2013 Hunting Guide

G N I T N U H on

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E D I U G

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Sept. 4, 2013 Hunting Guide - Page 3

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Gordon elk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 ‘Hunting Under Heaven’ . . . . . . .6-8 McArtor’s African Ranch . . . . . .10-12 Boots on the ground . . . . . . . 14-15 Tucker goose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Brucellosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21 Tucker deer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Brucellosis testing . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Jake Werner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Hunter access . . . . . . . . . . . . 26-27 Hunting outlook . . . . . . . . . . . 30-35 Phillips pronghorn . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Youth only hunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Haberland deer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Whitetail numbers down . . . . . . . . 42 Grizzly activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Bear safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46-47 Gordon deer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Fishing in the fall . . . . . . . . . . 50-51 May deer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Elk hunt map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Keep firearm clean . . . . . . . . 56-57 Christensen deer . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

P.O. Box 1090, 3101 Big Horn Ave., Cody, Wyo., 82414 (307) 587-2231 codyenterprise.com

HuntIng guIde 2013 Editor: Amber Peabody rEPortErS: Corey Morris and Acadia DeAtley AdvErtiSing: John Malmberg, Donna Merkel, René Huge, Megan McCormick, Sara Reid and Bill McPherson Production:Jessica McKibben, Christine Gonnion and John Sides (Wildlife photos courtesy of Yellowstone Park)

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Elk Hunt Brooke Gordon

Brooke (center) harvested this elk last fall on Jim Mountain. She’s pictured with her father Ron and sister Jessi.

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G N I T N N E U V H DER HEA UN

king a m y l i m fa Schulz

By AMBER PEABODY Special sections editor What are you hunting for?

That’s the question James Schulz of Cody is asking through his group “Hunting Under Heaven.”

The Christian-based film company is focused on portraying inspirational subjects and stories. Still in the early stages, it currently has a website with short films showing what it’s trying to accomplish.

“While we focus on hunting, that’s not all Hunting Under Heaven is about,” Schulz said. “Every one of us is hunting for something.

Some are hunting for the best garden or the best mountain climb or the best adrenaline rush. Everyone has a passion. It’s our gift from God to pursue that.”

A lifelong hunter, Schulz has been filming and taking photographs since he was 15.

“My passion is film and the outdoors,” he adds. “We didn’t have a TV until I was 18 so my imagination is huge for the hills. I’d capture it on film, but didn’t know what to do with it.”

He decided the images would be a legacy for his children, when four years ago it was all lost in a house fire. This didn’t deter him, though, and he kept filming. It was during a mountain lion hunt that he decided what to do with it.

“Mark Ringler challenged me,”

nal o i t a r i p ins

Schulz recalled. “He said, ‘If you don’t portray what you’re doing for others it’s a waste of what you’ve been given.’”

With that in mind he began building short films and trailers of his film work, trying to show the “truth” of a hunt. He feels there’s been a shift in the last 10 years about what’s most important while hunting.

“Some hunting shows have lost

“

My passion is film and the outdoors.

”

James Schulz the concept of it,” he said. “They constantly show kill, kill, kill and that takes away kids’ imaginations.

I wanted to portray it in a better light. The preparation and journey of hunting is more important than the actual kill.”

Schulz grew up long bow hunting, trapping and fishing.

“To me a trophy was a doe or a cow,” he said. “If I brought something home, it was a trophy. That what I was taught.

“I believe the trophy of the hunt is

films

not found on any wall or above any mantle, but is found in the hearts and memories of the people who, having endured a long and hard pursuit of their passion, have had their character shaped and molded by that which they’ve pursued.”

Married for 22 years to his wife Deanne, they have six children.

The meat the family gets during hunting season sustains them throughout the year.

“We focus on giving back more than we’ve taken,” he said. “It’s important to teach the next generation good conservation concepts and sustainable practices.

Every animal is a gift from God and should be taken respectfully and as something you can use.”

When his children are old enough to hunt, he likes to take them into the backcountry.

“When my son Gavan was 12 we walked in several miles, woke up while it was still dark, got an elk and walked out,” he said.

“That’s the kind of experience I’m trying to give them. I want to take them away from the creature comforts and show them what it’s like out there.”

Last year he was bow hunting with his brother and daughter Rebekkah. He got a six-point bull while his daughter filmed it all.

One their way back the group was charged by a grizzly sow. Schulz was the only one with a gun and

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James hunts bobcats with son Caleb.

Gavan Schulz with his first mountain lion. shot the bear, but it kept coming.

“I only had one bullet left,” he added. “Then the bear went into the brush. It was a surreal moment because that grizzly would have killed us. You’re a changed person after that.”

He didn’t think Rebekkah would want to hunt after that encounter, but she went on to have a great season.

“It’s the reality we live in,” he

Rebekkah (from left), Caleb, Sarah, Savannah, Andrea, Deanne and James Schulz are pictured in front of a treed mountain lion.

said. “I love surfing too and you don’t know if there’s a shark below you. You have to deal with it. Peril is a part of hunting and Rebekkah got through it. Some good things happen and some bad – but that’s what molds us.”

Schulz currently has his first episode finished and is talking to television networks about getting it on the air.

“I’m getting feedback from individ-

uals of like minds,” he adds. “We’re not perfect, but we’re trying to make a statement about who we are.”

He hopes to eventually take families and kids without parents out on hunts. He’ll also focus on other passions people have, including snowboarding and surfing.

“I want to show them the truth of hunting, but also find out what their passions are to help them develop those.”

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T U O K E T I C S E B E H W CSCHULZ’S James Schulz harvested this elk with a bow.

“Hunting Under Heaven” aims to produce stories through film about five different concepts.

•Creation - Always invoking a sense of humility.

•Family – Happiness, joy, love and fulfillment comes from here.

•Land – Gives us all the necessary things we need to live.

•Perseverance – Giving humanity our own stories of overcoming trials and sorrows to elevate and inspire us all.

•Hunt – The truth about the hunt is the journey, not the kill.

On the website you can view some of their short films along with photos, inspirational stories, music and messages from contributing authors.

“There’s a story behind everything,” Schulz says. “I also try to put up an inspirational thought or blessing for the day.”

For more information visit huntingunderheaven.com or find them on Facebook.

Rebekkah Schulz rides a wave in Hawaii. Hunting Under Heaven will show films featuring people’s passions.

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s ’ r o t r A H c C N A M R i N r a f A a s C AFRI starts hunting

ily m a f y d Co

Lisa McArtor harvested this common blesbok in South Africa in February 2013.

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By ACADIA DeATLEY Staff writer With hunting season around the corner, many locals are planning their first hunting trips of the season in the Big Horn Basin area.

From an international standpoint, Wes McArtor of Cody is preparing to travel to South Africa to tend to his newly purchased hunting ranch.

“We started a safari operation (TDK Safaris) a year ago and had been using other people’s property to hunt,” he said. “We had an opportunity to lease a property and thought it would be a good way to ‘get our feet wet.’”

When the original plan of leasing property fell through, buying land became an option.

“We found an owner who was anxious to sell and he made us an offer we couldn’t refuse,” he said. “So we ended up ‘jumping in with both feet’ and buying a place of our own.”

Wes and his wife Lisa now own the Kudumela Ranch just three hours north of Johannesburg, South Africa.

The 2,500-acre property is a ranch for those wanting to hunt in the South African wilderness.

