Grizzly Bear Trophy Hunting a Positive Sustainable Activity

A fellow asked me the other day if I support trophy hunting for grizzly bears and I of course do but the explanation I gave to him was well recieved. Could education of the purpose of Grizzly bear hunting help persuade the naysayers? I believe so, by educating anti hunters about the reasons why we hunt grizzly bears we can silence the anti hype. Here are some reasons why I believe hunting grizzly bears for trophy purposes or meat is a good idea:

Money-the bottom line: How many anti hunters do you know that speak up against hunting support or fund grizzly bear conservation efforts? Hunters pump almost all private funding towards grizzly bear management and conservation. Think about how much hunters pay on applying for the draw, licenses, tags, and guiding fees. Not to mention the inderect monies that flow into conservation. How much do anti hunters put into grizzly bear conservation?

Preserving the fear of man: Hunting grizzly bears instills that they should stay away from man. Grizzlys that are not hunted can lose their respect and fear of man by encountering man and civilization. Rouge grizzlys have been known to attack livestock, encroach on urban areas, and attack humans. The hunting of grizzly bears pushes the bears further into the wilderness and makes them realize that man presents a threat. Contrary to what idealistic hippies might believe, we cant live in harmony with dangerous top of the food chain predators, they deserve their vast wilderness space away from urban areas. Grizzlys cannot co-habitate with man unlike the adaptable coyote and black bear.

Keeping the herd healthy: Nature works in cycles and when there is an abundance of food animals over produce untill there is famine or desease that wipes out the herd. By taking 3-5% of the herd and recieving funds, the grizzly bear herd is stronger and healthier with steady numbers instead of going through extreme high and low populations.

So even if hunters are hunting a grizzly bear for the trophy, the activity still has benefits for the grizzly bear long term. If hunters are not allowed to partake in the sport, who then would step up to pay for the funding of the management, research, and conservation of these great beasts.

here are some grizzly bear facts from the government of BC: http://www.bearsinbc.com/pages/02grizzly/02myths.html

here are some grizzly bear hunting tips: http://www.huntingtipsandtricks.com/a/Grizzly_Bear_Hunting_Tips_

Excellent taxidermy preperation video

Have you ever been in the field with your downed trophy animal and wondered what to do next? There are alot of steps and precautions to take into consideration when making a trophy shoulder mount. If the right steps and precautions are not followed you could ruin your once in a lifetime trophy. Therefore It is best to talk with a taxidermist before you go hunting so you can find out what he prefers you to do for him and how to preserve the cape in the field as long as possible to prevent slippage and spoilage of the cape. Here is a great video that shows you all the neccassary steps and techniques to properly cape and skin out a trophy game head for the taxidermist: How to Cape and skin for a shoulder mount video.

Hunting Dog Training

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took my labrador retriever for a training session to see if he would retrieve properly. The day was a great success. Roofus loved the Dokken mallard retrieval duck and retreived it successfully after each throw. I was proud of him, especailly after this falls episode when he would not retrieve the real duck that was shot, view here: Dog trying to retrieve.

I think he initially took interest because his mom wanted the duck and it was a competiton, but we let them retrieve sperately and he could barely wait to get back into the water to grab the mallard. It was a good day as he felt like he was accomplishing something and making me happy by retrieving the duck. To read my review of the training duck click: Dokken Deadfowl Trainers. I am excited to take him for another try at real waterfowl this fall to see if he will continue his successful retrievals on real waterfowl.  I think the key is to interest the dogs  to birds and give them great praise for accomplishing the task of retrieving although for most dogs it is insticntual, the craft just has to be perfected and nurtured by the trainer.For hunting dog training tips click the link.  To view more pictures of the dog training vew this album: Dog Retreving Duck.

Nifty Little Range Finder Holder

As an archer I am continually trying out new gear and testing how to be most effeciant with my setup. I ordered a range finder holder from cherry hill outdoors in order to have a better system for my binos and rangefinder. I used a string from my bino buddies to carry my range finder but found that it would swing and hit my binos and make to much noise. I then kept it in my pocket but found it was not as hand as I like. I just received the range finder holder and hope to try it out in the field soon as I am quite optimistic about how it will streamline my optics rig.

Mule Deer Hunting Video Review

Title: High & Low in Mule Deer Country

Publisher: Eastman’s

The Video is a classic Eastman’s production trademarked with the classic music enchanting all Eastman flicks. There is some great tips on patterning mule deer and how to hunt big cagey trophy mule deer. These guys are trophy hunters so you get to see some big bucks. The best and most exciting part is the footage of a cougar and a mule deer buck fighting. Alot of action in this clip. There are a few good kills, but the videography is not the best Ive seen. Overall I give this film 3/5. check it out if you would like to see some mule deer hunting tips:

High & Low in Mule Deer Country DVD

 

Bear Down with Rifle

black bear shot with rifle It is always a joy to see a hunter take his first big game animal and I was very happy to take huntingtipsandtricks.com member Chris out for a bear hunt and help him have a successful black bear hunt. We started down an area we scouted last year that showed promise with all the bear scat around. We parked the truck and started walking down the deactivated road when all of the sudden a black bear jumped out of the ditch and started running down the road. Just before the bear disappeared into the bush Chris plugged it with his .270 win with a perfect boradside quartering away shot and dropped the bear instantly. We took some good pictures and savoured the moment before begining to bone out the meat and skinning the hide for a bear rug. We hung the bear skull up in a tree in order to let the bugs pick off the bulk of the meat before we make a European bear skull.

Scouting From The Air

We are always looking for new hunting grounds and sometimes the best areas are the closest to us. A long drive can be a time consuming and costly venture so staying local can put more time and money into your hunting trips.

I decided to use some of the resources around me to find some new hunting areas locally. My father in law is a pilote. We flew over some areas that are hard to access in order to find some promising hunting grounds that are away from the crowds. I really got to take in some great scenery and do some quality exploration. Here are some of the pics from the air: Air Photos

Merino Wool for Base Layer

I just picked up some merino wool boxers, socks, and shirt and found them to be excellent. I suggest anyone looking for a good base layer to take a look at merino wool and Ice Breaker Merino wool to be more precise. I wore the items for the whole weekend and it kept moisture off me and did not stink.  I found Under Armor heat gear to make me sweat instantly and stink so if your like me try a natural alternative, Check out this Ice Breaker Merino Wool Gear Review

Successful Black Bear Hunt

well just got back from yet another successful black bear hunt, all the planning and practicing payed off and I have another archery bear to add to the collection, I am looking forward to getting the bear rug done and eating bear meat. Click to read all the details of this years spring Bear Hunt. We saw 30 bears, 45 deer, and 4 moose on this weekend hunting trip!

Getting Ready For Weekend Spring Bear Hunt

GPS check, Head lamp check, batteries check, sleeping bag check. "Looks like everything is here." Getting ready for any hunting trip takes time for preperation; preperation for scouting, groceries, gear, and unexpected problems. As I prepare for this years annual spring bear derby I am checking things off from a hunting trip checklist. You want to make sure you go over it twice and make sure you have everything! Things like extra batteries, survival kits, first aid kits, are often forgotten. Check your equipment over for damage; bowstrings, rangefinder, shoe laces etc. I cant wait to get out hunting but I have learnt the hard way from running by the seat of my pants. One memory that serves me is when I was 17 and me and my buddy Dave went fishing for the weekend and we were sleeping in the back of a pickup truck under the stars and living off the fish we caught during the day. No dishes, no plates, and enough food and water for 1 day. We were stupid and young but we survived and since then I decided to be more diligent than just bringing my fishing tackle and a blanket!