Good evening all If you find the time I would like to have some suggestions to compiling an African bow hunting package deal that would be tempting to one and all. I have a few questions for you: which 5 animals would you like to see in a package deal? how many days can you be away on a hunting trip? Thanks   Pieter Kriel www.huntinginafrica.co.za

Shooting Safety – Nothing to joke about by Mia Anstine NEVER USE ALCOHOL OR DRUGS WHILE HANDLING A FIREARM I tend to be a jokester. I like to make light of a lot of things. However, the people who are close to me know very well there are things I do NOT joke about. One important one is shooting safety. I take the responsibility of [...] Read more of this post

What A Trooper by Mia Anstine One of my favorite things is how excited a hunting client gets when he puts meat in the freezer. Here is a story from a few years ago that is one of my favorites! We took my friend's 83 year old grandfather hunting for his private land cow elk. Each year we think that it may be [...] Read more of this post

NRA to run Harrisburg outdoors show next year 4/16/2013   The NRA said the nine-day event, to be held at the Farm Show Complex, will be called the Great American Outdoor Show.   HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The National Rifle Association said Tuesday it was selected to run an outdoors show next year in Harrisburg, stepping in after organizers canceled a similar event in February because their assault weapons ban created an uproar. The NRA said the nine-day event, to be held at the Farm Show Complex, will be called the Great American Outdoor Show. The show will be the successor to the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show, which drew a backlash and vendor boycott after organizers imposed a ban on assault weapons in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting. The NRA said its show will feature shooting, hunting, fishing and boating. NRA president David Keene, in Harrisburg for the announcement, said the organization would encourage firearms manufacturers to participate. WHTM-TV said Keene envisions a national event that would include a country music concert and celebrity appearances. He said the contract was for two years but hoped to extend it after that. The NRA beat out 16 other hopefuls to take over the show, which had been run by Reed Exhibitions. ___

6th Annual Special Needs Horseback Ride by Mia Anstine I am proud to be a part of WCO, Wolf Creek Outfitters, Inc. We feel it is important to give back to the community. We offer a horseback ride each year to the Special Needs children of our community. This year's ride was as wonderful as the past. We had plenty of help and were [...] Read more of this post

When it comes to deer management, a one-to-one match-up is not necessarily the best thing going for either your herd, or your hunting. by Mark Kayser If you’re a do-it-yourself deer manager as most who hunt their own piece of ground are, one recurring theme that you’ve heard about is that a one-to-one buck-to-doe ratio is optimum. Managers of the most famous deer-hunting operations in the country sure push that notion, but is it always valid? One-to-One Ratio Argument There are two main arguments for the one-to-one buck-to-doe scenario. First, it can aid in maintaining a healthy herd. If a property holds too many does and fawns, the nutrition of the herd can suffer as a result of overbrowsing. By keeping the doe population in balance, the overall herd will benefit — ample browse for bucks might lead to better antler growth, under the right conditions. Does and fawns will also benefit, since healthy does birth healthier fawns, and are more likely to birth twins. More food throughout the year also means the deer won’t have to use all their fat reserves to make it through difficult periods of winter or drought. The second reason to work toward a one-to-one ratio is to increase hunting success. If bucks and does are present in fairly equal numbers, rutting activity should be much more pronounced during daylight hours. Bucks in more competitive situations cover a lot of ground looking for willing does. That increases the likelihood that they’ll be spotted by hunters. When One-To-One Isn’t Practical For effective herd management, the majority of the deer that use your property should also stay on your property. In most instances that means the property should consist of at least 500 acres, though many deer managers I’ve talked with actually place that figure higher, even as high as 5,000 acres. Needless to say, it takes a lot of land to keep deer close to home. If your property lacks the fundamental living requirements to keep deer happy, you can also expect them to leave — at least temporarily. Cover, food and water are necessary to hold deer, otherwise they’ll wander across your property and the neighbors’. You’re trying to follow the tenets of quality deer management — harvest more does and let bucks mature — but are your neighbors? It won’t help your management efforts if bucks that bed down on your property get picked off on adjoining land because that’s where they have to go to take advantage of food plots and the does that are attracted to them. It’s not always a bad thing to have a few extra does around. Whitetail expert and outfitter Cody Warne endorses the idea of having MORE does than bucks in the herd. He’s not against a one-to-one ratio under the right conditions, but having a surplus of does isn’t always a bad thing. Warne’s property lies in central South Dakota, where winters can be tough on deer when the snow piles up. “I don’t mind wintering extra does, says Warne, “because I know that if we do have a severe winter and I end up losing deer from winterkill, it’s the does that will be the key to my herd bouncing back fast.” Plant for Healthy Deer If you do decide that a one-to-one buck-to-doe ratio is right for you, be sure to provide the herd with ample amounts of the right feed. After sampling the soil, research the best food plot crops for the area, taking into account average temperatures and rainfall. If you choose clover, remember that the seed needs to be planted in low, moist areas. If you pick the right location, such as a lowland pasture, clover will reseed itself well for about four years. If you plant it in the wrong place, such as a hillside or in dry soils, it won’t last a season. Besides choosing the best growing location, be sure the food plot is in an area where wildlife will readily access it. Placing it in an open field or next to a busy road might deter wildlife from visiting it during legal shooting hours. Plant it where deer will feel secure. You probably live in an area where various types of grains and legumes will grow well. It almost goes without saying that you should plant forage that is universally appealing to wildlife — especially deer — during the longest period possible. Otherwise, choose a crop that is economical. Generally a mixture is better than a single crop, in case one seed variety should fail. Hunter’s Specialties Fall Mix (www.hunterspec.com) is a top example. It includes a mixture of plants with a range of protein from 27 to 35 percent. With the right food, the herd will prosper.

