I am looking forward to meet 60,000 attendees, 1600 manufacturers and 100s of industry experts in the hunting, shooting and outdoor industry, along with the media and writers of outdoor and hunting news.
If you’d like to stay abreast on ATA & SHOT Show news, check out the widget below or look at the sidebar of any of my posts. If you’d like to meet with me during the conference, let me know on Twitter or via email
 Â
A few weeks ago, the AP reported on a missing hunter found dead near Mount St. Helens (full story).
This article, which was in all the local papers, radio and TV networks in the Northwest, describes a tragic accident. At this time I still do not know how David Sherwood died while hunting. The news people did not include the details.
My tent above Larch Lakes
The question is, have you or do you hunt alone?
Do you hunt by yourself often? I do.
In Washington State we have a High Buck Hunt from September 15 to 25–a three-point or better hunt. This is an early modern rifle or muzzleloader hunt in wilderness areas, meaning you have to go in by foot or horseback. No wheeled vehicles!
Since I do not have access to horses, I hike in. I hunt in the Glacier Peak Wilderness in the North Cascade Range in Central Washington. The trailhead starts 33 miles from the Entiat on state Highway 97. You can drive to the end of the road, which is about three miles from to the border of the wilderness.
Some hunters use off-road bikes from the end of the road to the trailhead wilderness and then drop them off there and hope they are still there when they come back.
You must have a Wilderness Pass vehicle pass to park in the lot. With our hunting licenses in Washington State we get a hunting vehicle pass, but this is not good for the National Forest areas. You must purchase a yearly or daily pass. I have seen many hunters get $125 tickets for using the wrong pass while parking their trucks in this wilderness area parking lot.
Fifth of July Pass at 7,500 ft elevation
The game area I hunt is comprised of several different Game Management Units. It is part of Slide Ridge #246, Chiwawa #245 and Clark #244. These areas, just west of Lake Chelan, are well maintained and are usually in pretty good shape by the time hunting season comes around. The trail is pretty flat along the Entiat River valley, but as soon as you want to hunt they all seem to go straight up. The Game Department suggests the best hunting is above the tree line.
I have gone up to this wilderness area 4 times in the last two years. The first year was 2009. I packed in from the parking lot, three miles to the boundary border (where you can start hunting) and then beyond.
The first time, I went up to Larch Lakes on trail #1430. The trail went from the 3,800-foot level, by the river, to around 6,000-foot level in about four miles when you got up to the lakes. The trail was in good shape. It crossed several creeks (no bridges) and switched backed along the Larch Lakes Creek.
The Larch Lakes are two high mountain lakes set in large, bowl-like surroundings. Wow, what a view! When you come around the last corner to the lakes every high mountain buck could see you for miles.
My other three trips consisted of going up the #1400 Trail towards Snow Brushy Creek, Trail # 1435 up Duncan Hill trail and Trail #1404 to Cow Creek Meadows and then over Fifth of July Mountain Trail #1408 to Larch Lakes, then back down Trail #1430 trail to Trail #1400 and back to the parking lot.
Of course on every one of these trips I was by myself. I hunted alone. Why, you ask? Well, my hunting partners didn’t want to train to hike up to these areas, and they didn’t have the gear. I didn’t have anyone to go with, yet I still wanted to know two things: 1) Could I train to prepare for this, and 2) Did I have the will and courage to do so alone? Yes to both questions.
Like any rookie I packed too much on the first trip. I had about 60 lbs of gear: sleeping bag, mat, tent, cooking utensils, food, rifle, bullets, knives, water purifier and water. I found out water was the most needed item.
I saw deer on all these hunts but did not find the one I was looking for. There were also a lot of black bear in this area too, but I wanted a big mule deer buck. I also carried my Garmin Rino 520HCx GPS with me. This is a valuable tool. Even though I took several Green Trails Maps, my Rino was reliable in finding my way.
I do feel very bad for David Sherwood, his family and friends but he was doing what he loved to do. I did likewise. My determination, my will and my love for hunting drove me to do the same thing he was doing, luckily nothing happened to me on my pursuit of the hunt.
