Other Species

An Overview of the Blue Lakes/Pine Forest Range

Online Editors — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:36:28 -0400

Situated in far northwestern Nevada just south of the Oregon border, Blue Lakes are the only alpine lakes in the region, and their value to anglers in the area is immeasurable. But, perhaps more importantly, is the value to the region for sportsmen all over America—it’s perhaps the best region to visit if you’re a chukar hunter, and if you’re interested in mule deer, pronghorn or bighorn sheep hunting, this is the corner of Nevada you’ll want to hit in search of big game.

Presently, the Pine Forest Range, including the Blue Lakes, is dotted by Bureau of Land Management wilderness study areas. Some of these areas might warrant that wilderness designation, but others are likely better off being released from WSA designation to allow for some much-needed conservation work that is simply not allowed in WSAs.

This is prime sage grouse country that is threatened now by invasive vegetation—primarily cheat grass, which is the first vegetation, native or exotic, to establish itself after a disturbance, like a fire, for instance. Recovery work in WSAs is limited, which means a WSA impacted by an exotic vegetation invasion can’t be adequately treated.

The lakes themselves provide a high-quality backcountry fishing experience in a designated wilderness study area, with rainbow trout and the unusual tiger trout (a sterile hybrid of a brook trout and brown trout) on the angling menu. An open shoreline lends itself to sight-casting to surprisingly big trout, and it’s a modest hike, meaning toting a float tube into the lakes is not unheard of. Presently TU and Field & Stream are working with local sportsmen, elected officials and agency staff to reconsider the WSA situation in this region, with the hopes of protecting Blue Lakes and the watersheds that drain off the Pine Forest Range—many of these streams have the potential for Lahontan cutthroat trout reintroduction.

As it is, the area is a destination for upland bird hunters who love to chase the wily chukar, and for many, that’s enough to warrant protection. Throw in the fishing component, and Blue Lakes and the Pine Forest Range are high-quality sporting destinations that deserve long-term protection.

What’s in Blue Lakes and the Pine Forest Range?
Fishing assets: Rainbow trout, brown trout, Lahontan cutthroat trout, brook trout, tiger trout.
Hunting assets: Chukar, sage grouse, mule deer, bighorn sheep,
pronghorn.
Other: This is a recreational paradise for desert-loving hikers, cyclists and off-road enthusiasts.

Threats: This area is threatened by a cheat grass invasion that has surpassed epidemic proportions. Additionally, unsustainable populations of wild horses and burros overgraze the fragile desert flora.

Also, limitations on what can be done to improve or recover wildlife habitat in designated wilderness study areas hinder any large-scale efforts to make habitat more welcoming to important game animals.

An Overview of the Cabinet and Yaak Mountains

Online Editors — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:31:28 -0400

It might be tough to believe, but Montana hasn’t protected any of its pristine backcountry fish and game habitat as wilderness in over a generation—the last attempt to create wilderness in the Treasure State was vetoed by President Ronald Reagan over 25 years ago. That’s not to say wilderness doesn’t exist outside those areas already protected in Montana —far from it. But politics and a host of factors have come into play, leaving some of the most deserving fish and game habitat in the state essentially unprotected and exposed to various forms of incursion, be it from mining, oil and gas or even just unneeded road construction.

Field & Stream and Trout Unlimited, sensing an opportunity, have rallied behind U.S. Sen. Jon Tester’s Forest Jobs and Recreation Act, the product of a collaborative series of negotiations and meetings that will hopefully result in the creation of new wilderness across Montana, including areas in the state’s northwest corner in the fabled Cabinet and Yaak mountains.

To make the effort even more palatable to a vast array of public lands users, the bill also includes a logging component that will put Montanans to work salvaging quality lumber from managed, low-country forests that are feeling the full brunt of the West’s mountain pine beetle infestation, as well as concessions to off-road vehicle and snowmobile enthusiasts who use public lands in the region as well. By protecting new wilderness in the state, Sen. Tester is ensuring the long-term viability of hunting and fishing—these areas are healthy and populated with native west slope cutthroat trout, trophy herds of elk, moose, mule deer and pronghorn, as well as upland game birds like ruffed, blue and spruce grouse. Wilderness, it turns out, is a great place to fish and hunt, and by setting aside irreplaceable public lands under our nation’s highest protective status, we’ll protect our rights to access, fish and hunt in these remarkable places now ... and for generations to come.

What’s in the Cabinet-Yaaks?
Fishing assets: Native west slope cutthroat trout, native bull trout, brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout.
Hunting assets: Elk, deer, moose, bighorn sheep, bear, wolf, lion, ruffed, blue and spruce grouse.
Other: This region rests along the Montana-Idaho-British Columbia border and includes high-priority recreational country for sportsmen as well as off-roaders and snowmobilers. Designating this land as wilderness while conceding other, lower-quality public lands for extractive uses, like logging, makes this effort unique.

