Elk Hunting

I am once again back in the woods quite literally in pursuit of a Cow Elk. I have been swamped with work in my shop which in my view is a positive experience, yet leaves me at times wishing I was chasing waterfowl a bit more often. Have not even dawned my chest high waders yet this year. As for my elk hunt, well lets just say I have way more experience and practice chasing elk than I do actually shooting elk. This time around the weather has been better. I began this hunt a few days ago with anywhere from zero to 4 or 5" of old wet snow that has gone through several freeze thaw cycles leaving it crunchy loud and then slushy as temps warm throughout each day. Now the rain has returned. Tracking is challenging as the tracks get washed out quickly and unless you happen to be right on'em it's a put in your time and hope you have a bit of luck on your side. I hope we actually get enough rain to melt most of the snow so that it will be a bit quieter while walking.

I did have an opportunity a few days ago but I rushed my shot and flat out missed. I was on several fresh tracks when the temps were a bit colder and it always happens so fast. I stalked on fresh tracks for maybe 10 minutes and before I knew it I saw a flash of brown through the woods. Instantly my adrenaline kicked in. I told myself to stay calm as I held my position so I could figure out where they were. The air was pungent with the smell of elk. I began to creep towards them and then I saw  a lone cow and another cow/calf pair. I dropped to one knee and took aim making sure this indeed was a cow and as I squeezed the trigger I must have raised my head and shot over her. The woods were fairly thick and dark with lots of Bitterbrush and blow downs. The shot startled them, in total a shy half dozen so elk and no bulls that I ever saw. They ran about 20 yards and then stopped looking for the danger and I looked through my bins to see if I hit the cow and I never saw any blood or sign there was an injured cow.  With that being said I was not able to keep a visual on the cow I shot at during their movement. So another shot was unethical until I knew for sure that I had a clean miss or an injured cow to start tracking. Albeit I had a much better second shot opportunity as they searched for me and it still pains me that I missed, but yet it was the right choice to not take another shot. Tis better to be sure than to have a wounded animal and or possibly a second animal shot and killed. That would have been an even bigger knot in my belly than the one I already had. I was losing daylight and I circled numerous times to be sure there was no blood or some blood. I went back the next morning as well and followed their tracks out of the areas and across the highway to the East and a bunch crossed the river to the West. Confirmation of a clean miss and hopefully a lesson learned. Though sometimes you don't have the luxery of a second shot, especially hunting in the pole thickets east of the Cascades.

This is what they call elk hunting and it is not for the faint of heart. Typically, easy is seldom if ever part of the equation while persistence and patience are your best friends. With that being said time for me to get geared up for the afternoon/evening hunt and try to find them again. With any luck I will be back with a story of the one that didn't get away. Not necessarily today, but by season's end.


Women's Hunting Journal         Integrity For The Hunt

Season Update

So far it has been a slow hunting season with limited results. After spending the month of September archery elk hunting I switched gears to rifle deer and then some early season waterfowling. Harvest numbers throughout the state are well below average for deer and elk this year. The only days I've brought something home for the freezer has been with shotgun. Even the waterfowl hunting has been one of the poorest years to date so far.

Typically the Klamath basin in southern Oregon is brimming over with waterfowl, but not this year. There is a lull during the migration in mid November historically, yet this year we haven't even had decent early season numbers of migrating birds. The local breeding ducks we had are long gone or in a freezer now. With few northern storms pushing birds south it may be a very poor harvest for waterfowlers overall. Another important factor is the Columbia Basin grain fields and open water year round. Since the mid 70's when farming practices changed to include more grain crops the waterfowl numbers migrating south of the Columbia has dropped significantly. I can't blame the birds for not flying further. If I had food and water I'd probably stay there too for the winter. Certainly a matter of survival and they know the odds it seems and play them to their advantage. There is a saying that goes something like this: There is a time to try and a time to fly and a smart bird knows why.

I am preparing for the second season elk archery cow only hunt, which starts this Saturday and goes thru December 13, '09 on the west side of the Cascade Mt's. in a few select units. I am going scouting on Friday and with some luck maybe even bed down the elk. Sure would be a nice way to start the hunt, especially due to the fact that it will be in very thick timber and underbrush. It will be a wet hunt even if it doesn't snow or rain. We have had good snow in the mountains recently which will be helpful in pushing the elk to lower elevations. Fortunately the cows and calf's move down lower before the tough old bulls do. I will be getting up at o dark hundred, driving for an hour before getting to where I'll be hunting, then get out and commence to find tracks. If the weather gets nasty I'll spend time driving trying to cut fresh tracks before getting out on foot. Just have to take it a day at a time and be prepared for anything, including success.