My original title for this was “The man-eating, attack, scare-the-crap-out-of-a-guy owl”. You’ll see why.
This was my first year of hunting in a tree stand for deer. I purchased a two-seat model so I could place my backpack and gear beside me, but didn’t realize how heavy the stand would be.
At around 75 lbs., it was a little too much for one person to carry but with two people it wasn’t bad. We had to carry it about ¼ mile to the tree I had picked out the year before. This tree was beside an area where I had come across a beautiful 4 x 4 buck the year previously, but, of course, it was a week past deer season; when I encountered it, I was hunting elk.
We set the stand up with little problem. I realize now why the instructions say you should have three people for safety reasons. The stand is heavy and a little awkward, but we managed to put it together, tilt it up against the tree, and secure it. The stand seat sits about 15 feet off the ground, which was just fine with me. I know in some of the TV hunting videos they are up 30 feet or more, but that’s okay with me as my stand was just the right height to shoot from. The front of the seat also had a nice gun rest, so when a deer did walk by my rifle would be steady.
I set in the stand the first day of mule deer hunting in Eastern Washington on Saturday October 15, 2011. The first day was uneventful (darn) but all went well.
Early morning the next day, along came some camp robber birds I was watching over the side of the stand. Out of my right eye I noticed something as I turned quickly. It was a Great Horned Owl flying right at me as fast as it could. Luckily I raised my arms across my face (and screamed like a little girl) just in time to see the owl put on the brakes and miss me by a few feet. If I hadn’t raised my arms or noticed the owl it would have sunk those big talons right into my face! I was told later that they have special feathers so they can fly stealthithy toward their prey.
I did not hear it coming but sure did see the black of its eyes and those big talons ready to clamp onto me. I set in the stand the rest of the day and some time after that, but instead of looking and waiting for deer it seemed I was always looking in other trees to see if an owl would come down after me. I didn’t get the dream buck I was hoping for, but had a great hunting adventure.
My deer and elk hunting are over for the year, but we are already planning next year’s hunt.
We hunt–for the past 25 years–in GMU 346 Little Naches in Eastern Washington on the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range. This is all public hunting land comprised of private timberland and public forest.
Home for our camp for usually five weeks of the year, we set up the weekend or two before deer and take it down the last day of elk season. The first two weekends are the set up, where we gather firewood to last the whole season. We normally get about six large pickup loads, which will last us throughout both deer and elk. Our season, for modern rifle is nine days for deer, a week off and then nine days for elk.
Pack it in? Pack it out!
My son Bryan and my friend Jerry are my hunting partners. We usually have other friends stop by and/or help us with the logging chores.
I am a hiker, whereas Bryan and Jerry are much more patient and usually sit in blinds not moving much from their favorite honey hole. I get impatient when I sit and don’t see anything, so I hike to a new area.
Some of you probably are the same way. There must be something better over that next ridge or down a certain trail. I therefore get to see much more of the land, than the other two, but of course I pay for it with sore legs the next day.
My pet peeve is it seems everywhere I hike I find trash, litter, etc. It seems like I hike where ‘no man has been’ only to find a soda can, juice can, beer can, snack wrapper, or, this year, many Mylar balloons. I understand when things blow out of the back of your truck–on the side of the road and you don’t realize it–but come on, way up the side of the mountain there are cans! Who packs these cans?
I have a Crooked Horn backpack and it has two large bottles for water. These are what I use for hydration. Why would I want to carry a soda or juice can with me, let alone a beer can? We pack sandwiches in plastic bags, which are easily placed back in your pocket to dispose of at camp.
Cover your tracks
The area we hunt has a lot of recreational activities year ’round. From old logging roads to jeep trails, motorcycle and horse trails to snowmobiling and general hiking trails. But I believe where I hike for hunting, hunters must be throwing the stuff all around as there are usually no roads near by. Like I said, I hike were it seems no man has gone or should go but yet here there is litter everywhere.
If you pack it in, you should be able to pack it back out!
Come on hunters, let’s all do our part and pack it back out or make sure you pick up what others have left. One day this year coming back to camp I even rode on the running board of the 4 x 4 so I could see and then pick up trash along the road. It made me feel good to pick up this unsightly stuff and dispose of it. We made a game out of it and got rid of a lot of trash along the way.
