From the Colorado DOW:

Variety, they say, is the spice of life. And for hunters, no other state offers as much “spice” as Colorado. From upland birds and waterfowl to majestic big game animals like elk and bighorn sheep, Colorado’s wild game species are as diverse as the Rocky Mountain landscape.

Colorado’s varied and distinctive hunting opportunities are now featured in “Hunt Colorado,” a new online video from the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

Filmed in high-definition video and recorded in digital audio, “Hunt Colorado” takes viewers on an entertaining and concise tour of Colorado’s game species. Featured in the seven-minute video are: turkey, quail, grouse, pheasants, ducks, geese, squirrels, rabbits, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, elk and deer.

“‘Hunt Colorado’ provides a great overview of some of Colorado’s well-known and not so well-known hunts,” said Debbie Lininger, DOW marketing director. “Colorado is famous for its exceptional elk hunting, but I don’t think people realize just how many other amazing opportunities exist right here in our own backyard.”

To play “Hunt Colorado” and other DOW online videos, viewers need a high-speed Internet connection and the latest version of Adobe Flash installed on their computer.

Videos may be accessed directly on the Division’s Web site at: http://wildlife.state.co.us/NewsMedia/Videos/

Hunt Colorado from Colorado Division of Wildlife on Vimeo.

Fraught with uncertainty, Idaho’s first regulated wolf hunt will get under way as planned, opening in the Lolo and Sawtooth wolf zones Tuesday, September 1.

Late Monday, August 31, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy of the U.S. District Court in Missoula had issued no decision on a preliminary injunction that would have returned the wolf to federal endangered species protection.

Following a three-hour hearing, Molloy took the issue under advisement. He said he would rule soon.

“By taking the issue under advisement, Judge Malloy today gives Idaho an opportunity to further demonstrate that we are and will continue to successfully manage the species,” Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter said Monday. “We have a sound, data-driven management plan in place, and we keep our promises. As the Idaho Department of Fish and Game implements that plan, which includes a hunting season, I am confident the judge will recognize that our sportsmen, ranchers, farmers – and indeed, all Idahoans – are responsible stewards of Idaho’s wildlife, including wolves.”

If the judge issues a ruling that affects Idaho wolf hunts, Idaho Fish and Game will notify hunters. Hunters are asked to check the Fish and Game Web site at: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov, or call the toll-free wolf hunt information number 1-877-872-3190 before their hunt.

The injunction was sought by parties to a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to remove gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains from the endangered species list earlier this year.

If legal action closes the season before October 9, Idaho Fish and Game would issue refunds to hunters who bought tags and can show they didn’t hunt. The wolf tag refund policy and request form are available from Fish and Game and the agency’s Web site at: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/hunt/wolf/.

The Long Story….

 It was a challenge getting ready for this hunt. Physically, mentally, and organizationally. I was preparing to go to a new area that I had never set foot in.  I applied at the invitation Jerome, who has hunted elk with my family and I in Wyoming.  Applying with me was my hunting partner Cal Farnsworth, one of my archery mentors, and good luck token. 

Once we found out we were successful in the Draw, it was a scramble to coordinate schedules.  Jerome volunteered to do the cooking, and shopping, as well as contribute a wall tent, folding woodstove, riding stock, and pack animals.  His  25 years of hunting expertise contributed greatly to seeing the number of deer we did on the trip.

We met Jerome at his home on Friday.  We packed coolers and panniers for the 3 pack horse loads, and organized our tack for the morning.  We ended the night with a meal at a local Basque restaurant complete with lamb, sweetbreads, garlic and Picon. 

In the morning we were at the door of the local supermarket at opening  to purchase dry ice and cubed ice for our insulated panniers.  Then we drove to our hunting area, finally arriving at the trailhead in the afternoon.  We had horses saddled and packed and hit the trail at 5:00 pm.  By 8:00 pm we had the tent pitched and a fire started in the stove for a hot dinner as the moon rose over the aspens.

The next six days consisted of many miles covered on foot and horseback from 8500 to over 10,000 feet in elevation. 

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To the WW reader,

Please excuse John from his regular writing schedule due to a number of complications. These include, a 16 mile trail race, the Sonoma County Fair, a market animal show and sale, and most recently a case of shingles that had sidelined John for a week.

We hope John will be back to his regular writing schedule, before he leaves for his Nevada Deer hunt August 8th.