This week has been sunny and mild temps reaching into the mid 50's and upper teens at night. Snow is in the forecast for Friday and Saturday, so I am once again optimistic about my upcoming hunt. Jet will be keeping the home fires stoked while I am away on my cow quest. Actually on our last duck hunt a week ago she was in rare form and quite enthusiastic about retrieving. Was refreshing after our previous weeks adventure. More on last weeks duck hunt later.

Jet and I want to thank you all for visiting the pages of Women's Hunting Journal and we wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Will catch up with you all next week. Cheers!

Women's Hunting Journal Integrity For The Hunt

Elk Hunting, DIY Public Lands Pt.2

It was the second morning of our 5 day elk hunt and John was looking much worse than the night before. He wasn't having any fun and looked to be quite miserable. He was quiet (certainly not typical) achy, plugged up and most likely running a low grade fever. I resisted poking fun at him knowing it may be me in his shoes at any time. We opted to do some driving, hoping to find fresh tracks to go on and eventually ease our way to a nearby town. I was wishing I had a dust mask from my shop so I was able to keep from getting his bug. I urged him to keep drinking fluids and that we'd get him some over the counter meds when we hit Bly. We never did cut any tracks while on our way to Bly, although we did see a dandy Mule deer buck just behind a very well posted fence line. He stood long enough for us to get a good look then he trotted off into the scrub landscape. We eventually made it to Bly and got what we needed, then made our way back towards camp coming full circle.

Getting on into early afternoon and John was finally starting to feel better. His moans eventually turn into words and then full sentences as he was coming back to life. We opted to make it a short day and not push our luck with John feeling better. So an early dinner and a few games of cribbage before we hit the hay around 10. It seemed John had made a 98% recovery in just about 24 hours time. Whatever it was he had, we were both relieved and thankful that it left with just about the same speed at which it came.

I awoke at 3 in the morning to stoke the wood stove and heard the soft serenade of snowfall on the nylon tent fly. I peeked outside and yes indeed it was certainly coming down. Had about 2 inches when we got up and started getting ready for the days hunt. Optimism bloomed again and we headed to Green Mt. in hopes of finding fresh elk sign. Parked at the end of a spur road, we set a time for a radio check and then took off. The weather was cloudy, foggy and everything was very wet as the temps warmed and the snow melted from the trees. The walking was quiet with the recent precipitation and now all we needed was elk. After several hours we checked in and neither of us had good news to report. I had seen some fresh deer sign and several piles of bear scat, yet no elk sign. John had seen some older elk tracks but nothing to really get excited about. We met back at the rig and continued our search for fresh elk sign. We did cut some tracks that were a few days old that we decided to investigate. We never did find where the tracks crossed a road out, so we figured they still had to be in the area, somewhere. I dropped John off and he set his compass bearing to meet me back at the main road. After a couple hours he re emerged from the woods with no fresh elk sign to report. With darkness approaching fast we headed back to camp.

We were running out of ideas and the conversations were waning as neither of us had any new ideas. Sometimes I just wish I knew what I didn't know. We had come across several other rigs and hunters. No one had any positive news or had even seen an elk in the area. The weather was breaking and it was going to be a chilly night. We ate the last of the BBQ grouse with some spaghetti and a small green salad. We were fast losing our inspiration and motivation.

Next to last day and we set out for Green Mt. as that was where we'd found the best sign. I was beginning to be more hopeful of seeing the bear if not any elk. The scat I had found was chucked full of Salal berries and the pile was a foot wide by 2 feet long if not more. Quite fresh too as it was still holding its shape. I was guessing that the bear was at least 5 to 6 foot square if not larger by the size of his scat. The diameter was that of a Mag Lite with D batteries or bigger. There were numerous rock outcroppings that may have a den in them, but I wasn't going looking for that specifically. Quite the contrary. There were also many areas of re prod that were very dense and not wanting to surprise the bear I kept a safe margin from the edges. We again met up after several hours and sat together eating our lunches. John had found some elk tracks but still not super fresh, at best maybe few days. I never did find Mr.Bear although I was certainly hoping so. I did come across a few more scat piles and I really wanted to catch a glimpse of him. He would have to have been at least pushing 7 square for me to harvest him as that is my standard that was set with my first and only bear to date. (Read story here Pt.1 & 2) I certainly would have enjoyed some bear thuringer for the holidays. After we finished lunch and munched on some homemade cookies we opted to go find the Blue Grouse and lay down our rifles for awhile.

