaths as well. As more and more fake news is being uncovered I do believe President Trump will lift restrictions and things will get going again. Let’s be real, how long can you have stay at home orders in place when largely, the effects of the virus are not being seen? Business and life must go on, and destroying the economy over Covid-19 is simply not worth it.

CLICK HERE TO HELP BE PREPARED

Guy Eastman goes elk hunting with Russell Pierce in Colorado. Hunting the second phase of elk rut has it challenges, but they manage to locate a monster bull in this episode of Eastmans’ Hunting TV.

CLICK HERE TO WIN THIS ELK HUNT

The post A monster’s last bugle! Elk Hunting with Guy Eastman appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

In this review, learn how using a Kestrel Ballistics Weather Meter can improve your shooting and maximum effective range. Hunter Brandon Mason breaks down how to set up, calibrate and use Kestrel’s 2700 and 5700 ballistics weather meters. The 5700 is featured packed with the addition of Hornady’s 4DOF system making it the Cadillac of Kestrel’s.

The post Kestrel Ballistics Meter Review – How to Become a Better Shooter appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Utah wildlife biologists just unveiled their 2020 plan last week suggesting to cut over 9,000 general season deer tags. The not so bad news is there will still be 80,725 total general season buck tags available! So that’s still a good amount of opportunity if you ask me. Doe tags would also be decreased, from 2,220 to 1,175.

Premium, limited-entry, and management buck deer permits would remain the same under this proposal. Another new addition this year are HAMS hunts, similar to what we have seen in other states like Arizona. A HAMS hunt is handgun, archery, muzzleloader, shotgun only season. This calls for 15 new permits for limited-entry buck deer tags in the late season. No scopes will be allowed on any of these weapons and no hunter orange is required. We’re not sure which units will be included in this hunt but the criteria to be considered for the HAMS hunt are areas underutilized by hunters, areas with high potential of human conflict, and migratory deer populations that don’t get hunted during standard seasons. The formation of this hunt began with multiple individuals who suggested a desire for a more primitive style of hunting using less technology. I think this is great and Utah DWR has made some great moves providing more opportunities for folks across the state.

These changes are based off the fact that buck to doe ratios and fawn recruitment have declined over the past four years. Furthermore, this is based off of the state’s objective of 15-20 bucks per 100 does. Back in 2015 and 2016, the deer population was over objective so tags were increased in response to those numbers. Populations are back down to the objectives of what the state biologists set them at 5 years ago. In addition, fawn recruitment objectives set by biologists are 60 fawns per 100 does which allows for a population to grow. Currently, the state average is 53 fawns per 100 does. This leaves the state of Utah with 321,000 deer total, which is 51,000 deer less than last year. 

Biologists claim the decrease was due to drought conditions in 2018 and a hard winter in 2019. The southern, southeastern, northeastern, and northern parts of the states showed to have taken the biggest hit. There will be 19 out of the 29 units that see decreases in tag allocations for the general season.

The brand NEW Eastmans’ TagHub takes the trusted hunting research you rely on to a powerful new digital platform. We’ve taken the Members’ Research Section from the EASTMANS’ HUNTING JOURNAL and EASTMANS’ BOWHUNTING JOURNAL and modernized it. Over 500,000 data points can be yours 24/7 at your finger tips. TagHub allows you to filter and sort hunting information to customize your research needs. This will help you make the best decisions for your hunting application strategy. Your hunt starts here; at Eastmans’s TagHub.

Scott Reekers shows off some of the features offered in TagHub in this hunting tip: Click Here

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR EASTMANS’ TAGHUB

The post What Is Eastmans’ TAGHUB? appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

With the big game applications season upon us, for some, a very critical question at this point in time is, will the CoronaVirus pandemic risk your hunting season? I think it fair to say at this point, there is a very low probability of that actually happening. Right now, I would put the chances of our fall big game seasons in the West being at risk of cancelation at about 10%-15%. Based on some of the most up to date modeling by the CDC and others, we should be well on our way to a reduction in cases by mid-May and nearly back to normal by mid to late June. If this modeling is in fact correct, I think it fair to say our September and October seasons should be safe, for now. But, as we have seen anything could change. 

