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Dove Hunting Tips

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:17:09 +0000

Pre season scouting can pay big dividends for doves

September is right around the corner and that means dove hunting all across the country will be opening. Be sure to spend a little bit of time scouting just prior to opening day to find roosts, feeding fields and waterholes. Places that are holding doves late in August should still produce birds in early September. Another thing to scout for is flyways that the doves are using consistently to travel between roost, feed and waterholes.

Water Holes
Early and late in the day, I make sure that I am sitting at a water hole. One key thing to remember is that doves decoy just like waterfowl do, and full body style dove decoys seem to work the best…. use a lot of them. Once your decoys are out it’s as simple as wearing camouflage and waiting. If you’ve done your homework and you’re sitting a waterhole that the doves are using the doves will come. *By the way, early in the season I prefer to shoot trap/skeet load.

Tree & Field Edges
If you can find a field edge with some trees that the doves are using as a roost, you’ve hit jackpot! I’ve had situations here in Idaho when I’ve had my limit within minutes. A good roost on the edge of a field is one of my favorite places to dove hunt. As with most hunting, scouting can pay huge dividends once you start actually hunting.

That’s pretty much it. Doves are fairly simple and straight forward to hunt, but they are one of the most challenging birds to shoot. They fly erratically and they are fast. They can embarrass the best of shooters. After a few days of dove hunting, shooting for other game birds will seem easy. They’re a great way to start the season.

We have good dove hunting here in the states, but if you really want to experience some incredible dove hunting you need to plan a trip to Mexico or Argentina. The dove hunting at either of these places will blow your mind!

Glassing Properly is the Key to Success

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:15:30 +0000

by Outdoors International

You can’t kill what you can’t see. Period. It’s not going to happen. Let’s take a look at my personal battery of Big Game Hunting optics and tripods and why I choose them.

You must be able to efficiently locate game game at long distances if you plan on being a successful big game hunter in the wide open spaces of the American West.

My personal choice in binoculars is Swarovski.

Swarovski optics are number one on my list for binoculars. From freezing rain and snow, to blowing sand and 115 degree heat, these fantastic optics have continued to perform flawlessly for me over the years. The model I use for my “handheld” pair is the Crooked Horn Bino Harness system which keeps the binoculars firmly against my chest without any of the neck pain and swinging around associated with neck straps.

The 8 power binoculars allow me to hand hold them steadier than 10′s or 12′s yet still offer me a great field of view. My 8′s are my first step in my glassing and are used to initially sweep and look over an area I intend to glass before setting up the big optics to really dissect my glassing area. I never hike up to a glassing location and sit down before thoroughly covering the area with the 8′s first.

For my tripod mounted pair I rely on the Swarovski 15×56 SLC binoculars.

After glassing the area with my handhelds I will set up for my second step to slowly take the area apart with my tripod and big glass. For my tripod mounted pair I rely on the Swarovski 15×56 SLC binoculars. The big 15′s have an amazing field of view, razor sharp clarity from edge to edge, and are packaged up in a sleek lightweight design that allows you to pack them anywhere without being too cumbersome. I attach these binoculars to a Bogen 3001 BD Tripod with a Bogen 3130 fluid pan head attachment. This particular tripod is heavier to pack than some other models but the extra weight pays off immensely by adding stability when glassing in windy conditions. The fluid pan head is smooth as silk and allows for slow precise movements when glassing. This setup is my bread and butter system for all of my hunts and is far and away the finest combination of optics and tripod I have ever used. I use this setup to locate 90% or more of the trophy game we harvest on our western hunts.

Zeiss is my number one choice when it comes to spotting scopes.

Zeiss is my number one choice when it comes to spotting scopes. Why? After glassing with all the top spotting scope brands Zeiss scopes have far and away the biggest field of view of any brand of spotting scope I have tried to date. Zeiss scopes really stand out from the competition in this area and also have the razor sharp clarity and durability I demand in my hunting optics. My model of choice is the Zeiss 20×60 power Diascope 85 T* FL. I also mount this scope on the scope on my Bogen tripod setup.