“We have access to much larger properties than our own as well,” Wes said. “But Kudumela is sizable enough to give (clients) a challenging hunting opportunity.”

Their son Dakota, 20, has been hunting big game since he was 13-years-old. He is a bow hunter and has taken more than 37 species.

“Our son is our resident professional hunter,” Wes said.

“He and another professional hunter will be responsible for guiding clients when they come over to hunt.”

Dakota has been at the ranch since February preparing for their first client in October.

Lisa joined him in July.

“We have a number of

Dakota McArtor got this Nile crocodile with his bow earlier this year.

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Wes McArtor shot this white African lion in the Kalahari in June 2012. workers here (in Africa) doing different jobs and part of their compensation is providing food for them,” Lisa said via Skype. “Dakota regularly takes a warthog or impala that is provided to the staff.”

Including warthogs, other species also are available to hunt on the property.

“We have 10 to 12 species on our property right now, with plans in place to add many more,” Wes said.

“When clients come over to hunt, we provide accommodations, meals, guiding, tracking, and all of the trophy and meat preparation.”

As a young hunter, Dakota dreamed of having his own hunting show.

“He’s been on two or three TV shows hunting,” Wes said. “A lot of the trips we made were filming for TV.” These TV shows include multiple episodes of “Where in the World is Colorado Buck?” and “TNT Outdoor Explosion.”

“Dakota has been on every trip we’ve ever made,” Wes said. “Most of the time he was the reason for our trip.”

His family has taken hunting trips to various parts of Africa, New Zealand, Mexico, Panama, Argentina, British Columbia and Alaska.

Most of the animals the McArtor’s

have taken are mounted on the wall of the trophy room in their Cody home.

“Almost all of these species are hunted based on the land’s carrying capacity as well as the animals’ offspring production,” Wes said. “Property owners will manage their animal populations by selling the rights to hunt them, and use the money to provide resources to take care of the rest (of the animals) that are there.”

This is called “sustainable hunting and conservation.”

For example, older male animals will lose out to younger more aggressive males. So, the unproductive males are sold to clients to be hunted so the farmers can introduce newer males to the herd to ensure genetic diversity.

Wild game management, requires land owners to ensure the health and well-being of the population.

“You take care of them, by taking care of their habitat, and making sure they have good water,” Wes said.

“Once animals are mature enough to be a trophy, you harvest the larger trophy males and bring in new ones to diversify the gene pool.”

People in Africa don’t eat as much domestic meat such as beef and chicken like Americans do. They eat

the native animals that are available.

“Every year we will probably sell 50-100 head of animals for people to come and harvest for the meat,” he said. “When we are over there (at the ranch) we only eat the native meat. It is awesome and healthy.”

Being a proud supporter of her husband and son in their hunting endeavors, Lisa recently has taken up hunting.

“They just got me started hunting,” she said. “It was one of those things where I wasn’t going to beat them, so I better join them.”

Growing up in Kansas, Lisa never was introduced the sport.

“I didn’t grow up hunting so it was a pretty big step for me to start,” Lisa said. “It’s been amazing family time and a great learning experience. I love seeing different parts of the world.”

Some would assume a hunting trip to South Africa would be more oriented for men, but Lisa thinks otherwise.

“A lot of women seem to be afraid to come over here,” she says. “This is my seventh trip and it’s amazing. Almost all the places we have stayed in South Africa are very accommodating.

They are top-rate lodges, so women would just love it over here.”

Sept. 4, 2013 - Page 13

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’ d n u o r G e h t n o s ‘Boot

H C A O R P AP

ed by n i m r e t phy dekill in chase o r t e m big-ga of effort, s y n a f o Value s application hunter

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By BOB MEINECKE Enterprise outdoors columnist Like fishing, the primary reason big-game hunting is exciting for me and many others is due to the prospect of the moment of encounter.

It’s that instant when we first see the elusive trophy we’ve daydreamed about all spring and summer, that stud buck whose shed antlers we first encountered last fall while blue grouse hunting.

Like building a super hot street rod or an honest 1,000-yard rifle, it can be the culmination of your personal effort for one, two or more years. By now we know I’m talking about a DIY (do-it-yourself) hunt, not a guided wandering through a game ranch or an escorted exploration of some outfitters’ backyard.

Harder yes, but immensely more rewarding when you finally lay eyes on the coveted trophy.

Discounting big-game outfitters and game farms, imagine the mundane quality of the experience if all of our super stud big-game animals were implanted early in their lives with a satellite trackable computer chip. Then, all anyone would have to do would be to pony up the price of the code to the chip, break out the old laptop, or perhaps, by that time we’d even have a phone app for that, and locate the animal.

Then all that would be required would be to venture forth following the GPS and locate and kill the target animal. To me, that seems both

Sept. 4, 2013 - Page 15

anticlimactic and terribly boring.

Now you know my opinion on remote tracking cameras and such other technology that big-game animals have no hope of defeating or developing a defense against. But then again, everyone cheats on a

“

Those are moments that I’ll cherish until they shovel dirt on my coffin.

”

Bob Meinecke math test, right?

The value of any trophy, and especially an outstanding one, in the final analysis, and what truly defines a hunter in my mind, is in that hunters’ application of effort and skill in a “boots on the ground” sort of approach. The trophy means something because our hunter entered the woods with only his rifle or bow and whatever skill level he’d developed from whatever abilities the good Lord endowed him with.

They were there to match wits with that animal on its own turf

and during its business hours, and won.

For it to be meaningful, the beast must be wild and free and absolutely real and not hemmed in by anything other than natural restraints. I’m constantly surprised by the number of people who condemn high-fence hunting and then engage outfitters and guides who operate their hunts as a large team effort and use our modern version of the high fence, the trail camera, to pursue and slay their animal.

To each his own, but in my mind, that’s not hunting. I would even counter the Boone and Crockett folks and speculate that this version of hunting is something way less than fair chase.

During my half century of hunting everything I legally could afford to hunt, the unexpected encounter with the trophy I was after are the moments I remember most vividly in connection with those mounted heads which adorn the walls of my home and my shop.

Along with those larger, more outstanding members of their tribe I encountered on that grand journey there were plenty of lessor bucks and uncountable does of equal worth in adding to the development of my skill set. Every one of them appreciated and each one a fair chase trophy.

Those are moments that I’ll cherish until they shovel dirt on my coffin. I only hope you can say the same.

‘Big’ Bird

Caleb Tucker

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Caleb Tucker, 4, holds his dad Lelon Tucker’s Canada goose. After seeing them flying in the sky he was amazed at the weight of the goose.

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Sept. 4, 2013 Hunting Guide - Page 17

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S I S O L r L e E v e C F U e

B&RUngulat

on s a e s g in r u d w o kl s i r e r u Expos

By COREY MORRIS Staff writer

E

lk hunters need not fear brucellosis.

“We don’t want to create a fear of shooting brucellosis elk,” Game and Fish Department wildlife disease specialist Hank Edwards said.

“It’s not warranted.

“The chance of a human contracting brucellosis is extremely low.”

Though the first case of brucellosis was detected in the Big Horns last year (recognized as the easternmost presence of the disease), the number of seropositive (brucellosis in bloodstream) elk has dropped throughout the area.

Seropositive elk numbers in the Cody elk herd peaked in 2009 at 17 percent, according to a G&F publication. By 2011, the numbers were at about 13 percent.

