Successful 2014 Hunting Season!

Looks like a great 2014 hunting season had by all! I’m a big believer in the fact that “successful” is determined by the memories you make during the hunting season and not by the size of the antlers. Don’t get me wrong, I dream of those monster bulls and bucks showing up in my scope and on my wall. But if I judged my success by the size of the antlers or even by the fact of whether I was successful in harvesting an animal, I would find myself discouraged more than not.

With that being said, congrats to those of you in this post for a very successful 2014 hunting season. Thank you for sending in some of your photos and sharing your experiences with me. I love hearing about all of your adventures and will post your stories and photos whenever requested. You can send your photos and info to shrinkfilm2004@yahoo.com.

Now let’s take a look at some of 2014’s best:

Here’s a couple beautiful Eastern Montana Bucks taken by Stuart and Paul. Taken on opening morning of the 2014 rifle season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful European Mounted Whitetail taken by Jake in Eastern Washington during the 2014 season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A battle-scarred 7×6 bull taken by Jason in Central Montana during the 2014 rifle season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another great Montana bull taken by Stuart in Central Montana.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a great Utah buck taken during the 2014 Muzzle Loader season in Central Utah by Ed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bryan sent this photo of a buck that decided to camp out on his front lawn on opening morning of the 2014 Wyoming rifle hunt. Wonder how Bryan felt driving away from him to go to his favorite hunting spot…Hmmm.

 

 

 

 

Great buck taken by Jared’s son Tyler (His first!)in South Central Montana during the 2014 rifle season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful, end of the season buck, taken by Brandon in the 2014 rifle season in Montana.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trail Cam of a group of bucks in Utah. This was taken the day before the 2014 archery season opener by Mike. I’m guessing he wasn’t able to get on them during the season however. Any updates Mike?

 

 

 

 

Awesome 2014 Archery buck taken in Idaho by Clint. Beautiful buck Clint, congrats!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great Idaho Bull taken by Andy during the 2014 season!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andy with another incredible Idaho trophy, but this time its a giant buck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t hesitate in sending me your pictures. I would be happy to post them with whatever info you would like. Congrats to a great 2014 everybody. Now, let’s get on to 2015!

Jason

Incredible Program for Disabled Hunters

I have said it before, but I love what I do for a living. My job has allowed me to meet incredible people over the years, and this year has been no different. I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Mr. Larry Frandson, who is the Vice President of the Wyoming Disabled Hunters organization, located in Cody, Wyoming.

The Wyoming Disabled Hunters organization was established in 2008, as a non-profit, all volunteer organization that provides hunting opportunities, for the disabled, at a minimum cost to the hunters due to generous donations from local, state, and national organizations, as well as many individuals. With the generous donations received during 2012 they were able to help defer the cost of licenses, transportation to Cody and many other associated costs.

Donations to this wonderful organization doesn’t start and end with money, but they also include places such as The Bull Moose Retreat up South Fork from Cody, and the Hyatt Ranch who provided the elk hunting location along with donated land owner tags. Food is donated to the organization for things such as the hunts themselves, banquets, and other gatherings, all organized to provide incredible experiences for the hunters and the means for these donations that keep this organization going strong.

It takes between 100 – 150 volunteers to successfully achieve the organizations goals through out the year and during the annual hunts. People like the Irma Flats Mothers Club, the Cody Cattle Women and the Cody High School Honor Students who took the time to prepare and serve the meals.

The Wyoming Disabled Hunters organization works closely with the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission to help minimize the problems that the disabled hunters run into during the course of their hunt. Thanks to the organizations efforts, they had a part in the Wyoming Legislature in recently passing house Bill 0028 which will allow the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to draft regulations for the use of laser or artificial light for the visually impaired. The Commission is also working on simplified rules for companion hunter permits to allow a hunting companion of a disabled hunter to assist in tracking wounded game and eliminating the animal to minimize suffering by wounds inflicted by the disabled hunter. Incredible efforts to provide incredible experiences no matter the disability or impairment.

Take the time to visit their website at www.wyomingdisabledhunters.org, and take the time to visit and like them on Facebook. Also volunteers are always needed and they are currently needed for the 2013 season. Contact information is below. I would like to personally thank Larry for his, the boards, and all the volunteers for their efforts in changing lives for the better. I am a strong believer in the positive healing power of the outdoors, specifically hunting. Whether the needed healing is physical, emotional or even spiritual, hunting and having the full hunting experience has true healing power and the Wyoming Disabled Hunters organization is filled with incredible people on an incredible mission.

