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Spring
1999 Jackson Hole Outfitters Maury Jones,
Box 117, Grover, Wy 83122 (307)886-3356
Hi, Guys and Gals!
It feels like spring out
there! I am writing this on March 17, which in Wyoming is still a
month of winter to go and two months until real spring. But today
it is 45 degrees, sunshine, no wind. Just a glorious day and here
I am at my computer instead of out snowmobiling!
Wintering Well
We have had a mild winter.
The deer and elk are fat and sassy, and I am also getting fat and sassy.
Ha! I never get fat; just a little bit of a spare tire to store up
some fat reserves for the lean and mean summer and fall to come.
In the summer I have my riding stable and my summer guest camp to keep
me really busy. By the time fall hunting rolls around I'll be skinny
and tough, ready to out-climb anyone to the top of a mountain where the
biggest bulls and bucks hide.
Lawsuit Progressing
Hopefully before you get
this letter the District Court Judge will have made a judgement on the
outfitter's lawsuit. Last July the Wyoming Outfitters and Guides
Association (WYOGA) filed suit against the State of Wyoming and the Game
and Fish Department for a licensing system that puts us at a disadvantage
with outfitters of neighboring states. Colorado, Idaho, and Montana
outfitters can book a client and take him hunting without being at the
mercy of a random draw. This puts us at a disadvantage in booking
clients and makes our camps worth less than those of neighboring states.
We contend that this is a violation of the Commerce Clause of the US Constitution.
Of course the Game and Fish Department disagrees. Our attorney, John
Jackson, is still very confident of a favorable outcome. The suit
is in the hands of the judge right now and he can (A) Give a summary judgement
in favor of the State, in which case the Outfitters will appeal, or (B)
Give a summary judgement in favor of the Outfitters, in which case the
State will probably appeal as it is a landmark case, or (C) Decide it is
too close to call and let it go to trial. Our attorney thinks we
have a very strong case and would not be surprised if there is a summary
judgement in our favor.
Donations Badly Needed
- See Flyer
Of course this lawsuit is very expensive and we outfitters have donated
generously, but we are few in number. Our attorney is giving us a
deeply discounted rate on his services, as he is a former President of
Safari Club International and has a vested interest in this, but court
costs, witness affidavits, etc are very expensive. If you non-residents
would like to be able to hunt with an outfitter without having to go through
the lousy draw, we could sure use your help. We are raffling off
a Remingon rifle to help you decide to donate (someone wins it, could be
you). Tickets are $10 each, 5 for $40, 10 for $80.
Make checks out to WYOGA and send them to me or to Box 2284, Cody, Wy 82414
If you mail them straight in, tell them I sent you as I get some brownie
points. I'd like to let them know I am doing my part for the effort
by contacting my hunters.
Deer and Elk Herds Looking
Good
The winter feedground counts
are in from the Game and Fish Department. The elk herd is in great
shape. Lots of calves, lots of bulls and spikes. Good bull:cow
ratio. I went and helped feed elk on the Dog Creek Feedground, 17
miles south of Jackson Hole. One of my guides, Grant Gertsch, works
for the G&F and feeds those elk, so I took my wife, my two daughters,
and my two little grandkids out to help (yes, I'm a grandpa twice over,
even though I am only 39. I married young, so did Gina.). We
fed them 60 bales of hay from a horse-drawn sled. Big huge draft
horses. Lots of good bulls in that herd. The elk that we hunt
from my camp go to the Dog Creek Feedground and the Alpine (Greys River)
Feedground. A few elk winter out and a few others migrate to the
Forest Park Feedground, quite a ways up Greys River. All of those
feedgrounds have some tremendous bulls in them.
The deer have had an easy winter of it on the wintering grounds over by
Big Piney, Kemmerer, Pinedale, and Farson. That is the first time
I have ever mentioned Farson as being some of our winter range. Last
winter a game biologist radio collared about 150 deer on the winter range
south of Pinedale, as far south as Farson. Then in the spring he
started tracking where the critters went. He lost contact with some
of them, then found them in the Greys River, more than 120 air miles from
where he tagged them. Some even migrated north of the Snake River
to Mosquito Creek, over 150 air miles from where they were tagged.