Brucellosis Edwards explains that brucella abortus (the bacterium which causes brucellosis in elk, bison and cattle) lays in the reproductive lymphatic system of infected cow elk.

The bacterium is dormant until the third trimester.

“It’s unclear why the bacterium becomes active at that time, but perhaps the fetal stress makes it active,” Edwards said.

When active, the bacterium moves

from the lymphatic system and into the cotyledon. Once there, the bacterium reproduces.

“It grows like crazy,” Edwards says.

The bacteria either affects the fetus directly or affects the cotyledon and surrounding blood, and the fetus aborts.

Edwards said the disease spreads to other animals after the calf is aborted.

“There is so much bacteria there on the ground, other animals come up, lick or sniff, and they’re infected,” he explained.

Cow elk reach their third trimester from about mid-February through March. As a rule, Edwards said, there is no hunting at the end of January to limit brucellosis exposure.

While field dressing a harvested elk, the disease may be encountered in the reproductive lymph nodes and in reproductive fluids. But those are portions of the animal that humans do not consume.

G&F regional supervisor Alan Osterland concurs that during hunting season the probability for brucellosis exposure is lower.

“After Jan. 15, the risk is greater,” he said.

Ungulate fever Wyoming state veterinarian Dr. Jim Logan caught ungulate fever (the human form of brucellosis) more than 30 years ago.

Logan says he either caught the disease through handling the vaccine or, more likely, through treating infected cattle.

“Brucellosis creates in humans a variety of symptoms,” Logan adds.“Early stages of the disease are like the flu – headaches, body and muscle aches.”

The disease is called ungulate fever in humans because of the radical body temperature levels. The body’s temperature remains normal throughout the onset but then spikes to dangerous levels. It quickly drops again.

“It comes and goes,” Logan said.

In time the disease develops lasting effects including arthritis and depression.

Some people can be cured if the disease is caught early. It’s usually treated with antibiotics.

But for Logan, the disease remains, possibly for the rest of his life.

“I get occasional flare-ups with joint and muscle pains, and then the intermittent fever,” he said.

Prevention A Wyoming Department of Health brochure about best management practices suggests hunters follow several safety precautions: •Practice good hygiene during and after handling all raw meat and viscera.

•Wear gloves.

•Protect clothing from contamination.

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•Wear eye protection.

•Wash hands thoroughly after dealing with carcass.

•Clean and disinfect areas where carcass was cleaned.

•Dispose of all waste appropriately.

Edwards and Logan both suggest wearing rubber gloves while field dressing elk.

Logan adds that any present fetuses, as well as uterine fluids and membranes, should be avoided.

To track and combat the spread of brucellosis in wildlife, G&F has been distributing blood sample kits to hunters.

The kits can be picked up at any G&F office. Personnel distributing kits will be present in the field during hunting season. Additionally, G&F will continue leaving pickup stations in the field, Osterland said.

“We really depend on hunters to get samples,” Edwards said.

It’s a tall order because “we’re asking them to not only bring the kit with them, but to bring it into the field, and then to remember to fill the tube after all of the excitement,” he added.

The only way to know if G&F brucellosis management is effective is to know where the disease is present and how many elk are infected, Edwards said. That information can only be accurately obtained through blood sample kits and the participation of hunters.

“Brucellosis is a disease we’re trying to learn to live with, and we’re doing well,” Edwards said.

Seropositive elk show no visual signs of infection. Only a blood test can detect the disease. But when elk are field dressed and butchered following best management practices, brucellosis remains a G&F problem that requires the public’s assistance,

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rather than a hunter health risk.

“It’s unlikely to contract the disease if the meat is cooked properly,” Logan said.

Edwards added that though limiting exposure is important, brucellosis infected animals yield meat that is safe for consumption.

“All cattle slaughtered in the name of brucellosis have entered the food chain,” he said.

That’s because the disease is “not really present in the meat.”

The herds do not seem to be bothered by the disease, other than the occasional aborted calf, Edwards said.

The disease also is not fatal to elk.

“Brucellosis has been around since the 1930s – think about the number of elk and bison around the Yellowstone ecosystem, and the number shot,” Edwards said.

Hunters really have little to worry about, he adds.

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Deer Hunt

Lelond Tucker

Tucker shot this doe with his Automatic Ruger 1911 .45 last fall on private land up the North Fork.

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S I S O L L E C U R B

G N I T TES

Elk hunters collect blood samples for surveillance

I

n cooperation with the Wyoming State Veterinarian’s office, the Game and Fish Department will conduct brucellosis surveillance in the Big Horn Mountains by collecting blood samples from hunter harvested elk this fall.

G&F is asking that successful elk hunters assist in this effort by collecting blood samples from elk immediately after harvest.

“This is an opportunity for hunters to take an active role in helping us learn more about the potential of brucellosis infection in elk in the Big Horn Mountains,” said Tim Woolley, wildlife management coordinator with G&F in Cody. “The information gathered may also be used to keep livestock producers adequately informed of the possible spread of the disease.

“Two elk harvested in the Big

Horns last fall tested seropositive for brucellosis and we are stepping up surveillance efforts to determine if the disease exists in this area,” Woolley added. “Animals that test seropostive to brucellosis do not necessarily carry the disease; they could have just been exposed to the bacteria at some time in their life.”

Brucellosis surveillance efforts across the state rely on hunters voluntarily collecting blood samples from harvested elk.

“Unfortunately, only about 50 percent of returned blood samples are usable,” Woolley said.

To collect a useable blood sample, hunters should follow these tips: •Carry your sample kit with you in the field; collect the blood sample as soon as possible.

•Blood should be collected from

the neck, heart or chest cavity.

•The blood sample should never be frozen; it should be kept cool.

•Fill out the data section on the instruction sheet, providing specific information regarding the location and major drainage of your harvest.

•Follow the packing and shipping recommendations. Use the postagefree mailer and drop it in the nearest post office box, or drop by the Cody or Sheridan Regional Offices.

•Ship the sample as soon as possible (in one to two days) to prevent spoilage.

G&F will mail blood sample kits to elk hunters holding limited quota licensees for hunt areas in the Big Horn Mountains. If you do not receive one or are hunting in a general area, blood kits are available at game warden stations and the Sheridan or Cody G&F regional office.

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Jake Werner Outdoor Enthusiast

Werner shot this buck on the Pitchfork Ranch outside of Meeteetse last Thanksgiving break.

Hunter enjoys time in nature

By ACADIA DeATLEY Staff writer

H

aving tagged along on hunting trips with his dad since he was a toddler, Jake Werner outhas broadened his love for the out doors throughout the years.

“Ever since I could walk I’ve been out hunting with him,” Werner said. “We have pictures

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of me out there.”

Werner, 20, started hunting big game himself when he was 12.

“In my career, I’ve gotten a ton of rabbits, and probably 20 deer, elk and antelope all together,” he said.

His last hunting trip was during Thanksgiving break last year.

“We were hunting on the Pitchfork Ranch on the other side of Meeteetse,” Werner said. “That was for whitetail. It was a lot of fun.”

Even though Werner got his buck, he ran into some misfortune.

“When I shot (the buck) he fell on his head,” Werner said. “It must have been just the right spot because it broke half the right beam off.”

He regularly hunts in Wyoming, but has been turkey hunting in Vermont with his family.

“It was a lot of fun, but I didn’t get anything,” he said.

