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Male black bear in early morning light in Southern Alberta 2012. © Donald M. Jones

Volume 28

Number 1

Spring 2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

From the Editor | In this Issue...................................................................................Mark B. Steffen

From the President | 31st President of the Boone and Crockett Club....... William A. Demmer

HUNTING, ETHICS & RECORDS

10 .300 Weatherby Magnum.................................................................Craig Boddington 12 Tomorrow’s Rifles Today .............................................................Wayne van Zwoll 20 best of 2012 | Field Photos ................................................Sponsored by Swarovski Optik 24 Picket Fence.........................................................................................................Glen Salow 28 Beyond The Score ................................................................................................... Justin E. Spring 32 Generation Next | Youth Essay and Field Photos.............. Sponsored by Leica Sports Optics 38 The Ethics of Fair Chase | The Hunt Equation ..................................... Daniel A. Pedrotti, Jr. 42 Trophy Talk | Monster Non-typical Whitetail Entered .......................................... Jack Reneau 44 Recently Accepted Trophies | 28th Awards Program Entries. 52 Trophy Photo Gallery...................................................... Sponsored by Realtree Xtra Green

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CONSERVATION & RESEARCH 58 Capitol Comments | The Firearm Debate .................................................... Steven Williams 60 Member Library | Gene Atkins Hill - Writer, Sportsman, Dog Lover ............. Theodore J. Holsten 62 Knowledge Base | Knowledge is Power................................................... Winifred B. Kessler 64 B&C Professor’s Corner | 21 years of University Programs ...................... Harold J. Salwasser 66 AWCP Spotlight | Mule Deer Foundation .................................................................. Miles Moretti 68 Toughing it Out: | How Mule Deer Survive Winter Hardships................. Sonja Smith 72 Conservation Easements | Good for Wildlife, Good for Landowners,

Good for Hunters....................................................................................................... Mike Mueller

76 Dallas Safari Club Update | DSC Adopts Strict Lion Hunting Policy..................... Ben Carter

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FROM THE EDITOR In this Issue “Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow—Psalm 25:4, NLT”. This scripture Mark B. Steffen has served me well through the years, Editor-in-Chief whether lost and Chairman B&C Publications Committee disoriented in the fog high in the Wyoming Range as darkness set in, or clinging to the pinnacles of the Chugach Mountains as the rain turned to sleet. But most recently, Psalm 25:4 graced the Steffen home scripture wall when Marc Mondavi, B&C vice president of communications, called and inquired as to my willingness to serve a second term as chairman of the Publications Committee. As you might guess, there are two folks I do not tell no: God and the Boone and Crockett Club. My second tour of duty coincides with the launch of B&C’s strategic plan. In the spirit of this comprehensive plan, I am assembling a blue ribbon group of Regular and Professional Members to serve as the Editorial Board of Fair Chase, which began in 1986 as the Associates Newsletter and grew into a full-color, quarterly journal titled Fair Chase in 1994. As the Boone and Crockett Club

moves beyond 125 years of service and into our new strategic plan, Fair Chase will return to its roots as the primary source of communication with an Associate Membership designated for engagement and expansion. We will strive to inspire adventure, personal growth, and depth of character. But, most importantly, we will strive to bring you to the inner circle of the Club where you can feel the pulse and be a part of America’s finest conservation organization. For today, please take particular note of our “From the President” and welcome Mr. William A. Demmer as the 31st president of the Boone and Crockett Club. Bill is a brilliant leader and a fierce Michigan State Spartan! We look forward to serving under his administration as B&C moves aggressively forward. n

Fair Chase PRODUCTION STAFF Editor-in-Chief & Publications Chairman Mark B. Steffen Managing Editor Julie L. Tripp Conservation and History Editor Steven Williams Research and Education Editor Winifred B. Kessler Hunting and Ethics Editor Mark Streissguth Assistant Editors Keith Balfourd Jim Bequette CJ Buck Marc Mondavi Jack Reneau Tony A. Schoonen Graphic Designer Karlie Slayer Editorial Contributors Craig Boddington Ben Carter William A. Demmer Theodore J. Holsten Winifred B. Kessler Miles Moretti Mike Mueller Daniel A. Pedrotti, Jr. Jack Reneau Harold J. Salwasser Glen Salow Sonja Smith Justin E. Spring Wayne van Zwoll Steven Williams Photographic Contributors Donald M. Jones www.LostandTaken.com Fair Chase is published quarterly by the Boone and Crockett Club and distributed to its Members and Associates. Material in this magazine may be freely quoted and/or reprinted in other publications and media, so long as proper credit is given to Fair Chase. The only exception applies to articles that are reprinted in Fair Chase from other magazines, in which case, the Club does not hold the reprint rights. The opinions expressed by the contributors of articles are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Boone and Crockett Club. Fair Chase (ISSN 1077-4627) is published for $35 per year by the Boone and Crockett Club, 250 Station Drive, Missoula, MT 59801. Periodical postage is paid in Missoula, Montana, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Fair Chase, Boone and Crockett Club, 250 Station Drive, Missoula, MT 59801 Phone: (406) 542-1888 Fax: (406) 542-0784

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Bernard + Associates, 767 Mill St. Reno, NV 89502 jeff@bernardandassociates.com Phone: (775) 323-6828

Fair Chase began in 1986 as the Associates Newsletter and grew into a full-color, quarterly journal titled Fair Chase in 1994. As the Boone and Crockett Club moves into our new strategic plan, Fair Chase will return to its roots as the primary source of communication with an Associate membership designated for engagement and expansion.

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B&C STAFF Chief of Staff – Tony A. Schoonen Director of Big Game Records – Jack Reneau Director of Publications – Julie L. Tripp Director of Marketing – Keith Balfourd Office Manager – Sandy Poston Controller – Jan Krueger TRM Ranch Manager – Mike Briggs Assistant Director of Big Game Records – Justin Spring Development Program Manager – Jodi Bishop Assistant Controller – Abra Loran Graphic Designer – Karlie Slayer Customer Service – Amy Hutchison Records Dept. Assistant – Wendy Nickelson Luke Coccoli – RWCC Facilities Manager

FROM THE PRESIDENT 31st President of the Boone and Crockett Club, William A. Demmer What an honor it is for me to lead the Boone and Crockett Club, an organization founded by Theodore Roosevelt William A. Demmer in 1887. The Club is celebrating its 125th PRESIDENT Boone and Crockett Club anniversary this year. Theodore Roosevelt created this organization out of his concern for dwindling wildlife populations and irresponsible land use in North America. He assembled likeminded, passionate souls to help conserve our nation’s wild resources for the future. Because of the dedication of these respected leaders and fellow hunters, this Club was at the forefront of actions that resulted in the foundation for the greatest conservation revolution in the history of mankind and in the survival of our hunting heritage. Our Boone and Crockett endowed chair at Michigan State University, Dr. William Porter, says it best: “The Boone and Crockett Club ushered in one of mankind’s great ideas…‘Conservation,’ the sustainable and shared use of our precious wildlife and natural resources.” It is always important to reflect on where the state of U.S. wildlife stood in 1886, the year before the Boone and Crockett Club was founded. I am always stunned when I review the condition of big game populations in the 19th century. When viewed with our ethical and environmental lenses of today, it is hard to believe that the original wildlife bounty of the U.S. had been decimated to such a degree. Bison were down to 5,000 head from an estimated 40 million. Whitetailed deer were down to 500,000 from an estimated 24 million (Quality Deer Management Association estimates the presettlement population was 40 million.). Wild

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turkeys were down to 400,000 from an estimated 15 million; pronghorn populations were down to 25,000 from an estimated 10 million, and elk were down to 150,000 from an estimated 10 million. Added to those tragedies, other game and non-game animals had become extinct! The Boone and Crockett Club has much to celebrate this year. Club members were champions of the first national parks,

Our hunting constituency, the policy makers who so powerfully impact our wildlife and habitat decisions and today’s general public who, through their power of the vote control our destiny, need to hear one of the greatest stories barely told! national refuges, and the national forest system. John F. Lacey, a U.S. senator and Boone and Crockett Club member, ushered through Congress the first national legislation for the protection of wildlife. The Lacey Act made it a federal offense to transport illegally taken game across state borders. In 1902, President Roosevelt signed game law legislation for Alaska that became the model for the rest of the states. Club Members ushered through legislation that established the National Bison Range. Created in 1908, this refuge for bison is one of the oldest national wildlife refuges in the U.S. By 1917, both Glacier and Mount McKinley National Parks were established with Boone and Crockett Club members doing most of the heavy

lifting. In 1929, Boone and Crockett Club members introduced legislation creating the Federal Waterfowl Refuge System. In 1932 the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act was passed, providing revenue from sportsman for the recovery and protection of waterfowl and their habitat. That act was ushered through Congress by Boone and Crockett Club members. In 1937, with conceptual groundwork laid by Boone and Crockett Club members, the Pittman-Robertson Act passed Congress, earmarking sportsmen’s dollars for conservation and game management. In 1947, the Club aggressively began promoting Roosevelt’s ideals of fair chase in relationship to heads and horns submissions for records book consideration. President George H.W. Bush in 1989 asked the Club for a 10-point program for his administration’s wildlife conservation agenda. That request laid the groundwork for the American Wildlife Conservation Partners, an organization formed in 2000 under the leadership of then-Boone and Crockett Club President Dan Pedrotti. In 1993, the Club endowed its first professorship chair at the University of Montana, appointing Dr. Hal Salwasser chair to guide graduate student research. The Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Alliance was formed in 2002 with the Mule Deer Foundation and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to address CWD issues. In 2004 the Club launched a “Hunt Fair Chase” program to build awareness of ethical choices and to strengthen the public’s perceptions of hunting. The Club now has five endowed chairs and/or programs at major universities that include the University of Montana, Oregon State University, Texas A&M, the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, and Michigan State University. The Club is engaged with other universities in North America to

establish more programs to advance the cause of wildlife conservation and to help develop the appropriate policies and leaders that will facilitate that cause. My vision for the Club during my tenure is to continue to focus on our strengths and build even greater effectiveness in our delivery systems. Our hunting constituency, the policy makers who so powerfully impact our wildlife and habitat decisions and today’s general public who, through their power of the vote control our destiny, need to hear one of the greatest stories barely told! That story is how the hunter-conservationist in the late 19th century created a movement so powerful that the conscience of a nation was awakened and energized to save wildlife. That movement was conservation, the sustainable, wise and shared use of our nation’s wildlife and natural resources. That movement has resulted in wild game populations rebounding to powerful and sustainable levels. North American bison now number over 400,000; white-tailed deer in the U.S. now number over 15 million; wild turkeys more than 7 million; and both pronghorn and elk populations top more than 1 million each. Through Pittman-Robertson funding, more than $481 million annually is distributed to the states and territories to support fish and wild game habitat, science and management. Together, hunters and anglers are the most important source of conservation funding, and if Boone and Crockett Club doesn’t get that message out to the general public, who will? This dynamic conservation movement—so powerfully impacted by the Boone and Crockett Club—has been best defined in the works of three current Boone and Crockett Professional Members, Professor Valerius Geist, Shane Mahoney and John Organ. They developed an effective description of the tenets of that movement called the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, which describes the seven primary

principles that underpin successful wildlife and habitat management. Spreading the gospel of that model is at the heart of our Club’s new five-year strategic plan. With U.S. gun ownership being challenged anew, it is critical that the general public has a clear view of what hunters—i.e., hunters who are responsible, passionately engaged in habitat protection and who behave ethically within their sport—have done and continue to do for the greater good of the country. There is a special opportunity today to get our message out, as many people are trying to determine just where they stand on sensitive issues. These are exciting times again for the Boone and Crockett Club. Our effort to affect national wildlife policy will be at the forefront of our activities. Our Club, being the North American repository for big game records, will be expanding B&C’s records database, making it easier for more scientific access. Our communications efforts will be even more impactful as we finish our branding work, which will provide both a focus for our message and a filter to ensure consistency. The Boone and Crockett Club, which was the first hunting-conservation organization to promote ethics through our beacon of fair chase will expand that effort as to provide both the hunter and non-hunter moral underpinnings of their actions and to provide quality options for behavioral choices, choices associated with both land use and hunting. Our Club’s university programs working synergistically have the potential to become a true bully pulpit for conservation. It is critical that we, the Boone and Crockett Club, rekindle a national awareness of conservation. To that end, to quote Shane Mahoney, as he so succinctly says, “Conservation matters.” n

BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOUNDED IN 1887 BY THEODORE ROOSEVELT

Club Club President William A. Demmer Secretary Robert H. Hanson Tom L. Lewis – Assistant Secretary Treasurer Marshall J. Collins, Jr. Executive Vice President – Administration Timothy C. Brady Executive Vice President – Conservation Morrison Stevens, Sr. Vice President of Administration James F. Arnold Vice President of Big Game Records Eldon L. “Buck” Buckner Vice President of Conservation Stephen P. Mealey Vice President of Communications Marc C. Mondavi Foundation President B.B. Hollingsworth, Jr. Class of 2013 James J. Shinners Class of 2014 James Cummins Class of 2015 CJ Buck Foundation Foundation President B.B. Hollingsworth, Jr. Secretary Tom L. Lewis Treasurer C. Martin Wood III Vice President James J. Shinners Vice President John A. Tomke Class of 2013 John P. Evans Jeffrey A. Gronauer Steve J. Hageman Earl L. Sherron, Jr. C. Martin Wood III Class of 2014 Remo R. Pizzagalli Edward B. Rasmuson James J. Shinners John A. Tomke Leonard J. Vallender Class of 2015 Gary W. Dietrich B.B. Hollingsworth, Jr. Ned S. Holmes Tom L. Lewis Paul M. Zelisko

Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 7

n Boddington’s cartridge review, he discusses the .300 Weatherby Magnum and how it was created to significantly increase powder capacity and resultant velocity. Van Zwoll goes on to delve deeper into the history of the Weatherby Company, their promise to hunters, and Roy Weatherby himself. Don’t miss out on the top field photos of 2012, as voted on by our editors as well as our Facebook fans. There is also three great hunting stories. The first recounts one man’s journey to track down a whitetail he named Picket Fence. Beyond the Score reminds us it’s not about the final score, at the end of a long pronghorn hunt, but the effort it took. Our Generation Next youth story takes place at the apex of North American mountain hunting, Dall’s sheep in the Yukon Territory. Ethics editor, Dan Pedrotti, Jr. nails it once again, putting deer breeding and hunting into perspective. A 305-7/8 point non-typical whitetail! Reneau’s Trophy Talk details an Indiana whitetail celebrating what nature is still capable of.

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e h t f o Best ? s 0 3 . t s Fa

Review

.300

Weatherby Magnum By Craig Boddington B&C Professional Member Photos courtesy of Author

This lineup is just a small selection of the fast .30s. Although the .300 Weatherby Magnum is not the fastest, it’s a very fast cartridge that has been a solid performer for more than 60 years.

.300 Winchester Short Magnum

.300 Winchester Magnum

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.300 Weatherby Magnum

Developed by wildcatter Roy E. Weatherby in the mid-1940s, the .300 Weatherby Magnum was not the first of Roy’s fast wildcats, but it has remained the flagship of the line since Weatherby, Inc., went into production more than 60 years ago. It is also just about the only Weatherby magnum that has expanded from a Weatherby proprietary into general production. Not everybody offers it, but a number of firearms manufacturers chamber to it, and among the “majors,” Federal, Hornady, and Remington offer factory ammunition. The .300 Weatherby Magnum was created quite easily by removing the body taper from the .300 H&H case, thus significantly increasing powder capacity and resultant velocity. The nominal case length of 2.8 inches is retained, so we call the .300 Weatherby a “fulllength” magnum, requiring a .375 H&H-length action and unable to fit into a standard or .30-06-length action. The .300 Weatherby Magnum was not the only “improved” version of the .300 H&H. There were several, using slightly different body tapers, shoulder angles and neck lengths; Roy Weatherby’s version used his distinctive double venturi curved shoulder—the only version that made it into factory form. My late uncle, Art Popham, long-time member of Boone and Crockett, was a friend of Roy Weatherby’s and, from the late ‘40s onward, did most of his hunting with a .300 Weatherby out of deference to Roy—but his rifle was actually a .300 Improved, with a different shoulder. Roy Weatherby’s theories were good, but he was also a master marketer. His version was faster than the rest, but it wasn’t exactly cartridge design. Early on, he partnered with the Swedish firm of Norma to load his ammo. Norma still loads Weatherby’s ammo—and loads it to slightly higher pressure than American standards. Weatherby also cut his chambers with a bit of “free bore”—an unrifled section ahead of the chamber, which allowed the bullet to get a jump-start before engaging the rifling. Even today, .300 Weatherby ammunition (from Norma) is considerably faster than the competition. I have found Weatherby’s published velocities, which are very high, to be pretty darned accurate in a Weatherby chamber with the specified barrel length (which is generally 26 inches, while the more customary industry standard is 24 inches). Weatherby’s published velocities include a 150grain bullet at 3,540 fps, 165-grain bullet at 3,330, and 180-grain bullet at 3,250. Loads from other manufacturers (generally quoted from a 24-inch barrel) average about 150 fps slower. Honestly, I have found it difficult to handload up to Weatherby factory specifications, and in .300 .300 some non-Weatherby chambers there can be sticky Jarrett Remington extraction with Weatherby factory ammo, especially in Ultra Mag hot weather.

This is hair-splitting—but necessary— discussion. After the 7mm Remington Magnum, the .300 Winchester Magnum is the world’s most popular magnum cartridge. It has the advantage of fitting into a .30-06length case, but it is significantly slower than any loads for the .300 Weatherby Magnum—at least 150 fps slower. I have never been bothered by the slightly longer bolt throw and extra ounces of action weight. But, as the tradeoff, when I want a fast .30-caliber, I want all I can get! The .300 Weatherby Magnum isn’t a cartridge I use all the time, but I’ve owned at least one rifle so chambered since 1980, and I prefer it above all other fast .30s. It should be said, and I will admit, that the .300 Remington Ultra Mag (RUM), with its fatter, unbelted case, is a better cartridge. Its design is far more modern, and since it has greater case capacity it is theoretically faster. And with carefully worked up hand loads it could be, but factory ammunition is only available from Remington, so the .300 Weatherby Magnum is more available. If you wish to continue to split hairs over velocity, Remington’s .300 RUM factory ammo is not as fast as Norma’s .300 Weatherby Magnum ammo produced for Weatherby. For many years the .300 Winchester Magnum was damned for its short neck, but it has long proven itself a very accurate and efficient cartridge. The unbelted .300 RUM is probably inherently more accurate, and the .300 Winchester Short Magnum definitely is. On the other hand, nobody has ever said that the .300 Weatherby Magnum is a 1,000yard match cartridge. However, as a hunting cartridge I have never seen any accuracy issues with the .300 Weatherby Magnum, and it is my experience that quality of barrel and ammunition—and precision of assembly—are more important to accuracy than cartridge design. I have used several Weatherby factory rifles that provided fine accuracy, and for many years a favorite go-to rifle has been a Rifles, Inc., .300 Weatherby on a lefthand Model 70 action with 26-inch fluted barrel. This rifle groups well with everything I feed it, and on a good day with good ammo produces quarter-inch groups. More recently I’ve been using a .300 Weatherby Magnum barrel on a Blaser R8. It, too, shoots far better than I can! I haven’t used it much in North America yet, but I’ve used it on a number of mountain hunts in Europe and Asia. At the Safari Club convention, my booth was across the aisle from legendary riflesmith Kenny Jarrett. He talked me into a custom-built rifle, and of course he wanted

it to be in his signature proprietary, the .300 Jarrett (another “improved” version of the .300 H&H). Yes, his cartridge would probably buy me a few thousandths in group size—especially in one of his rifles—but would also incur long-term costs in ammo availability. I agreed, but only if he would build me a .300 Weatherby Magnum. In the 1950s all Weatherby cartridges were damned for premature bullet blowup. With the bullets we had back then there was probably some validity; bullets designed for ideal performance at .30-06 velocities can still come apart at the .300 Weatherby’s much higher speed. But this is a passé argument. Today we have plenty of good, tough bullets that will hold up at .300 Weatherby velocities. I don’t choose the lightest, most volatile bullets, and I don’t worry about it. Like any fast .30, the .300 Weatherby Magnum is a great choice if you’re going into unfamiliar country where you don’t know what kind of shot you might be facing. It is probably more powerful than necessary for the majority of North American big game, and is marginal at best for the big bears. But it’s also a fine choice for non-dangerous game bigger than deer, such as elk and moose, and a wonderful choice for African plains game, which can run the gamut in size and shooting conditions. It has the wind-bucking ability of the fast .30, so it is never a bad choice in mountains or plains. I’ve used it on North American sheep as well as in the big mountains of Asia. After 30 years of using this cartridge, I know it. I understand the trajectory, and it has never let me down! During most of that time I’ve been a staunch 180-grain fan, although I’ve gone to 200- and even 220-grain bullets for specialized applications. Today, thanks to the great bullets we have available, there is rarely a reason to go above 180 grains in bullet weight. Loads vary tremendously, but you can count on a solid 3,100 fps in a 24-inch barrel. This is not possible in a .300 Winchester Magnum, and with certain loads in some rifles, you might get 3,200 or more. In recent years (once again, thanks to better bullets), I’ve actually stepped down, using 150- and 165-grain bullets for

TOP LEFT: Brent Wineland and me with a fine whitetail from western Kansas. The buck came out of a series of coulees and hesitated at something over 400 yards. The only thing there was time to do was sit down and shoot, and I was glad I was carrying a flat-shooting rifle like the .300 Weatherby. TOP RIGHT: A fast .30 like the .300 Weatherby isn’t essential for caribou, but the tundra is often windy, and long shots can be required. I used my Rifles, Inc., .300 Weatherby to take this beautiful Quebec-Labrador bull. ABOVE: I used my Rifles, Inc., .300 Weatherby Magnum when I took this lovely mule deer on a subzero day in Alberta.

smaller-bodied game. While the lighter bullets with inferior Ballistic Coefficient don’t hold up as well at extreme range, they are considerably faster. So flight time—and the wind’s ability to work on the bullet—is reduced. At normal game ranges on smaller-bodied sheep and goats, good 150grain bullets at up to 3,400 fps have performed like magic. With its belted case and Roy Weatherby’s just plain weird shoulder design, the .300 Weatherby Magnum is now an older cartridge of archaic design. But it works. And although I’ve used and admire all of them, the Weatherby remains my personal favorite among the versatile fast .30-calibers. n Fair FairChase Chase Spring 2013 n 11

Today

Tomorrow’s Rifles

Roy Weatherby’s slogan was also a promise to hunters. He took it seriously.

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Tomorrow’s Rifles … Today – This 1956-1957 cover of the Weatherby guide shows a classic Weatherby stock on a Mauser action. Roy would shortly introduce his own Mark V action.

By Wayne van Zwoll B&C Professional Member

Photos courtesy of Author

The elk, badly hit, galloped off. We followed. Hoof-prints took us a couple of hundred yards. We found a small-font comma of blood on one blade of grass. Then, by blind luck, we came upon the bull. He’d bedded, but rose as our eyes met. Kneeling, I caught him in the scope as he crested a ridge. The .300 Weatherby bounced; the animal was gone. But the reticle had looked just right. We found him dead just over the hump.

Weatherby rifles aren’t magic, but they can seem so, killing more suddenly than you expect. Last fall I sent many bullets after a mountain goat to anchor it. No, my shooting hadn’t been that shiny, and goats are notoriously tough. Then there was the long yardage, the storm, the goat’s insistence on keeping his derriere between his vitals and my .30-06.... Days later, crawling to my partner with a hat to shade his eye, I grabbed a handful of cartridges in my other hand. Surely he’d need them. But when his Weatherby Magnum recoiled, the goat dropped dead. Instantly. The slug barrel on this pumpaction Weatherby PA-08 delivered near-rifle-like accuracy for Wayne. The company also markets “tactical” shotguns.

A century ago, the .30-06 was all the cartridge any hunter could want. It hit half again as hard as a .30-30 up close, twice as hard out yonder. The ‘06’s pointed bullets lost speed reluctantly. Speed not only put more power on tap, it ensured flatter flight. Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 13

As bolt-action rifles overtook lever guns at market and optical sights earned their stripes, hunters shot farther. Wildcatters fashioned hot-rod cartridges from the .30-06, then the .300 Holland & Holland (Super .30), first loaded stateside in 1925. Though the Depression-battered arms factories, experimenters carried on. Among their protégés was a young man selling insurance in Los Angeles.

The man and his company

Roy Weatherby was born in 1910 to a Kansas sharecropper and spent his childhood helping the family wrest a living from the ground. He earned a BB gun peddling garden seed on foot to neighbors. Though in that day college was just a dream for farm boys, Roy was determined to make it come true. Working for Southwestern Bell, he took night classes at the University of Wichita. In 1937 he and wife Camille headed for California. The Golden State was growing fast, its ranks swelled by refugees from the Dust Bowl, and by legions of the unemployed from farther east, migrating toward hope on Route 66. Roy started an insurance business and prospered. He bought a lathe and a drill press from Sears, then began building custom rifles in his basement shop. They chambered Weatherby’s own wildcat rounds. The .220 Rocket, an improved .220 Swift, appeared in 1943 and is widely acknowledged as the first of Roy’s high-octane line. It did not see commercial production. Other projects fared better, and would later earn for Roy the title, “high priest of high velocity.” The .270 Weatherby Magnum, a shortened, blown-out .300 H&H, was the same length as Winchester’s popular .270, but held a lot more powder. The .257 and 7mm Weatherby Magnums followed in a year, on the same hull. Radiused shoulder junctures on these and the .300 Weatherby Magnum (introduced 1945) distinguished Roy’s frisky rounds. The .300 was a “full-length” magnum, essentially as long as its parent. Minimal body taper gave it much greater capacity than the Super .30. Roy eventually eased out of the insurance business and began hiring people to help him build and promote his rifles and fast-stepping cartridges. He borrowed from friends to keep the enterprise solvent. In 1946 he sold half interest to his friend and attorney Bill Wittman, for $10,000 in venture capital. About this time Camille inherited $21,000 from the sale of her family’s Kansas farm. Roy promptly used that money to buy back the stake he’d sold. Then, in December, an auto accident put Roy on crutches. As if to 14 n Fair Chase Spring 2013

offset that event, a Weatherby rifle appeared on the cover of The American Rifleman the same month. Roy was back in action by early spring, courting celebrities and industry giants to give his rifles exposure. “The day Gary Cooper walked into my shop, I knew things were looking up,” he later recalled. Roy got Sheldon Coleman as a customer. He hobnobbed with Elmer Keith and Jack O’Connor, Jimmy Doolittle, Joe Foss and Robert Stack. He was photographed showing a rifle to John Wayne. Roy Rogers would use a Weatherby rifle to shoot an Alaskan brown bear. But Roy needed the favor of the hard-core shooter, too—and he went after it. Gun guru Phil Sharpe gave Weatherby prominent mention in the 1948 revised edition of “Complete Guide To Handloading.” Weatherby print ads spoke to rifle enthusiasts. Roy opened his first retail store in 1945, on Long Beach Boulevard. Five years later he moved to a better facility. That shop, on Firestone Boulevard in Southgate, remained Weatherby’s home base for more than four decades. Roy put down roots, established his name, and branded his business there. Southgate handed Weatherby its corporate image. Glossy, full-color catalogs showing Weatherby rifles also pictured Roy in his office, nattily dressed, hosting war heroes, tycoons and film stars in front of an enormous mural of the African plain. The mural survives; so too Roy’s conference table from that office. During the 1940s, Roy pursued commercial ammo suppliers. He was stocking loaded Weatherby cartridges by 1948. Norma, of Sweden, has provided ammunition for the company since the early 1950s. In May, 1949, Weat herby’s (later, Weatherby Inc.) was formed. It offered stock to investors, who quickly provided Roy with an additional $70,000 to fuel his plans for growth. Herb

Weatherby rifles in the hands of celebrities brought the rifles to prominence. Roy Rogers shot this brown bear with an early Weatherby on a Mauser action.