While I’m at it, let’s talk about the plastic ribbons hunters use to mark their trail back to a kill sight. When you get all your ribbons up, so your buddies can come help you, that’s great, but on the way out make sure you take the ribbon markers off the tree limbs. I saw one marked trail this year I swear they were every two feet. Come on guys, you can follow a trail better than that! If you are unsure, take a compass reading or mark your waypoint with your GPS.
We can all do a better job cleaning up after ourselves and helping others do the same. I don’t want the John Q Public to think all the trash belongs to us hunters, but they are more than likely to think that way if we don’t do a better job picking up the litter and trash. So when you are out elk hunting, deer hunting, upland bird, turkey or waterfowl hunting, let’s do our part to make the areas we hunt a better place to be.
Every hunter should have a Wildlife license plate on his or her vehicle, trailer and motorcycle. Washington State adopted the new plates for elk, deer and black bear in 2005, with hundreds of plates placed on vehicles since. The proceeds from these Wildlife plates go to improving management for these and other wildlife species as well as wildlife-related conservation and recreation programs in Washington.
Game Management Plates are a series of “Washington Wildlife†license plates that feature and elk, deer and black bear. The proceeds for these plates go to:
• Habitat improvements
• Improved population monitoring
• Population restoration and expansion
• Improved public access opportunities
• Improved educational materials
Wildlife-themed plate fees benefit Department of Fish and Wildlife activities. The additional costs of the plates are $40 for new plates and $30 for subsequent renewals plus fees. After the state has been reimbursed for the cost to implement the new special plate, $28 of the initial and annual renewal fee goes to the wildlife program activities.
You can also choose Personalized License Plate. Since 1974, here in Washington the funds have gone to the Department of Fish and Wildlife for the management of wildlife, which are not hunted, fished, or trapped. In many states you can combine the two and purchase a Personalized Wildlife Plate.
You may purchase these for your 4 x 4, car, motorcycle or trailer. Better yet, purchase one for all of your sports vehicles.
Many states have these available for sportsmen and sportswomen. It is a good way to provide additional needed funds for our State Game Departments.
As you can see from my 4×4 truck license plate below, I have a low number. This means I received my plates soon after they became available in 2005. For most hunters the lower the number the better; you decided to support the program from the inception and have been sporting the Game Department every year with your $28 contribution.
In Washington State you have to have license plates on both the front and back of your vehicle. But the back plate is the only one you have to have the month and year tabs attached; tabs are not required for the front plate.
I also have Elk Plates for my utility trailer I use to haul all my gear in for hunting camp.
I was one of the first to get a trailer plate when they became available (the first 9 means it is a trailer plate). I try and support my Game Department where I can. I might look at getting additional Game Management Plates for deer or bear in the future.
By supporting the series of “Washington’s Wildlife†license plates I am doing my part to help support the outdoors and the Washington’s game animals. You can support your states game departments by purchasing these for your vehicles. It let’s others know you are part of the outdoor conservation effort. We can do this together to help improve game management, habitat, and conservation and keep the way of life we all enjoy.
That water belt will come in handy for warm-weather runs.
Just over a year ago, my dad, after hearing I had entered my second half marathon, signed up to run 13.1 miles down in Phoenix with me. He trained during hunting season, he trained on the hill by his house and he trained on the treadmill in his workout room.
And then he beat me by seven minutes. In my defense, I DID train in Vibrams and wore shoes so beat up that I got blisters, but still…my dad beat me.
And in doing so he ignited a long-dormat running passion that I haven’t seen since I was about five. He runs for fun now. He bought a real runner’s water belt and a foam roller. Three half marathons later, he’s already planning on running a fourth this spring.
That will make four 13.1 mile races AFTER he turned 60. That’s impressive for someone of any age.
And no, I haven’t beat him yet.
(Tyler Hurst, Roger’s oldest son, is now training for Tough Mudder. Yes, he’ll be racing in Vibrams.)
Did you know that according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation 14% of hunters hunt alone? Are you one of those 14%? I am!
