I love this time of year. It’s fall, big bucks and big bulls are hitting the ground, and the next wave of King’s Calendars are available for the new year. It’s quite the accomplishment to compile 36 new record heads and bring them back to life in a custom re-creation process each year. The greatest reward is being able to work with some of the nicest people who are the faces behind the amazing animals that we feature. Some are seasoned hunters with a trophy room all of us would admire, while others are the everyday Joe who happened upon the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bag a buck or bull of their dreams…and mine. It’s a pleasure to be a part of the amazing mule deer, elk and whitetail deer that we assemble each year and feature in a way that only King’s can.

The Robert Arledge buck is truly one of those bucks that just make you go, “Wow.” We have assembled an entire group of animals that have that wow factor for our new 2008 King’s Calendars. In this issue, we have given you a peek at the best of what our new calendars have to offer. A 300-inch mule deer, a 290-class whitetail deer and a 434 typical elk. I would say that these animals are the cream of the crop and the epitome of what many of us dream to accomplish. Since most of us won’t be able to achieve the heights that these hunters have, we can enjoy their trophies each and every month along with them. Our Behind the Re-creations feature in the magazine allows us to go deeper than what you will find in the calendars and gives you the story and photos of these amazing animals along with our custom re-creation.

We have mixed things up a bit with this issue and assembled a cool cover story on the craze of coyote hunting. I know that after many of you are done chasing your dream buck or bull, you are out calling in those wiley coyotes and getting hooked. Here is a taste to help get you going and also a look at some of our awesome Snow and Desert Shadow Camouflage that is, without a doubt, the most effective camo on the market for predator hunting. So, buy a calendar for you, then a calendar for your buddy for Christmas, and realize that women love the Snow Shadow just as much as us guys, so use that to your advantage and remember just how much you love this time of year.

Q. My name is Isaiah and I was wondering if you could give me some tips on how to hunt elk and deer in open country.
Isaiah – via e-mail

A. Open country can be some of the most difficult terrain on which to stalk deer or elk. One hunting technique that works well requires you to observe where the animals are bedding or feeding by searching for sign such as beds, fresh droppings, or tracks. Once you find these areas, set-up within shooting range and wait for the animals. This way you will not have to belly crawl your way through open terrain in order to get in range but, instead, wait for them to come to you. Be aware of wind patterns and stay downwind of your game. Also, break-up your outline with good camouflage like King’s Desert Shadow.

Q. I purchased an out of state, southeast region deer tag this year and wanted to know if you could help me decide which area to hunt. I’ve been considering Diamond Creek, Bear Lake Plateau and Green Canyon. The Fish and Game stated that Bear Lake might be my best bet, but I really like hunting timber. Which area, in your opinion, holds the most animals and is the best bet to fill a tag? I’m strictly a meat hunter and I’m looking to have fun and see some pretty country. Thanks for any suggestions.
Chuck – East Wenatchee, WA

A. Chuck, like other Western states, Idaho has experienced a reduction in mule deer numbers in the past decade. In recent times, The Idaho Fish and Game Department has implemented a mule deer initiative designed to increase mule deer numbers statewide by limiting motorized vehicle access, controlling predators, improving habitat, and cutting deer tags. It is working and mule deer numbers are now on the increase. All the areas in Idaho you mentioned have stable mule deer numbers. Your chances of harvesting a buck will greatly increase the further off of roads you are. Glass the remote basins in the early morning and late evening. Because you like to hunt the timber, slowly still-hunt the large, remote timber patches during the daytime. Many of the deer will stick to the heavy cover once the deer catch on that the hunt has begun.

Q. How do I overcome buck fever when shooting my bow at a deer? I can hit targets well, but I lose my cool when there is a live deer fifteen yards away – I’ve missed two easy shots already this year.
Greg – Lehi, UT

A. Buck fever sets in at different times for different people. For myself, buck fever hits the instant I spot a potential shooter, be it a trophy mule deer or a cow elk. You have worked hard to get within bow range and then you start feeling performance anxiety. Can I make the shot? How far is it?
First, practice and familiarization of your game’s anatomy will help build the confidence you need so that you can make a shot. Practice at longer and longer distances and take the time to assess each shot. Once you have complete confidence in your physical ability, the rest is in your head. Focus on your target, not the antlers. When I control my breathing it is much easier to control my nerves. In my mind, I repeat the estimated yardage of the animal over and over. This helps remind me which pin to use and helps keep my mind clear from panic and mental clutter, and completely focused on the task at hand – to make a perfect shot.

Q. This year there are lots of mulies around. I found their main feeding grounds, but why is it that when November rolls around a buck’s patterns are never the same?
Bowin – Ponoka, AB

A. Most of the year, a mule deer buck focuses on areas where the best forage is available and there is little pressure from predators. November is an exception. November is generally the peak of the rut for mule deer. This means bucks are on the move and will travel several miles a day in pursuit of does. This could explain why you are seeing an interruption in the deer’s usual pattern.

Q. I’m thinking about booking an elk/mule deer hunt in Wyoming in region H 155 and 156. What is the realistic trophy potential in this area and are there any other areas that are better? Thanks.
Ben Paulk – Douglas, GA

A. Ben, although some people will say that western Wyoming mule deer quality may have slipped some, there are still great bucks in region H. If you work hard, you should see a good number of deer, including a handful of mature bucks. Every year there are dandy record-book bucks taken from the area, but they don’t come easy. This is a true wilderness hunt and the terrain is extremely rugged. Elk are common in the area and, with a good outfitter, you could see some mature bulls (300+ class bulls). However, don’t plan on harvesting a record-class bull, they are few and far between.

Q. I live in southwest Washington and have hunted mule deer most of my life. I have taken many nice mulies over the years; however, due to lack of free time to travel to mule deer country, I have to hunt in my backyard where the elusive blacktail live. Blacktail are a sub-species of the mule deer, but they seem to have habits like a whitetail. I have been thinking that since they have whitetail traits, shouldn’t I be hunting them like whitetail and use a tree stand? Any thoughts?
Kevin – via e-mail

A. Kevin, blacktailed deer were once thought to be a mule deer sub-species, but recent DNA studies show that the mule deer is actually a product of the white-tailed deer and the black-tailed deer. The blacktail is more closely related to the whitetail than you might have thought and, as you mentioned, their habits are also similar. Whitetail and blacktailed deer depend on heavy cover for daytime bedding and open space in which to forage during morning and evening hours. The secret is to find the blacktail trails that lead from one area to the other and sit and wait. Many of today’s best blacktail hunters are sitting in trees just like a Kentucky whitetail hunter would for whitetail, especially during breeding season when the big bucks are on the hunt for does all day.

Q. Do mule deer make scrapes and mark their territory like whitetails? Or, are their scrapes just produced from them rubbing off velvet? I have seen areas with scrapes and rubbed trees together, but not scrapes alone.
Ron Dodson – Lapine, OR

A. These rut signs are much more obvious in whitetails than they are in mule deer. In September, mule deer peel the velvet from their antlers. Once their antlers are polished, they will continue rubbing on whatever trees and shrubs are available. As the rut intensifies, bucks become more aggressive with their rubs. These rubs help identify territorial boundaries and provide a means of communication for other deer living in the area. Mulies have not been documented making a series of prominent scrapes as a territorial marking like the whitetail, although I, as well, have seen smaller scratch marks in the trail of a rutting muley buck where his possible intention was to “scrape” his territory.