Werner enjoys the meat from the animals, but for him hunting is all about the experience.

“I love just being out in the woods and hunting around,” he said. “It’s cool to see everything out there.

“When you see the animal you want, put a stock on it, shoot it and get it, it’s just a sense of accomplishment after working hard for it.”

Werner enjoys the time spent with his friends and dad while hunting as well.

He also is an avid fisherman and recently traveled to Alaska on a fishing trip.

“Alaska was amazing,” he said.

“We fished for sockeye salmon and halibut.”

He spent nine days in the Alaskan wilderness with his brother Sam and friend Wyatt Fabrizio.

Werner says he feels at peace while fly fishing.

“It’s just one of those things that’s super relaxing,” Werner said.

“It’s almost like therapy.”

He hopes to take other out-ofstate hunting and fishing trips in the future.

Werner graduated from Cody High School in 2012 and is studying wildlife biology at the University of Wyoming. He hopes to one day become a fisheries biologist.

Sept. 4, 2013 - Page 25

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Page 26 - Sept. 4, 2013

Hunting

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“

We’re trying to place hunters where the elk are to give them the best opportunity to harvest an animal.

”

Tim Woolley,

G&F wildlife management coordinator

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Sept. 4, 2013 - Page 27

Meeteetse management program in third year

By COREY MORRIS Staff writer

T

he Hunter Management and Access Program (HMAP) in the Meeteetse area saw a strong second year in 2012-13.

“We appreciate the participation of landowners,” said Alan Osterland, Game and Fish regional supervisor. “We had good success this season.”

HMAP is designed to reduce elk numbers in Hunt Area 61 by increasing hunter access to private land.

Increasing access to private lands in this area will help reduce growing numbers of elk in the Meeteetse Creek area, keep the herds within population objectives and monitor the presence of brucellosis in harvested elk.

The number of elk harvested through the access program increased from 159 elk in 2011 to 186 in 2012.

The program has harvested a total of 345 elk since its introduction in 2011.

Additionally, 260 blood samples have been taken during the program.

Two of the three hunt areas saw a

brucellosis seroprevalence drop.

Seroprevalance in Area 61 decreased from 11.8 to 7.8 percent, and area 63 went from 12.8 to 5.1 percent.

Area 62 saw an increase from 10.8 to 23.1 percent, Osterland said.

“Brucellosis ricochets, but we see a continued drop of the seroprevalence in the Hunter Management and Access Program hunt areas,” he added.

Managing private lands is a good thing for both domestic and wild populations, Osterland said. The objective is to reduce the elk population on private lands, with an eventual goal of transferring management access to landowners.

In 2011, approximately 10,000 acres of private land access were added to hunt areas 61, 62 and 63 through the program. The 2012 season had seven landowners and 443 hunters participating in the program.

For the 2013-2014 season, a hunt coordinator will work with landowners to identify areas where the elk are congregating on private lands and then help point pre-selected hunters to those locations.

Gooseberry Creek and Wood River (hunt areas 62 and 63) will discontinue their participation in the G&F program this season. They plan to manage access on their own, Osterland said. Meeteetse Creek (hunt area 61) will continue through the 2013 season.

“We’re trying to place hunters where the elk are to give them the best opportunity to harvest an animal,” said Tim Woolley, wildlife management coordinator for G&F. “The hunt coordinators will not serve as guides and will not always accompany hunters in the field.

The program will focus on harvest of antlerless elk in the Meeteetse Creek area.”

The program will begin around Oct. 1, 2013, and run through Jan. 12, 2014, depending on elk distribution and availability. It is open to antlerless elk hunting for persons with valid elk area 61 licenses.

In October, applicants may apply for the Cody Region Hunter Management and Access Program online at wgfd.wyo.gov.

Page 28 - Sept. 4, 2013

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Page 30 - Sept. 4, 2013

Hunting

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g n i t n Hu K 3 1 0 2

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By G&F personnel

D

ry weather conditions will have an affect on some hunt areas this year, but overall conditions will be favorable in many areas.

PRONGHORN The Carter Mountain pronghorn herd (Hunt Areas 78, 81 and 82) is about at population objective. There is continued need however, for doe/fawn licenses due to too many pronghorn in crop fields.

As a result, most of the doe/fawn licenses (type 6, 7 or 8) have limitations on where those pronghorn can be harvested (on or within a half mile of irrigated lands).

Read the limitations for your license carefully. If hunters are not familiar with areas that their license is restricted to, contact local G&F personnel. Hunters who have purchased doe/fawn licenses are asked to contact a local game warden for names and contact information of landowners looking for hunters to harvest pronghorn near farm ground.

Many of those names are also avail avail-

able on the G&F website under the “Hunter Assistance Program” tab.

After being above population objectives for several years, pronghorn populations in the extreme northern portion of the Big Horn Basin (Hunt Area 80) have been reduced and as a result, permit levels for the 2013 season have been reduced also. Damage issues on many private lands have been resolved and there is less need for doe/fawn harvest.

Hunting for buck pronghorn in the northern portion of the Big Horn Basin should be similar to last year or a bit more difficult. Dry conditions for the second year will have bucks congregated near water (e.g., stock ponds, irrigation ditches, natural springs and creeks).

With little vegetative growth this spring and summer, horn growth will not be spectacular this year. As in most years, the potential for “trophy” bucks in the northern interior of the Big Horn Basin will be low.

Most pronghorn populations in the southern Big Horn Basin (Hunt Areas 76,77,83,110,114 and 115) are slightly below their population objective; however, because of potential damage issues on private lands, G&F are again offering doe/fawn licenses throughout

Sept. 4, 2013 - Page 31

many of the hunt areas.

As noted before, hunters need to be aware that most doe/fawn licenses and Type 2 licenses are only valid on or within a half mile of irrigated land.

Overall, pronghorn hunting in the southern Big Horn Basin for 2013 should be similar to 2012. Preliminary results from the 2013 pronghorn classification surveys conducted in August revealed that some good quality bucks still exist out there, along with some record setting fawn crops.

If winter fawn survival is good for 2013, expect some additional hunting opportunity in 2014.

DEER Following the 2012 hunting season, G&F personnel surveyed slightly fewer deer than in past years on the west side of the Big Horn Mountains.

Total deer numbers were down slightly, but buck/doe ratios remained similar to past years. That should translate to a 2013 hunting season similar to last year.

Weather immediately before and during the hunt plays a big role in

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where to look for bucks. If it’s been warm and dry, search at higher ele elevations on the Big Horns. If there’s been some snow by the Oct. 15 opening date, deer have probably begun their migration so hunt near the forest boundary.

Deer and elk hunting both open Oct. 15 and crowding can be an issue for many hunters. So, like many of the big bucks, if you don’t want to deal with hunters during that busy time, go to the least accessible canyons, thickest timber or more than a mile from the busy roads.

Although G&F believe deer numbers are down, there is still a need to harvest antlerless deer on the west side of the Big Horn Basin.

Most of the doe/fawn licenses (type 6, 7 or 8) have limitations on where those deer can be harvested (on or

within a half mile of irrigated lands).

Read the limitations for your license carefully. If hunters are not familiar with areas that their license is restricted to, contact local G&F personnel. Hunters that have purchased doe/fawn licenses are asked to contact a local game warden for names and contact information of landowners that are looking for hunters. Many of those names are also available on the G&F website under the “Hunter Assistance Program” tab.

