Hunting and Fishing News & Blog Articles

Public land hunting for deer and elk, the bread and butter of Beyond the Grid TV by Eastmans’. Hunters John Pickar and Todd Fedor head out to eastern Montana to hunt mule deer and elk DIY. Anyone that has hunted with their dad will find this episode right up your alley. Leave us a comment if you have great memories hunting with your dad!

Dan helps his Dad hunt for his first bull elk. They turn up a 370 giant! Watch now: CLICK HERE

Tag along on another family adventure as a father and son hunt for his first mule deer buck in Wyoming: CLICK HERE.

For more mule deer hunting, head into the high country for a mountain basin buck: CLICK HERE

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Eastmans’ Todd Helms reviews a hunting rifle by Weatherby. The Mark V Weathermark Bronze is the workhorse of the Weatherby’s Mark V line of rifles. This rifle is light and durable. The Cerakote finish makes this rifle ready for the worst weather conditions. The #2 conjured barrel and Triggertech Trigger rifle improves accuracy. This rifle easily met Weatherby’s guaranteed sub-mob accuracy promise during Todd’s range tests.

Want more rifle review videos from Eastmans’? Be sure to subscribe to this channel. Tap the bell and we’ll let you know when we drop a new video!

Todd reviews lightweight Weatherby’s Backcountry TI: CLICK HERE

Go hunting with Todd and the Weatherby Mark V CarbonMark rifle in this review: CLICK HERE.

Catch up on all of Eastmans’ rifle reviews: CLICK HERE

The sign said, “due to shortages, only 2 boxes of ammo per customer please.” This seemed a bit strange particularly for a Wyoming boy. Toilet paper and ammo, what is the world coming to? I thought to myself. 

For the firearms industry, the outlook for 2020 is headed up and fast. Without question, there has been a “run on guns” during the lockdown of our country created by the Coronavirus pandemic. This has no doubt been a very welcome sight to a battered and bruised firearms industry which has seen its fair share of sales challenges coming off of the fear fueled gun runs seen during the Obama administration. 

There’s no question, the Trump administration has been somewhat favorable to the gun and ammo industries on the regulation front, minus a few outlier situations such as Virginia, but when it comes to sales the current administration has marked a very slow sales cycle and oversupply situation coming off of the perception of what was sure to be back to back Democratic presidential administrations. But that has all changed now. 

To put things into perspective, the month of April saw the largest volume of gun sales ever experienced for an April since records of such have been kept. This represents an increase of more than 70% when compared to April of last year. With nearly three million total guns sold for the month, one of the most surprising stats was the fact that handgun sales dominated the volume by nearly two to one versus long guns, which includes AR style sporting rifles. There’s no question that guns move off the shelves at a record pace in the shadow of fear and uncertainty. 

And if you thought the numbers for April were surprising, wait until you see what March produced. Prior to 2020, going back to the beginning of gun sales records keeping, a single month has never surpassed 3 million firearms sales, until this past March. The month of March alone produced a whopping total of 3.7 million-gun sales in the United States. In March of 1999 barely over 750,000 guns transferred hands in this country. The state of Illinois led the pack by far with over 2.5 million guns sold, more than double the next highest state of Kentucky and more than three times that of the firearms hotbed of Texas. According to many reports from gun shop owners, up to 90% of new gun purchases during the pandemic have been to “new gun owners.” If this is in fact true the face of gun ownership in this country could be changing and changing fast. Keep in mind, the last presidential election was won by less than 3 million votes.

Researchers in the GYE or Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem have discovered that nearly half of the Mountain Lions they’ve tested carry The Plague. The same plague that’s been called The Black Death and killed millions of people across the planet throughout history. 

This discovery has come as quite a surprise as the prevalence of the disease was not fully comprehended. Of the 28 lions studied 43% tested positive for the plague and also showed signs of pneumonia. While one cougar whose blood was tested repeatedly over a multi-year period tested negative then positive and then negative again proving that at least some of the cats are able to create antibodies to the disease. 

Is this a danger to humans? Not likely, unless you’re a lion hunter who handles dead cats. An Arizona cougar researcher died in 2007 from pneumonic plague after conducting a routine autopsy of a dead lion. This tells us that lion hunters should be taking extra caution in the field while handling cats and if they start to feel ill days later they need to see a doctor to rule out the plague or start antibiotic treatments. 

