Category: BIG GAME

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National Wildlife Refuges Expand Hunting Opportunities

Waterfowl hunters at the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge
Waterfowl hunters at the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge
Waterfowl hunters at the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge

3 National Wildlife Refuges Propose Expanded Hunting Opportunities

On the heels of a similar proposal last year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeks to pair increased hunting and fishing opportunities on National Wildlife Refuges with a reduction in the use of lead tackle and ammo.
Sport Hawk | 6.22.2023

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFW) looks to to increase recreational access to public lands with the announcement of 48 new hunting opportunities spanning approximately 3,000 acres across the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Three national wildlife refuges managed by USFW are proposing expanded hunting opportunities. These public lands include Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge in Alabama, Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge in Florida, and Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Minnesota.

Additionally, the effort includes a rule to phase out lead ammunition and tackle at eight national wildlife refuges. The USFW says that the decision is based on scientific evidence demonstrating the negative impacts of lead on both human health and wildlife. The newly proposed hunting and fishing opportunities also ban the use of lead ammunition or tackle.

The Service welcomes public comments on the proposed rule for 60 days, starting from the publication in the Federal Register on June 23, 2023. Those interested can find more information and submit comments here, using Docket Number: FWS-HQ-NWRS-2023-0038.

Hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities have a significant impact on the U.S. economy, contributing more than $156 billion in 2016, according to the Service’s most recent National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. More than 101 million Americans participate in wildlife-related recreation, including hunting and fishing.

Read more about the proposal:

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Press Release
“U.S. Fish and Wildlife Promotes Public Access to Hunting and Fishing”

Related proposal from 2022:

Outdoor Life
“USFWS Wants to Open 19 More Wildlife Refuges to Hunting and Fishing. Lead Ammo and Tackle Would Be Banned There”

Photo | Ryan Hagerty/USFWS

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ALL HUNTING BIG GAME NEWS TRIP TIPS UPLAND BIRDS WAYPOINTS

Wyoming Corner Crossing Case Favors Public-Land Hunters

Corner Crossing map of Wyoming lands
Corner Crossing map of Wyoming lands
Corner Crossing map of Wyoming lands

Wyoming Corner Crossing Case Favors Public-Land Hunters

A recent civil case in Wyoming provides a crucial benchmark for ongoing conflicts surrounding access to corner-locked public lands.
Sport Hawk | 6.29.2023

A federal judge last month ruled in favor of four Missouri hunters charged with trespassing for using a step ladder to cross over a corner boundary between public and private lands in Wyoming. The private lands are part of sprawling Elk Mountain Ranch, which is owned by pharmaceuticals executive Fred Eshelman of North Carolina. His ranch encompasses 27 parcels of state and federal lands totaling more than 11,000 landlocked acres.

Wyoming statute prohibited hunters from crossing private-land corners without the consent of adjacent landowners. In the recent civil trespassing case, the ranch owner sought a jaw-dropping $7 million in damages.

According to the non-profit news service WyoFile, attorneys for the out-of-state hunters argued that preventing access across common corners violates the 1885 Unlawful Inclosures Act, which prohibits private landowners from blocking access to public lands.

This ruling has implications for hunters and outdoor enthusiasts in other states where a checkerboard pattern of land ownership exists. Colorado, Montana, and numerous other states have interlocked public and private lands that call similar rights into question.

In many cases, the “airspace” at the intersection of these checkerboard corners has been the focal point of conflict. While some argue that this airspace is part of the public domain and should be accessible to hunters, others contend that it falls within the realm of private property rights.

The Wyoming decision in favor of corner-crossing hunters could be a significant step toward resolving these conflicts. However, the issue of airspace remains ambiguous. Further clarification will be required to strike a fair balance between public land users and private landowners.

