Jackson Hole Outfitters
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Hi Guys, Gals, & Horses! (Shadow loves his copy of the newsletter! I usually mention him a couple of times.) Sorry this newsletter is so late, but I have been totally swamped!! Many irons in the fire. Don’t worry, Shadow. None of those irons are of the branding type.  Picture of Shadow.

If you have email, I would greatly appreciate being able to send this newsletter and all my info 3 or 4 times a year to you via email and also update you frequently as to what is going on with Wyoming hunting. I have 2,300 hunters on my mailing list and it is getting quite cumbersome and very expensive to mail them all out. So PLEASE email me email (that is s v w y) to give me your email address, and be sure and mention your name and mailing address so I can take you off my snail mail list.

I have been very very involved in trying to save your elk and deer hunting from the wolf! In 1995 the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) planted wolves in Yellowstone. Just as we predicted, they have proliferated (that means had lots of pups) beyond FWS projections and they are beginning serious inroads into our game herds. The moose population north of Jackson has been impacted so severely there will probably not be a hunt for them in 2003. The G&F Commission met in Jackson to try and come up with a way to work with the FWS in delisting the wolf so the state can manage them. The problem they have is that the wolf is now classified as a predator in Wyoming. That means they can be killed at any time in any manner. FWS will not delist them until they have better protection, namely a Trophy Game Animal as bears and lions. The problem with that is the G&F is liable for damages caused by game animals. They are not liable for damages caused by predators. G&F cannot afford to pay for wolf depredations. Also, if protected a rancher can only kill wolves when in the act of attacking his animals. As a predator, the rancher can eradicate them near his herds. So G&F recommends dual classification; Trophy Game Animal in wilderness areas adjacent to the Park and predator in other areas of Wyoming. FWS refused the plan. In fact, at the recent state outfitter convention in Casper, a rep from the FWS told us very arrogantly that we had better toe the line or we will have wolves all through Wyoming and there isn’t a thing we can do about them. His attitude was literally "We are the King, you are the peasants." So the Governor had some of us in to try to work it out behind closed doors. I’ve attended two private meetings in the Governor’s office in Cheyenne, specifically on how to deal with the wolf. In attendance were the Endangered Species Coordinator, Stockgrowers, Woolgrowers, Farm Bureau, Wildlife Federation, Legislators, State Director of Agriculture, G&F Director, G&F Commissioner, state Outfitter’s Vice President, and myself, Jackson Hole Outfitters President. The focus of these meetings was to come to a compromise we can live with. All of us agreed that the wolf was introduced with incorrect data, that we were lied to regarding introduction and the eventual impact of the wolf, and that the wolf will have a devastating impact on Wyoming wildlife, livestock, and economy. It is a very sticky issue, and after two meetings I don’t think it can be done to anyone’s satisfaction. They will still try, but I am going a different direction. Through extensive research I have learned that the Federal Government has no (emphasize NO!, as in ZERO) jurisdiction over wildlife within Wyoming, or any other state. I have written a legislative bill entitled "Exclusive Jurisdiction Over Wildlife Act". I also have a great deal of documentation proving my point. If the Wyoming Legislature will pass the bill and the Governor will sign it, we will immediately begin exclusive management of all wildlife within Wyoming borders (with the exception of Yellowstone National Park) and we will prohibit the feds from managing wildlife, or from interfering with our management. This should generate quite a firestorm of controversy. I would greatly appreciate your support and help in educating the general public in your state about the lack of federal jurisdiction of wildlife. They also need to know the extent of the wolf damage to the traditional Yellowstone herds. It will be the greatest wildlife disaster in North American history. I have the contents of the bill posted on the internet. Go to my home page www.JacksonHoleOutfitters.com and look down the page for the link. Please spread this info around!

Mike and Mike Grassley II were with Sparky and I and we spotted a lone bull way out across the sagebrush mountain coming our way. Sparky and Mike Jr. climbed up to the trail to intercept him, while Mike Sr and I had a ringside seat. It was sure fun to watch the drama unfold. Mike II missed once just to give him a sporting chance, then nailed him.  Click here for picture.

We had a good elk hunt this year. We had 90% kill chance and 50% kill. 75% of the guys actually took shots. We killed six 5-pointers, a couple of those were really big ones, and a nice 6-pointer. We had shots and chances at several other six-pointers. It isn’t easy to hit an elk (according to some of our hunters). Fortunately we guides don’t carry rifles, so we seldom get ribbed for our mistakes.

