Arizona pushes for low-harvest hunts

Tuesday, October 30, 2007 Posted by

Arizona

There is an undercurrent, cutting across state boundaries, to sell hunting tags while discouraging or eliminating any harvest. Taking this notion to an extreme, here is a comment made by a DWR representative at a Utah Dedicated Hunter meeting in Ogden, Utah – regarding hunter ethics: “if you go into the field expecting to harvest an animal, you are unethical“.

Not long ago, I attended an Arizona Game and Fish meeting, where it was announced that the Department was seeking to issue more tags while moving hunting season dates to low success time periods. This proposed action was flaunted as an effort to recruit new hunters. I am aware of other organizations who collect donations and then use the money collected against the very persons who donated it. Could our game agencies be up to similar tactics?

You have probably had experience with politicians who add new taxes or who increase taxes for some special purpose and then, when such purpose goes away, the taxes stay…. it only gets worse – never better. Well, with game agencies, once they take something away, they almost never give it back. If Arizona takes away over-the-counter archery tags for mule deer, you will probably never see it offered again.

Saskatchewan Open Plains Monster Bucks

Monday, October 29, 2007 Posted by

Saskatchewan Monster Bucks

Montana Record Book Muley

Monday, October 29, 2007 Posted by

Montana hunter places buck in Record Book using a muzzleloader.

This story originated with the Billings Gazette. I discovered it at buckhuntersblog.

Killing coyotes for fun

Thursday, October 25, 2007 Posted by

Since this site is about mule deer, not coyotes, it is a stretch to quote coyote stories. Nevertheless, I have to do this because anyone who kills coyotes not only saves mule deer, but also deserves respect. I think you will enjoy the stories.

These stories come from arizonahuntingtoday.com: coyote rest

A recent blog by Desert Rat “Predators Killing Pets” reminded me of an incident I had a couple of years ago.

I was sitting out on the patio cleaning my Ruger 1B (http://www.rugerfirearms.com/index.html) when I heard all this screaming and yelling coming from the neighbors backyard. They are good neighbors, mind their own business, and are just very nice people. The only drawback is that she is kinda opposed to hunting, not a bleeding heart type and not vocal about it, but she is opposed to it. She also raises chickens, ducks, and has three little dogs, very little dogs. I joke with her all the time that I would like to use them for catfish bait, she doesn’t think it’s funny. Anyhow I look over to see what all the screaming is about and to my surprise I see a coyote trotting out of her backyard headed in my general direction but going up the hillside, not running hard, just kind of an easy trot. Now I’m not surprised to see a coyote as they visit our place on a fairly regular basis, but what surprised me was this this one had a little white mutt clamped firmly in his jaws. I quickly slapped a 117 grain 25.06 Sierra Game King BTSP (http://sierrabullets.com) round into the chamber and placed the crosshair of my Weaver GrandSlam 6-20×40 (http://weaveroptics.com) on an opening I thought he would be coming through. As he came through I touched off a round thinking that if nothing else it would cause him to drop the dog and run off. Much to my surprise he did drop the dog as he tumbled ass over teakettle dead as a doornail. When I finally got to the dog he was covered in blood and had several deep puncture wounds and I’m thinking he isn’t going to make it, should I just him out of his misery. I look back down the hillside and see our neighbor running up toward us, stumbling and crying for her little dog. She is in a real frenzy by the time she reaches us and wants to get the dog to the vet in a hurry. I was going to tell her that the poor thing didn’t have a snowballs chance in hell but thought better of it. We picked up the poor ragged, bloody little thing and headed to the vets office. Well that was about two years ago and that pesky little mutt is still around, much to my surprise. She still thanks me every chance she gets and has told me on several times how much she appreciated me saving her dogs life – then she added “Did you really have to kill the coyote, couldn’t you just have scared him into dropping my dog.” Some people just don’t get it.

——————————————————-

As some of you know we live in the SE Corner of Arizona and within spitting distance of the US/Mexican border. We all are affected by the masses of illegals coming through our pourous border and with the US governments refusal to do anything substanial about it. It has had a dramatic effect on all of us here on the border and although you don’t probably see it on a daily basis it has had an effect on all the tax paying citizens of America. However now it is really getting personal, and I don’t mean them turning on our water and letting it run all night, or cutting our fences, or even using our backyard as a bathroom. One highlighted sentence in the Arizona Hunting Regulations states: “Homeland security issues along the international border may affect the quality of a person’s hunt.” I recently purchased a new AR, developed some loads for it and got it shooting -1″ MOA at 100 yards. Decided that this morning it would get it’s baptism under fire. Loaded up the truck before daylight and set out for one of my favorite spots. Pulled into the wash, hid the truck best I could and hiked a short way up a little knoll. Set my “improvised” Whirling Woodpecker (www.outfoxedproducts.com) out about 30 yards hurried back up the knoll and turned on the FoxPro. I couldn’t have been there for more than 5 minutes when two Border Patrol Agents came tiptoeing up the dry wash. I stood up and wavd then started walking down to them. They wanted to know what I was doing in the area, don’t know why I said what I did but I was kinda pissed-off that we now have to explain what we (US Citizens) are doing on the border. I told them that as far as I was aware we still lived in a free country and I could do as I well pleased as long as I wasn’t breaking any laws, which I wasn’t. We had a bit of a stare down and they then told me that this was a favorite passage way for illegals and I might be considered in the obstruction of them (Border Patrol) doing their duties. I gave them a smirk and walked back to the truck and left the area. On my next stand, about 5 miles away, I set up same as I had before. After about 10 minutes I spotted a coyote about 500 yards out coming straight into the call. Put the AR up and got ready, at about 300 yards he stopped and sat down. I knew he didn’t smell me as the breeze was coming from him to me. After a minute or two he got up and trotted back the same way he came. It was then that I heard some sounds in the canyon below me, you guessed it — about 6 or 7 illegals making their way down the canyon. I packed everything up and headed home. “Homeland security issues along the international border may affect the quality of a person’s hunt.”

