FWP Allows Hunters to Cull an Entire Herd of Bighorns BY TOM DICKSON 01/08/15 Within just 48 hours of exposure to the pathogens that cause pneumonia, most bighorn sheep respond the same way people do. Their nose begins to drip. Breathing becomes difficult. They develop a hacking cough. Soon the animals become feverish and lethargic. But unlike humans, who … [Read more...]
Real Men Don’t Flock Shoot
It’s a Question of Character BY DAVID S. LEWIS 11/05/15 If you own a dog, imagine this nightmare. He somehow gets shot while on the run in a field. And the sudden impact is so painful and intense that he literally does not know what hit him, only that it’s excruciating and horrible, the worst pain that’s ever come upon him. Spooked and terrified he runs fast and far … [Read more...]
The Risk to Hunters in Grizzly Bear Country
It Does Not Always End Well 01-09-15 BY LISA BARIL Thirty years ago, so few grizzly bears roamed southwestern Montana that their image barely registered in the minds of hunters during their annual autumn quest to fill their freezers or tag the bull of a lifetime. They didn't worry much about surprising a sow with cubs or accidentally luring a bruin with elk bugles or cow … [Read more...]
When a Grizzly Charges, Should Hunters Use Bear Spray, or Shoot?
BY DAVE SMITH You're a big game hunter in the wilds of Wyoming, Montana or Idaho, and a grizzly is headed right for you, just like a freight train. Do you reach for bear spray, or use your rifle? For more than a decade, state and federal agencies have said hunters should use a firearm only if bear spray is unavailable. In 2011, Idaho's Fish and Game Department advised … [Read more...]