Klein, a wealthy oil man who’d bought his first Weatherby rifle in 1946, ponied up $10,000. He and Phil Sharpe became vice presidents in the new company. Dean Rumbaugh, who at this writing has worked for Weatherby for an astonishing 50 years, told me: “Herb was crucial to Roy’s survival early on. But those two men didn’t always see eye to eye.” Both strong-willed, hard-driving entrepreneurs, they had a falling out over comptroller Bill Hansen, hired to tend company books by Klein’s business manager, Ralph Maddox. Employee complaints led to Hansen’s dismissal in 1957, by Klein. Hansen’s replacement didn’t work out either. Another comptroller steadied the ship for a time. “Then Herb got Roy to hire John Coapman as sales manager,” said Dean. “Coapman was a Coca Cola employee who’d also guided Herb on a hunt. Evidently he wanted Weatherby to provide him an office in Europe and give him three months leave for his hunting business.” Roy’s friend Elgin Gates, who was hunting all over the world and knew the outfitting industry, agreed that hiring Coapland was a bad idea. But Herb insisted. Coapland joined the firm in August, 1961 and was fired in November. “When Roy reported the firing to Herb on his return from a hunting trip, Klein took it well,” Dean remembered. “The two then agreed Klein would take a more active role in the company.” But while they shared

vision and energy, their ideas concerning day-to-day operations differed. When Herb’s nephew, attorney Lloyd Klein, came on as Roy’s legal assistant, sparks flew again. By this time, Klein owned half interest. Roy proposed a buyout. Herb insisted on payment of $125,000 over what he had invested. To fill the void left by the departure of his Texas friend and associate, Roy approached Udo van Meeteren, who owned the German firm, J.P. Sauer Company. But he found Sauer had just been acquired by Dynamit-Nobel, so he had to negotiate too with Manfred Holzach, a managing director. In October, 1962, J.P. Sauer and Dynamit-Nobel committed to a deal that gave each a quarterinterest in Weatherby, Inc. But they remained partners for just four years before selling their stakes in Weatherby to Roy’s pal and NASCO Industries owner Leo Roethe. He paid $500,000, about $187,000 less than they’d paid for it! During the company’s early years, Roy was always exploring fresh ways to market his wares. He bought a new 1950 Ford van and embellished it with images of his rifles. To develop an active, mobile sales force, he took the lead in that Ford, tirelessly working the dealer circuit. A Chrysler coupe, complete with zebra seat covers, came next. His Buick wagon featured a walnut vault, pull-out draw-

High velocity and flat trajectory are the hallmarks of Weatherby cartridges. But sportsmen find Roy’s magnums useful in cover too. Weatherby offers left-hand rifles like the Mark V shown here. ers heavy with scoped rifles for display. Besides his eye-catching Weatherby fleet, Roy indulged a personal passion for automobiles. He collected Lincolns and Packards, owned a 1930 Franklin, a Clipper, a Patrician. The pump shotgun that later appeared in Weatherby’s line as the Patrician probably owes its name to the car. At the retail counter, on dealer visits and soliciting celebrity endorsements, Roy knew the value of face-to-face talk. An engaging personality earned him a lot of business. For years after rising postage made it a significant expense, Roy mailed Christmas cards to everyone who bought a Weatherby rifle! He cared about his customers and wanted them to know it! Oddly enough, Roy spent relatively little time afield. He enjoyed hunting, but even as sportsmen initiated their new Weatherbys on safari, Roy hunted in Africa only twice—in 1948 and 1952. Those who knew him insist his purpose on both trips was to generate publicity for his rifles. In 1958, when

RIGHT: Dean Rumbaugh has worked at Weatherby for 50 years. Here he holds an early Weatherby rifle on a Shultz & Larsen action, used for the .378 Weatherby Magnum. Note the signature grip cap.

Not all winners!

Researching this article, I came across a note from W.G. Martin, Jr., who worked as a ballistician for Weatherby in 1960. It describes experimental work with a .284 Weatherby Magnum, a necked-down .300, fired in a Mark V rifle with 26-inch barrel. The cartridge drove 139-grain Hornady bullets at 3,580 fps, 154-grain Hornadys at 3,361. Martin listed charges of 78 and 76 grains 4350 powder (probably IMR) respectively. Charges of 75 and 74 grains pushed 160- and 175-grain Noslers at 3,382 and 3,138 fps. All pressures registered as high to maximum. Fiveshot groups averaged 1¼ inches uniformly across bullet weights. Velocities beat those for the 7mm Weatherby Magnum by an average of just under 150 fps, the lighter bullets showing the greatest boost. Weatherby did not load this round. Roy may have considered it “beyond overbore,” with more powder than could be usefully consumed, given the bullet diameter. Years later, the 7mm STW and the 7mm Remington Ultra Mag would test demand for a super 7.

RIGHT: A super salesman, Roy built a successful retail business, first on Long Beach Blvd., then at the famous Firestone Blvd. store in Southgate.

Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 15

the Mark V action debuted as Weatherby’s own, Roy made sure it found its way to the world’s great game fields. Meantime, he produced films to show the Mark V in action, Pistols too? and the muscle of his magnum cartridges. In 1981 Elgin Gates, who’d been An unapologetic salesman with unerring instincts and a flare for the dramatic, he taped shooting special handguns at long for television a shot he fired at a tree branch range, urged Roy to build a pistol on a thick as a stevedore’s thigh. The branch collapsed to the .300’s blow like a tree felled by rifle action developed for the .224 a power saw. Hunters were proving the .300 Weatherby. (A decade in the making, on game the world over; though to my knowledge none limbed trees quite as cleanly as the .224 didn’t appear until 1963, Roy did in his vintage film! In 1963, when Dean Rumbaugh when Weatherby had an action to moved to the shipping department, “Lawmatch the diminutive round.) The rence Warehouse was buying and storing Weatherby rifles. It was essentially a clever pistol reached production stage in loan. Roy got up-front money to operate. Japan, where Weatherby rifles were Then, to fill orders, he bought rifles back from Lawrence!” Roy sold barrels and loading built during the ‘80s. It shot tiny equipment, as well as rifles and ammo, from groups. Everything was just fine, his retail outlets. He and Fred Huntington of RCBS were friends. In 1964 Weatherby Dean Rumbaugh recalled, “until they added 10,000 square feet to its Firestone declared they couldn’t in good Boulevard facility for production and warehousing. Two years later it leased a nearby conscience ship a rifle whose barrel skating rink and converted it. In 1971 Roy bought the rink. was going to be lopped to produce a But Los Angeles, the City of Angels, pistol!” Elgin took the first 25 was changing. Vandalism and violent crime had cast long shadows on places once viewed handguns – “even serial number 5,” as heaven itself by immigrants. And while added Dean. “The number Roy had Roy still held the corporate reins, his techsavvy young son Ed was already deep into traditionally held back for my the mechanics of running a rifle company. collection!” Ed left during the mid-1970s to spend three years in Applegate, Oregon. He returned to steer the firm into another era. Roy and Camille had two daughters as well. The youngest, Weatherby even designed a doubleConnie, married Paul Shepherd, an attorney action revolver. It was never produced. who has served as the company’s legal counsel. The prototype closely resembled Smith Herb Klein, ever a close family friend, & Wesson models of the period. died in 1974. Roy Weatherby lived another 14 years, most of them actively engaged with his company. When Ed moved up the The .300 Weatherby Magnum, coast to a rural homesite, and Brad Roy’s most famous round, dates to Ruddell, new vice president of sales 1945. Most hunters prefer lighter, and marketing, endured a commute sleeker bullets than this 220-grain from even farther north, all hands round-nose. Norma loads figured relocation was imminent. Weatherby-brand ammunition. Weatherby set up shop in rural, picturesque Atascadero in late 1994 and early 1995. Twelve years later it sought a new home, this time in Paso Robles, an equally enchanting place on the central California coast. But Ed has been careful not to change the company’s reputation. While Roy knew how to build rifles 16 nnFair 16 FairChase ChaseSpring Spring 2013 2013

that shooters wanted—and how to make them want what he had to sell—he was as admired for his integrity in business. He tried to give customers more than they paid for. Ed and his crew hew to the same standards.

The rifles and cartridges

Roy Weatherby built his first rifles on the most available turn-bolt actions of his day—mainly the 1898 Mauser, 1903 Springfield and 1917 Enfield. He also used Model 70 Winchesters and other actions supplied by customers. The first commercial Weatherbys were re-stocked, re-barreled FN Mausers. Roy began importing those actions in 1949. He started contouring and deep-hole-drilling his own barrels, then fitting the metal to walnut stocks he fashioned by hand. He installed Jaeger triggers, and bought safeties and scope mounts from friend Maynard Buehler. In 1954 Weatherby announced its Imperial scope, with adjustments atop the tube. One was a focusing knob; the other incorporated windage and elevation dials. That scope was made by Hertel and Reuse. A year later Weatherby contracted with Timken for its barrel steel. ‘T’ was stamped on the right-hand side of these barrels. Roy liked Douglas barrels as replacements in custom work. He rebarreled completed rifles to keep warehouse inventory modest and overhead low. Part of what made Roy’s rifles special was their chamberings. His first belted magnum cartridges—.257, .270, 7mm and .300—all launched bullets at over 3,300 fps. Not long before, the .270 Winchester and .300 H&H had awed sportsmen with midweight bullets at 3,000 fps. More common in deer and elk camps, the .30-06 and .300 Savage were much slower. “With a Weatherby, you could hold dead-on to 300 yards,” recalled one hunter. “Those screamers added a football field to accepted range limits of the day.” I recall a dark afternoon in Idaho and a buck behind a thicket. Prone, with a .257 Weatherby slinged up and steady on my pack, I waited. At last the deer moved, its ribs now visible. Shading into the wind, I crushed the trigger. The 110-grain AccuBond at 3,400 fps covered the 330 yards in a blink and struck the animal like a bolt from Zeus. I had held only a hand’s-width high. Roy thought big bullets should travel fast too. A 180-grain Nosler from the .300 Weatherby exits at 3,250 fps. It carries a ton of punch to 400 yards—as much as you’ll get from an ’06 at 200! The .270 Magnum, its 2.54-inch case trimmed to fit standard-length actions, is one of my favorite cartridges. I used one not long

ago to tag a Montana elk. Though seldom so credited, the .270 Magnum provided a template for belted magnums with other headstamps. Winchester’s .458, announced in 1956, was the first. The .264 and .338 Winchester Magnums and later 7mm Remington Magnum, with Norma’s .308 and .358, shared all but the Weatherby’s radiused shoulder. The .300 Winchester followed, with a slightly longer hull but shorter neck. In 1957 Roy and his engineer Fred Jennie developed the Weatherby Mark V rifle action—at 36 ounces, a heavy mechanism. Its forged receiver had an integral recoil lug. The full-diameter bolt locked with nine interrupted-thread lugs and enclosed the case head. When the action was tested on a completed .300 Weatherby Magnum rifle, the lab crew kept increasing charges of IMR 4350 powder, from 84 to 86 to 88 grains… all the way to a caseful of 92, which was leveled off and compressed by seating the 180-grain bullet. The rifle shrugged off this overload. Then, surely with trepidation, the lads in the white coats jammed a 180-grain bullet in the rifle’s throat and chambered a cartridge behind it! After firing, the bolt needed a tap from a mallet, but incredibly, the case was intact and the extractor pulled it free! As standard .300 loads generate 60,000 psi, the double-bullet caper pushed pressures off the chart! After 17 such proof firings, that Mark V action was still in “excellent working condition, with no damage whatsoever….” In a 1958 letter to Lucian Cary of True magazine, Roy announced the 10th edition of Tomorrow’s Rifles Today, with photos of the new Mark V. “I think this is the finest, strongest, smoothest action ever produced,” wrote Roy. “I do want to clarify this point, that this action was my idea and my design. With the help of Fred Jennie, who is a very fine engineer … we have completed

the world’s finest rifle.” (WW II veteran Fred Jennie applied his talSince the ‘60s, Weatherby has ents to other firearms, contracted with various makers for including an autoloadshotguns. Antonio Zoli of Spain, Nikko in ing .22 that, in the Japan and—here—Fausti of Italy have all mid-60s, became produced elegant Weatherby smoothbores. Weatherby’s first rimfire. When Roy died, Fred retired. He passed Smoothbores! away in 2007.) The Mark V was big enough to replace Since the ‘60s, Weatherby has the Danish Shultz & Larsen action, which contracted with various makers to Roy had used for his .378 Magnum cartridge, then four years old. At 2.91 inches, the .378 build shotguns to its specs. The first case was not only .06 longer than the .300 Regency over/under came from H&H Magnum’s; it was also .07 larger in diameter (.603 compared to .532 at the belt). Antonio Zoli of Spain. Nikko, in In designing this herculean cartridge, Roy Japan, built the Olympian. In the may have envisioned a belted .416 Rigby. Indeed, the subsequent .460 and .416 Weathlate ‘70s Weatherby branded over/ erby Magnums, introduced in 1958 and 1989, unders and side-by-sides from Japan’s incorporate the .378’s hull. Before the Mark V, only the Shultz & Larsen and costly SKB. Subsequent hinged-breech Magnum Mausers (among readily available actions) could swallow the .378. Weatherby models from Fausti of Italy rifles chambered for such enormous rounds maintained Weatherby’s reputation sported dense, heavy mesquite instead of the colorful, figured but more open-grained Claro for high-quality shotguns. So too the walnut that graced less violent PA-08 and SA-08 pump and Weatherbys. The rakish high comb, flared grip and autoloader. The firm acceded to angular, reverse-slant forend tip of Mark V market demand with tactical-style stocks dating to the 1950s came to define the “Weatherby profile”—though the company’s repeaters like the PA-459 Threat custom shop would later offer alternative Response shotgun. Mike Schwiebert, contours. By the late 1970s, Weatherby had established a relationship with Calico, a now Weatherby’s marketing chief, California walnut supplier that remains the admits these guns have little in primary source for Mark V (and now Vanguard) wood. common with the classy hunting The first Mark V receivers were rifles Roy Weatherby built by hand manufactured by Pacific Foundry

During the late 1950s, hunters proved the Weatherby Mark V in tough, remote places like this British Columbia goat country.

Today

Tomorrow’s Rifles

in his Los Angeles basement. Ditto

the new “Weatherby X,” line of rifles and shotguns with graphics, names and dimensions for young shooters.

Inset: Roy Weatherby and Fred Jennie designed the Mark V with interruptedthread breeching and a fulldiameter bolt. The bolt lift is a shallow 54 degrees.

Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 17

TOP: This cutaway shows the Mark V’s interrupted-thread lockup, its full-diameter bolt, glass bedding in the recoil lug abutment. The magazine box is for the full-length .300 and .340 Magnums. Below: A left-hand Mark V in .270 Weatherby took this mountain goat with one shot. In the 1940s and ‘50s, Roy hawked the speed and smashing impact of his magnums—templates for the competition!

Today

Tomorrow’s Rifles

18 nnFair 18 FairChase ChaseSpring Spring 2013 2013

International (in California) from sand castings. Some of these didn’t pass muster, so Roy tapped J.P. Sauer, where receivers were forged. German Weatherbys date to 1959. Incidentally, you won’t find Mark Vs with single-digit serial numbers. PFI rifles were numbered from 15,000 into the 16,000s; Sauer-built actions start at 20,000. In 1977 Weatherby shifted Mark V production from Germany to Japan, a costsaving measure. The Mark V came stateside again in 1996, when Saco Defense contracted to build the nine-lug magnum version in Saco, Maine. This 150-year-old complex had been upgraded during World War II to produce M2 50-caliber and M60 30-caliber machine guns. An “ISO9001” firm, top-rated for holding tolerances, Saco had hammerforging machines to produce the barrels Weatherby wanted. Calico supplied walnut blanks to Lone Tree Manufacturing in South Dakota, which shaped Mark V stocks. Assembly of Weatherby’s new six-lug Ultra Lightweight rifles (for the likes of the .30-06 and small-bore Weatherby Magnums) went to Acrometal, in Brainerd, Minnesota. More modest than the Saco facility, Acrometal’s plant impressed me as very clean, with the latest in CNC machines and electronic quality-control instruments. John Krieger provided button-rifled Criterion barrels. Bell & Carlson got the synthetic stock contract. Adjustable triggers yielded consistent sear engagement of .012 to .015. Barrels for the Super VamintMaster rifles were cryogenically treated and hand-lapped. By 2001, Acrometal’s performance convinced Ed Weatherby and company to bring all Mark V manufacture to Brainerd. By this time the Beuhler scope mounts on Weatherby rifles had been replaced by those from the Carolina shop of Dave Talley, now operated by Gary Turner. Though Roy Weatherby got his start building custom rifles, the firm’s custom shop went dark briefly as all efforts focused on the assembly line. Custom rifles returned to Weatherby in 1998. Including “banquet rifles” for conservation groups like the Wild Turkey Federation and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, they now account for about 10 percent of Weatherby revenues. During the first 40 years of Mark V production, Weatherby introduced several more cartridges for its flagship rifle. The .340, a necked-up .300, came in 1962. Six years later Weatherby announced its .240, a belted round but on .30-06-size brass, not the Holland case. The .30-378 arrived much later (1998), in response to a request from Alabama’s Redstone Arsenal for a round that would push a bullet at over 6,000 fps! In tests,

a lightweight bullet reached 5,000 fps. Hunting bullets clock between 3,300 and 3,500 fps. Though the .30-378 reacts violently when you squeeze the trigger, shooters have flocked to it. In fact, 15 years after its debut, it’s still a top-selling magnum in the Mark V. A .338-378 was bound to follow. When the .340 arrived in 1962, wildcatters had already necked the .378 to .33. I’d borrowed a rifle so bored to smash rocks at long range, but never had a chance to hunt with it. Decades later, I snared a Mark V in .338-378. Ken Oehler’s chronograph clocked Normaloaded 250-grain Noslers at 3,005 fps from the 26-inch barrel. They drilled sub-minute groups at 300 yards—and brought 2,500 ft-lbs to 500 yards. To reduce the ear-rending blast from my rifle’s factory-installed brake, I removed it. But recoil then whacked me so hard, I screwed it right back on! Not long ago an arguably more practical round returned to Weatherby’s line. The .375 Weatherby Magnum dates to 1945. It’s essentially the .300 Weatherby necked up. Put another way, it’s a blown-out .375 H&H that kicks bullets 250 fps faster. The recent trend to long-range shooting has fueled interest in cartridges of moon-rocket size and performance. It has also prompted Weatherby to offer TRR (Threat Response Rifle) versions of its Mark V, with sniper-style stocks and long, heavy barrels. Chambered to .300, .30-378 and .338378 Weatherby, they also come in .300 Winchester and .338 Lapua. In the late 1980s Weatherby introduced its Vanguard rifle, on Howa actions. The Vanguard Series 2, announced in 2012, brought a better trigger, three-position safety, walnut or Griptonite synthetic stock and sub-minute accuracy guarantee. A detachable box magazine option can be ordered as a kit to retrofit earlier Vanguards. This past year, Weatherby’s flagship rifle came home to California. “The Mark V now begins life in our own Paso Robles plant,” Ed Weatherby told me. “And in 2013 it joins the Vanguard Series 2 in our Range Certified program.” Rifles so marked are guaranteed to put three shots inside an inch at 100 yards, with factory ammunition. Roy would approve. The snazzy rifle and high-velocity cartridges that came to define Weatherby—the man, the company, the culture—belong where he started living his dream. While the slogans have changed, and advertising is less flamboyant than when Herb Klein first bought company stock, and you won’t see Weatherby trucks with gun logos on Los Angeles byways, the tag “Tomorrow’s Rifles Today” still makes sense to hunters the world over. n

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Best of 2012 The Boone and Crockett Club has a tradition of honoring trophies and the fair chase hunts that produce them, including photographs from the field.

Fair Chase is proud to present the results of our fourth annual trophy field photo competition. All trophies that were accepted in 2012 were eligible and automatically entered into the contest. Within these pages, you’ll find the top photographs selected by the Fair Chase editors and staff. From a list of finalists, each judge was asked to select their 20 favorite photographs as well as their top pick and provide feedback to share with the readers. Each pick received one point and the top picks received five points. All of these images are fine examples of quality field photographs. Judging field photos is a subjective task as beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

We hope you enjoy and pick up a few tips for the next time you’re in the field. 20 nn Fair 20 FairChase ChaseSpring Spring 2013 2013

First

Car ibo u > 384 Deb ra E. Stu chl ik > Mo unt ain ry > Sep tem ber 2011 Ais hih ik Lak e, Yu kon Ter rito

h a bit a t s g reat D is play s ti n g y inter e a n d v er - M .M . a ntl er s .

NOTE: All field photographs from accepted trophies in 2012 were eligible

Winners Receive

First Prize STM 65 HD

Second Prize EL 10x42 WB

Third Prize Z3 3-9x36

Sponsored by

Second

www.SwarovskiOptik.us

For ho w sh ar p lo ok in g pr on ghor n ar e it is su rpri si ng ho w fe w ph ot os of th em ca tc h my ey e. Th is on e is th e perfec t pr on ghor n pi ct ur e in my op in ion. Yo u ca n se e th e f la t ha bita t th ey ar e in an d th e hu nt er ha s po sitione d th e an im al in a w ay to hi gh lig ht its lo ok s.- J. S.

Erik W. Swanson > Pronghorn > 87 4/8 Coconino County, AZ > September 2010

Cr ai g D. M ar tin > Co ug ar > 15 3/16 Id ah o Co un ty, ID > M ar ch 2011

Photographing cougars is a tough task. This hunter did an excellent job presenting the tom in a respectful manner, plus he included other elements of the hunt that give the viewer a better idea of the experience he had harvesting this recordbook cat.â&#x20AC;? - J.T.

Third Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 21

To me troph ies repre sent memories more is than anyth ing else. A mount on the wall ng nothi but der, remin certa inly a const ant idea takes you back like a photo . I have no

at > 57-4 /8 Ro ck y Mou nt ai n Go Tr oy M . Sh eld on > be r 2011 sh Co lu m bi a > Oc to St ik in e Ri ve r, Br iti

World’s Record

s, if they are husba nd and wife. Rega rdles they the expre ssion on their faces tells me same the g feelin nt, are both in the mome feelin gs, and proud . - K.B.

F ou r t h - t ie

Fourth - tie This field photo is very worthy of a new r World’s Recor d even thoug h the hunte was and guide did not know it at the time it yed displa ly inent prom taken . The anim al is

Gary L. Soeth > Typical Mule Deer > 190-6/8 Humboldt County, Nevada > October 2011 h it et a il D e er > T y p ic a l W w b er 2 011 lo a S . E Gle n w a > No v em Io , ty n u o C o lk 16 6 -6/8 > P

ntion e m e l b a r Hono

with a nice backg round , and both the their hunter and guide are very happy with succe ss as evidence by their smile s. The hair on the anim al is in great shape , there its is no blood anywhere on the anim al, and mout h is close d. - J.R.

Honorable ment ion

Read about this hunt on the next page

Ja so n N. Ro e > Sh ira s’ Moo se > 15 4- 3/8 Gr an d Co un ty, Co lor ad o > Se pt em be r 20 11 22 nnFair 22 FairChase ChaseSpring Spring 2013 2013

FAN PICKS

Fif th

We opened up our annual field photo contest to our Facebook fans and gave them the opportunity to weigh in on their favorites. Their top three picks are shown below.

Je rr y L. Tk ac > Ty pi ca l Mul e De er > 18 3- 5/8 So no ra , M ex ico > Ja nu ar y 2012

FIRST PLACE

Brian K. Tilman > Black Bear > 20-6/16 Lynn Lake, Manitoba > May 2009

A ll the pie ce s come to get her in th is ph it is a clea ot o; n phot o, g o o d comp os it ion , a nd he lo ok s li k e a tr u e hu nter. - K .K .

Mackenzie B. Hall > Pronghorn > 85-4/8 Carbon County, Wyoming > September 2011

Honorable mention SECOND PLACE

Craig D. Martin > Cougar > 15 3/16 Idaho Co., ID > March 2011

Generation Next

THIRD PLACE

Sponsored by

Michael J. Carpinito > Ty pical American Elk 363-4/8 > Garfield Co., WA > September 2011

Picket Fence By Glen Salow B&C Official Measurer Photos courtesy of Author

The crunch of the leaves behind me got closer and closer,

and I soon realized this was not another gray squirrel. After what seemed like hours, a nice buck finally appeared out of a thicket behind me. I waited patiently until he was within easy bow range. As soon as the buck passed behind a tree, I brought my bow to full draw, settled my 20-yard pin behind the shoulder and squeezed the release. The buck kicked up his back legs and ran about 10 yards, stopped and stared back at me in the tree, as both of us were trying to figure out what had just happened. Not knowing if I hit him, I wasted little time knocking another arrow. I drew back again and put my 30-yard pin behind the front shoulder and squeezed the release. I watched my arrow find its mark for the second time on my first Pope and Young whitetail. That was November 8, 1995, and I was 14 years old. To this day it is still my most memorable hunt. Deer hunting has always been a very big thing in my family. Every Salow family holiday had talks on the big bucks that were harvested and the ones that got away. When I was 12 years old, my father got me involved in deer hunting. I can’t thank him enough for that. Since that November evening when I harvested my first deer, something clicked, and it was the start of a whitetail obsession. My passion grew from bowhunting, gun hunting and shed hunting, to becoming an Official Measurer with the Boone and Crockett and Pope and Young Clubs. Now in my 30s, I have been fortunate to harvest some spectacular deer over the years. Being a self-employed insurance broker allows me to have an adaptable schedule when it comes to deer season. Add my very understanding wife Ashley to the picture, and I’m blessed with the ability to spend many hours in the woods each fall. Of all the deer I have been fortunate to harvest, one buck in particular stands out. He was a buck that would eventually be known as “Picket Fence.”

24 nn Fair 24 FairChase ChaseSpring Spring 2013 2013

Of all the deer I have been fortunate to harvest, one buck in particular stands out.

He was a buck that would eventually be known as “Picket Fence.”