Threats: Protecting as wilderness these and other high-quality backcountry areas will prevent unnecessary hard-rock mining and segregate important fish and game habitat from future road or motorized trail incursion. Protecting this area also protects downstream water quality.

State in Western India Allows Guards to Shoot Tiger Poachers On Sight

Online Editors — Thu, 24 May 2012 09:58:54 -0400

--Chad Love

If you're a tiger poacher in India, you might want to invest in some body armor, make sure your will is up-to-date, or maybe just give it up altogether, because you're likely to get shot.

From this story on npr.org:
A state in western India has declared war on animal poaching by allowing forest guards to shoot hunters on sight in an effort to curb rampant attacks on tigers and other wildlife. The government in Maharashtra says injuring or killing suspected poachers will no longer be considered a crime. Forest guards should not be "booked for human rights violations when they have taken action against poachers," Maharashtra Forest Minister Patangrao Kadam said Tuesday. The state also will send more rangers and jeeps into the forest, and will offer secret payments to informers who give tips about poachers and animal smugglers, he said.

According to the story, tiger poachers have become increasingly bold in India's tiger reserves, where guards are often armed with nothing more than sticks. There are only about 3,200 wild tigers left in the world, and India has about half of them. Fourteen tigers have been killed just this year, and eight of those have been killed in the province where it's now legal to kill poachers.

Wanted: Samples for DNA Testing to Prove Bigfoot's Existence

Online Editors — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:31:04 -0400

--Chad Love

Are you in possession of a suspected Bigfoot turd? Maybe a giant fingerprint? Perhaps a clump of fur or some other bit of physical or forensic evidence from the time when that group of suspected Sasquatches broke into your cousin Earl's single-wide while he was gone, drank all his Natty Lite, ate everything in the fridge, tore up the place and then left a big, steaming parting gift on his coffee table before disappearing back into the woods?

If you (or your cousin Earl) do happen to have evidence of The Hairy One's existence, then Oxford University wants to talk to you...

From this story on Wired.co.uk:
Supposed yeti remains are being put under the microscope in a collaboration between Oxford University and the Lausanne Museum of Zoology. The Oxford-Lausanne Collateral Hominid Project has been created to try and entice people and institutions with collections of cryptozoological material to submit it for analysis. Anyone with a sample of organic remains can submit details of where and when it was collected, among other data.

Once a reasonable database has been collected, the team will select the most interesting samples (hair shafts are particularly desirable, apparently) and ask the owners to submit them for rigorous genetic analysis. The results of these analyses will be published in peer-reviewed journals.

According to the story, the project seeks to determine, once and for all, whether Bigfoot, Yeti and company truly exist, and they want your evidence to help them do it. So if you've got that unidentified "spoor" sitting on your mantle in a baggie, British scientists would love to put it to the sniff test. For more info, visit the project's website. Have anything to donate to science?

Is There Room For Wild Bison on Montana's Public Land?

Sarah Smith — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:44:01 -0400

--Chad Love

Is there a more iconic species of the great American frontier than the mighty bison? Many people would argue no, and many are now arguing that this prairie scion should stop being what amounts to livestock and once again become a wild animal, at least in Montana.

From this op/ed in the Great Falls Tribune:
Most ranchers feel that the "no livestock grazing on public lands" position espoused by some environmental groups is extreme. Those of us at the National Wildlife Federation agree. But we conservationists feel that the "no bison on public lands" position taken by the livestock industry is equally extreme.

Saying there's no room for wild bison anywhere in Montana's 147,000 square miles defies common sense. Bison — once one of North America's most plentiful and, arguably, most valuable animals — escaped extinction, but have survived almost exclusively in captivity.

Slaughtered by the millions in the 19th century, bison today are raised by ranchers as livestock or corralled as a sort of shaggy exhibit behind high, solid fences as at the National Bison Range in Moiese. No bison can be found in their native prairie habitat anywhere in the United States. That's about to change. Montana has begun the process of restoring at least a modest herd of truly wild bison. The state Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks has begun holding a series of meetings statewide as the first step in developing an environmental-impact statement and comprehensive plan for managing wild bison.

Would you love to see wild, untamed, un-ear-tagged bison thundering across the prairie? More importantly, would you love to get the opportunity to hunt those wild, untamed, un-ear-tagged bison?

The 35 Best Photos From Field & Stream's 2012 Spring Trail Cam Contest: Round II

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:15:02 -0400

Who says trail cams are only fun in the fall? Set yours out this spring, then send us your best photos. You could win a new Bushnell Trophy Cam HD (MSRP $323.95).

