I’ve mentioned Cameron here before, that hard driving, blue collar editor of Eastman’s Bowhunting Journal.  Now he has been picked as the Host for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation television show “Elk Chronicles”.  I will certainly set tmy DVR to record it.  I have included the full press release below:

Elk Foundation Taps Cameron Hanes for ‘Elk Chronicles’

6/30/08

MISSOULA, Montana-Athlete, archer, communicator, backcountry fanatic and self-described “average guy living an elk hunter’s dream,” Cameron Hanes has been selected to host Elk Chronicles, the new television show of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
Read the rest of this entry »

2008 Nonresident Deer and Elk Tag Quotas

As of: March 14, 2008

The Regulations have recently been updated for 2008.  You can find them online at: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/hunt/rules/bg/

I don’t know about you, but I tried to avoid my high school principal as much as possible.  You see, everytime I talked to him, I didn’t talk, I got talked to….If you know what I mean.  Maybe things would have been different if I had a principal like Mr. Cyr of the Powers, Oregon High school.  When he is not performing his administrative duties, Coaching basketball, or being a father to his infant daughter, Mr. Jody Cyr in the hills, and mountains.  When asked about spring sports, he replied ”Not coaching anything this spring, it’s shed hunting season.”

And from the looks of it , he is a darn good shed hunter. The Oregon Coast Range is a brushy place and it takes determination and perserverence to find one, let alone a dozen, fresh brown current year sheds.
Here is this years Haul….
Click on thumbnail to see full size…

An impressive Roosevelt Shed. Yes, That’s his office!

“I’ve been trying to figure out where a few specific bulls have been spending their winters..After hundreds of hours of hiking, I found one of their drops about 5 miles from where they spend time in the fall. I know their all bachelored up that time of year so I will be hiking like crazy looking for this match and a couple other giant sets…”

His shed hunting clues him into places to find deer and elk during the rifle and archery seasons as well. Remember those office photos? Here are his greatest hits from 2007, in thumbnail, clickable form…

When I asked him about future plans, he mentioned a trip to Hawaii with his family.  He was quick to add that he will be bringing his bow to squeeze in a few quick hunts between beach and hotel time!   

Well heads turned today as I let out a whoop from in front of my computer!  I was one of the few but proud, successful applicants for elk tags in Wyoming. 

I checked my results on the Wyoming G&F Draw Results  page.  Don’t despair if you didn’t draw an elk tag, though.  You still have until March 15th to apply for deer and antelope. 

Wyoming’s online application system is up and running.   There is links to frequently asked questions and a glossery of terms for the unfamiliar. So gather up your personal information, hunt information , and the info for the rest of your party, and make sure you have a credit card to charge in case you draw.  Best of luck.

Wyoming, Here I come!

Throughout the West farmers and ranchers have been hoping for a good snowpack to recharge reservoirs for irrigation as well as stock ponds that benefit both wildlife and livestock. 

Well we got the snow.  according to reports, the snowpack in the Sierras is 3 times what it was this time last year.  That’s good news for water supplies.  However deep snow presents a problem for deer and elk finding enough winter forage, and increases fawn mortality through increased predation pressure and decreased feed resources.  The Idaho Fish and Game released this press release to explain how they are dealing with the heavy snows, and the role of winter feeding to help big game herds in Idaho.

IDAHO FISH AND GAME
UPPER SNAKE REGION NEWS RELEASE
Idaho Falls, ID

Date: February 4, 2008
Contact: Gregg Losinski
(208) 525-7290

weather becoming critical for big game

When it comes to precipitation, it’s often feast or famine.

Winter storms have brought much needed snow to recharge reservoirs and provide hope for next years irrigation needs. But things are starting to look tough for certain herds of deer and elk. As part of its annual monitoring program, the Winter Feeding Advisory Committee met Friday, February 1, via a telephone conference call to review animal and environmental conditions in Idaho Fish and Game’s Upper Snake Region.

After much consideration, the committee unanimously recommended that Fish and Game begin preparation of feeding operations to address the needs of wildlife and the safety of humans in the region.

The recommendation by committee chairman Kent Marlor was not for wholesale winter feeding. The committee, along with Idaho Fish and Game biologists reviewed specific locations and the animal, human, and environmental factors associated with each. Fish and Game will set up a priority schedule to undertake a feeding operation, the likes of which have not been seen in this area for fifteen years.

“We are sensitive to all places in the region where animals are struggling with winter conditions, but due to logistics we can’t address them all,” said Steve Schmidt, Upper Snake regional supervisor. “That is why we have worked with the Winter Feeding Advisory Committee to come up with priorities.”

Herd survival, human safety and disease transmission are the driving factors in selecting wildlife populations to be fed.

“While some fawns die every winter, more will certainly die this winter,” regional wildlife manager Daryl Meints said. “That is unfortunate, but our number one priority is trying to insure the best survival possible for the mature females. They’re the ones that will be able to bring back the herds after we get through the winter.”