The evening of Halloween 2010 brought an east wind. I only had a couple sets for an east wind, as we usually don’t get that wind a lot, but I got settled in the tree about three o’ clock. The end of October is one of my favorite times to hunt. I always have great success rattling and calling this time of year as mature deer are usually on the first doe or within days of getting with one. The night started off great with two young bucks—a 1½- and a 2½-year-old— doing a lot of chasing a doe. The action died off for a while, giving me a chance to do a quick rattling sequence. Within minutes, a good 150-inch 3-year-old came in to investigate. He came right to the tree and looked around, then did what I did not predict—he bedded

down 25 yards from the tree. Fifteen minutes went by and I noticed another buck in the clearing in front of me. At first I did not recognize the deer, but once he turned his head I immediately recognized him as the buck my good friend Dave and I had named Picket Fence—a giant typical 6 x 5, grossing around 195-200 inches on the mainframe. I was really shocked to see this deer in my area. The area I am hunting was within the city limits. I was one of the few selected hunters with a buck tag good within the city limits, and Dave’s area is miles outside the city limits. I immediately got my bow in hand, predicting he would proceed down the ridge right by me, giving me a 15-yard shot. Then Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 25

I could not believe what had just happened. I went from shooting some video of him to harvesting him in a matter of minutes.

the unpredictable happened; the 3-year-old that had bedded down by me stood and bristled up to Picket Fence, and to my amazement, ran Picket Fence back over the ridge. I sat in disbelief—a 3-year-old chasing off a 200-inch 5-year-old. Fifteen minutes later, Picket Fence returned but was a ridge away, well out of bow range. Over the next few weeks I had multiple encounters with Picket Fence, as did my buddy Dave. I was able to get a lot of video footage of him, but he was never within range. We both figured out he was not an aggressive deer, as any calling to him or any other bucks would push him away. He was also quite the wanderer too, as he would cover about a two-mile area from one day to the next. On November 17th, I settled into one of my best sets at 11 a.m. The stand was located next to a big creek with steep banks, right in the middle of a major doe beddingarea. At 12:30 I did a quick rattling sequence to try to make something happen. Within minutes a big, mature deer appeared down the creek line coming in to investigate. Not familiar with this deer, I shot some video of him. After looking him over for a minute, I decided I wanted to shoot him. The arrow found its mark, and just like that, my tag was filled on a 160-inch 5 x 5. Dave continued to have encounters with Picket Fence after that, but he was always too far away. One late December afternoon, I spotted Picket Fence feeding with several other deer in an alfalfa field, and it looked pretty clear that he would make it through to next season. I spent some time in February and March searching for Picket’s sheds. But the shed-hunting pressure in the area is very heavy, and he was feeding in a very viewable public area, so it was obvious that others knew about him. I assumed someone had already found his sheds. Time really flies the older you get, and before I knew it, we went from February shedhunting to August. This is the time of year when I get all my cameras out to take an inventory of what’s in store for the season. I believe one of the most crucial steps in harvesting big, mature deer is having the evidence they exist. I had my sights set on 26 n Fair Chase Spring 2013

one deer, and I was really looking forward to see what Picket Fence had grown into. One day while setting out cameras, I met a local shed hunter in the area. Casual conversation turned into chatter about a giant buck that he had seen in the area. He told me he was shedGlen Salow harvested this buck, Picket Fence, hunting in January 2011 while hunting in Polk County, Iowa, in 2011. This and came across a big buck scores 166-6/8 points. 91-inch typical six-point antler. He showed me the antler, and I immediately recognized the heard the famous stomp of the foot. I looked shed as Picket Fence. He told me the story in amazement at a doe 40 yards away—and of where he always saw the deer and how he right beside her was the one and only Picket found the shed. As much as I wanted it, I Fence. They did not stick around long as they knew it was a trophy to him more then me. snorted and bounded off. Frustration set in He did say however if I shot the deer, things immediately as I climbed the tree. The action might change. was slow and Picket fence was nowhere to be It was the middle of September when found. I thought for sure my chances of ever I finally got my first pictures of Picket Fence. seeing him again in my area were over. When I left that day I hung a CudHe was still a very large typical 6 x 5, but his big six-point side switched from his left to deback camera in an access area to another his right side. Actually, it seemed he went hunting spot; I had a hunch he may be using downhill a bit. Judging by his body and the this area. Over the next week I hunted a few last years of history Dave and I assumed that different places without any sightings of he was 6 years old in 2011 and would gross Picket Fence. I was seeing good deer and approximately 180-185 typical. having great action on most sites—just not I continued to monitor my cameras the one I was looking for. It was November as Dave and I were both getting a lot of pic- 4th, and I went back for the Cuddeback that tures of him. I was just waiting for the right I had hung. I was scrolling through the pictime to start hunting him. Finally, late Oc- tures and was amazed that my camera had tober arrived—the time of year I usually start captured Picket Fence numerous times. A my three-week vacation. I like to spend every couple days later I secured permission to hunt day from sun up to sun down in the tree. I this new area. I made a bold decision to skip had a couple bucks I was looking for, and one an afternoon hunt to go in, hang a stand, of them was Picket Fence. and get out. The morning of October 26 I decided I wanted to hunt from the tree in the to try a bold move and sneak right into the worst way over the next few days but I needed heart of a major bedding-area that Picket a west to northwest wind. Finally, the mornFence always seemed to be in. The wind was ing of November 10th came with an inch of right and everything was perfect for the set snow on the ground and a bitter northwest I had waited all year to get into. The stand wind. I was able to get in undetected, and is located on a major bend in a creek where get settled in. The morning started out great. steep banks allow me to walk all the way At first light I had a doe come in with her down the creek, pop up the bank and climb tail half curled, indicating she was in heat. right into my stand undetected—or so I Over the next few hours, five to six different thought. I had just gotten up the bank and bucks came down her trail looking for her. was literally at the base of my tree when I At 9:30 a.m. the action slowed up quite a bit.

TOP LEFT: Glen took a chance with his Cuddeback in an access area to a new hunting area. After seeing Picket Fence he secured permission to hunt this new area. LEFT AND ABOVE: Glen had the opportunity to video this footage of Picket Fence.

About 15 minutes had passed when I looked to my left, down in the bottom, and could not believe my eyes. Picket Fence was coming up the ridge right to me. I immediately grabbed my video camera and began to film him, as I had not gotten any footage of him this year. He was coming to a point where he would have to go left or go right. If he went right, he would come by me at 20 yards. If he chose to go left, he would angle away from me. He went left. I sat there silently and shot video of him. Experience told me he was not aggressive, so any calling would send him the other way. He was angled away from me at about 50 yards, when all of a sudden he looked ahead on the ridge and here came a 5-year-old 140-inch 10-pointer I had seen on multiple hunts. Picket Fence took one look at him, turned on a dime, and proceeded to come right to me. I began to panic. I had to put my camera down and get my bow in hand in a short amount of time without being picked off. Picket Fence passed behind a tree and I came to full draw. He stepped into the opening, and I bleated to stop him. I held my

20-yard pin right behind the front the shoulder and squeezed the release. The shot looked perfect. He bounded up the hill not 15 yards and stopped, looked around, his rear end began to wobble, and he fell over. I could not believe what had just happened. I went from shooting some video of him to harvesting him in a matter of minutes. And to top it all off, he was lying within 35 yards of the tree. I immediately called my wife and told her the good news. She was very happy for me as always. I then called Dave and few friends of mine and they were all very happy for me as well. I finally got down out of my tree stand to have a look at him. Walking up to him and seeing the huge typical 6 x 5 frame is a sight I will never forget. I got the deer tagged, loaded and checked in. We then spent some time taking some great field photos of the deer. Being an official scorer for Boone and Crockett Club, one of the most common things I see is people who shoot a great animal and never get good harvest pictures. They always regret it later on, so I always make sure to take great pictures. A few weeks later I got a call from

another local hunter in the area. As we caught up on things, he told me about a set of sheds he found a couple of years ago. He described them to me, and it sounded a lot like Picket Fence. A couple days later I met up with him to take a look at them. It was obvious that it was Picket Fence from back in 2009. He had found them in the spring of 2010. He was a mainframe 5 x 5 with a split G2. With a 20-inch spread he would have scored in the mid-180s. He ever-so kindly gave me the sheds. Not long after that, I obtained the 91-inch six-point as well. I cannot thank these two guys enough for the sheds off this deer. After the 60-day drying period my good friend Dave Boland put the official score on him. He grossed 185 4/8 with a 19 7/8 inside spread and netted 166 6/8 typical. Picket Fence will be hard to forget anytime soon. In a way, it’s almost saddening that he’s gone, and Dave and I cannot play cat and mouse with him anymore. The pieces of history, the experience, and the harvest will always be etched into my mind–right alongside that very first hunt where it all began back in 1995. n Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 27

JUSTIN E. SPRING | ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF BIG GAME RECORDS

MobyLope Hunter: Rebecca Spring Told by: Justin Spring Montana is not a state in which long draw odds and years of anticipation build as you await the successful notice for the opportunity to hunt. Instead, the majority of the state is a general tag, and this particular antelope area is the same for the archery antelope permit. Last year, I had drawn the antelope rifle tag and my wife had the archery license so we formulated our method: bow hunt hard with an emphasis on scouting what we wanted to go after during the later rifle season. The area is thick with speed goats, and I would estimate we looked at well over 150 bucks more than the previous two seasons. While a ground blind over a water hole would have most likely resulted in shot opportunities with the archery equipment, we are spot-and-stalk fans because it’s more about the hunt than the kill. We find spot-and-stalk hunting more rewarding—even though we don’t have many pronghorns in the freezer or on the wall. The archery season started out the same as previous years, except I was the one with the archery tag. We would hunt the first four or five hours of daylight, then go try to find some shade. Even if we wanted to hunt, the mirage was so severe that judging an animal wasn’t anything more than a rough guess. A couple of weekends of this resulted in a few good bucks being spotted but nothing that was a jaw-dropper. I had tried a few stalks and let a few smaller bucks go, but I saw nothing that would go 75-plus, which was the level I had set for this year with my bow. It was getting a little further into the season, and we had invited some friends up to camp to chase some antelope when we first spotted this goat. I had recently purchased a product that allows me to have ownership plat maps on my GPS so we were trying to locate a true giant on public land. This stud was probably a mile away, but even at that distance it looked like he warranted a closer look. We made our way up to a road, and I set up my scope. Right away I knew his cutters were the best I had ever seen; he looked to be about 15½ high and was all by himself. I asked the group if anyone else was interested,

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and they all thought a stalk on a pronghorn through a cut wheat field was impossible— and they were correct—but I had to try. I used the slight depression of the field road with the final remaining stalks of standing wheat as my cover. I had an antelope suit on, complete with a small buck head—think Wisconsin cheese head, but as an antelope— which I intended to use to lure the buck into shooting range once I closed the distance to under 150 yards. I belly crawled 300 yards— foot by agonizing foot—down the dirt and rock road with dust constantly blowing in my eyes and sticking to every bit of exposed skin, which was now thoroughly covered in perspiration. I made my way unnoticed to

the last remaining clump of wheat before the final 125 yards or so. He had looked my way a time or two, but during every one of these stare-offs, my nerves prevailed and he would go back to feeding, sleeping, and whatever else it is an antelope does to pass the day. When I reached the final point of cover, I pulled on the hat and began my best interpretation of a challenging antelope. The buck instantly locked on and I could tell I was getting his attention. He began his antelope-wheezing challenge, to which I would respond by flaring my back and raking the standing wheat. Eventually, after around 45 minutes of the standoff, he decided that I was not a threat and turned his back to me,

This column is dedicated to those trophies that catch our eye as they come across the records desk at Boone and Crockett Club’s headquarters. Some score high, some are downright entertaining, and many are just unique.

flared his rump, and bedded down. I knew this was my chance, so I slowly rose to my knees and as I went to clip my release to the bow string, I realized that somewhere in my belly crawl I had lost my release. I paused momentarily, contemplating my options. I knew if I could get him within 30 yards I would be more than good to shoot him with fingers, but in this current predicament, that range seemed a bit out of the question. I thought for a moment and decided to let him be. No other hunters were anywhere near this buck, and I didn’t want to blow him off this block of public land because of an equipment failure. LEFT: Rebecca Spring with her hard earned ‘MobyLope’. When Rebecca and Justin got up to him, they realized that in the few weeks since they had last seen him he had broken a prong, which from the early season photos would have gone over seven inches. BELOW: Rebecca spent two hours on her belly, crawling inch by inch the 400 yards through wide-open stubble.

#1437-12A Fair Chase.indd 1

The next day we returned and once again he was in the same area. I tried the same approach, but he had moved to private land, and I couldn’t convince him to come back across no matter how annoying of a little buck I was. That week, that was all my wife and I could think about. She had taken some excellent photos through the spotting scope and we both would stare at them and try to come up with a legitimate score. Time

11/19/12 9:44 AM and again I was coming up with a number in the mid-80s. And that’s when we named him “MobyLope.” While we didn’t come up with the original name, it fit well considering our obsession with this antelope. And, the fact that my wife shared my obsession made this shortcoming in our character okay. The two of us would try a specific tactic one weekend, then spend the drive back analyzing what worked and didn’t work. The various tactics we attempted involved one decoy, three decoys, a full waterfowl cut-wheat suit, the wife dressed as an antelope, me dressed as an antelope, the wife dressed as a doe with me dressed as the buck. The animal always won, but the trials and tribulations we faced strengthened us both as hunters and as a couple. We saw each other at our best and worst and learned how each reacts in the face of a seemingly insurmountable task. This continued on until the last couple weeks of archery season. Work pulled us away though, and as the rifle opener approached, our thoughts frequently returned to Moby. We drove over the night before and parked in the corner of the public ground a good hour before daylight. We both sat silently in the truck, watching every set of headlights continue on past the access road to other areas of the unit. When daylight came to the prairies, we eased our way out to the field and began to glass. As the light filled every last rolling hill and the sun reached a height well above the extended horizon, we realized he was gone. We worked our way back to the truck and discussed what to do next. Realizing we had put all our eggs in a single basket, we began going to our favorite high points from where we had watched the buck during bow season. Antelope were plentiful, but Moby was nowhere to be found. While Rebecca was still positive about the hunt, a hint of disappointment tainted our conversation. We looked over a couple herds of antelope

Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 29

and found a buck that looked fairly promising though he was well onto a chunk of private land. We were headed back out to look in an area where I had shot my buck the previous year. We hadn’t seen anything extraordinary when we saw a truck coming down a field road. It was owned by the same landowner as all the private land surrounding this block of public so I figured it couldn’t hurt to ask who we needed to talk to. It turned out he was, in fact, the landowner, and he gave Rebecca the go-ahead to hunt any of his ground as well as some intel of the neighbors and who we wanted to talk to about permission. With this new information, our spirits were greatly lifted. We went back to all the antelope we had seen; Becca picked out the best buck and decided to make a stalk for a closer look. I set up the spotting scope and settled in to watch as she made her way out into the cut wheat. As she neared a rise I saw her take off her pack and rest my Ruger No. 1 .25-06 across it. My heart rate began to quicken as three antelope bucks appeared on the far hill across from her. I looked each over carefully; the final buck I glassed was Moby. At first I wasn’t sure, since the definitive cutter was not visible, but as I looked over the two bucks he was with, it became apparent this was him. I watched the buck and Rebecca in the spotting scope, questioning at first in my mind, and then out loud, why she hadn’t shot yet. She kept re-positioning, and the rifle shot never came.

Over two months of hunting, extreme highs and lows of emotions and weather—all this, and we were rewarded with a hundred-pound pronghorn antelope. Neither of us would trade it for any other hunting experience we had ever shared.

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Eventually the bucks disappeared into a small ravine, and I saw her returning to the truck. I met her a few hundred yards into the field and began asking why she hadn’t shot. Her response was she just couldn’t get excited about the buck. At this point I was beyond frustrated, but I kept reminding myself, this was her tag now, and it wasn’t my place to decide what she would be happy with. It was early afternoon, so we decided to head into town for a quick bite to eat. On this drive she could see my frustration and began to doubt her choice in not shooting. As we talked it over, I realized that she may not have been able to see the buck I was looking at. We devoured some poor fried chicken that had spent a few too many hours under a heat lamp and headed back to the area I had last seen Moby. We were just turning off the pavement when a herd of antelope appeared in one of the landowner’s fields. I threw the spotting scope on the window mount and there he lay 600-700 yards out in the middle of a cut wheat field. I knew the odds were long but Becca was already throwing a shell in the rifle and cinching down her pack. He may have slipped her once but not again. The next two hours she spent on her belly, crawling inch by inch the 400 yards through wide-open stubble. I was watching through the scope switching between her and the buck. As she closed the distance to three hundred I knew he

was in range of the rifle and she had the ability to hit at that distance but the stalk continued: 275, 250, 225… finally at 200 yards she held up in a patch of wheat left by the combine. I watched her place the rifle across the top of her binoculars, which gives you an idea of how little cover there was when a pair of ten-power Minox binos gets you up high enough for a clear shot. Then the wait was on. It didn’t take as long as I expected for the buck to stand. The first shot caught him square, and a follow-up put him down for good. He never took a step. Over two months of hunting, extreme highs and lows of emotions and weather—all this, and we were rewarded with a hundred-pound pronghorn antelope. Neither of us would trade it for any other hunting experience we had ever shared. When we got up to him, we realized that in the few weeks since we had last seen him he had broken a prong, which from the early season photos would have gone over seven inches. As it is, he doesn’t make book, but on this hunt we weren’t looking for a score, just a mature buck. And that is what will be hanging on our wall to commemorate this experience for years to come. n

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Generation Next: Youth Essay Drawing If you’re interested in donating a rifle to the youth essay drawing, please contact the Club’s Headquarters at 406/542-1888 and ask for the youth essay coordinator.

Boone and Crockett Club is pleased to announce our first-ever youth essay contest open to all youth with accepted trophies in the Club’s 28th Big Game Awards Program! As a way to celebrate young hunters who have embraced the outdoor way of life and embody the spirit of fair chase hunting, the Club’s Fair Chase magazine will be featuring select essays in this special section as we lead up to the Club’s 28th Awards Program. Our editors will be selecting the top three stories, which will be awarded our grand prize, as well as second and third prizes shown below. Judging will be based on criteria such as involvement of youth hunter and mentor, story-telling ability, ethics demonstrated in the field, and understanding of our hunting heritage. Contributors of the remaining stories will be eligible to be drawn for one of seven CZ 455 American Rifles. Drawing to be held in Reno, Nevada, at the 28th Big Game Awards Program in the summer of 2013.

Donated by Kyle C. Krause

GRAND PRIZE Remington Model 700 CDL in .30-06 rifle laser engraved with the Boone and Crockett Club logo, with a Minox scope (not shown).

SECOND AND THIRD PRIZES CZ 452 American .22 rifle laser engraved with the Boone and Crockett Club logo, with a Minox scope (not shown).

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Proud Sponsors of the 28th Big Game Awards Generation Next Youth Program

How to Enter!

Boone and Crockett Club’s

Generation Next

Youth Essay Drawing STEP ONE:

28TH AWARDS PROGRAM DRAWING The youth authors of the stories not selected for the other prizes are eligible to win one of seven CZ 455 American .22 rifles. Donated by L. Victor Clark

Write your hunting story. We’d prefer a Word document, but we can accept typed or handwritten stories as well.

STEP TWO:

Submit your story and photos online by going to the link below. You’ll have to set up a new account to get started: http://tinyurl.com/youthessaycontest

Donated by Margie Clark

Donated by Wilson Stout

Donated by Richard T. Hale

Donated by Timothy Humes

Donated by David Rippeto

Garret W. Michaels was hunting in Vernon County, Wisconsin, in 2011 when he harvested this typical whitetail deer. This buck scores 172-6/8 points.

You can also mail a hard copy of your story and photos to: Boone and Crockett Club ATTN: Youth Essay Drawing 250 Station Drive Missoula, MT 59801

STEP THREE:

That’s it! Once we receive your story you will automatically be entered in the contest for the rifles. DEADLINE: The deadline for us to receive stories is February 28, 2013. But don’t delay. The sooner we receive the story, the better your odds are of having it published in Fair Chase magazine! QUESTIONS: Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. We can be reached by calling 406/542-1888 Monday through Friday, or email jt@boone-crockett. org with your questions.

THE FINE PRINT ELIGIBILITY & DETAILS

Contest is open to all youth hunters (16 years old or younger when they harvested their animal) who have a trophy accepted in the Club’s 28th Awards Program (2010-2012). Simply submit your story on-line at http://tinyurl.com/youthessaycontest along with your photos, or mail your submission to: Boone and Crockett Club, ATTN: Youth Essay Contest, 250 Station Drive, Missoula, MT 59801. Deadline to submit stories and photos is February 28, 2013. Once we receive your story and photo you will be automatically entered into the essay contest and be eligible for one of the top three prizes. Authors of the stories that don’t receive one of the prizes are eligible for the drawing to be held at 28th Big Game Awards Youth Event in Reno, Nevada, Summer 2013. By submitting your hunting story, you also grant the Boone and Crockett Club the right to edit and publish your materials, in Fair Chase magazine, future print publications, and on other digital platforms. Visit the Club’s web site at www.boone-crockett.org for complete details.

NOTE: The 28th Awards Youth Essay drawing is only open to youth hunters who have a trophy accepted in the Club’s Records Program.

Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 33

Generation Next: Essays Submitted by: Marcus Deuling Age: 15 Trophy Type: Dall’s sheep Location: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory

Last Day Dall’s

Marcus Deuling was hunting with his grandfather, Paul Deuling, near Jo-Jo Lake, Yukon Territory, in 2012 when took this Dall’s sheep, His ram scores 171-5/8 points.

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My long weekend of hunting didn’t start out the way I had planned. My grandpa, Paul Deuling (also known as Papasheep, the name I gave him when I was 2 years old, and the name stuck) and I had just been skunked. Two sheep hunting spots were inaccessible due to construction equipment in the area and bridges being washed out. Little did I know that my luck would change drastically on an overnight Dall’s sheep hunt to an old spot that Papasheep knew from previous years. On October 7th about 7 a.m., Papasheep, his golden retriever Molly, and I arrived at the base of the mountain where we planned to hunt. We made it to the timber line at 11 a.m. and immediately spotted a group of 20 ewes and lambs, but no rams were in sight. We walked up a small creek bed and were scaring ptarmigan from the willows left and right, which was very entertaining and kept me from thinking of my heavy pack. As we neared a large, grassy plain near noon, we saw a lone ram on the side of a ridge above us. We quickly put the spotting scope on him, but he was a very small ram. Since he was all alone and young, Papasheep decided that we should set up camp on the plains because sooner or later the young ram would either go and join up with a group of other rams or the group would find him. After setting up camp, eating lunch, and keeping an eye on the young ram, around 4:30 p.m. Papasheep took a nap, so I decided to go for a walk over the ridge above camp to look into the next valley. My walk started out with me having to climb an ice patch for 10 minutes while using jagged rocks as ice picks. When I reached the top of the ice, sheep started coming over the adjacent ridge at about 800 yards and stopped on the skyline. After a look with my binos, I saw there were rams in the group! I made up my mind in a split second and started sliding down the ice using rocks as brakes, just narrowly missing a rock at the bottom, but I made it back to camp without the sheep seeing me. When I awakened Papasheep, he and I immediately put the spotting scope on them and saw one that was definitely legal and looked very nice. We decided our plan of attack would be to walk up the ice patch again and come at the rams from the ridge above. We emptied everything from our packs except knives, the rangefinder and meat bags. I put my .270 Winchester on my pack, and we started hiking toward the ice patch. Unfortunately, Papasheep wasn’t able to get up the ice so he told me to go ahead and get another look at the rams. He would hike around the ice patch and meet up with me on top. Twenty minutes later, I was on top of the highest knoll on the ridge looking at the group of rams from just over 500 yards. Most of the rams were sitting on a small bench, but there were two small rams sitting between me and the larger group—a problem, because we would have to get around the two without spooking them or the group. As I watched them, I noticed Papasheep coming from the

far side of the ice patch, but 20 minutes later he hadn’t met up with me, so I assumed he had skirted around the base of the knoll and missed me. I decided to walk toward the end of the hill, but a small ram that I hadn’t seen appeared in front of me. I didn’t want to scare the big group so I was forced to walk back toward the ice patch. Luckily, Papasheep spotted me standing on the ice. When we met up he told me that when he couldn’t find me he had assumed that I had just gone directly to the sheep, so he decided to do the same thing. As he walked along the ridge, he was busted by a three-quarterscurl ram, which he watched for almost twenty minutes. When the ram started getting used to him, he decided to make a break for it to find me while he got Molly to stay there. When I didn’t appear, he returned to Molly, but unfortunately the small ram got spooked, and the whole group of rams walked away toward the west. Sure that our hunting trip was over, we decided to walk to where Papasheep had last seen the rams. As we neared the edge of a large basin, I looked up from watching my feet and saw the whole group of rams watching us at 150 yards. We hastily threw off our packs and unstrapped my .270. Papasheep told Molly to “stay,” then he and I sneaked up to a tabletop rock. The rams started walking down a steep slope covered with grass and rock slides. They stopped below me at 175 yards so Papasheep and I crawled another five yards to a cluster of boulders. As I pulled my rifle bolt back, everything went crazy! The base plate, its spring, and all the cartridges flew into the rocks making a loud clatter. I scrambled to find everything in between the rocks, but all that was there were two cartridges. I was so exasperated! My gun was in pieces, and I was sure the sheep were going to run away. Luckily, they stayed where they were. My gun was now a single shot, but I was finally able to get a cartridge in the chamber. Papasheep told me to shoot the ram at the very back.

I couldn’t take the shot because a smaller ram was blocking my view. In the meantime, Papasheep decided the ram second from the front was considerably larger. As I took aim, another half-curl blocked my view for a few minutes then moved, giving me an opportunity to shoot. I squeezed off a shot and missed! Incredibly, the rams only moved a couple of yards before stopping. The big ram was in the lead so I aimed again on his shoulder and pulled the trigger. The ram collapsed, then rolled five feet and came to a halt on a grass patch. All the other rams stood still, then slowly walked off as Papasheep and I congratulated each other exuberantly. As we walked down to the ram, his horns seemed to get bigger and bigger. When I got to him, I just sat down and stared at his huge horns. I was dumbstruck. As we measured the horns, we expected them to be maybe 40 inches. Because he had such a deep curl and thick fur, his horns looked smaller than they actually were. Amazingly, the horns were just over 43 inches with bases that were above 14 inches! By the time we had finished caping and field dressing my ram, it was 9 p.m. and getting dark. I loaded up my pack with 80 pounds of meat while Papasheep took 60 pounds of skull, horns and meat. With heavy loads and weak headlamps, the going was treacherous and there were several falls, but thankfully no injuries. This was also the only time we had forgotten to G.P.S the tent, so we had to use the ice patch as a landmark to get back. By chance, we stumbled upon the tent on our first try to locate it, even as the sky was fading from pink and purple to black. After putting the cape on a snow bank and the meat away from the tent, we called my uncle on the satellite phone to see if he would be able to meet us part way up the mountain in the morning to help pack out our heavy loads. Papasheep hung up and told me that Uncle Jarrett had agreed to meet us. Sleep came easily a few minutes later.

At 6:00 the next morning, we were awake and started packing camp. We ate breakfast and left by 7:30. After walking for half a mile, I looked back towards camp and saw a big grizzly bear walking towards us at 80 yards. Papasheep threw off his pack and started wrestling the .270 from the back of my pack. As soon as he got the gun, he fired a shot at a rock near the grizzly, but instead of running away, the bear just ambled off into a gully and came right back out. We watched it for a bit before Papasheep and I decided to put our packs on and just try to walk away. While we walked, the grizzly watched us and continued feeding up the hill. Almost one mile from camp, Papasheep asked me if I had taken the cape from the snow patch. I was confused because I thought he had it. It was then we realized we had left it lying on the snow. This meant we had to return toward the bear and endure another two miles of walking. Getting the cape wasn’t a problem, other than a loss of energy. Thankfully the bear never bothered us. Two hours later, we met up with Uncle Jarrett who was astonished by the size of my ram. He had brought his pack so he took part of our load, which saved us hours of going slowly down the hill through shale and gravel. After another four hours, we crossed the river and made it back to our vehicles. It was a great relief to offload our packs! When we arrived at Uncle Jarrett’s garage, Tony Grabowski, a Boone and Crockett Club Official Measurer, green-scored my ram at 172-2/8! A possible records book Dall’s sheep and the largest sheep taken by a Deuling! It still amazes me that I was able to harvest such a massive ram on an overnight hunt after failing to get up a mountain on two other attempts that weekend. I am really happy I to have Papasheep with me for this once in a lifetime hunt. I would like to thank him and Uncle Jarrett for helping me pack out my ram and for sharing this tremendous experience with me. n Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 35

28th Awards Program Youth Hunters

Accepted trophies from November 25, 2012, through February 17, 2013 Hunter Spencer D. Madsen

Category pronghorn

Location of Kill Uinta Co., WY

Date 2012

Final Score 86 2/8

Brandon Babin

Rocky Mountain goat

Mt. Tomlinson, BC

2012

48 6/8

Hunter C. Glasrud

non-typical whitetail deer

Rusk Co., WI

2012

225 3/8

Gunnar G. Murray

non-typical whitetail deer

Shawnee Co., KS

2012

204 1/8

Matthew C. Allen

non-typical whitetail deer

Dimmit Co., TX

2012

202 1/8

Madison J. Nimmo

black bear

Hawk Hills, AB

2012

Brendan L. Baier

typical mule deer

Major, SK

2010

193

Erika R. Lankford

bighorn sheep

Fergus Co., MT

2012

188 3/8

James F. DeBlasio

desert sheep

Tiburon Island, MX

2011

175

Garrett W. Michaels

typical whitetail deer

Vernon Co., WI

2011

173 6/8

Rylee C. Thompson

typical whitetail deer

Gibson Co., IN

2011

173 2/8

Marcus Deuling

Dallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sheep

Jo-Jo Lake, YT

2012

171 5/8

Kelly A. Christianson

typical whitetail deer

Ponass Lake, SK

2011

171 1/8

Stephen C. Yontz

typical whitetail deer

Warren Co., OH

2011

170 4/8

Tyler J. Burgeson

typical whitetail deer

Marathon Co., WI

2010

166

Katie Waletzko

cougar

Missoula Co., MT

2012

14 8/16

Kyle C. Strange

typical Columbia blacktail

Wahkiakum Co., WA

2011

126 7/8

Bret A. Martinsen

typical Sitka blacktail deer

Dall Island, AK

2012

105 2/8

Colt H. Lyman

typical Couesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; whitetail

Santa Cruz Co., AZ

2011

104 7/8

NOTE: Trophies listed in orange include field photos.