One startling revelation from this radio collar study is the movement of
deer from week to week. I had always assumed, and so did the biologists,
that the deer were born and raised in one canyon or location, spent their
fawn months there, migrated out with their mother, then came back to the
same area the next spring. That was home for that deer. We
(the biologists and I) also assumed that if a big buck was in a particular
canyon or basin, he would stay there, even in the face of hunting pressure,
as he knows that area the best. This study shattered all I thought
I knew about whopper bucks. The deer moved as much as ten or fifteen
miles from week to week for no apparent reason. Just like to wander,
I guess. One doe that migrated to Mosquito Creek had twin fawns and
later in the summer had crossed the Snake River (very treacherous) with
her fawns and was on Bradley Mountain, then later was on the mountain behind
my camp. I told the biologist that she might have crossed the bridge
at Alpine in the dead of night as I could not see her taking the fawns
across that dangerous river. He acknowledged that she could have,
but it was unlikely as it is pretty out of the way to get from Mosquito
Creek to Bradley, plus having to go through town with dogs barking, etc.
Anyway, just a tidbit to put in your mental computer for when you are trying
to figure out where a buck might have gone. He is probably 15 miles
away by the next day. This would fit a couple of situations that
I have seen on my hunts. One year we really hammered an area hard
because we had seen a whopper buck there. We never found the whopper,
but during the last week of the season we killed a massive buck with a
drop tine that we had never seen before. We figured he had either
been exceptionally good at hiding or that he had wandered in from somewhere
else. In light of the research I would say that he wandered in.
Jonesy gets a better view
from the top of his trusty Arabian steed, Shadow. Shadow is a very
tolerant horse. Thanks (?) to Ken Woodson for the Candid Camera shot.
Websites
Some people ask me what
I do in the winter to keep busy. Well, calling hunters and talking
for hours on the phone is a very busy job, one that I do well, but when
I'm not on the phone I am usually at my computer. In the winter I
design and host Internet Websites for small businesses. My webhosting
business is called WebStar3 and can be found at www.webstar3.com.
I can host (rent site space) a two page website for $120 per year, and
I can design and construct it for only $150 which includes your unique
domain registration. This is cheaper than you can get almost anywhere
else. Another feature that I can offer is a CD-ROM for a five page
site that a business can buy, then their secretary can make any changes
at any time. This is a really new cutting-edge-technology feature.
Give me a call if you need a website. Or, if you have a computer
and are a do-it-yourself type, you can get a personalized website for $100
per year that you design yourself and is online instantly. Check
it out at www.skynary.com/mauryjones
Predators Proliferate
We still have a lion and
coyote problem. Not really sure what to do about it. We kill
them every chance we get but the quota on lions is too low. If you
saw any lion tracks last fall during your hunt, you might want to write
to the Game and Fish Department and give your opinion that they need to
increase the quota on lions. A lot of deer will thank you for it.
Late-breaking news: Our lion quota in my area has been changed.
It formerly was 10 lions and now it is 10 female lions. We can kill
all the males we want, but when 10 females are killed the lion season will
end. So, I am going back into the lion hunting business. I used to
guide for lions, but the tight quota was a problem. Both lion hunters
I guided killed cats, but the ones they killed were the last lion of the
quota. Kind of made me nervous. That was back when the quota
was 3 lions, not too long ago. Now with 10 females I think I can
offer a good hunt. Give me a call if interested.
And speaking of predators, the Jackson newspaper reported that there are
now 114 wolves in the Yellowstone ecosystem. They have multiplied
much faster than expected, but the wolf bad-ologists assure us that the
population of wolves will stabilize because "they won't outpace their food
supply". Right! If you believe that, then you also believe
that Bill Clinton did not commit any impeachable offenses and you also
believe that he is not getting us into another Vietnam with Kosovo.
Accommodations While
in Jackson
When you come on your hunt,
whether hunting with me or some other outfitter, or even for your summer
vacation, a great place to stay is the Anvil Motel, just a block off the
town square. To get a special rate during hunting season of just
$35 per night (single) or $50 (double) tell Al Parker I sent you.
They also own El Rancho Motel, ($29 single, $42 double) a little older
but still nice rooms. These are super rates for Jackson Hole.
My wife and I stay there when we need some R&R.
Summer Vacation?
If you happen to come out
here this summer, I can take you riding in the mountains of Greys River.
Give me a call for a great outing. You could also stay at my camp
near the Greys River where we can go horseback riding in the high mountains
and see some whopper bucks!.
Season Dates for this
Fall
I just talked to the Game
and Fish Dept and their proposal for deer season is Sep 15 to Oct 10 with
the Oct 1-10 time frame open only east of Greys River Road like last year.