More years ago than I care to remember, my cousin married this guy who was reportedly quite the coyote hunter. “He got seventy of them last year,” I was told.

Wow! I needed to meet this guy. “What kind of call does he use?” I asked innocently.

“He don’t use no call. He runs ‘em over with his snowmobile.”

That was in 1968. To this day, I’ve never met this cousin-in-law, but I’ve talked with plenty like him. All kill lots of coyotes, but none are coyote hunters.

Call me old-fashioned, but to me the definition of “hunter” means someone who reads sign, follows tracks and trails, learns the calls, scent markers and behavior patterns of his prey and then uses his knowledge, experience, insights, creativity and woodsmanship to gain a clear shot. The only role mechanized transportation should play in the hunt is getting said hunter into the hunting grounds. Gas-powered machines should not be used to stir up, flush, or chase the prey. Not even the lowly coyote.

The infamous “brush wolf” of the West has long labored under the weight of considerable animosity, much of it deserved. Coyotes really do kill and eat lambs, fully grown sheep, mule deer, pronghorns, pet dogs and nearly any other living thing they can get their fangs on. But, so do humans. I don’t blame ranchers and other aggrieved parties for hating coyotes, but that’s no justification for every sportsman to despise the species and condemn it to annihilation, fair means or foul.

In hunting camps and sporting goods stores across the country I commonly hear things like this: “Rotten, stinking, murdering coyotes.” “Thieving, vicious, worthless sons-of-bitches” (technically, all coyotes are sons and daughters of bitches, but that’s not exactly the intended sentiment). “Useless, rapacious sons of Satan” (that from the more poetic crowd). And worse.

As with any prejudice, kids pick up the refrain and the partial myth of the evil coyote is perpetuated. What’s the harm? Despite a hundred years of ceaseless warfare against them, including aerial gunning and widespread poisoning, coyotes have not only survived, but thrived. The sportsman/hunter image, unfortunately, has not.

In a time and culture in which “primitive blood sports” are condemned, hunters need to be conscious of their effect on non-hunters. Forget the radical anti’s – like any zealots, they’re convinced they have a direct link to God. The bulk of Americans, however, are open to reasonable consideration of the facts. If the facts are that hunters unfairly chase coyotes with motorized vehicles, the very act of hunting falls under additional suspicion. It’s difficult enough justifying the shooting of animals whose flesh we don’t eat. If we don’t even hunt them fairly, we’re dead in the water.

Here are some of the ways we can justify coyote hunting:

1) They are extremely common, abundant, widespread and spreading farther.
2) They are a valuable resource, providing 100-percent natural, biodegradable, non-polluting hides and fur perfect for winter wear without the need for oil drilling, shipping, spilling or refining.
3) They are wary, elusive and a challenge to hunt.
4) They often severely deplete deer and pronghorn populations in certain areas and/or prevent recovery of these species in suitable habitats.
5) They often ravage domestic livestock and must be controlled.
If we are the “true conservationists” and guardians of the natural world we claim to be, we should start treating the coyote with respect. This animal plays an important role in our natural world. This is a remarkably resourceful predator which, against long odds, persists, going about its business of cleaning up carrion, testing and stressing prey species to keep them wary and genetically superior, and preventing the overpopulation of certain species – just as we prevent the overpopulation of coyotes.

Admire the coyote for its cunning and toughness, for surviving in high mountain snows, deserts sands, windy grasslands and fetid swamps. Respect this wild dog for its ability to survive. And hunt it, fair and square.

Why is it that so many in our society, hunters included, feel that it is okay to manage certain species and not others? Please let me explain. I grew up shooting ground squirrels in the spring and jackrabbits in the winter. Like clockwork, every spring, my big brother Steve and I would head up to Monte Cristo as soon as the snowplows allowed us to do so. There we would spend the day with a couple of cartons of 22 long rifle shells, honing our rifle skills and creating our own version of “Red Mist.” Once winter gripped the desert country, we would unleash the same relentless furor on what seemed to be a zillion marauding rabbits. You think “marauding” is a bit harsh? Ask a farmer what a herd of jackrabbits can do to an alfalfa crop.

Today, seeing a ground squirrel on Monte Cristo is almost like seeing an elk in Tennessee ten years ago. And the marauding jackrabbit? They do exist, however, nothing like forty years ago. So, what do we attribute the difference to? Those were the 60’s when the bounty on magpies was 25 cents, red tailed hawks were shot on sight and mountain lions fell under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As a result, all wildlife populations were held in check.

In today’s world where too many have learned their ecology from Walt Disney, shooting a magpie or hawk could land you in the county jail for a short spell and smoking a wolf could get you a life sentence. What is wrong with this picture?

We, as humans, have an obligation to all wildlife, not just certain groups. In order to manage one species, we must manage all that roam, swim and fly above the earth. Enter the coyote, one of God’s most incredible creatures. The old Indian saying; “A feather floated to earth. A hawk saw it, a bear smelled it and a deer heard it hit the ground and the coyote did all three – first,” is not an exaggeration. The coyote is an opportunist and a survivalist, as well as one of the most proficient hunters on the planet. The tools he uses to accomplish his task make yours and mine look pathetic. We, you and I, kill coyotes for basically three reasons: money, sport and to protect other wildlife or domestic animals. Putting food on the table is not in the equation when it comes to killing killers, so why attach words like hunter, respect or fair and square to the pursuit of such an outlaw? As far as I’m concerned, all is fair in love and war and when I’m out eliminating coyotes from deer fawning grounds, I consider it war. And I believe any legal means of collecting pelts should be used, including planes, trains and snowmobiles.

I am a hunter when pursuing game birds and animals and a killer when I’m eliminating coyotes. The feeling I get when I smoke a pack – of oyotes that is, is unlike any other I get in the field. And, like a drug addict, I pull out all stops to satisfy my needs. I make no apologies for it.

Patience, persistence, and knowledge – these are three awesome words that every great hunter must have woven into their very body fiber. These three words, to me, make up a man or woman and what they can become. They will determine the level of success you can achieve for your whole lifetime in the hunting world. If you focus on these three words and try to add them to your hunting skills, you will always be on the cutting edge of great hunting and will soon be known as one of those lucky hunters. Lose sight of these three words and, after only three days of hard hunting, you will end up seeing nothing and most likely go away discouraged. You must at all times and at all costs, no matter what, learn to stay focused.

Now, I believe that of these three great words, knowledge is by far the best of the best to have in your little black book of ‘how to and how not to.’ For the most part, it will take a lifetime of failures and successes to achieve. You can, for example, be the most patient man in the world when it comes to sitting in a tree stand or on a rock, but if you never use knowledge to get you in the right tree or on the right rock you, my friend, will most likely only get a cold, tired butt. Also, you can be the most persistent woman hunter ever (always out there, first one up, last one to say uncle, etc.), but without the knowledge of knowing where to walk, when to run, when to sneak, when to look up, look down, whether to turn right or left or stop altogether, you will not be as successful. You need to keep track of the wind, never lose your advantage point, and know when it’s a waste of time to walk all the way to the bottom of the ravine or canyon….I could list a hundred other things you need to keep in mind. Without knowledge, you must always rely on luck and I would tell you all who only rely on luck that you will make a poor hunter at best. You must get past the word ‘Lucky’ and come to know all the things that make a good hunter lucky (successful) every year! There have been more big bucks killed running away from Joe and into Fred on the next ridge than any other way. Being in the right place at the right time is a big must if you wish to be consistent in killing a ‘Mr. Big.’ Here again, it is your brainpower or knowledge that puts you there. You can’t afford to be a slow learner – tags are costly, hard to come by and you are getting older each year. So, let’s take a closer look. Let’s look a little deeper into how to make successful drives.