I wrote an article a few weeks ago titled: Hunting Deer/Elk/Bear Alone – In the Glacier Peak Wilderness of Washington State, where I brought attention to a recent elk hunter dyeing while hunting alone near Mt St. Helens. I went on to explain how I had hunted alone in the Wilderness area several times for a mule deer buck and didn’t have any problems.
This story is about my friend Jim Williams. Jim is an avid hunter, having taken several deer, elk, moose and goat with a bow, muzzleloader and modern rifle. This story starts in early spring of 2011 when Jim wanted to go elk hunting in Montana for the first time. He bought $900 worth of tags for his Montana hunt. He was going to hunt with his bow, so he had a choice of either a cow or a big bull. Of course you know what he wanted! I must back up a little bit as one of his friends, Alan also wanted Jim to go moose hunting in British Columbia after he got back from his elk hunt in Montana. Jim had to shell out $800 for tags and $6200 for an outfitter to guide him on this moose hunt.
Jim’s elk hunt was to start in the first week of September but he thought he should go a little early, to get the lay-of-the-land. So he went four days early to scout and get a place to camp. He was driving from Western Washington to South Western Montana. He would take Highway 90 east over to Missoula, MT and then head south on Highway 93 to the Montana-Idaho border, around Lost Creek Pass and this is where he would hunt. The mileage from his house on this route was almost exactly 600 miles.
Jim drove around the hills and noticed a place where he thought it would be a good place to hunt. He drove some Forest Service Roads, but where he wanted to go was on private property. So he drove back to the nearest town and stopped at the local gas station to ask if they new who owned the property where he wanted to hunt. Sure enough they knew the rancher, had his name and phone number. Jim called and got permission to hunt on his land. The rancher said just check in with his ranch foreman before going through the gate. The foreman would also let him know where the best way to hike on the ranch. Jim thought this is great, I come to Montana, everybody is friendly and a rancher would let him hunt elk on his property.
Life can’t get better than that!
Jim had two weeks to hunt elk while he was there, but was eager to get started. He went to the ranch and talked to the foremen, he gave him directions and told him there was a swampy meadow area he would need to walk across before getting to the heavy timbered area. The foreman informed Jim he had seen herds of elk in the meadow only a few days before. Jim was ready for his dream Montana hunt. He went back to his trailer, which was about three and half miles from the ranchers gate and waited until the next morning…opening day!
Jim got to the gate before first light and parked his truck away from the gate in case the foreman needed access. It had been unseasonably warm the past few weeks and Jim knew he would be walking aways on the first day, so he just wore his low-top hiking boots, camo pants, coat and backpack, plus his bow. He started off thru the gate, wound his way across the cow trails through the swampy meadow and up near the wooded area. After he got to where he thought he could see aways, he sat down to listen and see any elk activity. Sure enough he had only been sitting there a short time when he started hearing cow and calf mews. Man this was exciting, early opening day and already hearing elk activity. He thought to himself, “this is great first day of a two week hunt and I am already into elkâ€!
As the morning progressed he started to hear faint elk bugles along with the cow calls. He decided to start cow calling himself to see if he could draw the bulls out to within range, or a least see them. The bulls were having none of it. They seemed to go farther away from him into the timber. Well, he said “it is early, so I will just follow them and see where they go, just in case I wanted to come back tomorrowâ€. So he played cat and mouse, with them most of the day. He actually could see some of the cows and calves from time to time.
By this time it was getting early evening and he thought maybe he should head back to the truck and start again the next day. Of course the elk had headed away for the meadow in a northwest direction from his rig. By the time he started back to his truck it was getting pretty dark, no problem he thought, I have my flashlight and I do know where I am headed. So off he went.
In the far distance he could see a camp light light. This was the camp of other hunters he had seen the day before. He thought to himself “well I can head to that camp and then at least walk back on the road to my truck, instead of backtracking the way he came back through the swampy meadowâ€. So he started off while heading for the camp light in the distance. As he went a little further he noticed it was getting a little swampy. He thought the original swampy meadow did not extend much past where he had originally parked his truck. But he had gone a few miles into the woods away from his truck. It was not only getting dark but the swamp was a little cold. He thought it himself why didn’t I wear my taller hunting boots instead of these lower hiking boots. He sloshed through the swamp until all of a sudden he sunk up to his pants pockets into a swampy hole!