I think it would be instructive here to give some object lessons on what to do to not kill an elk, or is it what not to do to kill a buck or bull? Anyway, one hunter was sneaking down through a patch of timber where we had spotted elk the evening before. He had his rifle slung over his shoulder (mistake #1). He spotted some elk a hundred or so yards away and looked through his binoculars (mistake #2) to see if there was a bull. There was, so he noisily and rapidly (mistake #3) pulled his rifle off his shoulder and got into the scope just in time to see the tail end of the bull disappear into the trees. While sneaking through a likely area, have your rifle in your hands ready for action, not on your shoulder. If you see elk or deer, and there is no mistake that it is indeed elk or deer, look at them through the scope of your rifle. Then it is very simple to flip the safety off and shoot if there is a bull. NOTE: NEVER use your rifle scope to ‘check out’ an unidentified target. If the unidentified target you are checking out happens to be Jonesy, you better find someplace to hide, and quick!

One hunter had the scope on a good 28 inch buck but waited for his hunting partner to get into position to ‘back him up’. The buck spooked and no shot was fired. Another hunter had 3 bucks walk past him at 30 yards, just over the crest of the hill, with just their backs and racks showing. A few steps toward them would have made for an easy shot, or shoot one in the spine. Another hunter had a sitting shot at a bedded 27" buck 120 yards, steep downhill, and shot over it. The classic mistake. Another hunter had his scope on 9 power and had a 30 yard shot. Couldn’t find it in the scope, just too small field of vision.

The longer you have to wait for something the sweeter it is and the bigger the reward. I heard that proverb somewhere, and this year it was proven in spades for Rocco Covalt. You will remember I’ve mentioned Rocco several times. He bought my donated hunt in California in 1989. He has been applying every year since and finally drew that coveted Region G deer tag. On the first day of his hunt we spotted a whopper buck and made a good stalk on it, without success. On the third day Rocco killed the buck at 200 yards. 36 1/2 inch spread, 10x7. A tremendous trophy buck!! Darin Day did a great job of finding that buck!!  Click here (Bruce Spratling on left and Rocco) and here (Jonesy on left, and Rocco) and here (Darin) and here for pictures.

Gerald Hendershot killed his big 5 pointer at 30 yards.  Picture    Jim McCandless killed his 5 pointer at 15 yards. picture  Pretty easy to hit them at that range. However, it wasn’t at all easy getting to that spot to make the easy shot. Many miles of horse riding, and in Jerry’s case, hiking more than 2 miles in rough terrain to kill his bull obtained the reward. Other hunters had to make do with the long shot. Shawn Hall killed a very nice 6 point bull with a 406 yard shot. The bull went down in a heap.

Brett Ingram has killed a 31 1/2 inch buck two years in a row. picture  This one is a huge 5x6 timberline buck.  Great running shot!  Score 190.  Sparky guide. The Ingrams have now drawn for deer 5 years in a row and each year they have gone home with at least one 30 inch buck. In 1998 they killed two of them.

I thought only a toothache and a backache couldn’t be ignored. I found another one. The second day of the hunt I had a MAJOR case of hemorrhoids. The 70 year old doctor said it was the worst he had ever seen. Try to ride a horse! Or walk, for that matter. Kept me from hunting for two weeks. When I returned to the hunt I learned some new ways of riding Shadow. Sidesaddle was good, but lying on my stomach in the saddle was the best. You would be surprised how comfortable that is. Once in a while Shadow would start trotting while I was in that position, just to hear me holler at him. Then he would get that stupid grin on his face. Yeesh!

Ken Brown, guide Brian, and I went into one of our honey-holes on the backside of a major mountain. No luck. We finished lunch and here came Grant, Darin, and Jerry, to pack out Jerry’s bull which was 1/4 mile into the timber from where we were. So they sat down at the bottom of the basin to have their lunch while Brian and I made a drive for Ken, sending Ken up 400 yards into the basin where a trail crossed. We always say you can drive an elk anywhere it wants to go, and this time it wanted to volunteer its life for Ken. The 5-point bull crossed 100 yards above Ken. He shot at it 8 times with his cannon, hitting it 5 times in the boiler room. It finally went down. Grant, Darin, and Jerry had a ring-side seat. When Ken kept shooting and the bull wouldn’t fall, Grant said, "Hell, he might as well go up and hit that bull in the head with the butt of his rifle." It’s strange, but many times I have seen a large caliber rifle not put a bull down. Surprisingly, I have never had that problem when using my .243. I know, it is supposed to be too small for elk, but those elk just keel over dead when my .243 whacks them.  We had a great time packing out both bulls at the same time.

I hope every one of you have a Cool Yule and a Frantic First! Make some good New Year resolutions, such as "I will shoot straight this year". "I won’t fall off a horse this year." "I will draw that tag so I can hunt with Jonesy." Hope to see you in Wyoming next fall! Jonesy

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