Kyle C. Strange

Phillip D. Otto Madison J. Nimmo

Spencer D. Madsen

36 n Fair Chase Spring 2013

Tyler J. Burgeson Stephen C. Yontz

Proud Sponsors of the 28th Big Game Awards Generation Next Youth Program

Bret A. Martinsen

Brandon Babin

The ethics of fair chase The Hunt Equation: When a Hunt is Not a Hunt I had the opportunity to share a campfire recently with one of my relatives, Lifetime Associate David Daniel A. Pedrotti Jr. Bradford. We could not talk our way around Regular member Boone and Crockett Club the notion that Chair somewhere along the Hunter Ethics way a fellow produced Sub-Committee an outsized white-tailed buck in a pen, and a “hunter” agreed to pay him a ridiculous sum to shoot the buck. The deed done, we wondered what he thought and what story he told his friends and relatives. We could not, for the life of us, come up with a reasonable answer as to why anyone would want to participate in, much less pay for, such an experience. We decided to write about it so you would be burdened with the same question, and perhaps you would share the story with your friends in the hunting community and they with theirs, in hopes that we could all work together to make the question moot someday. It all starts here—uncertainty is the denominator of the hunt equation. There are many factors that comprise the balance of the equation like knowledge, skill, effort, and plain old luck. But uncertainty is the wondrous, magical element of the hunt that compels us to spend remarkable amounts of time and money and, more importantly, heart and soul. It is the spontaneous quality of hunting that distinguishes it from any other pursuit in life and it is why the trophy means so much to us. Nowhere does the proper calculation of the hunt equation include human manipulation of the animal or the circumstance. Why anyone would want to diminish any part of this magnificent endeavor is incomprehensible. We are hunters, not collectors. We are knowledgeable, serious, responsible, and committed. We take pride in the effort spent, experience earned and challenge met. We do not look for shortcuts, easy outs or manufactured outcomes. When the hunt is complete and we reflect and analyze, inches are not the final measure of success in our adventures afield; they are the lagniappe—but only if everything goes exactly right, particularly those things beyond our control. If the winner of the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Stanley Cup, or the NBA 38 n Fair Chase Spring 2013

Finals were predetermined, would we have the party and invite our friends? If the outcome of the Masters, the Daytona 500, or the Rose Bowl were known before the competition, who would spend the time to watch? What if we knew that money could be the determining factor in the result? I submit that these iconic events would have played out years ago and the sports themselves would not hold their lauded place in our culture as they have done for generations. They have risen above the misbehavior of their athletes and managers, and they continue, despite the setbacks and misdeeds. They are each a long-lived institution, because next year things might be different; because the season-ending contest has an uncertain outcome; and because there is always a chance, despite the odds, that our team might come out on top. This analogy is particularly relevant today when anyone with the financial means can shoot a 300-inch whitetail with guaranteed success. Let’s be clear as crystal here: when the circumstance is contrived and/or the animal has been “manufactured,” it is not a hunt. Webster defines contrived as having an unnatural or false appearance or quality. David and I would define it further as an unacceptable substitute lacking in the fundamental qualities from which it would otherwise derive its value, such that investing time and effort into acquiring it is foolishness. It is undignified, unworthy, and trivial. Ultimately, eliminating or manipulating the elements of uncertainty reduces the pseudohunt to an arranged shooting of livestock. It is the antithesis of fair chase, and it is simply not hunting. More than undignified, man’s intervention into the natural development of game animals is an erosive, irreverent, biologically unsound practice, and it has dire long-term consequences. Beyond reflecting negatively on our way of life as hunters, this manipulation has led to the spread of chronic wasting disease, has developed specimens that cannot survive on their own and ultimately derives a greater damage to our wildlife on a genetic scale as it undermines the North American Model. To paraphrase the words of Jack Ward Thomas, big antlers do not mean better deer. This bigger-at-all-costs-approach with such significant financial backing is an extraordinary threat to our culture. Having said all this, the business of creating these artificial opportunities is legal

in our country, and it is not our place to condemn or even judge a legal business. The hardworking people and their financial backers are doing a good job of meeting the demand for their product. And the demand has grown and continues to grow. This is now a $3 billion industry! When you collectively spend that much in an effort, you can fool a lot of people. This wrongful association is threatening the public’s continued support of legitimate, fair chase hunting and its longstanding value to the conservation and proper management of publicly owned wildlife. And so goes, to the highest bidder, the North American Model. Closer to home, because these scenarios are typically traded based on B&C inches, we need to ensure there is recognizable distance or separation between them and us. Because their product is packaged and sold as a “hunt,” we need to make sure everyone sees the stark difference. This is not a subtle, close-enough issue, although their marketing pitch needs and wants it to be “just like the real or natural thing.” The point is that it has become a business proposition, not a vocation or a passion. When that happens, there is a shift in the ethics, and most of what we hold so dear is left on the cutting-room floor. But this is just an ethics column. And after all this ranting, what the breeders and their customers are doing is perfectly legal, and we have determined that it is not a hunt. So, that should be the end of the discussion, right? Not so fast. We didn’t start it, but there is a fight here, and we are obligated to get in the ring. We have to help our brothers and sisters understand that the pseudo-hunt product is not worth the price, and it damn sure is not worth the consequences. There is tremendous exposure and marketing in place that says the pseudo-hunt is the real thing. We must put that to bed. Ethically, we have to engage, explain, and emphasize the facts and ultimately devalue the product. When the pseudo-hunt is exposed as unworthy and undignified, it will be less acceptable at the campfire and eventually it will lose its legs. If not, someday we will not recognize the animals or places that future generations hunt—if they hunt—and if there are any healthy animals left. n

Best of 2013 The Boone and Crockett Club has a tradition of honoring trophies and the fair chase hunts that produce them, including photographs from the field.

For the fifth year, our editors will be sifting through hundreds of field photos looking for exemplary trophy field photography.

In keeping with this tradition, the Club, and Swarovski Optik want to celebrate some of the best examples of field photography, and share them with you in each issue of FairÂ Chase.

The most outstanding examples will be featured in the Spring 2014 issue with the top three being awarded prizes provided by Swarovski Optik.

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NOTE: All field photographs from accepted trophies in 2013 are eligible K u r t D. R u R ock y M ed o u n ta in g o a t | 47 M a d is o n -2 /8 C S e p te m b o., M o n ta n a e r 2 012

F ra n k No b P r o n g h o le rn Hu d sp e th | 8 0 -6/8 C O c to b e r 2 o., T e x a s 009

John H. North Non-typical mule deer | 215 Drumheller, Alberta September 2011

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The definitive manual for anyone with a desire to learn the Boone and Crockett Club’s world-famous big game measuring system is now available in this updated, convenient field guide that easily fits into backpacks. Inside you will find techniques for evaluating and field judging the most popular species of native North American big game along with detailed instructions on how to score your trophies. n

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The history of big game hunting featuring page after page of remarkable photographs of our hunting heritage dating back to the late 1800s.

Boone and Crockett Club’s Records of North American Big Game, 13th Edition n

8.5x11 inches

Over 200 field photos and 300 portrait photos

768 pages

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Call 888/840-4868 to order, or fax the enclosed order form to 406/542-0784. 40 n Fair Chase Spring 2013

Celebrating the Boone and Crockett Club’s 125th Anniversary If you know someone that believes that ethical, fair chase hunting and visionary conservation leadership will protect our hunting heritage and our wildlife, then sign them up to join Boone and Crockett and be a part of hunting and wildlife conservation history.

Give a year-long gift to your friends and family BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB’S ASSOCIATES PROGRAM! They will enjoy all the B&C Associate benefits you do: n n

Four issues of Fair Chase Magazine On-line Community: The On-Line Community is a secure section of the Club’s web site where you’ll find searchable field photos, archive of Fair Chase articles, plus an individual scoring database.

Discounts And Other Benefits: Associates receive a 20% discount on the Club’s select books and merchandise. You will also receive a wallet i.d. card and Boone and Crockett Club window decal.

Fair Chase is available online for your friends and family on the go. Check out our new Web Edition Associates Program subscription for just $25 a year. You get all of the benefits of being a B&C Associate, but instead of receiving your magazine in the mail, you view your issues on your computer. Current Associates and Official Measurers of the Boone and Crockett Club can view each issue of Fair Chase magazine by signing into the Club’s web site and going to the Associates Community to begin viewing available issues.

Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 41

TROPHY TALK Monster Non-Typical Whitetail Entered - Scores 305-7/8 Points In mid-February 2013, Monroe County, Iowa, in 2003, which is curreports and photorently listed as the largest hunter-taken graphs of a monster whitetail ever recorded by B&C. non-typical whitetail The records department was asked for buck, scoring 309 comments, but couldn’t because we hadn’t yet points, started circulat- received the original score chart, photographs, Jack Reneau ing on the Internet. or any official entry materials. We weren’t able Director The B&C staff took to do our due diligence by comparing the Big Game Records note and began to photographs to the score chart to determine verify these rumors. if the buck was scored correctly. A buck this size promptly attracts all When the records office received a sorts of attention, and everyone immediately copy of the original score chart a day or so wants answers to who, what, when, and where later from the Official Measurer, it was detersuch a trophy was taken. Outdoor writers of mined that a couple of adjustments were every top hunting magazine were trying to necessary. The points originally scored as locate the hunter to scoop the story for their normal G-4 points on both the right and left readers. At its announced score, antlers are actually abnormal points (Photos this buck had the potential to A and B.). They do not arise from the outside exceed—by 2 points—the score edge of the main beam in line with the other G-2 of Tony Lovstuen’s non-typical normal points. (See Fair Chase, Winter Normal buck (307 points) taken in 2000 “Trophy Talk” for details on how

to identify and score these abnormal points.) Once these points were correctly listed in the abnormal point boxes, and the H-4 circumferences were taken at the narrowest place between the normal G-3 and G-4 points, the entry score for this outstanding trophy was determined to be 305-7/8 points. Instead of being 2 points greater than the Lovstuen buck, it is 1-6/8 points less. This doesn’t make it any less of a trophy. It is the second-largest huntertaken buck ever recorded by B&C. It will be invited to the 29th Awards Program Judges Panel in 2016 where its score will be verified. A Special Judges Panel will not be convened in the interim because it is not a potential new World’s Record. The current World’s Record non-typical whitetail is the “Missouri Monarch” (333-7/8) that was found dead in St. Louis Co., Missouri, in 1981. G-2 Normal G-3 Normal

G-3 Normal G-1 Normal

G-1 Normal

abNormal

abNormal Tim J. Beck took his non-typical buck, scoring 305-7/8 points, in 2012 in Huntington County, Indiana.

G-4 Normal

G-5 Normal

Photo A

Photo B

G-

G-6

G-7

H-1

H-2.

H-3. H-4.

abNormal

TOG

SuBT

abNormal

42 n Fair Chase Spring 2013

No part o Club. A sc verified an

New Official Measurers Welcomed

Listed are the names and locations of 49 new Official Measurers, representing four Canadian provinces and four states, who were recently appointed after successfully participating in two Official Measurer training workshops. The first was held June 18-22, 2012, in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, and the second was held August 10-14, 2012, in Pincher Creek, Alberta. I would especially like to thank longtime Official Measurers Fred King of Bozeman, Montana, and Pat McKenzie of Regina, Saskatchewan, for their invaluable assistance with teaching the Tennessee and Alberta workshops, respectively. Neither could have been effectively conducted without their assistance. It gives me great pleasure to welcome these individuals on behalf of the Boone and Crockett Club and the Club’s Records of North American Big Game Committee to our cadre of volunteer Official Measurers. We look forward to working with all of them in the years ahead. B&C now has approximately 1,450 Official Measurers scattered throughout North America. This is the highest number of scorers serving at one time since the Club started keeping records in 1950. The new Canadian Official Measurers especially, supplement and fill many voids left by scorers who have resigned their Canadian appointments during the last 10 to 20 years. n

Official Measurers Appointed June – August 2012 Michael Beaty, Crossville, TN Doug Butler, Lamont, AB Chris Becker, Minatore, NE Michael Bobel, Lebanon, TN Steven R. Brewer, Paris, TN Travis Buchanan, Sunbright, TN Jim Clarke, Calgary, AB Lucas M. Coccoli, Dupuyer, MT Geordie Daneliuk, Russell, MB Sterling Daniels, Morristown, TN Robert Delorme, Willow Branch, SK Rod Dyck, Drumheller, AB Thomas A. Edwards, Columbia, TN Ray Garton, Jackson, TN Roger Geremia, Indian Head, SK Tim Hancock, Viola, TN

BOONE AN D CROCKE ORING SYST TT CLUB EM FOR NORT H

OFFICIAL SC

AMERICAN BIG

NON- TYPIC AL WHITET AI

(CHECK ON E):

r r G2 G3

G4 G5

185

Coues’

Leith G. Konyndyk, Flintville, TN Leonard Kostesky, Sandy Lake, MB

120

detail of Point Measurement

E F

H4 E G1

Kevin Hoffman, Jackson, TN

E G7

Tony Hickle, Morristown, TN

HIES

195

105

Dayna Harrison, Pierceland, SK

GAME TROP

L AND COUE S’ DEER

MINIMUM SC ORES AwARdS AL L-TIME

whitetail

Charles Harden, Jackson, TN

ABNORMAL

B E

Right Antler

5/8

1 6/8

Left Antler

7 2/8

2 5/8

1 4/8 2 3/8

1 4/8 2

BELOw dATA A. No. Points B. Tip to Tip

SE E OT HE R SI dE FO R SC (A, B, & C) dO OR IN G IN ST NOT CALCuL Ru CT IO ATE

on Right Antler

Spread

G-2. Length

G-3. Length

G-4. Length

ARE REquIRE

SPREAd CREd IT Not Exceed Lon (May Equal But ger MAIN BE AM)

Column 1

of Second Poi

30 4/8

of Third Point

13 3/8

of Fourth Poi

16 6/8

Fifth Point

12 0/8

-5. Length of

6. Length of

7. Length of

Sixth Point,

Seventh Point,

1. Circumfere

. Circumfere

nce at Smalle

st Place Betwe

. Circumfere

nce at Smalle

Circumference

ce Between

Column 1

Subtotal Column 3 Subtotal Add Line E.

Total

FINAL SCOR

Mail To: Boon

e and Crocke

Second Points

101 0/8

1 6/8

4 1/8

1 6/8

1 3/8

Remarks (Me

(Legal Name)

’s Address:

ntion Any Ab

93 7/8 Geographic

e, mountain,

1/8 1 6/8

5 7/8

1 1/8

101 0/8

10 4/8 State/Prov:

11/17/2012

Telephone #:

normalities or

location (lak

5 5/8

date killed:

’s Email:

Guide’s Nam

unique qualit

ies):

Bill Moulton, Celina, TN Samuel Murrey, Memphis, TN Steve Nifong, Nashville, TN

Jeff Prater, Telford, TN Barry C. Properzi, St. Albert, AB Justin Sanesh, Lumby, BC Glen Sellsted, Regina, SK Blair Seward, Lethbridge, AB Bill Smith, Morristown, TN Ken Somogyi, Melville, SK Daryll Stelmach, Russell, MB

7 5/8

97 6/8

John A. Mike, Morristown, TN

Daniel Stanfield, Jackson, TN 6 3/8

County: Huntin gton

Name): Tim J. Beck

Trophy Owner Trophy Owner

7/8 1 0/8

10 2/8

4 6/8

TOTALS

y where killed:

Trophy Owner

10 4/8

305 7/8

5 7/8

Hunter (Legal

222 4/8 212 0/8

5 6/8

rth Points

Exact Localit

97 6/8

6/8

14 2/8

6 3/8

Third Points

Third and Fou

23 6/8

difference

15 6/8

Joseph McSpadden, Crossville, TN

David C. Pezderic, Grandora, SK

Column 3

29 6/8

Jerry Lunde, St. Croix Falls, WI

Lindsey Paterson, Pincher Creek, AB

93 7/8 Left Antler

Grant Luken, Neepawa, MB

Heath Packett, Gordon, NE

First Point

en Second and

at Smallest Pla

Column 2

TRACT:

en First and

st Place Betwe

Spread Credit

Add GETHER:

en Burr and

st Place Betwe

7 4/8

Column 2

If Present

3 6/8

37 7/8

2 3/8

If Present

2 5/8

10 2/8

E. TOTAL Right Antler

1 4/8

8 7/8

2 4/8 SuBTOTALS

23 6/8

2 5/8

1 2/8

1 4/8

of First Point

1 6/8

1 1/8

1 3/8

4 3/8

27 4/8

7 7/8

1 5/8

1 1/8

3 4/8

ead

23 6/8

9 5/8

Left Antler

C. Greatest Spr

Main Beam

G-1. Length

SCORE BuT

No. Points on

23 6/8

d. Inside Spr ead of Main Beams

F. Length of

IN THE FINAL

POINTS

Jonathan Lee, Murfeesboro, TN

Joy Sweaney, Nashville, TN Brandon Taylor, Hohenwald, TN Dallas Tiegen, Bellevue, AB Jason Toews, Meadow Lake, SK Leonard G.J. Verbaas, Whitecourt, AB Mark Wood, Grand Cache, AB Charles Yoest, Nashville, TN

river, etc.) req

uired for trop

hies taken in

Canada and

Alaska. tt Club n 250 Boone and Cro ckett Club© Offi Station drive, cial Measurer Missoula, MT of this scoring I.D. Number 59801 n (40 core chart is system may be altered in 6) 542-1888 n not authentica any way. No nd the trophy par www.boonean ted is accepted by until signed and dated t of this score chart ma dcrockettclub y be altered by a certified the Boone an .com or

Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 43

The following pages list the most recent big game trophies accepted into the Boone and Crockett Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 28th Big Game Awards Program, 2010-2012, which includes entries received between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2012. All of the field photos in this section are from entries that are listed in this issue and are shown in bold green text.

This listing represents only those trophies accepted since the Winter issue of Fair Chase was published.

ABOVE Michael D. Reichard took this black bear, scoring 20-1/16 points, near Lesser Slave Lake, Alberta, in 2010.

Below While on a hunt on Kodiak Island, Alaska, in 2012, Peter M. Dickinson, harvested this Alaska brown bear scoring 28-8/16 points.

44 nn Fair FairChase ChaseSpring Spring 2013 2013

BEAR & COUGAR FINAL SCORE

LOCATION

HUNTER

DATE MEASURER

Black bear 23 9/16 Monroe Co., PA Robert T. Christian 2011 R. Kingsley 22 7/16 Potter Co., PA Jonathan E. Byler 2011 M. Blazosky 22 1/16 Huerfano Co., CO Patrick E. Bershinsky 2012 R. Newman 21 15/16 Oconto Co., WI Benjamin J. Van 2012 S. Zirbel Dyn Hoven 21 14/16 Indiana Co., PA Travis J. Ferrington 2011 D. Razza 21 13/16 Chisago Co., MN Perry J. Humble 2011 R. Berggren 21 13/16 Jefferson Co., PA Sheldon C. Weyant III 2011 D. Madl 21 12/16 Bayfield Co., WI Scott R. Schmitt 2012 M. Miller 21 12/16 Swan Lake, MB Matthew J. Smith 2012 B. Scarnegie 21 11/16 Bradford Co., PA Jeffrey G. Fassett 2011 R. Kingsley 21 11/16 Marie Hill, SK Joey W. Miazga 2012 G. Sellsted 21 11/16 Washburn Co., WI Megan R. Bauer 2011 P. Ostrum 21 10/16 Wayne Co., PA Steven Camasta 2011 L. Fulmer 21 8/16 Hyde Co., NC Richard H. Morgan III 2011 H. Atkinson 21 8/16 Birch Hills, AB Lawrence V. Kalas 2012 P. Bruhs 21 8/16 Sidney Lake, SK Dowain L. Whitlaw 2012 A. England 21 7/16 Chippewa Co., WI Dylan R. Woodley 2012 K. Zimmerman 21 7/16 Marquette Co., MI Larry D. Hyatt 2012 J. Ohmer 21 5/16 Florence Co., WI Terry J. Ronsman 2011 B. Ihlenfeldt 21 5/16 Sawyer Co., WI Gerald W. Frederick 2004 K. Zimmerman 21 4/16 Commanda Erich J. Kuhn 2011 R. Teal Creek, ON 21 4/16 Danbury, SK Gerald Freese 2002 J. Kuzma 21 4/16 Duck Bay, MB Scott W. Stehlik 2011 K. Herring 21 4/16 Wollaston Lake, SK James R. Jackson 2012 D. Coupland 21 4/16 Polk Co., WI Cameron Hunt 2011 L. Fredrickson 21 3/16 Barron Co., WI Shawn C. Knutson 2012 L. Zimmerman 21 3/16 Wayne Co., PA Paul S. Hoyt, Jr. 2011 T. Smail 21 2/16 Wayne Co., PA Joseph M. Mellado 2011 T. Conway 21 2/16 Wexford Co., MI James J. Ferritto, Jr. 2010 M. LaRose 21 1/16 Barron Co., WI Alan J. White 2012 L. Zimmerman 21 Cibola Co., NM Gerold Marquez 2011 R. Newman 21 Clinton Co., PA Ross L. Radwanski 2011 L. Fulmer 21 Hyde Co., NC Charles L. Grant, II 2006 H. Atkinson 21 Hyde Co., NC Darryl G. Cleary 2011 H. Atkinson 21 Marshall Co., MN Ryan T. Carey 2011 J. Zins 21 Sherridon, MB Kenny L. Baker, Jr. 2011 T. Atkinson 21 Pine Co., MN Lee M. Bolduc 2012 L. Zimmerman 20 15/16 Lake Manitoba, MB Jamie A. Vatnsdal 2005 J. Hayduk 20 15/16 Park Co., MT David W. Laubach 2011 F. King 20 14/16 Menominee Co., MI David L. Axtell 2011 D. Wellman 20 13/16 Marathon Co., WI Sarah M. Lynch 2012 T. Heil 20 13/16 Marinette Co., WI Steven B. Sailer 2012 S. Zirbel 20 13/16 Prince of Wales Ronald J. Smith 2007 M. Staser Island, AK 20 12/16 Barron Co., WI James E. Krall 2012 S. Ashley 20 11/16 Bayfield Co., WI Brian D. Bolssen 2011 S. Zirbel 20 11/16 Chippewa Co., WI Richard R. Hager 2011 J. Hjort

Black bear Continued 20 11/16 20 11/16 20 11/16 20 11/16 20 11/16 20 11/16 20 11/16 20 10/16 20 9/16 20 9/16 20 8/16 20 8/16 20 8/16 20 8/16 20 8/16 20 7/16 20 7/16 20 7/16 20 7/16 20 6/16 20 6/16 20 6/16 20 6/16 20 6/16 20 6/16 20 6/16 20 6/16 20 6/16 20 6/16 20 5/16 20 5/16 20 5/16 20 4/16 20 4/16 20 4/16 20 3/16 20 3/16 20 3/16 20 2/16 20 2/16 20 2/16 20 1/16 20 1/16 20 1/16 20 1/16 20 1/16 20 1/16 20 20 20

Grizzly bear Continued

Grays Harbor Co., WA Benjamin T. Davenport 2012 Langlade Co., WI Michael J. Lyon 2012 Birch Lake, SK Farron E. Stricker 2012 Petersburg, AK David H. Stirling 2007 Prince of Wales Allen D. Spencer 2012 Island, AK St. George, NB John R. Sparks 2010 Vancouver Dillard E. Hopkins 2012 Island, BC Leaf River, QC Farley R. Daniels 2011 Wayne Co., PA Ronald H. Lowe 2011 Wyoming Co., PA Ervin R. Veno III 2011 Clearwater Co., MN Shawn C. Ryan 2011 Eagle Co., CO Steven R. Moore 2012 King Co., WA Brady R. Phillips 2012 Oconto Co., WI Todd E. Golden 2012 Price Co., WI Gary J. Adler 2011 La Plata Co., CO Michael J. Cugnini 2007 Marinette Co., WI Jeffrey R. Rymer 2010 Ignace, ON Jennifer L. Nolte 2012 Prince of Wales Allen R. Mears, Jr. 2012 Island, AK Clearfield Co., PA Paul R. Taranto 2008 Koochiching Benjamin D. Lewison 2012 Co., MN Montrose Co., CO Timothy E. Winfree 2011 Oconto Co., WI Richard L. Klatkiewicz 2011 Agnew Lake, ON Eric R. Anderson 2010 Big Presque Isle Carrie A. Buscarini 2012 Stream, NB Kupreanof Duane L. Shroufe 2012 Island, AK Sawyer Co., WI Dana T. Franson 2009 Sheridan Co., WY Casey D. Gross 2012 Warren Co., PA Michael D. Nass 2001 Asotin Co., WA Marshall W. Hallett 2012 Graham Co., AZ Virgil M. Mathias, Jr. 2012 Rio Arriba Co., NM Christopher D. Swank 2012 Charlton Co., GA Joseph C. Dobbins 2010 Nazko, BC K. & C. Shelley 2012 Stillwater Lake, ON Phil N. Patterson 2012 Culpeper Co., VA Eric J. Heidig 2011 Marinette Co., WI Thomas A. Kitslaar 2012 Prince of Wales Brien W. Jones 1997 Island, AK Garfield Co., CO Jerry D. Lorenzen 2012 Cochrane, AB Brian A. Hauck 2012 Twiggs Co., GA Picked Up 2011 Burnett Co., WI Kevin L. Urhammer 2011 Carbon Co., UT Justin C. Cowan 2012 Forest Co., WI Gregorick R. Johnson 2012 Montezuma Co., CO Norman E. Whisenant 2011 Lesser Slave Michael D. Reichard 2010 Lake, AB Rio Blanco Co., CO Chad C. Bronson 2012 Hawk Hills, AB Madison J. Nimmo 2012 Perry Co., AR Jeremy S. Whiley 2011 Washington Co., VT Picked Up 2012

