The rifle whitetail action in north-central Kansas continued to be slow but steady through the first full weekend of the season. The hunters and outfitters of Washington County, Kansas continue to be largely frustrated in finding the big bucks that this country is known for, although a handful of really nice bucks have shown up in the back of pickups at the local diner around lunch time.

The freezing rain that fell across much of the state on saturday morning dried up within 24 hours or so, making dirt roads passable again. Even with access restored, there was still pretty little shooting going on. (more…)

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. (more…)

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. (more…)

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.”