My spotting scope only comes out as my third step after I have spotted something that is a bit out of reach of my binoculars and needs a closer look. I also rely on my spotting scope to make careful and detailed evaluations of trophy game. My Zeiss spotting scope really allows me to see trophy detail up close and allows you to field judge game at long distances without any fear of getting too close and spooking anything. The farther you can stay away from game when scouting, the better.

Color Phase Black Bears in Idaho

admin — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 12:50:42 +0000

It’s almost time to start bear hunting here in Idaho. We can bait here so I always set a few up even though I prefer to spot and stalk with my bow. Here’s a little run down of our bait/trail camera experience a few years ago.

In the spring of 2007, we purchased trail cameras for our bear baits. We were surprised not only with the number of bears he had, but also with the color phases and the quality of the bears. After the season was over, we compiled the pictures and did a conservative count of the individual bears (some bears hit the bait over and over again even on the same day, so we tried not to count those bears more than once). Here are the numbers that we came up with:

We had at least 37 different bears hitting the six baits that had trail cameras on them and 81% of those bears were color phase!.

56% Chocolate
19% Black *Most of our black bears have chocolate around their shoulders. We have very few coal-black bears.
14% Blonde
11% Red and Cinnamon

Here are a few of the pictures we got that season:

by Cory Glauner

Judge orders wolves back on Endangered Species List, ending hunting

admin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 00:53:40 +0000

from IdahoStatesman.com

A federal judge ruled Thursday against the Obama administration and returned wolves in the Rocky Mountains to the Endangered Species List.

That means that hunting seasons in Idaho and Montana will not be allowed to continue.

U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy said leaving wolves listed as endangered in Wyoming while delisting them in Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington and northern Utah violates the Endangered Species Act.

“The Endangered Species Act does not allow the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to list only part of a “species” as endangered, or to protect a listed distinct population segment only in part as the Final Rule here does,” Malloy wrote. Idaho’s wolf hunting season could have begun as soon as Aug. 30.

The Idaho Fish and Game Commissioners were slated to set wolf hunting quotas and finalize rules at their Aug. 16 meeting in Idaho Falls. Hunters killed 134 wolves in Idaho and 72 in Montana in 2009 and early this year.

Wolf advocates say that the current population is not big enough to ensure that long term genetic health of the population. Their attorney told the judge they believe 2,000 to 5,000 wolves may be necessary.

But Molloy did not rule on the issue.

“Because the Rule does not comply with the ESA, it is unnecessary to resolve all of the issues raised by the parties.” Idaho had 835 wolves at the end of 2009 and the region, including Montana, Wyoming, eastern Washington, eastern Oregon and northern Utah, had an estimated population of 1,706. Since then new pups have joined the packs and before hunting the overall population had been growing at a rate of about 20 percent annually.

Biological and Other Compelling Needs for Antler Restriction

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:24:34 +0000

by Dick Henry

Many critics of antler restrictions are quick to dismiss the program as a gimmick or another “flavor of the month” for deer management. However this notion ignores the basic breeding ecology of deer and the impacts that can affect a white-tailed deer herd when that ecology is compromised.

Animal husbandry is in fact a science, and there is no reason not to apply sound breeding practices to our free ranging herd of white-tailed deer in NY. In many areas hunters often observe fewer deer than meets their satisfaction and it’s easy to blame this on a number of things. We must not overlook the fact that every time a NY hunter pulls the trigger or releases an arrow, he or she is making a decision that will determine the herd’s characteristics for the next season. When a poor buck-to-doe ratio exists, we will experience a trickle rut. A breeding chronology that is extended as it appears to the case in some areas of NY is something that hunters can control. Only our stubborn adherence to outdated hunting traditions that results in annually clear-cutting the yearling buck population prevents us from refining deer breeding ecology.

Yearling bucks are capable breeders, and DNA analysis has shown that in white-tailed deer populations with a well-balanced age structure, yearlings will breed about 1/3 of the does. However, in unbalanced herds such as NY and other northeastern states with a poor buck age structure, yearlings by default are forced to conduct the bulk of the breeding over an extended period of time. This immature age class of male animals with the smallest physical stature, the poorest stored fat reserves, and the most inept breeding behaviors are forced to be the primary breeders over a needlessly long breeding season. It defies the basic logic of animal husbandry practices, yet is a time-honored scenario that currently plays out every fall, to the chronic long term detriment of overall deer herd health in NY.