Part of the program will be to lure big game animals away from areas where they could be a traffic hazard and from sites where landowners are feeding livestock, Schmidt said. In some cases, feed sites will be established where a special alfalfa-mix pellet will be distributed.

Because of the large territory involved, volunteers will be crucial to reaching all the animals affected.

“Once we start feeding, we can’t stop until spring green-up,” Meints said. “That means people who sign on to be volunteers need to be serious about helping for the long haul.”

Winter feeding operations are expensive, and difficult to implement. To learn more about winter feeding, visit the Fish and Game website at: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/hunt/biggame/feed.cfm

For information about volunteering to help with wintering wildlife or to report problem locations, call 208-525-7290.

This Weekend while opening the mail, I saw the January/February Edition of the Eastmans Bowhunting Journal.  Thumbing  through, I came across a familiar face in the members success pictures…Me!

Of course I started getting phone calls and e-mails from  all my buddies across the West with obligatory “Hollywood” jokes.  I had submitted a story along with a bunch of photos that I haven’t had the opportunity to share with my readers.  So I’ll do that here, now.

The Preparation

It was February when I saw that I was unsuccessful in drawing a Wyoming elk permit. I gathered my composure, and called my friend Shane, who lived in Oregon. Shane invited me to join him in Oregon where I could get an over the counter archery license. I was happy that I would have a chance to hunt elk this year.

In July, I received the news I had drawn a Wyoming deer tag. I was worried that the seasons would conflict. After numerous calls to my Wyoming and my Oregon hunting partners, we figured out a schedule that would accommodate both. I would spend 5 days hunting in Wyoming, then drive 12 hours to central Oregon to catch the last 4 days of the Oregon archery elk season. I knew if I was going to hunt for two weeks straight for two of the toughest game animals the West has to offer, I’d better get in shape.

Over the next 12 weeks, I had signed up with a trainer and began a regime of weights and cardio training 5 days a week. I dropped 4% in body fat and lost 25 pounds. I shot my bow every night, and competed in the local 3-D league with my daughters. By the middle of September we had all won our divisions. I also let my moustache and a goatee grow as a reminder to prepare for my upcoming hunts, much to my family’s amusement. My wife asked me when I was going to shave it, I replied, “When I arrow a bull elk”. Read the rest of this entry »

Preserving the memory of a successful hunt is usually thought of in terms of antlers and shoulder mounts, meat in the freezer and pictures on the wall.  But for the successful elk hunter, elk ivory jewelery can be a way to get your wife or girlfriend to be a little more excited about your elk harvest.

What are elk ivories? 

 Elk are ruminants.  This means they have a four chambered stomach that is adapted to storing large amounts of grasses and forbs from early morning feeding.  Then, in the safety of hiding cover, the elk regurgitate the fiberous feedstuffs, continue to chew the bolus until the particle size is reduced further, and it passes on down the digestive tract for further digestion and absorbtion.  The teeth of ruminants are built uniquely for this task with lower incisors made for slicing off grass stems.   The molars are large and square, well suited to grinding up roughage.  Ruminants normally have no upper incisors, but instead have a dental pad in their place.  Elk are unique in the fact that they have two rounded canine teeth made of an ivory like material.  These are also referred to as “buglers” or “tusks”.  The origin of these is unknown and elk are the only member of the North American deer family to exhibit this unique dentition.  As elk age, plaque deposits combined with age and wear make interesting and unique designs in the ivories.  Usually Bull ivories are kept as keepsakes, but cow elk have ivories as well, although smaller.   Below are a pair of ivories from a winter killed bull on my hatband.  This picture shows the root and all.

 What can you do with them?

Elk Ivories are well suited to custom jewlery.  A search on Google under Elk Ivory will turn up a wide assortment of jewlers with custom designs that can be made with your ivory.  Commercial sources of elk ivories are available as well, if you were not able to collect your own.   One of the most well known elk ivory jewlery designers is Jensen’s Jewlers.  The have locations throughout the West including Idaho, Nevada, Montana, and South Dakota.  Their web page shows the wide variety of designs for earrings, cufflinks, belt buckles, keychains, necklaces, bracelets etc. 

 This Christmas, my wife will be getting a pair of Elk Ivory post earrings from Rod and Candy Huskey of Lazy J Corral in Hoback Junction, Wyoming.  On my way home from Wyoming this October, I dropped off my ivories, and told Rod to do what he thought was best.  I have to say the results were fantastic! 

While Rod and Candy don’t have a fancy website like other jewlers, the personal attention and customized design  makes me proud to have them create my keepsakes. 

If you are interested in contacting them, their phone number is 307-733-1554.  They have their jewlery shop and RV park at 10755 South Highway 89, Jackson, Wyoming 83001.