USFWS Reinstates Protection For Wolves “In Compliance With Court Orders”

On December 11, 2008, recorded in the Federal Register, the Department of Interior, more specifically the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, published the final rule that places the gray wolf in nearly all of the lower 48 states, under federal protection of the Endangered Species Act. What this final rule does, I doubt 99.999999% of Americans understand. Read more

Forty-Four Years in the Making

by Denny L. Vasquez

As the old cliché goes, the look of pure joy on David’s face as he held his buck for pictures was priceless. For the first time in his 44 years he had finally been given the opportunity to hunt a trophy whitetail buck that scored higher than 100 B & C. To say the least, he was a very happy man!

Living in east Texas most of his adult life had restricted the potential of the bucks that David could hunt on his father-in-law’s or uncle’s farms. The area of the Lone Star state around Crockett and Kenard just isn’t known as an area for consistently producing large mature deer. Because of the higher than normal hunting pressure, year round poaching problems and the small acreage of most properties in the area, any type of quality deer management program is all but impossible to implement, except in a high fence situation. Because of these and other factors, most hunters in the area have the attitude of “if it is brown it dies”, which eliminates the chances of most bucks surviving long enough to reach trophy status. So just where did David take his trophy buck, you are probably asking by now? Read more

Valles Caldera National Preserve Considers Elk Hunt Fee Of $7,500

Valles Caldera National Preserve is considering a proposal to charge a $7,500 fee for up to 15 of the 77 elk hunt permits they are allowed to handout. As it would be expected, this proposal has sparked quite a stir across New Mexico’s hunting community.

The Valles Caldera National Preserve is one of New Mexico’s premier elk hunting playgrounds. The new proposal would set aside 15 of the elk permits allowed in the preserve for ‘special hunts’. These special hunts would include a three night stay at the Valles Grande lodge, and three catered meals a day.

The controversy surrounding this proposal stems from the Valles Caldera preserve being public land. Sportsmen say that charging $7,500 for these permits goes against the ethics of hunting permits, in general, which enable fair rights to every hunter, not dependent on finances. Quite simply, all hunters could not afford these permits, so they should not be allowed.

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Calling The Wild Turkey……..When And How Often??

By: Scott Ellis

2005,2006,2007 Florida State Turkey Calling Champion

2004, 2007 Florida State Gobbling Champion

Quaker Boy Game Calls Pro Staff

One of the most asked questions about hunting the wild turkey is “when do I call and how often?” I feel that there is an art to calling turkeys. It’s all based on feeling him out and knowing what he wants to hear. How do you know this? Well I think it will come to you the more you work gobblers in different scenarios. Right off the roost, mid morning with hens, with out hens, public land bird, private land bird. In my opinion, whether calling a hot to trot two year old or a four year old hard hunted public bird, it’s a matter of getting his attention and keeping his interest just enough to get him to investigate. If you over call him, he will stand his ground and wait for this hot hen to meet him for their rendezvous. If you under call him, he will move off to the next hot item. Read more