By simply restoring a balanced age and sex structure to our deer population with antler restrictions that protect a majority of the yearlings bucks, New York hunters can finally begin to experience a deer herd structure that none of us, or many generations of our forefathers have ever seen.

More importantly, we owe future generations of deer hunters a better legacy than 100 years of tradition, unhampered by progress, lacking in scientific support and devoid of common sense.

Read the rest of this great article

How to Prepare for an Archery Antelope Hunt

admin — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:42:29 +0000

by Cory Glauner

Antelope are very intuitive animals. Anything can spark their interest and they will come and check it out. Antelope are also very territorial, probably one of the most territorial animals I know of. Antelope can see very well at long distances. Their eyes are like binoculars, but I believe they can not see that well at close up ranges, kinda like looking at an object up close without adjusting your binoculars everything is fuzzy. I have had guys do all types of moving around situating themselves for a shot and not get busted, but if we were whitetail hunting we would have been busted instantly.

Antelope can hear very well and respond to many different calls. They have challenge calls, grunts, chuckles, and distress calls. Your guides will all have antelope calls and use these calls in different situations, one of the best ways using a call will make an antelope stop right in his tracks for a nice standstill shot. I do recommend doing everything you can to prevent scent just like whitetail hunting. Antelope bow hunting can be very boring and very exciting. You may sit in a blind for hours seeing nothing and then all of the sudden a herd will run in at 30 yards away from you. This is much different than hunting whitetail deer as you usually see a deer coming and have time to prepare and anticipate the shot before he arrives. With Antelope, you may never see them, then all the sudden they are there. This can be very nerve racking and adrenaline pumping. Try to put yourself through a few crash courses handling adrenaline, by visualizing the hunting situation as if it were happening right in front of you as you are target practicing. I find this one of the best ways to overcome the rush as you will have practiced this situation over and over in your head so when you see it in the field you will be ready for it.

For shooting distances most shots take place anywhere from 30 to 40 yards, some being shorter and some being longer. The further you can shoot comfortably will increase the odds you will have at taking bigger trophy bucks. I have no problem with letting hunters take a 50 to 60 yard shot if they are comfortable and capable of taking that kind of shot. I recommend also practicing kneeling shots as most of your shots will take place kneeling if you are hunting from a ground blind or in a spot and stalk situation.

Things to Bring on an Archery Antelope Hunt:

Bow

Layers of Cloths as morning hunts will be cool then hot during the day, cooling off again at night

I recommend always having a black shirt with you while hunting as most of the hunting will take place inside a ground blind, bring camo clothing as well as we may do some spot and stalks depending on the hunting situations. Any cam works, but I recommend Cabelas Open Country or Mossy Oak Brush camo.

Black or Camo Face paint, face mask will also work.

Uninsulated hunting boots.

Hunting Permit(s)

I.D.

Binoculars, Range Finder, Arrows, Backpack, Camera, bow release, anything personal you would like to bring.

Small flashlight or type of light source.

Scent Eliminator or Scent Protector Spray.

Magazines, Books, anything to keep you entertained while waiting for the big buck to come your way.

Hunting in Mexico

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:33:46 +0000

by Cory Glauner

Very few hunting destinations can offer the quality mule deer, coues deer, and desert bighorn sheep hunting found in Old Mexico, specifically the state of Sonora. Many bucks and rams grow old and die here without ever having set eyes on a human being much less having a bullet fired at them. Opportunities for world class trophies are a reality in Sonora and keep hunters coming back year after year.

Traveling to and from Sonora can be a simple streamlined affair or it can be your worst nightmare. Using a highly experienced and knowledgeable outfitter will keep your Mexico dream hunt from turning into a disaster. Mexico permits and paperwork can be complex matter to an inexperienced traveler especially with the Spanish language barrier. Most of us are also aware that violence has increased in some portions of Sonora lately. These 2 factors deter many hunters from experiencing what can truly be the trophy hunt of a lifetime.