While enjoying the three day weekend I stumbled across a new show on The Outdoor Channel 

On Your Own Adventures  is the project of Randy Newberg, a lifelong hunter who saw an opportunity to showcase DIY hunts on public land.  Randy describes it as:

On Your Own Adventures is the only hunting TV show dedicated exclusively to non-guided hunting – your style of hunting. Any hunt you see on our show is a hunt you can do. It takes extra effort and cost to produce high quality hunting episodes outside of high fences or without the benefit of outfitters and the private estates that most shows depict.
 
But, we did it. We hope you like it. It is our best effort to tell the story of hunting as experienced by the average hunter – Reality Hunting.

The OYOA website allows viewers to interact with Randy in his Blog, called Randy’s Rants, and the Hunt Talk forum  where members can discuss the episodes and hunting on your own.

After watching the first episode, I was impressed by the quality of the production.  It was a Wyoming Elk hunt, complete with bugling bulls, and made more difficult by competing public land hunters, and severe weather which required moving camp and finding a new spot.  These are things most self sufficient hunters can identify with and will recognize.

  If you would like to catch this unique hunting  show, the airtimes are:

 Friday – 1:30  pm (Eastern Times)

Saturday – 12:00 am (midnight Friday)

Sunday – 5:00 pm

Kirk Beckstrand had a great turkey season this year. He secured a piece of private land to hunt that had a great turkey population.  He even had gobblers battling in front of him among his decoys. 

On May 1st he connected on a tom with a 9 inch beard, and 3/4 inch spurs.

Then he connected again on the 17th with a 10 inch beard and 1 inch spurs.

Those birds along with his opening weekend success on a young tom, filled out his 3 tom allotment for the 2009 California turkey season.

“I was very happy with the year; I got all three with my bow.”

The Blacktail bucks are growing pretty well in my neck of the woods. Caught this guy out feeding last evening. Looks like he may put on a few more inches in the coming weeks.

The late Spring rains, and cool foggy weather has really made for a good feed year.

Sometimes those emails are right on. I’ve heard more than my share of these over the years, and figured I should pass them along…

*Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight
And bull-strong.

*Keep skunks and bankers at a
distance.

 *Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

* A bumble bee is considerably faster than a
John Deere tractor.

 * Words that soak into your ears are whispered…not yelled.

  * Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.

* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.

* Do not corner something that you know is meaner
than you.

* It don’t take a very big person to carry a
grudge.

* You cannot unsay a cruel word.

* Every path has a few puddles.

* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

* The best sermons are lived, not preached.

* Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t Never gonna happen anyway.

* Don’t judge folks by their relatives.

* Remember that silence is sometimes the best
  answer.

* Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get
  Older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.

* Don’t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t Bothering you none.

* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance. 

   * If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’. 

* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

 * The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever
Have to deal with, watches you from The mirror every mornin’.

 * Always drink upstream from the herd.

 * Good judgment comes from experience, and a
lotta that comes from bad judgment.

 * Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot
easier than puttin’ it back in.

* If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some
influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around.

 * Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.
Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

*Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight,
he’ll just kill you.

Well Utah is the first to respond to my tag applications. Bonus points across the board. This was the first year Utah allowed multiple species applications in the Once-in-a-Lifetime tags.

So now I have a Hunting license in Utah, wonder what I could do with it?

Thank you for your recent applications for the Big Game Drawing. Your results are:

Appl # Hunt # Result

———————————————————————————————————

787273 DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP BONUS POINT DESERTBonus Point Earned

787276 ROCKY MTN SHEEP BONUS POINT ROCKY MOUNTBonus Point Earned

787271 DEER BONUS POINT BUCK DEER Bonus Point Earned

787272 ELK BONUS POINT ELK BULL Bonus Point Earned

787275 ROCKY MTN GOAT BONUS POINT ROCKY MOUNTABonus Point Earned

787274 MOOSE BONUS POINT BULL MOOSE Bonus Point Earned

—————————————————————————–

My Sage Creek buddy Canyon Runner made a comment

John, is there anywhere you have not lived, worked? You and POPS could publish your own series of books on life in these United States! I hope someday to be able to see half the country you guys have…

CR I don’t feel that well travelled, But I have had a chance to check out a lot of country that is between North Idaho and CA.  There ARE places that are still a mystery to me though, Like the SouthWest, Central plains, Mid West, etc. 

Career and Family has certainly cut back on my travels in the West.  My college years were the height of my Western Exploration since I seemed to have a biannual trip between home and school.  I miss the windshield time. 
You know there are a lot of routes to try out in that 800 mile stretch. 

So it got me thinking about where I have been.  Most of the places I remember the most are on a narrow highway or gravel road…

Places I have Been (Blue), Lived(Red) and Want to go (Green).

 This handy little application on Facebook doesn’t have all the little communities and such, but imagine the highways and roads that connect the pins on the map.