Now for a little editorial. I have to think that these cats are picking up the plague from rodents they are consuming; marmots, ground squirrels, prairie dogs, etc., therefore it stands to reason that other predators consuming the same prey animals could or do carry the plague as well. Wolves, bears, coyotes, foxes, badgers, you name it and I think you get the idea. I AM NOT a biologist and I don’t know nor can I prove this theory BUT I would recommend that handling these animals with gloves and changing, then washing the clothes you wore would be good practice. Also, keep an eye on your health. If after you handle one of these animals, lions especially, you feel sick, go see your doctor! 

Well those are my dos pesos and I’ll relinquish my soap box. However, what do you think? Am I way off base?

This video is coming soon exclusively for TagHub members May 15th! Dan Pickar was charged by a wounded black bear last spring. The experience got him questioning his own preparedness for a bear attack. This video Dan dives into the details of how to defend yourself in a bear encounter. He tests different weapons and holsters on moving targets to see if he can hit the mark. And he breaks out the expired bear spray to see if it’s any good.

SIGN UP For Eastmans’ TagHub TO WATCH THE VIDEO A MONTH EARLY!

The post How To Survive A Bear Attack! Coming May 15! appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Most western hunters know and agree that managing predators is very important when it comes to the North American model of wildlife management. Bears play a big role in the predator pie chart for fawn and calf predation and there are many studies out there that show this. That specifically is why I have the desire to go bear hunting every spring. Between wolves, grizzlies, lions and the black bears out there, I want to save as many calves and fawns as possible! Studies also show that mature boars play the biggest role in calf and fawn predation and are known to “hunt” for calves and fawns. There have been many displays of this dating back to films by Gordon Eastman as well. 

There are three methods in which you can harvest a bear in the western states, the most common are baiting and spot and stalk. The third method of bear management is using hound dogs, which is probably the most productive. However, just a few states allow the use of dogs, the first that come to mind are Idaho and some areas in Utah. 

All three methods are drastically different but the cool thing is that there is a method for every type of hunter out there and I don’t believe any of them are wrong! Let me first say that hunting with hounds and over bait are great management tools. They really up the ante when it comes to predator control. In addition, there are many areas that are too thick, making spot and stalk hunting nearly impossible. When it comes to baiting some people say it isn’t fair chase. I agree with this, kind of. 

Bears are smart animals and giant smart old bruins don’t just come strolling into the bait once they’ve found it. Many are nocturnal and it’s very difficult to harvest a good one over bait. A great thing about bear baiting is it is an excellent way to introduce kids to the outdoors and allows them to observe bears being bears! This is an excellent tool to help spark interest in kids at a young age when so many things are pulling at them in this crazy world that we live in. 

Lastly, let’s talk spot and stalk hunting. This is the method I choose because it is the most difficult and exciting in my opinion. The reason I love bowhunting is to challenge myself and to get close! Spot and stalk bear hunting with a bow is a rush and is hard to beat when it comes to a springtime hunt in the lower 48. Montana is probably the best state for spot and stalk hunting as baiting is not legal there and trophy quality combined with a majority of color phases makes for a hunt that should be on the top of any bear hunters list.

Eastmans’ Elevated podcast host Brian Barney goes DIY bow hunting elk in Montana. He’s hunting in October as the elk rut is winding down. It’s a public land grind, but after several close encounters Brian closes the deal on a nice 6-point bull in this Eastmans’ Hunting TV episode.

The post Closing the distance! Bow hunting Montana elk appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

In this day and age with the aggressive management work of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, harvesting a trophy bull elk is within the realm of most hunters and finally you have secured a once in a decade tag. It could be your one shot in your hunting career at harvesting a really big, trophy class bull. It might be that each day in the field you’re glassing up a dozen or more satellite bulls along with several herd bulls. Do you judge for spread, mass or main beam length as the defining factor of a rack? Or maybe if he is a six point, that’s good enough. Everyone should have a B&C benchmark before heading into the land of the bull elk. But how do you quickly field judge a bull for that mark? Will you harvest a bull packing a great rack or make a judging decision you will regret for many falls to come?

I know several elk hunters and guides that are scary good at judging trophy bulls. Those men can tell you within two inches on the hoof the net B&C score of any bull. But they spend thousands of hours year-round documenting big bulls and picking up these bulls’ sheds to score. Most of us can’t devote that much time to studying or scoring bull elk. For us, just knowing what class of bull we’re looking at is close enough. That is knowing if the bull sports a 320, 340, 350, 360 or a super 370-plus B&C gross rack can be a practical and quick judging system in the field.