The clouds were moving in and it was looking like it did the day we drove in nearly 6 days ago. The only difference was that the wind wasn't blowing the trees down across the road. We eventually found our way back to Blue Grouse headquarters only to find 2 well educated souls who flushed fast with a strong tailwind. So we walked around for awhile hoping to find more Grouse that were a bit less educated but we never did. We began the 20 mile drive back to camp and opted to call it a hunt and begin breaking camp the following morning. We just weren't able to find any decent sign to convince us it was worth our efforts to keep hunting. Not an easy conclusion to come to and frankly, it just felt lousy.

We had a fun time and John made a full recovery while I never did get sick. John won the cribbage tourney (so far) and there will be a re match next fall if not this duck hunting season. Ultimately it was a successful hunt regardless of nothing to put in our freezers. We learned the harvest ratio for that particular unit is 1 to 2 % and the quota was actually met on opening morning on Strawberry Mt. about 60 to 70 miles S.S.E. of where we hunted. That doesn't mean we may not have increased the percentage by harvesting an elk, only that the odds weren't in our favor. Better to be out there trying than sitting at home.

This was our second time getting leftover controlled tags and I am now done doing so. Just not worth the time, money and boot leather. There are other ways to go camping that are more affordable and just as enjoyable. It may take me years to draw a tag for an area with high numbers of elk, but the wait will be worth it. To date I have 4 points or in other words, 4 years that I haven't drawn a tag in a higher percentage unit. Until then I will hunt either hunt the bow or rifle general season. Now for a couple weeks of waterfowl hunting and then my last chance for elk as the second season archery opens Nov. 28 thru Dec. 13th. 2009. This will be on the W. side of the Cascades and cow elk only. Gonna be a wet one for sure!

Women's Hunting Journal Integrity For The Hunt

Elk Hunting, DIY Public Lands Pt.1

My hunting partner John and I left town on Oct 26th. with elk on our minds and a storm on the horizon. My truck was loaded with my wall tent, wood stove, camp box, dry box , coolers, cot and personal gear needed for a 5 day DIY elk hunt. John's truck was full of his gear and a bit of spare room for bringing home our prospective elk. The drive was windy and the weather was moving in quickly. The area we were going to hunt was new to both of us and we hadn't the chance to recon due to a multitude of unforeseen happenings. We needed to set up camp asap and then we'd have a day before our hunt started to do some looking around for elk sign. It took us much longer than anticipated to get to our location for camp, although along the way we had already added a little meat to the pot. The rain was starting and the wind was whipping up stronger as the afternoon progressed. Several times we had to clear fallen trees from the road to continue on our way. Experience teaches one to never go into the woods without a chainsaw.

The area we were in has been devastated by the Pine Beetle. Entire mountain sides were completely dead and dying. Yet the woodpecker population is thriving and I saw a rare sighting of a Three Toed Black Backed Woodpecker. Absolutely beautiful with his stunning brilliant yellow cap ( the photo doesn't do him justice). The area was full of slash piles and chainsaws were blazing as it had just recently been opened up to firewood cutters, both commercial and private. Needless to say we had plenty of dry wood right out our tent. As we were heading to camp I came across several Blue Grouse at the edge of the road getting gravel. I hit the brakes and radioed to John the reason for the sudden stop, and we bailed out and managed to track down a few after they flushed from the road. We each shot one and my, they are sure big birds. We were quite tickled with our success and thought it boded well for the hunt to come. We knew we might run across Grouse so we had brought our shotguns and glad we did too.

About an hour later we arrived at the Blue Lake trail head where we made camp for the next 6 nights. The weather was intermittent rain showers and sprinkles as we rushed to get the tent set up and the rain fly on. Dark was coming fast and we made it just in the nick of time. John proceeded to fire up his chainsaw and cut up some rounds for the wood stove. I followed behind splitting them into manageable sizes and making some kindling as I went. We had a late dinner afterwards consisting of a homemade stew that my friend Larry had dropped off in the morning before we left town. It was delicious, consisting of italian sausage, elk meat, cabbage, curry and an assortment of vegetables. We ate heartily and then looked over the map one more time and made a plan as to where we'd scout come morning.

