Archives for February 2012

Spring Bear Hunting In Idaho

February 29, 2012 By Larry Hatter

The opportunity to hunt bear in the spring is something I look forward to every year.

It’s a chance to shake off the affects of old man winter and roam the mountains where the new growth and promise of spring time abound. There are three basic ways to hunt bear here in Idaho, all having their positive aspects, spot and stalk, hound hunting and baiting.

1. Spot and stalk bear hunting is probably the most challenging of the three as far as success rates are concerned. What’s wonderful about it is the setting it puts you in! In order to be successful at this technique, a hunter has to place himself on a high point overlooked a large tract of unbroken country and when a bear is spotted the long stalk gets underway. Most of the time the stalk doesn’t pan out, but it doesn’t matter, what’s wonderful about this type of hunting is just the chance to be out in nature. The elk are spawning the next generation as are the deer with their fawns and the bright green mountainsides are a sight to behold. There’s just something special about the rebirth of a new year.

2. Hound hunting for bear, admittedly is not for everyone. It is by far the most grueling type of bear hunting. To successfully follow a pack of tonguing hounds across the rugged western mountains you must have steel in their legs and ample lung capacity. But to those who do it, it’s rewarding in a way that only they can appreciate. It’s about raising a clumsy little pup with long floppy ears into a full grown hunting dog with a heart to take on any adversary and a love only for the game he seeks and of course the master who raised him.

3. Baiting has become a controversial method of hunting bears in the recent years but it is an absolute necessity if we are to keep bear numbers in check for the future. Here in Idaho, its widely considered that bear numbers are close to their peek and without this important technique in our repertoire bear numbers would overflow just like they have in California to where they are inhabiting residential areas and reeking havoc on personal property.

In closing, spring bear hunting is a sport that everyone should get to enjoy and by all three of these techniques. It’s part of our western heritage, a wonderful activity in the spring time and most importantly a key method in controlling a burgeoning population that if left unchecked could devastate ungulate populations and cause problems with humans as well.

Lost In The Wilds: Tips That Could Save Your Behind

February 25, 2012 By Larry Hatter

Getting lost while we’re hunting, however rare, should be a important subject to every hunter!

It can happen in the Eastern hardwoods while chasing after whitetail, the Western Rockies while hunting for Idaho Elk Hunts or Alaska while in quest of moose, sheep or caribou. What makes this subject so important is obviously the fatal repercussions of not making the correct decisions when the circumstance arises. So today I’ll offer a few quick tips, that hopefully will help if such a situation ever occurs.

The first rule for every hunter is to never leave on an adventure of any kind without first telling someone where you’ll be going. I can’t stress this one enough. It’s a life saver, especially if you are hunting during the winter or in cold northern climates. The faster a search party can get to you is crucial and knowing the general area you are in will save precious hours which are critical hypothermia situations.

Secondly, never enter the woods without your weapon, a knife and and two quality lighters. A man can survive for an extended period of time in the wilds with these items, for weeks if necessary. So do yourself a favor and always carry them.

Third, a good rule of thumb is to stay put if you get lost. If you’ve followed step one and brought your lighters, you should be able to hunker down, start a fire and before too long someone will find you. Set up a little makeshift camp, especially in a location that is visible from the air, like an opening in a ridge line for example. When you get that fire going it won’t be too long before you’re spotted and help will be close behind. Sometimes however, a situation may arise where staying put is not an option and this is where my last tip becomes most important.

By far the most important advice I can give you in a survival situation is to NEVER lose your cool. No matter what, never panic. Think about it, you have only one tool to help you get out of the predicament you are in and that’s yourself. If you stay calm and believe in yourself you can survive the most dire survival situation, but it you lose your greatest tool, your mind, your chances of survival will greatly diminish. When you use your head it’s absolutely stunning what one person can accomplish and even if you’ve not a veteran of survival situations, your instincts will kick in and help out. What you have to do is trust them. Remember, you are all that you’ve got so you have to believe in yourself!

How Winter Effects Deer, Elk, Moose, etc.

February 15, 2012 By Larry Hatter

How does winter affect our big game populations?

As I look out the window a few snow flakes are falling in, what I can only describe as, one of the most mild winters I can remember. It got me to thinking how the game should fare well and gives me good hope for the hunting season ahead. But how do winters affect our big game populations? In the west, the deer, moose and Idaho Elk Hunts are front and center through those cold months. As well as in Alaska, where the moose and caribou face a winter that most of us can’t even imagine.

There’s no doubt a tough winter can wreak havoc on a game. The young usually are the first to succumb to the elements, followed by the old and then the males worn from mating season and so on. Usually though, it takes a very specific type of winter to kill large numbers of game wherever you are. Extreme cold, however uncomfortable, can be dealt with, as well as large amounts of snow. Of course these two factors will cause some die off but not the extreme numbers that constitute a significant shift in population dynamics. The type of weather we sportsmen truly fear comes in February and March. Animals have a certain amount of reserve built as winter approaches every year and, for lack of a better term, the cold months ahead are kind of like a marathon for them. When unseasonable cold and deep snow come toward the end of that marathon, that’s when high death rates can occur. Deer and Idaho Elk Hunts especially, already warn down from lack of nutrition struggle mightily in these conditions. Moose are little different in this respect though. Of all the big game species the moose is as well equipped for inclement weather as any. They suffer though under one specific condition. Usually a moose’s still like legs help it plow through snow with ease but when the temperatures warm and then chill again the snow gets crusty. If this happens for any length of time it can mean utter disaster for the moose. Why? When the snow gets hard on top, a moose sinks through and has trouble making forward progress, but the wolf and the grizzly walk on top with ease, making a moose an easy meal. More moose perish from this situation than any other singular factor nature can throw at them, other than disease, which moose usually don’t have to worry about because by and large they are not a herd animal.

Thankfully though, this year I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that. Unless things change drastically over the next few weeks, our yearling survival rate in deer, elk and moose should be good and the older animals should fare well also giving us hunters an excellent chance at big bucks and bulls this coming fall.