As a result of a discussion on Sage Creek Forums, I found myself looking at “South’s Backcountry Bowhunting” a blog by a fellow Northern California bowhunter, South Cox.  Now to readers of Eastman’s Bowhunting Journal, South has become a household name when it comes to bivouac adventures after mule deer and elk.  After meeting South one day before he was headed off to Nevada, I had a chance to get to know him, and chat about people and places we both knew.  So when I saw he had started a blog as well, I had to add him to the list of folks I enjoy reading. 

He is part of the Bowcast.com community which has become quite well known for a weekly podcast dedicated to the “New School” archery hunter.  I’m sure I will find plenty of new material to pass along to the Skinny Moose readers from South and the rest of the boys at Bowcast.

Now I don’t get into politics much, but the news that Sarah Palin, of Wasilla, Alaska was chosen as a running mate to John McCain, certainly perked up my ears.  Sarah is a fellow University of Idaho Alumni.  What is notable is that she typifies the independant spirit, that I treasure in our Western women.  The “step in and git it done” attitude, so typical of outdoors loving ladies, has served her well in the political arena as well.  When I think of women I am proud to know (my wife being the most notable), they all have an appreciation for the outdoors and nature, as well as understanding the role of renewable resources. 

Below is a Bio of Sarah:

Governor Sarah Palin made history on Dec. 4, 2006 when she took office. As the 11th governor of Alaska, she is the first woman to hold the office.

Since taking office, her top priorities have been resource development, education and workforce development, public health and safety, and transportation and infrastructure development.

Prior to her election as governor, Palin served two terms on the Wasilla City Council and two terms as the mayor/manager of Wasilla. She has served as chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which regulates Alaska’s most valuable non-renewable resources: oil and gas. She was elected by her peers to serve as president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors.

Sarah Heath Palin arrived in Alaska with her family in 1964, when her parents came to teach school in Skagway. She received a bachelor of science degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987. Palin, who graduated from Wasilla High School in 1982, has lived in Skagway, Eagle River and Wasilla.

She is married to Todd Palin, a lifelong Alaskan, a production operator on the North Slope and a four-time champion of the Iron Dog, the world’s longest snowmachine race.

Todd and Sarah commercial fish in Bristol Bay with their children – Track, Bristol, Willow and Piper. Through Todd’s Yup’ik grandmother, Alaska’s Native heritage plays an important role in their family. Track enlisted in the U.S. Army on Sept. 11, 2007.

Palin is a lifetime member of the NRA and enjoys hunting, fishing, Alaska history, and all that Alaska’s great outdoors has to offer.

 

I will certainly be keeping an eye on the presidential race with Govenor Palin “in the mix” now.  She has won the hearts of outdoorsmen in Alaska, and it will be interesting to see how the rest of America responds. 

I’d be interested to hear your point of view on Sarah and her outdoors heritage as well. 

Drawing an Elk Permit in California is quite a feat.  A combination of preference points and Good-Old-Fashioned Luck is required to be among the few who pursue elk in California.    Believe it or not, California is home to all three species of elk. 

The Rocky Mountain elk found throughout the 11 western states is established in Northeastern Shasta County, Modoc County and portions of Siskyou, and Lassen county as well as roaming freely on the Tejon Ranch in Southern California. 

California also has Roosevelt elk in Humboldt,  Del Norte, Trinity and part of Siskyou Counties,

California is the ONLY place to find the Tule Elk.  The smaller framed species resembles the Roosevelt Elk’s Head gear with occasional crown points.  It has recently been recognized as a separate species by the Pope and Young Club since opportunities to hunt the Tule have become more readily available through private land tags, as well as additional lottery and conservation auction tags. 

The California State Archery Record Typical Tule elk  was taken by Mike McCall in Inyo County and scored 312 5/8th inches in 2006.  The state record Non Typical bull was killed in 1990 by Audry Goodnight in Solano County.

Rachael Kanewske compiled some good information on her web page about the Tule elk, where I found this description:

The Tule Elk, considered the smallest of all the Elk species in North America, is endemic to California. The adult bulls have an average weight of 450-500 lbs., with some topping the scales at up to 700lbs. The adult cows average 375-425 lbs (McCullough, 1969). The yearlings (spike bulls) average the same weight as the adult females (McCullough, 1969).

Our friend Cindy Seitz-Krug was one of the few to draw a coveted Tule Elk tag.  Although she, her husband, and friends scouted for weeks beforehand it wasn’t until just a few days before the opening day of the season that they spotted a bull that caught her eye.  Cindy’s friend Brandon stated,

“Although the quest for a +300″ bull began over a month ago it didn’t really become a reality until the week leading up to the hunt. Throughout the valley we had three to four bulls that would break that mark, with one beating that number substantially. All we had to do was let Cindy decide which one she wanted to send an arrow through. Although we saw bulls that would net-score higher Cindy was passing shots looking for something with extreme character. When she chose this bull I knew it was lights out for him before the stalk and calling even started!”