For further reading:

WyoFile
“Judge Rules in Favor of Corner-Crossing Hunters”

Outdoor Life
“Public Land Hunters Win Corner Crossing Case in Wyoming”

The Colorado Sun
“Colorado Corner-Crossing Property Legislation Poised for Comeback Following Wyoming Ruling”

The New York Times
“It’s Public Land. But the Public Can’t Reach It.”

Field & Stream
“Wyoming Judge Rules in Favor of Corner Crossing Hunters”

Photo | A screen shot from the Wyoming Game & Fish Department’s Hunt Planner map shows the awkward checkerboard pattern of private and public land.

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ALL HUNTING BIG GAME CONSERVATION NEWS

Chronic Wasting Disease in NC

Chronic Wasting Disease threatens deer populations.

Chronic Wasting Disease Continues to Spread in Southeast

North Carolina becomes the latest state to detect CWD in its deer population.
Sport Hawk | 4.4.2022

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission announced in March the first case of Chronic Wasting Disease in its white-tailed deer population. North Carolina is now the 29th state to report at least one infection of CWD and immediately took steps to implement its CWD Response Plan, which wildlife officials say has been decades in the making. To date, there are no confirmed cases of CWD transmission from cervids (deer, elk, moose) to humans. However, several studies on primates raise concerns that it might be possible, though seemingly unlikely. Hunters in all states with CWD are encouraged to have their deer tested prior to consumption, which not only ensures food safety but also helps biologist identify and manage the scope of the outbreak.

Staff photo

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ALL HUNTING BIG GAME UPLAND BIRDS WATERFOWL

Overlanding the Ultimate Mixed-Bag Road Trip

A pop-up vehicle roof tent set up for off-road camping.
A rooftop tent on an all-terrain vehicle in the desert sunset.
A rooftop tent on an all-terrain vehicle in the desert sunset.

Overlanding the Ultimate Mixed-Bag Road Trip

Go off-road for ducks, deer, and domestic comfort.
Sport Hawk | 11.12.21

The off-roader offspring known as “overlanders” are the experts on modifying all-terrain vehicles. Their stock 4-wheel rigs tricked out for mastering the backroads and buttes are perfectly adaptable to self-reliant sporting travel.

With pop-up roof tents, solar powered refrigerators, onboard propane heaters, and a gearhead’s delight of mobile comforts, overlanders have blazed a new path for sportsmen who wish to explore beyond their local woods and waters in style. Check out this piece by Field & Stream contributor Mathew Every on a dream trip at the helm of his Toyota Tacoma specifically customized for long-range cross-country hunting.

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ALL HUNTING BIG GAME

Traditional Bowhunting for Florida’s Wild Hogs

Traditional Bowhunting and Florida Hogs.

Traditional Bowhunter Clay Hayes hooks up with a fly-fishing legend to hunt Sunshine State pigs.
Sport Hawk | 2.28.19

Most traditional bowhunters have by now watched some of the excellent self-bow videos from Rocky Mountain transplant and Florida native Clay Hayes of Twisted Stave Media. His YouTube instructional videos on everything from self-bow tillering to making trade points are indispensable for anyone wanting to scratch out a hunting-weight self bow. Recently, Hayes took a walk in the Florida swamps with another avid traditional archer, the legendary fly angler Flip Pallot of Walkers Cay Chronicles fame. The stalk-and-talk interview includes excellent footage of a wild side of Florida that still exists, but that few get to experience.

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ALL HUNTING BIG GAME WAYPOINTS

DIY Hunting: “Anyone’s Hunt” is Anyone’s Game

Video link to a DIY hunting adventure in Arizona

“Anyone’s Hunt” is Anyone’s Game

DIY hunting allows you to extend your archery season in the Grand Canyon State and beyond.
Sport Hawk | 2.26.19

When big-game seasons are all but over in most regions of the country, some of the best DIY deer hunting of the year is just cranking up in Arizona. With more than 80% of its total area dedicated to public land, and affordable OTC tags in abundance, there are few places that can match Arizona’s late-season offerings for coues and mule deer. Follow along as hunting photographer Steven Drake and friends head to the Grand Canyon State to show how it’s done—and how you can do it, too—in a new series from onX Maps Feature Films and Leupold called “Anyone’s Hunt.”