Roping your wife into a deer hunt

Thursday, October 25, 2007 Posted by

This story was told to me by a co-worker just after his first and only hunt for mule deer:

(paraphrased)

I took my wife hunting on some land adjacent to her parents’ property in central Utah. I hiked some distance from camp and saw a buck – so I shot it. When I approached the deer, it stood up and started staggering around. I could see that it had been shot near the base of the antlers. All of a sudden a wave of mischief overcame me. I got out my rope and fashioned a noose which I threw over the deer’s head. I then tied the other end to a tree.

I went to get my wife and told her I had seen a buck that she could shoot. When we got close, I had her crawl on her belly to get within range of the buck. She made a good shot on it and killed it. However, she was more than a little peeved to get to the deer and find a rope tied around its neck. She has never hunted with me since.

as told by Otto Puhlman

Now you’ll have to decide whether or not you believe it.

Just in via email – The great Sacrifice

Thursday, October 25, 2007 Posted by

Two deer hunters were standing on a ridge near a highway in rural
>> > Texas on
>> > the opening day of deer season.
>> > They both spotted a large trophy class buck meandering towards them.
>> >
>> > As the one hunter raised his gun to shoot, a funeral procession
>> > came slowly
>> > by.
>> >
>> > The hunter lowered his gun, took off his hat and stood with his
>> > head bowed
>> > until the procession was past.
>> > Of course by then, the deer was gone.
>> >
>> > The other hunter exclaimed “Wow! That was the most sportsmanlike
>> > act I’ve
>> > ever seen! You allowed this trophy buck to escape while showing
>> > such compassion and kindness toward someone’s dearly departed.
>> >
>> > You are a great humanitarian and a shining example to sportsmen
>> > throughout
>> > the world!”
>> >
>> > The first hunter nodded and said, “Well, we were married for 42
>> > years.”


Grizzly and Wolf Invasion

Thursday, October 25, 2007 Posted by

While hunting in Wyoming this year, we talked to the local warden who informed us that there are now 50 grizzlies and 2 packs of wolves in and around the Green River Basin area in West Central Wyoming.

He said that the wolves were, at first, decimating the antelope herds by hunting them at night when the antelope would not run. Now, he says they are concentrating on the elk. I asked him if the wolves were killing moose and deer. He said they are killing some moose and some deer, but mostly elk. This winter, when the deer are on their winter range, might be another story.

He said the bears and wolves are being good ( just eating everything in sight) so they are leaving them alone to do their thing. He also said it won’t be long before grizzlies and wolves are in Utah’s Uintah mountains if not already there.

Record Mule Deer in Central Oregon

Thursday, October 25, 2007 Posted by

Oregon

Oregon man breaks record? 225 Net?

oregon buck

Link to article: http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071024/OUTDOORS/710240422/1034

Straining at Gnats and Swallowing Camels

Wednesday, October 24, 2007 Posted by

Special interest groups are using all kinds of excuses to block oil and gas development in Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. Some of these groups are masquerading an interest in Mule Deer welfare in order to stop development. I can think of several examples ( see picture below) deer and developmentwhere mule deer have done quite well in the presence of development.

When compared to predation, development is minuscule in its effect on taking the lives of mule deer. In virtually every western state predators are killing hundreds of thousands of mule deer annually. Very few people are crying or complaining about that, and even fewer are doing something about it.

It is futile to be worrying about habitat issues, not that habitat is unimportant, while ignoring the effects of predation. It doesn’t need to be difficult to accommodate oil and gas development and wildlife jointly – particularly in areas where a little water could be provided for wildlife or where some cedar trees could be thinned by developers.

I, for one, am puzzled by all the commotion about blocking fuel oil development by people who both consume fuel daily and who use mule deer as an excuse.

The saddest part of all is that various wildlife associations are participating in these tactics along with the ne’r-do-well hugger organizations. We would all be way ahead if they would just kill a few lions and coyotes.

Arizona rifle seasons begin

Tuesday, October 16, 2007 Posted by

ArizonaOctober 26 marks the beginning of the Arizona Rifle seasons. 

If you have a tag, you will see more bucks this year, but let the little ones grow up.