R. Mayton T. Heil H. Dreger J. Pallister B. Zundel D. Ream T. Fricks A. Beaudry T. Conway D. Mitchell M. Mauney T. Archibeque R. Spaulding S. Zirbel T. Heil B. Long P. Gauthier D. Boland R. Mayer L. Myers R. Naplin T. Brickel P. Gauthier W. Culbertson R. Kingsley P. Dufek L. Zimmerman M. Barrett D. Bastow S. Wilkins R. Rockwell R. Madsen W. Cooper R. Berreth D. Nuttall R. Byrne S. Zirbel W. DiSarro D. Clayton D. Skinner B. Bond R. St. Ores R. Hall J. Ramsey J. Braithwait L. Buck R. Black B. Daudelin B. Miller C. Smiley

Grizzly bear 27 Igichuk Hills, AK 26 5/16 Big River, AK 26 3/16 Noatak River, AK 26 2/16 Tatlawiksuk 26 2/16 Terrace, BC 26 1/16 Inglutalik River, AK 25 9/16 Three Day Slough, AK 24 14/16 Kiskatinaw River, BC 24 12/16 Shaktoolik River, AK 24 9/16 Loughborough Inlet, BC 24 8/16 Kechika River, BC 24 4/16 Toad River, BC 24 Dunedin River, BC 23 12/16 Delta River, AK 23 10/16 Goat River, BC

Matthew M. Rae Guy J. Turner Johnathon R. Hackett, Jr. Ed A. Zernia

2011 P. Atkins 2011 C. Brent 2012 T. Spraker 2009 R. Deis

Steven L. West David D. Crocker Richard W. Lister

2012 K. Leo 2011 R. Stephen 2012 J. Utter

Lindsay D. Myers Richard B. Queen Phil Trace

2012 P. Bruhs 2012 C. Cook 2012 B. Mason

Henry B. Unruh David B. Reed Gary A. Fetterley Damon L. Ward Dion M. Benninger

2011 2011 2010 2012 2012

C. Hill D. Eider P. Bruhs J. Spring R. Berreth

23 1/16 23

Seela Range, YT Apple River, BC

Jeffrey D. Schuchard 2011 D. Eider Peter Roost 2012 C. Veasey

Alaska brown bear 29 6/16 29 29 28 12/16 28 10/16 28 8/16 28 7/16 28 5/16 28 1/16 28 27 12/16 27 10/16 27 8/16 26 15/16 26 12/16 26 9/16 26 3/16

Pilot Point, AK Katmai Range, AK Larsen Bay, AK Hook Bay, AK Afognak Island, AK Kodiak Island, AK Red Lake, AK Morzhovoi Bay, AK Kodiak Island, AK Frazer Lake, AK Montague Island, AK Frazer Lake, AK Lake Iliamna, AK Deadman Bay, AK Puntilla Lake, AK Kodiak Island, AK Simpson Bay, AK

Byron N. Wise Jeff Champeau Edward R. Benson Seth J. Short David W. Laubach Peter M. Dickinson Chris D. Carpinito Lon J. Bess Douglas A. Sayer Glen A. Trombley Donald Z. Detwiler

2011 2012 2011 2012 2012 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012 2012

Stephen D. Reisner 2012 Eduardo E. Diaz 2011 Jason R. Hubbard 2011 Stefan Stefanovich 2011 Wieslaw Modzelewski 2011 Jesse O. Phillips 2011

F. Noska B. Ihlenfeldt W. DiSarro L. Lewis F. King D. Widby T. Cavin D. Bastow R. Atwood J. Utter D. Lynch L. Zimmerman S. Grebe D. Razza R. Johndrow J. Boze R. Hall

Cougar 15 11/16 James River, AB 15 8/16 Utah Co., UT 15 2/16 Sevier Co., UT 15 1/16 Tooele Co., UT 15 Grand Co., UT 15 Granite Co., MT 14 15/16 Fremont Co., WY 14 13/16 Flat Creek, AB 14 11/16 Boise Co., ID 14 11/16 Missoula Co., MT 14 10/16 Findlay Creek, BC 14 9/16 Lincoln Co., WY 14 8/16 Missoula Co., MT 14 8/16 Natrona Co., WY 14 8/16 Washington Co., ID

Christopher R. Durando Rod Benard Thomas L. Teague Rebecca A. Brown Raymond J. Sefchik Josh A. Yakos Marshall R. Sumner Russell K. Tanaka James D. Riley Bradley A. Sweeney Raynald Groleau Colton B. Ellingford Katie Waletzko Steven R. Lamb Martin V. VanNess

2011 J. Knevel 2011 2011 2011 2008 2011 2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2011 2012 2012 2002

P. Davis W. Bowles R. Hall T. Archibeque J. Spring W. Knox D. Powell B. Penske R. Spring A. Beaudry R. Wharff R. Henderson R. Bonander R. Addison

ELK & MULE DEER

FINAL GROSS SCORE SCORE LOCATION

HUNTER

DATE MEASURER

Typical American elk 419 3/8 451 1/8 Colorado Unknown 1981 T. Brickel 413 1/8 418 4/8 Sanpete Co., UT Picked Up 2012 T. Adams 398 5/8 418 7/8 Hanley, SK Martin O. Martinson 2012 M. Halirewich 395 402 2/8 Mohave Co., AZ Martin J. Colbaugh 2011 H. Grounds 392 4/8 410 Yavapai Co., AZ Randall S. Ulmer 2010 S. Troutman 381 7/8 390 2/8 Emery Co., UT Tony D. Perri 2011 R. Black 380 6/8 391 1/8 Moffat Co., CO Glenn E. Smith 2011 V. Garcia 380 2/8 388 2/8 Ravalli Co., MT Steven A. Hawkes 2012 J. Spring 380 2/8 386 1/8 San Juan Co., UT Ralph C. Stayner 2009 J. Gates 378 3/8 393 4/8 Catron Co., NM Blake M. Elms 2012 K. Witt 378 1/8 388 4/8 Thunder Hill, SK Gerald Freese 2011 J. Kuzma 378 399 4/8 Colfax Co., NM Andrew L. Sanchez 2006 R. Jones 377 5/8 388 3/8 Suffield, AB William S. Blake 2012 D. Powell 376 4/8 383 7/8 Elko Co., NV Travis G. Hawks 2011 L. Clark 376 2/8 385 7/8 Jefferson Co., CO Grant D. Orr 2012 S. Grebe 376 1/8 388 3/8 Gough Lake, AB James H. Boland 2010 D. Skinner 375 4/8 384 1/8 Park Co., WY Daniel E. Lee 2012 M. Opitz 373 7/8 381 3/8 Meagher Co., MT Robert D. Newland, Jr. 2012 J. Pallister 373 4/8 394 3/8 Moffat Co., CO Jeremiah J. Eng 2012 D. Doerr 372 381 Stillwater Co., MT Lev R. Ott 2012 R. Selner 371 4/8 392 2/8 Sevier Co., UT Brandon K. Plant 2012 R. Hall 370 6/8 379 3/8 Sanpete Co., UT David M. Christensen 2012 S. Bagley 366 6/8 386 1/8 Cache Co., UT Craig S. Shupe 2012 R. Hall 365 4/8 373 2/8 Routt Co., CO Andrew M. Jarr 2012 T. Bloomingdale

Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 45

Recently accepted trophies Tule elk Continued 286 5/8 292 271 3/8 279

Mendocino Co., CA Michael R. Traub Santa Clara Co., CA Frank M. Perry

2011 S. Godfrey 2012 R. Tupen

Typical mule deer

This typical American elk was taken in Routt County, Colorado, by Andrew M. Jarr in 2012. This bull scores 365-4/8 points.

Typical American elk Continued 365 2/8 365 1/8 364 5/8 363 2/8 362 6/8 362 3/8 361 5/8 361 3/8 361 3/8 360 3/8

381 7/8 384 5/8 370 2/8 383 1/8 367 5/8 382 2/8 368 7/8 364 374 1/8 373 1/8

Wasatch Co., UT Sevier Co., UT Routt Co., CO Park Co., CO Huerfano Co., CO Kittson Co., MN Valley Co., ID Jackson Co., CO Missoula Co., MT Wood Mountain, SK

Scott A. Wilkinson Juel C. Burnette Kenneth J. Raterink Jeffery C. Nielsen Nelson J. Smith Daniel R. Hanson Mark E. Mathews Gary J. Moe James R. O’Neill Roger T. Bancescu

2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2011 2012

D. Nielsen G. Hempey R. Novosad S. Grebe G. Adkisson C. Kozitka K. Primrose J. Lunde R. Spring P. Mckenzie

Non-typical American elk 414 2/8 406 6/8 398 4/8 390 2/8 385 2/8

422 7/8 419 7/8 406 400 5/8 398 4/8

Elko Co., NV Castle River, AB Elk Co., PA Dawes Co., NE Fremont Co., CO

Nick A. Senrud Lyle A. Guthrie Jesse M. Heiple Casey L. Yada Travis R. Wuest

2011 2012 2011 2012 2012

L. Clark D. Powell G. Block M. Dowse J. Stein

Roosevelt’s elk 352 2/8 391 3/8 343 5/8 350 5/8 339 1/8 343 3/8 326 1/8 339 3/8 323 3/8 340 1/8 322 7/8 328 5/8 319 322 5/8 316 7/8 328 3/8 308 2/8 318 4/8 307 3/8 319 1/8 305 3/8 315 297 3/8 302 7/8 292 7/8 298 6/8

Sunshine Coast, BC Sunshine Coast, BC Siskiyou Co., CA Clallam Co., WA Gold River, BC Clallam Co., WA Nimpkish River, BC Vancouver Island, BC Salmon River, BC Siskiyou Co., CA Humboldt Co., CA Humboldt Co., CA Trinity Co., CA

Thomas M. Shearer 2011 Thomas M. Shearer 2012 John A. Dickson II 2012 Nathan S. Breithaupt 2011 Andrew G. Mackie 2012 Mike A. Carpinito 2012 John D. Todd 2012 Roxane P. McGeough 2011

K. Vaughn K. Vaughn S. Hooper D. Sanford F. Pringle K. Vaughn C. Veasey F. Pringle

Danny M. Spindler Robert A. Parry Jeffrey A. Perry Lane B. Buxton Richard W. Pollard

D. Eider K. Evanow J. Fischer J. Fischer S. Hooper

2011 2011 2012 2010 2012

211 1/8 200 7/8 197 5/8 196 3/8 195 5/8 194 3/8 194 193 5/8 193 2/8 193 192 1/8 191 3/8 190 5/8 190 3/8 190 2/8 190 1/8 190 189 3/8 188 3/8 186 7/8 186 7/8 186 7/8 184 6/8 183 7/8 183 5/8 183 2/8 182 7/8 182 5/8 182 3/8 181 6/8 181 6/8 181 2/8 180 2/8 180 2/8 180

216 225 4/8 207 5/8 206 3/8 212 2/8 203 195 6/8 198 4/8 199 203 3/8 196 1/8 203 6/8 197 3/8 195 5/8 199 1/8 194 2/8 208 6/8 195 3/8 192 7/8 205 214 2/8 190 2/8 197 6/8 188 2/8 189 4/8 187 6/8 203 4/8 188 7/8 193 2/8 194 1/8 185 4/8 184 1/8 187 4/8 189 1/8 209 6/8

Wallowa Co., OR Chuck Wilson 1937 Rio Arriba Co., NM Robert B. Vigil, Sr. 1965 Unknown Picked Up 2012 Archuleta Co., CO Billy Joe Fox 1962 Malheur Co., OR Ryan K. Steward 2011 Gunnison Co., CO Clarence E. Turnell 1967 Unknown Unknown 2011 Washington Co., UT Kristine A. Hirschi 2011 Cache Co., UT Jason R. Saltern 2012 Major, SK Brendan L. Baier 2010 Unknown Unknown 2011 Unknown Unknown 2011 Elbert Co., CO Bret M. White 2009 Moffat Co., CO Randy D. Searcy 2011 Big Muddy Lake, SK Joshua M. Michel 2012 Unknown Unknown 2012 Eagle Co., CO Picked Up 2003 Custer Co., ID Robert L. Daniels 2009 Uintah Co., UT Michael N. Cook 2011 Franklin Co., ID David M. Garr 2012 Montrose Co., CO Justin T. Heitzman 2011 Rio Blanco Co., CO Aaron M. Degani 2009 Girvin, SK Colin Pratt 2009 Okanogan Co., WA Nathaniel J. Coon 2011 Elko Co., NV Walter M. Romero, Jr. 2011 Teller Co., CO Rodney J. Hoekert 2012 San Juan Co., CO Tony J. Langdon 2012 Routt Co., CO Hank Fox 1969 Caribou Co., ID Scott D. Bybee 2012 Chaffee Co., CO Kelly R. Schmidt 2011 Blackwater River, BC Daniel D. Martichuk 2010 Eagle Co., CO Raymond E. Shorette 2012 Carbon Co., WY Clay J. Evans 2012 Lincoln Co., NV Charles A. Blair 2012 Mohave Co., AZ Erik W. Swanson 2002

D. Sanford R. Madsen B. Wilkes O. Carpenter G. Childers O. Carpenter B. Wilkes D. Smith J. Rensel R. Schaal R. Boucher B. Wilkes S. Grebe T. Watts M. Mosley B. Wilkes D. Sanford R. Atwood S. Davis C. Fritz J. Wiggs R. Newman B. Mitchell J. Cook S. Sanborn T. Brickel G. Hernandez R. Newman R. Atwood R. Newman R. Berreth R. Newman B. Wilkes T. Humes J. Gates

Non-typical mule deer 290 299 6/8 Meadow Lake, SK Nelson Clark 271 280 2/8 Outlook, SK Travis Hamoline 261 7/8 272 7/8 Apache Co., AZ Jon M. Keller 258 5/8 265 2/8 Fremont Co., CO Art Smith 253 4/8 257 6/8 Coconino Co., AZ W.C. Buck Hayes 252 1/8 264 1/8 Unknown Roy Mitchell 242 5/8 245 7/8 Bengough, SK Stephen A. Currin 242 2/8 254 5/8 Cypress Hills, SK Donald B. Kay 237 5/8 241 5/8 Sweet Grass Co., MT Donald E. Trees 236 5/8 241 5/8 Morgan Co., CO Curtis S. Woodard 232 1/8 237 4/8 Lassen Co., CA Wesly Myers 230 2/8 240 2/8 Garfield Co., CO Billy Joe Fox 217 4/8 222 2/8 Washington Co., ID Shannon L. Rasmussen 215 2/8 224 4/8 Mohave Co., AZ G. Michael Martin 215 222 7/8 Drumheller, AB John H. North

1920 2012 2008 1945 1960 1936 2012 2006 1957 2011 1945 1963 2011

K. Krause D. Pezderic R. Stayner R. Selner R. Newman L. Hlavaty R. Delorme R. Schaal R. Selner B. Smith R. Selner O. Carpenter B. Penske

2011 T. Archibeque 2011 T. Smail

Typical Columbia blacktail 164 1/8 164 1/8 149 2/8 145 6/8 137 6/8 136 4/8 135 132 2/8 131 3/8 127 5/8 126 7/8 126 7/8 126 6/8

173 2/8 171 160 3/8 149 141 143 3/8 155 3/8 139 136 134 1/8 132 6/8 130 7/8 130 2/8

Jackson Co., OR Dusty S. McGrorty 2011 Trinity Co., CA Kevin E. Brett 2010 Trinity Co., CA Peter M. McGrath 2012 Tehama Co., CA Don K. Callahan 2010 Squamish, BC Mark A. Van Leeuwen 2009 Kitsap Co., WA Picked Up 2011 Pierce Co., WA Nicholas J. Stencil 2011 Humboldt Co., CA Tad B. Miller 2010 Sonoma Co., CA Tom Reich 2004 Lincoln Co., OR Jerry L. Huff 1987 Snohomish Co., WA Ethan J. Turner 2011 Wahkiakum Co., WA Kyle C. Strange 2011 Clackamas Co., OR Charles D. Trover 2009

D. Morris G. Hooper S. Boero R. McDrew C. Hill D. Waldbillig K. Vaughn G. Hooper D. Turner S. Nasby K. Vaughn R. Spaulding T. Rozewski

Tule elk 317 1/8 310 4/8 303 2/8 302 2/8 297 6/8

335 2/8 322 2/8 320 6/8 307 7/8 306 3/8

Solano Co., CA Merced Co., CA Colusa Co., CA Monterey Co., CA Solano Co., CA

46 n Fair Chase Spring 2013

H. Brian Valentine Randy W. Collins Stan R. Capra Patrick A. Garrett Stephen E. Walker

1995 2012 2012 2011 2011

F. King J. Booey J. Booey B. Daudelin D. Biggs

Non-typical Columbia blacktail 163 6/8 169 2/8 Mendocino Co., CA Dennis V. Caprara

2011 D. Perrien

Typical Sitka blacktail deer 118 3/8 122 3/8 Zarembo Island, AK Richard K. Burrell

1998 M. Nilsen

Recently accepted trophies Typical Sitka blacktail deer Continued 114 118 6/8 113 1/8 117 108 4/8 111 7/8 108 4/8 119 106 3/8 117 5/8 105 5/8 110 2/8 105 2/8 108 7/8 101 7/8 120 1/8 101 1/8 105 7/8 100 102

Prince of Wales Katherine J.D. Island, AK O’Hagan Kodiak Island, AK Antonius Rensing Kupreanof Caley N. McCay Island, AK Zarembo Island, AK Daniel K. O’Neil Prince of Wales Everett Kissinger Island, AK Mitkof Island, AK Daniel K. O’Neil Dall Island, AK Bret A. Martinsen Mitkof Island, AK Mickey Knight Kupreanof John T. Dupree Island, AK Mitkof Island, AK Randy T. Lantiegne

2012 J. Baichtal 2011 R. Johndrow 1996 M. Nilsen 2000 M. Nilsen 1985 M. Nilsen 2002 2012 1991 1993

M. Nilsen M. Nilsen M. Nilsen M. Nilsen

1999 M. Nilsen

Non-typical Sitka blacktail 125 5/8 129 5/8 Kadin Island, AK

Felix Villarma

1965 J. Baichtal

WHITETAIL DEER

FINAL GROSS SCORE SCORE LOCATION

HUNTER

DATE MEASURER

Typical whitetail deer 215 1/8 213 1/8 193 1/8 210 7/8 183 7/8 184 4/8 191 2/8

Pendleton Co., KY Taylor Co., IA Iowa Co., WI Winneshiek Co., IA Wabasha Co., MN Zavala Co., TX Unknown

Robert W. Smith Terry L. Lundquist Mason T. Dorn Kaleb L. Lienhard Matthew W. Andres John C. Korbell, Jr. Unknown

2000 2009 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012

J. Phillips K. Freymiller A. Crum L. Miller C. Pierce J. Stein L. Buck

Shannon L. Rasmussen was hunting in Washington County, Idaho, in 2012, when she harvested this nontypical mule deer, scoring 217-4/8 points.

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204 2/8 192 6/8 184 1/8 183 3/8 179 1/8 178 7/8 178 4/8

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Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 47

Recently accepted trophies Typical whitetail deer Continued 164 1/8 184 East Feliciana Co., LA Ronald R. Anderson, Jr. 2011 164 1/8 177 6/8 White Co., IN Adam R. Crider 2009 164 167 6/8 Lybeck Lake, SK Steven Rehaluk 2010 163 6/8 167 1/8 Des Moines Co., IA Craig R. Belknap 2010 163 5/8 188 4/8 St. Louis Co., MO Michael J. Hente 2011 163 4/8 176 5/8 Jefferson Co., NE Matthew D. Garton 2011 163 3/8 167 7/8 Elk Co., KS Randy S. Tanner 2011 163 2/8 167 5/8 Jackson Co., MO Joseph M. Phillips 2011 162 6/8 171 5/8 Grandview, MB Andrew W. 2011 Melnychenko 162 6/8 182 5/8 Wood Co., WI Kevin L. Peterson 2012 162 5/8 174 5/8 Des Moines Co., IA Craig R. Belknap 2008 162 3/8 171 7/8 Dane Co., WI LeRoy Fink 2010 162 1/8 178 3/8 Coffey Co., KS Rose A. Boyke 2011 161 5/8 166 5/8 Pepin Co., WI Thomas Laehn 2010 161 4/8 164 7/8 Muskingum Co., OH Michael R. Bauer 2010 161 3/8 165 6/8 York Lake, SK Kelly T. Schuster 2012 161 2/8 168 Lawrence Co., IN Michael C. Bush 2012 161 1/8 170 4/8 Woodford Co., KY Joe Lacefield 2012 160 6/8 170 Garrard Co., KY Bobby G. Reed 2012 160 5/8 169 3/8 Athens Co., OH J. Scott Ferris 2011 160 5/8 169 4/8 Chittenden Co., VT Arthur E. Seymour 1949 160 5/8 182 1/8 Parke Co., IN Charles A. Paxton 2011 160 4/8 166 Green Co., WI John R. Albrecht 2011 160 3/8 163 2/8 Maverick Co., TX David L. Gregory 2011 160 3/8 184 5/8 Pike Co., KY Mark T. Williams 2011 160 2/8 171 3/8 Prince George’s Ronnie S. Collier 2012 Co., MD 160 2/8 167 5/8 St. Charles Co., MO David P. Burke 2012 160 1/8 171 7/8 Hopkins Co., KY Michael E. Noffsinger 2011 160 169 6/8 Gibson Co., IN Richard A. Pflanz 2011 160 163 4/8 Miami Co., KS Caleb J. Dowty 2011

Fletcher Culpepper was hunting in Worth County, Georgia, in 2012 when he took this non-typical whitetail deer. The buck scores 234-6/8 points.

177 7/8 185 6/8 Mellette Co., SD Ryan J. Howe 2010 177 203 Sauk Co., WI Michael D. Ripp 2011 176 4/8 185 3/8 Lyon Co., MN Doug A. DeMuth 1981 175 2/8 186 7/8 Provost, AB Donald E. Twa 2010 174 5/8 181 4/8 Harrison Co., KY Devon R. Wilson 2011 174 1/8 184 Todd Co., KY Ricky D. Roy 2011 173 6/8 197 6/8 Vernon Co., WI Garrett W. Michaels 2011 173 2/8 178 7/8 Gibson Co., IN Rylee C. Thompson 2011 172 6/8 190 7/8 Warren Co., MS Robert E. Martin, Sr. 1945 172 4/8 181 1/8 N. Saskatchewan Robb S. Marcella 2012 River, SK 172 3/8 195 6/8 Indian Head, SK Curtis D. Schaeffer 2012 172 3/8 179 5/8 Richland Co., WI Roger T. Pinkham 2011 172 1/8 176 2/8 Clermont Co., OH Donald L. Cornwell, Jr. 2011 171 6/8 176 2/8 Adams Co., OH William R. Hayslip 2011 171 1/8 173 4/8 Ponass Lake, SK Kelly A. Christianson 2011 171 188 5/8 Daviess Co., MO Ted C. Turman, Jr. 2011 170 4/8 173 7/8 Beaver Co., OK Timothy J. Brandon 2011 170 4/8 175 1/8 Jefferson Co., IN Sean C. Ferbrache 2011 170 4/8 173 6/8 Maverick Co., TX Rex C. Whiteside 2010 170 4/8 184 Warren Co., OH Stephen C. Yontz 2011 170 3/8 177 7/8 Fremont Co., WY Shane A. Sanderson 2012 170 2/8 179 3/8 Grant Co., WI Michael E. Padrutt 2011 170 2/8 183 2/8 Winnebago Co., WI Jeffrey P. Hager 2012 170 180 7/8 Gasconade Co., MO Brandon Faerber 2010 169 2/8 178 5/8 Dane Co., WI J. & B. Hildebrandt 2011 168 171 7/8 Marquette Co., WI Bryan W. Leverich 2011 167 6/8 174 3/8 Coal Co., OK Travis S. Brecheen 2011 167 5/8 202 5/8 Lewis Co., KY Paul Carroll 2011 167 2/8 173 2/8 Linn Co., KS Jonathan M. 2010 Thornberry 167 170 7/8 Eau Claire Co., WI Robert Sukopp 1970 166 7/8 173 5/8 Lake of the Neil Poppenheim 2010 Prairies, SK 166 3/8 184 1/8 Athabasca, AB Robin B. Alexander 2010 166 169 3/8 Juneau Co., WI Russell L. Molinaro 2012 166 172 2/8 Marathon Co., WI Tyler J. Burgeson 2010

R. Pesek J. Ramsey S. Grabow B. Rehman J. Phillips D. Weddle C. Gallup D. Belwood C. Neill J. McJannet

165 1/8 165 164 5/8 164 4/8

D. Curts S. Godfrey T. Wright D. O’Brien

Harrison Co., IN Cleve E. Whittaker Trempealeau Co., WI Steven J. Magee Wayne Co., IN Brent D. Richardson Washington Co., MN David M. Weyandt

48 n Fair Chase Spring 2013

2011 2011 2009 2012

W. Resch D. Pfeiffer A. Crum M. Miller S. Fish G. Dennis H. Dreger B. Eickholtz W. Cooper J. Lacefield W. Culbertson C. Smiley R. White R. St. Ores H. Saye D. Weddle F. Horn J. Detjen W. Cooper D. Curts D. George

Non-typical whitetail deer

Typical whitetail deer Continued

172 1/8 178 3/8 188 194 2/8

S. Durham T. Wright B. Mitchell D. Pfeiffer L. Lueckenhoff T. Korth D. McGowan K. Zielke A. Safiniuk

R. Geremia C. Gallup W. Ogden J. Hill D. Francais C. Neill J. Tkac P. Hawkins D. Draeger R. Perrine D. Hart A. Crum W. Resch L. Smith A. Crum J. Ramsey M. Gamble D. Jackson R. Skinner J. Lunde B. Mitchell D. Loosemore J. Ramsey T. Heil

285 2/8 290 5/8 Ta Ta Creek, BC Harold Smith 1951 D. Ream 242 4/8 249 7/8 Unknown Unknown 1946 D. Ream 236 4/8 245 3/8 Marion Co., IA Gary M. Eischen 2012 K. Freymiller 235 243 1/8 Edmunds Co., SD Henry G. Artz 2011 M. Mauney 234 6/8 248 1/8 Worth Co., GA Fletcher Culpepper 2012 W. Cooper 231 4/8 239 6/8 Waupaca Co., WI Paul A. Keller 2012 S. Zirbel 229 5/8 238 Little River Co., AR Stephen J. Hickey 2011 D. Doughty 228 3/8 240 2/8 Rusk Co., WI Hunter C. Glasrud 2012 R. Berggren 226 233 2/8 Kankakee Co., IL Picked Up 2012 R. Holohan 224 6/8 235 2/8 Summit Co., OH Unknown 2012 J. Ream 221 7/8 229 3/8 Vernon Co., WI Anthony E. Urban 2011 R. Case 220 5/8 234 2/8 Crawford Co., KS Gary L. Morris 2011 K. Kelso 217 3/8 224 1/8 Republic Co., KS Andy H. LeDoux 2008 T. Bowman 216 3/8 223 1/8 Dodge Co., NE Unknown 1985 G. Salow 215 1/8 219 2/8 Webb Co., TX Jed A. Brown 2012 J. Stein 212 5/8 224 5/8 Pike Co., MO Kurt L. Kinion 2011 D. Hollingsworth 211 2/8 213 5/8 Salmon River, BC Nigel Worgan 2009 R. Berreth 210 7/8 215 Minnehaha Co., SD Matt J. Surrell 2011 M. Mauney 210 5/8 218 3/8 Van Buren Co., IA Matthew D. Corradi 2011 J. Ohmer 209 4/8 214 5/8 Kleberg Co., TX Robert H. Buker, Jr. 2012 J. Feild 208 6/8 223 3/8 Benewah Co., ID Paul G. Lockler 2011 L. Carey 208 1/8 213 2/8 Pulaski Co., KY Dale Prather 2010 D. Weddle 207 3/8 211 4/8 Brown Co., OH John D. Ziel 2011 L. Loranzan 206 7/8 209 7/8 Coshocton Co., OH Mark N. Guinther 2012 E. Robinson 206 5/8 216 1/8 Madison Co., LA Alton N. McLeod 2012 D. Moreland 206 1/8 213 7/8 Dana Salt Lake, SK Kyle Pulvermacher 2010 A. Holtvogt 206 214 5/8 Wadena, SK Allan Hanson 1989 W. Given 205 5/8 225 5/8 Coles Co., IL Ryan Farmwald 2011 T. Walmsley 204 1/8 210 6/8 Shawnee Co., KS Gunnar G. Murray 2012 B. Rueschhoff 203 7/8 209 3/8 Hughes Co., OK Jason L. Scroggins 2011 T. Cartwright 203 6/8 210 5/8 Lac St. Anne, AB Jason P. De Jong 2011 D. Powell 203 1/8 209 1/8 Jefferson Co., KY Robert T. Strong 2012 K. Stockdale 202 1/8 212 1/8 Dimmit Co., TX Matthew C. Allen 2012 J. Shipman 200 6/8 209 2/8 Rice Co., KS Jeffry W. Creswell 2008 T. Swan 199 7/8 213 1/8 Coffey Co., KS Picked Up 1996 D. Ream 198 4/8 202 7/8 Sandy Lake, AB Randall A. Swenson 2007 L. Verbaas 198 1/8 204 7/8 197 4/8 206 1/8 196 3/8 200 6/8 196 203 3/8 195 5/8 201 5/8 195 5/8 204

