(October 31, 2004)

WHAT A WEEK! I just finished off a busy week of hunting. First, on Wednesday I had the opportunity to hunt pheasants in the most fantastic habitat for these birds. Then on Friday I went to the Tejon Ranch as part of the California Deer Association's Sharing the Tradition junior deer hunt. Five juniors took part in this hunt. What a terrific experience for all involved. All five juniors took their deer by midday Saturday. And finally I finished off the D5 deer season today with a difficult shot at a nice buck that turned out to be to difficult for me. The buck is still in good health and hopefully will sport a larger rack next season. I'll expand on the details during the week.

What's up for next week? Well for a starter, tomorrow I should get a chance to met with California's Governor, yes, Arnold.


(October 26, 2004)

YOSEMITE PARK IS a place where turkeys are not welcome. NWTF reported that on September 24, 2004 a Park Ranger shot three of an estimated five turkeys on the park property, not as part of a legitimate hunt but as an eradication program under the direction of Michael Tollefson, superintendent of Yosemite National Park. The Park Service does not consider the turkeys native to that part of California, thus the order to eradicte the turkeys. The problem is turkey remains have been found in the La Brea tar pits and the Shasta Caverns in California.

Now, what will the Park do? Only believe the science that goes along with what they want to do? Time will tell.


(October 24, 2004)

WHAT HAPPENED IN Arizona has now moved to Nevada. No it's not Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), it's the challenge on how states allocate nonresident tags. The successful challenge in Arizona has the same people from United States Outfitters (USO) filing a lawsuit against Nevada. I am sure this will not be the last state to see this action.

THE B ZONE. Well, the B Zone deer season finished not to many hours ago here in California. The early storms are sure to have helped hunters bags some of those bucks that are hard to take when the weather stays hot through the end of the season like last year. Vince Martino told us that the weather helped their hunting on the Bar Z Ranch near Covelo. They saw a number of bucks and took a nice 4x3.

I spent yesterday with my son, Scott, roaming the hills 30 miles west of Redding. We were after deer and bear. The rain started early Friday night and didn't stop until 10 a.m. Saturday morning. All this rain made the roads on the property we were to hunt off limits to driving. Of course, the area we wanted to hunt was in the back part of the property so we put on some rain gear and used ankle express for our hunt. Boy, are my legs sore today. We spent the whole day hiking but did not cut one fresh track. We saw a lot of snow on the mountains in the distance but we just were not in the right place at the right time. I guess I should have asked John Kerry how to decoy and play the wind. Maybe the problem was I didn't have my trusty 12-gauge double-barrel. (See October 17)

NEXT WEEKEND I will be at the Tejon Ranch with five lucky junior deer hunters. These are the first of 10 winners drawn in the Sharing the Tradition junior hunt arranged by the California Deer Association. None of these juniors has ever taken a deer which will make this hunt really special. I am not sure who is more excited about the hunt, the juniors or their parents.


(October 17, 2004)

A REAL HUNTER? "I go out with my trusty 12-gauge double-barrel, crawl around on my stomach. I track and move and decoy and play games and try to outsmart them. You know, you kind of play the wind. That's hunting."

Who do you think said that? Would you think it was anyone who understands hunting? Would you want to be in the field with someone like this?

This quote is from the July 5, 2004, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article "Bringing candidate to life," by Craig Gilbert.

The person who said this quote is none other than John Kerry!


(October 13, 2004)

READERS NAILING BIG bucks! From Northern to Southern California we are receiving pictures and stories from our readers who have taken some really nice bucks this season. Most of the X zones will close this weekend, there is another week for the B Zones, and the D zones still have a good portion of the season yet to go.


Mel Carter's 28-inch 4x4 from X3b.
(see next WH issue for article and more)

We also have some great pictures of antelope from our readers who chased the goats around Wyoming.

On another subject, I just finished watching the third debate of President Bush and John Kerry. It was interesting to hear Kerry claim to be a hunter, gun owner, and that he will protect the Second Amendment. Actions speak louder than words. The Brady gun control group endorses Kerry and the NRA endorses President Bush. Kerry votes for every gun control bill that comes his way, President Bush meets with every organization that supports hunters, the Safari Club, NWTF, DU, NSSF, NRA, etc.

As a hunter, it is a clear choice. As a person from the Vietnam era, supporting those in the service and especially the POWs meant everything to me. A real American didn't give aid and comfort to the enemy by degrading the efforts of our American troops. You may disagree with how that war was being fought, but your actions regarding it should have been in support of our troops first. Jane Fonda and John Kerry did the unforgiveable, and on November 2nd I will remember that.


(October 11, 2004)

WHEN THE ACORNS drop, it's a sign of deer season.

It was still dark but I could hear it hit a limb, then bounce off to hit another limb, seconds later it hit the ground in the tall, light brown grass. It sounded like a brick had fallen from the tree. Not much longer, but from another direction it happened again with just a slightly different sound.

I was sitting under a large valley oak tree, my son was on the other side. I was passing on a hunting tradition and the sounds and sights that go along with an early morning deer hunt. It's been at least 47 years since I first sat with my dad and heard those sounds of the acorns dropping to the ground during an October deer hunt.

All these years later, there is still something magical about those acorns, whether I see them still green on the trees or the dark brown ones on the ground. The crunching sounds as you walk in an area that is covered with them. The site of a deer, especially a buck, as it works the area under an oak, sucking up those fall tasty treats.

Neither my son nor I saw a buck this weekend while out on our October deer hunt but the sights of a fast moving, large, jet-black bear, some does and fawns, and yes, those numerous acorns falling from the oaks gave us another hunting memory.

When people ask me why I hunt, I think of a hunt like this past weekend, but then realize they cannot really understand this experience unless they have shared the outdoors as a hunter. We are truely a lucky group.


(October 10, 2004)

VOTE YOUR SPORT! With less than a month before the election, it would be good for hunters to visit www.voteyoursport.com and take a look at how President Bush and John Kerry stand on hunting, firearms and wildlife issues.

If you are going to be out of town on November 2, make sure you vote early. This year more than ever, your gun rights and hunting rights stand in the balance.

I have no problem at all telling you right up front that I and my hunting friends are voting for President Bush. I've seen the record of John Kerry and a few photos of him holding a gun haven't tricked me — his record of voting for gun control bills is worth more than a thousand words.

In fact, if this doesn't tell you where he stands on gun control, nothing will.

On October 1, in a true testament to his anti-gun record, Senator John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) earned an endorsement from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (formerly Handgun Control, Inc.). For once, the Brady Campaign and NRA are in total agreement — John Kerry is the most anti-gun presidential nominee in history!


(October 1, 2004)

WHAT A WAY to go! You will want to see what happened to this Nevada bull elk. We call it The Wired Bull Elk. Take a look by clicking on the link below.
The Wired Bull Elk