Here's how it works. This contest will have three rounds. The first, Round I, began, March 12, and closed on April 12. Round II ran from April 12 to May 12, and Round III from May 14 to June 14. We're giving away three Bushnell Trophy Cam HDs (MSRP: $323.95) in each round, one cam each to the top three entries, as chosen by our editors.

Congrats to users luna, mod70 and Semibald, who each have won a Trophy Cam for their shots in Round II.

So go set your trail cams up already. And have fun! --The Editors

Click here for more info on the prizes.

Click here to enter ROUND III of the 2012 SPRING TRAIL CAM CONTEST

Gun Test: Rock River Arms LAR-15 Fred Eichler Series Predator

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 10 May 2012 08:51:48 -0400

by David E. Petzal

Here’s a good reason not to be a coyote, or any other objectionable form of animal life. Mr. Eichler, who is a varmint hunter of note, has collaborated with Rock River Arms to produce a totally cool MSR with all the right bells and whistles. There are a great many specs here, so let’s get to them.

Starting at the muzzle, the Predator has a tuned and ported muzzle brake (Why does the rifle in the photo not have one? We will get to that shortly.), a 16-inch, stainless, medium-heavy, lapped, cryo-treated barrel, low-profile gas block, free-floating handguard (whose vent holes are in the shape of paw prints, which I find almost unbearably cute), mid-length gas system, all sorts of rails, a truly superior (3.5 pounds, dead clean) two-stage trigger inside an oversized trigger guard, Hogue pistol grip, and a choice of an adjustable or non-adjustable stock. The barrel has a Wylde chamber, so it can use either civilian .223 or military 5.56 ammo. Twist is 1-8, and it handles 55-grain to 77-grain bullets just fine, although I found the rifle had distinct preferences about what it liked and didn’t like. Weight is 7.6 pounds, and overall length with the non-adjustable stock is a highly compact 36 inches. Excuse me; I need to catch my breath.

RRA guarantees that this rifle will group in ¾-inch at 100 yards. I found that with match ammo I could equal that, and with 77-grain Federal Match ammo, I could get ½ inch. However, the Predator will not shoot everything well; with some brands of ammo it didn’t like it would group in 2 inches.

Two things about the Predator jump out at you: First, it’s a very high-quality gun that’s put together with a lot of care. A collection of parts it ain’t. Second, you won’t have to go tearing off components and substituting other stuff. What’s on here, works, so leave it alone.

Now, why did my rifle not have a muzzle brake when it’s standard equipment? Because under the weird specs New York State imposes on MSRs, a muzzle brake would probably be illegal on this rifle. Or maybe it is legal. No one really is sure, so RRA acted on the side of caution. New York State assumes that if a semi-auto rifle with a muzzle brake fell into my hands I would be come a menace to the public. What can you say about that kind of thinking? In any event, if the rifle did have a muzzle brake, it would undoubtedly shoot even better than it did, and kick less, which was hardly at all.

The Predator lists for $1,395, which is fine. I look beady-eyed at the prices on a lot of MSRs, but not this one. It’s obvious where the money went. Also, Rock River Arms informs me that there is a wait on the order of 6 to 8 weeks for these guns. They can’t keep up with demand for any of their firearms, and the Predator is no exception. But I like this little rifle tremendously; it’s worth the wait. Rockriverarms.com

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos from April 2012

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 02 May 2012 09:25:49 -0400

Each month, Field & Stream editors review the hundreds of photos submitted by readers to our Trophy Room. If your photo is chosen to be printed in the Game Faces section of the magazine, you’ll win a Rapala Fish ‘N Fillet knife!

Submit your photos here!

Here are the other best reader photo collections from this year:

January 2012

February 2012

March 2012

The 50 Best Photos From Field & Stream's 2012 Spring Trail Cam Contest: Round I

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:22:02 -0400

Who says trail cams are only fun in the fall? Set yours out this spring, then send us your best photos. You could win a new Bushnell Trophy Cam HD (MSRP $323.95).

Here's how it works. This contest will have three rounds. The first, Round I, starts today, March 12, and closes on April 12. Round II runs from April 12 to May 12, and Round III from May 12 to June 12. We're giving away three Bushnell Trophy Cam HDs (MSRP: $323.95) in each round, one cam each to the top three entries, as chosen by our editors.

Congratulations to users Kim Doucette Kelly, Isham C. Shelby and Stephen Schimacher who each will receive a camera for their entries in Round!

So go set your trail cams up already. And have fun! --The Editors

Click here for more info on the prizes.

Click here to enter ROUND II of the 2012 SPRING TRAIL CAM CONTEST

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos from March 2012

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:00:43 -0400

Submit your photos here!

Here are the other best reader photo collections from this year:

January 2012

February 2012