Want to learn more about how to pull off an epic road trip? Check out this great article on overland rigs for the self-guided sportsman.

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ALL HUNTING BIG GAME WAYPOINTS

Outdoor Life’s Top 10 DIY Western Hunts

DIY Western Hunts: two bull elk on a Rocky Mountain hillside
A pair of bull elk on a Rocky Mountain hillside.
A pair of bull elk on a Rocky Mountain hillside.

Top 10 DIY Western Hunts from Outdoor Life

Check out the Top 10 Do-It-Yourself Western hunts from Outdoor Life magazine. Where are you headed this season?
Sport Hawk |2.23.19

From Idaho black bears to Colorado mule deer and Montana pheasant, there’s no shortage of sporting opportunity for ambitious hunters willing to put in the research and hit the road. Combine millions of acres of national forest, federal wilderness, BLM, block management, and state lands with generous over-the-counter and landowner tags, as well as special permits and draws, and your biggest problem may be deciding which species in what state is right for you. These “Top 10 DIY Western Hunts” from Outdoor Life contributor Aram von Benedikt are a great place to start.

Rocky Mountain Elk | NPGallery

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ALL HUNTING BIG GAME CONSERVATION NEWS

Chronic Wasting Disease State by State

A map of chronic wasting disease incidence by state
Chronic Wasting Disease is now present in 23 states. The 100% fatal neurological disorder affects whitetails, mule deer, elk, and moose. It is not known whether CWD can be transmitted to humans.
A map of chronic wasting disease incidence by state
Chronic Wasting Disease is now present in 23 states. The 100% fatal neurological disorder affects whitetails, mule deer, elk, and moose. It is not known whether CWD can be transmitted to humans.
A map of chronic wasting disease incidence by state
Chronic Wasting Disease is now present in 23 states. The 100% fatal neurological disorder affects whitetails, mule deer, elk, and moose. It is not known whether CWD can be transmitted to humans.

Chronic Wasting Disease State by State

Out-of-state hunt planning now includes a different kind of map work—understanding the CWD landscape.
Sport Hawk | 1.4.2019

As the season for submitting out-of-state license applications approaches, DIY big game hunters are faced with an even more serious issue than questions of herd densities, license fees, and success rates. Traveling sportsmen may want to assess the health of the cervid population itself. As reported in Outdoor Life and other outlets earlier this year, CWD remains on the march. Currently, 23 states have confirmed incidence of the 100%-fatal neurological disorder in wild cervid populations, which can affect white-tailed and mule deer as well as elk and moose. Sportsmen who are considering an out-of-state hunt, or those who just want to assess the threat in their own region, can find state-by-state maps, FAQs, best-practices for field dressing, butchering and testing, along with other valuable insights at the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance website.

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ALL HUNTING BIG GAME

Float-Hunt The River of No Return Wilderness

Float-Hunt Idaho’s River of No Return Wilderness

Follow Argali Outdoors into the Lower 48’s largest wilderness area in search of mule deer and adventure.
Sport Hawk | 10.30.2018

If you’ve ever wanted to hunt in a truly classic American wilderness, you won’t find a more remote and challenging location in the Lower 48 than Idaho’s Frank Church—River of No Return Wilderness. Established in 1980 and covering parts of six different national forests, The Frank is the largest contiguous federal wilderness outside of Alaska. It and the adjacent Gospel Hump Wilderness comprise more than 3.3 million acres of wild, roadless terrain. The only way in and out is either by pack animal, whitewater raft, bush plane, or on foot. In “Hunting the Last Wild Place: The Frank”, the adventure filmmakers at Argali Outdoors captured not only an exciting float-hunt through the heart of the wilderness—the wild and scenic Salmon River—but also a personal testament to what the opportunity for such experiences means on an emotional and spiritual level.