Now in the interest of a future magazine article, we will leave the details to be told later, but the hunt culminated in a beautiful 7X9 bull that has a green net score of 308″.  After the 60 day drying period, I’m sure one of my fellow measurers in the South-land will let me know the “official” score. 

I am sure this is not the last we will hear from my friend Cindy.  She has a Rocky Mountain elk hunt scheduled for later this Fall, and I am sure we will be comparing notes after the season.  I am truly happy for her success.  It is strong willed, capable women like Cindy who are great role models for girls as more women become involved in hunting, shooting and archery. 

It is not unusual to find a Western resident, with a sidearm in the backcountry. Folks who venture out into the wilds often carry pistols for a variety of reasons, beyond personal protection.

• Stockmen may need to put down an injured bovine or horse, a long way from veterinary care.
• Snake shot loads for a variety of calibers are available if an unwary hiker find themselves unable to back out of reach of an angry buzztail.
• Many big game hunters find it convenient to harvest a fresh grouse, rabbit or quail dinner with a small caliber handgun, rather than a centerfire rifle.
• For the Archer, many times it adds an element of reassurance when in bear country.

What ever the reason, it is important to know what the laws of the state you are hunting say in regards to carrying a handgun, especially during restricted hunting seasons.  The three states I am most familiar with are Idaho, Wyoming and California.  Of the three, California is the most restrictive. 

California
You may carry a handgun while hunting during a firearms season. Your gun can be loaded while you are hunting, and it does not have to be visible.
Phillip from the Hog Blog expressed a good point about ammunition selection in a recent post where he stated:

If you are carrying just in case you jump a big game animal (hog, deer, bear) in the “Condor Zone” (see the maps on the DFG website), you MUST have non-lead ammo in both guns, even if it’s not your primary weapon. Same goes if you’re carrying a centerfire and tags for big game during open season, even if you insist you’re only hunting quail. It all gets a little sketchy here, but read the regs and do your best to meet the technicalities. I think the wardens are still figuring out how best to enforce and interpret some of this stuff, so you’ll want to err on the conservative side.

You may not carry a fire arm of any type during an archery only season. However, if you are bowhunting during the Regular Firearms season, withthe regular season tag (not Archery Only) you may carry a side arm.

(h) Except as provided in subsection 353(g), archers may not possess a firearm while hunting in the field during any archery season, or while hunting during a general season under the provisions of an archery only tag.

Idaho- from Idaho Fish and Games “Ask Fish and Game” press release.

Q. Can I carry a handgun while archery hunting?
A. Yes, it is legal to carry a handgun while archery hunting. But it’s illegal to use any firearm to take an animal or finish off a wounded animal in an archery-only season.

Wyoming

LSO No.:  07LSO-0435              Effective Date:  7/1/2007

Enrolled Act No.:  SEA0074

Chapter No.:      

Prime Sponsor:     Senator Case

Catch Title:       Illegal taking of game with firearms.

Subject:            Use of firearms during archery seasons.

Summary/Major Elements:

·         The act removes the prohibition on persons holding an archery license from carrying a firearm.

·         The act makes it a high misdemeanor to take a big or trophy game animal with a firearm during a special archery season or a limited quota archery only season.

·         The act requires, upon request of a game warden, that any person who has taken a big or trophy game animal during a special archery season or a limited quota archery only season allow testing of the animal’s tissue to determine if the animal was killed with a firearm.

·         The act provides for mandatory suspension of the privilege to purchase any game and fish license for three years following a conviction of taking a big or trophy game animal with a firearm during a special archery season or a limited quota archery only season.

Moms don’t hunt do they?

Well, this Bakersfield, California gal begs to differ.  Cindy Seitz-Krug has made a name for herself among Southern California bowhunters for her prowess with a bow.  The lithe, athletic wife and mother has connected regularly on game throughout the West.  If her name sounds familiar, she was featured in Eastmans’ Bowhunting Journal last year for the Rocky Mountain Elk she harvested on public land.

Well this year started out well for Cindy and her husband Rich.  In June they both got Hogs at the Tejon Ranch near Lebec. 

And then this August, Cindy connected on this nice velvet antlered buck in Southern California.

I’ll let Cindy tell the story…

We hunted our local spot this weekend. Opening morning stunk. It was so hot, nothing was moving. Then we sat in a ground blind (and cooked) for 4 hours. It’s at the same water trough I shot a small 3×4 buck on last year. But this year no deer came in. We went back Sunday morning and there were a lot more deer moving about. I shot a decent little 2×3 buck. Maybe I should have held out for something bigger, but I’m just as glad to have my tag filled. Now I don’t have to worry about hunting every chance I get. This way I can spend some extra time with my kids before I abandon them in Sept. for 3 weeks. That’s always hard on all of us, but when the aspens turn, I’ve gotta be in the elk woods!

