Western Hunter

Didn’t draw for Arizona elk this year? Neither did some of us here at Elk Hunter. We’ve got some great news though- you’ve got another chance. Once a year, the Arizona Big Game Super Raffle draws one winner for each big game species, and that lucky guy or girl gets to hunt for 365 days in any Arizona unit they choose (with some exceptions for the sheep tag). Here’s how it works- You buy raffle tickets anytime between now and July 8th. Tickets vary in price from $5-$25, and there are packages available (we recommend the “All Eleven” package, which puts you in for all ten hunts, and the two bonus prizes, which we’ll get to in a minute). The raffle includes elk, Coues whitetail, mule deer, antelope mountain lion, big horn sheep, javelina, black bear, buffalo and turkey. So what are these bonus prizes? They’re BIG that’s what they are. For just $10 you’re entered to win a Swarovski package of your dreams. This package includes binoculars, a spotting scope, a rifle scope, and the new EL Range laser rangefinder. Click here to learn more about the package- it’s worth over $9,00 and it can’t be beat! The second extra prize is a guided New Mexico elk hunt with West-Tex New-Mex Hunting Services. The package includes lodging, meals, transportation during the hunt, skinning and delivery to meat processor. You’ll hunt with a guaranteed bull elk landowner tag in Northern New Mexico in an area with the potential to produce trophy bulls. Some of the areas have a good bear density and a bear license is available for purchase over the counter. Dates of the hunt will depend on whether you want to hunt archery, rifle or muzzleloader. Click here to learn more about the hunt. So remember- with the “All Eleven” Package, you are entered to win all of the hunts, the Swarovski package and the NM elk hunt. You really don’t want to miss any of these opportunities, especially if you were unlucky in Arizona this year. Oh and we almost forgot to mention- all proceeds from the raffle of the tags go straight back to the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Buying these raffle tickets not only put you in the running for the hunt of a lifetime, but they support conservation in Arizona at the same time. It’s a win-win! Check out the photos below of previous winners, and see more photos and stories on the AZBGSR Blog. To buy tickets or learn more, head to the AZBGSR website! Jim Pomfret and his bull. This was Jim’s first ever big game hunt! Mike Schnable and his beautiful bull Robert Dunn and his raffle bull Bobby Boido and his Coues whitetail Donnie Young and his big horn sheep Eric Hunt and his big horn sheep were featured in our very own Western Hunter Magazine. Other Articles You May Enjoy: Whale’s Tail Hunt Forever West Episode 2- WY Elk Hunt 400 inch Arizona Bull Bugling Bull Up Close View the full article

