|
Jackson Hole Outfitters
Spring 2001 Newsletter
Another mild winter in Jackson Hole has almost passed. The critters
have wintered well, no doubt, in spite of very poor range conditions.
Hopefully we will have sufficient rainfall this summer to put the wintering
grounds in better shape. We were very fortunate that we had very
light snowfall, only 60% of normal, this winter. If we had a tough
winter we could have lost a lot of deer and elk that winter out.
Feedgrounds Under Attack!
In Jackson Hole, winter habitat for elk comes in the form of little
square bales. Most of you who are reading this have never experienced
winter in Jackson Hole. We have had quite a number of mild winters
lately, but a normal winter in Jackson consists of about 350 inches of
snow and 40 below zero temperatures. In the winter of 1983-84 there
we had about 500 inches of snowfall and for several weeks the nighttime
temperatures were 40-50 below and daytime temperatures warmed up to 15
below zero. When the snow is deep and temperatures are extreme, elk
and deer die. That is a fact of life, and death. Because we
like to hunt elk, we feed them to prevent periodic die-offs. Feeding
began in 1911 when there were only 150 people living in Jackson.
(Jackson is the town, Jackson Hole refers to the huge valley and the general
area). A great example of feedgrounds being beneficial to hunting
is the Forest Park Feedground, near my area in the Greys River. In
the upper Greys there were always about 150-300 elk wintering out.
In a harsh winter many of them would die, then it would take several years
for them to build up to 300-400 head, then a harsh winter would knock them
back down to about 150. In the 70s some local sportsmen pushed hard
to convince the G&F Dept to establish a feedground at Forest Park.
That feedground now has about 1,000 elk on it, and there are still the
historical 150-300 elk wintering out. So a feedground basically increases
the elk herd by the numbers that are on feed.
In 1998 the Fund For Animals sued to stop
the Bison hunt. Bison is the technical term for Buffalo, for you
western purists. These buffalo are the descendents of a small captive
herd of about 13 that escaped back in the 60s. Game managers first
decided they would keep that herd at about 40 animals, then 150, then 350.
The reason they kept raising their management objective was that every
time they would try to reduce their numbers, the wacko environmentalists
and the anti-hunters would throw a fit. We now have over 600 buffalo
and all agree that there will be over 1,000 before we allowed to manage
their numbers again, following the current study.
Part of the Judges ruling, on the lawsuit
stopping the Bison hunt, required an Environmental Impact Statement.
Since the US Fish and Wildlife Service hasnt done an EIS on the Elk on
the National Elk Refuge, they are combining the two into one EIS.
The problem we are having is that many people who are involved are opposed
to elk feedgrounds. Besides the usual anti-hunting crowd, one of
the vocal groups who oppose feeding is the Wildlife Federation. Their
official statement is that they are opposed to any supplemental feeding
of any animal. We, the local sportsmen, outfitters, and wildlife
groups, have hammered on them pretty hard for their official policy.
After one particularly heated meeting, they agreed to modify their stand.
Their modification says that feeding may be justified on a temporary
emergency basis. Sorry, but that does not apply to feedgrounds which
are an every year, permanent site. Simply put, without elk feedgrounds,
we would only have half as many elk. Grizzly bear numbers are at
record highs, wolves are increasing rapidly, the lion population is growing,
and those three predators eat a lot of elk. With fewer elk, increasing
predators, and no feedgrounds, there would not be any surplus elk for hunting
permits. So the point of this long treatise on elk feedgrounds,
is a very real threat to our hunting opportunities. Action to take:
First, I urge each of you to write a letter expressing your support for
elk feedgrounds. Address comments to National Elk Refuge, Bison/Elk
Planning Team, Box 510, Jackson, Wy 83001 Second, if you are
a member of the Wildlife Federation (either the National organization or
the Wyoming) withdraw your membership and tell them why. Urge your
friends to do the same. In addition to their stand against feedgrounds,
they also oppose predator control, they oppose increased quotas on lion
harvest, they oppose logging of the forest fire area in the Greys River
(10,000 acres burned last summer, and the WWF opposes logging only 130
acres of it), they support the Clinton roadless area initiative which effectively
removes public land from multiple use, and they are consistently on the
wrong side of virtually every issue that threatens our hunting heritage.
They will give lip service to being a pro-hunting pro-wildlife organization,
but their actions speak louder than their words.
Tough hunt? Hang in there!
Sometimes hunters get discouraged when the hunting is tough.
Often the weather doesnt cooperate or you just know the big ones are there,
but you only see little ones. Last fall Greer and Blaine came in
a horrible weather week. Snow, fog, rain. Lousy hunting conditions.
Other hunters got discouraged and would go back to camp early, while Greer
and Blaine cowboyed up and stayed out in the weather. As Greer
said, Ive been wet and cold before and I came to hunt! They saw
a few bucks, but nothing to get excited over. They would hunker under
the trees, then when there was a slight break in the weather, they would
hunt. Finally they spotted three bucks lying in the snow, right in
the open. Greer made a good shot on him, they dressed out the huge
buck, and Blaine continued to hunt. Late in the day Blaine passed
up a really nice 25 incher. (he was being greedy, er...selective,
wanting a 30 incher) The point is, when the hunting is tough, dont
give up. Weve never killed a buck from the inside of the cook tent.