1) It will, for the most part, take three years of hunting the same spot to start figuring out the do’s and don’ts of where to sit during a drive. The walkers need to figure out where they need to walk so they can successfully push the deer to the sitter. As a hunter, you also need to know what time of day is the best time for that particular spot. It will take much longer than three years if you don’t think, be observant of your surroundings, check out the deer tracks and notice where they are coming and going and take note of what went wrong on that drive or what worked and why. How many times has a big buck jumped up and only given you one quick shot – or no shot at all? How many times have you wished you had been at a particular spot when that buck ran through the trees, or watched two big bucks run up a mountainside 200 yards away and wished you were on that ridge? Well, what I am saying is, next time be there!

2) Never try to push a big buck where he doesn’t want to go. You must always try to figure out the best place to be so that you can get the shot that will raise your odds of getting ‘Mr. Big.’ Let him go where he wants to go – not where you want him to go.

3) Never waste time walking or making a drive where there is nothing in your favor.

4) Don’t try to push a big buck too far. Keep all your drives short and sweet if you can. The further you try to push a buck, the greater your chances of something going wrong increase. You can’t give him too many options to get away from you.

5) Always use land layouts to decide where to start your drive and where to finish it.

6) Never underestimate how far a big buck can run in only a few minutes. Always give the sitter plenty of time to get into place before you start the drive. My formula on how fast a big buck can move over the ground is 5 to 30 – that is to say that a buck can cover as much distance in five minutes as it took you thirty minutes to cover. However, this is variable depending on how rough the terrain is.

7) Never underestimate how good a big mule deer’s hearing is. Those big nine-inch ears are not just Christmas ornaments. They are a buck’s number one source of protection. Don’t talk loud when making your plans. The sitter must always slip quietly into his spot. Never use a radio to tell everybody that you are in place and ready to start the drive. If you do, it’s a good bet you just told old ‘Mr. Big’ you are there too.

Never sit where you can be seen or your outline can be picked out if ‘Mr. Big’ comes your way.

9) The walkers must try to stay in a straight line as they walk. Try to keep each other in sight. If someone has to go around, down, or over
some obstacle, wait for everyone to catch up and then continue your drive. Patience, my friend, patience.

10) As a walker, you must always keep in mind where your sitter is because that is where you want ‘Mr. Big’ to run. So, if you see a fresh track and he has gone to the left, back up and go around to try to push him back to the sitter. If you happen to jump a big buck in thick trees, make lots of noise. Hopefully this will make him nervous and he might make a big mistake and run straight to a shooter without thinking.

11) A sitter must never get bored and quit looking. You must always be on 110% alert. About 80% of the time if old ‘Mr. Big’ is killed, you are the one who will do it. So, don’t ever quit until the drive is completed and then some. Stay alert, eye of the tiger, no picking your nose or drawing lines.

12) Never get down or get discouraged because the last five drives produced nothing. Number six could be the lucky one where old ‘Mr. Big’ will run right to you and make you the happiest person in the world.

13) If you jump a big buck or see one that you have no chance of killing, shoot a shot off anyway. There is nothing I know of that puts everyone on high alert faster than a gunshot. Maybe someone else can move to, run to, or get to a different spot and be lucky enough to see him, knowing where you are at, and shoot him.

I hope these suggestions give all of you just a little more knowledge on how to make a successful drive. I know drives are not for everyone and they can’t be used in every situation but, when and where a drive is possible, I know they can work really well for you. A drive, for the most part, can help you see a deer that is lying down or is in thicker terrain. Hopefully it will up your odds of getting a shot at a big buck. Because of drives, I have been able to see and kill more big bucks in my lifetime of hunting. They have always worked well for me and hopefully they will work well for you. Keep the wind in your face and may patience, persistence, and knowledge always be a part of your every hunt.

Hello fellow elk fanatics! At the time of this writing, the Arizona archery and early bull hunts have just ended and oh what fun they were. Despite some unpredictable weather and high winds, we still managed to have a fantastic season here in Arizona.

As is the case each year, I am always reminded how challenging hunting elk can be – especially when you are hunting the herd bull. Since tagging the monarch controlling the herd is rarely easy, let’s explore his habits and tendencies during the rut and also during the late-season to try and put the odds in our favor.

As August comes to a close each year, mature bulls have already shed their velvet two to three weeks prior. With a new set of polished, hard antlers and testosterone levels rising each day, bulls become obsessed with establishing dominance and joining up with cow/calf groups. During the first couple of weeks of September, a bull will spend lots of time rubbing trees to darken his antlers and also to mark his area with scent. Due to heightened hormones and traveling activity in search of cows, a herd bull will also frequent water daily to drink and wallow. Most often this will occur during the late evening and night hours, although bulls will also sometimes hit water in the morning before bedding. In areas of dense timber, a bull may also hit a wallow during mid-day if he does not have to travel far and he’s got good cover so that he feels secure to do so.
Rut Hunts

If you are hunting during the first two weeks of September, the bugling activity can be very hit and miss. There is no doubt that a big bull is much more vulnerable when he is aggressive enough to be looking for cows but is not yet with them. Good calling can result in a great bull during this time if done properly. During this period cow calling can work well. Also, bugling and cow calling to simulate a herd that has moved into a bull’s area can peak his interest. The more authentic you sound on the calls, the better your success will be.

Once the middle of September arrives, the big bulls are usually getting pretty “cowed up.” As most of you know, this presents a huge challenge because now the bull has full-time guards on the lookout for him. Other than rare days of absolute rutting insanity, I haven’t seen many cows that will overlook much. The bull seems to realize this and relies heavily on his cows to keep him out of harm’s way. You can use this to your advantage if you are stealthy enough to get close to the herd. Realize that a herd bull’s number one goal is to keep and breed his cows. This causes him to be very possessive and also constantly distracted due to other bulls pestering him in an attempt to steal his cows. Understand that a herd bull’s focus is on jealously guarding what he’s already got. As a result, he will naturally stay very close to his cows. He understands that anytime he leaves them he leaves himself open to another bull cutting in and stealing his cows. My rule of thumb with a herd bull is to not expect him to separate more than 100 yards maximum from his cows and sometimes less in thicker vegetation.

If you are able to position yourself within 75 to 100 yards of a herd bull you dramatically increase your odds of success. Why? Because many times a herd bull will simply make a mistake while moving around to keep his cows rounded up or moving to the outskirts of his herd to bugle at nearby satellite bulls or to rake a tree. Although I love to call and have had great success in calling in many bulls each year, many times in a situation where you are able to sneak in close to a herd your best option is to not call at all. This allows Mr. Big to make a mistake and give you a shot opportunity. If you do call, you’ve still got to be within this 75 to 100-yard “zone” in order for the bull to either want to come check you out as a sexy cow or as a threat if you use bull sounds. If you are too far away and out of “the zone” when you call to a herd bull, he will simply bugle at you but not budge and then eventually the herd will become uneasy and move away from you.

