Huntin' Fool....

ktc · Dec 30, 2007

I got my January issue last week. I was excited to see what the Carter's say about Utah and Wyoming. These are two of my states I apply heavily in. I always enjoy Garth and Jason's articles under the front cover. In this issue, Jason, killed and had photos of one of the biggest and baddest looking bucks I have ever seen. Talk about a monster! Nontypical, 35 wide, mass up the ying-yang, points all over and scores 250. The webbing between points is crazy. Then points come out of the big thick webs!

Who else has seen this buck? I could hang my stuff up with this deer. Truly an amazing buck! Congrats to Jason and his partners! The deer looks like he should have been killed 60 years ago with some black and white photos.

PleaseDear · Dec 30, 2007

They always harvest some real gaggers!

Robb

ridgerunner · Dec 31, 2007

For me it was the cover buck, WOW the buck of my dreams right there.

bragabit · Dec 31, 2007

Both bucks are awesome! I have really enjoyed this issue. Tons of information.

ktc · Dec 31, 2007

ridge,

Not to diss the cover buck either! That one will do for my typical! Two very nice bucks, but Jason's is just one of those you only saw way back when? Looks like Adam got some good watchin' in last year seeing two unreal monster bucks hit pay dirt.

Christian · Dec 31, 2007

KTC, yes what a buck!
I posted about Jason's buck in the "2007 Largest Bucks" thread because I, too, thought it was an incredible deer- one of the best in a long time. Good for him, they hunt hard.

The Christian

Prism · Dec 31, 2007

It's an amazing buck. Congrats to everyone involved. I hope they have more of story and pictures in a future issue.

WAmuleyHunter · Dec 31, 2007

What is everyones take on the magazine and how useful and helpful their services are?? interested in joining, just wanted a little feed back. thanks

Garrett

Paul-just watched never enough 3 again yesterday, i am still going crazy over your monster 3x4!!! and all those bucks your group took on that trip!!!

ICMDEER · Jan 1, 2008

Jason's buck is a super stud. The cover buck and the buck taken in Wyoming are both whoppers. I really like the two stories on the bucks besides Jason's. Neither buck seemed like he was very wild. The guy in Wyoming had to back up and walk a little out of the truck to get his. It's amazing where some of these really big deer are taken. Does anyone know the area where the Wyoming deer was taken?

I like reading the odds and the recommendations. Can't say that I apply for the recommended areas or that all of the ones I consider the best are always there. But knowing where hordes of people will apply makes me try for other areas where the drawing odds are better. Same holds true for reading recommendations from Eastman's. I think I am a contrarian.

Good luck to all in 2008.

bragabit · Jan 1, 2008

The updated information from state to state is as important to me as anything. I may not have realized that Arizona has done away with online application and that you have to front the money for the tag. I need the month to save up $750 dollars to apply for elk. If I had waited to last minute expecting to put in online it may have been to late. I have not counted but I bet this months issue is close to 100 pages

dkpeay · Jan 1, 2008

LAST EDITED ON Jan-01-08 AT 11:23AM (MST)[p]Garth, Jason, Adam, et. al. are the best at what they do, they are also passionate and accomplished hunters.

I am a member, and the info is GREAT.

Also, if you want to see more bucks like on the cover, the Henry Buck, consider joining SFW. That unit was closed to hunting and given up for gone 10 years ago, as was the Book Cliffs. SFW has invested close to $1 Million on those units, helped get some major predator control work done, fought to get about 125 deer transplanted onto the mountain (former DWR manager said transplants don't work) and worked with dWR on setting the management strategies to produce GREAT bucks again. It is kind of amuzing that a lot of guys (not Huntin Fool) have been trashing SFW for investing money into the Henry Mts, i bet 10 bucks taken down there this year will be "cover" bucks, some of them on SFW's biggest critics mags. And of course, since they will never give credit, where credit is due, here is a little promo for SFW www.sfwsfh.org.

2008 will be the year that SFW will work a lot of increaseing the quality of the rest of Utah's deer units.

SFW Wyoming has won a major battle on wolf wars and keeping elk feed grounds.

SFW Idaho has been a major player in Idaho's new deer management plan that will look to establish or re-establish quality bucks in ID

SFW NM is building their membership base.

and SFW Alaska is working on getting wolves and grizz under control to rebuild Dall Sheep and Moose herds.

Happy New Year to all the Monster Muley folks

rock5150 · Jan 1, 2008

Thanks for the great info on SFW it is good to have an up date.
Rock 5150 Transplants work

kilbuc · Jan 1, 2008

I've been a member since the beginning. Is it perfect..no, but is another good source of info, better than most others. Also allows you to be updated to new changes that you can use to increase your draw odds. For example, when WY startd issuing preference points for sheep I jumped all over that, knowing in the future it could increase/guarantee your odds to get drawn as a NR. Just think, if you got in on the ground floor you would have already drawn a sheep tag or you will within the next couple of years.

from the "Heartland of Wyoming"

Hardway · Jan 1, 2008

What about SFW in California????? The forgotten state? I never seem to here anything from you big time western conservation guys about restoring Ca deer herds or helping Ca wildlife in any way whatsoever......I have no problem with what you guys are doing.......Lord knows its needed. I'm just tired of Ca being left out of all your conservation efforts. I'll spend my money here first, then I'll hunt here first, and then I'll donate to other states through the form of buying there tags and putting in their draws. There's only so much a man can afford.

