(June 30, 2004)

MY DRAWS ARE all over for the 2004 big game hunting season. Here is my score for this year:
Oregon
Elk - 0
Deer - 0
Idaho
Deer - 0
Nevada
Deer - 0
California
Deer - 0
Elk - 0
Sheep - 0
Antelope - Bingo!

Well, I guess my draws aren't really over, there still is the second Supertag drawing in Idaho. Check out the next issue of WesternHunter.com next week to get all the details.

HERE ARE THE California Bighorn Sheep tag drawing stats for 2004.

Hunt	Tags	Applications
Marble/ Clipper Mtns.	3	1,994
Kelso Peak/Old Dad Mtns.	4	3,051
Clark/Kingston Mt. Range	1	921
Orocopia Mountains	1	446
San Gorgonio Mtns.	2	534
Sheep Hole Mountains	1	319
Points Only	0	1,277

(June 21, 2004)

OK, NOW I'm double happy. I had put in with my son for the California Pronghorn Antelope drawing but his letter didn't come until today (got mine on Saturday) — we both drew tags. I am already seeing the normal disappointed emails from hunters about not being drawn (that is usually my story). I missed out this year in Oregon, struck out for the supertags in Idaho (our writer Longwalker drew an Idaho supertag for antelope.) I also missed out on my muzzleloader tag for Nevada. No news yet about California deer, elk and sheep but I am already so happy with the goat tags I hope you guys and gals draw those.

Here are just some of the stats for ATC readers that you are sure to see way before anyone else.

G1 Late Season C4 — All tags gone with first and second choice apps
G3 Goodale Hunt — 35 tags, 3,006 first choice apps
G6 Kern River Hunt — 50 tags, 925 first choice apps
G37 Anderson Flat — 25 tags, 2,169 first choice apps
G39 Round Valley late Season — 30 tags, 937 first choice apps
M3 Doyle Muzzleloader — 20 tags, 955 first choice apps
X5b — 130 tags, 2,409 first choice apps

I don't have the breakdown yet for the preference points in the drawing numbers but will share them when I see them.

I hope you get that Congratulations letter from the DFG this week — let me know how you do.


(June 19, 2004)

WOW! AM I happy! In the mailbox today was a letter from the California DFG telling me I drew a pronghorn antelope tag. What a great pre-Father's Day present. No other news about deer, elk or sheep but I am already a winner without them.

HUNTING PROPERTY FOR lease ... The Nature Conservancy has let us know about a property that they are looking to lease for hunting. This 1,800-acre property is located in Shasta County near Paines Creek in the C Zone deer area. In addition to deer hunting, you will be able to hunt upland game birds like quail and there may be some turkeys. They are taking bids with a deadline of July 23, 2004. The asking minimum bid is $4,000. If you have the funds or some hunting friends that would be interested in going in with you, more details are available by calling (530) 527-0424.


(June 15, 2004)

JUST ONE NEW hunting opportunity today instead of two - look for the second one soon. If you have a junior hunter or know of one in California, here is a really great opportunity for them to go on an outstanding deer hunt in the coastal mountains in Santa Clara County. The DFG and the California Deer Association have joined together to provide not only deer hunts, but wild pigs and turkey, too. Check out the link below for all the information on how to enter that junior hunter in this drawing.

New Junior Hunts


(June 14, 2004)

TWO NEW HUNTING opportunities are coming up and I should have the information ready to go late on June 15th. One will be about a brand new junior hunting opportunity which will include deer, turkey and pigs on an excellent piece of land in California. The other will be about an opportunity to lease 1,800 acres in Shasta County, California for deer and upland bird hunting.

Standby for more!


(June 12, 2004)

OREGON HUNTERS ARE going to see reduced numbers of deer and elk tags for the upcoming 2004 season. On Friday, the Commission voted to reduce the tag numbers by 11 percent. In addition, the Commission made a number of changes for the 2005 Big Game Seasons. If you would like to see all the changes go to the link below.

Oregon Tag Numbers and 2005 Season Changes


(June 10, 2004)

THEY LIKE TO RE-WRITE history. Below is a report from the NRA regarding the Brady Campaigh and NBC's Katie Couric.

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Thursday, June 10, 2004

Exploiting tragedy for political gain is nothing new for the media and the Brady Campaign, but this morning's appearance on NBC's Today Show reached a new low. Katie Couric and Sarah Brady used the tragic occasion of President Reagan's passing to shamelessly forward the gun-ban agenda with deliberate misinformation. Led by carefully crafted questions from Couric, Sarah Brady claimed that President Reagan wasn't actually an NRA member, and that he "worked hard" for passage of the so-called "assault weapons" ban.
In fact, President Reagan, the owner of an AR-15, was a strong and consistent supporter of the Second Amendment and the NRA. He was a long time member who actively courted the NRA's endorsement in both of his presidential campaigns, and was the first presidential candidate in history to receive that endorsement. He appeared on the cover of NRA magazines four times. In 1983 he was offered, and accepted, an NRA Honorary Life Membership, the highest honor bestowed by the NRA.