Kristy Titus is the hunting/nutrition editor with Elk Hunter Magazine. Here is a little bit about Kristy. “I was raised leading a pack string of mules into the backcountry, experiencing the thrill of fair chase, do-it-yourself hunting. I believe life’s hardest lessons are best learned in the field with your family and friends by your side, helping you to develop sound personal character and values. The time that I spent in the backcountry as a kid with my family transformed my life and created the entire core of who I am as an individual. My dad always taught me that there was no such thing as goal or a dream too big to make a reality. Learning the value of setting goals and creating my own success started with small moments in the field: as a kid learning to handle, ride, and pack mules, learning to call elk, learning how to strategize in the field, and ultimately gaining the skills to hunt solo on public land. Over the past few years, I’ve been fortunate enough to hunt around the globe, from the frozen Canadian tundra to the bushveld savannas of Africa. Climbing some of the roughest mountains in the world, enduring severe weather conditions, pushing my mind and body, digging deep, and giving each hunt everything I’ve got motivates me to continuously look for ways to gain the advantage over the next hunter and the prey that I seek. As an elite athlete on the Under Armour Arsenal, with a background as a Certified Clinical Sports Nutrition and Exercise INTRAFITT® technical representative and an NPC figure competitor, I know that there is nothing more powerful than proper nutrition and hard training. Spending countless hours training in the gym, running trails, shooting my bow, refining my elk-calling skills and preseason scouting gives me the advantage in the backcountry. I’m passionate in the support of wildlife and habitat conservation and outdoor education. Every member of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is a member of Team Elk. However, because I’m a featured member of Team Elk, I’m in a position to represent RMEF to broader audiences and serve as an ambassador for RMEF. Having also served my local chapter of SCI and community for nearly 10 years, I’m proud to do my part to ensure the continuation of our hunting heritage and the right to bear arms. By sharing my adventures and love of the outdoors, my greatest hope is to inspire others, giving them the confidence to tackle the most demanding outdoor activities.” Get to know Kristy Titus better by reading the interview below. 1. What do you like about elk hunting the most? For me, there is nothing that compares to the haunting sound of a bull’s bugle as it echos across a canyon. The bull elk has left such an impression upon me that I lay awake in bed at night reliving moments in the backcountry and imaging what lies ahead for the coming season. The thrill of getting a bull all fired up to fight, first hearing then watching him charge in like a freight train is an indescribable experience. When you are blessed enough to have that moment nothing will ever again compare. 2. Do you prefer bowhunting or rifle hunting elk? For me, it’s all in the experience. I like getting in close and having intense encounters with elk. Typically, the heat is turned up during archery season, but I have been on some rifle hunts that have been every bit as thrilling as an archery hunt. 3. When did you shoot your first elk? I was 13 years old when my dad used his old school bugle to chuckle in a public land spike and 5×5 bull elk. The 5×5 came in screaming, chasing off the spike, and angrily charging towards us when my dad shot him from roughly 30 yards away. I didn’t pull the trigger on that bull but I consider it to be my first in many ways as it changed my life forever. Thankfully, my dad and I still experience the thrill of elk hunting together every year. 4. What methods of hunt are your favorite to use on elk? There is no greater thrill for me than calling in a bull elk. 5. How do you personally prepare for an upcoming elk hunt (physically), (gear), (shooting) Physically, I train year round. I do a lot of resistance training so that my muscles are well conditioned to carry my gear and in the summer, I do a lot of running for cardiovascular endurance. Over the past year, I have been taking crossfit classes which give me a challenging bit of both worlds. I shoot my bow at least twice a week year round, but during the summer, I shoot daily. When it comes to shooting my rifle, I haven’t practiced as much as I should, so this year, I am attending the Holland’s Long Range Shooting School in order to improve my knowledge and skill to become a more proficient shooter. There are some really amazing sportsmen out there that have extensive knowledge and in field skills that I really look up to, so I learn as much as I can from them. I try to always learn something new and have an open mind. You never know who may teach you a new method that will make you a more successful hunter. 