Throughout late September and into October, the scenario will typically remain the same. The big herd bulls will still be herded up and aggressively defending their harems from other bulls. When cows come into estrus, pure rutting insanity is the order of the day. This is what we live for as elk hunters. Usually when this occurs there will be several bulls right in amongst the cows and the bugling will be out of control. During the last two years in Arizona the hardest rutting days that I encountered were October 1st in 2006 and October 3rd of this year. I’m sure this was strictly due to cows being in heat. These hard rutting days will most often occur anytime starting about the 18th of September and continuing into early October. Most of the cows will come into heat and be bred during this ten to fifteen-day window.

When the elk are rutting and out of their mind and you find yourself hunting in a scenario like this, you can never be too aggressive. Be stealthy, but aggressively get in there and infiltrate the herd. Again, calling can work at this time, but it will usually just bring in the younger bulls. This is also a rare time when the cows are typically not as edgy and observant. With all of the noise and movements that they are making, the cows will usually overlook you as well. With cows in heat the satellite bulls get bolder and really put the pressure on the herd bull. He again is vulnerable because he is not only trying to stay with a hot cow, but he is also bugling often and making runs at other bulls in an attempt to ward them off. Use the rutting insanity and herd bull’s jealousy to your advantage. Now is the time to get in there and fill your tag!

Late Hunts

If you have a post-rut hunt, there are some key points to keep in mind to help you succeed. Number one is that the herd bull’s urge to breed has been replaced by an urge to survive and avoid danger. Most big bulls have lost over 100 pounds of body weight due to the rigors of the rut. In order to survive the winter a bull must replenish his body by feeding heavily and not moving a lot since running around burns precious energy.

Big bulls don’t get to be six years and older by standing out in open meadows next to roads during hunting season. Rather, they are usually going to be away from the roads and the hunting pressure where they feel secure to feed and rest. At this time of the season, bulls don’t move much at all unless pressured. This can be a positive or a negative depending on how you see it. If you are able to locate a bull by glassing, he is going to stay very close to where you find him which will allow you to make a stalk into shooting range which plays to your advantage. However, if you are having trouble finding elk this works against you since the big bulls are not running around covering country and potentially bumping into you like they do during the rut.

Basically it boils down to this. On late hunts, you must work hard and hike into areas that most people won’t go. Big bulls are usually going to be a mile or more from the road and on the backsides of mountains, down in canyons or in thick cover (if it’s flat juniper country). Bust your hump to get into areas where the big boys will likely be and then use your optics to find them. The bulls will be feeding several hours during the day and not moving much. Use this to your advantage.

If you are seeing cows and young bulls, move on. Very rarely will a large bull be hanging out with the cows and small bulls during the post-rut. Those same cows that protected the herd bull during the rut are no longer his ally. He knows instinctively to stay away from them in order to survive.

By contrast, the bulls that were the herd bull’s enemies and rivals during the rut are now his friends again. Although bulls don’t always hang out together, it’s not uncommon to see two or more bulls together during the November and December seasons. Many times on late hunts, if you see one mature bull, others will be nearby. I must admit something that happened to me a couple of years ago on a late November hunt. My hunter and I were fortunate enough to hunt hard and kill a 330-inch bull. But, once the shooting ended, an incredible 380 to 390-inch 7×7 materialized. All we could do was watch and admire him. The big 7×7 had actually come from the other side of the ridge when he heard us shooting so I don’t know that we could have done anything differently. Anyway, hindsight is always 20/20!

Well, if you hunted during the rut, I hope that you are now reveling in the memories of the season and already planning for what next year will bring. If you are preparing for your upcoming late-season hunt I wish you the best of luck. Do the things that 90% of the other hunters won’t do and you’ll increase your odds dramatically. Be in shape and as always make your first shot count! Whether you hunt during the rut or the late-season my wish is that these tips will help you succeed on your next elk hunt. See you on the mountain!

By now, many of you will have heard about the mighty .500 Smith and Wesson magnum – the handgun that Dirty Harry could only dream about. But, have you heard about the .500 Smith and Wesson rifle? That’s right – rifle. H&R has come out with a version of their Handi Rifle in the mighty .500. I hadn’t heard a thing about it until I was wandering around a local gun store a few months back and saw one on their rack. My first thought was, “I have GOT to have one of those!” I was ready to buy it there on the spot, but then I remembered that H&R has a program called the “barrel accessory program.” The barrel accessory program allows you to send in the action and fore-end of one of H&R’s rifles that you already own and they will fit another barrel to your rifle. I have already done this a couple of times with one of H&R’s Ultra rifles that I bought originally in 25-06, then sent in and had a .223 and 20-gauge slug barrel added to. Take out one screw from the fore-end and open the action and the barrel tips right off. It’s a great program and I don’t understand why they don’t advertise it better.

I went home and looked up the cost of a .500 barrel and, for a measly $80.00 plus the cost of shipping and insuring, H&R would fit my rifle with the new barrel. I also had them include a set of open sights (they come standard with the new barrel) and a scope rail.

While I waited for H&R to send my gun back I bought some brass, dies, and bullets and loaded up fifty rounds of 350-grain Hornady XTP’s over a charge of 40-grains of H110. A nice mellow load to start out with, I thought. (I have to interject here that the first thought that goes through your mind when you hold one of these bullets in your hand is almost always, “That is one big bullet!” A 44-magnum looks almost tiny compared to the .500.)

After waiting about a month, I got my rifle back from H&R and headed to the range to try it out. The first thing I noticed was the open sights. They were very bright fiber optic sights, but I had to hold the rifle so high up on my shoulder to line them up that it was not a natural position. I figured I’d try it anyway and lined up on the target and squeezed the trigger. When I finally quit screaming in pain and crying (OK, the scream was more of a groan, but the crying part is too close to true to deny) and my brother and son got done laughing at me, I had to step back and reconsider what had happened. Even with what I thought was a medium velocity load, the rifle kicks. A lot. And with the gun held so high on my shoulder it was a pretty painful experience.

Not to be beaten by a piece of wood and metal, I mounted the gun properly and held it nice and tight in the pocket and tried another shot. It still kicked, but was manageable. The only problem was that with the gun mounted properly, I couldn’t use the open sights. I had brought along the scope rail and a scope to put on it so I decided to try it out. I mounted the scope, bore-sighted it and threw it up for another shot.

When I got done seeing stars, I realized that in my haste to see how the rifle shot with the scope, I had forgotten to really hold on. The scope hit me hard enough that my first reaction was to check for blood and ask how many stitches I was going to need. Oh, and don’t forget the raucous laughter coming from the peanut gallery again. I was proving to be great entertainment to Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. After the scope incident, things went better for me. I fired about ten rounds and was starting to get the hang of managing the recoil, so I offered it to my brother and son to try out. My brother shot a couple of rounds and handed it off to my son who shot one shot and gave it back. While the gun was fun to shoot, the recoil was enough to limit how much shooting you could do with it. I had to find a load that was mild enough to allow some serious shooting.