Flathead Co., MT Rush Co., KS Jo Daviess Co., IL Hanley, SK Marlborough Forest, ON Stark Co., IL

John Head Mitchell Keeley Patricia Ertmer Scot Westman Edward J. Best

1976 2011 1962 2010 2011

R. Selner E. Stanosheck K. Freymiller J. McJannet R. Poulin

Todd A. Smith

2004 M. Staser

Recently accepted trophies Non-typical whitetail deer Continued 193 5/8 200 1/8 Vermilion, AB Don McLaughlin 2001 T. Henson 193 4/8 202 6/8 Brown Co., WI Tyler W. Vande Hey 2010 S. Zirbel 192 7/8 201 4/8 Dubuque Co., IA Jamie V. Ehrlich 2012 P. Farni 192 2/8 200 1/8 Madden, AB Adam M. Maucieri 2011 W. Paplawski 191 200 Floyd Co., IA Ian A. Pitzenberger 2011 J. Nordman 191 195 1/8 Otoe Co., NE Nate R. Keller 2012 S. Cowan 190 3/8 193 6/8 Somerset Co., ME John B. Williams 1915 B. Sippin 189 7/8 196 2/8 Emmons Co., ND Lyle J. Vander Vorste 2011 D. Eider 189 2/8 194 2/8 Winnebago Co., WI Luke R. Brucks 2012 M. Miller 187 4/8 191 5/8 Schuyler Co., MO Shaun D. Kelso 2011 D. Ream 187 2/8 191 2/8 Tippecanoe Co., IN Donny L. Pickell 2012 R. Graber 186 1/8 201 3/8 Leon Co., TX Dedrick V. Garner 2011 J. Latham 186 1/8 188 2/8 Madison Co., OH Corey A. Graham 2012 A. Wentworth 185 3/8 190 1/8 Pettis Co., MO Mark A. Johnson 2011 D. Hollingsworth 185 2/8 197 Warren Co., IA Timothy L. Cain 2011 K. Freymiller 185 1/8 188 7/8 Sheridan Co., NE Becky A. Paulsen 2011 R. Stutheit

Typical Coues’ whitetail 132 5/8 139 5/8 Unknown 123 5/8 126 6/8 Pima Co., AZ 110 4/8 113 Santa Cruz Co., AZ 104 7/8 107 3/8 Santa Cruz Co., AZ

Unknown Devin U. Beck Thomas E. Christensen Colt H. Lyman

2012 W. Bowles 2012 D. May 2009 W. Keebler 2011 P. Dufek

Non-typical Coues’ whitetail 126 6/8 130 5/8 Sonora, MX 121 6/8 124 4/8 Cochise Co., AZ 117 2/8 136 4/8 Grant Co., NM

Earl R. La Forge Jim M. Machac David W. Krogdahl

2011 G. Fabian 2011 P. Dufek 2009 R. Madse

This Alaska-Yukon moose, scoring 228-7/8 points, was taken near Nushagak River, Alaska, by Mark A. Hedges in 2012.

Sponsored by

Field Photography

MOOSE & CARIBOU FINAL GROSS SCORE SCORE LOCATION

HUNTER

Tip No. 13

DATE MEASURER

Canada moose 232 1/8 206 2/8 205 7/8 198 6/8 197 5/8 197 2/8

236 4/8 210 5/8 208 3/8 203 1/8 200 7/8 207 2/8

Muncho Lake, BC Wayne Bowd Partridge Lake, BC Brian J. McMahon Pasqua Hills, SK Wade Maynard Whitesand River, SK Keith L. Dawson Toad River, BC Thomas M. Burns Dunedin River, BC Gary A. Fetterley

196 6/8 205 1/8 Wapiti River, BC 196 205 5/8 Essex Co., VT 195 197 3/8 Langbank, SK

Joseph M. Palfy Francis K. Oakes Timothy A. Davies

190 3/8 196 1/8 Aroostook Co., ME Charles G. Brown 188 7/8 194 7/8 Aroostook Co., ME Shawn W. Franck 188 6/8 193 1/8 Shillingthorpe Marla M. Geres Lake, SK 188 6/8 198 5/8 Takla Lake, BC Samuel Stahl 186 6/8 192 6/8 Namew Lake, SK Brian S. Adams 186 3/8 193 3/8 Lake of the John Geres Prairies, SK 185 3/8 192 4/8 Seperation Lake, ON Christopher W. Derouard

2012 2011 2011 2012 2012 2011

D. Powell R. Krueger D. Francais H. Dreger D. Turchanski P. Bruhs

2012 P. Bruhs 2012 C. Smiley 2012 M. Halirewich 2012 P. Hawkins 2012 H. Libby 2012 H. Dreger 2008 A. Berreth 2012 R. Willmore 2011 R. Soyka

Get Close For smaller antlered game and horned game, some of the best field photos come from getting right down on the ground close to the animal with their head positioned between you and the camera. Sometimes this is done out of necessity (note cliff in this photo), but often times even with the room to move around the tendency is to sit to the side, or in some cases in back of the animal. We call this B&C score enhancement poses. Unless you’re 6’ 5” and 265 pounds, you won’t detract from the size of your trophy and being close is a great way to honor your animal.

2011 D. Wilson

Alaska-Yukon moose 250 6/8 237 4/8 234 6/8 234 4/8 230 1/8 228 7/8 225 3/8 225 2/8

262 4/8 Brooks Range, AK Robert J. Condon 2012 238 7/8 Brooks Range, AK Erik D. Campbell 2012 240 6/8 Mark E. Finkey 2012 238 5/8 Pelly River, YT Shaun R. Parent 2011 234 7/8 Rogue River, YT Frank D. Dean 2012 233 6/8 Nushagak River, AK Mark A. Hedges 2012 229 1/8 Koyukuk River, AK Heath A. Strausbaugh 2012 231 7/8 Delta Junction, AK Hugh F. Curry 2012

T. Spraker R. Hall C. Bowers P. Bruhs J. Leggo J. Bogucki T. Spraker J. Leggo

Field Photography tip

John C. Hover took this Stone’s sheep, scoring 171-3/8 points, while hunting near Ice Lakes, Yukon Territory, in 2012.

Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 49

Recently accepted trophies Woodland caribou 363 4/8 337 317 4/8 313 3/8 301 5/8

378 1/8 352 6/8 329 2/8 321 6/8 309

Sam’s Pond, NL Shawn R. Andres 2012 Buchans, NL Paul F. Sando 2012 Daniel’s Harbour, NL Jason L. Brophy 2010 Main Brook, NL Damian M. Chepenuk 2011 Red Indian Lake, NL Christopher L. Wenger 2012

R. Spring C. Banfield J. Anstey C. Banfield B. Trumbo

Barren ground caribou 412 421 396 2/8 411 393 5/8 401 2/8 383 7/8 399 5/8 367 7/8 377 3/8

Hicks Lake, AK Kevin C. Keene 2012 Charley River, AK Dominique E. Watts 2010 Port Heiden, AK Shawn R. Andres 1995 Totatlanika River, AK K.C. Walters 2010 Arctic National Michael D. Siedschlag 2012 Wildlife Refuge, AK

C. Brent C. Brent R. Spring A. Jubenville T. Korth

Quebec-Labrador caribou 433 4/8 447 6/8 Schefferville, QC 381 7/8 393 4/8 Lac Amande, QC

Edward A. Grzesik, Sr. 1988 J. Chelsvig Richard A. Mann 2008 G. Fujak

HORNED GAME

FINAL GROSS SCORE SCORE LOCATION

HUNTER

DATE MEASURER

Pronghorn

While hunting in Carbon County, Wyoming, in 2012, Stacey L. Perrien harvested this pronghorn, scoring 81 points, with her .300 Win. Short Mag.

Alaska-Yukon moose Continued 225 2/8 233 5/8 Kemuk Mt., AK 223 5/8 227 2/8 Coleen River, AK 221 6/8 227 4/8 Fortymile River, AK 221 3/8 228 1/8 Koyukuk River, AK 217 221 2/8 Whitehorse, YT 215 6/8 221 Keele Peak, YT 213 2/8 221 4/8 Billy Creek, AK 212 4/8 215 6/8 Anvil Range, YT 211 6/8 217 Seela Range, YT

Jeremiah Swartzlender Frederick W. Snyder David H. Stirling Mikhail Glasionov Allen M. Shearer Ryan J. Baker Douglas J. Luiten Chad P. Birrenkott Jeffrey D. Schuchard

2011 T. Spraker 2006 2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012 2011

K. Stockdale J. Pallister R. Deis L. Lack D. VanDerhoef C. Cook J. Ramsey D. Eider

Shiras’ moose 181 6/8 186 5/8 Sublette Co., WY James M. Frauendienst 180 3/8 186 6/8 Eagle Co., CO Michael R. Dziekan 164 165 1/8 Johnson Co., WY Michael A. Pyska 162 165 5/8 Jackson Co., CO Frank J. Ortega 161 2/8 165 6/8 Lincoln Co., MT Paul M. Bushnell 158 2/8 159 3/8 Weber Co., UT Susan Calton 156 6/8 166 5/8 Park Co., CO Donald L. Mann 156 4/8 160 4/8 Beaverhead Co., MT Donavon P. Walsh 155 7/8 157 Weber Co., UT Angela K. Baysinger 155 2/8 164 3/8 Bingham Co., ID Arthur K. Hamilton 150 156 3/8 Boulder Co., CO Andrew D. Wineman 150 152 2/8 Wasatch Co., UT Johnny C. Parsons 145 1/8 147 5/8 Pend Oreille Co., WA Shayne M. Albaugh 144 2/8 151 Larimer Co., CO Corey C. Swanson 140 7/8 144 5/8 Missoula Co., MT Gary E. Carter

2012 B. Davies 2012 2012 2011 2012 2012 2011 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012

B. Smith T. Atkinson B. Smith J. Pallister R. Hall L. Gatlin J. Reneau S. Cowan R. Addison D. Doerr R. Hall M. Opitz M. Thomson J. Kolbe

Mountain caribou 428 2/8 439 4/8 Black Lake, YT Brad P. Gerlinsky 2012 D. Skinner 419 1/8 431 3/8 Dease Lake, BC Lyle R. Ferguson 2012 B. Mason 412 4/8 421 Rogue River, YT Jim Shockey 2012 F. Pringle 393 4/8 412 2/8 Selwyn Mts., YT Blair D. Wyshynski 2011 W. St. Germaine 392 402 4/8 Anvil Range, YT Chad P. Birrenkott 2012 J. Ramsey 389 2/8 415 2/8 Rogue River, YT Peter J. Carlson 2011 T. Rogers 365 1/8 375 5/8 Long Lake, YT Anthony P. Park 2012 T. Grabowski

50 n Fair Chase Spring 2013

94 6/8 92 2/8 91 88 2/8 86 6/8 86 2/8 86 85 6/8 85 2/8 85 84 83 2/8 83 83 83 83 82 2/8 82 2/8 82 2/8 82 2/8 82 82 82 82 81 6/8 81 2/8 81 2/8 81 81 80 6/8 80 4/8 80 2/8 80 2/8 80 2/8 80

96 93 91 4/8 88 6/8 87 4/8 86 7/8 86 6/8 87 85 5/8 86 4/8 84 6/8 83 6/8 83 2/8 83 7/8 84 83 7/8 82 7/8 83 7/8 82 5/8 83 82 2/8 84 3/8 83 3/8 82 6/8 83 4/8 82 81 7/8 81 5/8 81 7/8 82 6/8 81 2/8 81 6/8 81 7/8 81 3/8 80 6/8

Catron Co., NM Mike Gallo 2011 Coconino Co., AZ Steven K. Bright 2012 Lander Co., NV Thomas B. Gordon, Jr. 2011 Carbon Co., WY John C. Vanko 2012 Washakie Co., WY Joseph R. Herring 2011 Uinta Co., WY Spencer D. Madsen 2012 Jackson Co., CO Clifford J. Pittington II 2012 Washoe Co., NV Eugene R. Rybak 2012 Carbon Co., WY Rick V. Gambetta 2012 Socorro Co., NM Dave M. Westrum 2011 Fremont Co., WY William H. Smith 2012 Colfax Co., NM Larry R. Carey 2012 Hudspeth Co., TX William G. Kyle Jr. 2012 Mora Co., NM Mark W. Streissguth 2012 San Miguel Co., NM Bradley R. Horton 2012 Socorro Co., NM J.D. Woods, Jr. 2011 Humboldt Co., NV Jeffrey A. Sawyer 2012 Lassen Co., CA Edward M. Buchanan 2012 Saguache Co., CO Zina D. Horton 2011 Washoe Co., NV Mark T. Clore 2012 Carbon Co., WY Philip W. Petersen 2011 Lander Co., NV Howard B. Hadlock 2012 Mora Co., NM Travis R. Erwin 2011 Washoe Co., NV John W. East 2011 Mora Co., NM Jason D. Trent 2011 Converse Co., WY Kelly L. Glause 2011 Las Animas Co., CO David F. McWilliams 2012 Carbon Co., WY Stacey L. Perrien 2012 Gray Co., TX Lynn A. Lunsford 2011 Hudspeth Co., TX Frank Noble 2009 Lander Co., NV Karen K. Zumwalt 2012 Hartley Co., TX Kevin D. Kirkpatrick 2012 Lassen Co., CA Kevin M. Scull 2012 Lincoln Co., CO Guerry M. Vaughan 2008 San Miguel Co., NM James S. McKenzie 2011

R. Stayner M. Golightly H. Wilson R. Stayner D. Hart K. Dana B. Smith T. Humes D. Perrien R. Stayner R. Hanson D. Duchow O. Carpenter M. Opitz O. Carpenter R. Stayner T. Brown R. McDrew J. Olson G. Ponsness R. Hall T. Cavin R. Stayner T. Humes D. Sherpy J. Lesser O. Carpenter D. Perrien C. Cook O. Carpenter D. Biggs E. Stanosheck R. McDrew R. Newman O. Carpenter

Bison 128 4/8 129 4/8 Zama Lake, AB 117 4/8 117 6/8 Coconino Co., AZ 115 4/8 117 1/8 Coconino Co., AZ

Corey L. Skiftun James R. Wendt Kyle R. Patterson

2011 B. Mitchell 2012 C. Goldman 2011 S. Troutman

Rocky Mountain goat 53 6/8 53 7/8 Terrace, BC 52 2/8 52 6/8 Wallowa Co., OR 51 6/8 51 6/8 Gallatin Co., MT 51 2/8 51 4/8 Revillagigedo Island, AK 51 51 1/8 Duckling Creek, BC 51 51 1/8 Telkwa Range, BC 50 2/8 50 3/8 Chalco Creek, BC

Bryan K. Last Gary R. Underhill George M. Quesenberry Wyatt H. Mueller

2012 R. Berreth 2012 E. Buckner 2012 R. Selner

Mark A. Young Max N. Banwell Mark Trenke

2011 P. Bruhs 2011 H. Saye 1996 K. Kultgen

2012 C. Brent

Recently accepted trophies Rocky Mountain goat Continued 50 2/8 50 3/8 East Kootenay, BC Jeffrey D. Schutz 2012 D. Patterson 50 2/8 50 7/8 Meachen Creek, BC Shane D. Fabro 2011 E. Swanson 50 50 3/8 Dutch Creek, BC George S. Berean 2011 E. Swanson 50 50 3/8 Mount Irish, BC Ryan A. Lloyd 2011 D. Bromberger 50 50 3/8 Nass Lake, BC Andreas E. Pagenkopf 2012 J. Graham 50 50 Piute Co., UT Merritt C. Compton 2012 K. Leo 48 6/8 48 7/8 Mt. Tomlinson, BC Brandon Babin 2012 C. Hill 48 6/8 49 1/8 Weber Co., UT Matt A. Murdock 2012 R. Hall 48 4/8 48 7/8 Chaffee Co., CO Garret L. Miller 2012 S. Grebe 48 4/8 49 1/8 Knik Glacier, AK Brien W. Jones 2011 W. DiSarro 48 2/8 48 3/8 Ravalli Co., MT Paul C. Converse 2011 C. Wenger 48 48 2/8 Summit Co., CO Clifford J. Pittington III 2012 B. Smith 47 6/8 48 2/8 Grand Co., CO James E. Murphy 2012 S. Grebe 47 6/8 48 Oliver Creek, BC Paul E. Fitzpatrick 2012 S. Grebe 47 4/8 47 6/8 Blackfly Lake, BC Todd Cook 2010 E. Boley 47 2/8 47 7/8 Madison Co., MT Kurt D. Rued 2012 F. King 47 2/8 48 1/8 Kodiak Island, AK Douglas A. Sayer 2012 R. Atwood 47 47 2/8 Long Bay, AK Brian M. Barley 2012 W. Knox

Musk ox 112 113 2/8 Cambridge Bay, NU Paul E. Fitzpatrick 109 111 1/8 Shishmaref, AK Frank S. Noska IV 108 6/8 110 1/8 Seward Pen., AK Jake A. Rand

2012 S. Grebe 2012 D. Widby 2011 C. Brent

Bighorn sheep 200 2/8 198 3/8 195 7/8 195 1/8 194 4/8 194 3/8 193 192 2/8 191 4/8 190 3/8 190 188 3/8 187 186 4/8 185 184 6/8 184 2/8 181 4/8 181 3/8 181 2/8 180 6/8 180 6/8 180 3/8 180 2/8 180 1/8 179 2/8 177 2/8 176 3/8 176 1/8 175 4/8 175 2/8

201 2/8 198 3/8 196 1/8 196 2/8 195 4/8 194 7/8 193 2/8 194 192 3/8 191 1/8 190 6/8 188 4/8 187 7/8 187 5/8 185 4/8 185 2/8 185 182 2/8 182 6/8 182 4/8 181 3/8 181 2/8 180 4/8 180 4/8 180 6/8 179 4/8 178 178 3/8 176 2/8 175 7/8 176

Fergus Co., MT Greg R. White 2011 Blaine Co., MT James E. Tuell, Sr. 2012 Chouteau Co., MT Jimmy J. Liautaud 2011 Blaine Co., MT Barbara M. Krause 2012 Asotin Co., WA Mitch L. Morgan 2011 Nez Perce Co., ID Robert E. Durrett III 2012 Baker Co., OR Shelby L. Miller 2012 Blaine Co., MT H. Brian Valentine 2009 Chouteau Co., MT Kim I. Olson 2012 Chouteau Co., MT John S. Shima 2012 Asotin Co., WA Douglas B. Argo 2011 Fergus Co., MT Erika R. Lankford 2012 Phillips Co., MT Mike L. Lang 2011 Huerfano Co., CO Galen W. Westfall 2012 Fergus Co., MT Carter R. Christiansen 2012 Taos Co., NM Rick Warren 2011 Chouteau Co., MT Kevin R. Bouley 2011 Eagle Co., CO Justin E. Price 2011 Taos Co., NM Bruce L. Palmer 2011 Fremont Co., CO Richard D. Tidd 2012 Sanders Co., MT Brad L. Johnson 2011 Taos Co., NM Paula J. Corvin 2012 Clearwater River, AB Wilfred J. Edgar 2012 Valley Co., ID Michael Tanner 1991 Fording River, BC Dylan B. Forsyth 2012 Abraham Lake, AB Danny J. McArthur 2012 Cadomin, AB Brandi K. Kullman 2011 Malheur Co., OR Walter Chuck 2012 Lincoln Co., MT James D. Jones 2012 Elko Co., NV Timothy D. Pruitt 2012 Hot Springs Co., WY Thomas J. Lynch 2011

B. Smith B. Zundel K. Wiebe L. Coccoli J. Cook S. Wilkins E. Buckner F. King S. Wilkins J. Reneau K. Vaughn J. Spring M. Sullivan L. Guldman G. Day H. Saye M. Malone G. Glasgow K. Wells T. Archibeque J. Brown R. Hanson D. Powell J. Rensel D. Patterson D. Powell W. Paplawski T. Rozewski R. Selner G. Hernandez D. Hart

Desert sheep 183 5/8 183 6/8 182 1/8 183 2/8 180 4/8 181 5/8 178 7/8 180 5/8 178 1/8 179 1/8 177 2/8 177 7/8 176 4/8 177 1/8 175 175 6/8 174 5/8 175 173 2/8 174 173 174 5/8 172 2/8 172 6/8 171 4/8 173 1/8 171 1/8 173 7/8 170 4/8 171 4/8 169 6/8 170

Clark Co., NV Sonora, MX Pinal Co., AZ Sonora, MX San Bernardino Co., CA Sonora, MX Sonora, MX Tiburon Island, MX Hudspeth Co., TX Graham Co., AZ Sonora, MX San Bernardino Co., CA Maricopa Co., AZ San Bernardino Co., CA Sierra Co., NM Carmen Island, MX

Kenneth L. Gerhardt Albert B. Hankins Mark T. Miller Kenneth W. Nelson Michael S. Vail

2011 2012 2011 2012 2012

R. Stayner C. Neill D. May M. Murrell H. Grounds

Len H. Guldman Daniel J. Cisewski James F. DeBlasio Rick Warren Kevin M. Slone Robert K. Curley Jeff J. Jones

2011 2009 2011 2012 2012 2012 2012

R. Rockwell T. Heil D. Eider H. Saye R. Stayner S. Johns H. Grounds

Duane R. Richardson 2011 P. Dalrymple Richard E. Sievers 2010 R. Stayner William L. Walters Brent V. Trumbo

2012 K. Godwin 2012 W. Knox

This bighorn sheep, scoring 200-2/8 points, was taken by Greg R. White in Fergus County, Montana. He was shooting his .50 Cal. Muzzleloader.

Desert sheep Continued 168 6/8 169 3/8 168 6/8 169 7/8 168 1/8 168 6/8 168 1/8 169 1/8 167 1/8 167 6/8 167 1/8 168 1/8 166 6/8 167 5/8 166 3/8 167 4/8

Mono Co., CA San Bernardino Co., CA Culberson Co., TX Baja Calif. Sur, MX Baja Calif., MX Yuma Co., AZ Clark Co., NV Mesa Co., CO

Phillip León Kent J. Harrison

2012 D. Biggs 2011 B. Abele

William R. Tanner II Michael G. Adams Edwin D. Brolyer George T. Law Charles A. Blair James L. Aragon

2011 2011 2011 2011 2010 2011

R. Hall B. Sterling D. Pawlicki R. Sherer T. Humes M. Trujillo

Dall’s sheep 176 1/8 177 Chugach Mts., AK 174 174 2/8 Ogilvie Mts., YT 172 2/8 172 7/8 Takhini River, YT 171 5/8 172 Jo-Jo Lake, YT 168 4/8 168 7/8 Chugach Mts., AK 168 168 7/8 Chugach Mts., AK 166 2/8 166 5/8 Wrangell Mts., AK 165 6/8 166 Chugach Mts., AK 165 4/8 166 1/8 Keele River, NT 165 3/8 166 1/8 Alaska Range, AK 164 6/8 165 5/8 Bear Lake, AK 164 164 5/8 Alaska 163 3/8 163 7/8 Raft Creek, YT 163 1/8 163 4/8 Alaska Range, AK 162 162 1/8 Unknown 160 2/8 160 5/8 Canning River, AK

Steen C. Henriksen 2011 Daniel Reynolds 2012 Russell J. Giesbrecht 2012 Marcus Deuling 2012 Donald E. Perrien 2012 Nicholas R. Gilbert 2012 Christopher J. 2012 Lochhead David E. Evanow 2012 Michael J. Carpinito 2012 Christopher W. Haddix 2012 Thomas D. Lundgren 2012 Morris Ewell 1960 Steven F. Burke 2012 Kasey C. Hixson 2012 William Foster 1947 Frank S. Noska IV 2012

D. Larsen C. Walker P. Deuling D. Turner T. Spraker T. Spraker M. Fowlks T. Spraker J. Cook R. Deis D. Rippeto L. Carey T. Rogers R. Novosad L. Clark D. Widby

Stone’s sheep 174 6/8 175 Muskwa River, BC Rick Warren 2012 173 7/8 175 1/8 Jennings River, BC Bernard J. Blastorah 2012 171 3/8 171 5/8 Ice Lakes, YT John C. Hover 2012 170 2/8 170 6/8 Unknown William Foster 1947 170 1/8 170 4/8 Aconitum Lake, BC Todd Cook 2010 163 6/8 164 3/8 Prophet River, BC Terry J. Long 2011 163 1/8 163 5/8 Besa River, BC Matthew M. Comment 2012 162 3/8 163 4/8 Moody Lake, BC Nick Milic 2012 161 6/8 162 1/8 Dease Lake, BC Brad D. Johnson 2012

H. Saye P. Martin N. Lawson L. Clark E. Boley T. Archibeque D. Lees R. Berreth R. Berreth

Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 51

The trophies in the field photos on the following pages have all been accepted in Boone and Crockett Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 28th Big Game Awards Program.

See more field photos like these online. Check out the Boone and Crockett Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website at:

www.booneandcrockettclub.com 52 n Fair Chase Spring Fall 2011 2013

Top ROW

Shelby L. Miller was hunting in Baker County, Oregon, when she harvested this bighorn sheep, scoring 193 points. James E. Murphy took this Rocky Mountain goat, scoring 47-6/8 points, in 2012 while hunting in Grand County, Colorado. This typical mule deer, scoring 183-5/8 points, was taken by Walter M. Romero, Jr., while bowhunting in Elko County, Nevada, during the 2011 season.

Middle ROW

In 2012, Eric D. Campbell harvested this 237-4/8 point Alaska-Yukon moose while hunting Alaskaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Brooks Range. Mark A. Van Leeuwen took this typical Columbia blacktail, scoring 1376/8 points, with his .260 Remington while on a 2009 hunt near Squamish, British Columbia. Brent V. Trumbo harvested this desert sheep, scoring 169-6/8 points, while hunting on Carmen Island, Mexico, during the 2012 season.

BOTTOM ROW

FEATURE PHOTO

Rex C. Whiteside was on an archery hunt in Maverick County, Texas, during the 2010 season when he took this typical whitetail deer scoring 170-4/8 points.

This grizzly bear, scoring 24-12/16 points, was taken by Richard B. Queen near Shaktoolik River, Alaska, in 2012. He was shooting a .338 Ultra Mag.

Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 53

FEATURE PHOTO

Jim Shockey was shooting his .50 Cal. T/C muzzleloader near the Rouge River in Yukon Territory, in 2012, when he took this mountain caribou, scoring 412-4/8 points.