6. On a typical elk hunt what is always in your backpack? A lot of stuff, too much stuff. My dad always makes fun of how much “junk†I pack around. For day trips where I have a camp set up, I have less “junk†which includes: a Havalon Knife, Limb Saw, Hunting Knife, 2 Headlamps, Extra Batteries, GPS, Map, Compass, Food, Tri Pod, Swarovski Spotting Scope, Binoculars & Range Finder, Scents, Decoy, SPF Lip Balm, TP, Small First Aid Kit, Liquid Smoke, Camera, Video Camera, Kindle, Cell Phone, Small Game Bags, Small Notepad and Pencil, Hot Hands/Feet, Cloth Tape Measure, Flagging Tape, Small Survival Kit, Water and last but not least, my weapon of choice. 7. What is your favorite cow call? Bugle? All of my calls are Rocky Mountain Hunting Calls (formerly Bugling Bull Game Calls) but my favorite diaphragm call is the “Remedy†because it makes good cow/calf sounds plus it is a dynamite call for bugling too. I like to keep it simple. I will have a back up “Mellow Yellow MaMa†if the elk are super close and I need a nice soft cow call to really romance the bulls. For bugling, I am a diaphragm user, so I love the “Bully Bull†with the select-a-bull base. This allows me to change the tone of my bugle to sound more aggressive or throaty clear down to young and squeaky for more immature bull sounds. With these three calls, I can make any elk sound that I need to and not have to carry a bunch of calls. 8. What is your dream elk hunt? Who would like to hunt with? Every elk hunt is my dream hunt. There is no place that I would rather be in this world than hunting elk with my friends and family. My dad and Rockie Jacobsen are two of my favorites to hunt with but this year, I am really looking forward to hunting with the other members of Team Elk. 9. What is your favorite way to eat cook elk meat? I like to marinate my elk steaks, then roll the slices up and skewer them on a stick wrapped in bacon. Slow cooked to perfection on the Traeger, nothing beats it!!! 10. What else do you like to hunt? I love hunting period. In the Spring, I like to take my 7 year old nephew Rock Chuck hunting with our Crosman Air Rifles, followed by Turkey and Bears of course the fall is reserved for Elk and Deer. Someday, I will get the opportunity at Moose, Grizzly or Brown Bear, Mountain Goat and Sheep hunting. 11. What do you like to do when you are not hunting? My family is everything to me so when I am not hunting, I am usually with them. Luckily for me, my family also loves hunting, so we are usually outdoors shooting our bows or guns, riding the mules, scouting, camping or enjoying the lake on our boat. We also spend a tremendous amount of time in the gym year round, training together which is great. 12. What kind of movies do you like? I don’t watch a lot of movies, but I do love to laugh, so when I make the time to watch a movie, it’s usually a comedy. 13. What is your favorite food? I love Mexican food; fresh corn tortillas, refried beans, black beans and fresh pico de gallo. I could eat elk asada tacos, ground elk tacos, taco seasoned elk burger with potatoes and salsa, anything with a Mexican flare, everyday. 14. Tell us something the readers would never guess about you? When I am on long road trips, I like to sing really loud in the truck and eat popcorn. I consider myself to be a huge dork. 15. Tell us about your business and your websites? I developed the Pursue the Wild website (pursuethewild.com) a few years ago, before the big social media craze took over. I update that site occasionally with resources, but most of my focus is on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/kristytitus ) and on my blog (www.kristytitus.blogspot.com). All my pages feature various links to my seminar schedule, articles, tips and videos that I write or produce, current events that are hunting related, and a place to share the hunting and outdoor heritage together as a family. I am on my Facebook page nearly every day and I feel like the people on my page are an extended part of my family. We share the highs and lows of our time in the field. It is a fun place to be. This year, Realtree.com is producing a 15 part video blog called “Out West with Kristy Titus†which will feature various tips for Western Big Game hunting. When I am not hunting, I am a professional fitness and nutrition consultant with INTRAFITT. INTRAFITT (INTRA-Cellular Fitness) is a comprehensive individualized nutrition and exercise program designed to teach you exactly how, what, when, and why to eat and exercise in order to achieve stable blood sugar and promote a favorable intra-cellular hormonal response. We design custom nutrition and exercise programs based on individual body composition and goals, including maximizing health, sports performance, fat loss, and simply looking and feeling your best. View the full article

