Hunting and Fishing News & Blog Articles

The Member’s Research Section, in the back of every subscriber issue of Eastmans’ Hunting Journals or available digitally, breaks down 11 western states by explaining their draw processes, big game units, trends, tag allocations, draw odds, and unit quality. Each state is unpacked by experts who dedicate over 2000 man hours of research each year to bring you the latest and best intel. We speak with state game agencies, biologists, outfitters and, of course, the everyday hunter so that we are sure you are getting the best possible information out there.

For example, say a historical powerhouse of a mule deer unit in Arizona is currently experiencing a bit of a downturn. Would you want to burn years worth of preference points on a hunt that isn’t what it was in years past? Without our up to date trend evaluation found in your copy of the Arizona MRS you might do just that and it would be a shame.

Or… say you’ve never hunted “out west” and decide it’s time to get off the bench and into the game. The only problem is decoding the vast amount of information from each state is like drinking from a fire hose! The Eastmans’ MRS will not only help you understand the application and draw processes of each state it will help you pick a starting point. Making a DIY adventure of your very own not only possible but realistic. We receive correspondence on a weekly basis from folks who have used our MRS to get them started in western big game hunting and experienced success that they had only dreamt of.

The options for unlocking access to the MRS have never been greater and using this tool has never been easier. The first way to get the MRS is to subscribe to both the Hunting and Bowhunting Journals, with this you are guaranteed to get 12 issues per year of the original and best western big game hunting magazines and a thorough breakdown of all the 11 key western big game states.

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The durability of MYSTERY RANCH packs are well known and both Pop Up pack models fit into that mold with 500D Cordura fabric as well as functional shoulder lift that many of the day packs of yesteryear never had.

MYSTERY RANCH’s motto is to make load hauling “Suck Less.” And daypacks with plenty of pocket space, the ability to haul heavy loads, and carry plenty of weight with a proven belt system and functional shoulder lift will definitely make load hauling suck, less! If you are in the market for a new day pack give the Pop Up series from MYSTERY RANCH a look.

Wyoming Adds New Antler Restrictions

By Todd Helms:

It is no secret that mule deer numbers in the Cowboy State are not what they used to be. Hard winters, predation, loss of habitat, disease, the speculative reasons are many and varied but the truth is, nobody can say exactly what the culprit is or what the remedy may be. However, something needed to be done and in the effort to stem the dismal tide of the Wyoming mule deer saga the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has placed a four-point antler restriction on deer areas 110-115 in northwestern Wyoming.

This was done in response to lower than objective overall mule deer numbers for the Shoshone herd which has dropped to an estimated 8600 animals. The objective for this herd is between 9000 to 15,000 deer.

Another reason for concern has to do with the extreme winter of 2016/17 and the effect it had on fawn survival. While the effects of that brutal winter were not felt equally across the state certain areas were hit very hard, the northwest corner being one of those. The department is seeing a dearth of young deer in the corresponding age class and the 4-point restriction is aimed at giving young bucks that did manage to escape the clutches of old man winter every chance to reach maturity.

So, if you draw a tag for this region or any of these areas please be aware that not just any buck will do; count twice, shoot once.

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By now most of you know the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission increased the cost of an elk tag by 20% for the 2018 draw. Based on many conversations this winter with nonresident applicants there was an inherent hope that the price increase would taper off the demand for such tags in the draw thus making the odds at drawing a tag better. Many might ask, did this work? The answer is no. Proving yet again that price increases do NOT correlate to increases in draw odds and to think otherwise is nothing more than wishful thinking.

So how did we get here? In 2017 the legislature of Wyoming was forced to make major budget cuts to nearly every single state agency, and the Game and Fish was not immune. The state chose to remove all “general funding” for the Department, and in turn chose to approve a license fee increase to compensate-lucky us.

When the dust of the nonresident draw settled and all the money was counted the state was able to increase the price of an elk tag by a whopping 20% and in return saw a 10% increase in elk applications in the process versus 2016. Yet again proving the fact that Wyoming has some of the most valued elk hunting in the entire country.

In January, nonresident elk applicants placed 23,080 applications for a mere 7,250 full price available elk tags. This equates to a generalized gross drawing odd of more than 31%, and a whole lot of money, something to the tune of more than $7,000,000. Not a bad boost to the Game and Fish budget. The 20% price increase accounts for nearly $1.5 million worth of that revenue alone-and that’s just the elk draw.

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The post The Outdoor Vision Gear Ridgetop Bino Harness Giveaway! appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Generally speaking, Idaho makes very few changes during the biennial season/regulation period. However, there are a few exceptions to this and for 2018 we are seeing a couple changes that are bigger than “usual” and we want to make note of it now before applications are due.

The headliner for now is the change up of the unit 46 California Bighorn sheep hunt. There has been disease found in the area and the sheep populations and herd health are a concern. Thus, IDFG has closed hunt 7007 and essentially condensed the two sub-season hunts into one longer hunt and cut the tag allotment from a total of 5 down to 3. This hunt choice has been a difficult but solid producer over the years and offers a unique hunt choice in the Bruneau-Jarbidge Wilderness area. Details of the disease are currently unknown to us, but this is often bad news for the herd over the long run as wild sheep tend to be quite sensitive to sickness. Keep an eye on the IDFG website for updates. Hopefully, a lightened fall harvest and some innovative biologists can turn this around quickly. What does this mean for you? This hunt was already difficult with low harvest odds. With the cloud of disease looming, this hunt choice is a tough one to consider. Then again, applicant pressure will likely shift and for a hardcore hunter, odds could be better than ever. You will have to weigh the odds yourself as point creep and sheep hunting are converging into a tough outlook throughout the West. Spending points conservatively is often the safest.