The water and the mud had him stuck. He thought “no problem†I can get out of this. So he threw is bow up on the bank. He found some pussy willows in front of him. So he started to tug himself out of the hole. The mud had formed a suction around his legs and boots. He thought “ heck I can just yank by left leg out, pull on the pussy willows on the bank and I will be outâ€. Well it did work but as he pulled his left leg out he felt a twinge of pain. He was now wet, muddy and getting cold. He thought to himself, well I can stay here and get colder or walk to the camp he had seen. Being the hunter he is, off he went towards the lantern. By the time he reached the elk camp it was now 11:15 pm at night. There were two fellow hunters there, one of them was just finishing setting up his tent. Jim told him the short version of his story and said he would be moving along to trek the three and half miles back to his rig and camp trailer. The hunter who was just finishing up on his tent said, “no way that is too far to walk and your leg is hurtâ€. Jim said, but I am all muddy (he had mud in every pocket on his pants, plus around his legs and you know what swampy mud smells like! The fellow hunter said no problem as Jim hopped in the truck. As Jim was telling him where to take him, the guy said “you must be that hunter from Washingtonâ€! (Jim has an special Washington Elk Plate on his truck)
They arrived at his camp. By the time he got out of his muddy cold clothes it was now after 1:00 am. He soaked his foot in cold water as after he took his boot off it started to swell and hurt a lot. He was more tired than he thought so didn’t get up until around noon. He thought those other hunters had been so nice to him he should go back and thank them. He remembered he had a bottle of good unopened whiskey in his trailer and thought it would make a great gift. Jim drives a 3/4 ton Ford Extended cab diesel truck with a canopy. His truck is also a five-speed, manual clutch.
You know how hard those clutches are to push in? Since his left leg was injured he would have to push the clutch in with it. He tried it and could get into gear, so he started off to their camp. He arrived about 3:00 pm. When he got there they were not there so he started to write a thank you note to them. Just then they pulled up. So he got out to thank them, as he limped over to their tents. They had mentioned they had gotten a nice cow elk and were just letting it lay for a while until they would go back to clean it up. Jim thanked them, gave them the bottle of whiskey and now headed back to his camp. By now it was Thursday afternoon and he thought if his lower leg wasn’t better by Friday morning he would have to head for home.
Well you guessed it, by Friday morning it was a little worse. He thought he better start for home with the 600 miles and about 13.5 hours of driving time. But first he had to hook up his travel trailer. He thought no problem, he has done this hundreds of times before. But wouldn’t you know it the trailer was on a slight decline from the back of his truck. Normally he would back up, leave the engine running, put on the emergency brake and get out to see how close he was. Well not this time. He found he could not push in the emergency brake with his left foot, so he would have to put the truck in gear, shut it off, as he was getting out push in the brake with his right foot and get out and check where the hitch was compared to the ball on his truck. I won’t include the words he used here, but it did take a lot longer to hitch the trailer than it ever had before.
He thought he should call his doctor back in Washington to see if he could get in so they could look at his left ankle. After the 13.5 hour drive and 600 miles he made it back late Friday night. He got up on Saturday and made to the doctors office, with the help of a friend, for X-rays. Sure enough he had broken the left leg bone just above the ankle. They said he would have to go home and wait until Monday so he could see the orthopedic surgeon. On Monday the surgeon looked at it and said he would have to wait until Thursday before he could operate. On Thursday the doctor got in there and found out it was worse than he thought. Jim received a plate and 7 screws in his lower leg.
He wore a cast for 3 weeks, with crutches and then has worn the boot as you see in the picture for 4 weeks. He also has to go to physical therapy three times a week.
Walking boots aren't always easy to walk in.
So I asked Jim if he would be going hunting alone again. His first words were yes, but he said he would stay out of swamps this time and head back to his truck earlier in the day as he would have many days to hunt. As I mentioned earlier, JIm spent $900 on out-of-state tags, plus around $800 worth of diesel for his trip. He also missed his moose trip with his friend Alan and forfeited his $800 moose tag and the $6200 outfitter cost. When I spoke to Jim he hadn’t gotten the clinics or doctor bills, but he thought they would run several thousands of dollars.
