The first Minnesota timber wolf killed during a regulated hunting season may fall to a deer hunter. According to this story in the Brainerd Dispatch, the DNR is taking public comment on a proposed two-part wolf season, with the first hunt coinciding with the deer opener on Nov. 3. The second season—which will include both hunting and trapping—will take reopen in late November and close in mid-January, unless a quota of 400 wolves is reached earlier.
For those who think antler envy is a recent phenomenon, the Broder family may beg to differ. They’ve been dealing with it -- over a single, magnificent mule deer -- for decades. According to this recent story in the Calgary, Alberta Herald, the Broder’s fight centered on the reigning world record nontypical muley, a buck shot by Ed Broder way back in 1926. The chocolate-horned buck carried a whopping 355” of antler, and has reigned—without serious challenge—atop the B&C books for 85 years.
Cabela’s Bow and Rifle Pack won an F&S Best of the Best Award last fall. I have one, like it very much, and figured you might like one, too. So I called the folks over there, asked if they’d supply one for a prize and they said, “Do we still owe you for the Best of the Best thing? Was this part of the deal?”
“Yes it was,” I lied. And now you can win the pack, in the camo pattern of your choice (depending on availability), a prize worth $150, just by writing the best caption (as determined by Scott and I) for the photo below.
Well, I was going to go yapping about why I think both baiting and hunting over kill plots are (or at least can be) examples of fair chase. But the comments generated by the last post move me to parge the discussion’s foundation a bit first. So bear with me. I won’t name names, but a few of you seemed to use the terms legal, ethical, and fair chase interchangeably or nearly so. I’d like to suggest that they are distinct and sometimes pretty divergent. So let’s have a rundown:
Legal It’s popular these days to say, “Hey, if it’s legal, go for it,” which implicitly embraces anything the law does not expressly forbid. But hold on just one durn minute: What’s legal is not always ethical or fair. It is legal in Texas, as I understand it, for rank amateurs and, I’ll add, nincompoops to shoot pigs from helicopters, maiming fifteen for every one they kill—for fun (see the video below). That’s legal. It is neither ethical nor fair chase.
As a rule, deer biologists tend to hate baiting. But in a likely unprecedented move by a state game agency, the Wyoming Game & Fish Department is asking the state legislature to help them legalize baiting in the state. According to this AP story, biologists are struggling so mightily to control whitetail populations that they’re looking to add another strategy to their toolbox.
It’s important to note that in this case, officials intend to limit the use of bait to urban areas or other deer-control hotspots. Their hope is to be able to lure deer to spots where the animals would be more vulnerable to harvest, and to areas where shooting is safer. No plans seem to be in the works to legalize baiting on a broad basis at this time.
I’ve known a lot of vegetarians. I was engaged to one once (technically “pre-engaged,” whatever the hell that means). And you know, I don’t think I’ve ever met one I didn’t like. I’ve met some I thought were full of $#!%, but none I didn’t like. I like some hunters who are also full of $#!%.
It’s fun to bust on vegetarians, and they usually take it well. Especially fun are the easy marks, the ones who say, “I’m a vegetarian but I eat fish.” We had a vegetarian friend over to dinner recently who said, “I’m a vegetarian but I eat fish and chicken,” which made me think of a line from The Princess Bride: “I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Many of you have heard this tip; it’s an oldie but a goodie. So think of this video more as a reminder to actually get out there and do it. You don’t need a bunch of expensive targets; two or three cheap bag versions will work fine with field points. And don’t forget to take those targets into the woods once in a while for this type of practice session, as distances look surprisingly different depending on the amount and type of cover.
If you didn’t cash in that get-out-of-work pass on Friday, do it today—or extend it to give yourself a four-day weekend to fill your tag with a tank whitetail.
The chase phase is a period of frenetic activity for whitetail bucks, and today will be especially busy. Local bucks will be in a lather from the first does that have entered estrus. They have smelled the scent of a hot female in the air and might have pursued or even fought for her. Those on the losing end of such a skirmish are not content to skulk about. Instead, they turn into heat-seeking missiles, intent on finding the next doe with an open dance card.
Stephen Esker, the Ohio crossbow hunter who shot a pair of 200-class whitetails inside the Columbus city limits in back-to-back seasons and rented a helicopter to recover one of the bucks, shares news of yet another dandy Columbus bruiser that was taken last night by Ronnie Stevens with a Parker compound bow. Esker taped this massive 11-point typical with just over 196 gross inches and a net score of 189 and change. That’s a green score, of course, but Esker thinks the buck will rank among the top 16 typicals in the Boone and Crockett book after the 60-day drying period.
Stevens was driving home from his kid’s volleyball practice last week when he spotted the buck standing in a suburban bean field. He started knocking on doors, secured permission and quickly set up a trail cam. In a day he had photos, and a week later the buck was feeding right under his stand.
Being a full-time mountain man probably sucked as often as it was really cool. But when you only do it for a week, it’s only really cool. Then you go back home to your king bed. Late last month, I went on a backcountry elk hunt in Colorado. It’s what we here at Field & Stream call a business trip.
But first, a couple of other things: Before leaving, I argued in a post that having a speedy bow lets you use a heavier arrow and broadhead without giving up too much in trajectory. It’s scant and anecdotal evidence, I know, but that formula worked out pretty well on this hunt. Also before I left, I asked if you would take a quartering-to shot with a bow at a deer.
It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t answer my own question: So, no-- at least, I never have and don’t plan to. But there are hunters I respect and trust who insist it is absolutely deadly with today’s fast bows. If you watch outdoor TV, you have no doubt noticed that taking the shot is a growing trend. Still, I’m not ready to contradict every state’s hunter-ed manual.