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 ]

From the Wisconsin State Journal:

Even before he got back from Iraq, Sgt. Kevin Johnson had deer hunting on his mind. So Johnson… wrote Wisconsin lawmakers with an idea: Establish a special deer season for the thousands of returning soldiers who missed the chance to hunt this fall… .

[ Read Full Post ]

My friend Bob is a very good bowhunter. He scouts exhaustively. Shoots continually. Hunts both hard and smart (and there is a difference). His trophy walls are proof of his skill and attention to detail; last time I was in there, I think Bob had close to 20 whitetails hanging that any hunter would be proud of.

So here’s the deal: For the last couple of seasons, Bob has known about a giant buck on property he has permission to hunt. Two years ago he passed the deer, knowing it had tremendous potential. Last fall the buck had made a big jump in antler growth and Bob was dialed into his early season patterns like a thief breaking a lock combination. Then an accident kept Bob out of the woods for much of the fall, unable to hunt the buck.

[ Read Full Post ]

From a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission press release:

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Ameristep Plastic Strap-On Tree Step. . . .

Hazard: The plastic portion of the step can break, posing a fall hazard to the user.

[ Read Full Post ]

Today’s post is not really a “Gun Nut” item so much as a a “Primitive Weapons Nut” item.

This is my cousin Shaun, who used to be my bird hunting partner before he went over to the Dark Side of traditional archery. Shaun now makes his own bows and arrows. He got the point in the picture as a gift  from flintknapper Woody Blackwell on a hunt in Texas. It’s made of obsidian, a volcanic glass rock that cuts so well it is preferred for some types of cardiac surgery. Obsidian was prized by paleo-indian hunters and it formed the cutting edge of the macuahuitl --- a kind of club-sword -- of the Aztecs. Blackwell is one of a few modern flintknappers who makes their points and hunts with them.

This point weighs about 200 grains. Blackwell killed a feral hog with one just like it on the hunt he and Shaun were on together. Shaun has attached the point to his homemade arrow with epoxy and dental floss, which I am pretty sure is what the Indians used. He says he is saving this point for a close shot at a big... [ Read Full Post ]

Last week, Field Notes guru Dave Hurteau did a great profile (and an exclusive, I might add) on what will likely be the Ohio state record muzzleloader buck. And just recently, another buck profiled on this site—a monster from Wisconsin—unseated last year’s “Field & Stream buck” for top honors as the largest Badger State bow-killed non-typical.

[ Read Full Post ]

From WKOW TV:

Frustrated hunters gathered at the capitol, demanding answers about last month's dismal deer hunt.

The major concern at today's public hearing was that the Department of Natural Resources herd reduction regulations might be destroying the deer population.

Hunters killed nearly 30 percent fewer deer in November compared to last year.
Senator Neal Kedzie pointed fingers at the DNR. . . .

[ Read Full Post ]

From United Press International:

A Washington state man used a bow and arrow to shoot a man who allegedly was trying to burglarize a vacant home, police said.

Scott Schwingdorf followed the burglar suspect and shot him during the course of the burglary. . . .

"It's people like (Schwingdorf) that make the streets safe. Especially when you're a victim already. [ Read Full Post ]

Back in July, my trail cams captured a neat-looking deer. The broad-bodied buck toted a dandy 6-point right side, but his left antler was very odd. Four small points sprouted from a main beam not much larger than a yearling’s rack, and a 4-inch “kicker” point grew back toward the buck’s hindquarter. Because the antlers were so imbalanced I nicknamed the buck “Tilter.”

[ Read Full Post ]

From The Benton Evening News:

On Nov. 22, William K. Richardson, 45, of Benton received six citations — including one ticket for the unlawful taking of more than two bucks during deer season (three bucks).

Richardson also was issued two citations for failing to tag deer (8-point buck and small fork buck), two for failing to check in deer by 10 p.m. and one for failing to check in deer by 10 p.m. (parental responsibility — on a deer taken by his son, a juvenile).

Until early summer, he had been on the legal staff of the IDNR in Springfield. [ Read Full Post ]

I know many of us were shocked in the summer of 2008 when the last surefire proof of Bigfoot turned out to be a gorilla suit in a freezer, and of course the year before when that juvenile Pennsylvania Bigfoot wound up being a bear with a bad case of mange (and, to be fair, when pretty much every other sighting was really just a guy in an ape suit). But this time there can be no doubt. Just read the article below and ask youself: What use does a salesperson have for stretching the truth?

Still, even if this one doesn’t pan out, I’m confident. I have a trail cam in the woods behind my house pointed at a 50-gallon drum filled with Jack Link’s Beef Jerky. I’m sure I’ll be reporting soon.

From the Star Tribune:

Tim Kedrowski admits he was "super skeptical" at first. But now the 55-year-old salesman from Rice, Minn., wonders if his motion-activated camera managed to do something no one else has -- capture Bigfoot in Minnesota's big woods, far from his alleged stomping grounds in the Pacific Northwest.

Kedrowski's two adult sons set up the camera on the family's hunting land near Remer, Minn., and Leech... [ Read Full Post ]