No big deal. We killed some great bucks during the last week
of the season, but without snow to drive the deer off the peaks, it was
a little tougher. I like to get up into the peaks to hunt them on
their terms, although the weather can be bad up there. One day on
top of one of those mountains it was so windy it scattered the days of
the week and we didn't find Tuesday until late Sunday night. Also
when it rains the trails up there get so muddy with muck so thick it will
suck the socks off a frog. And some of the trails are slicker than
Slick Willy trying to explain away the latest scandal.
Guest Story:
My younger but bigger and
not-at-all-tougher brother insisted that he be allowed to tell this story
in my newsletter. I protested vehemently but he thumped my head until
I relented.
A Cautionary tale,
By Doug Jones: I'm
sure that some of the hunters reading your hunting stories that I just
finished reading are sure that you are either half a sandwich short a picnic,
riding with only one foot in the stirrup, or a complete liar. To try and
set the record straight I have to tell of my own experience deer hunting
with Maury. I finally was able to draw a permit to hunt Wyoming, and looked
forward to spending a few days with my crazy brother, and also my other
brother, Greer. The first day found Greer and I watching a beautiful
hillside while Maury made a circle, attempting a "drive' to scare the monstrous
deer into the open. After about an hour I saw the most awful and
scariest sight I have ever seen in the woods! Walking straight towards
me was a bare hunter!!!! My heart 'bout fell into my socks as my binoculars
revealed the naked ape was actually Homo Crazilis, (murry jonesalii) or
in other words, my crazy brother - clad only in the camo that he was borned
with!! He explained that he was trying out a theory that the reason
we hadn't seen any of the monster bucks was that our green camo clothes
were scaring them, as every time camo-clad hunters were seen the woods
were filled with booming noises and one of their dear friends ended up
not reporting in for cavorting duty that night. So Maury theorized that
the deer had never seen a naked hunter and would be caught with their pants
down, so to speak. Alas, the theory was unsubstantiated, as the only thing
caught with its pants down was my crazy brother, Maury. However, the hunt
did have a happy ending as some of his other theories were fruitful, meaning
both of us visiting brothers went home with nice deer. (I still say the
big one was mine, since I called the neck shot! but that's another story.)
(editor's note: The reports that the theory is unsubstantiated
are not in the least true. What prompted the impromptu disrobing
was the discovery of a 5 point bull elk which hadn't seen me yet.
Many times I have told hunters that if they would strip naked they would
see more game, because I'm sure the game has never seen a naked hunter
and they are bound to pause and gape, just for the novelty of it.
So I quietly disrobed, except for my boots, and then walked in the buff
straight toward the bull elk. He paid no more attention to me than
if I had been a buff,(alo) until I got within 30 yards. Then he suddenly
jerked his head up, started to run, then stopped and stared (with an expression
of envy, I might add) for at least 10 seconds, plenty of time to kill him
had I a mind to. He then slowly trotted off, pausing now and again
to crane his neck back and stare. This proves the validity of my
research. This hunting season, instead of bringing all those warm
and wooly clothes, just show up with a smile!! :-)
Dudes Say the Darnedest
Things:
Actual statements I have
heard, thankfully very few of them from hunters.
*"How many trees are in
that canyon?" (My reply, "14,358")
* "I want a horse that bucks
and broncs." *"How can you tell if this horse is
a boy or a girl?" "You look underneath at the plumbing."
(after looking) "I don't see any pipes." *First
morning of a three day pack trip; "Where's the bathroom?" Here's
the toilet paper, go out behind the bushes. "You're kidding!
I'll wait."
*A stud jumped up on
a mare and one guest exclaimed; "Look, that horse is getting
a piggy-back ride."
*Guest explaining to
his kid some woods lore; "You have to be careful
of the bull elk. They use those antlers to protect the calves."
(A
nice sentiment, but…...)
* "If you want to know how
old a buck is you count the points. He adds a point each year."
(a
common misconception)
*"This rifle is so fast
it rises three inches in 100 yards." (Another common misconception.
It is sighted three inches high at 100 yards, but the bullet starts dropping
the moment it leaves the barrel, unless we repeal the law of gravity.)
Bad-Management Alert!
The US Fish and Wildlife
Service is proposing to eliminate feeding elk on the National Elk Refuge.
"Next year will be the last." If that happens, then the Jackson Hole
Elk herd will be drastically reduced and the other feedgrounds will fall
like dominos, as the Game and Fish Dept. also doesn't like feedgrounds.
Well, got to run.
Be sure and send in your 10 or 40 or 80 dollars for some raffle tickets
to win a rifle and to help us
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