I did a little research and found a company in Montana, Montanabulletworks.com, which offers cast gas-checked bullets for the .500 at very reasonable prices. I opted for the 410-grain, gas-checked, semi-wadcutter and loaded it over a charge of 10 grains of Unique powder. When I had a batch of these loaded up, I headed to the range again to try them out. For the first shot, I didn’t know what to expect so I tucked the rifle in nice and tight. My brother was standing behind me to see where I was hitting and started laughing again when I shot the first shot. Assuming that he was laughing at me again and, as there had been virtually no recoil at all, I asked him what was so funny this time. His reply was that he had watched the bullet fly to the target. Every shot you could see that gas-check shining like a tracer. It was fun to watch, but the loads weren’t all that accurate. So, for the next batch, I upped the powder charge by 2-grains and tried those. At 100 yards, I put the first fifteen rounds into a four-inch circle. I had found my “fun” loads! Now, I can shoot rabbits without putting myself in the hospital, but I also have a gun that will handle any animal on this continent with ease.

It’s hard to find any published data for the .500 in a 22-inch barrel like that one supplied with the Handi Rifle but, from my experience, it picks up about 300 fps over the loads listed for an eight-inch barrel. That means that a 350-grain bullet loaded up to the listed maximum could easily exceed 2100 fps! That translates to almost 3760 pounds of energy. Your average 30-06 load with a 180-grain bullet only produces 2700 pounds of energy. The downside to all that energy is the recoil that goes along with it. My Handi Rifle weighs just a shade over seven pounds with the scope. That means with that same 350-grain load there is almost 40-foot pounds of energy hitting you in the shoulder. That same 30-06, 180-grain load in a rifle of the same weight only produces 21-foot pounds of recoil. Needless to say, you aren’t going to shoot many rounds of the hot stuff off the bench in any one sitting. But, when you load it up with the mildly loaded cast bullets, the .500 only produces 10 pounds of recoil. This gun is so much fun to shoot, your cheeks hurt at the end of the day from the perpetual grin – not to mention the fun of sneaking a full power load in on good old laughing boy when he’s shooting the mild ones. (HA! Who’s laughing NOW?)

If you’re looking for a gun that will handle everything from rabbits to elk to grizzly bears, consider giving the .500 S&W Handi Rifle a try. You won’t be disappointed with it.

There I was, sitting in the airport nervously waiting for my flight. I was traveling with several other sheep hunters to the Northwest Territories of Canada. Every single one of us was hoping for a chance at our dream ram. Kelly Hougan and his crew at Arctic Red River Outfitters was our destination. Arctic Red River Outfitters is well known for the great sheep that come from there each year. Little did we know of the adventure that awaited us!

Don Peay had set up this hunt for all of us and was going along as well. Don has become the sportsman’s voice. He has a true passion for what he does. His work benefits wildlife as well as hunters. He and a few others started a sportsman’s group called Sportsman for Fish and Wildlife. The conservation success, in just a few short years, of S.F.W. has been amazing.

Just getting to base camp was a trip in and of itself. It took three days to travel from my home in Wyoming to base camp. Along the way, I was able to meet and get to know the other hunters. Each of us was from a different walk of life, yet we all shared the same passion for hunting. One hunter who I become good friends with was Sid Groll, a sportsman and gentleman. One evening, we started talking about the backpack trip we were headed up on. Sid and I began wondering if we would be able to keep up. My answer to Sid was that I figured I would concentrate on one step at a time, just one step at a time. Hopefully, that should work just fine.

I was flown into my spike camp by Bernie, Kelly Hougan’s bush pilot. There I met my guide Jeremy Bergen. Jeremy is the kind of guide that you hope to meet. He was ready to go and loves to hunt sheep, kept a positive enough attitude for both of us, and was willing to go the extra mile. After saying goodbye to Bernie, we crossed the creek and made our way over to the camp. Along the way, Jeremy asked me if I had a problem with getting my sheep the first day. I told him no, not if he was a real good one. Then I asked Jeremy if he had found the mystical forty-inch ram. As soon as we got to the tent, he sat down with his spotting scope, looked for a bit and then turned to me and said, “Well, how do you like this one?” When I looked through the scope, I could not believe what I was seeing. This ram was everything that I had hoped for with horns sweeping way up over his nose. After looking him over, we estimated him around the forty-inch mark. What a beauty! I then told Jeremy that if I could get close enough for a shot, then I would really like to shoot this ram. I would have been crazy to pass on a chance at a ram like that on the first or the last day of the hunt.

As it turned out, Jeremy had flown in the day before and had started to glass for sheep when he found these rams, seven rams in all. He kept an eye on them the rest of the day and hoped that they would not take a notion to move somewhere. Luckily for us, they stayed around. So, Jeremy and I spent the rest of the day watching the rams bed up, and then tried to figure out a stalk for the next day. In the Northwest Territories, you cannot hunt for twelve hours after you fly. We waited patiently for dawn the next day.

At the first light of day, after tossing and turning all night, I rolled out of my sleeping bag and got out of the tent to try and find the rams. I was rewarded by getting a chance to watch the rams feed, then posture, and then the big ram, The Captain, as Jeremy called him, began rearing up and shaking his head at the others. Then the group grazed up and out of sight over the top of the ridge. After a few anxious minutes, they fed back over to where we could watch them. They finally bedded down for the day and the hunt was on.

Jeremy had decided to go up one of the chutes across from the rams as the wind was right and we could stay out of sight. After getting into position across from where we had watched The Captain bed down, we found that the second-best ram and a half-curl had moved above there, and were now bedded. With The Captain nowhere to be seen, the waiting game was on. Jeremy and I were pinned down until they got up to feed. After a couple of hours, it started to rain and continued to rain for about four and a half hours. During this time, we would take turns creeping over to the spotting scope to see if the rams had moved. Luckily they didn’t. When it finally decided to quit raining, we crept over to the scope to find that the rams had gotten up, but we could not see them. We didn’t know if they were feeding toward us or moving away. It was now or never and starting to get late. The decision was made to move up and try to catch up with them. We crept to the top of the next ridge and looked over to find no sheep. We crept to the next ridge and still no sheep. Slipping up on the third ridge, Jeremy snuck ahead of me a bit and, as he peeked over, he saw The Captain. After quickly ranging him at 286 yards, I got ready to shoot. When the smoke had cleared, I had a dandy ram down! After a few pictures we caped my ram and de-boned him. Then we headed off the mountain just as it was getting dark.

Picking our way down through the chute, it was slow going that night. After a tough pack down the mountain, we found that the creek swollen up which make the crossing a little tricky. Finally, we made it back to camp at around 3:00 a.m. We heated up some Mountain House dinners – they sure tasted good, and then we stumbled off to bed. The next morning was spent caping the ram and relaxing around camp. We glassed sheep and caribou all afternoon.

The next day Kelly flew in to get the cape and horns and take them back to base camp. He also brought us a few goodies. We cooked sheep ribs that afternoon, boy, what a treat that was. Jeremy had some seasoning that he had made up especially for ribs. Then it started to rain again. It rained so hard that we were forced into the tent early that evening. It was too bad as we had planned to hunt for a caribou that afternoon.

The next morning it was still raining. It rained until around noon, then we decided to hunt our way farther around the base of the mountain we were camped on. We spotted several bulls about three miles down below us, but none of them looked like they were shooters. So, we continued glassing around the mountain. Jeremy glassed up two or more bulls feeding across the river, one of which was a big bull. We looked him over and decided to go after him as his rack was high and wide with a lot of points on each side. After hiking for about half a mile, we jumped two more caribou bulls. One of these bulls was pretty good and would score around 350 to 360 inches. However, the big bull we had just seen was much better. Jeremy and I carefully slipped across from the two bulls who were now feeding their way towards us on the other side of the river. I got set up for the shot and ranged to where the bull was headed on a small hill. When the bull stepped up and gave me a shot, I fired.