We got up with the sun and headed up the Blue Lake trail in the Gearhart Wilderness to see if there was any elk sign. The trail rose from camp at an elevation of 6420' to the lake at 7035' through a mixed pine and fir forest. There were rock outcroppings and several areas of large old growth Aspens thriving in narrow draws with small water seeps fueling them along the 2.6 mile hike. Beautiful landscape yet somewhat devoid of animals. We did cross some old elk sign of approximately 15 - 20 animals that were traveling through several weeks earlier. We never did find any fresh sign on our hike, yet it just looked to good to not have elk in there. Plenty of food, cover and an excess of water sources, surely making it a challenge to find the elk. We got back to camp just as day was turning to dusk.

John chainsawed a cribbage board before total darkness and I began to prepare the salad portion of our dinner. It wasn't long before the sizzle and smell of BBQ-ed grouse began to start my belly to rumble. John cooked those birds to absolute perfection. We then began our 5 night cribbage match. John being John, had a cordless drill and small drill bits in his truck. He's the kind of guy that can rig up just about anything out of pretty much nothing. He is fondly referred to as McGiver quite often.The following morning we got up early and headed back up to Blue Lake, this time creeping along and glassing as we hunted our way to the top. We crossed a couple fresh elk tracks about 2/3 of the way up. They wandered on and off the trail and eventually into the woods. They were small tracks and we figured a cow/calf pair. We had tags for bull only and opted to let them go.

A cold wind blew and it had a bite to it as we got to the lake and had a late lunch. It was raining one minute, hailing the next and then drizzling, basically typical Oregon weather. We were a bit befuddled by the lack of sign we weren't seeing, not even any fresh deer tracks. Although the lake was beautiful and there were birds on it. Specifically a female Common Loon and a group of very dapper Buffleheads. We ate and quandered then hiked a few more miles beyond the lake hoping to find some elk sign or maybe catch an in its tracks. John hiked around the N. side of the lake and I on the S. side and we met where the trails merged. After several more miles and no sign we opted to return to camp as the day was passing quickly into night.

We both commented on how long the hike up was and as we began our descent back to camp, John began sneezing and his sinuses were running like someone had just flipped the switch. I kept giving him a look of "hey can't you be a little more quiet, after all we are hunting"? His reply was non verbal and it was clear he was going down fast. And I'm not talking the trail here either. My goodness I have never witnessed anyone sneeze so many times in succession as he was. He certainly rivaled the energizer bunny. Back to camp and I loaded him up with cold meds asap and we had a quick and easy pasta dinner then turned in after several rousing games of cribbage. We decided to do some driving the next day in hopes of cutting fresh tracks. Though as morning came John was looking a whole lot worse for wear.

Pt. 2 coming soon
Women's Hunting Journal Integrity For The Hunt

Challenges Of Solo Archery Elk Hunts

Archery elk hunts started the end of August and the weather has been anything but ideal. Temps on average have been in the mid 30's and 40's for the lows and the 80's and 90's for the highs. With the occasional dip below freezing and highs in the upper 60's to low 70's. Only a sprinkle of rain and none in the forecast thru the end of the season. It's just been in the last couple days that I have begun to hear bugling and am seeing rubs more frequently. With a few days left of bow hunting elk I am continually challenged to change my tactics in hopes of putting myself within bow range and having enough light to shoot. It takes more light to see through your peep sight than it does a rifle scope. It has been so dry that while I am walking I cow call every 15 minutes or so softly in hopes of getting a reply and /or locating a bull. It also can be a comfort to the elk when they hear me snapping small twigs, branches etc. and gives them nothing to be alarmed by. As long as they don't see me or wind me hearing a bit of noise from my walking won't alarm them.

The past several years I go on elk hunting trips with my friend John. I have relied on him for navigation and a sort of elk sense. His water tender business keeps him busy and not wanting to miss any fires he opted to not bow hunt. As it is he is on a fire as I write this. So that's why I'm solo this season. Hunting solo means that I am doing my own calling and not someone else who is upwind of me 50 yards or more trying to draw the bull across in front of me. Also means there is no one else to push them or pinch them in a given direction. As far as sneaking in these dry conditions it's about as tough as it can be. The best chance I feel for a shot on my own is using estrus scent and setting up in the early morning darkness. There's a small chance that I may cross paths with a satellite or raghorn looking for some cows after getting the boot from the herd bull. I'm not a horn hunter and would be thrilled even harvesting a spike. Can't eat the horns anyway they just look mighty awesome!