As you can see Cindy is a dedicated hunter who truly appreciates her time afield. It’s hard to imagine this is the same person who is an Award winning Quilter!   (She won one of the major prizes in an important national quilt show - the American Quilting Society show in Nashville). She truly is a multi-talented individual, who happens to be one of the many gifted bowhunters I have had the pleasure of “meeting” in my Western Wandering.  In our next installment I’ll tell you about her latest accomplishment.
 

“Apple the Cow” investigates a Black Bear that wanted to share her apple tree. 

HYGIENE, Colo. — Cowabunga! Who needs a guard dog when you have a cow?

 

A bear trying to grab apples at a pasture in Hygiene was scared off Sunday by the homeowner’s heifer.

 

Nancy Dayton said a young black bear was in her apple tree and was starting to roam the area when her black cow, Apple, confronted it and chased it off.

Here is the news story from Channel 7 news of Denver,

The folks at the Best of the West television show have been instrumental in some of the increased interest in long range accurate shooting.  In fact they have an instructional video set on the topic.

Their idea of aiming for a “high shoulder shot” is discussed in the video embedded below.  The idea is that this point of ain is more forgiving of windage or distance judging errors.  When the bullet impacts at the point of aim, the results are consistant, the animal drops in its tracks.  The shot goes low, heart shot, a little back,  back of the lungs or liver hit.  A little forward?  Neck shot.  High?  clean miss or spine shot.

I’ll let Aaron Davidson show and tell:

Pictures and more discussion on the vitals from www.bowhunting.net/NAspecies/elk2.html

Any one who knows me knows I am a topo map junkie.  I started with the DeLorme Atlases and then the Forest Service maps, and finally I got the DeLorme Topo version 4.0 (7.0 is just out) so I could print customized maps, remote scout, and plan runs, hunts, and hikes at high and low detail.   I really use the DeLorme Topo program anytime I want to know more about an area.  It has become my go-to program for pre-scouting an area.

Now I have found a free topographic map source that interacts with Google Earth. 

MapFinder™ for Google Earth™ is a searchable index utilizing base map information derived from Google Earth™.  Want to know more about a specific location? Dive right in — Google Earth™ combines satellite imagery, maps and the power of Google™ Search to put the world’s geographic information at your fingertips. NOTE: Currently MapFinder™ for Google Earth™ shows only the 1:24,000 scale USGS topographic maps. For USGS 1:100,000 scale  please use MapFinder™ for Adobe Reader™.

System Requirements: Google Earth™ version 4 or higher

It is available for a free download at http://www.usgsquads.com/mapfinder.html

Once you download the .KML file, you are taken to an instruction screen that tells you how to activate the overlay of the topo map quads.  Once you open the overlay file for your state, then you can click on an icon that allows you to download the appropriate map quad as a .tiff file, and view it in Microsoft Image
Viewer.   I have printed these maps off on an 8 1/2 x11 piece of paper and still have enough detail that i can scribble notes on it.  Users with access to a large format printer may be able to print the 7.5 minute quads at their full size.

I’ll still use my topo maps from DeLorme that allow me to choose my level of detail and combine topo quads on one map.  But for the  ”real deal” USGS 7.5 minute quadrangles, viewable on your computer screen, you can’t beat the cost and quality.

A Roosevelt elk herd North of Orick

Big Daddy was keeping watch.

A Tule elk herd near Laytonville.

Ok.   Here is a look at the big guy…

16 hours of Hunting

12 hours of highway driving

One 4.6 earthquake

No bears sighted

Now don’t get me wrong.  the Bears are there.  they just weren’t moving during the day.  We saw bear sign and where they had been feeding in the Blackberries.  I just never got a visual of a bear as I crept along the miles of logging roads in Del Norte and Humboldt County.  The thick trees and brush obscured any vision off of the roads, and the steep mountainsides actually made me glad that i didn’t kill a bear and have to retrieve 200 lbs. of meat and hide.

Here is what I did see

The Pacific Ocean is just the other side of that last ridge.  We could hear the surf.  That is Fog Below us while scouting the day before.

This was my view for most of the day as I crept along looking for bears feeding in the berries.  That haze is a mixture of smoke from wildfires to the east, and fog from the ocean to the west.  This vista was the most open of any of the ground I hunted.

The berries had been fed on by bears.  In fact they looked as if a truck had driven through them.  Below is a typical patch of berries. 

That’s a bear trail leading through the middle of it.

Here is indisputable truth that the bears were indeed feeding on berries.  This pile was damp in the morning.  I took the picture in the afternoon.

So now I will look forward to an out of state elk hunt as my next big trip.  Who knows, maybe I will have a impromptu hunt before that.