A last-minute front runner showed up and that was the biologist recommended unit closure for Rocky Mountain goat hunt 6005 which takes place in unit 10-3. We rank this hunt as a solid green chip opportunity and this news is a crusher for goat hunters. Excellent billy harvest, great trophy potential for Idaho and due to not being able to find the goats IDFG has decided to cut the quota and close this hunt for 2018! Not the news we want to hear, for more reasons than one. I sure hope we can get another survey in there and find them. Long story short, none of us want to burn a bunch of points on a hunt and not harvest because the animals up and moved out. Or go out and harvest the last of a herd’s population. Scratch this hunt off your list and study up! We lost a good hunt opportunity here.

Next up are unit 10A deer tags; hunters have reported fewer mature bucks in this region and have urged IDFG to reduce the pressure and harvest. The current solution for 2018 is to prohibit the use of a 2nd deer tag for harvest in Unit 10A. Secondly, they reduced the season length by 11 days. Thus the 2018 season ends November 20th instead of Dec 1st. The combination of these two measures should lighten the harvest and give these deer a chance to gain some momentum. The takeaway here; kudos to the sportsmen that brought up these concerns and IDFG for listening. If 10A is on your list, I wouldn’t shy from it, the percentage of 5-point buck harvest is still at objective and the hunt dates still provide a solid rut hunting opportunity. But then again, maybe giving these deer a short break isn’t a bad option either!

Use the code  shootwithswagger at checkout for a discont!

Eastmans’ staffer Scott Reekers shares his experience hunting elk with Swagger all-terrain bipod system equipped Savage Model 111 rifle chambered in .300 Win Mag. Shooting his rifle from the  prone position, the stability and flexibility of this bipod system allowed him to harvest a mature bull elk deep in the Wyoming backcountry. Using a bipod  can give you the extra edge to thread the needle and harvest a quality trophy. Press play to watch this tip using the original Swagger Bipod and see you at the range or in the field!

Use the code  shootwithswagger at checkout for a discont!

In the last 18 months at least four western state game & fish licensing or park systems have apparently been hacked, along with Kentucky and another state the hacker claimed but didn’t identify. No evidence has surfaced of personal information taken or tags illicitly obtained. So, no worries, right? How secure are you that your identity and years of saved points are safe?

If you live in Idaho, Oregon or Washington, you’ll remember the September 2016 hacking of their systems. A hacker going by “Mr. High” posted that he had gained access to personal information in five Game and Fish sites or their licensing vendor, which in ID, OR and WA was Active Network.

Idaho and Washington suspended all license sales while they investigated, and Oregon suspended online sales. It turned out that the weakness only allowed access to information for those who had first started applying before 2006 or 2007. Active Network offered free identity repair services and according to the Idaho Statesman, claimed that it had patched the weakness “within 15 hours” and hired a “top-tier cybersecurity firm to conduct a review.”

That hack was disclosed by the hacker. But, what has been undisclosed or undiscovered? After all, there were 100,000 incidents hacks in 2015.
What if some tags are not going to the fortunate but to the nefarious? Would someone pay a full-time basement-dweller to hack their way to a bighorn sheep license without the auction price tag or many years of waiting?

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            Three things make up an Alaskan postcard. The sky-blue ocean against a backdrop of steep fjords with bears on the beach!  There’s something about the presence of bears that creates an atmosphere inspiring excitement and adventure into the hearts of sports men and women worldwide.  Southeast Alaska is a maze of coastal habitat, featuring everything from tide flats and ancient forests to rocky fjords and glaciers. It supports one of the highest populations of big Black Bears in the world, and its doing nothing but grow. Endless runs of salmon supply the protein needed to attain massive size, setting the goal at 7’.  Because of this, Prince of Wales Island has become a monumental Black Bear hunting destination, with more Boone and Crockett entries than anywhere else.  The B&C minimum for Black Bear is 21 inches and these bears can make it! The largest bear sealed at Log Cabin Sporting Goods on the Island was 22 8/16…..missing the world record by just over an inch. 

Prince of Wales Island is the first major land mass in the Alexander Archipelago, switching hands from Russia to the United States in 1867 and gleaning its name after Russian Tsar Alexander II. The archipelago or “group of islands”, is 300 miles long and is comprised of the roughly 1100 islands that make up SE Alaska.  This hunt takes place on one of those many Islands, Dall Island. Our hunting area is all private land, limited access, with a limited number of hunts every year.  In 1911, Ornithologist Harry S. Swarth first labeled the Island Black Bear as a Dall Island native. Now considered the same bear found on Prince of Wales and surrounding Islands, Dr. Swarth recorded that the unique distinction was their oversized skulls being broader and heavier than other Black Bears.  Connect the dots and we have biological proof of the genetics that make these bears so special.