I have found an area where there are dozens of beds in a willow and timber thicket along a creek. Lush grasses and a boggish type landscape, what a great place to stay cool. Problem for me is that they've been leaving this area in the cover of darkness and not returning until the same low light condition. I am getting up earlier and earlier in hopes of positioning myself in the dark after hiking in for an hour or so. Then sitting still and listening intently for the tell tale sounds of elk moving through the woods. Hopefully in my direction. This may sound romantic to some and to others crazy. For me it challenges my comfort zone and forces me to face my fears. For those of you who have followed WHJ you may recollect my story about getting lost in the woods as a young teenager. Spending a night alone on Mt.Washington in New Hampshire's presidential range. (Pt.1 & 2 ) Anyhow getting up at 0400 is a piece of cake, it's the walking alone in the woods for an hour and waiting another hour for daybreak that is uncomfortable. As my neighbor says, "it's not the dark that's the problem, but what's out there that I can't see". Yep, that's it in a nutshell.

Hunting elk will either force you to face your fears or if not, have a very small chance for success. For myself this archery season has been full of personal challenges and accomplishments, regardless of whether I harvest an elk or not. I find myself digging deeper each time I head out spurred on by the fact that I am getting closer to the elk. Just a bit more courage and I may surprise myself by the shot opportunity of a lifetime. Were the challenges physical ones I feel that would be easier for me than what has been served up this season as mental challenges. None the less I am committed and willing to do the work in order to reach my goal. I have not yet got a bull elk, only cows and I really do want to get a bull just once. I have squeezed warm poop between my fingers and seen the tell tale signs of a bull coming into rut with dribble pee as he walks. May not do anything for those of you who don't hunt elk, but for me it is extremely exciting and way cool. Tracking them and getting the occasional waft of elk scent in my face is enough to forget about the darkness and set the alarm earlier the next day.

This year I have gained confidence as an individual and a huntress, relying on myself and developing my own base of experience and knowledge through trial and error decision making. Making small gains and shedding light on what was a very frightening experience. I find myself less afraid of getting lost and more focused on how to get in the right position for a shot. Moving with a motive and conviction. For me I have already had a successful elk hunt regardless of getting a bull or not. There are plenty of sayings that go along with hunting deer and elk, some of which go like the following; "Elk are like gold, they're where you find them" & "I'd rather be lucky than good any day". For me I just ask for one shot opportunity, that's all. It doesn't seem like much. I hope to be in the right place at the right time between now and the end of the bow season. Until then I will continue to put in my time, pay my dues and learn all I can as it will serve me well for future hunts in the years to come.

Women's Hunting Journal Integrity For The Hunt

Archery Elk Hunt

The hunting season has begun. So far the conditions for hunting elk have been favoring the elk. This is quite typical for bow season. This past weekend saw temperatures in the 80's and even low 90's in some areas. Tinder dry and dusty as bakers flour. Still under a level 3 fire precaution in the woods. With zero cloud cover and a full moon approaching the elk are feeding during the night. They're out of the low country before daybreak and looking for a cool place to bed down during the day. I've been seeing plenty of tracks just not able to catch anyone in them. With these warm temps they are also being pretty quiet and not much chatter is going on. No signs yet of the rut beginning. Haven't seen any rubs nor have I heard any bugles. It's just to dang hot yet. That can all change quickly though. And boy do I sure hope it does. We've got some cooler temps forecast for the weekend with a possibility of snow at the 8000' level. I won't be holding my breath on that, though a little rain would sure be nice. Not even the Birch or Aspens are showing signs of Fall yet.

Been seeing a ton of birds and getting pretty chewed up by the mosquitoes. Also watching Douglas Squirrels stashing pine cones like nobody's business. It's so crunchy and loud right now walking in the woods, that stalking in on a bedded bull is about the tallest order around. Not hearing much around town from anyone having luck yet either. Not even with the Mule deer. So I am doing my best to pace myself and keeping my fingers crossed for the weather to make some serious changes in the next week or two. Come the 18 th. we'll have a new moon and with some luck even cloud over and the rut will at least be starting. That's what I'm pacing myself for. I will bust my a-- the last 2 weeks to try and get in the right place at the right time for a full draw experience of a lifetime.

Dove season opened on Tuesday as well as forest Grouse(Ruffed and Blues) and already some Antelope hunts are completed. I didn't put in for Sage Grouse this year because of my archery elk hunt. Maybe next year. My buck hunt starts in less than a month, so things are starting to wind up. After that commences the waterfowl season until the end of Jan. Looking to be an action packed season.