The river was now up even higher than before, so we found a good crossing and slowly made our way over to the bull. He was great! He had lots of points and was in full velvet. He had a deep, rich, chocolate coat with a frosty mane. He was a beast and a beautiful trophy. Once again, we had time for a few pictures and then we de-boned the meat and caped the bull. Jeremy and I loaded our packs for the trip out. It was just getting dark when we finished crossing the river again. We broke out the flashlights again and continued on toward camp. It was around seven or eight miles back to camp that night and crossing through the tundra was tough at best. It took us until just before dawn the next day to get back to camp. After getting back to camp and packing the meat over to the airstrip, we made ourselves breakfast and tried to get a little rest for a couple of hours. After our brief nap, we finished caping the bull and made the call to base camp that we had a caribou down and needed to have it flown out.

Kelly said that it would not be until later that afternoon sometime and that he would be able to come in to get the meat. Kelly also needed Jeremy to move to another camp to help another guide, Travis White, and his hunter, John Fields, get a caribou. John had already taken a beautiful ram with Travis and they were looking for a good bull now for John. They asked me if I wanted to go back to base camp or go hunt caribou. Heck, I wanted to keep hunting as I still had several days left in my hunt and would rather help one of the other hunters that had traveled with me to find a good bull than just sit around. I was soon off on another adventure.

Upon returning to base camp, I found my friend, Sid Groll, had gotten in shortly before us with a tremendous ram that he had taken earlier. That afternoon, we all got a chance to shower up and enjoy another fantastic home-cooked meal by Mary, the base camp cook. The pies and pastries she sends out to the hunters are a real treat. Later that day, we heard that Trent Wall had scored on a terrific ram. Don Peay had come along with Trent to get his hunt on film. They would be joining us the next day at base camp.

When our group had started out, we came with hopes and dreams of great hunting. We returned with treasures of a lifetime.

Can you give us a little history of how you and your brother Todd got things started with the company?

In October of 2003, Todd and I decided that we wanted to manufacture hunting products. We had been using a Dennis Kirk call that we put in a dry box. Todd actually mounted everything together. We had been using that call for about five or six years when I thought, “Well, let’s take a stab at making our own version.” So, we started making non-remote calls and selling some of our competition stuff at the same time. It soon became apparent that there was a lack of user friendliness with changing sounds, sound quality and remote operation. We felt that the calls on the market left a lot to be desired. That’s what led us to hiring an engineer. We did the design work and let him know what we wanted it to do and our electrical engineer took it from there as far as the circuit board goes.

Take us back to the early beginnings of how you became interested in predator calling.

I remember the first thing I called in was a red fox, I was using a Burnham Brothers mouth call when I was eight years old and that is when my love of predator hunting began. Todd, Gary (our brother) and I all began hunting and trapping with our father at around eight years old. We started calling coons a lot when I was around twelve years old. We started calling with a boom box. Todd actually started doing that a couple of years before he let me borrow his setup. We were not making our own sounds at that point; we were just using the commercial cassette tape we had. We didn’t start making our own sounds until 2004. It was then that we really started getting to the point where we had the electrical design finished and the enclosures and speakers selected. We began working on our own sound recordings as well as working with some Animal Control guys in. We started out with the non-remote electronic call which you would hook up your own audio source (cassette, mp3 player) to the unit. It was basically an amplifier with a built-in speaker. Then we began working on an electronic call that you could control with a remote so that it would be more user friendly and give the hunter an advantage with the wind. You weren’t limited to just a few sounds; you could actually add 100 sounds to the call.

What are some of the events that have transpired that have brought you to where you are at today?

We literally walked into Radio Shack and bought a few things, went online and bought a few things, and started in the basement. We just progressed from that point until 2006 when we moved out of the basement into an actual building. We outgrew that building within the first three months and moved to a facility twice its size. That’s where we are currently and we are up to the ceiling at that building already.

What can we look forward to as far as new products coming out? It looks like you are going to target younger hunters with The Little Bandito.

The Little Bandito is actually our first attempt at a mouth call. We have another mouth call that is in the works right now as well. I can’t really give you a lot on that other than we are coming out with another mouth call. We have a lot of different products coming out within the next eight months in various areas of hunting. Electronics, mouth calls and decoys. We also have some exciting things coming out for deer.

If you were to breakdown predator hunting from ten years ago to the present-day boom, what do you foresee as the future of predator hunting?

I don’t see a plateau anytime soon. When you walk around any kind of trade show, whether it be the SHOT Show or anything like that, just the exposure that varmint predator calling is getting right now is incredible. Every year it’s growing and growing. I don’t see it coming to a head anytime soon. Predator hunting is gaining in popularity and we want to take it a step further. Our raccoon video “Crumblin’ Coons,” is different from anything else you’d see right now on the shelf. That’s one of our goals, to bring the consumer things that you won’t see on the shelf right now. If you go to the predator calling section, you see coyote calls and some bobcat stuff. We want to produce stuff that won’t get lost among the other products because there are so many things out there that look the same. There are a lot of avenues that have not been addressed, like calling, which we will be covering as the industry keeps growing.

What sets Minaska Outdoors apart from the competition?

I think we have already established ourselves as running our own race, not following anybody else, regardless of how long they have been around. We are the first company to bring products to the market that have the decoy built right into the game call. We were the first ones to bring out a high-end call that would fit into your pocket and still offer great volume and a high quality of sound, removable memory and a lot of those features. Todd and I sit down often and we go through what we would really like to make and what is not currently out on the market. That is our approach, not, “Oh well, this guy over here is making this so let’s come up with our own version of it.”

Tell us a little bit about your operation, your new facility, how many employees you have and what you foresee for Minaska Outdoor’s growth.

We currently have ten employees. Instead of hiring more people, we redesigned our board and eliminated all the time it took to assemble. This cut down the assembly time dramatically. It took about an hour to assemble the board before, now we are down to five to ten minutes. Right now we are looking for a place to build our own facility. I see it happening here within the next year.

Do you see the popularity of predator hunting getting so big that it will affect the predator population too much? Similar to what we are seeing with dwindling mule deer numbers?

I don’t think we will run into anything like that where predator hunting will be completely oversaturated. The reason why I don’t believe there will be a decline in predator hunting is because there are so many things to hunt – from coyotes to foxes to bobcats. That is another thing that leads us to believe that calling coons is going to be so popular. Everyone has got coons, but when you think about calling coons you think you’re going to have to go and fumble around at nighttime. There is a scene in the video where Todd is hunting and it’s 92-degrees out and he is in shorts and flip flops. We try to stay on the edge of continually doing something different so we are not stuck in a rut.

What would be your dream hunt?

I would really like to call in a lynx. I have not done that. I have had plenty of offers but, you know, it is tough to get away. There is something about bobcats and lynx that really appeals to me.

Year after year it was the same; the disappointment of the dreaded “Unsuccessful” letters from the Division of Wildlife. I figured that 2007 would not be any different. I didn’t know how wrong I was.

