Big Game - Wildlife Management Pro

TPWD Looks to Expand Panhandle Mule Deer Season

Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is considering adding Sherman and Hansford counties to the northern Panhandle mule deer season, and Gaines, Martin, and the eastern portion of Andrews counties to the southwest Panhandle season.

These counties, wildlife biologists believe, have mule deer populations sufficient to allow the harvest of a few buck mule deer. Such a buck-only harvest would not have any effect on the overall population in those counties. Opening these counties will result in increased hunter opportunity.

Elk Hunting in Colorado

Colorado is known to be one of the most gifted places when it comes to elks, deers, hogs, and many other hunting targets. The most aimed animal, however, is the elk and hunting elks have been one of the tourist attractions of Colorado.

What made Colorado become a name in terms of hunting are their famous hunting grounds. These hunting grounds are most often view decks to some of Colorado’s vistas. Because of this, hunting becomes more worth the trip- enabling you to taste both of Colorado’s finest, the beautiful views and the hunting experience. Continue reading Elk Hunting in Colorado

Big Nebraska Whitetails

The good news and the bad news about Nebraska’s deer season is that it’s 9-days of rifle hunting smack during the middle of the rut. Good news, because hunting rutting whitetails is a hoot. Bad news, because young bucks experience lots of mortality, many never getting a chance to reach their potential. Couple this with the fact that hunters can each take two bucks (again, a good news / bad news kind of thing), and the bucks get hit really hard each year.

The 2007 Nebraska season appears to have been about average. The weather was warm, the warmest deer hunt I’ve ever been on, but the bucks were in full rut.

I hunted near Ogallala for the last 3 days or so of the season that opened November 10th and ended on the 18th.

The 4×4 I took was very hot on the tail of a doe, chasing her aggressively through the brush. Through a combination of tough luck and being selective (OK, mostly tough luck), I had not tagged a buck for several years, and when I saw he was a 4-point I knew I wanted to take him. Continue reading Big Nebraska Whitetails

Wyoming Offers Great Pronghorn Hunting on Public Land

Hunting pronghorn in Wyoming remains the most enjoyable, most affordable, highest success hunt in The West. It’s perfect for do-it-yourself hunters, and even first-time pronghorn antelope hunters can expect an excellent chance of success. I’ve hunted antelope every year but one since 1992, and can’t imagine when I’ll next miss a hunt this fun.

The hunt I took this year was a great example of how enjoyable and successful antelope hunting can be. We had a large, diverse group, including 2 first-time antelope hunters and 3 first-time-ever hunters. Hunt The West pro-staffer Paul Vanderspek and I rounded out the group. Continue reading Wyoming Offers Great Pronghorn Hunting on Public Land

Bighorns Kick Domestic Sheep Off Alottment

Sheep grazing allotments in the Hells Canyon and Salmon River areas that were closed by the Forest Service in order to protect bighorn sheep, will stay closed. After closing allotments, the Service decided to allow grazing on the Allison-Berg allotment in November. But it then changed its position because the Nez Perce Tribe filed evidence of numerous sightings of native bighorn sheep on the allotment.

The court agreed with plaintiffs and the Service, finding that the:

“preponderance of the evidence suggests domestic sheep transmit a deadly respiratory disease to bighorns.”