Sometimes when the weather is hot and dry the bucks and bulls are hard
to find. I never get discouraged because I know they are there somewhere.
Many many times I have glassed my eyeballs inside out without success.
Then suddenly there is a buck on the same hillside we have been glassing
for hours. He had just been lying down, not visible until he stood
up.
Price Increase necessary.
Im giving notice that my 2002 prices must go up. In 1983 I was
charging $1,950 for a hunt. Im only at $2,500 for 2001. There
have been big increases in my operating expenses in the past few years;
hay, horses, vehicles, permit costs, labor. My pickup has 235,000
miles on it, my suburban has 178,000. My hay truck is a 1970.
Im not complaining, just showing how I was able to keep my prices down
by keeping my costs down. For the quality hunt I have, both
bucks and bulls, I am way under-priced compared to other outfitters.
In addition to that, I just have more demand for my services than I can
accommodate. I had more than 150 deer hunters wanting to hunt with
me this year. I can only take about 32. I had 39 elk hunters
wanting to book and I can only handle 16. The good news is the increase
will be modest this year, $500 above 2001 prices. The bad news is
that it will apply to all hunters, even those who have a deposit for 2002.
Supply and demand. I am giving you this notice so that, if it doesnt
meet your budget, you will have time to book with someone else. Refund
of your deposit will be cheerfully given. I fully understand that
many of you are not wealthy. I, personally, cant afford a guided hunt
so I empathize. I hope you will understand.
I am also offering a Premium Trophy
Hunt, for those extremely serious about getting an exceptional buck.
Each hunter will have two guides, ten guided days of hunting, and
the option of a guaranteed permit. The guaranteed permit will be
by purchasing a commissioners tag. Some hunters, including one of my contacts,
buy Governors tags in Nevada and Arizona. This years Nevada tag
went for $62,000, Arizona tag will go for over $100,000. At my camp
we are consistently killing bucks as good as you will find anywhere.
Of course no hunt can guarantee a whopper buck, but with two guides to
help you (spotting, driving, shuttling horses to the bottom of the mountain,
etc), and ten hunting days, you will have an excellent chance to get that
buck of a lifetime. The price wont be cheap, a little more than
if you were to book two one-on-one hunts back-to-back. Call for details.
Trophy bucks bear a charmed life.
I dont know why it is that the only time a rifle will misfire, or
something goes haywire, it is always on a great trophy. Some examples
from my experience.
Robin Bechtels action froze up when a B&C 210 typ. was broadside,
125 yds.
Grant Deary: Action froze when 30 inch buck was standing at 180 yds.
Mark Herrington had two heartbreaks; his sling broke, the gun fell, and
bent his scope just before getting a chance at a whopper 7 point bull elk.
Another time he missed several shots at a whopper buck. When we fired
to check the zero, the front bell on his scope fell right off. Neil
Merrell had a factory ammo misfire on a big 6 point bull. He sent
the cartridge with the dented primer to Winchester, telling them they owed
him a bull. Not having a bull elk in inventory, they sent him a new
box of shells. I could continue citing these kinds of problems, but
the point is that Murphy is along on every hunt and if something can possibly
go wrong, it will.
Ancient History
When I was a kid I absolutely lived for hunting and fishing. I started
with BB guns and turtle-doves and worked my way up to a borrowed 30-40
Krag with which I killed my first deer. At age 10 I engaged in mortal
hand to fin combat with the dreaded mud-cat on the Gila River in southeastern
Arizona, reaching into the holes under the banks and dragging them forth.
Both of us were muddy and naked as a newly hatched sparrow, but only one
of us got a sunburned bottom so he couldnt sit down in Sunday School the
next day. My first deer hunt, unsuccessful, was with a Model 94 Thutty-thutty
on Graham Mountain pursuing Coues Deer. My teenage years consisted
mainly of Saturday and after-school hunting trips. I had this old
57 Volkswagen, Shultz, and we took it everywhere. Occasionally
we would have to help someone get their jeep unstuck so we could continue
up the mountain, but they took it in good form and only swore under their
breath. Once in a while I would give the critters a break and took time
out to pursue girls, but that could be done at night, after the days hunt
was over. Often I would haul a girl along on the hunting trips, much
to my brothers, and the girls, chagrin. We especially liked to
go out on the desert and chase jackrabbits and kangaroo rats. One
night out at the old airport east of Mesa, I took my brothers and
Din, a girl I especially liked. We were chasing the stupidest
Jackrabbit in the world. He would run, with Schultz in hot pursuit,
and then stop and hunker. I would slam on the brakes and slide over
the top of him, then he would hop out in front and turn and look at us
in a taunting way. About the second time that happened I yelled,
Get him! and Mark, Greer, and Dennis piled out of the back seat, out
the passenger door, in hot pursuit on foot. The rabbit ran to the
left, so I mashed the gas pedal, popped the clutch, and turned left.
I heard a scream and looked over to see Din with her heels on the running
board, one hand gripping the seat, and one hand on the window sill of the
open door. Her rear end was bouncing on the ground. Poor girl.
Another time I took Din dove hunting. I had an old single-shot 12
gauge that kicked like a mule. I forgot to tell her to hold it real
tight against her shoulder. When she fired, the barrel flipped around
and hit her in the mouth. Poor girl. I kissed her better.
But she got her revenge. She married me.
Maury Jones
email
Return to Newsletter page.
|