Hunting and Fishing News & Blog Articles

If you want to hunt archery deer in AZ next year, be sure to set your alarm for 12:00 AM MST on December 1st. Tags are only available online via the following website: http://otcarcherydeer.azgfd.gov/. This will be the first year that non-residents will be subject to a cap on the number of tags available to them.

In August of this year Arizona developed a new harvest threshold system for regulating over-the-counter archery deer harvest. Starting in 2023 non-residents will also have another change to cope with: a 10% cap on the number of over-the-counter permits available for non-resident purchase. Until now, there has been no limit on the number of archery deer tags sold for the state’s general units. However, due in part to a very successful media campaign by the department, there has been a sharp increase in demand for these tags. This increase in participation prompted the implementation of both these measures.

The total number of tags available to NR’s will be 10% of the 5-year average of annual total OTC tags sold. For 2023 that number is 2,890. This is only slightly fewer than the number of tags sold to NR’s in 2020 (the last year for which I have data), which was 3,093. In theory, this shouldn’t put much limitation on those who want to acquire tags. However, we have seen in other states, that when limits are put in place, the perception of scarcity sometimes leads to an increase in demand.

The post Arizona Limits NR OTC Tags appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Animal rights activist groups are at it again in Montana regarding wolf management.  Thankfully, the Sportsman’s Alliance (click here) is on top of it and making us all aware of what is happening.

“WildEarth Guardians and Project Coyote have filed suit in Montana state court to end wolf hunting and trapping under the framework established by the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission.”

“In case after case, what we see is the animal-rights industry using wolves to raise money even though wolf populations are exceeding population targets in nearly all cases across their range,” said Todd Adkins, vice president of government affairs at the Sportsmen’s Alliance. “Filing one frivolous lawsuit after another attacking hunters, trappers, and wildlife managers means big dollars for their radical agenda.”

The Sportsmen’s Alliance is currently reviewing options on how to best assist sportsmen with this latest attack on sound wildlife management in Montana.

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon filed an appeal to challenge the Bureau of Land Management’s purchase of 35,000 acres south of Casper, Wyoming along the famed North Platte River. That appeal was granted and the sale has been red-lighted, for the time being. 

Public land advocates were not happy to hear about this challenge and subsequent halting of the addition of so much acreage which would be open for hunting, fishing and recreation. I was disappointed as well but figured there had to be more to the story than the purchase being halted because BLM failed to “adequately consider impacts on the recreational setting and fishery along the North Platte River,”.

“Gordon said in the press release. “My concern has always been that the process was not followed. This gives BLM the opportunity to address that concern, and I am pleased they have agreed to complete a public comment period, do further environmental analysis and consult with state agencies.”

Okay, but what about the purchase putting more than 35K acres into publicly accessible land? Well, I did some digging with a few folks in the know, who’ve asked to remain anonymous, and it seems this is only a formality, the sale should indeed move forward and put that acreage into public use. I will endeavor to keep you abreast of any future happenings on this but given the amount of calls and texts I received regarding this issue, I thought it prudent to update all of you with the information I uncovered. 

Full disclosure, this will be an op-ed, perhaps a bit of a rant even, but I can’t help it, so here we go! 

Recently a mountain lion was discovered chilling in a basement egress window well in a Cheyenne, Wyoming suburb. The homeowner reported the incident to Wyoming Game and Fish and game wardens were dispatched to deal with the predator. So far so good… 

Once on the scene the wardens attempted to coax the lion out of the window well with a ladder. This effort was met with resistance from the now upset lion, who apparently didn’t appreciate having her nap interrupted. Subsequently, the wardens were forced to tranquilize the lion, remove her through the home, not sure why they couldn’t lift her out of the window well, and relocate her into some nearby mountains. All’s well that ends well… or is it?

Here’s where my questions/opinions begin…

Guy Eastman is hunting mule deer in Montana with our 2018 hunt winner. Tag along with David Matthias and Rod Paschke of Sizzlin’ S Outfitters. You could win this hunt too! All of our subscribers to the EASTMANS’ HUNTING JOURNAL magazine are automatically entered in a drawing for this hunt each year.

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

The current elk management plan was approved in Utah in 2015. The plan was updated in 2020 and is set to expire at the end of 2022. Things have changed drastically in the demand for hunting licenses in the state of Utah since 2015. “The demand for elk hunting in Utah has continued to grow over the years,” DWR Big Game Coordinator Dax Mangus said. “In 2014, the over-the-counter any-bull elk permits sold out in 77 days, and the spike-only elk permits sold out in 84 days. 