                                      I dreamed of Africa For as long as I could remember, I have always dreamed about going to Africa. As a child, when I would go on camping trips, I would hide out in the woods and imagine that I was stalking the dangerous game of the “Dark Continent”. I would hide in the brush and as stealthily as possible, I would stalk my prey. I would use a stick from the woods as my rifle but it was as accurate as a Remington 700. I never missed. Every shot was carefully placed in the kill zone. Lions, Elephants, Cape Buffalo, I successfully tracked them all. In my minds eye, my trophy room was unsurpassed. I would proudly walk the room admiring my triumphs and victory’s.   When I was ten years old, we had taken a school trip to Sagamore Hill – President Teddy Roosevelt’s house. I was awe-struck from the moment I entered his home. There, in every room of his home were the trophies that I had been dreaming about. There were Lion Rugs, Cape Buffalo, Rhino mounts through out the house. In the great room, two American Bison mounts flanked either side of the huge fire place. I was in complete amazement of his hunting exploits. I knew then, that Teddy Roosevelt had left a life long impression on me that would leave me longing to experience the thrill of the dangerous game of Africa as he did a century before. Through the years, hunting in Africa was never far from my thoughts. Occasionally, I would speak to friends about planning a trip but the answers always seemed the same. “Sure, let’s plan something for next year” but next year would never come. Something always seemed to come up. We are buying a house, we are having a baby. I would love to but…….   A week ago, I received a call from Judge Julie Mogenis. I am part of her pro-staff for her new show “World Wild Adventures”. She began to tell me how bogged down her schedule was and how there just was not enough time to go on all of the hunts that she had booked. I did not expect her next question. She had asked if I would fill in on a hunt for her and co-host the segment of the show for her. I was caught a little off guard but without knowing anything about the hunt Julie was speaking about, I agreed to fill in thinking that maybe it was a deer or an elk hunt.   Awesome! You will have to be in Africa by Monday. I was silent for a moment trying to process what I had just heard. You want me in Africa by Monday to fill in for this hunt, I repeated? What kind of Plains game will we be hunting? No plains game Julie said. This will be a Green Hunt for Rhino. This conversation was getting better by the minute. My first trip to Africa and I will be hunting one of the Big Five? This was like a dream come true. Weather I wanted to fill in for her on this hunt or not was not even a factor. The only issue I had was that we had a family vacation planned to Cabo San Lucus and the dates would overlap by a few days. I needed to speak to my family to shuffle around some dates. After I hung up the phone I woke up my girlfriend to tell her about the conversation. I was not sure how we would work out the dates but she said not to worry about any of that and I should just go to Africa. I really did not have to be told twice so I booked the flights the next day.   All I know is, one minute I was laying on my bed watching the Cartoon Network with my son and the next minute, I am on a plane to South Africa to hunt rhino. It is an experience of a life time. I can honestly say that if you work hard enough and you want it bad enough – Dreams do come true- So follow your dreams.