This was an expensive hunt for Jim. But he is a elk hunter and he will be back at it next year.
Most people will tell you that the only way to make your business run smoother is to make more money. More profit means more ability to hire staff, purchase equipment and invest in proper infrastructure.
But that’s business 101 for most people. The report we read analyzed 2010 sales, profit per employee and payroll as a percentage of sales data for private companies in six major industries: construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail trade, healthcare and education. And in today’s economic climate, and many fear that today’s problems aren’t solvable anytime soon, cutting costs by improving efficiency is a far better long-term approach.
But where can large companies cut costs anymore? Travels budgets have been slashed, hiring freezes are in effect and upgrading hardware/vehicles is almost out of the question.
Sageworks’ data suggests that industries with a decline in sales have compensated by cutting expenses, including overhead, employees and employee costs. Businesses have increased their efficiency to the point where they’ve increased their profitability back to pre-2008 levels or even better.
GPS systems that enable employers to track company vehicles and help plan routes before leaving the building can help tremendously. Reltima’s GPS Management Systems, which we like a ton, are suited to do just this. Companies with HUGE fleets like UPS and FedEx use similar technology to save on their costs, and we’re happy to help set you up, too.
Here’s to higher profits, and lower expenses, in 2011.
Distracted driving, which is anything from texting to eating a quick meal, has proven numerous times to be even more dangerous than being very tired or even drunk behind the wheel. While eating a sandwich on the road may never go away, reducing people’s use of technology when they’re behind the wheel can go a long way in protecting everyone out there.
The last thing any driver needs is another digital readout to monitor while they’re on the road. Reltima’s telematics system is hard-wired into the vehicle and the information, unless accessed by a third-party laptop with the proper software, isn’t accessible to the driver.
No checking out their screen, no playing with maps and no distractions while they’re working. Only the dispatch can see the real-time activity, which includes location and speed, which makes sure your driver has their attention free to concentrate on their most important task: driving.
Fuel efficiency is not just science and it’s certainly not only an art. Thanks to advanced engine systems, mapping programs which reduce travel time and improvements in driver education, fuel consumption is becoming slightly less of a budget strain for many companies, but it’s time to get better.
The Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) of 2010, grants authorizes state governments programs like engine retrofits aimed at reducing emissions from existing diesel engines.
The legislation would authorize $100 million per year for grants in fiscal years 2012 through 2016. The program was originally established under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which authorized $200 million in grants for diesel engine emissions reductions annually until the end of the current fiscal year.
Sponsor of the bill, Senator George Voinovich, R-Ohio, said in a statement that “The authorization of DERA promotes sound environmental and economic policy and I am so proud the Senate passed its reauthorization before I leave Washington at the end of this Congress.†The bill now goes to the House where prospects for passage, with the limited time remaining in the session, are not good.
Even if the bill doesn’t pass, we have a few solutions to help your fleet be as fuel efficient as possible. Here are five points we recommend you monitor with a GPS system (like ours!):
-Idle time, do you know how much fuel is wasted idling?
Do you? We can tell you. Any time your fleet gets stuck in a traffic jam, it costs you all kinds of money. Let us help track and reroute to save time and fuel costs.
-Start and stop time
Like to keep track of your fleet when you’re out of town? Want to make sure drivers are starting with enough time to make their route or destination? We do both of those things.
-Engine hours
Not every vehicle will be used exactly the same. We can help you track engine hours so you can better plan maintenance and/or repairs on the vehicles that are more likely to need it.
-Vehicle activity
In a perfect world, everyone would be trustworthy, directions would be understood AND followed and shipments would arrive on time. We can tell you where your fleet is, what it’s doing and where it has to go.
-Speed, excessive speeds can reduce mileage
The faster you go, the faster you’ll get there, right? Is that 60 seconds saved worth the extra gallon of fuel burned? For your best customer, sure. But for the rest, definitely not. Use this to remind your drivers to keep it under the limit.