Mule deer numbers are still struggling in the southern portion of the Big Horn Basin and because of this, the 2013 hunting season will be a little tough.

For the past three years, mule deer numbers have declined. Most limited quota areas such as Hunt Area 37 and 119 should see fair to good hunt-

ing, while areas 116, 118, 120 and 125 should only see fair hunting.

Most if not all the general license areas will be tough hunting. G&F still has several hunt areas with doe/fawn hunting to help with potential damage issues on private lands. As long as hunters put forth a little effort, they still should be able to find a few deer.

For those hunters looking to pursue a white-tailed deer, you will likely have better luck than the mule deer hunters. White-tailed deer numbers are still doing well in most areas, and in some areas the hunting opportunity has increased.

Mule deer hunting should be good on the North and South Forks of the Shoshone River. A good migration of deer during the 2012 hunting season produced an average harvest of bucks, but one that

Hunting

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included many large bucks.

No significant mortality was documented for this past winter, so plenty of buck deer should be available to hunters in 2013 (if weather conditions trigger migrations prior to the end of the hunting season).

Low fawn production and increased antlerless harvest in the recent past has brought deer numbers below objective levels, and as a result, antlerless deer hunting opportunities will be reduced for 2013.

Opportunities to harvest a mature buck deer in Hunt Areas 105 and 106 will be good in both the later portion of the general season and the November limited quota season in 2013. Recent changes in hunting season structures should also increase the percentage of older age class bucks in Hunt Area 109.

Due to agricultural damage, opportunities to harvest an antlerless deer in areas between Cody and Powell have been expanded in Hunt Area 121.

ELK There should be great opportunity to hunt for bull elk in the Big Horns this fall since there are many good quality bulls on the National Forest.

Unfortunately, hunters will have to

work hard to find them because they are difficult to locate during the rush of the hunting season.

Deer and elk hunting both open Oct. 15 and crowding can be an issue for many hunters. Due to a need for population control, crop damage, disease (brucellosis and CWD) testing and other management challenges, some hunting seasons for antlerless elk will begin before the Oct. 15 bull season.

Once disturbed, those big, “smart� bulls head for the thickest timber, the steepest canyons or the most undisturbed block of private land. Hunters will need patience, perseverance and a lot of luck to bag their trophy bull.

During the 2012 hunting season blood tubes were issued to elk hunters in the Big Horn Mountains as part of routine surveillance for brucellosis. Two of those blood samples returned positive test results indicating those elk had, at a minimum, been exposed to the brucellosis bacteria at some time in their lives.

Those blood tests do not indicate that the animal had brucellosis and as a result of those two positives, more testing will occur in fall 2013.

All elk hunters will again be issued a blood sampling kit. Fill the blood tube as soon as possible after getting your elk. Keep the blood cool, keep

Sept. 4, 2013 - Page 33

it from freezing and return it to the G&F as soon as possible per directions you get with the kit.

All G&F personnel will have additional blood kits if you forget yours at home. There will be check stations and remote coolers placed at strategic locations where you can drop off the blood sample. Personnel will also be collecting lymph nodes from freshly killed elk, so don’t be surprised if someone in a red shirt asks to help field dress your dead elk.

There are still more elk on the west side of the Big Horn Mountains than desired. With hunting seasons for antlerless elk often lasting three or four months, there should be time to find your cow or calf.

The hunting season for antlerless elk in Hunt Area 41 has two closed periods (splits) this year to let elk settle down from the hunting pressure and go back out to more accessible areas. Consult hunting regulations for open/closed periods and other special limitations on your hunting license.

Both the South Big Horn (Hunt Areas 47-49) and Gooseberry elk herds (Hunt Areas 62-64) still have plenty of elk, with a lot of additional cow/calf licenses available in all hunt areas. Access in some portions of these hunt areas can be difficult; however, Hunter Management Areas are avail-

Hunting

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able in area 47, 62, 63 and 64, which provide additional hunting opportunity on private lands.

Overall, there is ample opportunity for elk hunting in the southern Big Horn Basin, along with good bull quality in most areas.

In some areas near Cody, elk numbers exceed management objectives and antlerless elk hunting opportunities have been increased; however, in other areas, decreased calf survival has reduced herd productivity and has required reductions in both antlered and antlerless harvest.

In fact, in Hunt Areas 50, 51, 52 and 53 general license antlered elk seasons were replaced with a totally limited quota season in 2010 to reduce the harvest of bull elk.

In 2013, a similar change was made from a general license antlered elk season to a limited quota season in Hunt Area 55. For similar reasons, the general license antlered elk rifle season in Hunt Area 60 was shortened

by 10 days and will open on Sept. 20 instead of Sept. 10.

With less productive elk herds in some areas (fewer calves produced), the opportunity to harvest bulls is less than in past years. Bull hunting in several hunt areas and on some license types will be “spikes excluded� in 2013, which restrict hunters to the harvest of mature bulls.

A shorter general license antlered elk season outside of designated wilderness areas will be in place in 2013 for Hunt Areas 56 and 59, again to reduce harvest pressure on bull elk.

Consult your elk regulations carefully to see specific changes.

Elk hunt areas currently doing quite well include Hunt Areas 54, 58, 59, 61, 65 and 121 where elk numbers currently exceed management goals and seasons are designed to increase the harvest of antlerless elk. Areas either near or below management goals include Hunt Areas 50, 51, 52, 53, 55 and 56. In these areas, seasons

have been designed to either maintain or reduce the harvest of antlerless elk.

MOOSE There are only five hunting licenses for moose in Hunt Area 42 on the west side of the Big Horn Mountains. The moose population is small and limited due to lack of large willow and aspen habitats on this side of the mountain.

Past hunters have suggested there are fewer big bulls available, but some nice trophies have been taken.

Moose hunters have usually concentrated in easily accessible areas (e.g., Porcupine Creek, Shell Creek and Ten Sleep Creek), so the oldest bulls now live in areas not easily accessible. If you were lucky enough to draw a Hunt Area 42 license, put on your hiking boots or saddle your horse, and look away from the highways and major forest roads.

Moose numbers in the Absaroka

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Mountains are still at low densities; however, at current permit levels in Hunt Areas 9 and 11, hunters have been able to find and harvest mature bulls.

G&F anticipates the 2013 season will again have good success with several nice (+45-inch) bulls being harvested.

BIGHORN SHEEP Winter conditions during 2010-11 significantly impacted sheep in Hunt Area 4, as these sheep reside yearround on high elevation ranges. As a result, permit levels were reduced to maintain ram quality.

A current area closure due to the Hardluck Fire on the South Fork of the Shoshone River has affected access to a large portion of Hunt Area 4 and a small portion of Hunt Area 5.

As a result Hunt Area 4 sheep hunters were given the opportunity to “carryover� their license to 2014.

Population surveys and 2012 ram harvest information from Hunt Areas 1-3 indicate 2013 sheep hunters should experience good success on mature rams.

The winter of 2010-11 was severe enough in Hunt Area 5 to cause some winter kill, as well as weaken this sheep herd. Because of this, approximately 140 ram heads have been found in Hunt Area 5 since January 2011.

Although this is significant, hunter success, harvest and ram quality continues to remain favorable and this herd still has a lot of sheep to hunt.

G&F predicts the 2013 season will again have good hunting, but hunters will have to put a little more effort into their hunt, especially if you are looking for an older age-class ram.