In 2022, the any bull elk permits sold out in five hours and the spike elk permits sold out in only nine hours. We are proposing several strategies to respond to these dramatic increases in demand for general-season elk hunting opportunities, as well as find ways to address continued ‘point creep’ in the limited-entry system.” This plan will go into effect in 2023 and will hold in effect until 2032 with a mid-plan review in 2028. The changes are as follows:

GENERAL-SEASON HUNTING CHANGES

LIMITED-ENTRY HUNTING CHANGES

“The major theme for the elk plan committee — and the resulting proposed plan — has been to increase elk hunting opportunity, while maintaining quality, through increased challenge and creativity,” Mangus said. “We believe these proposed changes will help reach those goals. The recommended changes are all related and provide synergy to the overall management plan, with the general-season hunt changes providing additional opportunities and the limited-entry changes helping maintain the quality of the hunt.”

Some other new hunts being presented are general antlerless elk archery only hunts as well as more general elk hunts. Some new limited-entry elk hunts will also be proposed. These hunts will great effect trophy quality over the years as Utah seems to be moving towards an opportunity state much like its surrounding western states.

This review features the brand new Savage Arms Impulse Mountain Hunter rifle. This rifle features a fast and easy straight pull action and boasts a PROOF carbon barrel. It’s built for long hikes and big mountains in the backcountry. @EastmansHuntingJournals Ike Eastman and Brandon Mason unbox their own Impulse Mountain Hunter rifles and break down the features.

The post Review: Savage Arms Impulse Mountain Hunter appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Watch over sixty rifle and bow hunting kills in just twenty minutes! Elk, mule deer, moose, bighorn sheep, bear all in one action packed video.

The post 60 Hunts in 20 Minutes! appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

In an attempt to avoid the second Wyoming grizzly bear mauling in one week, Lee Francis of Evanston, Wyoming drew and fired several rounds from his 10mm handgun as a grizzly closed in on him while he was hunting in the shadow of the Tetons. Francis succeeded in scaring off the charging grizz but shot himself through the lower leg in the process. 

Francis’ son called the incident in via satellite phone before loading him onto a horse and evacuating him to an area where the local search and rescue team could take over his care. Mr. Francis was life-flighted to the University of Utah hospital where, as far as we know, he remains. 

Our prayers our with Mr. Francis and his family as we ask for a speedy and complete recovery. That said, his accident serves as yet another stark reminder of the realities of hunting in grizzly country. 

Quite often the most dangerous elements of hunting in grizzly bear country are not the bears themselves. 

Utah State University researcher Julie Young, who leads the USDA’s Predator Ecology and Behavior Project in Utah, is working on a fencing research project in the hopes of coming up with best practices for predator fencing to protect livestock from apex predators.

According to this report, Young’s goal is to create a toolkit that landowners, policymakers and the public can reference when creating fencing strategies. In turn, she hopes her research will support migration routes, carnivore management and local economic interests.

Keeping predators at bay to reduce conflicts with livestock producers would be a dream come true for many, if the project can actually work and has funding sources tied to it to cost-share on expensive fencing projects. 

In my past I was a fencing contractor and I can speak from firsthand experience that fences are extremely expensive and labor intensive to put up. What are your thoughts? Do you think this will actually work or is it just a pipe dream?

While there are alarming concerns over unnecessary human development in core winter range areas like I reported in this blog (click here), there are also wins to celebrate in the fight to protect key migration corridors for big game in Wyoming (click here).

The Wyoming governor, Mark Gordon, and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack signed a new Wyoming Wildlife Habitat memorandum of understanding. “This agreement will help create new and enhanced opportunities through USDA’s conservation programs to keep working lands working and give farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners new opportunities to conserve wildlife and migration corridors.”

“Private landowners have long provided key habitat for wildlife across Wyoming. Offering voluntary funding opportunities to landowners to maintain this valuable space for wildlife is a recognition of their role in conservation.” 

This is another important piece of the puzzle in staving off urbanization by giving landowners another option to keep land intact. 

“So far, lead ammunition – as well as lead fishing tackle – is set to be banned by 2026 on several national wildlife refuges in the Eastern United States, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) spokeswoman Vanessa Kauffman said Wednesday…”

The push to ban all lead ammunition continues to gain momentum, especially at the federal level. What began with the banning of lead shotgun ammunition for migratory bird hunting in 1991 has evolved into a growing effort to ban all lead ammunition. Think about the precedent California set in 2007 when the state banned lead bullets for hunting and you’ll have an idea of what I’m talking about. 

