Results by search “going” 68
Drought impacts mule deer antler growth in Texas
Long-term drought has resulted in massive reverberations across the West. In Texas, it has impacted mule deer, particularly herds in the Panhandle and Trans-Pecos areas. With archery season already underway and general season on-deck in a just a couple of weeks, hunters should be aware that, this year, antler growth is below average even though herd health is still holding steady, according to the Texas Farm Bureau.
“I would say the chances of bagging a mule deer would probably be average, but the antler production is going to be quite a bit below average just because we didn’t have any moisture during the antler development time,” said Shawn Gray, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) mule deer and pronghorn program leader.
Low fawn production is also linked to “timely rains, and its impact on forages.” Currently, the average mule deer fawn crop in the Trans-Pecos and the Panhandle is 30% to 35%, which Gray acknowledges should s
Drought impacts mule deer antler growth in Texas
Long-term drought has resulted in massive reverberations across the West. In Texas, it has impacted mule deer, particularly herds in the Panhandle and Trans-Pecos areas. With archery season already underway and general season on-deck in a just a couple of weeks, hunters should be aware that, this year, antler growth is below average even though herd health is still holding steady, according to the Texas Farm Bureau.
“I would say the chances of bagging a mule deer would probably be average, but the antler production is going to be quite a bit below average just because we didn’t have any moisture during the antler development time,” said Shawn Gray, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) mule deer and pronghorn program leader.
Low fawn production is also linked to “timely rains, and its impact on forages.” Currently, the average mule deer fawn crop in the Trans-Pecos and the Panhandle is 30% to 35%, which Gray acknowledges should s
Wyoming reduces number of mule deer and antelope tags
There will be fewer tags for Wyoming mule deer and antelope this year. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) decided to reduce the number of tags due to disease and drought, according to Wyoming Public Radio.
EHD, or blue tongue, has impacted herds and continuing drought means more competition for available forage. Ian Tator, WGFD’s terrestrial habitat manager, says that “elk will out compete mule deer and [antelope] for vegetation.”
“We had an outbreak of blue tongue this last summer, which just means there are that many less animals available,” says Tator. “If those animals aren't there to begin with, we're not going to issue licenses for them.”
This means that WGFD will cut the number of antelope licenses by 8,000 and mule deer licenses by 3,300 for the 2022 hunting season. However, there will be an increase in elk tags, which Tator hopes will “give the mule deer and [antelope] populations a chance to grow.”
“We're trying t
When is the right time to restrict your aging hunting dog from the field?
With shaking hands and nervous anticipation, I slipped the GPS collar around Winchester’s neck and felt the subtle trembling always present prior to launch. For a moment, I considered leaving the collar in the truck, knowing my big running partner wouldn’t be running strong enough for me to fear him going over the edge of nowhere, one of the defining characteristics of our 12-year relationship.
He sat quietly, except for the gentle thumping of his tail on the seat, while I assembled the Winchester 101, 12-gauge, I had also considered leaving in the truck. But, Winchester knew that the gun and the collar meant a hunt, and their absence meant the outing was only a walk.
The March morning had dawned clear and cold, suggesting the snow cover in the mountains would present a crust that would support Winchester’s weight. Opportunities for the perfect conditions that once were a luxury had become a necessity for Winc
Hunting in the Middle Ages
In the modern US, hunting is not considered an elite activity. One tends to think of country folk and good old boys going hunting, often because they could use the food. The last time hunting was considered something for the wealthy and powerful was back when it was considered appropriate to go to Africa or Alaska to shoot elephants or lions or polar bears in Africa or Alaska.
In the Middle Ages, in contrast, hunting was very much an activity for elites. Nobles loved to hunt, to the the point that giving up hunting was a sign of serious penance. Several saints started life as rich lords but were converted to the religious life when, on a hunting trip, they saw an animal carrying a cross.
Fantastic stories often involved hunting, such as capturing a white (albino) hart or trapping a unicorn, as seen in this late medieval tapestry.
Probably the main source of meat on a noble table was from hunting, rather then livestock raising. Nobles hunted various k
HUNTER HARVESTS POTENTIAL NEW RECORD ELK
Duane Kramer is a lucky guy. Not only did he win the 2020 Keystone Elk Country Alliance Raffle, which meant he got a chance to hunt a Pennsylvania monster bull, but he actually harvested a potential new state record. Kramer, who lives in Bellingham, Washington, hired Elk County Outfitters to help him locate a big bull during this memorable hunt last October.
And, boy, did he make a good decision. While he was out in the field, he said he had plenty of opportunities at bulls over the 420” range. “There were enough 400-class bulls running around there that it wasn’t a question of getting a 400-inch bull, but a matter of how far over 400 we could get,” Kramer told Boone & Crockett.
While he was only 18 yards away from the bull he would eventually harvest, he wasn’t close enough for an ethical shot because of the harem of cows milling around him. “I thought he was going to come right for us because we were standing right in the game trail,” sai
Moose Hunt in Icy Bay
DIY Moose Hunt in Icy Bay
For the last three minutes, “Young Guns” has been on a beeline to my cow call. My loud calls, bolstered by the use of Wayne Kubat’s “Bull Magnet,” which is essentially a fiberglass megaphone that allows me to amplify both cow calls and bull grunts, has drawn in this big bull from far away. At first, far in the distance, I could hear the faint vocalizations of a bull drawn to a cow. The rhythmic “Ooh-Waa” sounds are repeated by the bull every few seconds. Finally, at about 400 yards across the swamp, I get a visual on the bull as he milled around.
At first it appears that the bull is going to head off in another direction, but my persistent calling has him coming on a string. The topography of the location makes it so I won’t be able to get a shot until he comes clear of the brush that separates us, which will put him broadside at 20 yards. I experience a full adrenaline rush after so much communication with this bull, and have enough tim
DIY Moose Hunt in Icy Bay
For the last three minutes, “Young Guns” has been on a beeline to my cow call. My loud calls, bolstered by the use of Wayne Kubat’s “Bull Magnet,” which is essentially a fiberglass megaphone that allows me to amplify both cow calls and bull grunts, has drawn in this big bull from far away. At first, far in the distance, I could hear the faint vocalizations of a bull drawn to a cow. The rhythmic “Ooh-Waa” sounds are repeated by the bull every few seconds. Finally, at about 400 yards across the swamp, I get a visual on the bull as he milled around.
At first it appears that the bull is going to head off in another direction, but my persistent calling has him coming on a string. The topography of the location makes it so I won’t be able to get a shot until he comes clear of the brush that separates us, which will put him broadside at 20 yards. I experience a full adrenaline rush after so much communication with this bull, and have enough time to calm down my hear
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