The number of bighorn sheep

observed in Hunt Area 12 has been holding steady the past few years and G&F personnel counted 141 bighorns during a survey conducted in late July 2013.

In 2011, 147 sheep were documented. The number of rams counted has also remained about the same during the past three years. Only two hunting licenses are issued for this area to allow some opportunity without having a major impact on ram numbers.

Private land hampers most access to this population of bighorn sheep, so contact G&F personnel for advice and landowner contact information.

MOUNTAIN GOATS Mountain goats in Hunt Area 1 are currently doing well. Hunter success is generally 90 to 100 present and drawing a license is the hardest part of hunting mountain goats in Wyoming.

Hunt Area 3 was added to increase hunting opportunity in hard to access backcountry with low densities of goats, and this year G&F added a few more licenses in both Hunt Areas 1 and 3 to increase opportunity.

The 2013 season should again see high success rates in the Beartooth goat herd.

UPLAND GAME BIRDS - SMALL GAME In the southern portions of the basin chukar numbers will be spotty, but overall hunting should be better than the previous three years.

Brood surveys conducted this sum sum-

Sept. 4, 2013 - Page 35

mer revealed several broods with good numbers of chicks. Hungarian partridge should again provide fair to good hunting throughout the southern Basin. Pheasant hunting will again be only fair in the southern portions of the basin.

In the northern portion of the Big Horn Basin, weather during the hatching period last spring was fairly warm and wet, which may mean good things for upland bird hunters this fall. Cold weather has been shown to decrease survival of newly hatched chicks.

Research studies in the Big Horn Basin documented good hatch success for marked sage-grouse hens in 2013. Similar success may have also occurred for other upland species.

Dry conditions after hatch, however, may have decreased survival due to impacts on vegetation and insects that chicks rely on. Game birds closely tied to irrigated agriculture, such as pheasants and turkeys, should fare well.

Those upland species away from agriculture may not have made it through the dry summer with similar success. Chukars, grey partridge and grouse numbers are probably spotty depending on local weather and habitat conditions.

MIGRATORY GAME BIRDS MOURNING DOVES So far the summer of 2013 is revealing a good number of mourning doves in the southern Big Horn Basin. If weather conditions hold favorable into September, dove hunters should experience some good wing-shooting.

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Bill Phillips Pronghorn Hunt

Bill Phillips shot this pronghorn last fall near Lost Cabin northeast of Shoshoni.

Sept. 4, 2013 - Page 37

Carry and know how to use

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Page 38 - Sept. 4, 2013

Hunting

Y L N O H T U O

T N HU

Y

Yellowtail area Pheasant Event Saturday, Nov. 16

A

youth-only pheasant hunt will be conducted on all lands contained within the Yellowtail Wildlife Habitat Management Area north of the Shoshone River, near Lovell – the hunt takes place Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013.

Anyone 17 years of age or younger is eligible to participate. Youth hunters must have successfully completed a hunter safety course or be enrolled in Wyoming’s Hunter Mentor Program prior to hunting on youth hunt day.

In addition, youth over the age of 14 years must possess a valid game bird or a small game/game bird license, Wyoming Conservation Stamp, and a Pheasant Special Management Stamp.

An adult must accompany hunters under the age of 14; adults may not take any pheasants on the Yellowtail area north of the Shoshone River during youth hunt day.

All pheasant hunters are required to wear one article of fluorescent orange clothing (hat, shirt, sweater, jacket, vest or coat) while hunting pheasants on the Yellowtail Wildlife Habitat Management Area.

For more information regarding youth-only hunts contact Tara Teaschner, 527-7125 or visit wgfd.wyo.gov.

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Sept. 4, 2013 - Page 39

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Page 40 - Sept. 4, 2013

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Deer Hunt Steve Haberland Haberland shot this whitetail last year along the Wood River south of Meeteetse.

Sept. 4, 2013 - Page 41

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Page 42 - Sept. 4, 2013

Hunting

R E E D D E e decreas ITE-TAIL

WnHumbers

Hemorrhagic disease suspected in deer die-off in big horn basin

G

ame and Fish Department biologists suspect hemorrhagic disease – either epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) or bluetongue – has killed a number of white-tailed deer in the eastern Big Horn Basin since mid-July.

Due to the difficulty in locating carcasses and the broad area affected, the exact number of deer potentially affected by the diseases cannot be determined.

EHD and bluetongue are different viruses that are spread by biting gnats. EHD and bluetongue primarily

affect white-tailed deer but can also infect pronghorn antelope, elk and mule deer. Variants of the diseases can affect species such as bighorn sheep and some domestic animals.

Affected deer are often found dead.

Other symptoms include loss of appetite, extreme weakness, unwillingness to rise, lameness and bleeding or swelling of head, neck, tongue or eyes.

Infected animals usually die in late summer and fall, often near water.

EHD or bluetongue die-offs are a common occurrence in many states.

Lack of water sources and rapidly

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drying ponds tend to concentrate deer in areas where gnat populations are high and accelerate the spread of the diseases.

A confirmed diagnosis requires laboratory identification of the virus from tissues including lung, spleen, lymph nodes, and blood. Samples from deer carcasses found in the Big Horn Basin this summer have been sent to the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory in Laramie for testing.

Drought conditions led to hemorrhagic disease outbreaks and the loss of white-tailed deer across some areas of eastern Wyoming last year and significant losses in South Dakota and Nebraska.

“We suspected a few cases last year along the Big Horn River, and it appears a die-off is occurring again in some locations,” said Greybull wildlife biologist Tom Easterly. “However, the disease is endemic in many places in Wyoming and we probably experience some level of die-off most years.

The weather is a big factor and since this summer has been hot and dry in the Big Horn Basin, the conditions are optimal for a major outbreak.

Typically, the spread of disease is reduced significantly after the first heavy frost of the year.”

The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks have also received reports this summer of dead and dying whitetailed deer along the Big Horn and Yellowstone rivers and suspect EHD or bluetongue to be the cause.

In recent weeks concerned citizens have contacted G&F about dead or dying deer.

“I have been fielding a lot of phone calls about sick and dead deer in Big Horn County,” said Lovell Game Warden James Hobbs.

There is no human health concern from hemorrhagic disease. Humans cannot contract the disease and neither can most other wildlife. Mule deer occasionally get the disease, but are generally insulated from the infection because they do not tend to inhabit the environment of the gnats.

If you see a sick deer, contact your local warden or biologist.

EHD was first identified in Wyoming in the Black Hills in 1957. At that time, a significant die-off of deer occurred north of Newcastle on Oil Creek.

Sept. 4, 2013 - Page 43

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4. Contest ends 5 p.m. Sat., Nov. 30, 2013.

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D E S A E R C N I T C ITY

EXRPIEZZLY ACTIV G

Fewer pine cones could mean more bear encounters this fall

A

nnual whitebark pine surveys on established transects in northwest Wyoming indicate poor whitebark pine cone production during 2013, which could mean an increase in human-bear encounters this fall – especially for hunters in grizzly bear habitat.

The seeds of whitebark pine are high in fat content, and are a sought after food source as bears prepare for winter hibernation. In years of lower cone production, bears tend to range farther in search of alternative food sources.

“This does not mean that bears are necessarily more aggressive, but during years of low cone production, bears are moving around more in search of food in the fall; which increases the likelihood of encounters with people,” said Dan Thompson,

large carnivore section supervisor for the Game and Fish Department.