Arguments for the banning of lead ammunition stem from several supposed reasons such as lead poisoning in birds of prey, like eagles, that scavenge big game carcasses and ingest lead fragments from bullets. Another argument brings up health concerns for humans ingesting the same minute lead fragments in game meat. 

The question that I have is if these are legitimate arguments or thinly veiled attempts to limit hunters and big game hunting by an overwhelmingly anti-hunting bureaucracy? 

If you’re on social media you probably have seen posts the last couple weeks of elk heads being stolen out of the back of trucks at hotels and out of backyards while being boiled for a European mount. There are a lot of “dirtbags” out there and elk antlers, especially big bulls, are worth hundreds of dollars. 

Brown elk antler hit all time highs of $20 a pound in 2022 which makes a 340 bull worth about $400 if each antler weights 10 lbs and is sold for its raw weight. Antlers sold for display can fetch for even a higher price to the right person. When the economy is poor, theft seems to rise as people get sneaky and desperate. 

Make sure to always lock up your antlers and trophies at night and at least secure them indoors. This goes for deer and antelope heads as well. Even if you are in an area that has a low chance of a person taking your trophy it doesn’t mean the neighbor’s dog or the resident coyote won’t swoop in and grab your buck in the middle of the night, never to be seen again. Consider them just the same as a stack of Benjamins sitting out on your front porch. Don’t take the chance, always keep them locked up. 

Cowboystatedaily.com

Last Saturday, October 15th was a fateful day in the mountains of northwestern Wyoming for a pair of college wrestlers who decided to do some outdoor recreating south of Cody. Kendall Cummings and Brady Lowry were looking for shed antlers and enjoying the gorgeous fall weather with two other teammates when the afternoon took a turn for the worse. 

Lowry was the first to be attacked by an unseen grizzly that was concealed in heavy willows. He recounted that the bear was on him too quickly for bear spray to be deployed. As the bear mauled Lowry, Cummings entered the fray, attempting to push the bear away from his friend. Unfortunately, his brave actions only served to turn the bruin’s attention upon him and he was subsequently savaged as well. 

With help from their fellow wrestlers and a local hunter, the two young men made it off the mountain and were rushed to medical treatment in Cody and Billings where they each have undergone several surgeries but are recovering. 

This one hits home… Those young men wrestle for Northwest Community Community College right here in Powell, Wyoming, not but a few blocks from the office I sit in as I write this blog. Their mauling happened in an area I frequent as well, sometimes with my wife and children. Honestly, when the headlines for this started appearing yesterday and today my blood ran cold. 

If I’m being completely honest and not worrying about political correctness, the announcement of further developments and subdivisions in key big game migration corridors in Sublette County, Wyoming and the good ol’ boy actions of county commissioners in that county, make me disgusted.

According to a www.wyofile.com report, the county commissioner’s rulings in favor of property developments were “in defiance of their planning and zoning board’s recommendation”.

Wyoming, like much of middle America and the Rocky Mountain West, has seen droves of people moving to the state’s most scenic regions to get away from the craziness of big city life from the fallout of 2020 and 2021 in our country. Our landscape and persona are changing rapidly due to Californians (mostly) moving in and changing our way of life, and the way of migration corridors to our cherished wildlife including mule deer, pronghorn, elk, and even the sage grouse.

A 51 unit subdivision and now a 32,400 square foot trauma therapy center are on the approval list in well-documented big game migration corridors and core sage grouse habitat.

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The post Brown Bear Hunting – Kodiak Alaska appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

I know right now the weather in most of the country is just starting to trend cooler, but before long the days will be short and the temps below freezing. With most of hunting season right in front of us it’s tough to concentrate on application strategies and draw deadlines. However, if you want to avoid the mid-winter doldrums, some careful planning now can be your ticket to an escape in a few months. Arizona is currently accepting applications for their Spring draw which includes limited quota hunts for bison, three species of turkey (Gould’s, Rio and Merriam), and javelina. Between now and the application deadline on October 11 we will provide an overview of the opportunities each species affords. Proceeding in the order that the seasons occur, we will start with javelina.