P.S I think Oregon and Washington are looked over as well.

If huntin is a sport.....Well your lookin at an athlete!

ktc · Jan 1, 2008

dk,

Looking into your crystal ball, where do you see mule deer in terms of numbers, tag numbers, and quality in 5-10 years? Do you see the Type A and Type B tag plan implemented? Instead of 5 regions and 8 or so LE units, do we see 40 units and no LE tags? 25 units and keep 8 LE units? Do we see immediate tag cuts to kick off a mule deer initiative of some sort? Shorter seasons or multiple seasons?

Something needs to happen, but it seems that there is resistance at any and every turn? I keep hearing change is on the way, just wondering what types of changes we may see? Possible options?

What are the changes we hear are on the way? Is there a mule deer group tackling this as we speak?

HiMtnHntr · Jan 4, 2008

The "Huntin Fools" sent me a magazine, presumably because they want me to subscribe for 100 bucks a year....Those certainly are some smoker critters those guys have taken and a simply amazing buck out of Arizona this past year. Congrats to both.

At the same time, it's interesting to me to that there are obviously people paying this amount of money for information that is readily available to them for free. It seems to me, too, that a lot of this information should be taken with a grain of salt, as many of us already know where the biguns are coming from and we also know that the bigun can come out of just about anywhere. Though, I can imagine a few "huntin fools" taking this information to the bank, literally.

These guys do have a flashy magazine, and I am not afraid to admit I like looking a good hunting mag. This is the first time I've paged through the "Huntin Fool," and so I also admit my concern, if you can lable it such, that there is a certain cohort of hunters out there that pay the high price of this publication without considering the fact that such information is available to them at no cost. These hunters probably don't realize also that many of these "picks"(areas these fellas determine are the "best in the west") are arrived at simply by viewing the free data from state websites, and not by actually hunting in the areas they have picked. They may also not care that they are applying every year for places that they have no first-hand knowledge about, and that, with little effort, they might find that they can draw a tag a lot easier in another area and accomplish the same goal. A lot of guys could do this if they'd just forego their favorite primetime TV show and do a little poking around. To me, since researching and such is actually enjoyable and something I do as often as time permits, these fellas are asking me to pay for a lot of information that I already know, like where the biguns are coming from, and information that I can get for free, like draw odds and statistics.

In large part, this stuff seems to be driving odds down more in areas that have historically been hard to draw. In a lot of areas, the rate at which these odds are dropping is not justified by the hunting to be had in the area compared to other areas that haven't been "picked"........yet. With all due respect to these guys at "Huntin Fool," because afterall they seem like straight-up guys that hunt hard and just want to help people out and make a living in the hunting business, I appreciate the free issue, but I'm going to save my 100 bucks.

huntin100 · Jan 4, 2008

I think it's a good service. It's 11 bucks an issue. I would'nt apply on MOST of their top 5 picks if you want to ever go hunting. Very tuff odds and about 10,000 members. I need to renew.

Hardway · Jan 4, 2008

> This is the first
>time I've paged through the
>"Huntin Fool," and so I
>also admit my concern, if
>you can lable it such,
>that there is a certain
>cohort of hunters out there
>that pay the high price
>of this publication without considering
>the fact that such information
>is available to them at
>no cost. These hunters
>probably don't realize also that
>many of these "picks"(areas these
>fellas determine are the "best
>in the west") are arrived
>at simply by viewing the
>free data from state websites,
>and not by actually hunting
>in the areas they have
>picked. They may
>also not care that they
>are applying every year for
>places that they have no
>first-hand knowledge about, and that,
>with little effort, they might
>find that they can draw
>a tag a lot easier
>in another area and accomplish
>the same goal. A
>lot of guys could do
>this if they'd just forego
>their favorite primetime TV show
>and do a little poking
>around. To me, since
>researching and such is actually
>enjoyable and something I do
>as often as time permits,
>these fellas are asking me
>to pay for a lot
>of information that I already
>know, like where the biguns
>are coming from, and information
>that I can get for
>free, like draw odds and
>statistics.

I hear ya, there's alot of things a guy can get for free. I make $33 a hour,my time is short during the spring and summer when the draws are going on. having the odds and knowing whats happening through their email updates lets the members know when things are changing in certain states. Like someone else said before, sometimes it takes awhile to save up for certain draws and I think you hear it there first alot of the time (at least you know its credibale). My time with my family is more important than goofin around on the computer for 5 hours trying to find all this info that can be sent to me monthly for about $8.30 a month......To each their own.

If huntin is a sport.....Well your lookin at an athlete!

DougW · Jan 4, 2008

yes, that is one hell of a Henry Mts. buck in the Jan. issue cover. And the story is good entertainment.

One question that struck me: in the last pic of the buck at the end of the story, why are there 2 different women called "Betsy" pictured with the same buck?