Hunters should take note of because they are a segment of the population likely to run into bears this fall.

“We want the people who live in and recreate in grizzly bear country to realize they may have a higher chance of encountering a bear this fall and that they should maintain the ‘bear awareness’ that we stress throughout the year,” Thompson said.

Thompson noted that although whitebark pine cones may not be readily available this fall, bears are well adapted to locate other food sources.

“Grizzly bears are amazingly adaptable. Lower pine cone production simply means bears will be on the move to find other food sources, and people recreating in northwest Wyo-

ming should be aware of this natural phenomenon of grizzly bear biology,” Thompson said. “It is important to note that despite these annual fluctuations of food, grizzly bears are omnivores that can naturally adapt, and that the Greater Yellowstone grizzly bear population continues to grow in size and distribution, regardless of the natural ebbs and flows in natural food production,” Thompson said.

G&F recommends that all recreationists mentally prepare themselves for a bear encounter and carry bear deterrent.

“As a matter of personal safety, we recommend that everyone carry bear spray and more importantly, know how to use it,” Thompson said.

For more on information about grizzly bears in Wyoming, visit wgfd.wyo.gov.

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R A BAEFETY S

tips l a v i v r n su o s a e s Hunting

By TARA TEASCHNER G&F Information/education specialist

H

unting in grizzly bear country can present some unique and challenging experiences.

Hunters should realize they may be predisposed to sudden encounters and conflicts with bears and that proper preparation and metal preparedness is the key to reducing risk.

Quietly pursuing game in the field, masking human scent, moving into the wind, and being active during dusk and dawn increase the probability that you will surprise a bear at close range and, in turn, a bear will behave defensively.

Also activities such as handling a game carcass in the field or in camp and calling elk may bring a bear to you. Despite these predispositions, with preparation and the proper knowledge, there are many ways you can avoid conflicts with bears in the field including: •Always hunt or call with a partner and stay within sight of each other.

•Remain alert and watchful for bear activity; avoid “tunnel vision” while pursuing game.

•Learn to recognize bear sign such as scat, tracks and diggings.

•Know where seasonal food sources are present and either avoid or be especially cautious in those areas.

•Be aware that the presence of ravens and other scavengers is a good indication that carcasses or gut piles are nearby and a bear may be in the area.

•Carry a defense readily accessible.

The knowledge of how to use your defense should be automatic.

Take special precautions when handling game carcasses in the field and in camp. The best way to minimize conflicts over a carcass is to pack and remove the game meat out of the field as quickly as possible. While field dressing game, have your hunting partner act as a sentinel to watch for an approaching bear and have a defense readily available.

If you must leave the carcass for any amount of time: •Separate the carcass from the gut pile with as much distance as possible.

•Quarter and hang the carcass in a tree at least 10 feet from the ground and 4 feet from the trunk.

•If you must leave the carcass on the ground, place it in plain view so when you return, you can see if a bear

is present or if it has been disturbed prior to making your approach.

•Placing something conspicuous on the carcass may help you detect if there has been a bear at the carcass.

When returning to a carcass that has been left overnight, use caution.

•Stop and view the carcass from a distance with binoculars. Approach the carcass upwind and make sufficient noise to alert a bear of your presence.

If you detect disturbance from a distance or if the carcass has been buried, a bear has probably been to the carcass or may be bedded nearby.

Never attempt to scare a bear off of a carcass it has claimed.

In camp, store game meat, capes, and dirty tools/clothes at least 100 yards from your sleeping area and preferably down wind.

BEAR EncounTERS In most situation bears will avoid humans. If you encounter a bear in the field and it does not avoid you, you need to determine if the bear is exhibiting predatory or aggressive/ defensive behavior.

In most situations, grizzly bears

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Hang supplies in hard-sided containers where bears can’t reach them. act defensively to protect their personal space, a food source, or their offspring. A defensive bear often displays stress behaviors such as moaning, woofing, jaw popping or paw swatting.

Remember, the bear is acting aggressively to defend something and if you are not perceived as a threat, the bear should leave the area.

If you encounter an aggressive/defensive bear at close range: •Try to remain calm, slowly back out of the area, and have a defense ready.

•Do not run or challenge the bear with any aggressive body language.

•If the bear begins to approach, stand your ground and use bear spray if available.

•If a bear makes contact or is about to make contact, drop and cover by lying flat on your stomach and inter-lacing your fingers and placing them on the back of your neck.

Do not fight back.

Unlike defensive bear attacks, a bear that is acting in a predatory manner is NOT defending anything.

Predatory behavior is often recog-

nized when a bear appears to be intensely interested in you or deliberately approaches you without displaying any stress behaviors.

If a bear enters your tent, it is behaving in a predatory manner. In a predatory bear attack, you should fight back by any means necessary, do NOT drop and cover.

Camping in Bear Country When you are camping, keeping a clean camp is the key to human safety and is the law on most Forest Service lands in northwest Wyoming.

Bears have a highly evolved sense of smell and are strongly attracted to human food, garbage, livestock feed and game meat. When a bear gains access to attractants in a camp, it is likely to become food-conditioned.

Food-conditioned bears are less likely to avoid humans and can become destructive and even dangerous in their attempts to obtain human foods. A bear that has received a food

reward from a camp will likely return or stay in the area, and may become a problem for other people.

Attractants should be stored in vehicles, hard-sided campers or trailers, or bear boxes which are provided at most forest service campgrounds.

Remember that attractants include stoves, grills, coolers, pet food and toiletry items as well as human food and garbage. It is best not to burn or bury any trash or left-over food in a fire pit.

In a backcountry camping situations, hang food and other attractants from a tree or meat pole, 10 feet above the ground and 4 feet from the vertical support. Meat and food storage poles are provided at many popular campsite locations and should be located at least 100 yards from your sleeping area.

With the proper preparation and knowledge, hunting in bear country can be an extraordinary and rewarding experience. Mental preparedness, utilization of techniques to avoid bear encounters and the knowledge of what to do in a bear encounter are all essential components of a safe and successful bear country hunt.

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Deer Hunt

Renae Gordon Gordon got this buck last fall up the South Fork.

Hunting

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G N I H S I F e fall h t n i

Waters in coming months should be better than 2012

By TIM WADE Enterprise fishing columnist

F

ishing in the fall is truly a special treat for anglers in the Cody/Yellowstone region.

In the northwest Rockies, where everything begins at 5,000 feet or higher, fall can begin to show its colors in early September. The crowds of high summer have gone,

leaving many miles of rivers and streams free for the exploring during the hunting season – September through early December.

Those that have hunted and fished the northwest corner of Wyoming the past several years have seen good to excellent river and reservoir conditions, thanks to above normal snowpack those years.

Water conditions going into the

fall and winter months of 2013 are much better than last year. Fall is never a high water time, so anglers can enjoy great pocket water, riffles and runs all over the Absaroka/ Beartooth region. Wyoming has been blessed with abundant rivers and streams to fish all year.

Fall means shorter days and cooler temperatures. All bode well for happy fish once the hunt is over and there is

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time to wet a line. And there are still wild native Yellowstone cutthroat, as well as whitefish, rainbow, brown and brook trout to be caught.