The spring and summer seasons will not be so lucky however. The state of Nebraska just this morning announced they are halting the sale of all nonresident turkey tags and will probably end up canceling spring turkey season altogether. I fully expect this to become the norm throughout the West when it comes to spring turkey and black bear seasons. I’m not exactly sure why hunting is considered a “non-essential dangerous activity” when it comes to social distancing, as the very nature of the sport is pretty much the definition of social distancing at its finest. Maybe it has more to do with department personnel and that would be understandable given the current situation I guess. 

Many of the early fall/summer hunts up North are very likely to be significantly disrupted however. Many of these seasons start on the 15th of July and are very reliant on-air travel which is sure to have a very delayed rebound once this is over. I have heard speculation that full air travel, even domestically, is likely to not resume to normal until mid to late fall. The hunting seasons in New Zealand and Argentina have been completely canceled while the summer hunts in Africa are at a very high level of risk at this point. One thing is for sure, there could be some very big opportunities for cancelation hunts this year.

As for the draws, I have a feeling we could see a fairly significant reduction in demand inside the draw system this year. Based on economic circumstances I think more applicants will look seriously at the points only option this year. There is also a risk factor at play here as well, as many applicants, particularly from the eastern US might not want to risk the possibility of a season cancelation or major travel disruption come hunting season, therefore making the points only option the best, safest option for them given the risk associated with the uncertainty of the current situation. 

Go bow hunting for elk on the public land of Montana in the heart of grizzly bear country. Eastmans’ subscriber Bob Legasa was the survivor of a grizzly attack the year before. This is a redemption hunt for Bob as he returns to harvest the public land elk he set out for the previous hunting season.

The post GRIZZLY ATTACK SURVIVOR back in the woods! Bow Hunting Montana Elk appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

The Idaho Game and Fish Commission decided at their March 20th meeting to impose new rules when it comes to buying over-the-counter (OTC) elk tags. Game and Fish has found the vast majority of applicants that apply for controlled hunts and are unsuccessful also buy capped elk zone tags. These are mainly archery licenses and a lot of the zones sell out fairly quickly. The most popular are the Sawtooth and Diamond Creek zones. The data shows that hunters apply for a controlled hunt as a long shot option and if they are unsuccessful they will just go buy an OTC archery tag because they 100% want to hunt Idaho that year. Game and Fish are implying that this mentality makes many capped zone tags sell out very quickly. The popular areas sell out in a matter of a couple hours.

So here’s the deal. If you applied for a controlled hunt and want to buy a capped zone elk tag, you must wait for five days after they go on sale to give other people that didn’t apply for a controlled hunt a chance at buying a tag OTC. Game and Fish are looking out for the average Joe hunter that doesn’t apply for controlled hunts but just wants to go on his/her same elk hunt every year and is happy with just that. Will this actually do anything? I doubt it. I’m sure there will be some people that don’t know how to use a computer and will be able to stroll down to a license seller and purchase a elk tag the first five days they go on sale but all the tags will sell out on day five anyway. It will be interesting to see if Game and Fish accomplishes what they want to with this new rule.

This will apply for residents only in 2020 as some of the capped zones already went on sale December 1st for nonresidents. Most of the capped zones go on sale in July, so be sure to keep that noted if you are a resident and apply for a controlled hunt. I’m guessing that all zones that have capped elk tags will change to July next year for nonresidents as well, so be on the lookout for coming changes over the next year right here on the blog.