From April 26th on, I trained hard by running, hiking, using the elliptical – anything I could to be ready for my hunt of a lifetime! I took several scouting trips to the mountain, more so to learn the area than to find elk. I studied maps like I was getting ready for an exam, I talked to every person I could to find out info about the unit. On my first trip I was so impressed with the quality of animals that I found, that it made it even harder to get sleep. I lived on very little sleep for two and a half months. These bulls haunted my dreams nightly. Ask my wife!

On my last scouting trip, three weeks before the hunt opener, I was at my friend Mike’s house talking about the upcoming hunt, sharing stories, and even going to his friend’s homes to look at sheds from years past. I was so excited after an hour or so of visiting with him that my confidence level was soaring. Then it happened. As I was leaving Mike’s home, I stepped off of the front porch and twisted my ankle. An overwhelming feeling that my hunt had just been ruined came over me. My wife helped me to the truck and I struggled to keep the pain down while we drove the two-hour trip home. I was just sick at the thought of my hunt being over before it even started.

The next week and a half I could not work out at all, as the pain in my ankle would not allow it. In hindsight, this was good because the ankle did heal up relatively fast. That week all I did was shoot my bow. The whole summer I only missed a couple of days of shooting. I shot 20-90 yards and anywhere from 10-100 arrows per day. I felt that I was as ready as I would ever be.

A friend of mine, Adam, flew in from California to join us on the hunt. My wife went to pick him up from the airport while I put the finishing touches on our camping outfit. We left for the mountain about ten minutes after Adam arrived in town. He said that I was “tweaking” over the elk pretty hardcore. I guess he was right.

Adam and I got to the mountain with about fifteen minutes of light left to scout. We ditched the camper and hurried up the hill to a vantage point to glass. We found a couple of good bulls, but nothing special. I felt confident that we would find the big boys in the morning.

After a restless night, Adam and I were up and looking at bulls. A couple bulls were in the 370-380 class. We got a glimpse of one bull that we felt was really huge, but he disappeared into a small basin. I thought that if we went to a small point between us and the basin we might be able to get a better look at him. As we neared the top of the point, I realized that I had screwed up. There was elk sign everywhere; this was a huge bedding area! I looked back to see if Adam had realized what was going on and, just then, I heard branches snapping below us in the timber. Suddenly, there were horns everywhere. It was the big bull. We froze in our tracks and the bull came to within twenty yards before he spotted us. We had a two-second stare down before the bull trotted off into the timber. I didn’t feel like the bull had been spooked out of the area, so we backed out and headed back to set up camp and wait for our other partner, Coby. Coby would be hunting deer and helping me out with my hunt.

That night as all the guys got together at camp, we decided that I should focus on hunting the big boy who we figured was an 8×9 and around 400 Boone and Crockett.

Opening morning, I headed up the trail at 5:00 a.m. to be in position at first light. As I approached the spot where I wanted to be, I could hear the familiar sound of hooves hitting logs and branches snapping. I stopped where I was and waited for more light.

As dawn arrived, I was in position and trying to gain altitude on some bulls that were at the top of the drainage that I was hunting. I had covered half the distance I needed to when I was told the bulls had hit the timber for the day. My hunting partners also informed me of a “shooter” bull in the next drainage to the north. This bull was a long shot, but I took off as fast as I could safely go on the steep terrain. After about 1200 yards, I could finally see the bull through the trees. All I could see was a hip and his antlers. I ranged him, 35 yards, no shot. The bull began to move and I tried my best to follow quietly, but he was soon gone. After a long day of chasing the bull around the mountain my knees were shot. I hobbled my way back to camp.

The next morning found me in the same spot. I wanted to try to find the huge bull that we had seen earlier but, as the morning went on, it became painfully clear that I needed to get off the mountain. I reluctantly called on the radio to get one of the guys to come pick me up, I was done.

When Mike came to get me on the four-wheeler, he suggested that I may want to go get a cortisone shot. Mike also told me of a bull that he had
seen on his way to pick up “the whiner.” We stopped for a minute and looked at the bull which was about a 385-390 class.

After a day in town cleaning up, going to the doctor and getting my cortisone shot, I felt like a million bucks. But, as part of the instructions from the “sawbones,” I would be taking the next two days off. This gave us the opportunity to do a lot of glassing.

On the third night, I elected to disobey doctor’s orders and I headed up the mountain. Mike told me about a bull I should come around the mountain and check out. It was the 8×9! I hurried as it got darker, but there was not enough time to get in for a shot.

That night Coby and I decided that because there were other people after the bull, we should sleep on top of the mountain in the truck. This proved to be the most uncomfortable night of my life! Another one of my hunting partners, Greg, also came in that night to join in on the fun and to help out if I ever connected on an elk.

Sunday morning, Greg and Adam set up on the west side of the ridge. Mike was on the east-facing side so that wherever the bull was spotted I could drop off the respective side and close the distance.

It was not long before Mike hollered at me, “Three spikes.” There were no other elk on his side.

I hollered at Greg and Adam to find out that they had a big bull that they felt was a “shooter” on their side. Coby and I took our shoes off, lost the packs and slipped off the side of the hill for what would be the most grueling and exciting stalk I have ever been on.

Coby and I saw the first antlers at around 100 yards. From that point on, it took us about one hour to close in for the shot. At around seventy yards, the going got extremely slow. The timber we were in was dark and noisy to move around in. I had cramps in my thighs, my feet, even in my backside. We crept along at a pace that a snail would laugh at.

Finally, Coby ranged the bull and hand gestured “54” to me. I began to shake. The bull was raking his horns and feeding, but the timber was too thick for a shot. Just then, another one of the three bulls that were present came up to the big bull and they started rattling their head gear together. This gave me just the opportunity I needed to get into shooting position. Coby ranged the bull again – “48.” The bull turned a little from quartering forward to broadside and I let the arrow go through a small opening I had picked out. The arrow smacked hard and the bulls all bolted. I turned to Coby to tell him it was a good hit. He was still looking where the elk were and all of a sudden he said, “He’s rolling! He’s rolling!” Coby lost his mind right there. We hugged so hard I thought that dude would break my ribs.

After a while we had all the guys around the bull for a photo shoot. This hunt far exceeded the expectations I had for this hunt. My old friends and a few new ones helped to pack my bull off the mountain – Coby, Greg, Adam, Mike, my tracker Shandon, Walter, Cory, and Heath (Mr. Kodak).

When we got to the road there was another local waiting there to help. He hauled us and the elk back to camp where he put a tape to the bull. An unbelievable 398 6/8ths! The bull was around forty inches bigger than my “settle for” goal.

I would like to give a very special thanks to my beautiful wife. She put up with my one track mind, putting off chores, forgetting responsibilities and countless other screw-ups. I love you Amy.

Props to the Forecast Issue

I would like to comment on the reader that had the complaint on the May-June issue concerning giving exact hunting unit numbers away. That issue is what makes this magazine what it is. People subscribe to this magazine because of the respectable information that it prints. I’m sorry, Dan, that you live in a state where you can put in for several different units other than that one. Some people, such as myself, live in states where hunting land is in short supply. Also, due to doctors and lawyers from out of state leasing all the hunting rights, it makes it difficult for the average hunter to hunt. So, we put in for hunts in other states such as New Mexico, Colorado, etc. Hunters such as myself and many, many others rely on information given by this magazine to find quality areas to put in for. Thank you Hunting Illustrated for all the great input on good areas to hunt.