We will take care of your Mexico hunt from start to finish to eliminate these factors and ensure a smooth, safe, and successful Mexico hunt. We have been hunting in Sonora since 1994 and have become very experienced with all of Mexico’s import and export procedures for both weapons and trophies. During these years we have also formed great working relationships with local official personnel and local authorities. We are fully bilingual and there is no such thing as a language barrier on any of our Mexico hunts. Our ranches we hunt are very far removed from any areas that may have questionable activities occurring in them. We accompany you during every second of your stay with us in Mexico and make sure every detail of your hunt is well attended to. Our hunters fly into a major international airport with safe travel corridors to our ranches. Rest assured your Mexico hunt with us will be a safe and successful one from start to finish.

Don’t miss out on your chance to experience some of the finest deer and sheep hunting found on the planet. The incredible trophies and the enchanting culture of Mexico, its wonderful people, and fabulous food, is something that should be experienced by all hunters at least once in their lifetimes. World class trophy hunting and adventure is awaiting you in the magical deserts of Sonora!

If you are interested in hunting trophy mule deer, coues deer, or desert bighorn sheep in Mexico, contact us.

Kyrgyzstan Ibex Hunts

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:31:44 +0000

Kyrgyzstan Is home to some of the largest Ibex in the world, and some of the most rugged mountains found anyplace but do not let that scare you. These horses travel these mountains with ease and will get you within good range to bag a very nice trophy Ibex which you will enjoy for many years to come.

*Kyrgyzstan is a safe and friendly country to hunt and the U.S. military has been operating from there for some time.

Kyrgyzstan Is home to some of the largest Ibex in the world.

Mid Asia / Tien Shen Ibex Hunt: $5,900
2nd Ibex: $2,600 (in some cases extra 1-2 hunting days must be added to harvest the second Ibex)
Wolf: $800

Ibex hunts run from August – December and all hunts include an 8 day trip with 6 full days Ibex hunting with 4-8 hunters per group. One of our agents will work with each group to fit the hunters schedule. Hunts will take place in the Tien- Shan Mountains of Central Kyrgyzstan. Accommodations will be in hunting houses and yurts with stoves and travel will be done with jeeps and horses. Expect temperatures to be between 15-50 degrees and the elevation will be between 7,500 to 10,500 feet.

Ibex Hunting Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Bishkek where the Outfitter will meet the hunters and assist with customs, and purchasing gun permits which is very quick and easy. From there, start the drive to the hunting area around 10 hours driving. After everyone is rested, guns will be zeroed in and prepare for the Ibex hunts.

Day 2 -7 Hunters will be in the field hunting for Ibex.

Day 8 Hunters will transfer from hunting camp to Bishkek and prepare for the trip home one day before their scheduled flight home.

Ibex Hunts will include:

1×1 Experienced Guide with each hunter for the duration of the hunt
1 interpreter

Cooks and helpers will be in all base camps (sometimes hunters will stay in spike camps at the higher elevations rather than traveling back to base camp each night)

Horses and Jeeps will be used to transport hunters to locate good Ibex once located. Stalking and hunting will be carried out on foot on some occasions hunters may be required to hunt from a spike camp up to 4-5 day period.

All food and accommodations for the complete hunt

1 trophy size Ibex

Trophy preparation and packing Ibex for shipment home (suggested each hunter bring a water proof bag for taking skin and horns home)

Included all transfer to and from hunting areas from Bishkek

Not Included In hunt price:

Gun permits for import into Kyrgyzstan – $100 per gun (cash must be brought to purchase these permits.

Trophy export – $100 per Ibex

International Veterinary Certificate – $60 per Ibex

Non Hunters fees – $1,000

Visa for Kyrgyzstan – $70 (Visas may be purchased once you arrive in Bishkek all you will need is a valid passport to obtain you 30 day visa)

Hotels during travel to and from Bishkek (hotel average cost $50 to $60 dollar per night)

Extra Hunting days for one hunter – $300

Extra hunting days for more than one hunter – $200

All Air travel to and from Bishkek /Kyrgyzstan R/T air fare from Moscow ,England ,Istanbul Turkey and other connections into Bishkek from the U.S. should cost around $900 for a round trip coach fare.