Javelina are a bit of an anomaly in big game hunting. For most hunters they are still a low priority target and as such draw odds remain favorable in most units. Like other Western species, their popularity is rising and it’s likely that future draw odds will begin to erode as hunters begin looking for more opportunities to go afield during non-peak months. Javelina are considered big game in Arizona despite adults generally tipping the scale at less than 50 lbs. on the hoof. They are herd animals that live in groups (sometimes called a squadron) that can include up to 20 individuals. Their populations range from the desert floor to the high elevations of Arizona’s sky islands. Typically, they are hunted by glassing in juniper, chaparral or low desert habitat from high vantage points. Their limited eyesight and vocal herd interactions make them favorable targets for primitive weapons hunters who want to hunt in close proximity to their quarry.

Arizona’s javelina seasons are all available via draw except for a few urban units or fringe habitat areas. The seasons are divided by legal weapon and begin with archery hunts in January followed by Handgun-Archery-Muzzleloader (HAM) and rifle occupying the latest dates. Most hunts are relatively easy to draw and can be obtained at least every couple of years in units near Phoenix/Tucson and almost every year in more rural units. Harvest success hovers in the 30-40% range across weapon types and seasons. The big advantage to hunting archery for javelina is that the season overlaps archery deer, so with some careful planning, a combination hunt can provide multiple opportunities in a single season.

To apply for hunts, use the link:https://draw.azgfd.com/

Arizona’s deadline to apply for spring turkey hunts is Tuesday, October, 11. Some quick thinking and careful planning now can yield extra days in the turkey woods down the road. Arizona is not widely known as a turkey destination, but the state does offer opportunity to hunt three different species. 

The three species in the state (listed by size of their population) are Merriam’s, Gould’s and Rio Grande. Nearly all permits are issued through a draw process with two different season options available for each hunt unit. First season hunts typically start at the end of April with second season following one week later. Both seasons then re-open for two weeks in mid-May. 

Gould’s turkeys are limited to southern portions of the state and begin one week later than Merriam’s seasons. The limited number of Gould’s tags and a lack of other opportunities in the U.S. make this a highly desired hunt and draw odds reflect that. In recent years even Merriam’s hunts have increased in popularity and some now may require 3-4 bonus points to guarantee a tag.  

Merriam’s densities in Arizona tend to be pocketed, especially along canyons. Most of the state’s population inhabits Ponderosa pine tree stands at elevations above 6,000’. Weather is usually mild and roads are generally good. However, early hunts can encounter snow-drifted or muddy roads if late storms occur. Tag numbers are low enough to allow hunters to space out and have a quality experience.  

Tuesday, October, 11 is the deadline for applications to the Arizona Game and Fish Spring Draw. Included in this draw are applications for Spring (and mostly Summer) bison hunts. Each year Arizona offers the opportunity for hunter’s to pursue bison in three different areas: Raymond Ranch, House Rock Ranch and on the Kaibab Plateau in unit 12A (although the tag is good for several units, 12A holds the overwhelming majority of the bison). 

The Raymond Ranch and Houserock Ranch hunts are both for a “Designated” animal. The reports I have heard from these hunts are more akin to a harvest than what we would most expect from a hunt. These hunts also offer extremely limited permit numbers and are well below any reasonable expectation of drawing.

The hunts occurring on the Kaibab in unit 12A outside of the Houserock Ranch are a completely different experience from their more domestic counterparts. A herd of several hundred free-ranging animals spends most of its time within the confines of Grand Canyon National Park. However, food and water resources inside the park are limited, and because of this, the bison often wander onto adjacent national forest where cattle tanks and salt licks are available. 

When the bison leave the park and its bureaucratic protections, they can be hunted. Most commonly, hunters sit in blinds near water or nutrition sources near the park boundary, often for 12+ hours per day, and hope for a thirsty bull to wander in. The pace of the hunt is both exhausting, and agonizingly slow at the same time. 

“In response to an outpouring of concerns from hunting, shooting and conservation organizations and the state’s wildlife agency, California’s legislature passed a bill amending language in a recently signed law that broadly prohibited all advertising of firearms and firearms-related products to youth in the state. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the corrective bill into law last Thursday…” theoutdoorwire.com

After having our California MRS writer and Research Coordinator Dave Shaffer whip the bushes for news on the truth about California’s most recent attack on your 2A rights. In this case it was a new law that prohibited marketing of firearms to minors (see Previous Eastmans’ Blog)… well that shoots hunter recruitment in the foot! Several sportsmen’s groups, including NWTF raised their concerns and the bill was amended to exclude marketing to minors for hunting and sport shooting. 

We here at Eastmans’ have a large audience in the Golden State and that myopic law would have effectively ended our’s and any other hunting or sport shooting based organization’s ability to promote and recruit for hunting and shooting in California without being subject to intense fines.  

Good job NWTF and the other groups involved in getting this bill amended.