From the Idaho Statesman:
Rick Hobson, a Boise wolf advocate, used a public records request to get the names of hunters who reported wolf kills to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Hobson posted 122 names and bought a classified ad in the Idaho Statesman that directed people to a Web site.

He said harassment was not his intent. . . .

But Robert Millage, Idaho's first successful wolf hunter, said he's been dealing with harassment since he killed a wolf on the opening day of the season in September. . . .
Millage countered with a Web site of his own to show some of the thousands of angry e-mails he's gotten. Some describe him as an "inbred hillbilly," a "sick killer" and "pure evil. . . ."

"I have some concerns over the safety of the individuals listed," said hunter John Hendley, who didn't harvest a wolf last year and isn't on the list. "What (Hobson) is doing is legal on one hand, but immoral on the other."

Millage is better known to all of you on this site as “idahooutdoors,” and he shares his story in depth in our upcoming March 2010 issue. Be sure to check it out.

Meanwhile,... [ Read Full Post ]

From the Idaho Statesman:
Rick Hobson, a Boise wolf advocate, used a public records request to get the names of hunters who reported wolf kills to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Hobson posted 122 names and bought a classified ad in the Idaho Statesman that directed people to a Web site.

He said harassment was not his intent. . . .

But Robert Millage, Idaho's first successful wolf hunter, said he's been dealing with harassment since he killed a wolf on the opening day of the season in September. . . .
Millage countered with a Web site of his own to show some of the thousands of angry e-mails he's gotten. Some describe him as an "inbred hillbilly," a "sick killer" and "pure evil. . . ."

"I have some concerns over the safety of the individuals listed," said hunter John Hendley, who didn't harvest a wolf last year and isn't on the list. "What (Hobson) is doing is legal on one hand, but immoral on the other."

Millage is better known to all of you on this site as “idahooutdoors,” and he shares his story in depth in our upcoming March 2010 issue. Be sure to check it out.

Meanwhile,... [ Read Full Post ]

Designed to end outfitter-sponsored nonresident big game licenses, Montana’s Citizen’s Initiative 161 could have far-reaching implication. The proposal reflects the public’s frustration with outfitters tying up all the best hunting land—a feeling that’s plainly shared by many hunters beyond Montana’s borders.

From the Great Falls Tribune:
The struggle for access to public wildlife on private land in Montana may go to the ballot box in the form of a citizen's initiative that would abolish outfitter-sponsored nonresident big game licenses.

Citizen's Initiative 161, sponsored by Montana Public Wildlife, was certified by the Montana Secretary of State's Office and is out for signature gathering. If enough people sign the petition, it will be on the ballot in November.

"This is a natural progression of people being upset over a long period of time," said Kurt Kephart of Billings, who heads MPW. . . .

Kephart is upset that outfitters lease private land and lock out the general public. He blames the outfitter-sponsored nonresident big game licenses, created by the Legislature in 1995, adding that no other industry in the state is guaranteed a client base.

Be sure to check out this important story and tell us your reaction. [ Read Full Post ]

The buck pictured below was, I’m told, shot on the Jicarilla Reservation in New Mexico. Long noted for its excellent elk hunting, the Jicarilla obviously hosts some monstrous mule deer as well. I’ve kind of given mule deer—one of my favorite big game species—short shrift in this space this fall, so I was glad to see this photo land in my email this week.

[ Read Full Post ]

From the Anchorage Daily News:

Black bear encounters happen every summer… and a new study suggests rubber bullets are the best way to send the bruins packing.

An article in this month's issue of The Journal of Wildlife Management based on a four-year study in California's Sequoia National Park says shooting black bears with rubber slugs from a 12-gauge shotgun is most effective -- better than pepper spray, chasing them off or hitting them with rocks.

[ Read Full Post ]

In two days at the 2010 SHOT Show I have yet to hear a discouraging word; in fact the place is bulging and throbbing like an unlanced boil. I’ve just fled from one of the law-enforcement halls because it was so mobbed that you couldn’t get through the aisles, and it is not much different anyplace else.

On the other hand, 2010 is not much of a year for innovation, at least in rifles. There are all sorts of “new” models that are only cosmetically different, but for actual new the only one that I’ve seen is the Blaser R8. Optics, however, is a different story. [ Read Full Post ]

Greetings Gun Nuts. Though I never thought an occasion would arise that caused me to stray from my post at the Honest Angler blog and enter the realm of Mr. Petzal and Mr. Bourjaily, sometimes strange things happen. One actually happened today. I aimlessly wandered the SHOT Show floor with Phil Bourjaily, filming whenever something grabbed his attention. Here's a look at what we found, including some of the hottest new guns and gear, plus a booth babe that signs lingerie. I hope you enjoy the show, as Phil and I certainly had fun making it -- Joe Cermele

[ Read Full Post ]

Here's one to file in the "did we really need a study to tell us this" category. It seem scientists have determined that watching television really is hazardous to your health.

A recent study shows you should probably turn off the TV and go outside, as researchers found that people with a four-hour-a-day television habit were 46 percent more likely to die of any disease, and 80 percent more likely to die of cardiovascular disease. But the study's authors say the solution is not to go for a run or play basketball. [ Read Full Post ]

From The Montana Standard:

A motorist drove his pickup truck through a herd of bighorn sheep [that were licking salt] on Highway 1, about 7 miles west of Anaconda, late Monday morning, killing at least eight animals, [including two trophy rams] . . . .

"He was not paying attention to the large signs saying ‘watch out for sheep on the road,' and didn't slow down," [said trooper Tom] Gill.


The driver claimed the sun was in his eyes and he didn't see the sheep in the roadway. . . . [ Read Full Post ]

After wearing a sealskin coat during a November Newfoundland Santa Claus parade, 19-Year-old beauty queen Sarah Green was shocked to see herself smeared with blood and wielding a club over a pile of gore-stained seal carcasses in a doctored online photo posted on a anti-hunting Facebook page. Still, Miss Newfoundland and Labrador says she’s going hunting.

[ Read Full Post ]

From the Helena Independent Record:

One of Montana’s favorite Wild West traditions — racing onto a Wildlife Management Area on May 15 to collect elk antlers shed during the winter when those areas are off limits to the public — may be changed under a proposal put forth by the state Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department.

Following a request by FWP Commissioner Ron Moody, the agency is proposing that on the day when the closed Wildlife Management Areas are opened to the public, only foot traffic would be allowed and only two antlers could be collected per person on that day.

[ Read Full Post ]