I am ready for the cooler weather, maybe not so ready to start snow removal.

Women's Hunting Journal Integrity For The Hunt

Wapiti

This season's Elk hunt began with the usual enthusiasm and energetic spirit. My friend John and I didn't draw our controlled hunt tags, so we hunted the Cascades general rifle season. Neither of us had heard any news regarding Elk numbers in the region, so we went about our business and put in our time.

We hunted in the same area as last year, so we are getting to know it better and better. We had permission to hunt private property adjacent to public land. We hunted the same season last year, so we were somewhat familiar with it. When it comes to Elk it pays to scout and get to know your hunt unit as best you can, and even then there is certainly no guarantee you'll be successful in harvesting an Elk. We had heard sightings of 2 bulls in the area the day before the season opened. One a 5 point and the other a 6 point. We never saw either of them, yet our hopes were high that we might get lucky. It seems that they know when the season opens and when it closes and make themselves able to evaporate in a moments notice.

The weather leading up to opening day had turned mild with cold nights and sunny days. No precipitation and a growing moon. This is your typical Indian Summer, yet not so welcomed when it's hunting season. Also known as bluebird weather by the waterfowlers. Anyhow we crunched our way through the timber and over hill and dale to no avail. We worked the low river bottoms covered with Willows and only once did John push a couple Elk out of their hidey hole. The cover was so thick that a shot was not possible. My heart raced with the sounds of antlers ticking through the willows and the hooves pounding along the edge of the stream. It is so darn frustrating to have adrenaline surging and yet unable to use it. It is like an invisible target that you can hear but not see. For such a large animal as Elk are to be able to hide themselves so well is truly amazing. Hiding in plain sight, the elusive obvious. I do wonder what I did not see and was I ever close enough for a shot? Those questions will remain unanswered, yet I give myself the benefit of the doubt and say nope, and repeat the question.

We were in the woods before daybreak and back to camp after dark every day and saw very few tracks. I never did find fresh droppings, not even close. The few tracks we did find were from night time movement or just before day break. No frost in the tracks, yet no Elk in the tracks either. The dirt was very dry and little moisture in the ground. Up in the woods was even tougher to track with the pine needles and no moisture. After 5 full days of hunting our optimism was seriously waining. We hadn't heard of many bulls being taken. Also with fewer hunters in the field it was tougher to get the Elk pushed out of their hiding spots. Just to much real estate to cover. We put in a solid 1/2 day on this past Thursday then called it. Neither John or myself throw in the towel easily and yet, we just didn't see enough fresh sign to convince us to go back out Friday for the last day of the season. The tracks we saw were only a handful of Elk at most, no large numbers. As John says "Elk are like gold, they're where you find them". Truer words were never spoken.

So we called her quits and broke camp all the while scratching our heads. We had a fun time none the less and saw River Otters, White headed Woodpecker, lots of Specs and other waterfowl. We groused (startled) a Grouse and he Groused us back and all the while figuring we'd have limits of Specs if only we had our shotguns with us. We ate like kings and queens, laughed and told stories and enjoyed our time together in the pursuits of the still elusive Wapiti. We are already discussing next years controlled hunt and the points that we have. Hopefully we will draw our tags and have something to put in the freezer when we return home. I guess ordering that half beef wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Women's Hunting Journal Integrity For The Hunt

Idaho Sets Quotas For Wolf Management

For the first time since the re-introduction of the Gray Wolf in Idaho, hunters will take part in managing reintroduced Gray Wolf numbers. Reintroduction of wolves is a very controversial topic for all parties. From the big game hunters to the ranchers to the environmentalist. Nothing gets individuals fired up as quickly or passionately as the discussion of wolves and their reintroduction. Personally I have mixed feelings on the subject.

Ultimately I feel that the Gray Wolf will get the short end of the stick. The wolf numbers need to be managed, if we as hunters want to continue to hunt big game. Each states respective Fish and Game Department will determine wolf management strategies. In N.E. Oregon the wolves have decimated the Elk herds. Or at least, that's what I hear from local outfitters. I feel it's only a matter of time before our own state is faced with the same wolf management decisions as Idaho. Read the full story, http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005120796

I encourage comments on this topic. I'm interested in finding out if there is a middle ground that can be struck.

Women's Hunting Journal Integrity For The Hunt