- $2,700 Non-Refundable Deposit Required to Book
- Upon arrival to Bishkek $1,000 (cash US dollar)
- Upon shooting a trophy Ibex $2,200 (cash US dollar)

A Buck in Hand is Worth Several in the Cholla

Tory — Wed, 26 May 2010 13:08:30 +0000

2010 Mexico Mule Deer Hunt
by David Pereda

“I think we might have messed up. I can’t get rid of these butterflies I got in my stomach thinking about that buck.” “Really? You think we should have shot him?” It was now dark on the first day of my client’s Mexico Mule Deer hunt and our conversation kept drifting back to the big buck we had passed up at 100 yards 5 minutes into the hunt that morning.

We spotted over 60 deer the rest of that day and saw several good bucks. One buck in particular was lacking a little in the length department but had an extremely wide and heavy frame that we estimated to be over 34 inches wide. Upon returning to the ranch house that night my mind kept wandering back to the buck we had seen that morning. The weather was supposed to come in the next evening so we all came to the conclusion that if we saw the buck tomorrow we were going to shoot.

We headed out the next morning with high hopes but of course now that we were looking for him the buck was nowhere to be found. We again saw over 50 deer throughout the day but no shots at any big bucks. With the sun going down we headed back to ranch house and lo and behold there he was. Lynn got set up and made a great shot that hammered the buck down right in his tracks. The buck had managed to break off about 8 inches of his right main beam sometime during the night but still managed to score 182 B&C as a 3×4. His intact right antler doubled would go over 200 B&C typical. The brute was also wider than we originally thought and his outside spread ended up being exactly 30 inches wide. A true trophy buck in anyone’s book.

New Zealand Tahr Hunting Adventure

bryant — Mon, 24 May 2010 12:57:06 +0000

A story about one of our clients’ adventures in New Zealand

Tahr hunting is one of the toughest things you will ever do. I hunted with a New Zealand Outfitter and I can’t say enough about this operation. I chose to hunt public land as this is a much cheaper option than a private land hunt.

This little hut made a great base camp, and once organized, we headed up to look for Tahr. Near the head of the gully we spotted about five bulls spread down a ridge, but we opted to leave them for the morning.

Next day we left camp before first light. Again a couple of younger animals and nannies were seen up high on the way in , but we were headed for the mature bulls. After a lot of glassing we located a couple of animals up high, bedded in some bluffs. The time had come¦..out came the ice axe and walking stick because we had to climb¦

Climbing through the rocks and snow is seriously energy-sapping, you need to be constantly aware of where you place every foot and in most areas you have to kick a good toe-hold in the ice before taking another step. From here it became some serious rock climbing through the bluffs, expecting to see animals at any time. As Simon stuck his head over a couple of boulders he saw the animals and motioned to me to climb up. I got up and kicked a couple of good footholds, then lowered the bipod. My guide ranged them at 190 yards and judged them as young 9 inch bulls. They were only young bulls but after a long tough climb I decided to take the best of the two, I didnt want to pass something up early as there may not be another chance. I put the cross hairs low into his shoulder and squeezed, the .30/06 almost surprised me as it went off and the bull was blown clean off the other side of the bluff.

Shooting an animal up here is only half of the story, then you have to get to it. we had to drop down below the bluffs, sidle across a heap of knee-deep snow and then climb up an avalanche chute where we finally found my bull.

All-in-all this hunt was an awesome experience that I will definitely repeat. Anyone thinking of hunting New Zealand, just go and do it, as I have proved you dont have to spend big dollars. The terrain and hunting is so vastly different to our country in Australia that just being there is an experience in itself.

I cant recommend this trip highly enough, and anyone wanting to hunt NZ would not go wrong hunting with him, he is a straight-up bloke who hunts at your pace and really knows and loves his Tahr hunting.

by Brad Pfeil
See all of our hunting trips