Despite an early beginning to the fishing season, the trout have had plenty of aquatic and terrestrial insects to eat, which means the local wild trout are going into the fall months in prime condition. This means anglers that are out fishing in the fall will have some fat, strong trout pulling their line at some point in a day.

Fishing in the fall is not much different than hunting big game animals – anglers study their quarry of choice much like a hunter and know the fish as well as hunters know game.

The difference being, true anglers will be hunting big browns, rainbows and cutthroats found in the larger rivers in the area instead of big game or game birds and waterfowl.

Those that were not removed from the rivers, lakes and streams have endured a summer of anglers and need to be approached differently than just a few weeks before, when the waters were higher and the leaves were not the brilliant shades of golds and reds, but green and fully leaved.

Fly fishing really is at its best during the fall when hatches of caddis, blue-winged olives and midges have the trout rising most of the day. It is a great alternative when not hunting big game or upland birds, that is. The trout know winter is not far off and are eager to put on weight to sustain them for six months in frigid water.

Big flies, big fish rules apply in the fall. Large grasshopper flies cast to a river’s bank will still yield big strikes from fish lying in ambush, if one is careful on the first cast.

Streamer flies, sinking lines and stout fly rods are used by anglers pursuing the largest trout, especially brown trout that can look like alligators when in the net, to “dredge” the bottoms with these heavy rigs in hopes of hooking and landing a double-digit brown trout.

Matching the hatch continues well into December, even January, on most waters in the region, especially on tailwater fisheries, such as the lower Shoshone River, which has excellent

fishing below Buffalo Bill Dam to well past the town of Powell some 20-plus river miles away.

During periods of Indian summer weather in the fall, when daytime temps can feel like summer, fishing small dries will continue to be productive on all waters that remain unfrozen. Unfortunately, Yellowstone Park closes to fishing after the first week-

end in November to give the trout a chance to fatten up more before winter comes in earnest.

The loss of angling water in Yellowstone is no problem for there are still miles and miles of great dry fly, wet fly or streamer fishing found in the Cody area.

Not everyone will pull out a fly rod when angling, but that is fine. Fall is a great time to use small spinners or spoons in mountain streams and creeks, while switching to larger versions on larger rivers.

If you catch and release, it is much easier on the trout if you use a single, barbless hook at the back of your favorite lure instead of a potentially lethal treble hook. Lure action will not be effected by the change.

Should you want to hit the high country for an elk, moose or bighorn sheep, or just explore the wilder-

Sept. 4, 2013 - Page 51

ness, don’t neglect those enticing glacial ponds and lakes found in the Beartooth and Big Horn mountains.

The trout up high can provide hours of fun on high altitude lakes.

Late afternoons, when the water is warmest is the best time to try flies and lures, leaving time for hunting or relaxing in camp. If the fishing is slow, the wildlife, setting and scenery will definitely keep one occupied.

Trolling or casting from a boat also is an option at Buffalo Bill, Yellowtail and Boysen reservoirs, where not only trout are found, but also walleye, smallmouth bass, perch, crappie, carp and catfish.

Boaters can use down-riggers or slow troll large diving plugs or spoons to target lake trout that could bottom the scales at 30 pounds, or larger, at Buffalo Bill Reservoir.

Bounce jigs or throw plugs near structure for big walleye and crappie at Boysen, or walleye and smallmouth bass at Yellowtail.

Shore anglers will find success, too. Be sure to check the regulations before fishing any waters with lures, bait or for harvest. There are restrictions to both in some areas.

“

Anglers that are out fishing in the fall will have some fat, strong trout pulling their line at some point in a day.

”

Tim Wade, Fishing Expert

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M R A E R I F R U YO

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ers g n a d l physica

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If your rifle is dirty and gummed up, you’ve probably wasted a lot of time, money and effort just to wind up striking out at the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded.

”

Bob Meinecke

By BOB MEINECKE Enterprise outdoors columnist

B

ack when I was indentured to Uncle Sam’s service, we had to abide by the military code of justice which, in short, specified everything you could do or not do and exactly what your commanding officer could do to you if you screwed up.

Which we all did at one time or another.

Then when I was sent on my senior trip to Southeast Asia, I learned even more neat things than had been taught to me during my previous scholarship ride through boot camp and beyond.

For example, unlike boot camp, if you dropped your rifle there was no drill instructor and usually not even an non-commissioned officer around to yell at you. But if the brown stuff hit the fan and your rice paddy soaked M-16 wouldn’t run, it didn’t take long to re-learn the lessons.

Incoming fire is a positive reenforcement of elementary physics and the need to stay sharp.

What’s that got to do with hunting, you ask? Well, if your rifle is dirty and gummed up, you’ve probably wasted a lot of time, money and effort just to wind up striking out at the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded.

If you take a tumble into the mud, snow or even a fast-running river filled with slick river rocks, stuff can get into your rifle’s barrel and plug it. Even water can cause obstruction and impede the forward progress of your bullet and cause everything from a split barrel

and a hospital stay, to a mildly bulged barrel that won’t print two shots within six inches of each other.

We can avoid this by employing one of two techniques – simple electrician’s tape or a cheap birthday balloon. A single thickness of the good quality (I use 3M), electrician’s tape or a cheap penny balloon will seal out debris, bugs and water. The gases exiting the muzzle in front of your bullet when you need to shoot will simply push the tape aside or burst the balloon with no practical effect on your accuracy.

On the other hand, a stuck case can call for a bit more effort.

Our good friend, whom we call “Cactus Butt,” gained his nickname when he was heading for the trucks with a friend’s jammed rifle, tripped on a loose coil of buried barbed wire, did a beautiful 180 degree pivot on the toes of one foot (sort of like a redneck version of Swan Lake) and landed on his ample backside in a patch of cactus.

Like they say, the road to hell is lined with good intentions.

C.B. was heading for the trucks to clear the jammed case with the truck’s radio antenna. Not having a good collapsible cleaning rod around, or even a solid one, it was the best field expedient he could think of. It worked too, somewhat later.

Especially on an extended trip in the back country, having a collapsible cleaning rod in your kit may save much frustration. (Incidentally, Marble’s used to make a good one.)

At the least it could save your trip.

At the most it could save you a trip to the village gunsmith.

With one exception, every scoped rifle I’ve ever hunted with had iron sights for a back-up system in case the scope went south.

A sudden fall can bang up a scope, or a horse that decides to bang into a tree or even roll with the saddle on can bugger up a scope.

Of course, if the horse rolls on the rifle, you’ll probably be forced to continue the hunt with just your handgun. (You did bring a large caliber handgun along for back-up, right?)

Regardless, anything from a constant downpour of rain to a heavy fog to moisture seeping into the scope internals and fogging up the eyepieces can ruin an expensive hunt – and they’ve all happened to most of us at some time during a hunt.

A simple precaution, such as having a way to detach the scope and use those “old-fashioned” iron sights, can save the hunt.

Of course, everyone knows that cleanliness is next to godliness, as my sainted maternal grandmother was fond of saying.

In combat you will learn that it also can be a lifesaver. In hunting, things that are gunked up or fouled up have a tendency to balk, bind and just plain quit working. When that happens, the fun’s over until the firearm is cleaned and put back into operating shape.

Since there are more hunters afield these day sans any form of military training, it’s prudent to consider these factors.

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Sarah Christensen Deer Hunt Christensen, pictured with husband Dusty, harvested this mule deer in Area 124 by Burlington and Otto.

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