He was the first, and to date, only, sitting president to speak at our Annual Meetings, saying, in part, "The NRA believes America's laws were made to be obeyed and that our constitutional liberties are just as important today as 200 years ago. And by the way, the Constitution does not say Government shall decree the right to keep and bear arms. The Constitution says "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." In 1986, President Reagan signed the landmark Firearms Owners Protection Act (FOPA), and he never blamed law-abiding gun owners for the actions of criminals.

Don't allow these offensive lies to go unchallenged! Please immediately contact Tom Touchet, Executive Producer of the "Today Show," to express your outrage and demand that equal time be given for a rebuttal. Mr. Touchet can be reached by phone at (212) 664-3222, or by e-mail at tom.touchet@NBC.com.


(June 9, 2004)

I'M BACK AFTER a few days at the Outdoor Writer's Association of California (OWAC) Conference held at the fantastic Tenaya Lodge just outside of Yosemite, California. Over 150 people attended the conference including many of California's top outdoor writers from newspapers, magazines, TV, radio and Web. With no hunting seasons going on I spent the event day on Monday fishing beautiful Bass Lake near Oakhurst. Below is George Carl with one of the bass we took while using one of the rental boats from Miller's Landing to fish the lake. The next day, my wife Diane and I got a great tour of the whole lake on the Bass Lake Queen II out of The Pines Resort and Conference Center. Bass Lake has houses for rent on the east shore and public campgrounds on the west shore. This is a beautiful lake and there are many boats and jet skis for rent at both Miller's Landing and The Pines Resort. For those of you who saw the movie the Great Outdoors, The Pines Resort and Bass Lake were the locations for some of the shooting of this John Candy movie. I must say that May though August at Bass Lake are great vacation months. We are going back for sure!

Now I as I look at my Winchester Calendar hanging on the wall, I see June 15th circled for the Idaho supertag drawing, June 18th circled for the Nevada Big Game Drawing results and finally, June 24th marked off as the date the California Big Game Drawing results will be posted. It's not hunting season but it sure is the waiting season — big game hunters interested in hunting the West have their fingers crossed. Good Luck to all of you!


(June 5, 2004)

WITH THE ARIZONA application deadline coming up on June 8th I received a very interesting email from one of our readers who shared some information I think is worth sharing with all of you. Here is his email:

Hi Jerry,
I share your view that license cost is a minor investment year to year when we hunters try to stay in the various bonus point programs. The problem with Arizona is that I believe this program was set up with the intent of reaping a tremendous amount this year as anyone that goes the "points only" route is going to get badly burned and Arizona is going to have to deal with that backlash.

The reason this is such a big deal is that when you apply for "points only" now, you must submit the license fee, the permit fee and the application and then you WILL NOT receive ANY refund - zip, zero, nothing.

What that equates to is, beyond and in addition to the $113.50 hunting license, is the following cost for a bonus point without the chance of being drawn (non-resident prices):
Deer = $113.50
Antelope = $304.50
Elk = $371.00
Bighorn Sheep = $920.00
Buffalo Bull = $3,755.00

Can you imagine what is going to happen when a hunter didn't want to actually get drawn in Arizona and say used a credit card to apply "points only" for all various species via the Internet this year? That would be an incredible expense, none of which will be refunded.

When this was proposed late last year, I actually communicated with Arizona Game and Fish to be sure I understood correctly. The answer was, yes, I understood correctly - you want a bonus point without the possibility of being drawn and it will cost you the same exact amount as if you actually drew. There was also a warning about this program in Garth Carter's publication, the May 2004 issue of The Huntin' Fool.

Jerry, it's just a huge financial trap that I'm afraid many folks are going to fall into this year. That's why I pointed out the problem and have come back to you here with specific dollar impacts of making this mistake.

Thanks for the great job you do with WesternHunter.com!

All The Best,
Brenton Scott


(June 4, 2004)

MOUNTAIN LION MANAGEMENT is a problem in more states than California — but Pennsylvania? That's right, check out this recent column by Jim Slinsky, an outdoor writer from that state.

A Sure Cure for Mountain Lion Fever


(June 3, 2004)

A BIG GAME CLINIC for California hunters will be offered for the first time by the California Department of Fish and Game. The clinic will be a two-day event and will take place at the end of June. Space is limited, so if you would like more information on this opportunity go to the link below.

Big Game Clinic

LOOKS LIKE SPORTSMEN'S pressure was effective with tire maker, Michelin. See how they have changed their position with an anti-hunting group.

Back on Track

DEADLINES FOR UTAH are coming up fast. Here is information about elk and deer tags for the 2004 season.

Buy Bull Permits Early

Buck Permit Sale Starts June 17