Contact them at: PO Box 2232 Cody, WY 82414; President Corey McGregor – coreym@wyoming.com, or Vice President Larry Frandson – lfrandson@gmail.com

What State Offers The Best Chance For a Monster Bull?

There has and will always be talk on what state, here in the West, has the best trophy elk hunting opportunities. Is it Colorado? Maybe Utah? One thing is for sure, the state that holds the largest elk population is the beautiful state of Colorado. But does that automatically qualify them for the biggest bulls? Let’s look at 6 Western states and find out how I rate them as providing the best opportunity for a trophy bull elk. 

With an elk population of over 250,000 animals, Colorado is clearly king when it comes to sheer numbers. But, does Colorado offer the best chance for a trophy bull? No! Don’t get me wrong, there are some giants still roaming the Rocky Mountain State, but far less than some of its neighbors. Colorado is one of the best states to give the average hunter an opportunity to fill the freezer, but not my pick for the top Trophy Elk State. Colorado takes the #4 spot for having the best chance at a monster bull.

Looking North from Colorado you come to Wyoming. I love Wyoming, and I love how the wildlife is managed here. Elk populations are above objective at 90,000 animals. Most of its hunting units are above their objective and offer incredible hunting opportunities. Frustrating thing about Wyoming is that 50% of the state is private land. But, they are managing with this in mind and have created some great programs with the land owners. Best areas are around the Jackson Hole area and Big Horn Mountains. The Cody heard has been hit hard by wolves. Some calf survival rate in these areas are as low as 3 calves per 100 cows. So, Does Wyoming provide the largest bulls? No! But they do come in at my number 5.

Keep going North and you run into my home state of Montana. This state brings you both a huge population (160,000)  and an improved opportunity for a trophy bull. Over the last 10 years, Montana has made huge strides to bring back mature bulls, and it is paying off, just look at how many entries Montana has had in the last 10 years. Montana offers one of the best opportunities of seeing elk and finding a huge bull. Montana is also hooked to the private land issue, with over 64% of the state considered private. But, great management with the land owners is opening new opportunities. Hunt the Bob Marshal/Missouri Breaks units for a chance for that trophy. Hunt the units around Enis and Dillon to see lots of elk and fill your freezer. Montana comes in at #3. Eight years ago they would have been fighting for the #5 spot. 

Turning West we run into the state of Idaho. Idaho holds a strong elk population of 120,000 animals. Although the units in the Eastern side of the state is getting hit hard by wolves, the state continues to provide good mature bull elk. Idaho is blessed with 64% of it’s state being public land, and much of the wintering range is also public. This provides a lot of management opportunities for the state of Idaho and they have done a great job of taking advantage of that. Although Idaho is not in my top three for a trophy, it provides a fantastic opportunity to have a great elk hunting experience. They get my nod for the #6 spot. 

Heading South we run into the Beehive State. Utah has a strong elk population of about 65,000 animals. Compared to the first few states we have talked about, that may not sound like a lot of animals. But, if there is a spot in Utah that can hold elk there will be elk. 70% of the state of Utah is public land. This means that there is a lot of land you can hunt. Although Utah doesn’t have the population that other states have, such as Colorado, Montana and Idaho, it takes my #1 spot for finding monster bulls! Utah has managed the state for trophy bulls for years and it is finally paying off. The new world record came out of Utah recently (Spider Bull), off of the Monroe unit. Utah has also been the top state, in the past 10 years, for B&C entries for elk. Units such as the Monroe, Plateau, Book Cliffs, and Cache, offer some of the greatest elk hunting opportunities in any elk hunting state. Every state has a trophy unit or two, but Utah has a lot more then just one or two, and I’m not talking about a 320-360 trophy bull, I’m talking consistent opportunities of 360-400 trophy class bulls. The thing about Utah is, it’s not if you can find a 360 bull, it’s if you can draw a tag to hunt that bull, that’s the challenge. 

Arizona has traditionally been a trophy elk state. Although the entries into B&C has dropped off in recent years, they still produce huge animals. The elk population is at a healthy 35,000 animals, with most all these animals found in the North/North-central part of the state. Units 9 and 10 are still the units we all dream of, but you also have a chance at a monster in units 1 and 27. As with Utah, good luck drawing a tag, but if you are one of the few that redefine luck, then get ready for the hunt of a life time! Arizona completes the top 6 elk states at #2. 

The top six elk hunting states that offer the best opportunity for a true monster, listed below in order:

#1 – Utah, #2 – Arizona, #3 – Montana, #4 – Colorado, #5 – Wyoming, #6 – Idaho

Now, to wait for hunting season to begin…is it here yet?!