54 n Fair Chase Spring 2013

Top row

B&C Official Measurer Raynald Groleau was hunting near Findlay Creek, British Columbia, in 2011, when he took this cougar scoring 14-10/16 points. Kurt L. Kinion was on a hunt in Pike County, Missouri, in 2011, when he harvested this non-typical whitetail deer scoring 212-5/8 points. John D. Todd took this Roosevelt’s elk, scoring 319 points, in 2012 while hunting Vancouver Island near the Nimpkish River, British Columbia. This musk ox, scoring 108-6/8 points, was taken by Jake A. Rand, with his .30-06 Springfield. He was hunting Alaska’s Seward Peninsula during the 2011 season.

MIDDLE ROW

This typical Sitka blacktail was taken by B&C Official Measurer Matt J. Nilsen, while hunting on Kupreanof Island, Alaska, during the 2004 season. This buck scores 102-5/8 points. In 2011, Kyle R. Patterson harvested this 115-4/8 point bison while hunting in Coconino County, Arizona. Megan R. Bauer took this black bear, scoring 21-11/16 points, with her .308 Winchester while on a 2011 hunt in Washburn County, Wisconsin. Jon M. Keller was hunting in Apache County, Arizona, when he harvested this nontypical mule deer, scoring 261-7/8 points. This buck was taken in 2008.

BOTTOM ROW

While on a 2012 hunt in Lander County, Nevada, Karen K. Zumwalt took this 80-4/8 point pronghorn. Earl R. La Forge was hunting in Sonora, Mexico, in 2011 when he harvested this nontypical Coues’ deer scoring 126-6/8 points.

Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 55

n this issue, Steven Williams addresses the current firearms debate and what it means to hunters. Winifred B. Kessler introduces us to the new Wildlife Society technical review on the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. Our Professor’s Corner reflects on the last 21 years and how the Boone and Crockett Club University Programs will continue to produce the knowledge, scientists, and practitioners who will rise to the challenges ahead. Our AWCP spotlight organization, the Mule Deer Foundation, has been working for 25 years ensuring the sound management of mule deer, blacktail deer, and their habitat. Sonja Smith gives us a firsthand look at understanding the processes of habitat selection in mule deer—how they use and move across their ranges during the hardships of winter. We also gain some insight from The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation into the process and benefits of conservation easements.

56 nn Fair 56 FairChase ChaseSpring Spring 2013 2013

Fair FairChase ChaseWinter Spring 2013 2012 n 57

CAPITOL COMMENTS

The Firearm Debate Last issue I discussed the need for and expectation of bipartisanship to resolve the major issues Steven Williams, Ph.D. confronting our nation. Professional member My optimism exceeded Boone and Crockett Club the reality in Washington, D.C. President Following the Wildlife Management Institute pageantry and tradition of the inauguration, once again both political parties appear to be entrenched. However, a compromise was reached to avert the fiscal cliff and extend the federal debt ceiling. In recognition of the voting power of minorities, both parties have signaled that they will work together for immigration reform. The thorny issue of budget sequestration remains, and time will tell if bipartisanship will address the impending budget cuts that federal agencies face. In spite of these pressing issues, in the months since the last issue of Fair Chase, an event occurred that riveted the nation’s attention. At the time of my previous column, none of us could have imagined the horrific events of December 14, 2012, that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. This unimaginable tragedy propelled gun violence to the forefront of political debate. The nation has learned about instant background checks, socalled “assault weapons,” magazine capacity, gun trafficking, straw-man purchases, and the contributing problems of mental illness and societal change. We have learned the ugly secret that some states have not provided complete information to the national instant background check system— leaving the identities of felons, domestic violence perpetrators, people with restraining orders, and mentally ill persons out of the system that checks on prohibited firearm purchasers. We have also learned that commonly used semi-automatic firearms may be defined as “assault weapons” by making cosmetic changes or adding a handle that alters the appearance but has no effect on the function of the firearm. Images of large capacity magazines, used legitimately by competitive and recreational shooters, have jumped from the big screen movies like 58 n Fair Chase Spring 2013

Rambo and Die Hard to the living room television screens of our nation. Public opinion has been shaped by the likes of Piers Morgan and Ted Nugent who have been having a heyday with their own interpretations of gun control. A few of the nation’s conservation leaders were asked to engage in the administration’s discussion of gun violence. We agreed to participate—not to dictate, decide, or approve gun violence policy, but to inform decision-makers about the legitimate and law-abiding use of firearms for hunting and recreational shooting. In our discussions with the vice president and his staff, we explained the necessity of firearm ownership and the use of firearms for wildlife management and recreation. We described the critical role that federal excise taxes on

This much I do know: responsible firearm owners want to be part of an effective solution that incorporates all elements of gun violence. We want to maintain our rights and avoid division within the ranks of hunters, recreational shooters, and the organizations that represent our interests.

firearms and ammunition play in funding wildlife conservation across the country. We made it clear that rural cultures differ decidedly from urban cultures with respect to the responsible use of firearms and the value of treasured heirlooms that are passed from generation to generation. We understand that urban residents, faced with daily television newscasts of shootings, do not appreciate the significance and sentimentality associated with a treasured firearm that has been carried through forests and fields with friends and family. We did our best to explain the traditions, ethics, and responsibility assumed by law-abiding gun owners. However, we realize that urban constituents, who may not share our values, have and will make their voices heard in this political debate. The ongoing gun violence debate must be conducted in concurrence with an understanding of the Second Amendment rights of our citizens. Hunting, shooting, collecting, and personal defense are legitimate and regulated uses of firearms. It is understandable when law-abiding and responsible gun owners cringe when horrific gun violence occurs. First, we abhor the atrocity and its impact on victims, their families, their friends, and their community. We hate the perception that gun owners are irresponsible, uncaring, and capable of violent acts. We worry that our rights and traditions will be eroded by the actions of heinous criminals who pay no attention to the law or others’ rights. I do not pretend to have the solution to gun violence. This much I do know: responsible firearm owners want to be part of an effective solution that incorporates all elements of gun violence. We want to maintain our rights and avoid division within the ranks of hunters, recreational shooters, and the organizations that represent our interests. We want society to recognize and address the breakdown of our culture, a culture that desensitizes us to violence and leads to criminal acts. We can only hope that because of our efforts to inform the debate and our commitment to preserving the rights and traditions of hunting and shooting, Congress will make intelligent decisions that effectively reduce gun violence and end this firearm debate. n

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Randy W. Collins and his son on a successful Tule elk hunt in Merced County, California, in 2012.

MEMBER LIBRARY Gene Atkins Hill - Writer, Sportsman, Dog Lover The thing that cements the love of a man for his carpet of leaves and his ceiling of stars is the knowledge that just Theodore J. Holsten being involved is enough. …a grown Emeritus member Boone and Crockett Club man walking in the rain with a sodden bird dog at his heel who can smile at you and say with the kind of conviction that brings the warmth out in the open, “I’d rather be here, doing this right now, than anything else in the world,” is the man who has discovered that the wealth of the world is not something that is merely bought and sold. … a shaft of sunlight through a golden oak, a cock pheasant so full of life he’s bragging at the world, a preening mallard hen parading a string of ducklings as if they were diamonds, the sift of snow that suddenly quiets the universe—anxious for the light to be done. This is the wealth of the world. And we are rich.

This selection is from Gene Hill’s A Hunter’s Fireside Book. It clearly expresses his love of the outdoors and why he was so beloved by his readers. In his writings, his deep involvement with nature, his guns and his dogs transported you from your armchair to the flavor and spirit of the outdoors and what is really important in the sportsman’s way of life. Gene Hill was born in New Jersey in 1927. He served in Okinawa in World War II, graduated from Harvard, and worked as an advertising copywriter for several Madison Avenue agencies. A passionate sportsman with a special affection for dogs, bird hunting and fly fishing, he moonlighted for magazines including Guns & Ammo and Sports Afield. Finally, in 1977, he left his day job to become a full-time columnist and associate editor of Field & Stream. Much of the material from his monthly column, “Hill Country,” was included in the many books he authored. Gene Hill was a Professional Member of the Boone and Crockett Club for 20 years. In 1996 he resigned,

“Gene Hill’s writing blends a country boy’s deep, almost religious feeling for the out-of-doors with a city man’s wit and sophistication. This isn’t surprising because he’s both - and the result is one of the best outdoor books in several coons’ ages.” Review of A Hunter’s Fireside Book, by Ed Zern, Field and Stream

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A Selection of Books by Gene Hill A Hunter’s Fireside Book (1972) Mostly Tail Feathers (1975) Hill Country (1978) Tears & Laughter (1981) A Listening Walk (1985) Sunlight & Shadows (1990) Passing a Good Time (1996)

indicating in a handwritten letter that he wasn’t able to participate or contribute any longer. What the letter didn’t say was that he was dying from cancer that finally claimed his life in May 1997. Interestingly, his last published writing, the same month that he passed away, was the foreword to A Bibliography of American Sporting Books by M.L. Biscotti, one of the few books approved by the Boone and Crockett Club. n

B rought

to you in partnership with

Wild S heep Foundation

KNOWLEDGE BASE Knowledge is Power Scientia potentia est. Widely attributed to Sir Francis Bacon, this simple statement, “Knowledge is power,” as true today as ever. Winifred B. Kessler is The more we Professional member understand something, Boone and Crockett Club the better we can explain it, critique it, champion it, and defend it when required to do so. That certainly applies to the principles and doctrine that underlie wildlife management, conservation, and the hunting heritage in the U.S. and Canada. The North American Model arose from the great conservation movement of the last century. I say “arose from” because the concept of the model came relatively late in the scheme of things, long after North America’s wildlife resources had been pulled from their downward spiral and placed on a path of recovery and sustainable management. The term, “North American Model of Wildlife Conservation” was coined by B&C Professional Member Dr. Valerius Geist in the 1995 book Wildlife Conservation Policy, co-authored with the late Dr. Ian McTaggart Cowan (also a B&C Member). It conveyed the idea that the North American approach to wildlife management is not only unique in the world, but can be defined as a set of principles that account for the past and current successes of wildlife conservation in the U.S. and Canada. The model is based on the seven following principles, often called “pillars,” that give rise to the policies, laws, approaches, and practices comprising wildlife management.

Becoming knowledgeable on the North American Model just got easier, thanks to a new Wildlife Society technical review on the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. The technical review was thoroughly researched by a team of experts that included six Boone and Crockett Club Professional Members: John Organ, Val Geist, Shane Mahoney, Steve Williams, Paul Krausman, and Ron Regan.

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1. Wildlife resources are a public trust. This principle establishes that nobody owns wildlife. Rather, these resources are held in trust by government for the benefit of present and future generations. 2. Markets for game are eliminated. It was unregulated and unsustainable markethunting that brought many wildlife species to the brink. Prohibiting the sale of meat and animal parts was an essential step to turn things around. 3. Allocation of wildlife is by law. As the public trustee, government regulates the management and use of wildlife through laws and regulations. 4. Wildlife can only be killed for a legitimate purpose. Killing for frivolous reasons and wanton waste of wildlife are unacceptable. 5. Wildlife is considered an international resource. Treaties and other forms of cooperation are essential for the conservation of species that migrate across borders. 6. Science is the proper tool to discharge wildlife policy. It is necessary and proper that policies, regulations, and management affecting wildlife are informed by science. 7. Democracy of hunting is standard. The right to hunt is available to all, regardless of social or economic status or other privileges.

These principles are so familiar to all North American hunters that we tend to take them for granted. We shouldn’t be complacent, however; as some of the principles, and the model overall, are under threat from various sources. In my last column (Fair Chase, Winter 2012), I talked about efforts of the intensive deer-breeding industry to remove deer from the public trust in some states. As well, it’s a good thing to examine the principles to see whether adjustments might be warranted to strengthen the model overall. For example, would relaxing principle 2 (no commercial trade of wildlife) provide more options for managing over-abundant wildlife species? Becoming knowledgeable on the North American Model just got easier, thanks to a new Wildlife Society technical review on the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. The technical review was thoroughly researched by a team of experts that included six Boone and Crockett Professional Members: John Organ, Val Geist, Shane Mahoney, Steve Williams, Paul Krausman, and Ron Regan. The B&C Club and the B&C program at the University of Montana provided financial support to offset publications costs. The technical review documents the history and development of the core principles and examines the current status, threats, and challenges for each. Sections within the review address funding for wildlife conservation, commercial trade, habitat considerations, firearms rights and privileges, future trends, and other important aspects. The Wildlife Society grants permission to make single copies of its technical reviews for noncommercial purposes. You may download a copy at wildlife.org/TechnicalReview, or go to bookstore. wildlife.org to purchase printed copies. Now is the time to strengthen your understanding of the pillars that support the wildlife resources and hunting privileges that we all care so much about. Scientia potentia est. Knowledge is power! n

BECOME A FOUNDING It has been nearly 125 years since Theodore Roosevelt formed a coalition of gentlemen hunters to establish the foundation for the world’s greatest conservation system. Knowing that he could not accomplish this daunting task alone, he invited men of science, business, industry, politics, and public service to join him in forming the Boone and Crockett Club.

MEMBER OF THE BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB WILDERNESS WARRIOR SOCIETY

We still cannot do it without you. We need your help. Please join us in celebrating this historic occasion – the 125th anniversary of the Boone and Crockett Club. As a part of this celebration we are kicking off a campaign to raise funds for the Boone and Crockett Club Foundation Endowment. With your gift of $125,000 or more, you will be honored by being named a founding member of the Wilderness Warrior Society. You will be presented with your own numbered limited edition bronze of Theodore Roosevelt on horseback as well as other custom gifts to recognize and honor you for your contribution. Please join us in this grand effort on such a significant occasion. Contact the Boone and Crockett Club today to find out how you can be one of the first to become a founding member of the Wilderness Warrior Society. Contact Ben Hollingsworth at 713/840-1508 for more details. Boone and Crockett Club | www.boone-crockett.org 250 Station Drive, Missoula, MT 59801 | 406/542-1888

The first members of the Wilderness Warrior Society were recognized at the Club’s 2011 Annual Meeting in Charleston, South Carolina. From left: C. Martin Wood III, Ben B. Wallace, Morrison Stevens, Sr., Edward B. Rasmuson, Thomas D. Price, Remo R. Pizzagalli, Steve J. Hageman, John P. Evans, Gary W. Dietrich, William A. Demmer, Marshall J. Collins, Jr., James F. Arnold, and B.B. Hollingsworth, Jr. Not pictured: Trevor L. Ahlberg, Rene R. Barrientos, Ned S. Holmes, Tom L. Lewis, R. Terell McCombs, Jack S. Parker, and Paul M. Zelisko.

B&C PROFESSORS’ CORNER 21 Years of University Programs The Club has now entered its 21st year of formal, long-term affiliations with universities (short-term through Harold J. Salwasser affiliations research grants have Professional member occurred for decades). College of Forestry Dean Oregon State University We have expanded from the initial program at the University of Montana in 1992, to Texas A&M–College Station (2005), Michigan State (2009), Oregon State (2010), and next to University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point and Texas A&M–Kingsville (2013). We remain open to additional affiliations that help us fulfill our mission. As we consider the major future challenges facing humanity and nature, and how Club-affiliated university programs might contribute, we cannot avoid confronting the “9 billion challenge.” Let me frame how I see this challenge translating to wildlife, wild places and the hunting heritage we cherish and champion.

Within 40 years there will be 30 percent more people on the planet (9 billion) to be provisioned while keeping wild places and wildlife as wild, diverse, productive, resilient and connected as possible. Connected is emphasized because it will not suffice to just have nodes of good habitat here and there if large mammals cannot get from one node to another. With climate change accelerating, driving extreme droughts, storms, and wildfires, both we and wildlife must be adaptable and given opportunities to alter where or how we live. For wildlife, that will require resilient and connected landscapes. With growing energy demands, we must discover ways to produce energy as sustainably and renewably as possible, and we must learn how to do it with minimal impacts on wild places and wildlife. With growing urbanization of humans, we must create more effective ways to engage people with nature so they will appreciate and support keeping wild places and wildlife wild. With both growing human population and rising levels of affluence, more people will want to live higher on the food chain. This will require increases in agricultural production, more effective transport and storage, and more equitable distribution. Achieving these with minimal impacts on wild places, wildlife and water are huge challenges in which we hunter-conservationists have a large stake.

Absent top mammalian predators from much of the American landscape, keeping wild places diverse and resilient depends on hunting as the only viable management tool available. For social acceptability, hunting depends on the fair chase ethic. For ecological health, the land depends on hunting effectiveness in keeping herbivore populations at reasonable levels. The latter yields new meaning to the role of hunters as stewards of ecosystem health; it extends fair chase as a hunting ethic to a role for hunting in Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic. As we nurture and grow our Boone and Crockett University Programs, these are among the grand challenges we must keep in our sights. They are not silos of challenges; all are connected. If we let up on any one, n

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others will be made more difficult. Our founders knew the challenges of their time were connected and that was when the human population and technology were only fractions of what we have today. And what we have today are but fractions of what the future bodes. How well Club-affiliated research and graduates meet them could and should impact the future for our natural and hunting heritage. Each university affiliation includes an agreement on program focus and an endowment to support faculty and/or graduate students conducting research and learning how to be a scientist in the process. These vary from modest endowments for studentonly support to large ones for faculty, students and outreach programs. Montana, Michigan and Texas A&M have Boone and Crockett Professors of Wildlife Conservation. Oregon State, Wisconsin–Stevens Point and Texas A&M–Kingsville have endowments for student support only. Collectively, since 1992, these programs have graduated 11 doctorate scholars and 16 master’s students, with eight more doctorate and five master’s students currently in the pipeline. One post-doctoral student has completed and one is currently in a Club-affiliated university program. Michigan State University’s Boone and Crockett Program also hosts the only endowed Wildlife Education Extension Specialist in the nation and is the hub for a three-university policy internship program that has placed several dozen students in varied Washington, D.C., experiences. Graduates of B&C University Programs now hold a wide variety of positions, ranging from industry to agency and academia to policy. Investments in university programs are bearing fruit through the impacts of these “emeritus fellows.” As the Club opens its third decade of university programs it is a good time to remind ourselves why we started this As we consider the major future challenges facing humanity and nature, and how Club-affiliated university programs might contribute, we cannot avoid confronting the “9 billion challenge.”

landscapes. Several Boone and Crockett members and emeritus B&C Fellows are actively engaged in leading these endeavors. The potential contribution to our wildlife and hunting heritage is enormous. There are tens of millions of acres of private working lands just in the Rockies. These private working lands are often fall, winter, and spring ranges for big game. Historically they have been thought of as critical winter range and the connectors for the public land habitats upon which large mammals depend in summer. Through these landowner alliances for conservation, private lands are becoming not merely the winter range and connectors but the core habitats for wildlife diversity and productivity, with public lands serving as the connectors and summer ranges. Our western wildlife future depends on both public and private lands remaining resilient, productive, diverse, connected and economically viable open spaces. Mixed-use, private working lands may even become the “new” models for future public lands management. Some organizations focus their efforts to stop economic development or hinder human progress. That will not help people meet the 9 billion challenge; shaping and funneling development and progress so it yields higher human and natural well-being than would otherwise be the case will help. That is our grand opportunity and one worthy of the descendants of Roosevelt, Grinnell, Pinchot, Darling, Leopold, and countless others who gave us such strong shoulders to stand on. I hope the Boone and Crockett Club University Programs will continue to produce the knowledge, scientists, and practitioners who rise to the challenge. n

A herd of mule deer overlook the Denver Colorado skyline.

partnership in the first place, and consider where it might be going. The “why” is simply to ensure a talent pool of skilled scientists and leaders who are committed to the Boone and Crockett vision and mission, and keep large mammal research in the nation’s graduate-level university portfolio. Recent moves towards molecular and genetic lab biology have lessened emphasis on whole animal and field ecology and management studies. A major concern was also the lack of policy-relevant big game research. Clubaffiliated university programs now have and are addressing wildlife biology and ecology, human dimension of conservation, wildlife policies, wildlife and conservation education, and internships with organizations shaping conservation policies. These foci all remain vital to the future of B&C University Programs. Among the promising signs that people are recognizing the need for some new approaches are both public and private initiatives. In the public sector they include conservation strategies in every state, the “all lands” policy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives of the U.S. Department of the Interior. In the private sector, conservationminded landowners have formed regional conservation alliances centered on forests and rangelands. The recently formed Western Landowners Alliance champions policies and practices that provide incentives for landowners in the West to feature wildlife and habitat conservation, landscape connectivity, hunting and angling as integral parts of their commercial enterprises. From northern Mexico to southern Canada, through the Rockies (the “spine of the continent”) and spreading outwards, their goal is to integrate conservation with economic development for sustainable mixed-use of working

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A merican Wildlife C onservation Partners – S potlight O rganization

25 years of ensuring the conservation of mule deer, blacktail deer, and their habitat. Mule Deer populations peaked in the late 1960s Mule Deer Foundation President/CEO and early 70s throughout their range. Despite declines in the animal’s numbers, there are still more mule deer hunters than any other big game species in the West. Checking current Boone and Crockett records, it’s easy to see how this highly sought-after trophy species is an icon of the West with around 100 trophy mule deer entered into the records books each year. Thanks to the Mule Deer Foundation (MDF), headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah—the only national wildlife conservation group dedicated to ensuring the conservation of mule deer, blacktail deer, and their habitat—the mule deer’s future is looking brighter. The organization was founded in 1988 by Emmett Burroughs, and this year, MDF celebrates its 25th anniversary, riding a wave of unprecedented growth in 2012. An increasing number of sportsmen and sportswomen have shown they want to help battle the decline in mule deer numbers, making MDF one of the fastest-growing conservation groups in the country. MDF’s goals include restoration, improvement, and protection of mule deer and blacktail deer and their habitat. By utilizing land and easement acquisitions, MDF helps boost self-sustaining, healthy, free-ranging, and huntable deer populations by working with government agencies, private organizations, and landowners to encourage and support responsible wildlife management; it promotes public education and scientific research related to mule deer, blacktail deer and wildlife management; it supports regulated hunting as a viable component of mule deer and blacktail deer conservation and develops programs that focus on recruitment and retention of youth into the shooting sports and conservation. The single greatest factor that has caused declines in mule deer populations is loss of mule deer habitat. Declines in mule deer numbers relate closely to the quantity and quality of habitat. Other contributing factors are predators, highway mortality, and diseases By Miles Moretti

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such as CWD (chronic wasting disease). MDF is working aggressively to restore habitat, control predators, and with state and federal agencies, research disease issues. MDF reached quite a milestone in 2012: it is proud to have exceeded its goal of restoring over a million acres of mule deer habitat throughout the West. We are aiming high and set our goal to restore another million acres in the next five years. Habitat restoration on a landscape-scale can only occur with great partnerships— state and federal agencies and private landowners are vital to our success. MDF also partners with other wildlife conservation groups to leverage members’ donations on habitat enhancement projects such as water developments (guzzlers) and controlled burns. Restoring native habitat of mule deer winter range was a high priority after the record setting fire season of 2012. MDF was able to partner with Native Seed of Lehi, Utah, to contribute over $250,000 of seed to restore native vegetation to more than 40,000 acres of winter range wiped out by wildfire near Susanville, California. MDF has worked with transportation departments in several western states to reduce vehicle/deer collisions. Fencing highway right-of-ways and building overpass or underpass structures has become part of most highway projects in the West. MDF also partners with state wildlife agencies and universities to monitor before and after construction. Results have been impressive. Wildlife crossings and conservation easements have restored mule deer migration corridors. Thousands of deer have been documented crossing through these structures, ultimately resulting in reduced mortality and vehicle accidents. Populations of mule deer in areas of these crossing structures are responding; wildlife officials say mule deer are showing increased survival in all age classes. MDF recognized that CWD could potentially be devastating to mule deer, so in 2002, MDF joined the Boone and Crockett Club and other wildlife conservation groups in forming the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance. This group is dedicated to providing the most up-to-date scientific information to state wildlife agencies and the public. The CWD Alliance was instrumental in getting federal

dollars to the state wildlife agencies for monitoring and testing programs. MDF also believes that promoting our hunting heritage is a key ingredient to furthering our conservation objectives. Thanks to a continuing grant from the Brenda and Larry Potterfield Foundation, MDF has been able to expand its youth education programs, such as the MULEY (Mindful, Understanding, Legal, Ethical, Youth) Program, which is aimed at educating youth and their parents about hunting, wildlife management, and overall respect and enjoyment of our natural resources. In 2012, MDF was able to reach more than 14,000 youth through this program. MDF is one of the highest-ranked nonprofit organizations for efficiency, which ensures the largest percentage of net revenue goes toward on-the-ground mission accomplishment. In 2012, MDF chartered it 120th

local chapter. The backbone of MDF is it’s local chapter network of volunteer members. The local chapters organize fundraising events and volunteer on local projects which benefit mule deer and other wildlife. MDF has developed a unique partnership with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) in support of its Sage Grouse Initiative. Sage grouse have been petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act. MDF has developed a partnership with NRCS, private landowners, and other governmental agencies to leverage the strength of both organizations because mule deer habitat, especially winter range, overlaps with sage grouse habitat. Working with NRCS and its partners, MDF is contributing to improving mule deer habitat and helping to keep the sage grouse off the ESA list.

In addition to being a proud partner with the Boone and Crockett Club, MDF is an active member of the American Wildlife Conservation Partners (AWCP), with MDF President/CEO Miles Moretti serving as the current AWCP chairman. AWCP works on national and regional policy issues of concern to its membership. To support the Mule Deer Foundation’s efforts to restore mule deer populations, visit its Web site at muledeer.org. n

MDF helps boost self-sustaining, healthy, free-ranging and huntable deer populations by working with government agencies, private organizations and landowners to encourage and support responsible wildlife management. Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 67

Toughing it Out: How Mule Deer Survive Winter Hardships

By Sonja Smith Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Wildlife Biologist Photos courtesy of Author

With wildlife biologists for parents, I can’t claim a normal childhood. We kids were along for the ride as my mother and father fought the good fight for wildlife and natural resources in the West. Family camping trips, workdays with my dad, elbows deep in wild animals and wild places. I wasn’t pushed or prodded into the wildlife field; it just progressed naturally from time spent afield before kindergarten then unfolded throughout my childhood, teenage years, and young adult life into a visceral addiction. Freezing days of winter fieldwork, getting kicked in the face by deer, and endless weeks of numbercrunching were all to be expected in my fascinating quest to understand what makes creatures tick. All in the Family

The author as a child with her wildlife biologist father and an orphaned mule deer fawn.

