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Written by Aneal Roney
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Sunday, 17 August 2008 |
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I hope everyone is enjoying the waning summer. I thought I would share with you a little about what I have tagged as the official end of my summer. With Colorado Antelope season in full swing, I don't pay attention to the calendar - I believe it is Fall all the way around! I mentioned on an episode (Can't remember which one) that when my oldest daughter was 2 years old I carried her on my back up Mount Bierstadt here in Colorado. Mount Bierstadt is probably the easiest of all 14ers (Mountain Peaks that are 14,000 feet above sea level). And with carrying a 2 year old on your back up to 14,000 feet, easy is exactly what you are after. To be sure, when I say easy in relation to climbing a 14er, it is VERY relative indeed. So my second daughter turned two this past April. To ensure there were no debates among my daughters about "favoritism" when they were adults, I commited in early spring to carry my second daughter, Ela, up to her first 14er - just like I did her older sister, Maya. Throughout the spring and early summer, I kept tabs on her weight. On average, she was about 6 lbs heavier than my first daughter when I took her up to Mount Bierstand in 2006. That was bad news for Daddy as when you add in pull-ups (diapers), water, goldfish snacks, extra clotehs and other essentials, I was going to be hauling almost 40 lbs of cargo for 3 miles up, and 2300 vertical feet. That is not even considering the descent back down. But I was commited. Not just to introduce my daughter to the purple mountains majesty, but also as a side goal of not only ensuring I was ready to climb a well groomed trail up to a 14er, but to ensure I did what needed to be done over the last year to get up and down the hills to chase both Elk and Mule deer in September. It was a side goal that played nicely with my overall goal. I kept the legs in shape to get my daughter up the mountain and that hike for me was the official end of summer - and the start of my yearly "life"....the fall and chasing big game with my bow. I hope you all look back on the year and are proud of what you have dedicated to our sport and your personal goals. I wish you all the best of luck as the big game seasons start coming up on the calendar. I have shared some of the pictures from Daddy and Ela's hike below, enjoy! On the way up 
 Last False Peak before the Summit  
On Top of the World 
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 17 August 2008 )
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Written by Aneal Roney
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Friday, 15 August 2008 |
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Folks, The Colorado Antelope Season has opened, and in very unusual fashion for this time of year the season opener has been met with day long thunderstorms across most of the state. Not necessarily good news for those of us seeking out waterholes to arrow our buck! Regardless of weather, myself and a couple members of the Colorado BowCast team will be heading out beginning tomorrow. We'll keep you posted on our hunts - in the meantime, enjoy some of the pictures that the team captured while scouting over the last couple of weeks. Anyone else chasing the speed goats? Add a comment to this post and let us know how the early pronghorn season is treating you! 
Photos provided by Troy Popplewell |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 15 August 2008 )
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Written by Jason Amaro
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Friday, 15 August 2008 |
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Hey Everybody... Just when I was about to get totally discourage, I had a pretty decent scouting trip. As many of you know my deer season doesn't start until Janurary so alot of the work I am doing now is trying to learn new country and hopefully find a new honey hole. As always, my goals are to find sheds and hopefully find animals. Unfortunately, this year I hadn't really found anything noteable until my recent trip. I headed into some country that I suspected held a pocket of Coues and Mule Deer but I need to get in there and really take a look. The funny thing about this area is that a lot of people that draw this tag often drive right past this little section of huntable land. So my plan was to cover country and take a look around. What did I find? Well, I found a nice Coues Deer Shed, and I was able to glass up or stalk up on 6 bucks. LIFE IS GOOD...
Below is the Coues Deer Shed I found. It probably goes around 45 inches. 
How about a close-up? 
It might not look like a very good shed but remember that P&Y for Coues Deer is 65 inches. After I find a shed like that I get really jacked up and I am ready to cover more country. I wasn't able to find anymore sheds but I was able to glass and stalk up on a group of Mule Deer. Below is a picture of three of the Mule Deer! 
So what do you think? Are any of these guys shooters? If I was chasing Mulies it would be tough to pass-up that guy in the front. Anyway... Take Care and SCOUT HARD.. Jason |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 15 August 2008 )
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Written by Aneal Roney
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Thursday, 14 August 2008 |
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I found this press release indicating that the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has finished up their 2008 Elk Forecast by State. Check out some of the links below for more information. Elk Hunt Forecast for 2008 MISSOULA, Montana-Hunters will chase wild elk this fall in almost half the states and provinces in North America. A comprehensive hunt forecast from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is now available for free at www.rmef.org.
"Forecasts are prepared annually for our members, but this year we're making it available to the public. Elk and elk hunting opportunities are plentiful. In fact, nationally, elk populations are over 30 percent higher than 25 years ago, so it's a great time to get out and experience elk country-and rediscover the ties between good conservation and good hunting," said David Allen, president and CEO of the Elk Foundation.
This summer, the Elk Foundation passed the 5.4 million acre mark for elk habitat conserved or enhanced.
Here's a condensed look at forecasts from the Top 10 states for total elk populations. To see all the state and province hunt reports in their entirety, visit www.rmef.org.
Colorado
· Estimated Elk Population: 292,000
· Bull/cow ratio: 26/100
· With almost twice as many elk as any other state, and nearly a third of all wild elk in North America, Colorado is Elk Central. The Colorado Division of Wildlife estimates hunters will kill upwards of 50,000 elk this fall, with most units open to over-the-counter tags for the second and third seasons. Those holding tags in limited-license "trophy units" should find monster bulls. In the rest of the state, younger bulls will be prevalent, although a few savvy bulls grow old even in the hardest-hunted units. As for antlerless elk, Colorado is the land of plenty.