Elk and Big Horn Sheep Studies in Colorado by Mia Anstine Those of you who have followed me over the years know that I have a genuine love for hunting as well as a respect for animals. I enjoy chasing a big bull elk or even a cow any chance I get. I also have a bucket list a mile long. Does it mean I'm chasing trophys? [...] Read more of this post

Bears beware — Colorado lawmakers worried about the animals' growing population are talking about giving wildlife officials more say over when bears can be hunted. DENVER (AP) — Bears beware — Colorado lawmakers worried about the animals' growing population are talking about giving wildlife officials more say over when bears can be hunted. A proposal set for its first hearing Monday would repeal a 1992 voter-approved initiative that prohibits hunting bears from March 1 to Sept. 1 and give the state Division of Wildlife authority to expand hunting dates. Voters overwhelmingly approved the initiative amid concern that female bears were being hunted in the spring, when they are taking care of their cubs. The initiative also banned hunting bears with dogs and baiting bears with food to kill them. The bill sponsored by Rep. J. Paul Brown would not eliminate those provisions. Brown, a lawmaker from southwestern Colorado, said he's concerned that the animals are becoming less afraid of people. "If at all possible, I just don't want to have a tragedy with some little kid getting killed by a bear if there's a bad bear around," he said. But a wildlife rights group argues the bear population is still vulnerable and its numbers could dwindle fast if more hunting is allowed. "Sure, if you wipe out the whole population there's going to be no conflicts" with people, said Wendy Keefover, director of carnivore protection for WildEarth Guardians. Brown insists he's not advocating a spring bear hunt and that it's unlikely that hunters will be allowed to take the animals during spring. He's also not offering an opinion as to when more hunting should happen. "The Division of Wildlife, I think, are the experts and they're the ones that need to make those decisions," he said. "It's just that right now, as it is in statute, they just don't have that flexibility." Randy Hampton, a DOW spokesman, said the agency is not taking a position on the bill. But he said having additional season-setting flexibility would permit the department to allow bear hunting during the late summer "in areas where bear densities are determined to be too high." "Just because we are given authority to hunt year-round doesn't mean the spring hunt would come back. We're not discussing the spring hunt as an option," Hampton said. Hampton said that wildlife officials estimated the bear population at close to 8,000 in the early 1990s. Additional research is under way and wildlife officials "have conservatively estimated the black bear population in Colorado at approximately 12,000 bears," Hampton said. Bear encounters with people have increased as more Coloradans move into rugged areas and people explore more of the state's backcountry, Hampton said. Urban development, persistent droughts and late frosts also have brought bears and humans closer as the animals search for food. In 2009, wildlife officers and landowners killed 211 bears because of their interaction with people or property, and another 219 in 2010. In 2008, 107 problem bears were killed, according to DOW. Last week, a man in suburban Colorado Springs told police he had to take refuge on top of his truck after he was chased by a mother bear and her two cubs. Last summer, wildlife agents killed a bear that bit a man in Durango who was sleeping in his backyard. The man wasn't seriously hurt. Keefover, with WildEarth Guardians, said bear-versus-human conflicts are a matter of people taking personal responsibility and being smart about not attracting bears by leaving food or trash where it's easily accessible. She said that despite Brown's reassurance that a spring bear hunt won't happen, she's still worried that bears will be targeted when cubs are most dependent on their mothers. "The idea that we need to hunt when cubs are vulnerable is just completely unethical and wrong," she said.

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