J.W.—via email

How to Score My 5×5

I just had a question about an article in your latest issue of Hunting Illustrated. I don’t have my magazine with me, so I can’t remember the name of the article, but it was the one named, “The Promise” or something like that. The father takes his little girl with him and harvests a monster 5×6 bull elk. It was basically just a five-point, but it had a 1-inch sixth point on one side. The question I had was with the scoring of the bull. I was wondering how you get a fourth circumference measurement on the side with only five points. I’m just curious because I shot a bull last year that had only five typical points on one side with a 10-inch abnormal point in between the third and fourth points. I didn’t think that I could even count a fourth circumference measurement on that side the way that the Boone and Crockett scoring instructions explain it.
If you could help me out on the proper way to score a bull, I would appreciate it. I would love to find out that I could add some points to the score of my bull. My bull could possibly score 375 Pope and Young points (gross that is, he wouldn’t net well because he is so non-typical).

Bret Henrie—via email

Bret,
Thanks for your email and your very good question. You can still get your fourth circumference measurement from a five-point elk. Since it is missing the fifth point, you don’t know where to make the measurement since you would normally make the measurement in between the fourth and fifth point at the smallest circumference. However, if the fifth point is missing, you obtain the fourth measurement by measuring the distance between the fourth point and the tip of the main beam. Then, cut that measurement in half. That half-way point is where you make your fourth circumference measurement. I hope this helps and, if you have a photo of your great bull, send it in.

Editor

Snow Shadow All the Way

I live in Ontario, Canada and hunt coyotes in the winter. I need white camo that is very good in cool weather. I like your pattern for winter, but it needs to be warm in -15 to -20 degrees Celsius. Is your camo for me?

Kyle Davey – via email

Kyle, you are one of many who are eying our amazing King’s Snow Shadow pattern and wondering how our clothing stacks up. We have some great products that I think will fit perfect with the conditions you are describing. I would advise you turn to page 70 in this magazine and you will find our Gear for Predators mini HI Catalog. A few products I would suggest would be our TX Super Quad 4-in-1 Parka or the TX Weather Pro Extreme Insulated Parka. Both have great water and wind protection with hoods. Also a great match would be our TX Pro Extreme Insulated Bibs. To top off your complete package, go with the TX High Mountain Insulated Gloves and the Fleece Hood Mask and you are going to ready for bear. Not only have we created the most amazing snow pattern on the market, we have combined it with performance enhanced clothing to match the extreme conditions of late season hunting. Good luck chasing those coyotes and let us know how you do.

Editor

The Debate Continues

I am writing concerning the opinion expressed by Horst R. from Saskatchewan, Canada. True assault weapons are not legal to hunt with. Alleged assault weapons are legal and lawful to hunt with. The alleged assault weapons function just as any other semi-automatic firearm. It appears to me that some people are guilty of visual racism. In regards to Mr. Zumbo, I saw him on a program with Ted Nugent. While Mr. Zumbo was handling the alleged assault firearm he looked like a fish out of water. I felt sorry and embarrassed for him. Sometimes it is necessary to discipline or chastise one of our own, but that does not mean you eliminate him from the industry. I am sure he has learned this as we all have. I have enjoyed Mr. Zumbo’s writings and programs in the past and expect to in the future. We stand together as legal firearm owners regardless of appearance or function. We benefit from the technology be it civilian or military. Do we want to go back to the Model T?

Wm. Gordon Poggensee—Buckley, WA

Bash the 30.06…How Dare You!

Carl Hermansen’s article, “THE BEST RIFLE FOR YOUR HUNT: Is there life beyond the .30-06?” is ballistic scatology. Carl begins by trashing the venerable .30-06 cartridge, discrediting its reputed “do-all” popularity and wide variety of bullet weights, and bad-mouthing the 110-grain “varmint” bullet (“more of a plinker”) while disregarding the .30-06 Accelerator ammunition designed expressly for varmint shooting. He goes on to say that the .25-06, a stepchild of the .30-06, is “the perfect choice” for “antelope-sized” Western game. Meanwhile Hermansen ignores the .257 Weatherby which is a great cartridge that has been in production for six decades, and will do anything the .25-06 will do in spades. His choice for “the ideal deer cartridge” is the excellent .270 Winchester, another .30-06 descendant, a worthy competitor for your ultimate whitetail or mule deer outfit. His “ideal mountain cartridge” is the .300 Winchester Magnum for goats, sheep, and elk – although the .300 Weatherby preceded that .300 Winchester, and outperforms it. His “man gun” for moose, buffalo, and bear is the .338 Winchester Magnum. He claims that his chosen cartridges have been around the block- “no wham bam super magnums,” “no need to reinvent the wheel” – although the elderly .375 H&H Magnum already occupies that niche. His choice of a “multi-purpose rifle” is the .300 Winchester Magnum – a .30-06 on steroids, as “perfectly capable of taking any North American game animal” – but so is the 7mm Remington Magnum. Jack O’Connor once personally advised me to get a .270 Winchester for ninety-percent of my North American hunting, plus a .375 H&H Magnum for the heavier game. In a letter dated November 3, 1973, he stated, “When my wife and I were in Zambia in 1969, I took along a .338 as my ‘light’ rifle. Much to my surprise, I didn’t think it killed any better than a .30-06. It was not nearly as effective as a .375, or at least that is the way it seemed to me.” And I’m inclined to agree with such an authority. In addition to my .270 and .375, I bought a .30-06 and have never regretted my decision. Gun writers Jack O’Connor and Doctor J.Y. Jones – authors/hunting experts – have shot the entire gamut of North American game with their .30-06 sporting rifles, with nary a qualm. Professional choices. Besides which, I tend to look askance at advice from any would-be gun guru who can’t sign his own name legibly. That’s my opinion.

TSgt Joe Ferrier—Lompoc, California

Mr. Ferrier, thanks for the great comments. Very well put together. I did notice on your letter your clear and legible signature.

Editor

Mr. Hermansen, I think you are a punk. I killed my first deer at age eleven with a 22. I’ve killed many more with a 22-250 at 700 yards. Yeah, I pointed up. I watched my dad kill deer as the master archer who ever lived with a recurve at distances you wouldn’t understand. It isn’t the cartridge; it’s the eye and mind behind it. If you can’t trust yourself, then shoot the big diameter. Look at the old Hawken and Sharps. And best of all, the old 30-30 Win. You are perpetuating the money buys game myth. Go ahead, get the money guys to buy what you think they should have. I’ll keep killing what I need to eat, as well the trophies that I don’t want the publicity for, with what works best for me. I guess I’m just a better shot when it counts. Close doesn’t feed the family. And the old Page 240 was the best all-around cartridge ever – and it was based on the 30.06. Versatile? Not everyone can afford a dozen rifles. Use what you have to its best. You guys are only about money. My dad bought the subscription before he passed on to the hunting ground in the sky. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known what a bunch of greedy morons you guys are.

Chris Carling—via email

Chris,
Everyone is passionate about their guns. That’s the way we like it and the reason for this article. It’s all about preference, dialing in your loads, and shooting accuracy. However, I will probably get more negative comments back about me publishing your comment that you are shooting 700 yards at a deer with your 22-250 and whacking a deer with a .22 than someone bashing on the 30.06. No, not everyone can afford a dozen rifles, but our surveys tell us that 63 percent of our readers own eight or more guns. That’s plenty of guns to go around, so find the one that you like for the type of hunt you are going on.

Editor