By Curtis Crimmins Drawing a permit for a prime unit is what every hunter hopes for. Sometimes one of the hardest things about a hunt for an experienced hunter is getting drawn for a record producing unit. After 30 years of hunting in Arizona my brother Mike Crimmins and his hunting buddy Jim Oliver finally drew prime unit bull tags in 2010. Mike had the good fortune to work with an experienced hunter, Bob Andersen, who knew the unit like the back of his hand. Bob has hunted Arizona his entire life and suggested water holes, strategies, and areas to scout for big bulls. Following Bob’s suggestions led to success. The excitement started in August. For four weeks we scouted the unit, photographing and videotaping the most magnificent bulls we had ever seen. Not all elk units provide the terrain for glassing waterholes from a distance, but in this unit good binoculars and spotting scopes were a must. We spotted several bulls from over a mile away, and our Swarovski 15×56’s and spotting scopes made a big difference distinguishing between a 380 inch and a 320 inch bull. It was a great year for antler growth with good weather and a textbook rut. After scouting on four separate weekends we had plenty of pictures and video of half a dozen 350+ inch bulls using the same water holes. Some of those bulls looked like they would easily top the 365 inch mark, which was our goal. Nicknaming the bulls helped our group identify them while scouting. There was Doofus, Caribou, Big Bud, and the Schaffer Bull. Doofus was a huge bull with great mass, width and length; we thought he might be a 380 inch bull. Caribou was a tall 7×8 with long narrow tines, but with such length that we thought he might be pushing 400 inches. Big Bud and Schaffer Bull were also great bulls, but then there was Whale’s Tail! We first saw Whale’s Tail two weeks before opening day. Mikes first strategy for opening day was to sit in a blind at a water hole. The weather was hot and the rut was up and running. We had set up his blind at a water hole. The very next day the bulls were hitting water as though they had never drank before. Ignoring Mike’s blind, they congregated in the early hours of the day near the water. I had never seen more than a 100 elk come to one water hole before 8 a.m., but this was Grand Central Station! We watched in awe from a hilltop over 500 yards away as herd after herd came in to drink at first light. First, a couple of spikes sparred, followed by a couple of small 5x5s. Next to appear was a 350 class bull with cows. Then a couple of small 6×6’s showed up. They were followed by another lone 350 class bull. After over an hour of nonstop activity we thought it couldn’t get any better. Suddenly, a high lonesome bugle rang out and a stream of cows filed out of the trees. They descended into the small valley that held the tank. Close to twenty cows heralded the way for a huge bull that brought up the rear. With his head held back bugling his claim to monarchy, he trotted in and herded his cows on the way. The smaller bulls cleared out of the way. Those that didn’t were promptly challenged and chased off. The bull bugled his way down to the water’s edge, not 10 yards from the blind we had set up! This bull’s brow tines were long, symmetrical, and ivory tipped. His thirds had length, symmetry, and mass. His fourths towered above. The fifth and sixth points swept in separate directions forming the shape of a whale’s tail. This was one BIG bull! We immediately named him Whale’s Tail. We watched him stalk around the water hole with his twenty cows, driving off smaller bulls and screaming with the urgency of a bull crazy in the rut, for 40 minutes. He then rounded up his cows and, driving them in front of him, trotted off the way he had come, bugling all the way. After Whale’s Tail’s visit to the water hole, things slowly died down. This promised to be a great hunt! For the next three days Whale’s Tail came to the water almost like clockwork. However, as the hunt neared we began to worry. Another hunter set up camp with his family close to the 440 yard limit from water holes. Additionally, hunter traffic began to increase through the small valley. Oblivious hunters would slowly creep through in four wheel drive trucks glassing the hillsides with their engines running. Activity at the tank dropped to zero. Sticking to his plan, opening day found Mike in his blind an hour before daybreak, fervently hoping for Whale’s Tail to show. Sadly, the elk activity in the area had faded. That morning, one small bull came in and meandered around Mike’s blind. This provided a perfect dry run, but the bull barely topped the 300 inch mark and wasn’t what he was looking for. Our concern about other hunters was warranted. After three weeks of the same bulls hitting the same water every day they were nowhere to be found. Mike sat the blind for two more days, but his enthusiasm was waning. The wait in a blind can be boring when nothing shows. By the end of the third day he was ready to try a new strategy. Mike decided to try cow calling in a new area. His hunting partner Jim was surrounded by bugles every day just a mile away. Just a few miles from his original spot there was a drainage with thick cover. We had scouted that area previously, but could not glass from our hilltop. When we drove down there that afternoon we found good sign, and tracks crossing a road, that told us the elk were now watering at a different hole. On Monday morning Mike and Jim went into the trees surrounding the lower drainage before first light. As they listened in the still morning air the calls of at least five bulls reverberated through the junipers. Separating from Jim, Mike stalked upwind through thick junipers toward what sounded like two big bulls roaring at each other. He paused to let out cow calls with a Primos Hyper Lip. The calls were answered with screams immediately. Mike slowly worked his way closer. The bulls continued screaming and answering the cow calls, but it seemed like they weren’t moving. Suddenly a new bigger sounding bugle rang out on his left side. The bull bugled again, closer this time. Mike began to look for shooting lanes. He glimpsed huge fifth and sixth tines above the junipers moving towards him 80 yards away. He found a shooting lane that would allow for perhaps a 40 yard shot, and knocked an arrow. The bull continued coming through the junipers until it was 15 yards away, but unfortunately it presented only a straight frontal shot. Sensing Mike’s presence the bull busted back through the junipers only to circle to get downwind. The bull crossed into the shooting lane again, this time at 40 yards and broadside. Mike let fly with a Rage 100 grain broadhead. The bull reacted to the hit with a lurch, ran about 40 yards, and then continued walking slowly through the trees. Mike marked his position on his GPS and sat down to wait. Concerned that the shot was a bit far back, he didn’t want to push the bull. While planning his next move Mike spotted the bull lying under a tree less than a 100 yards from where it had been hit. It looked wobbly and unsteady. The wind shifted and the bull stood up, disappearing into the trees. Not wanting to push the bull Mike decided to give him some time. He met back up with Jim and told him the story. Following a recommendation by Jay Scott in a Western Hunter Magazine article they decided to wait at least 6 hours before attempting a search. After lunch that afternoon they took up the trail. It wasn’t long before they found the bull under a tree about 400 yards from where it had been hit. Recognizing the antlers Mike’s heart leapt as he realized it was Whale’s Tail, the bull he had wanted from day one. The beautiful bull scored 386 3/8 typical SCI and 378 7/8 typical Pope and Young. View the full article