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In my earliest memories, my dad and I are bouncing along in his dusty brown Ford truck with the insignia: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. I have memories of hiking in the snow with Dad, feeling like my fingers and toes just might freeze off. I recall a rusty horse trailer hauling moose he was helping transplant, and how at every stop I would climb onto the wheel well for a sneak peek at these huge animals. I remember feeding orphaned mule deer fawns from a bottle and crying when one didn’t make it. I’d go along when Dad had to meet a landowner and spend the better part of the day playing with the ranch kids. Once, we checked a trap set and found that the trapper had not tagged his traps; Dad pulled the traps and left his business card there for him. The first time I watched a helicopter bring in hobbled and blindfolded bighorn sheep, it left the lasting impression of loud noise and dust stirred up by rotors. The sheep were beautiful and

I couldn’t stop looking. When one died, I jumped right into the necropsy and caught my first whiff of rumen. Dad remembers me running off with a hind leg, chased by some other younger kids, likening the scene to a hyena being chased by a pack of jackals. (I mainly just remember the smelly rumen contents.) It’s little wonder that I majored in wildlife as an undergraduate student at the University of Arizona, my parents’ alma mater. I suffered teasing from their previous professors including my major professor, Dr. Paul Krausman, who had also supervised Dad’s master’s research. When Dr. Krausman accepted the Boone and Crockett Professorship in Wildlife Conservation at the University of Montana, I joined him there as a Boone and Crockett Fellow. One “balmy” Montana day in early February, with the thermometer reading 3 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind a mere 20 miles per hour, I picked up Dad at the Great Falls International Airport. He had flown from sunny, warm Arizona to help me get started on my own study of mule deer on the East Front in north-central Montana. The family tree was coming full circle. Winter: A Tough Time for Mule Deer

Winter can be a harrowing time for wildlife living in northern latitudes. Consider the situation faced by ungulates such as mule deer trying to survive the winter: forage quality has declined since fall, and snow accumulation buries what remains. Deep snow also makes travel difficult, and the cold further increases the animals’ energy demands. These factors combine to force mule deer into a negative energy balance for four months or more, causing physiological stress, reductions in fat and protein reserves, and sometimes death. For these animals, survival depends on accumulating enough fat reserves before winter sets in, and selecting habitats that provide adequate forage and protection from weather and predators. Most deer select habitat based on an energy conservation strategy. An ideal winter range allows mule deer to reduce their energy loss by providing areas of shallow snow, adequate food resources, security cover, and thermal cover. Across mule deer range, these areas typically occur at low elevations with plenty of southfacing, sunny slopes and moderate shrub or tree canopy cover. Unfortunately, not all mule deer winter ranges are created equal. Instead, they vary considerably in vegetation communities, topography, and weather conditions. Depending on weather conditions

and habitat, some mule deer populations contend with energy deficits of longer or shorter duration than what deer in other areas experience. We can make general assumptions about how mule deer select habitat and use winter ranges across landscapes, but understanding how mule deer cope in specific areas requires focused research. How mule deer select winter habitat in variable weather and forage conditions became the subject of my master’s research. While a small part of my thesis research investigated where deer spent the summer, I was mostly out in the wintertime, figuring out what mule deer do when the going gets tough. My main study area was located in north-central Montana, specifically the East Front of the Rocky Mountains at the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch, owned by the Boone and Crockett Club. This area is characterized by a diverse winter climate with high winds affecting temperature and snow cover. Arctic fronts followed by high winds bring negative temperatures and drifting snow, and at times this limits the availability of forage and cover for deer. But at other times the effect of the warmer, chinook winds is to melt snow and open up feeding areas that are lacking on other winter ranges. The Idaho Department of Fish & Game (IDFG) shared our interest in mule deer populations, habitat, and weather conditions. Thanks to research IDFG already had going, we were able to incorporate two Idaho sites into our project, each quite different from the East Front. The Sink Creek site represented a poor-quality winter range characterized by low forage diversity and a steep topographical gradient offering deer few choices to move into low-elevation wintering areas. The Warm Springs site supported similar vegetation communities but had more moderate topography and more precipitation; these conditions provided greater foraging diversity throughout the year and enabled deer to gradually transition into their winter ranges. I compared these areas to one another and to the East Front.

Mule deer on the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch, one of the study sites.

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My objectives were to better understand the processes of habitat selection in deer—how they use and move across their winter ranges in the winter—and to help wildlife managers be better able to develop and prioritize habitat improvement projects. If This Trap’s a Rockin’, Don’t Bother Knockin’

Getting a statistically-sound grasp of winter habitat selection requires following mule deer and observing what they do. This meant capturing deer and fitting them with VHF radio collars. I used clover traps, which are roughly 4’ x 6’ x 4’ steel frames covered in sturdy cargo netting. Baited in by alfalfa hay and sweet feed, a hungry doe would enter the trap, set off the trap door, and be caught. Then I would go in and restrain her—except when Dad was along insisting on his part of the action. I cherish the memories of my lanky, 6-foot 6-inch father climbing into that trap, and I think he does too. Bloody noses and lumps on the head aside, we managed to fit 31 adult mule deer does with radio collars. Female mule deer in the Idaho study areas were already collared as part of a larger study, so we selected 16 from Warm Springs and 12 from Sink Creek. We were ready to begin monitoring these collared deer to study their habits. Winter can be rough on budding wildlife biologists as well as mule deer. Even bundled up like little Randy in the film A Christmas Story, I’d feel the cold and be buffeted by the wind. On the other hand, I felt pretty darn lucky to be hiking around in stunning country that contains some of the best concentrations of wintering mule deer. Dad and I had a bit of a role reversal. In my youth he had taught me so much about identifying and tracking wildlife; now, I was teaching him about the plant species that Montana mule deer were feeding on. Whenever collared mule deer were located, we recorded data on weather and group characteristics such as herd size. After the deer left an area, we moved in and recorded slope characteristics, elevation, snow depth, and the most common plant species in the general area. Then we took a closer look at vegetation. Most folks would find this phase to be about as interesting as watching cement dry on a summer day. But for a budding wildlife scientist, the close-up examination of vegetation is where the mysteries of deer biology really begin to unfold. Getting Into the Weeds

First we used the line-intercept method to obtain an index called shrub 70 n Fair Chase Spring 2013

canopy cover. Using a deer location as a center point, we laid out a long tape measure going upslope-downslope and another one running perpendicular to it. For every shrub or tree that touched the tape, we noted species and number of centimeters it intersected with the tape. We also measured canopy cover at the center and ends of each transect. Shrub cover and canopy cover gave us an index of potential browse, hiding cover, or thermal and snow-interception cover for each location. We also estimated visual hiding cover, or how visible the deer were at their location, using a black and white barred piece of PVC pipe called a cover pole. Next, we quantified forbs (herbaceous plants) and grasses by estimating percent cover classes. Having completed the various measurements for a deer location, we would randomly choose another location and repeat the process. The random locations provided information on habitat conditions available to deer within the landscape. Comparing that information with the data collected at deer locations allowed us to see what deer actually use versus what is available across a landscape. In other words, it sheds light on what mule deer may be selecting in their environment. Meanwhile, a technician was performing the same procedures for radio-collared does at the Sink Creek and Warm Springs sites.

BELOW: A December scene showing windblown range where deer can find forage to weather the tough times.

Crunching the Numbers

Once we collected the data, statistical analysis could begin. I rarely saw daylight in this stage of the study, locking myself away for weeks of number crunching. This involved development of models using multivariate logistic regression to determine whether deer used habitats in proportion to their availability across the study area, or whether disproportionate use was in evidence (indicating selection or avoidance). This technique derives the relative probability of deer-use given certain variables and values for those variables. The equation is an ugly mess, but it provides predictions of this sort: “Given this much creeping juniper, deer will probably be found here.” When I emerged from my data analysis isolation, I was able to share some interesting things about mule deer and their habitats on the East Front and in Idaho. The data we had gathered from more than 500 deer-use and random locations spread over three study areas encompassed a wide range of weather conditions. The East Front presented a unique suite of characteristics for mule deer winter range. Snow depths ranged

Above: A cover pole used to estimate the value of hiding cover for deer.

from bare ground to around 50 cm. On some days average wind speeds reached 40 km/hr., with high winds exceeding 100 km/hr.! By redistributing snow, these winds created large snow drifts in some areas and left swaths of bare ground and accessible forage in others. Deer habitat use was consistent with an energy conservation strategy; overall, the data indicated that deer favored shallower snow depths and areas with thermal and security cover. Tree cover and percent cover of buffaloberry also increased the likelihood of deer presence, as did the abundance of creeping juniper and preferred forbs such as whitemargin phlox. However, the importance of different habitat characteristics changed, depending on weather and subsequent exposure to

habitat conditions. For example, during or following a snowstorm only a subset of these variables (mainly related to cover) predicted deer use. The game changed again under high wind conditions when cover, exposure to wind, and forage species were the top predictors of deer presence. Finally, some model covariates varied depending upon deer behavior. For instance, snow depth (rather, lack thereof) predicted deer feeding and moving locations, but not where deer would bed down; whereas cover availability was a better predictor of deer bedding locations. In the Idaho study areas, mule deer were sometimes more restricted based on their habitats. At the Warm Springs site, deer had some flexibility in foraging activity and cover choices, but were not subjected to the widely-varying weather conditions of the East Front. In Sink Creek, deer-use was limited to habitats providing adequate cover; their habit of lying low through winter likely reflected a strategy for energy conservation. Information Managers Can Use

Top: The author with a radio-collared doe on the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch. Middle: The authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father lends a hand. Above: The author, her father Dave Smith, and Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks biologist Gary Olson at a deer capture site.

Comparing h a bit at-u s e characteristics across multiple winter ranges in association with weather conditions provided insight into winter adaptations and how mule deer survive in winter. The topography, vegetation, and weather differences at the three study areas resulted in different patterns of mule deer habitat use. Habitat characteristics like forage quality and quantity and functional cover types determine the strategies mule deer use to survive and reproduce. On the East Front, mule deer used an energy conservation strategy to survive. When the going gets tough, they hunker down. During easier times, they seize that opportunity to feed. The habitat diversity, or heterogeneity, on the East Front allows deer to do this. Yet it is important to understand that mule deer winter ranges are not all created equal with respect to habitat components, and information gathered on one winter range is not necessarily applicable to others. The Sink Creek and Warm Springs winter ranges are less than 100 miles apart and less than 300 miles from the East Front site. Considering the range-wide distribution of mule deer, these winter ranges were comparatively close, yet they differed enough in topography, vegetation, and weather patterns to influence habitat use. Understanding the differences among winter ranges is useful for defining optimal patterns of mule deer use of these areas. How mule deer respond to conditions within their environment can help managers prioritize

habitats and habitat management within each winter range. Mule deer reliance on variable topography and vegetation on the East Front indicates that maintaining overall habitat diversity is a priority, rather than emphasizing individual habitat components such as elevation (e.g., protecting either low or high elevation areas but not both), tree and shrub canopy cover (e.g., no timber thinning versus complete thinning), or south-facing aspects (e.g., where to build a road, house, or make other landscape changes). Management should ensure that mule deer can apply their survival strategies in response to varying weather conditions. Understanding the different habitat use patterns among the study areas helps develop management priorities and strategies that can be tailored to each winter range. In areas with suboptimal forage resources like Sink Creek, management goals should focus on the abundance and quality of thermal or hiding cover and minimizing disturbance. Given the winter range limitations mule deer face in these types of areas, managing for favorable forage conditions on summer, spring, or fall ranges may better enable deer to accumulate fat reserves prior to winter or to regain their body condition more rapidly come spring. Conversely, if there were a shopping mall or energy development infrastructure that had to go somewhere, constructing it in inferior habitats would be a better option than damaging more optimal areas. Finding out new information about mule deer was a very rewarding experience. Living on the East Front taught me a lot about mountain-prairie environments, conducting wildlife research, avoiding grizzly bear altercations, and working with local landowners and sportsmen. Sharing the experience with my father, who played such an important role in getting me here, added an irreplaceable personal dimension to my education and early professional life. Knowing heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still there to lend an ear and provide advice in my own march through this field is invaluable. Thanks Dad! You can crawl into my clover traps anytime. n Sonja Smith completed her masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s research as a Boone and Crockett Fellow at the University of Montana under the supervision of Boone and Crockett Professor, Dr. Paul Krausman. Currently she works for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks as a wildlife biologist. Both of her parents, Dave and Brenda Smith, are still working as wildlife biologists, now with The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in Arizona.

Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 71

onservation C

Easements: by Mike Mueller RMEF Lands Program Manager Idaho and Western Montana Photos Courtesy of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) gets calls on a regular basis from people asking how to access RMEF-held conservation easements. Much of the time—but not always—the answer is those easements are not open to the public. That is but one of many misconceptions about conservation easements. So why does RMEF and similar organizations do them? What’s the public benefit? We all share ownership of America’s wildlife, and animals tend to travel. The majority of easements that RMEF accepts protect winter, summer, calving or migratory ranges for elk and other big game that spend part of their year—very often including the hunting season—on public lands. Public access is a huge challenge to the future of hunting, and the Elk Foundation is charging hard to meet it. So far, the RMEF has opened more than 650,000 acres of great elk country to public hunting. But the truth is, without high-quality habitat, wildlife is homeless and hunting is fruitless. Habitat is the bedrock. Just drive though the Rockies in February or March and you’re likely to see hundreds of elk, mule deer and other big game pushed down by heavy snows onto the private ranches that line the valleys. Often these are the very same animals we hunters pursue in the high country come fall. Hopefully the ranch you spot them on is already protected under a

72 n Fair Chase Spring 2013

Good for Wildlife, Good for Landowners, Good for Hunters conservation easement, because if it isn’t, that herd could be in jeopardy. How many animals would that ranch support if it were cut into a hundred ranchettes, laced with a web of driveways, echoing with barking dogs? A smaller herd might persist, but once a ranch goes that route, the land and its wildlife are never the same. This is why RMEF and similar organizations work so hard to secure conservation easements, and why hunters value them even if they can’t always hunt them. It’s worth noting that RMEF staff always encourage landowners to provide at least limited public access, and more landowners are embracing hunting access as important to the future of wildlife conservation and a valuable tool in managing their agricultural operation. What’s in it for the landowners? What would inspire someone to go through all the paperwork and attorneys, to lower the resale value of their land, all to protect it from a fate they have no intention of allowing? Lower taxes now, far lower inheritance taxes for their heirs, and peace of mind, that’s why. Let me explain. Conservation easement means many things to many people. For some it conjures images of being forced to give up rights like when the government condemns land to widen a highway. Let’s clear

that up right now. A conservation easement is strictly voluntary, an agreement negotiated between a willing landowner and a qualified organization, such as a nonprofit land trust like RMEF. It’s a tool that has helped countless landowners forever protect family farms and ranches and traditional agriculture, securing wildlife habitat, scenic vistas, open spaces and historical sites. Such easements are legally binding, but landowners make the final decision to place one on their property and can tailor the agreement in dozens of ways to fit their land and their family’s needs. All lands protected by these easements remain in private hands and on county tax rolls. The agreement restricts future development of the land to protect its wildlife habitat, agricultural heritage, and scenic values in exchange for a tax credit, tax deduction or sometimes a cash payment. Conservation easements are one of the strongest and most effective tools ever devised for permanently conserving private land. Thousands of national, regional, and local land trusts, have already protected 40 million acres across America through the use of easements.

Conservation easements are one of the strongest and most effective tools ever devised for permanently conserving private land. Thousands of national, regional, and local land trusts have already protected 40 million acres across America through the use of easements.

Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 73

Landowners with conservation easements make great ambassadors. As satisfied landowners talk with neighbors, others often decide to go a similar route. As more lands are protected and connected, it keeps important winter range and migratory corridors intact and creates great opportunities to manage wildlife on a landscape scale.

74 n Fair Chase Spring 2013

RMEF alone holds 194 fully donated conservation easements in 16 states, forever protecting more than 364,000 acres of precious elk country. In addition, the foundation has helped complete another 52 easements protecting more than 141,000 acres by either securing and granting easements to other land trusts or contributing to purchased easements held by other land trusts. Landowners who donate easements choose this tool because they love their land. They want to maintain traditional agricultural uses, continue providing a home for the wildlife, and safeguard natural areas and open spaces for their grandchildren to enjoy. Conservation easements allow them to take matters into their own hands, to protect something near and dear to them. Since accepting its first donated conservation easement in 1990, the RMEF has always taken the responsibility seriously, dedicating significant resources to monitoring easements and making sure the goals and terms are upheld. As a nonprofit public charity providing opportunities for tax deductions from the Internal Revenue Service, the foundation and the landowner must ensure the property protected by an easement provides a public benefit and serves a specific conservation purpose. This includes protecting natural habitats of fish, wildlife or plants, or preserving open space, including farmland and forestlands that provide a significant public benefit. The RMEF maintains a dedicated conservation easement protection fund. This fund provides the resources to legally defend the terms and conditions of every easement with current or future landowners, ensuring the land is protected and enhanced in the way the original landowners and the RMEF envisioned it would be. When someone calls the Elk Foundation wanting to explore conserving their land, one of the foundation’s lands program managers (LPMs) schedules a meeting with the landowners to tour their property and learn their goals. The LPM then visits with local staff from state and federal wildlife and land management agencies to determine how important the property is to the area’s wildlife, plant, and human communities. This also helps clarify the bigger picture: who owns the land surrounding the property and how at risk is the area to future development? It’s up to the LPM, with final approval from the Elk Foundation’s board of directors, to determine whether the land meets the foundation’s criteria for accepting an easement. The RMEF determines the quality of the property as elk

Commonly permitted uses include ranching, farming and cultivation activities and facilities, limited residences, recreational facilities, range and forest management, and habitat improvement projects.

habitat and the severity of threats to it by identifying winter ranges, calving areas, and migration corridors, then factoring in changing land uses, habitat conversion, and human population growth in the area. If the landowner and the RMEF agree they are a good fit, then the two sit down to start drawing up the easement. The next step is a baseline study that describes the condition of the property at the time the easement is donated. The study records the property’s manmade improvements and natural resource values using text descriptions, maps, photos, and plant and animal inventories. This provides a reference point for landowners to use in making decisions about the stewardship of range, forest, and wildlife. It’s also a crucial tool for evaluating future condition of the property to determine if management activities are positively or negatively impacting the land and wildlife. Each year the RMEF and the landowner and/or the landowner’s representative refer back to the baseline while monitoring the condition of the land under easement. It’s often useful for resolving any controversial issues that may arise. All Elk Foundation easements define both permitted and unacceptable activities on the property to ensure wildlife habitat is protected and traditional uses continue. These activities are mutually agreed upon by the foundation and the landowner, and the RMEF monitors these activities in perpetuity, even as the land itself changes ownership. Commonly permitted uses include ranching, farming, and cultivation activities and facilities, limited residences, recreational facilities, range, and forest management, and habitat improvement projects. Uses that are usually prohibited because they tend to damage wildlife and habitat values include subdivision, game farming, incompatible commercial activities or facilities, introduction of noxious plant species, commercial feedlots, dumping of hazardous wastes, game-proof fences, and any surface or open pit mineral activities.

RMEF works with subsequent owners, who may not have been at the table during the easement negotiation to ensure there is an understanding of what public benefits the easement was put in place to protect. RMEF easements do not require the landowner to grant public access. However, the landowners the foundation works with believe in and support hunting and fishing, and some do allow public opportunities to hunt and fish on their land. The foundation prefers to protect large, contiguous parcels of land but accepts smaller acreages—especially if they are inholdings within public land or provide critical travel corridors between intact blocks of habitat. RMEF’s largest easement to date is 80,000 acres, but most average around 1,600 acres. Whatever the size, the land always contains valuable elk habitat and benefits other native plants and animals. In many cases the property lies adjacent to public lands and has already been identified by federal and state agencies as being critical to wildlife. Another great benefit of easements is they tend to ripple out. Landowners with conservation easements make great ambassadors. As satisfied landowners talk with neighbors, others often decide to go a similar route. As more lands are protected and connected, it keeps important winter range and migratory corridors intact and creates great opportunities to manage wildlife on a landscape scale. An easement is often the first step in developing a long-term relationship between the RMEF and a landowner that continues to improve the property’s habitat values and increase its productivity for ranching and farming activities. Through annual monitoring, RMEF staff can assess wildlife population trends and note any changes such as weed or insect infestation, erosion, impacted riparian areas, new structures, or wildlife depredation. Conservation easements preserve a way of life. They also protect soil, water and

clean air, and provide food and shelter for elk and other wildlife. Easements play an important role in intelligent land use planning. By protecting traditional land uses and conserving large tracts of land, they actually can do more to help keep the cost of community services low and can save taxpayers money compared to subdividing and selling land and taxing it as residential development. Just as it makes sense to plan for residential development in some areas it also makes sense from a wildlife habitat and agricultural use perspective to conserve some lands with conservation easements. As land continues to be sold off and developed, we trade wildlife habitat for houses, yards, fences, noise, traffic, dogs, allterrain vehicles, and more. Taxpayers always pay for development but do not necessarily benefit from it. Suburban sprawl increases the need for roads, power lines, pipelines, law enforcement, fire protection and ambulance service, road signs, weed control, school buses with their spiraling fuel costs, and on and on. It also greatly increases both the risk and cost of fighting wildfires. We are losing wild places for wild things at an alarming rate, especially in the valleys and foothills so critical to wintering wildlife. Millions of acres will change hands in the next few decades. Conservation easements allow land trusts and landowners to work together to conserve some of our last best places on private lands. It’s our chance to put conservation into action—to give something back for all we have received from elk country today—not tomorrow, for tomorrow will be too late. To learn more about RMEF’s Conservation program, call (406)493-6650. Mike Mueller, RMEF lands program manager for Idaho and Western Montana, has been protecting North America’s finest country for 17 years. He lives in Missoula, Montana.

Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 75

DALLAS SAFARI CLUB UPDATE Dallas Safari Club Adopts Strict Lion Hunting Policy, Industry Leaders Pledge Support Dallas Safari Club (DSC) has a threepronged mission: outdoor education, hunter advocacy and conservation of wildlife and wild places. As a response to pressure to uplist the African lion, DSC took the lead in establishing a strict lion policy in an effort to demonstrate the importance of sustainable use in conservation. The South African Model of Conservation, like its parent, the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, calls for sustainable use management of wildlife, not only to protect those species, but also to promote healthy populations. More than 70 major safari operators, hunting industry leaders and top conservationists have pledged to support Dallas Safari Club’s newly adopted definition, which states, “The ideal huntable male lion is at least six years of age and is not known to head a pride or be part of a coalition heading a pride with dependent cubs.”

DSC believes support of this position is a way to urge hunters to self-impose harvest restrictions. Overharvest of young male lions could reduce lion populations overall, posing a real concern to the conservation and scientific management of this iconic species. Furthermore, such reductions in numbers would lead wildlife authorities to reduce quotas. However, research shows that hunting older male lions has no negative effect on populations. Encouraging lion hunters to be more selective is a DSC conservation move being applauded by biologists and professional hunters across Africa. “Hunting only non-pride and nonadolescent male lions should be the goal of every responsible hunter and organization with a vested interest in conserving lion populations,” said DSC Executive Director Ben Carter. “We’re encouraged by the broad outpouring of support that we’ve received since announcing the new DSC position.”

Supporters are pledging to incorporate the DSC definition into their business and personal practices. To further encourage selective hunting, DSC adopted a new club policy: “No DSC member will be eligible for any DSC recognition or trophy award unless the member’s lion trophy submission is a fully mature lion as determined in the sole discretion of the DSC awards committee.” Carter said, “Responsible lion hunting, based on the latest science-based wildlife management principles, is a proven essential component of the complex policy formula that will preserve wild African lions and their habitat for future generations.” For several years, DSC has been funding scientific research on African lions. Understanding lion population dynamics is one of many projects supported by DSC grants to advance conservation, education and hunter advocacy worldwide.

Supporters for DSC Lion Policy To date, the growing list of supporters includes Dr. Bob Speegle, Jim Shockey, Ivan Carter, Craig Boddington, Shane Mahoney (vice global chair for Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group, International Union for Conservation of Nature), and the following (in alphabetical order): Adam Clements-Safari Trackers, Inc. Askew and Maartens Safaris Brooklands Hunting Safaris Bubye Valley Conservancy Buffalo Trails Safaris Bvekenya Safaris Chifuti Safaris - Safari Classics Danny McCallum Safaris Ltd. De Klerk Safaris Desfountain & Jones, Ltd. Dindingwe Safaris DWD Worldwide Adventures Ethiopian Rift Valley Safaris Forever African Safaris Game Trackers Africa/Ondjamba Safaris Global Adventure Outfitters Global Hunting Resources Grant Adventures Gras Hunting Ranch HartzView Hunting Safaris HHK Safaris Hunters & Guides Africa Hunters Namibia Safaris - Joof Lamprecht Huntershill Safaris Hunting Consortium

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Hunting in Africa Safaris and Tours Jan Martin McGuire - McGuire & Hines Jofie Lamprecht Safaris Johan Calitz Safaris John Sharp Safaris John X Safaris Kevin Thomas Safaris Kikuyu Lodge Game Reserve Kuche Safaris Kwalata Wilderness Legendary Adventures, Inc. Leithen Valley Trophy Hunts NZ & Australia Liam Urry Safaris Limnetzi Safaris Mabula Pro Safaris Madubula Safaris Manny Fajin Matlabas Game Hunters Michel Mantheakis Safaris Ltd. Mokore Safaris Mwatisi Safaris Ltd. Nesbitt Hunting Numzaan Safaris Okarumuti Game Lodge Omalanga Safaris Namibia Omujeve Hunting Safaris

Original Kansas Trophy Whitetails, The Paul Stones Safaris Africa PH in Zimbabwe Riata Hunting & Outdoors, LLC Rosslyn Safaris Rovuma Hunting Safaris Royal Kafue, Ltd. Rungwa Game Safaris Sadaka Safaris Safaris de Mozambique LDA Spiral Horn Safaris Tam Safaris Tanzania Adventures, Inc. Tanzania Game Trackers Safaris Thaba Mmoyo Safaris Trophy Hunters Africa Tshabezi Safaris Upmarket Safaris Van Noordwyk Safaris Wintershoek Johnny Vivier Safaris YO Africa Zambeze Delta Safaris/Game Hunters Africa Zambezi Hunters ZimAfrica Classic Safaris - Zimbabwe Zindele Safaris

There would be law. Although the formation of the Boone and Crockett Club by Theodore Roosevelt and George Bird Grinnell was motivated over a concern for the declining health and populations of big game species across North America, it did not take early Club members very long to realize that if real change was going to take place the playing field for this change would be in Washington, D.C.

Celebrating the Boone and Crockett Club’s 125th Anniversary

1889

For the past 125 years, right up until this day, the Boone and Crockett Club has played a major role in fighting the good fight by crafting, proposing, gaining political and public support for, and helping to pass critical wildlife and conservation legislation. The Club legacy of accomplishment is staggering when viewed end-to-end. Here are just a few of these milestones.

1903

1929

1995

Timberland Reserve Bill

National Wildlife Refuge System Act

Migratory Bird Conservation Act

Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program

1894

1905

1934

2001

1897

1907

Yellowstone Park Protection Act

Organic Administration Act

1897

Civil Service Appropriation Act

1900

Lacey Act of 1900

1901

Reclamation Act

Forest Reserves Transfer Act

Agricultural Appropriations Act

1913

Weeks-McLean Migratory Bird Act

1917

Migratory Bird Treaty

Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act

1937

Pittman-Robertson Act

1964

National Wilderness System Act

1968

Wild and Scenic Rivers Act

1989

Conservation agenda for the Bush Administration

1991

Wetlands Reserve Program

Healthy Forests Restoration Act

2002

Grassland Reserve Program

2002

Conservation Reserve Program Bottomland hardwoods enrollment

2003

Healthy Forest Restoration Act

2003

Healthy Forests Reserve Program

2008

Endangered Species Recovery Program

2012

Sportsmen’s Act

For expanded details and the impact and relevance of each of these actions, visit the Club’s website at www.boone-crockett.org under Featured Stories – 125th Anniversary. Fair Chase Spring 2013 n 77

A look back...

G r i z z ly bear The Boone and Crockett Club received this email last August from Associate Rob Murphy: â&#x20AC;&#x153;My wife and I have owned this lovely little resort on the West coast of British Columbia Canada for almost 25 years. It was built in the late 30s and many renovations have taken place over the years, but when we did the largest one we got into the walls to re-insulate, re-wire and plumb etc. We found a number of old newspapers and of course this article, so I am pleased to forward it on to you.â&#x20AC;?

Lloyd B. Walker took this grizzly bear, scoring 25-7/16, in 1950, while hunting in Tweedsmuir Park, British Columbia.

78 nn Fair 78 FairChase ChaseSpring Spring 2013 2013

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