The post Idaho’s New 5 Day Waiting Period to Buy OTC Elk Tags appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

The COVID-19 coronavirus is putting parts of our country on lockdown and leaving many grocery store shelves and meat cases empty. People most a risk from the virus may be stuck at home with no help. This is a unique chance for hunters to help and spread a positive message about the benefits of hunting. If you can spare it, now’s the time to share your hard-earned game meat with those friends, family, and neighbors in need.

The post Coronavirus – How to help if you’re a hunter! appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Statistically, the most coveted deer permit in Montana is just outside Darby in the southernmost portion of the Bitterroot Valley. This has been considered the holy grail of mule deer permits in the Big Sky State for the past couple decades. The permit is known as 270-50. Historically, a hunter with some gumption has a legitimate chance at a 180” buck here and many bigger have been harvested. I have applied for this tag almost every year for the 25 years I was a resident and a couple years as a nonresident. This is an extremely hard tag to draw with “sheep like” draw odds. So put on your sweatband and grab your stress ball, we’re going to take a look at the hard numbers. As a reminder, Montana has a squared bonus point system. If you have two points, that gives you four chances in the drawing. If you have max points (16), you have 256 chances in the drawing. 

In 2019 there were 7,654 resident applicants for about 35 tags. Because nonresidents are in the same pool, there are 8,543 applicants in the total pool. Due to the vast quantity of applicants for this unit, the point system does very little for you in return. For example, in 2019 there were over 1400 applicants with zero points, and one person drew. There were 96 people with max points and four applicants drew. Applicants with 10 and 12 points also drew four tags respectively. However, by looking at all point levels from 1-16, multiple applicants drew permits in just about every point level from 0-16. These statistics tell us that the bonus point system does not weigh enough in this squared bonus point system to select applicants in the higher point tiers. The moral of the story is, the more applicants the more “washed out” the drawing is, and the less work your expensively purchased points do for you. Resident applicants for this permit are increasing 300-1000 per year proving that the popularity hasn’t waned.

For nonresidents the statistics are even worse. Remember nonresidents are allocated up to 10% of the tags in an area. However, there are no guarantees a nonresident will even get a tag. There are 45 tags total for 270-50. If 10% are allocated to the nonresident draw, that means four tags maximum (rounded down) go to nonresidents. In 2017, three tags went to nonresidents. Zero in 2018 and two nonresidents drew in 2019. This is with roughly 1000 nonresident applicants every year. If you are a regular nonresident this means you are in the pool of 8,543 applicants for four tags. If you have zero points you have a .004% chance of drawing a tag. If you have max points (16) you have a 2% chance at drawing. Yikes! 16 years worth of buying points all for 1.5% better odds than someone with zero points. WTF!!

So you’re probably wondering, how is it possible that zero nonresidents drew this tag in 2018? The answer is landowners. 15% of the 45 permits are guaranteed to resident and nonresident landowners alike. So that is 7 permits skimmed off the top immediately for residents. Then you have the nonresident landowners who get thrown into the nonresident pool but get guaranteed preference of at least 15% of the tags over the rest of the nonresidents. So in 2018, all four of the nonresident tags went to landowners. And every other year at least one or two of the four tags go to landowners. As you can imagine 270-50 has the highest number of landowner applicants for any deer permit and by far the highest for nonresidents. And it has been increasing every year. In 2017, there were five nonresident landowners in area 270 and in 2019 there were eight! This is quite the impressive increase as to qualify to apply for a landowner tag, you have to own or be in contract to own at least 160 acres in that unit. The big takeaway here is, as nonresident landowners suck out more and more of the nonresident pool, expect less and less tags being drawn by general nonresidents. 

Learn how to take your hunting research to the next level with Eastmans’ TagHub in this hunting tip from Scott Reekers. This powerful new hunting tool from Eastmans’ allows you to decide where to apply for dream hunt with interactive maps and data from all eleven western states. With over 500,000 data points, TagHub allows you to filter and sort this information to help you make the best decisions for your hunting applications.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT TagHub

The post Your Hunt Starts Here! Eastmans’ TagHub Hunting Research appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.