Fresh Sign

Edited by David King

Grizzly killed in bitterroots

Genetic test results on the grizzly bear killed in the Kelly Creek area of the Bitterroot ecosystem show it was from the Selkirks in north Idaho. A hunter from Tennessee on an outfitted bear hunt in Idaho’s North Fork Clearwater River drainage killed a grizzly bear on Labor Day, September 3. It is the first grizzly bear verified since 1946 on the Idaho side of the 5,700-square-mile Selway-Bitteroot ecosystem in central Idaho and western Montana.

The 4- to 6-year-old male, about 400 pounds, with a silvery back and in good physical condition, was killed three miles from the Montana border. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that DNA from the bear, when compared to samples from bears in 15 other areas, matched DNA from bears in the Selkirks. The distance from the southernmost area of the Selkirks, such as the town of Priest River, to the spot where this bear was killed is 141 air miles. Obviously, this bear didn’t move in a straight line. The origin of this bear highlights the importance of movement areas on the western edge of the Bitterroot ecosystem, including the area along the Montana-Idaho border between Highway 200 and Lookout Pass; the section of Interstate 90 between Lookout Pass and St. Regis; and the St. Joe River drainage, north of the Clearwater drainage where he was shot. Wildlife managers don’t know how the bear got to Kelly Creek, but the journey probably involved the areas listed above, which form the most direct route between the southern Selkirks and the northern end of the Bitterroot. That journey underscores the importance of migration corridors in grizzly bear recovery and for all wildlife movement.

Though grizzly bears in the Yellowstone ecosystem have been removed from the endangered species list, they still are protected as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in the Selway-Bitteroot and Selkirk areas in Idaho.

MOR goes under!

Many have been shocked to find their favorite hunting show gone from their TV sets. How can this happen? The sudden collapse of the Men’s Outdoor Recreation (MOR) network has left many watchers, outdoor manufacturers and advertisers in shambles. Unfortunately whoever has the bigger hand calls the shots. Satellite carriers Direct TV and Dish Network were holding all of the cards when they decided to pull the plug on MOR. It started first with Denver-based EchoStar, parent company to Dish, which dropped MOR and then Direct TV shortly followed suit. MOR was left to not much more than static and the consequence was a plummeted distribution of an estimated 34 million cut to roughly 4 million just like that. MOR declared bankruptcy shortly afterwards.

Is there an unsettling fate to outdoor/hunting programming? For VERSUS (Comcast Corporation) and ESPN2 (Disney), their fate looks secure as they have the power of their respective parent companies to back them. Through the turmoil, the Outdoor Channel has been able to benefit as they have dramatically increased their rates as the influx of dropped shows from MOR are looking for valuable airtime and distribution. Is this the chance for some smaller networks to fill in the void left by MOR? Only time will tell, but hopefully big brother doesn’t come in and pull the plug on our favorite programming.

Numbers
87 Million
Number of U.S. residents
16 years old and older fished, hunted, or wildlife watched in 2006
120 Billion
Amount of money
wildlife recreationists
spent in 2006

75 Billion
Amount of money
sportsmen and women spent on hunting and
fishing in 2006

12.5 Million
Number of people
who hunted in 2006

Utah’s 6 State Records
The 2006 hunting season was incredible as six new Utah state records were broken. As the 2007 season unfolds, Utah is once again recognizing more potential state records. The elk are booming and Utah is setting and breaking more records than any other state. Below is a list of the new state records from 2006. Amazingly, four out of the potential six records for elk were broken. Records in the rifle, muzzleloader, and archery categories were all achieved. However, as the 2007 season finishes up, there will already be some new records. Ironically, the two elk records that did not get broken in 2006, rifle non-typical and archery non-typical, have potentially been broken so far in 2007. That means that over the last two seasons, every elk record for the state of Utah has been broken and re-established. Keep in mind that prior to 2002, the state record elk scored 395 4/8. Also included is a bighorn sheep and a rocky mountain goat. Where are the mule deer records? No records were set in 2006. Overall the deer herds are still struggling, but a new archery non-typical state record was taken in 2005 and so far in 2007 we might see a new archery typical state record.
Savage Sports Acquires Bowtech Archery
Savage Sports Corporation, with corporate offices in Westfield Massachusetts and BowTech, located in Eugene, Oregon have announced the completion of a landmark agreement whereby Savage acquired BowTech so that the combined resources and strength of the two well-established industry leaders can be concentrated to become a major force for growth within the shooting/hunting/outdoor industry. BowTech’s family of brands will continue to be promoted and marketed independently as a wholly owned subsidiary of Savage Sports Corp.

Eugene, Oregon will remain BowTech’s headquarters and the existing management team will continue to guide the business as it has since inception. Announcing the agreement, President, CEO and Founder of BowTech, John Strasheim stated he will also serve on the Savage board. Savage Sports Corporation is a privately held company and consisted of 3 (Savage) divisions: Savage Arms is a leading manufacturer of center-fire rifles, Savage (Canada) manufactures rim-fire rifles, Savage Range Systems/PortaTarget manufactures indoor and outdoor shooting ranges, target systems and shoot houses.

Savage is the largest rifle manufacturer in the US. BowTech, the largest bow company in the world, manufactures and distributes compound bows and archery equipment and was founded in 1999.

NUMBERS
Decades to bag a record non-typical mule deer

1 1960 (23)
2 1940 (21)
3 1950 (18)
4 1980 (9)
5 1930 (7)
6 1920 (6)
7 1970 (6)
8 1990 (5)
9 2000 (3)
10 <1900 (2)

*according to the top 100 non-typical bucks in B&C

Tags: Fresh Sign, HI33

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