While growing up in the early 1960s, I lived next to the federal elk refuge in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. An estimated 8,000 to 10,000 elk drop in each year to spend the winter. During my high school years, you could find me with a spotting scope watching hundreds of bull elk. Let me tell you, it became quite taxing trying to determine what B&C class rack each bull was packing. However, spending time in those years scoring winter kills and local hunter’s bulls, I developed a general field judging system I call “rack bracketing.” It’s a simple visual way to determine general rack size. And with some knowledge of rack size and a little practice it becomes easy to master. Using it, a hunter in the field can quickly determine if that bull is packing a 320, 340 or maybe a 350 gross rack. It’s pretty simple to use because 90% of the B&C scoring system for elk is made up of inside spread, main beam and point length. However, keep in mind the biggest factor and number one rule is, the longer the points, higher the rack scores…

The post Quick and Easy Field Judging Bull Elk appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Well, Wyoming grizzlies didn’t waste any time this year making their presence felt. Unfortunately, it came in the form of a mauling. Wyoming resident Spencer Smith was hunting shed antlers in northwest Wyoming on May 1st when he came face to face with a large grizzly who didn’t take kindly to being surprised and did what grizz do best resulting in Smith being airlifted to a Billings, MT hospital. 

Thank goodness Smith was in possession of a satellite communication device from which he sent an SOS which was received by the Park County Sheriff’s Department. Wyoming Game Warden Chris Queen found Smith and helped get him loaded onto the medivac chopper. 

Those are the facts and I am glad Smith is going to be “okay”, he will, no doubt, have many obstacles to overcome on his path to healing and we here at Eastmans’ wish him a speedy and full recovery. That said, Smith’s unfortunate incident serves as a stark reminder to anyone intending to recreate in grizzly country. Please be bear aware and take all necessary precautions. 

The post Grizzly Mauls Shed-Hunter appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

Last year I wrote an article unraveling Nevada’s draw system to help you build a plan for getting a tag. This year my goal is to paint a picture of how I would use Eastmans’ TagHub to build that strategy and hopefully help you draw that Nevada tag that you have been waiting for!

As an unapologetic mule deer hunter that is the species that I will cover. Using these tactics inside of TagHub will work for any of the species that we cover for each state but bear in mind that success rates in states like Nevada, that manage for trophy quality in elk, will show higher success in those areas.

The first step is to decide the “when” on your hunt strategy. In our filter, we have set up TagHub to make it easy to find hunts based on the season dates, and as it turns out the best time of year for me to hunt would be any of the early October hunts. I have plans to hunt my home state of Wyoming in mid September and a trip to Nevada in early to mid October would best fit in before my late October Wyoming elk hunt.  

Setting my filter for non-resident with the any weapon option shows me what is available and when I add the filter for October- Early I can see all of the hunts available in that time frame. The first filter map shows me what those look like based on our long standing and trusted MRS rating system.

But how do I sort out which units had the best trend for success? Simply change from trophy forecast to the three year success heat map and it becomes easy to see which units have been successful for a long time. 

Season postponements, closures, restrictions on non-residents, yup, the times they are a changin’. This spring has been one for the history books for sure and if you’re like me seeing it in the rearview mirror will be a welcome sight. That said, as much as I hate to even type the word, I feel that I owe it to you to report on the most recent COVID 19 news regarding hunting out West. So here’s a state by state breakdown of the most recent information I could find for you. Note: most states have created a COVID 19 update page on their game and fish website and checking there is still the best option for up to the minute information. 

Arizona – Things appear to be status quo in Arizona. Spring hunts are at full go with only localized closures of state run facilities, be sure check before you head out. Arizona has cancelled or altered the following: AZGFD Outdoor Expo(cancelled), April Commission meeting (telephonic). The state COVID 19 Update site can be visited here https://www.azgfd.com/agency/covid-19-related-updates/

Colorado – The Yuma County turkey season delay will extend through May 2nd with no word if that season will actually open. Other than that it appears that outdoor activities are open and acceptable in Colorado even if some state run facilities are closed. https://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/COVID-19-Response.aspx

Idaho – Idaho has suspended non-resident sale of quite a few hunting licenses including bear and turkey but not to the extent that applying for tags is inhibited. The state’s COVID 19 update page is quite impressive and you need to look it over if Idaho is on your list this spring. You will also need to call to make an appointment for some services as offices are closed until April 30th. https://idfg.idaho.gov/covid19

Montana – Well the good news is that non-residents can now purchase spring bear and turkey licenses but the bad news is that there’s still a 14 day quarantine period in effect for folks visiting the Big Sky State. A phased reopening of Montana is underway. http://fwp.mt.gov/news/newsReleases/covid19/nr_0025.html

Montana FWP released a plan to gather 10-12 individuals to serve on a citizen group to provide guidance for the new Elk Management Plan in Montana. According to FWP, the group will be tasked with developing an issue statement about elk management and define meaningful and enduring principles that may guide future elk management decisions. This group will be diverse and represent a variety of stakeholders. 