Montana
· Estimated Elk Population: 150,000
· Bull/cow ratio: varies by unit
· Big Sky Country is overflowing with elk in a number of regions, which was apparent last year when the state extended the general five-week elk season by two weeks in a number of areas. This year, managers are trying to increase the kill by significantly increasing antlerless elk licenses, known as the A9/B12 tags, around the state. Some parts of Region 2 will offer new unlimited archery-only A9/B12 licenses. Also new this year, hunters no longer need a general elk license to purchase an A9/B12 license.
Oregon
· Estimated elk population: 120,000
· Bull/cow ratios: varies by unit
· With Roosevelt's to the west and Rocky Mountain elk to the east, Oregon boasts healthy populations of both species. Tag numbers will be much the same as last year, with minor changes to some antlerless hunts. The general archery tag went from either-sex to bull-only last year, but either-sex permits will likely become available later in about two-thirds of the units. In the northeastern corner, low calf recruitment, attributed to cougars, is a concern. If you're willing to hunt the tangled rainforests of the west, tags are over-the-counter in most units.
Idaho
· Estimated elk population: 115,000
· Bull/cow ratio: varies by zone
· Idaho issues about 6,000 nonresident permits on a first-come, first-served basis across its 29 elk hunting zones. Hunting opportunity abounds, but tags for some units were already sold out by mid-May. Also, elk permits have been reduced in the Pioneer, Salmon, Selway, Sawtooth and Island Park zones due to harvest and predation concerns. Idaho Department of Fish and Game offers two pieces of advice: 1. Stay mobile-if you find wolves or fresh sign in a drainage, move on; and 2. Check both state and federal restrictions on vehicle travel before packing up for elk camp.
Wyoming
· Estimated Elk Population: 95,000
· Bull/cow ratio: 15-29/100 for "recreational herds," 30-40/100 "special hunts"
· To put it plainly, Wyoming feels it has too many elk-about 12,000 too many. Part of the problem begins with the first shot on public lands that drives the herd over the next ridge onto private land, where they can wait out the season in relative safety. A substantial was seen this year in the Atlantic Rim area, where at least 80 animals out of a herd of 500 died from eating poisonous lichen. The only major hunting region that will see some adjustments is in the Gros' Ventre, units 81, 82, and 83, which are experiencing low bull/cow ratios. The area will have a spikes-excluded season.
New Mexico
· Estimated Elk Population: 70,000-90,000
· Bull/cow ratio: 40/100
· Big antlers need forage, and forage needs moisture. In the north-central hunting units of the San Juan and Sangre de Cristo mountains this year, snowpack has been better than in years past. And with quite a few nontypical Boone and Crockett bulls coming out of New Mexico, this year could be another for the record books. While the north is doing well, southern portions of the state are hurting a bit with continued drought conditions. In the southwest, bull/cow ratios are in the range of 50/100.
Utah
· Estimated Elk Population: 60,000
· Bull/cow ratio: 30/100
· Big. Bulls. You'll find them here as Utah wildlife managers enlist more than half of the state's elk range in a limited-entry hunting system. The result? Hunters last year killed the pending No. 2 bull elk in the world for Pope & Young and a new state-record rifle nontypical that grossed 434 Boone and Crocket points. Hunters should expect nothing less from this season. Limited-entry elk permits have increased from 2,090 in 2007 to 2,447 for 2008.
Washington
· Estimated Elk Population: 58,000-60,000
· Bull/cow ratios: 12-20/100
· Washington assesses its management objectives at the herd level and recognizes 10 specific herds throughout the state. The elk population breaks down to about 50/50 between Roosevelt's elk west of the Cascades and Rocky Mountain elk to the east. Bull permits for both the west-side general season and east-side controlled hunts should be very similar to last year, with the exception of the Blue Mountains, which have gone up due to improved bull/cow ratios.
Arizona
· Estimated Elk Population: 15,000-20,000
· Bull/cow ratio: 15-25/100
· For those lucky enough to hold a bull tag, Arizona should continue to uphold its status as a land of giants. Populations and ratios of mature bulls remain strong across all traditional big bull units. Those with cow tags have a great chance to enjoy success as well. For all the tagless unfortunates, there's something new. Arizona is offering over-the-counter-tags in several units around the state, with a cap on nonresident participation. Also new this year is a November opportunity for bowhunters.
California
· Estimated Elk Population: 11,400
· Bull/cow ratio: 25/100
· Only one state is home to all three remaining subspecies of elk. Tule elk, native only to California, number 3,800. More than 6,000 Roosevelt's thrive in the coastal forests of northwest California. And in the northeast corner of the state, a booming population of 1,600 Rocky Mountain elk features some of the largest wild bulls on the planet. The La Panza and the Grizzly Island tule populations have almost 80 bulls per 100 cows, and crazy nontypical racks abound.
Access the Elk Foundation's hunt forecast directly by copying and pasting this URL into your browser: http://www.rmef.org /Hunting/Features/Articles/Forecast.htm .
About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
Snowy peaks, dark timber basins and grassy meadows. RMEF is leading an elk country initiative that has already conserved or enhanced habitat on over 5.4 million acres-a land area equivalent to a swath three miles wide and stretching along the entire Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico. Most work occurs on public lands. More than 561,000 acres have been opened or secured for public access including hunting, fishing and other recreation. Get involved at www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 14 August 2008 )
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Written by Joe
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Wednesday, 13 August 2008 |
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Well first, I'd like to introduce myself to the Bowcast.com community. My name is Joseph, I'm 18 years old, and just graduated high school. I'm going to be going to Oregon State University to study wildlife biology and management. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 13 August 2008 )
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