Just got some cool stuff in from Swarovski, and we want to GIVE IT AWAY! Buy a subscription between now and Monday and we’ll send one of you a Swarovski Optik accessory pack (cleaning kit, bino suspenders, and hat), worth over $100! Already subscribed? Send a gift subscription to a friend, family member or hunting buddy! Now’s the time if you’ve been putting it off. Who doesn’t like FREE gear? Subscribe at www.elkhuntermagazine.com/subscribe.html Cleaning kit, bino straps, and a Swarovski hat. Perfect for your next hunt! View the full article

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What do you think this bull scores? View the full article

Double click on article above to read about the proper way to handle cutting out the backstraps of an elk by Elk Hunter Magazine Editor Ryan Hatfield. Click Here to Subscribe to ELK HUNTER MAGAZINE View the full article

Awesome stuff from Roe Hunting Resources View the full article

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Double Click on the article above to read about Elk Vocalizations from Elk Hunter Magazine’s Hunting Editor Paul “Elk Nut” Medel. Click Here to Subscribe to ELK HUNTER MAGAZINE View the full article

Check out this fine Eastern Oregon bull from Toby Gangler. Toby speaks about his bull, “Â I harvested this bull on public land here in Eastern Oregon in a general hunt unit on Labor Day! He scored 321 4/8″. I passed up 5 bulls in the days prior holding out for a 300″ or better bull and it payed off! “Â Great Bull Toby! View the full article

Northern Rockies wolf population rose in 2011 By MATT VOLZ — Associated Press Posted: 3:29pm on Mar 7, 2012; Modified: 5:04pm on Mar 7, 2012 Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/03/07/2025566/northern-rockies-wolf-population.html  HELENA, Mont. — The wolf population in the Northern Rockies rose in 2011 despite the removal of federal protections and hunts held in Montana and Idaho, federal wildlife officials said Wednesday. The animal’s numbers rose by more than 7 percent to 1,774 wolves, as state officials look for more ways to reduce the population under pressure from hunters and ranchers who blame the predators for livestock and big-game losses. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services officials said the population estimates show that Montana and Idaho have done a good job in their first year of managing the species since Congress removed federal protections in May 2011. “The states have done a very responsible job of having wolf hunts and managing wolves,” said Mike Jimenez, a wolf recovery project director for the agency. “They’re looking at bringing (the population) down responsibly.” Most of the wolves in the Northern Rockies are in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, though the region also includes portions of Washington, Oregon and Utah. Federal protections remain in place in Wyoming, where that state’s wolf policy had been considered a threat to the species’ survival. Gov. Matt Mead signed a bill on Wednesday to change the law as part of Wyoming’s efforts to remove Endangered Species Act protections for wolves there. The new law will allow trophy hunting for wolves in a flexible zone around Yellowstone National Park beginning this fall, while classifying wolves as predators that could be shot on sight in the rest of the state. A final determination on whether to lift federal protections in Wyoming is expected by the fall, wildlife officials said. Montana and Idaho held their second wolf hunts since 2009 with the aim of reducing the population in their states. Their management plans set a population minimum at 150 wolves and 15 breeding pairs. Idaho lowered its population by 31 to 746 wolves in 2011, according to the state’s Fish and Game department. The department has a goal of reducing the number in the state, but has not set a target population or limit. Montana had aimed to cut its wolf population by 25 percent in 2011, but the numbers actually rose 15 percent to at least 653 animals. State wildlife officials attribute that to the hunt falling short of a quota of 220 animals and to wildlife officials responding to livestock losses killing fewer than half the problem wolves than they had the year before. That increase has prompted grumbling by county officials who say state Fish, Wildlife and Parks regulators aren’t doing enough to take on the predator problem. Representatives from more than a dozen counties told FWP commissioners on Wednesday that they wanted hunting restrictions loosened so that more wolves are killed in this year’s hunt. “This is as important as the price of gas right now,” said Beaverhead County Commissioner Tom Rice. FWP wildlife director Ken McDonald said the agency was considering several proposals, including getting rid of quotas altogether and reducing the price of non-resident licenses from $350 to $50 to encourage more hunters. A total of 18,689 licenses were purchased in 2011, including 158 non-residents, and 166 wolves were killed in the hunt that ended in mid-February. Other suggestions, such as allowing hunters to kill more than one wolf, would require a change in state law. FWP director Joe Maurier said the agency plans to present a package to lawmakers when the Montana Legislature convenes in January. Commissioners will hear specific proposals for the 2012 hunt in May and make a final decision in July. “We’re going to be much more aggressive in our proposals next season,” Maurier said. Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/03/07/2025566/northern-rockies-wolf-population.html#storylink=cpy  View the full article

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It looks like #6 got tired of this guy parking in his spot! View the full article