Elk in Montana are in a tricky situation so this advisor group will have a lot to consider when it comes to elk management and to keep hunters and landowners happy. In 2009, populations were estimated to be around 134,000 animals. A decade later they are projected to be 136,000. It’s not that simple though. Some areas of Montana (eastern half) are over objective but many areas (western half) are under objective, and this has been the case for over a decade. What gives? 

The western part of the state has way more public land and the elk hunting areas are mostly general. This being the case and with population hubs like Kalispell, Missoula, Butte, and Bozeman, you’re going to have people that can hunt close to home so pressure is high. It’s the land of opportunity for the general tag hunter if you’re a Montana resident. Toss in high populations of grizzly bears and wolves and all of a sudden it becomes difficult for a population to make a living let alone increase in numbers, specifically in regions 1 and 2.  

The eastern half of the state consists mostly of private land making for limited access and limited entry elk hunting areas. Predation from grizzly bears and wolves is far less if not nonexistent in some of the far east elk areas. The eastern part of the state gets less snow as well so elk have easier winters. Top that off with plentiful agriculture and alfalfa fields and also haystacks during winter months. This just makes life much easier if you’re an elk out in eastern Montana. This gives you the perfect situation to grow an elk population quickly. 

It’s the October rifle season and you’re headed West to hunt elk. There are a couple things you should have. The first thing I like to do is get my hands on a forest map and highlight the boundaries of the unit. Having a hard copy of your area that you can take in the field is very handy. This map will also show you open roads, campgrounds, trailheads and trails in your hunting area.

The last thing I do before I go in to hunt an area is look again at Google Earth and my planned routes. I have Google Earth and the onX Hunt app on my phone so I can reference aerial images at any time. I have found that most of the areas I hunt are high enough in elevation to have cell service, but if I’m not sure I preload my area maps before I take off for my hunt.

October Habits

Finding a big bull elk in mid-October can be the most difficult task of your hunting season. Bottom line: you find them where you find them. That can vary from state to state, habitat to habitat and year to year…

Topography

Each year one lucky subscriber goes deer hunting with Guy Eastman in Montana. This hunt with Sizzling’ S Outfitters shouldn’t disappoint. Hunters can expect to get a chance at mature mule deer bucks. In this episode of Eastmans’ Hunting TV, hunt winner Art Jaenke has his chance at a monster stolen from him the night before opening day! Every current EASTMANS’ HUNTING JOURNAL subscriber gets a chance at the hunt drawing every spring.

The post Lucky subscriber goes deer hunting with Guy Eastman in Montana! appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.

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? 

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.

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.

There are numerous articles that recommend optical equipment for glassing big game. The standard theory down in the southwestern states is to carry big, heavy 18×50-plus binoculars, so you can watch a deer wiggle his ear in the heavy brush two miles away. However, when you’re backpacking in the northwestern backcountry, everything is on your back, and weight is crucial. Personally, I feel these huge binoculars aren’t necessary for finding mule deer.

Glassing With The Grain Of The Terrain

Even from the highest point, there may be areas you are unable to see well, such as a slide partially obscured by the tree line, or sets of basins where you can only see one side, or just small portions of them. You feel you don’t have a clear view of some of the best habitat that you know holds bucks. If these problems sound familiar, you may be glassing against the grain of the terrain.

Western terrain is made up of small creek drainages that have their beginnings in a snowbank, or a high basin spring. From there, they run down into another creek and eventually into a river at the valley floor. When you get to the head of one of these drainages, spend most of your time glassing the high pockets, slides and knife ridges that run up to the peaks.

The Method

Bowhunting antelope can be tough! Brandon Mason is hunting the checkerboard public lands of Wyoming. Antelope have great eyesight and are naturally curious. Brandon uses that to his advantage to sneak in close on this web episode of Eastmans’ Hunting TV.

The post Sagebrush sneaking! Bow Hunting Public Land Antelope appeared first on Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals.