Summer 2021 Pope & Young Ethic

THE P&Y ETHIC

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THE JOURNAL OF THE POPE AND YOUNG CLUB

SUMMER 2021

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Volume 49, No. 2

Summer 2021

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Up Front

6 8 10 12 Conservation 16 18

From the Executive Director President’s Column Director’s Stand 2nd Vice-President’s Column Conservation Chair Column Conservation Matters Animal Nature

By Shane Mahoney

Big Game 22 24 26 28 30 32 40 48

Big Game Records Mule Deer Entry and Measuring Procedure Dennis Bennett World Record Mule Deer Frank Cheeney World Record Mule Deer Justin Gordon World Record Mule Deer Species Profile: Mule Deer Species Profile: Mule Deer Status Noska’s Notes: Mule Deer Memories

By Frank Noska

History 52 64 Features 74

Club History - The History of Our Museum Recent 32nd Recording Period Entries Super Slam Hunting Thoughts About Arrow Penetration

By Chuck Adams

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Adventure Bowhunter - River Monsters

By Tom Miranda

Heritage 79 Membership 82 84 Youth 88

Fred Bear Society / Trust Fund Membership Column Membership Listing Youth Program Updates for 2021

Nick Muche

• Barren Ground Caribou • 327 3/8 • Chandalar River, Alaska • 10/16/2020

By Justin Broughton

Adventurous BowWomen 94

Florida Alligator Archery Hunt

By Joni Marie

Front Cover: Marvin Zieser • Non-Typical Mule Deer - Velvet • 259 4/8 • Mohave County, Arizona • 08/31/2017 Back Cover: Daniel Scalas • Typical Mule Deer - Velvet • 166 6/8 • Malheur County, Oregon • 08/25/2019

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Join our Community

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From the Executive Director

By Jason Rounsaville

Pope & Young Club Founded 1961

BOARD OF DIRECTORS President • Kurt Ebers 8742 County Rd. 414, Hannibal, MO 63401 573-719-8933 • kcebers@gmail.com

First Vice President • Dallas Smith PO Box 460806, Leeds, UT 84746-0806 435-680-2870 • dallas4263@hotmail.com

Second Vice President • Ricky Krueger

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Iknow there are a ton of questions and rumors floating around, so here are the most recent updates from Pope and Young World Headquarters in Chatfield, MN. The building in Chatfield has sold. Our office has found a new home right here in Chatfield. We will maintain the same Monday through Friday office hours, and even our mailing address has stayed the same. Our amazing office staff is ready to take great care of you.

The Pope & Young Club/St. Charles Museum of Bowhunting is on the way to Springfield, Missouri. Johnny Morris and Bass Pro Shops will be adding P&Y into their Wonders of Wildlife galleries. It will be an excellent opportunity to showcase bowhunting, Pope and Young, and inspire a whole new segment of bow hunting enthusiasts.

The Wonders of Wildlife Museum incorporates many top organizations in the outdoor industry; we are proud to be among them.

The newest reports out of Nevada show some hope that our Reno Convention in July could be at 100% capacity. Tickets are available, and there is online registration as well as a registration form in the Ethic.

The convention will be a fantastic event and a great time to celebrate our 60th anniversary. Join us for the camaraderie, fantastic trophy displays, outfitter booths, vendors, and to see some brand-new World Record animals. We are fortunate to be one of the first conventions coming out of covid, and we can’t wait to see everyone there.

Keep a lookout for more news in your email and on the website: www.pope-young.org See you in Reno!

Jason

2498 Highland Rd. 2, Fremont, NE 68025 402-720-4520 • antlers22@hotmail.com

Treasurer • Brian Benyo 14020 Berlin Station Rd, Berlin, OH 44401 330-518-7173 • bbenyo@brilex.com

Past President Director • Jim Willems 5750 Rail Rd., Farmington, NM 87402 505-330-8211 • jimwillems@q.com

Directors Merritt Compton 469 Aiken Road, Trumansburg, NY 14886 607-387-5112 • mcc11@cornell.edu

John “Jack” Culpepper 1700 George Bush Dr., E #240 College Station, TX 77840 979-696-1444 • jack@culpepperrealty.com

John Gardner 4837 HWY 172, Durango, CO 81303 970 749 2013 • wildlifex@bresnan.net

Ken Rimer 512 171st Street, Hammond, WI 54015 715-410-3195 • camoose195.28@gmail.com

Records Chair • Roy Grace P.O. Box 948, Lakeside, AZ 85929 760-851-4434 • roy@pope-young.org

Membership Chair • Augie Gray 1860 Aquaview Drive, Hampstead, MD 21074 410-961-2594 • augustsgray@gmail.com

Conservation Chair • Neil Thagard 306 Granite Lake Drive, Clarkston, WA 99403 208-791-1896 • neilt@nezperce.org

Youth Coordinator • Justin Broughton 911 N. Bahnson Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57103 605-201-8708 • justin.broughton@premierbankcard.com

Trust Officer • Bob DeLaney 137820 Saxon Lake Dr., Jacksonville, FL 32225 203-253-0049 • m.robertdelaney@gmail.com

Board Secretary • Tom Vanasche 37731 Bond Rd NE, Albany, OR 97322 tomvanasche@mac.com

Submission Deadlines are as follows: January 15 for Spring Issue April 15 for Summer Issue July 15 for Fall Issue October 15 for Winter Issue © Copyright 2021, Pope & Young Club, Inc. BOWHUNTING

BIG GAME

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AND

YO

RECORDS

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Executive Director Jason Rounsaville Marketing Manager Dylan Ray Director of Records Position Open Office Manager Shelly Sabin Special Projects Coordinator Heather Knight Membership Services Shelly Sabin Office Support Krista Oehlke Records / Measurer Services Lisa Kohlmeyer Museum Curator Larry Streiff Associate Editors Steve Ashley Mike Schlegel Art Director Tara Bondar

The editorial team reserves the right to reject or edit any material which may be deemed detrimental to bowhunting or the Pope & Young Club. The Board of Directors shall make the final determination on questionable materials.

Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without permission of the Club. All requests for such use should be directed to the Ethic Editor at the above address or 507-867-4144.

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P&Y Staff:

The Pope and Young Ethic is the official publication of the Pope & Young Club, Inc. It is published four times each year and distributed to its membership, friends, and other supporters.

Members are invited to submit comments, questions, photos, artwork, and short articles. All contributions must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope if they are to be returned. However the Pope & Young Club does not assume responsibility for the safe return of any unsolicited materials. Items submitted for publication should be sent to the Ethic editor, Pope & Young Club, P.O. Box 548, Chatfield, MN 55923, or admin@pope-young.org. Any questions can be directed to Steve Ashley, P&Y Ethic Editor, steve@pope-young.org, or write in care of the Pope & Young office. The opinions and views contained herein are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Pope & Young Club.

Advertising is accepted at the discretion of the Pope & Young Club. For information contact Dylan Ray, dylan@pope-young.org.

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223 S Main St, PO Box 548, Chatfield, MN 55923 Phone: 507-867-4144 • Fax: 507-867-4144 Email: admin@pope-young.org Website: www.pope-young.org

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Pope & Young Club

The Pope and Young Club Ethic, Volume 49, No. 2, Summer 2021 is published quarterly by Pope and Young Club, 273 Mill Creek Road, Chatfield, Minnesota 55923. Each annual Membership dues includes $23.80 subscription fee for The P&Y Ethic, Journal of the Pope and Young Club. USPS #16690 in Chatfield, MN 55923 and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to The P&Y Ethic, The Pope and Young Club, PO Box 548, Chatfield, MN 55923.

® CLUB

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President’s Column

By Kurt Ebers

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s you read my column, two significant changes have taken place within the Club that I want to be sure you, our loyal and dedicated members, are informed of. These changes are significant but will position the Club for ongoing financial and operational success going forward. First, on May 25th, an announcement was sent to the membership notifying them of the following:

Officials from the Pope & Young Club in Chatfield, Minn., together with noted conservationist and Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris, announced plans to relocate the Pope & Young Club/St. Charles Museum of Bowhunting and its permanent collection to the campus of Bass Pro Shops national headquarters in Springfield, MO, home to Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium.

This collaborative relationship will allow our Museum of Bowhunting to

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be displayed in a new bowhunting-only gallery to be constructed within the Wonders of Wildlife Museum in the near future. I want to be clear; the Club is NOT selling the museum or any of its artifacts to Bass Pro. An Artifact Loan Agreement has been signed between the Club and Bass Pro whereby we loan the artifacts on display, with the Club maintaining ownership at all times.

A team of P&Y and Bass Pro representatives will meet and design the new space. Rest assured all the Club’s precious bowhunting artifacts are protected in a secure, climate-controlled location during the planning and building phases. Once built, the P&Y Gallery will be part of the national showcase of national conservation organizations within a “must-see” destination that attracts over 1.6 million visitors annually. The Club’s Museum in Chatfield, MN, was an incredible display of the history of bowhunting and the Club.

Still, the timing was right to relocate this treasurer to Springfield, MO, and

eliminate the financial burden of maintaining a museum.

With the museum being relocated, the Board of Directors, back in November of 2020, unanimously approved to place the Club’s Chatfield, MN, property/building for sale. Besides staffing costs, the next most significant expense for the Club is its property/ building. Maintaining a 6,000 SF building, including a 4,000 SF museum, seeing an average of fewer than 1,000 visitors per year, and office space for three staff members is no longer financially feasible. The overhead to maintain this property and building is too much.

I’m pleased to announce the property/building was sold on May 15th, with a June 15th date negotiated for the building to be vacant. The Club’s headquarters will remain in Chatfield, MN. Proceeds from the property/building sale have been deposited into a separate investment account and will not be placed into the Trust Fund. At its Reno meeting, the Board of Directors will review a recommendation from the Investment Committee on how the sale proceeds should be invested, withdraw parameters to ensure purposeful need, and Board approval before funds are moved into the Club’s operations account.

I hope to see many of you at the Reno convention. We will unveil the Club’s new branding strategy and logo at the convention and welcome your feedback. For those who could not attend, stay tuned as information will be forthcoming on this new branding campaign. Continue to stay safe during this pandemic, and please reach out to me or any board member if you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding the Club and where it’s heading under my presidency.

Club and where it’s heading under my presidency.

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Director’s Stand

By Jack Culpepper

TIMING IS EVERYTHING.

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or many years, there has been conversation about moving the museum to a high-traffic store or a better, more visible location. Many years ago, Joe St. Charles wrote an article in the Ethic about hopefully moving the museum to a “super” sporting goods store. Well, folks, the stars have aligned, and things seem to have fallen into place for this dream to come true. Timing is everything!

Eight years ago, then President Jim Willems and Treasurer Kurt Ebers reached out to Bass Pro in Springfield Missouri and started a dialog with Micky Black, Johnny Morris’s right-hand man. Years later, Mickey came to visit the Museum in Chatfield to see how wonderful our museum was. Things were moving rather

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slowly, though, because, at the time, Bass Pro Shops was remodeling the Wonders of Wildlife (WOW) Museum in their Springfield location. A few years later, it looked as if the timing might be right to restart the dialogue, but then BPS had the opportunity to acquire Cabela’s, and that moved our project to the back burner again. President Willems, however, remained in touch with Mickey to keep the idea of moving Pope and Young’s museum to a BPS venue alive.

About three years ago, out of the blue, an inquiry came to our Chatfield office about purchasing the entire property there. Over the next year or so, the Board decided to investigate the possibility of selling the museum property and relocating our corporate offices. As a Board

member, and a real estate professional, I researched the value and found the right realtor in the Minnesota area. During this time, we had an election and had planned our first annual convention in Chantilly, Virginia.

Welcome COVID! Covid 19 put everything on hold or caused it to be canceled outright. The convention was canceled, Bass Pro put discussions on hold, and we slowed the listing of the Pope and Young property.

Then, starting in January of this year, the Board began moving again. The office staff began planning a Reno convention in addition to keeping up with their daily duties.

We hired a real estate agent to market the building and property. The Board thought the sale might take a couple of years, so we needed to get started on it.

Credit for getting Bass Pro to start moving again goes to Dr. Warren Strickland.

He and Johnny Morris are good friends, so Dr. Strickland talked with Mr. Morris, and they agreed that the timing was right to add the Glenn St. Charles/Pope and Young Museum to BP’s Wonders of Wildlife. In January, Dr. Strickland, Kurt Ebers, Harv Ebers, Brian Benyo, and I met with Bob Ziehmer (Manager of WOW), Mickey Black (BPS Manager of Operations) Bass Pro/ Wonders of Wildlife World Headquarters in Springfield, Missouri. Bob and Mickey gave us a quick WOW tour and shared their idea of having the Archery Hall of Fame, Fred Bear Museum, and St. Charles/Pope and Young Museum all in the same wing of the WOW. At the same time, we were in Springfield, a team of experts visited Chatfield to inventory the museum. Doug Clayton, Ken Rimer, and Gene Hopkins spent a weekend coming up with a game plan and inventory in preparation for the move.

About this time, an offer came in from the realtor, and the Board accepted, agreed to close the deal, with a move-out date of June 15th.

In March, a team of us met in Chatfield

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to box up the museum and prepare artifacts for transfer to Bass Pro Shops underground storage facility until the new home is ready. Gene, Doug, and Joe St. Charles took on packing and inventorying all the artifacts and bows. Glen Hisey and Larry Streiff started dissembling the dioramas, while Dave Hall and I took down the museum’s numerus walls. We then reused the plywood to make the dozen-plus crates needed to hold mounts and large items in the dioramas. Being a taxidermist, I have a little bit of experience with that kind of thing! In any case, we worked long days for a week and got the museum part of the move 90% ready. I wish we’d all had a few more days to be at the museum, not only to

complete the task, but I enjoyed the history lessons during happy hour each evening.

Gene and Joe know more about the history of bowhunting and archery than possibly anyone on the planet!

Jason Rounsaville (our ED) had been looking for a new office location. They found a grand old building in downtown Chatfield that would be fantastic for our new Pope and Young World Headquarters office. Hats off to the entire office staff for taking on the colossal task of moving the office part of the building. It took two weeks and a lot of hands-on-deck, but the office is now in the new location. I know Jason will write a full report. The next step is to move everything “museum-related”

into a Bass Pro semi-trailer at the beginning of June.

The goal of all of this is to share our wonderful museum with millions of visitors. Some will come specifically to see the Pope and Young display, while others will come to Bass Pro and stumble on to it, maybe becoming familiar with P & Y for the very first time! I believe this is genuinely a significant move forward for the Pope and Young Club. As most of you know, sometimes things move slowly with our Board, but rest assured that we work hard to do what is best for the Pope and Young Club, and that takes time, so please be patient.

SEE YOU ALL IN RENO!!!.

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2nd Vice President’s Column

By Ricky Krueger

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Ihope everyone is having a good year and a lot of luck drawing their tags.

If you haven’t heard by now, the Club has had some unfortunate things happen.

I am very saddened by both the passing

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of the Club’s office manager’s daughter and the Director of Records, passing both within a short time after panel February.

Let our prayers go out to them and their families.

Since my last column, we have been very busy with several Club projects.

Panel Measuring was held in February in Reno, and at the Club headquarters, both went off without any issues.

Shortly after that, the museum was packed up and headed to its new home in Springfield, MO, at the Bass Pro Shop’s headquarters. This move is a positive for the Club. We will now put our Clubs artifacts in front of millions of people each and every year and let them know what we are all about. To clarify again, no items were sold to Bass Pro Shops; only on loan!

We continue to need everyone’s support

to keep our Club strong and growing and thank everyone who helps and supports the Pope & Young Club. I hope to see many new and old faces at the convention in July in Reno, Nevada.

As a reminder, the Club’s elections are coming up. It starts ramping up this fall. I will help anyone with questions about the second vice position. The six years that I served in that position will always be special to me.

Also, as promised, I have a great general member to spotlight: His name is Kody Wohlers.

Kody Wohlers is a passionate bowhunter and outdoorsman from western Iowa.

He has been a general member for several years and became an official measurer in 2018. Kody enjoys spending time with his family, working on the family farm, and

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sharing the outdoors with his friends and family. Kody worked for the local county conservation board for 14 years as a Natural Resource Technician before transitioning to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation as their Loess Hills Land Stewardship Director. Through his new position, Kody continues to perform active stewardship work throughout the region and assist with conservation easements and permanent protection land acquisitions.

He actively assists with prescribed fire operations, training, and western wildfire details throughout the year.

Kody has a deep passion for bowhunting whitetails in the Midwest. A love for the outdoors started at a young age, hunting with his dad and brother. “There is just something about a frosty November

sunrise when nature comes to life. You never know what you might observe while sitting quietly from an elevated position in the woods. I have had the privilege of seeing various critters do some unique things over the years.” He was able to share some fantastic memories with his son; this past year, when he was able to harvest his first deer, as well as his first turkey.

In his spare time, Kody enjoys following around his kids through their athletic events, laughing with friends and family, and fabricating custom-built UTV sprayer units for prescribed fire purposes. He also thoroughly enjoys meeting hunters to put a tape on their trophies and hear their hunt stories.

Ricky Krueger

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Conservation Chair Column

By Neil Thagard

THE WYOMING RANGE MULE DEER PROJECT: It’s legacy for wildlife, science, and its impacts on policy.

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he Wyoming Range is home to breathtaking landscapes, abundant wildlife, lush wildflowers, and ample recreation opportunities. Of all the remarkable natural things in the Wyoming Range, its iconic mule deer are held in exceptionally high regard. Wildlife professionals, hunters, conservationists, and people from all walks of life are intensely invested in the well-being of this herd. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has worked tirelessly to ensure that it is sustainable and robust enough to support hunting opportunities. Yet, despite their tremendous efforts to increase mule deer abuandance, this population has historically experienced dramatic declines, followed by periods of only moderate recovery. Since the most notable decline in the mid-1990s, the Wyoming Range mule deer population has remained stagnant or declined further.

From a high of more than 50,000 animals in the late 1980s, the Wyoming Range mule deer herd has only supported around 30,000 during the last decade. Even with conservative hunting focused on antlered deer, with almost no harvest of does, the population has failed to recover. Today, just maintaining the herd and preventing further declines remains the primary challenge our wildlife professionals face.

Can the current habitat conditions viably support more mule deer? Are the great numbers experienced in the late 1980s a realistic future expectation? Identifying any range’s capacity to support mule deer has always been met with management challenges, including the Wyoming Range.

Although it is key to successful mule deer

management, science has yet to fully understand how variable environmental conditions contribute to a habitat’s ability to meet the needs of mule deer.

In early 2013 the Wyoming Range Mule Deer Project - led by Dr. Kevin Monteith and his team of researchers from the University of Wyoming – was established to answer these critical questions for mule deer. Their ambitious goal was to meet the important research and management needs identified by both the Mule Deer Working Group in the Wyoming Mule Deer Initiative and those of the herd-specific Wyoming Range Mule Deer Initiative. Over the next seven years, this work would primarily center on tracking mule deer throughout their lives while assessing their nutritional condition, movement, habitat use, and survival.

Every deer faces a complex variety of challenges throughout its life cycle. Simply put, if we are to continue to have mule deer on the Wyoming Range, fawns must quickly grow strong enough to survive their first winter, yearlings must establish home ranges, bucks must fight for the chance to mate, and does must nurture and raise the next generation. However, there is a common thread that fuels all these demands: food! A mule deer must have access to high-quality food and adequate nutrition throughout their winter, summer, and transition ranges to survive.

For nearly a decade, Dr. Monteith and his team have been looking at the nutritional factors influencing the Wyoming Range mule deer herd and assessing how they have changed, not only throughout

an individual animal’s lifetime but across generations. This long-term vision has enabled them to identify trends and relationships that shorter studies may have missed. By evaluating how resources such as food affect individuals and, more broadly, the entire herd, the research team has begun to develop a comprehensive understanding of how the environment influences population dynamics.

Part of this process involves capturing and recapturing individual mule deer every spring and autumn as they move between their seasonal ranges to evaluate their health and condition. Each time the research team captures a deer, they fit him or her with a GPS collar and check their body fat percentage and reproduction status. By evaluating the same deer multiple times throughout it’s life, researchers can link life-history characteristics with the habitat and environmental conditions experienced by each animal.

Through these efforts, Dr. Monteith and his team are uncovering previously unknown aspects of mule deer behavior, life history, and population dynamics that have direct implications for the conservation of mule deer in the Wyoming Range and beyond. Their discoveries are being used to inform real-world decisions made about on-the-ground management, conservation, and policy of Wyoming Range mule deer and provide solutions for immediate management concerns and answer foundational questions in wildlife ecology.

In 2018, the Department of Interior implemented a policy based on this research for the protection of mule deer migration

Members, we need to hear from you. We need your never published hunting stories and photos. Nev Nevermind, if you have never written a story before in your life, our editors can help with that. Nevermind, if you only hunt whitetails or caribou, we want to hear the story, and so do your fellow members. Nev Nevermind if you’ve written dozens of stories. Nevermind if you’ve just started bowhunting or have been hunting for seventy years, if you have a story to tell we want to share it! If you have a story, a photo, or a question, please contact steve@pope-young.org, and let’s share it with the membership!

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CONSERVATION FUND DONORS corridors. Most recently, and in a historic first, this research influenced the National Transportation Bill, helping to ensure that funding would be provided for the construction of over/underpasses to help mitigate wildlife vs. vehicle encounters, benefitting not only mule deer but a wide variety of species.

Thanks to our members, the Pope and Young Club is proud to be a multi-year supporter of Dr. Monteith and the Wyoming Range Mule Deer Project through our annual Grant-in-Aid Program.

Editor’s Note: To learn more about the Mule Deer Project, go to:

www.uwyo.edu/haub/ruckelshausinstitute/outreach/deer-139.html

Bobby D. Benison

To read more on mule deer, see the Species Highlight section of this issue of the Ethic on pages 32-47.

Leonard Scarborough

Neil is a wildlife professional and serves as the Club’s Conservation Chair. In his professional capacity, he is the Director for the Nez Perce Tribe’s Wildlife Division.

He has more than 30 years of bowhunting experience and has bowhunted throughout much of North America while taking over half of the North American big game species.

Jose Sarrazin Ronald Vis Sitka Properties LLC/ Jim Treeman Larry Faught Robert Weibley Richard (Dick) Wood

Thanks to these Pope and Young Conservation Fund supporters!

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Conservation Matters

By Shane P. Mahoney

ANIMAL NATURE: Acknowledging the Intelligence and Emotional Capacities of the Others We Hunt.

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he hunting world is full of contradictions, some more visible than others.

One of these is how often hunters, in private, share their wonder at the capacities, intelligence and emotional expressions of wild animals; and, how infrequently they do so, in public. There certainly appears to be an unstated reluctance by hunters to acknowledge or celebrate the intelligence and emotional capacity of nonhuman animals, especially when there is any likelihood the discussion will drift into a debate over the ethics of hunting itself. It seems there exists a deeply ingrained fear that discussing the shared capacities of humans and non-human animals is a strategic mistake; and we might acknowledge that, yes, there really is some risk to this. But, a question: will engaging in such discussions only and always unleash more criticisms of hunting?

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Isn’t it possible that demonstrating our careful study and acknowledgement of the complex lives of other animals might lead to a better understanding of hunting and hunters?

When we talk about the minds and emotionality of animals, we usually refer to their sapience and sentience.

These are technical terms but are easy to understand. Broadly speaking, sapience encompasses thinking and intelligence, whereas sentience represents the capacity to experience emotions and feelings. Advances in modern technologies, from radio-tracking devices to cameraequipped drones, have been exploding our understanding of both aspects of non-human lives and cultures.

Every day we see news features that present us with incredible examples of the amazing thinking and emotional

capacities animals, of all kinds, possess.

The constant barrage of new observations into the private lives of animals, combined with scientific advances to probe ever deeper into their behaviours and relationships to other species, as well as their own, is leaving less and less room for those who see animals as fundamentally distinct from humans or driven solely in their behaviours by that catch-all term, instinct. The great 17th century scientist and philosopher René Descartes may have been brilliant, but his belief that animals were machines and incapable of feelings has long been laid to rest.

Hunters need to recognize that the wider public is seeing animals as less and less different from humans, and it isn’t all Bambi’s fault. Through the magic of new technologies, we are all seeing with our own eyes what formerly was hidden from view by distance, darkness, or depth. Hunters must join with this new awakening or risk being out of step, once more, with social change. That, I suggest, is where the real risk lies; not in sharing our own fascination at the thinking and emotional capacities expressed by the animals we pursue. After all, our investment in observing wild animals in their natural state is exceptional by any social standard. Hunters and anglers spend more time trying to understand how animals behave than most people, by far; and are rewarded by experiences and observations that only a small segment of society will ever encounter. That knowledge is something to be celebrated, not hidden.

Many of us are familiar with methods commonly used to determine animal intelligence. Perhaps the most widely known involve mazes and/or boxes, which the animal must figure out in order to be rewarded with food. Sometimes

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Conservation Matters continued

this involves the animal needing only to navigate through a series of twists and turns, while other times it can involve multi-step processes whereby tools must be employed or repurposed, such as pushing a button or lever to access a reward. Another coammon test is the mirror test, in which animals are exposed to their own reflection in order to determine whether they understand the mirror to be showing them a reflection of themselves. There is truly no shortage of variation to the tests that scientists employ in their search to understand animal intelligence; and their findings have been remarkable.

While most of us have already heard about the intelligence of great apes, a growing body of evidence now points to the intelligence of a much broader array of species. For example, a study published last year revealed that New Caledonian crows are able to engage in complex puzzle solving and can plan (think) three steps ahead. In the test administered for this study, the crows had to select a short stick from a tube, which they then used to get a stone out of a second tube, which they could use to weight and depress a platform to get a piece of meat. This test revealed an astonishing level of problemsolving and strategizing on behalf of the crows.

Outside the lab environment, researchers have also been able to identify intelligence markers by observing animal behaviours, sometimes very sneaky behaviors! For instance, researchers studying squirrels have determined that they are capable of engaging in tactical deception. When they have a nut in their possession and they are certain that they are being watched, squirrels will pretend to bury the nut, going through the entire process they normally would – digging the hole, refilling and patting it down – all the while keeping the nut hidden in their mouth to bury later when they are out of sight.

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These are just a few examples of findings from recent studies of animal intelligence. In fact, this entire field of research is snowballing. Across the board, from large mammals to insects, scientists are proving more and more that the thought capacities of nonhuman species are far beyond what we had initially assumed, with creatures demonstrating incredibly sophisticated cognition. Indeed, a study of manta rays in 2016 revealed these creatures can pass the mirror test, demonstrating selfrecognition, considered a high cognition capacity once thought limited to humans, chimpanzees, and dolphins. Viewed against a historic backdrop in which we consistently distinguished and distanced ourselves from all other animals, these findings are exciting for many, and certainly challenging for some. Almost every hunter I know, however, can relate their own observations of animal intelligence, striking behaviours they have witnessed and struggle to interpret.

Sapience, or intelligence, is only part of the story, however; we must also consider animal sentience. While intelligence has been tested and proven in a variety of species, measuring the emotional capacity of animals has proven a more nebulous target for researchers. Nevertheless, there has been a litany of scientific ventures across a number of disciplines, including many within the field of medical research, which shed new light on the emotional lives of animals. Findings reveal strong evidence in support of non-human animals’ capacity to experience a diversity of positive and negative emotions including joy, contentment, empathy, grief, sadness, fear, anxiety, anger, and jealousy. We may well wonder what, of our human emotions, do animals not express?

Elephants, for example, have repeatedly been observed displaying grief and mourning over the loss of herd members. In 2016, a doctoral student studying African

elephants released a video depicting how, after the death of a matriarch, three different families of elephants came to the site where she had died in order to touch her bones. While we may wonder at the motivations, few observing such behaviour doubt that it indicates a sophisticated level of emotionality.

Elephants have also been seen protecting the bodies of deceased loved ones from scavengers, standing watch and chasing away any predators that approach. These behaviours have extended to offspring, predictably: but to other members of the herd as well.

In July 2018, a Killer Whale gave birth to a calf off the coast of British Columbia only to have it die just half an hour later.

Visibly distraught by the loss, the mother refused to let go and instead carried the 400- pound calf, keeping it at the surface of the water as she travelled more than 1,000 miles over a 17-day period. Following this journey, it appeared the mother finally accepted the death of her calf, and released it to the ocean depths. The whale’s journey was a media sensation and while some dismissed the unique observations as insignificant, many people, including experienced scientists, did not. Whatever the mechanism behind the mother’s behaviour, one has to travel a long way to avoid calling it what we would if a human mother and child were involved - mourning.

Of course, to many of us with a pet, these findings are unsurprising. When our dog greets us at the door, wagging his tail, we can see in his eyes and body language that he truly is happy – happy to see us. Likewise, when he curls up next to us shaking as a thunderstorm rages outside, we know he is afraid and in need of comfort. When we ask him to sit, he understands and responds, but we all know his intelligence goes far, far beyond learned commands. None of us need a scientist to tell us our dogs are intelligent and can experience emotions;

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we see this first-hand every day. Nor do we need a psychologist to tell us how we feel towards our dogs, or what human word best describes it. Why should we doubt that wild animals possess these same capacities? What would be the scientific rationale for doing so?

I believe current research is only scratching the surface in our understanding of the lived realities of nonhuman species. To me, this is incredibly exciting. I am thrilled at the prospect of learning more about the intelligence and emotional lives of other species and wondering about our relationships with them; and, I am not alone. It is these rich, interconnected layers of existence that speak to the beauty and mystery which are the magic in our world, and in our

lives afield. This is something hunters can never stop pursuing, must never stop admiring, and must always fight to conserve.

With this in mind, I stand firmly in support of legal, ethical hunting, and I believe this remains the most natural and humane manner in which we can participate in the complex circle of life. I love wildlife; I always have. But I also recognize that we, like every species, must make our way; and I believe we should do so, as naturally as we can. Most hunters I know feel the same way. And this love goes far beyond the appreciation of wild meat to a deeper gratefulness for the entire natural system we seek to engage.

Many of my fondest hunting memories are not of harvesting a wild animal;

instead, they are of simply being in and around the hum and buzz of a wilderness alive with incredible creatures. In the end, what we hunt most is the experience of nature, sometimes amazed at our own frailties and always enthralled by the capacities of wild things.

As hunters and conservationists, let’s celebrate the beautiful and complex lives of all wildlife – those we hunt and those we simply admire - as we wander the wild places we all depend upon and enjoy. We can be excited about knowing wild species think and feel in ways much like ourselves. This does not mean we must somehow remove ourselves from participation in the drama of existence; however, it does mean that we may walk a little more humbly along the way.

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Big Game Records

By Roy Grace

G

reetings from the high country of Arizona, where spring has just begun, and the freezing temperatures are subsiding. There’s a bit of green grass starting to sprout in my field, and the snow patches are nearly gone. What began as a dry summer monsoon and fall season ended with decent amounts of snowfall that began in late January and slowed towards the end of March.

Hopefully, we can get a few rain showers to help out the wildlife and vegetation in the next few months. Since I drew an archery bull elk tag here in Arizona, I’m really hoping for some spring and summer moisture.

Eli Randall I am still heartbroken and shocked at the loss of our Director of Records, Eli Randall. As many of you have heard by now, Eli lost his battle with COVID in early March. Eli was not just a Club employee and measurer. He was a friend to many, including me. Eli made a significant impact on the records program’s continued success, the records committee, panels, and the gorgeous trophy displays at our conventions.

Most importantly, he was a great father to four children and a loving husband to his wife, Vicki. He will be missed immensely. Whoever the Executive Director decides to hire to continue his legacy will have significant shoes to fill!

Judges Panel The Judges Panel was completed in late February in Reno, Nevada. What a great bunch of measurers to spend a few days with, verifying the scores of some of the most impressive animals recorded in the last two years. Additionally, we had quite a few velvet animals present at the top of their respective class. While the panel was missing our beloved friend and coordinator, Eli Randall, we were still able to measure 118 animals during the three days, with no interruptions. When you add the five polar bears that were paneled in Canada by Ryk Visscher and his crew, we had a total of 123 animals officially paneled for the 32nd recording period.

Overseeing the floor duties AND authenticating the teams’ score forms kept me very busy throughout the day and night of panel measuring. Had it not been for Justin Spring and Kyle Lehr from Boone and Crockett, as well as Lisa Kohlmeyer from our office, to assist with the paperwork, I’m not sure it would have been as successful as it was. THANK YOU to all those measurers and staff who volunteered their time and money to assist me with this panel. I am very appreciative.

One last item to mention, that occurred at panel measuring, was an exciting video series that Dylan Ray completed and aired on social media. The video series highlighted several animals

and interviews with measurers and the Records Chairman on topics like; ‘Why we conduct panel’, ‘The Myths of Panel and what really happens here’, plus showcasing a unique and complex antler structure on a whitetail deer. If you do not have access to social media to view the video series, contact Dylan Ray at Dylan@pope-young.org, I’m sure he would make them available on the website.

Measuring Courses With the availability of COVID vaccines, as well as many CDC guidelines significantly relaxing, it appears we are beginning to be able to resume some normalcy within our country. As such, we are trying to plan a few smaller measurer workshops throughout the year, where allowable. If you want to become an official measurer, PLEASE fill out an application form listed on our website and submit it to Lisa at the office.

New Joint Measuring Manual I have some exciting news to share with our measurers. The new joint measuring manual (P&Y and B&C) is in its final stages of approval. Both respective records committees have reviewed and approved the manual with only a few minor recommendations for editing. Boone and Crockett hopes to have them printed and available for our measurers by the upcoming convention in July! I have

The 32nd Recording Period Judges Panel, 2021, Reno

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reviewed the manual, and I believe you will thoroughly enjoy it. If you plan on going to the convention in Reno, arrange to receive it there!

Velvet Category Requirement Speaking of the new joint measuring manual, we discovered that with the new policy of allowing velvet antlered animals to be eligible for world record status and recording period awards within their respective categories, we needed to better define the requirement necessary for an animal to be entered into the velvet category. I asked my committee to assist me on this project, and we ultimately came up with a much more precise definition.

The new manual will reflect this policy on velvet trophies:

The Pope and Young Club will accept antlers in velvet for entry and are ranked in their own velvet trophy category for each category of antlered game. To be eligible for acceptance in the Records Program in the velvet category, the specimen’s antlers must be covered in velvet.

The Club realizes that minimal rub spots and antler tips may have minor portions of naturally missing velvet, which will be permissible, providing the antlers are predominantly still covered in velvet. Any antlered specie that is questionable as to whether or not it qualifies for the velvet category will be reviewed by the Records Committee, the Director of Records, and ultimately decided by the Records Chairman.

If a trophy has ANY measurement that

is affected by velvet and does not qualify for the velvet category, the trophy owner must remove the velvet from the affected area of measurement in order for it to be accepted into the records program under the hard antlered category.

Closing As always, thank you to all of our measurers and members for your continued support and assistance throughout this unprecedented year. We WILL get through this and be stronger than ever. I hope to see you all this July in Reno for the convention. It will be a great event and a long-time coming to seeing our old friends, family, and future bowhunting friends. Until then, stay safe, shoot straight, and hunt ethically.

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Entry and Measuring Procedure MULE DEER

A

a point, a projection must be at least 1" long from its tip to the center of its base line without rounding up and its length, at some location, at least 1" down from its tip, must exceed its width at that location.

Mule deer, unlike other antlered North American game, display dichotomous, or branched, antlers. Typically they have five normal points on each antler. Mule deer antlers consist of a set of back forks and front forks along with a G-1. If there are any points beyond this configuration of five normal points on an antler, the additional or odd points are always considered abnormal, even if there are matching additional points on the other antler. Official Measurers are trained to recognize and deal with the many types of abnormal points. All abnormal points are then measured and recorded in their appropriate locations on the score sheet.

Supplemental data is then recorded.

This includes the number of points on each antler (including abnormal and the main beam tip), tip-to-tip spread of the main beams and the greatest spread, which is the widest outside distance of the antlers. The supplemental data is not part of the final score.

The inside spread of the main beam is a factor of the

ll mule and blacktail deer are one species and interbreed where their ranges overlap. In order to score a mule deer, it is first necessary to establish that the animal was taken within the boundaries established by the Pope and Young Club for mule deer, and is not of either the Columbian blacktail or Sitka blacktail deer sub-species. British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and California have established boundary descriptions set to distinguish between Columbian blacktail deer and mule deer. All deer from this family from Alaska are considered Sitka blacktails. Deer of this family from all other locations are entered as mule deer.

Once the Official Measurer has established that a trophy fulfills these boundary requirements for mule deer and that the 60 day drying period has been met and verified, the animal can be measured.

The Official Measurer will note whether the antlers are in velvet or are hard-horned.

Next, all projection baselines are marked and all qualifying points, both normal and abnormal, are determined. To qualify as

AND

E

YO

RECORDS

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PO

UN

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BOWHUNTING

BIG GAME

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POPE AND YOUNG CLUB

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NON-TYPICAL MULE DEER AND BLACKTAIL DEER

CLUB

OFFICIAL SCORING SYSTEM FOR B OWHUNTING NORTH AMERICAN B IG GAME TROPHIES G3 G3 G4 E G4 E E

E E EG2 E G2 E E

E E

E E E E

(CHECK ONE):

E E

E E

E E

E

E E

E E

E

E

B B

E

❒ ❒ ❒

MINIMUM SCORES mule deer 170 (12 4/8) Columbian blacktail 115 (10) Sitka blacktail 85 (5) ❒ Velvet

E

AB NORMAL POINTS Ri g h t Ant l er

H3 H3

FF

Lef t Ant l er

DD

H4 H4 G1 G1

EE EE

final score. Inside spread is taken using a carpenters rule at a right angle to the center axis of the skull, at the widest place between the centers of the main beams.

Main beam lengths are taken and recorded for each antler from the center of the lowest outside edge of the burr, over the outer curve, and normally ends at the lower tip of the front fork. This measurement is best taken with the use of a flexible steel cable. If any abnormal points are in the direct line of measurement, the measurement is taken around both sides of the point and the shortest distance to the main beam tip is used.

The length of each normal point is measured and recorded in its appropriate location for each antler. These normal

CC

H2 H2

E EE E E E

H1 H1

EE

E

EE

EE

EE

EE

EE

Det ai l o f Po i nt Meas u rem ent

SEE OTHER SIDE FOR SCORING INSTRUCTIONS BELOW DATA (A, B, & C) DO NOT CALCULATE IN THE FINAL SCORE BUT ARE REQUIRED A. No . Po i nt s o n Ri g h t Ant l er

No . Po i nt s o n Lef t Ant l er

B . Ti p t o Ti p Sp read

C. Great es t Sp read

D. Ins i de Sp read o f Mai n B eam s

SPREAD CREDIT (May Equal But Not Exceed Longer MAIN BEAM)

SUB TOTALS E. TOTAL Sp read Credi t

Co l u m n 1

Co l u m n 2

Co l u m n 3

Ri g h t Ant l er

Lef t Ant l er

Difference

F. Leng t h o f Mai n B eam G- 1 . Leng t h o f Fi rs t Po i nt , If Pres ent G- 2 . Leng t h o f Sec o nd Po i nt G- 3 . Leng t h o f Th i rd Po i nt , If Pres ent G- 4 . Leng t h o f Fo u rt h Po i nt H- 1 . Ci rc u m f erenc e at Sm al l es t Pl ac e B et w een B u rr and Fi rs t Po i nt H- 2 . Ci rc u m f erenc e at Sm al l es t Pl ac e B et w een Fi rs t and Sec o nd Po i nt s H- 3 . Ci rc u m f erenc e at Sm al l es t Pl ac e On Sec o nd Po i nt B et w een Mai n B eam

and Th i rd Po i nt

H- 4 . Ci rc u m f erenc e at Sm al l es t Pl ac e B et w een Sec o nd and Fo u rt h Po i nt s TOTALS Sp read Credi t ADD TOGETHER:

Ex ac t Lo c al i t y Wh ere K i l l ed:

Co u nt y :

State/Prov:

Hu nt er (Legal Name):

Dat e K i l l ed:

Co l u m n 2

Addres s :

Tel ep h o ne # :

Su b t o t al SUB TRACT:

*

Co l u m n 1

Ci t y

Co l u m n 3

St at e:

Hunter’s Email:

Z ip : Outfitter:

Remarks (Mention Any Abnormalities or Unique Qualities):

Su b t o t al

Add Li ne E To t al Po p e and Yo u ng Cl u b

FINAL SCORE

©

Official Measurer Email: Po p e and Yo u ng Cl u b

*

©

Official Measurer I.D. Number

Geographic location (lake, mountain, river, etc.) required for trophies taken in Canada and Alaska.

No p art o f t h i s s c o ri ng s y s t em m ay b e al t ered i n any w ay . No p art o f t h i s s c o re c h art m ay b e al t ered o r c o p i ed w i t h o u t ex p res s w ri t t en p erm i s s i o n f ro m t h e Po p e and Yo u ng Cl u b . A s c o re c h art i s no t au t h ent i c at ed u nt i l s i g ned and dated by a certified Pope and Young Club Official Measurer. No scores are official Pope and Young scores until verified and the trophy is accepted by the Pope and Young Club. All trophy entries into the Pope and Young Club’s Awards Programs are subject to verification.

COPYRIGHT ©

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points have already been determined and their base lines established. Mule deer do not have prominent G-1's and it is common for them to be entirely lacking on one or both antlers. The G-2 point is the first major normal point projecting from the top of the main beam after the brow and is the rear most point of the back fork. The G-2 must be the rearmost point off the back unless one antler has a G-2 and G-3 while the other antler is completely lacking a G-3. The Official Measurer has been trained on how to deal with this situation and can, under the Reverse G-3 rule, make this exception to prevent unduly penalizing an animal. This pertains to an animal with a small rear projecting projection on one antler with no matching projection on the other antler.

In all cases, other than the exception previously noted, the G-3 is a forward projecting branch of the G-2. It is the only normal point that does not project off the main beam. G-4's are normally the last major point projecting from the top of the main beam before its tip.

Taking and recording four circumference measurements on each antler is the next step in the measuring procedure. Circumference measurements are the smallest measurements that can be found at the designated locations. These are taken with a 1/4" steel tape. The H-1 circumference is measured around the main beam at the smallest place between the burr and the first point (G-1). The H-2 is taken at the smallest location between the G-1 and G-2. If an antler is completely missing a G-1, one measurement is taken at the smallest location between the burr and the G-2, and this measurement is recorded for both the H-1 and the H-2.

On mule deer, the H-3 measurement is not taken on the main beam, as with other circumference measurements. This measurement is taken at the smallest place on the G-2 between the main beam and the G-3 branch. If the G-3 is missing the H-3 is taken 1/2 way between the main beam and the G-2 tip. The last circumference measurement is taken on the main

beam at the smallest location between the G-2 and G-4. Our Official Measurers are trained to deal with the location for circumference measurements when points are broken off or missing.

Once all measurements are recorded, the Official Measurer will complete the scoring form and calculate the final score.

Corresponding measurements on the right and left antlers are subtracted from each other to complete the difference column. The spread credit, which cannot exceed the length of the longer main beam, is carried down. The spread credit, right antler column and left antler column are added together, and the difference column is subtracted to determine the final score.

The scoring form is completed with the location, date of kill, hunter's name, hunter's address and guide information, along with any remarks from the measurer and the official measurer’s I.D. number.

Mule deer that have 12 4/8" or more of abnormal point length can be entered in the non-typical category. The measuring procedure is exactly the same as for a typical mule deer. The difference is simply in how the abnormal points are handled on the scoring form. Instead of being transferred to the difference column and subtracted from the sum-total (as in the case for typical deer), all abnormal points are totaled and then added in, after the difference column has been subtracted, for non-typical entries.

If the trophy meets or exceeds the minimums established for entry into the Club's typical or non-typical category for mule deer, the hunter is required to fill out and sign a Fair Chase Affidavit. This affidavit insures the animal was taken in a fair chase manner under rules established by the Club. The hunter is also required to fill out a hunt information form with details of the hunt. These materials, along with the $40.00 entry fee and three photos (left, right and front view of the antlers), are forwarded to the Records Office. Only after review and final acceptance of the entry by the Records Office is the final score official.

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Big Game: Species Profile MULE DEER Mike Schlegel, Mike Kistler & Kenny Leo

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S

cientific Classification Order: Artiodactyla – even-toed hoofed animals Family: Cervidae - referred to as “the deer family”; with the exception of caribou, only males have antlers Subfamily: Capreolinae – “new world deer”; moose, caribou, roe deer, and deer Genus: Odocoileus – mule deer and white-tailed deer Species: hemionus – mule deer – Subspecies: Odocoileus hemionus hemionus - Rocky Mountain Mule Deer

FIGURE 1

Subspecies: Odocoileus hemionus sheldoni - Tiburon Island Mule Deer Subspecies: Odocoileus hemionus cerrosensis - Cedros Island Mule Deer Subspecies: Odocoileus hemionus columbianus - Columbian BlackTailed Deer Subspecies: Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis - Sitka Black-Tailed Deer The scientific name for the mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus, means “hollowed toothed half-ass.” The molar teeth of the mule deer are hollow, and the “half-ass” refers to the large ears of a mule or donkey.

Until recently, there were 11 recognized subspecies; however, with recent advances in DNA technology, the number has been reduced to five. There are some instances in which there are ecological differences, but not genetic differences. Mule deer are indigenous to the western half of the North American Continent. The area of their habitat ranges north from British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan in Canada, southward through Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, the western side of North and South Dakota, as well as Nebraska, western parts of Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, parts of California, Arizona, New Mexico, western Texas, western Oklahoma, and Mexico.

Figure 1 shows the distribution of mule deer, including subspecies. Mule deer were an abundant wildlife species when the west was settled. However, as is the case today, their abundance varied from area to area, even in ‘perceived’ suitable mule deer habitat. There is little doubt mule deer numbers declined rapidly and dramatically in light of unregulated substance and market hunting, plus excessive livestock grazing. By the late 1800s, mule deer numbers and many other wildlife species were historically low.

Mule deer are best recognized by their large mule-like ears, averaging 11 inches in length. A mature buck displays a powerful appearance, standing 3 ½ feet tall at the shoulder and measuring 6 to 6 ½ feet overall in length. Bucks may weigh 150 to 220 pounds. Does are much less bulky, seldom weighing more than 150 pounds. Bucks are noted for their branching antlers. Like other deer species, the antlers are deciduous, meaning they are shed.

Mule deer bucks shed their antlers in early winter, December-February.

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Big Game: Species Profile MULE DEER continued New growth begins in the spring, with full development by mid to late August.

Like other deer species, they do not have upper teeth, only a hard palate. The rump patch is white, and the tail is 6-8 inches, rope-like, and white with a black tip. Coloring and markings are the same for both sexes. Both sexes also have a 3-5-inch metatarsal on the outside of their hind leg. The configuration of the antlers, the color, size, and shape of the tail, plus the length of the metatarsal gland are used to

differentiate mule deer from white-tailed deer. The summer coat is reddish-brown; in winter, their coats turn to grey-brown.

However, these colors differ widely among subspecies. The desert mule deer colors are pale compared to the darker tones of mule deer in mountain habitats.

Does first breed when 1 ½ years old, and bucks are also capable of breeding at 1 ½ years old, but most often are prevented by dominant bucks. The ‘rut’ is late November into mid-December. The gestation period

averages 204 days, with the peak of fawndrop from late May through mid-June.

Fawns are spotted, and twins are the norm for mature does, while single fawns are common for 2-year-old does, plus those past their prime. Weights of fawns vary between 4 and 10 pounds. Fawns are fully weaned by October. The life expectancy for mule deer is 9-11 years, with females living longer than males. Age, genetics, and nutrition are extremely important in determining the life span of a mule deer

Table 1.

Mule Deer Entries ————————————— 1980’s – 1259 1990’s – 1574 2000’s – 1794 2010’s – 1698 2020’s – 185

Statistics

Table 2. Mule Deer Entries by Score ALL TIME LAST 10 YEAR score typical non-typical typical non-typical ————————————————————————————————————————————————————— 145 0/8 – 149 7/8 949 0 210 0 150 0/8 – 159 7/8 1852 2 415 0 160 0/8 – 169 7/8 1436 6 330 0 170 0/8 – 179 7/8 844 159 200 1 180 0/8 – 189 7/8 413 194 122 6 190 0/8 – 199 7/8 116 181 46 0 200 0/8 – 30 391 15 131

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and reproductive performance.

Mule deer occur in various habitats, ranging from high mountains in Colorado to deserts in Mexico. Mule deer are ruminant animals and are primarily browsers, relying on shrubs and trees for much of their diet, although they eat forbs and grasses, especially in the spring. Ruminant animals have multichambered stomachs. The first chamber is the rumen, where microbial bacteria break down cellulose following chewing.

Microbes, which produce volatile fatty acids, which are the primary source of energy for ruminants. Ruminants must reduce the size of the forage before it can pass from the rumen into the digestive tract and remaining chambers. All ruminants have difficulties adapting to rapid changes in their diet as the microbial bacteria must change with seasons associated with different kinds of forage.

Typically, it takes 2-4 weeks for digestive microbes to adapt to a significant diet change; thus, the soft and non-pelletlooking fecal droppings in the spring.

Winter feeding is often demanded by

sportsmen groups during harsh winter conditions when they see dead or dying mule deer. Unfortunately, the change from the natural forge to high-quality alfalfa hay is too sudden, and it is common to find dead deer with a stomach full of alfalfa; they just can’t digest it.

The key to mule deer winter survival is high-quality seasonal forage conditions.

Many factors can negatively affect mule deer populations. Predation, disease and parasites, accidents, weather, poor-quality habitat, and, obviously, hunting are the most common. Mule deer are subject to predation from a wide range of predators: mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats, black bears, wolves, grizzly bears, plus dogs, both feral and pets. The

SOURCES

————————————————————————————————————— www.conservennature.org Jim Heffelfinger, PhD Wallmo, O. C. 1981. Mule and Black-tailed deer distribution and habitats Western Association Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) Mule Deer Working Group

Table 3. Top 10 Typical Mule Deer

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Statistics

score location date hunter ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— 205 6/8 Lincoln County, NV 8/13/2016 Frank R. Cheeney 205 0/8 Hermosillo, MEX 12/10/2009 George Harms 204 7/8 Mohave Co., AZ 9/1/2014 John C. McClendon 203 7/8 Garfield County, UT 8/21/2015 Hunder McLain Mecham 203 1/8 White River N.F., CO 9/6/1979 Bill Barcus 202 6/8 Gove County, KS 10/25/1992 Carl Ghan, Jr. 202 3/8 Montrose Co., CO 9/19/2004 Leland J. Cox 202 0/8 Franklin County, WA 9/2/2004 Thomas E. Adrian 202 0/8 Gilliam County, OR 8/30/2015 Blake Philippi 201 4/8 Garfield County, CO 9/23/2014 Eric Schmela

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Big Game: Species Profile MULE DEER continued population-level impact of predation on mule deer is variable and localized.

There is much debate within the wildlife management community regarding the impact of predation. Diseases in mule deer are most often localized; at the local level, the impact may significantly impact but be minor at the state level. The most frequent diseases include Chronic Waste Disease (CWD), bluetongue, epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD), and pneumonia. Parasites are both external and internal. Ticks, lice, fleas, and keds are the most common external parasites.

There are a host of internal parasites: fly bots, lungworms, liver flukes, tapeworms, arterial worms, and protozoa.

The total impacts of disease and parasites on mule deer populations are often difficult and expensive to assess, and treatment options are often impractical, impossible, or non-existent. The most frequent accident occurs on highways, with spring, winter, and the rut the major time periods. Nutritional and hunting

mortality are related to management programs.

A successful hunter must be flexible in his choice of tactics. There are several techniques a successful hunter may take use: stalking, hunting from a tree stand or ground blind, hunting the rut, rattling, and calling. The most commonly used tactic is the spot-and-stalk method. Using this tactic, the hunter sits in one place using binoculars or a spotting scope to locate a chosen deer. The hunter then stalks to within shooting range. Several things help to make this an enjoyable technique: 1) you get to see lots of deer without alerting them, 2) you are hunting deer a specific, and 3) it’s tension-packed excitement, especially when you know you’re close!

Mule deer generally stick to isolated pockets. The use of maps to identify these pockets can help lead to a successful hunt. Remember to stay as high as possible, facing away from the sun when spotting. Concentrate your efforts on

Table 4. Typical Mule Deer Top Ten

Table 5. Typical Mule Deer Top Ten

locations all time ———————————————————————————— Mesa County, CO 206 San Juan County, UT 156 Elko County, NV 130 Garfield County, CO 123 Coconino County, AZ 117 Salt Lake County, UT 96 La Plata County, CO 72 Cane County, UT 64 Sheridan County, WY 62 Montrose County, CO 59

locations last 10 years ———————————————————————————— Salt Lake County, UT 46 Elko County, NV 30 McKenzie County, ND 26 Rosebud County, MT 25 Dunn County, ND 25 Mohave County, AZ 22 Douglas County, CO 21 Mesa County, CO 21 Sheridan County, WY 20 La Plata County, CO 19

gullies, bowls, basins, streams, and edges of timber. You should be in your spotting position well before first light. It is always wise to camouflage oneself, move slowly, and moving into the wind.

As of this writing, there are 6,670 mule deer entries in the Club’s record program (typical, non-typical, and velvet), of which 22% have been entered during the past ten years. Forty-four percent of the entries are before 2000, 54% from 2000-2020, and 2% since 2020 (Table 1). All-time, 50% of the typical entries score between 145 0/8 and 160, with 40% between 160 and 180 and 10% above 180.

These percentages are basically the same for entries during the last ten years.

In the non-typical category, 42% of the all-time and 44% in the last ten years are 200+ (Table 2).

In the top ten score, all-time, typical mule deer category, five were taken between 2010 and 2020, three between 2000-2010, and two before 2000. As you can see, there isn’t much variation in

Statistics

score location date hunter ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— 291 1/8 Arm River, SAS 10/1/2018 Dennis Bennett 274 7/8 Morgan County CO 11/16/1987 Kenneth W. Plank 274 4/8 Lincoln County, MT 9/21/1978 Andrew Keim 274 2/8 Shackleton, SAS 10/22/2003 Glen A. Miller 269 2/8 Rockglen, SAS 10/2/2018 Lyle Odgers 269 0/8 Lane County, KS 10/21/1989 Dean Hamilton 265 1/8 Willowbunch, SAS 10/10/2016 Shawn Helland 263 0/8 Gladmar, SAS 9/15/2019 Andrew L. Woitas 258 2/8 Mesa County, CO 9/11/1976 David Glick 257 7/8 Klamath Co., OR 11/18/1992 Brad Smith

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S f o

R A f

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Table 6. Top 10 Non-Typical Mule Deer

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Big Game: Species Profile MULE DEER continued

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the scores of the top ten; 201 4/8 to 205 6/8; 4 2/8 separating #1 and #10. There is not one “hot spot’; however, three were taken in Colorado; two in Garfield County (Table 3).

Colorado and Utah account for seven of the top ten all-time locations, accounting for 71% of the entries (Table 4). During the last ten years, North Dakota and Colorado combined account for 44% of the entries (Table 5).

Five of the top ten scores for nontypical mule deer come from Saskatchewan.

Also, five were killed before 2000, one from 2000-2010, and four between 20102020. There is a 43 2/8 point spread in the top ten non-typical (Table 6).

Mule deer, both categories combined, have the greatest number of velvet entries. This is a reflection of the early opening of mule deer seasons. As of the 2013 mule deer profile, 29% of all entries were in the velvet category. Recently the Records Committee recommended the Board approve a velvet, which they did.

For a fun time, died-in-the-wool whitetailed deer hunters need to experience a mule deer hunt; they are a whole different critter!

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Big Game: Species Profile By Mike Schlegel THE STATUS OF MULE DEER POPULATIONS termine how many hunters hunted mule deer only or harvested a mule deer.

T

he data in the following status report was gleaned from a 2020 report compiled by the Mule Deer Working Group (MDWG). The MDWG is a working group within the state and Canadian province wildlife management agencies comprising the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA).

The purpose of this group is to “provide a collaborative approach to finding solutions to improve mule deer and blacktail deer conservation and management.” In addition, the materials this group assembles represent information frequently requested by hunters, such as population numbers and trend, sex and age ratios, harvest numbers and hunter success rate. In calculating the population change between 2013 and 2020, I ‘averaged’ the number when the population estimate was a spread.

For example, in 2020 the population estimate for British Columbia was reported as 100,000 – 170,000. Thus, I divided the 70,000-animal spread in half, and added 35,000 to the low end; 135,000. Please keep in mind there is not a standard survey technique used within the 23 agencies. However, regardless of the techniques used, the goal of each agency is to

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collect data to evaluate population status and harvest of mule deer relative to population management goals and objectives.

The overall trend in mule deer populations throughout their range is slightly up from the late 1990’-early 2000’s, however, many are below agency management objectives. Figure 1 displays the estimated mule deer populations 1992 through 2020. The last mule deer profile was in 2013. In general, populations increased through about 2015, but then began a slight decline. Although the overall trend shows a 13% increase since 2013, there are a few regional areas in which populations are stable or decreasing (Table 1). Specifically, mule deer populations are increased in 11 jurisdictions, are stable in two and declining in 6. In 2013, one was increasing, three were stable and 15 were declining.

The following is an individual state/province report. The data is clouded a bit because in some states harvest and hunter numbers cannot be segregated by species. For example, in some states a deer tag is a “general” tag and may be used to harvest either a mule deer or whitetail deer. Thus, there is no way to de-

The 2019 pre-hunting season population estimate of mule deer in Alberta was 164,000. This represents an increase from the 2018 estimate of 150,000.

For 2020, the pre-hunting season population estimate for mule deer increased to 188,000.

The population goal for mule deer in Alberta’s current management plan (1989) is 97,000.

However, a new provincial management plan for mule deer is currently being written and this will see a change in the provincial population goal that reflects the current state of mule deer management including habitat availability, population trends, hunter preferences, and considers the management of chronic wasting disease. Interest in mule deer hunting continues to increase in Alberta. The number of antlered mule deer special license applicants has increased in the past five years. There were 75,000 applicants in 2015, 81,000 in 2016, 102,000 in 2017, 99,000 in 2018, and 98,000 in 2019. Antlerless mule deer special license applicants have also risen in the past five years with 32,000 applicants in 2015, 37,000 in 2016, and 43,000 in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Based on voluntary hunter harvest surveys for the 2019 hunting season 36,000 mule deer hunters in Alberta directed an estimated 226,000 days hunting mule deer, producing an estimated harvest of 14,000 mule deer (~55% antlered deer).

Average buck to doe and fawn to doe ratios have been calculated from the last five years of surveys flown roughly in Alberta’s Great Plains Ecoregion (2015-2020, excluding 2016; n=23). This includes those units in which surveys and estimates for mule deer are prioritized. The five-year average is 50:100 bucks to does (min. 16:100, max. 106:100) and 68:100 fawns to does (min. 42:100, max. 105:100).

Alberta mule deer management objectives currently implement density goals at the WMU scale. These are used in combination with allocation percentages by population and estimated harvest rates from online voluntary hunter harvest surveys to determine special license numbers (i.e., draw quotas).

In 2019, for those WMUs that reported both density goals and pre-season population estimates, 12% of 126 WMUs were within 10%

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Table 1. MULE DEER POPULATION AND HARVEST DATA, 2013 VS 2020 AREA

POPULATION ESTIMATE 2013 2020 % CHANGE

TOTAL HARVEST 2013 2020

ALBERTA ARIZONA2 BC CANADA3 CALIFORNIA4 COLORADO5 IDAHO KANSAS MONTANA6 NEBRASKA NEVADA NEW MEXICO5 NORTH DAKOTA8 OKLAHOMA9 OREGON SASK CANADA SOUTH DAKOTA7,10 TEXAS UTAH WASHINGTON11 WYOMING YUKON

140,000 97,500 160,000 450,000 408,000 185,000 35,000 UNKN 75,000 106,000 85,000 13,260 2,000 212,500 45,000 101,500 180,000 318,550 99,000 376,000 1,000

164,000 92,500 135,000 458,000 418,000 238,733 44,893 321,638 120,000 92,000 90,000 21,000 2,000 180,000 75,000 57,500 227,392 319,150 100,000 343,300 1,000

17% -5% -16% 2% 3% 29% 28% UNKN 60% -13% 6% 58% 0% -15% 67% -43% 26% LESS 1% 1% -9% 0%

11,675 7,326 14,205 32,954 33,086 18,466 2,713 37,793 9,265 10,112 9,400 2,056 147 23,433 6,500 9,300 10,261 29,411 10,599 27,720 4

14,000 9,559 9,986 28,752 36,389 23,679 1,811 52,241 11,220 6,454 10,661 8,508 252 12,049 9,244 6,600 15,201 26,901 8,590 24,178 9

TOTALS

3,090,310 3,501,106

13%

306,426

316,284

% MALES IN THE HARVEST 2013 2020 % CHANGE

HUNTER NUMBERS 2013 2020 % CHANGE

20% 30% -30% -13% 10% 28% -33% 38% 21% -36% 13% 314% 71% -49% 42% -29% 48% -9% -18% -13% 125%

53% 99% 84% 98% 74% 81% 84% 82% 79% 89% 99% 74% 96% 915% UNKN 60% 100% 94% 83% 80% 100%

55% 98% 87% 98% 78% 79% 90% 75% 76% 85% 99% 62% 99% 94% 54% 79% 76% 88% 94% 85% 100%

22,263 61,118 48,169 174,208 73,705 71,078 19,467 165,473 15,000 24,257 34,500 6,122 472 66,719 10,553 71,557 18,976 79,066 120,082 50,737 12

3%

= 85%

= 83%

% CHANGE

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— 2% -1% 3% 0% 4% -2% 6% -6% -3% -4% 0% -12% 3% 3% UNKN 19% -24% -6% 11% 5% 0%

36,000 32,945 58,230 171,124 92,483 80,102 17,029 145,348 28,645 16,868 32,491 9,773 UNKN 54,688 12,261 68,644 36,250 84,387 102,648 48,404 12

62% -46% 21% -2% 25% 13% -13% -12% 91% -31% -6% 60% UNKN -18% 16% -4% 91% 7% -15% -5% 0%

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

1 • Estimated population may be presented as ranges to denote the difficulty and levels of uncertainty in gathering an estimate over a large spatial scale 2 • Total number of tags issued is greater than hunter numbers; participation rate is about 90%. Harvest and hunter numbers include draw hunt data and over-thecounter archery hunt data.

3 • All data presented are from the most recent year available.

4 Black-tailed and mule deer numbers combined. “Hunter Numbers” is “number of tags issued,” actual number of hunters will be less.

5 • Estimated population, harvest, and hunters include mule deer and white-tailed deer. These estimates cannot be easily separated because most deer licenses are for either species (In Colorado, approximately 5% of the estimates are white-tailed deer.

White-tailed deer comprise approximately 3% of the total harvest in New Mexico).

of the goal, 10% deviated 10- 20% from their goal, 47% of WMUs were greater than 20% below goal, and 31% of WMUs were greater than 20% above goal.

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is present in Alberta, primarily in eastern Alberta along the Saskatchewan border. Prevalence in 2019/20 increased to 11.2% (n=10,400 deer heads tested), up from 7.4% in 2018/19 (n=7,866 deer heads tested). In 2019/20, CWD was detected in 10 additional WMUs where CWD was not known to occur. In Alberta CWD occurs primarily in mule deer and males.

More information on CWD in Alberta is found at http://alberta.ca/cwd.

In 2019, 9,559 mule deer were harvested (all methods of take). Population parameters indicate the statewide populations are stable in most game management units; there a few game management units that have declining populations. Most deer populations within

-3%

1,133,534 1,128,332

6 • Hunter Numbers is based on the proportion of all hunters who reported hunting mule deer.

7 • Hunter Numbers reflects total deer hunters including both mule deer and whitetailed deer hunters.

8 • Population estimate is determined for the Badlands, total harvest includes gun and archery harvest, and number of hunters is based on mule deer licenses and any deer gun licenses within mule deer range.

9 • Numbers are difficult to estimate as many permits allow the take of mule deer or white-tailed deer.

10 • Estimates are preliminary 2020 pre-season 11 • Estimate of Hunter Numbers reflects all deer hunters; WA does not estimate hunters by species or subspecies.

the state are surveyed every other year using helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft. Supplemental ground surveys may be conducted in off years to monitor population ratios and general population health. Mule deer are surveyed during the breeding season to estimate buck:doe and fawn:doe ratios.

Buck:doe ratios for mule deer were managed at 20–30 per 100 and currently the statewide average is 26. Alternative management units were managed at higher buck:doe ratios with added guidelines regarding the age structure of the harvest or hunter density.

These units approximate about 5% of the opportunity offered annually. The statewide number of fawns per 100 does is 39 which is just below management guidelines (40-50).

Mule deer abundance varies throughout the province due to localized differences in habitat quality, predation, winter conditions, and historical and contemporary land use.

Extensive wildfires throughout central British Columbia in 2017 and 2018 had both positive and negative impacts on mule deer; forage availability increased in many areas especially on summer ranges, but the removal of forest canopies reduced the quality of some winter ranges due to the loss of snow interception and thermal cover. There are concerns that high road densities in some burned areas could also facilitate increased hunter harvest and disturbance. Mule deer buck harvest had been dropping since a fifteen-year high in 2015 but preliminary estimates indicate harvest was slightly higher in 2019 than 2018.

The province continues to manage buck harvest through general open seasons using a combination of antler point restrictions (i.e., 4-point or greater) and any-buck seasons in most areas, while other areas have exclusive 4-point or greater seasons. There are also restricted opportunities for antlerless harvest through a draw system using limited entry seasons. Meeting the provincial management objective of 20 bucks per 100 does has SUMMER 2021

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Big Game: Species Profile By Mike Schlegel THE STATUS OF MULE DEER POPULATIONS become increasingly challenging with recent increases in road density and hunter access.

Changes to habitat quality and predator-prey dynamics might also be affecting population growth in much of the province.

A five-year research project initiated in 2018 is entering its third year in the southern interior of British Columbia. The project is examining mule deer response to landscape changes. There are four study areas in three regional jurisdictions (Thompson, Okanagan, Boundary, and Kootenay study areas) with relatively large populations of mule deer that exist under different ecological conditions.

Mule deer survival over the past two years has been highest in the Thompson study area, which was almost entirely burned by wildfires in 2017; with adult doe survival of 82%, and overwinter fawn survival of 63% over the two years. The Boundary and Kootenay study areas have experienced the least amount of wildfire and have the greatest number and diversity of ungulates and predators (e.g., cougar, wolves, black bears, grizzly bears, coyotes). In 2018/19, the survival rate of both adult does (~65%) and ~7-month-old fawns (~30%) was the lowest in the Boundary, followed closely by the Kootenays. Survival increased considerably in 2019/2020 and was collectively >85% in both study areas for both age classes of deer collared.

Data in northern British Columbia suggest that fawn survival in 2018 was lower than previous years, and low fawn ratios were observed in the winter of 2018/19. Recent composition surveys also indicate that buck to doe ratios are generally close to or below the provincial objective of 20 bucks per 100 does post hunt. Continued monitoring of mule deer survival relative to habitat selection, relative competition, and risk of predation is intended to provide evidence of landscape-scale issues limiting mule deer populations in British Columbia.

California’s deer population appears to be relatively stable following the declines of the 1990s. This generalized trend may not apply to individual populations subject to unique conditions within the diversity of deer ranges in California.

The modeled 2020 pre-season deer population estimate for the hunted segment in

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California is roughly 460,000 animals. This estimate has fluctuated between approximately 400,000 and 850,000 over the past 30 years.

The estimated statewide deer harvest in California has ranged from roughly 27,00040,000 since 1999.

The statewide post-hunt 2019 deer population estimate is 418,000, down from 433,000 last year. Population estimates are still far below the sum of statewide population objective ranges of 494,000558,000 for all 54 deer herds combined. In 2019, 25 of 54 (47%) deer DAUs are below their population objective ranges. After large deer population declines from several severe winters, the total deer population has averaged 420,000 over the last 10 years. Population objectives that are appreciably higher than population estimates reflect Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s desire to stabilize, sustain, and increase deer populations.

Diverse habitat types and environmental conditions around the state create considerable geographic variability in population performance. Many deer herds on the plains and central mountains are performing well. There is still reason for concern about declines, particularly in many of the large westernmost herds in Colorado.

The average of Herd Management Plan sex ratio objectives for deer herds statewide is approximately 30 bucks/100 does. Reproduction and fawn survival to December was similar this year compared with the previous year, the statewide average observed age ratio from helicopter inventory was 58 fawns/100 does compared with 59 fawns/100 does in 2018.

After five years (2013-2017) of population increases, the last three winters (2017-2019) saw statewide winter deer survival at or below long-term averages resulting in decreasing populations. Reductions in antlerless hunting opportunity for the fall of 2017-2018 and 2019- 2020 were made across several regions in southern Idaho.

Short- and long-term objectives are to increase mule deer numbers. Post-season buck ratios in most areas exceed the statewide minimum objective of 15:100 does. Over the last several years December fawn:doe ratios

have generally shown increases over the typical (mid-50s to mid-60s), and winter fawn survival has fluctuated with winter weather conditions.

Mule deer harvest in Idaho has been stable to increasing since the mid-1990s following a steep decline in harvest in the early 1990s. Recent years’ license and tag sales data indicate an increase in nonresident hunters in Idaho.

Percent bucks with 4-point or better antlers harvested in the rifle-controlled hunts have remained at or above 40% since 2010, 63% in 2019.

Mule deer populations continue to decline along the eastern tier of counties where mule deer occur in Kansas. A spotlight distance sampling survey was implemented to estimate density and population size of mule deer in the east and west mule deer hunting zones. The mule deer population in the west zone of Kansas in 2019 was estimated to be 1.7 mule deer/mile2 (95% CI: 1.1 – 2.6) while the density in the eastern zone was estimated to be only 0.09/mile2 (95% CI: 0.01 – 0.52) resulting in a pre-firearm season total population estimate of 44,893 mule deer. In the west zone, the mule deer buck:doe ratio was 35.2B:100D. In the east zone the sample size was too small to estimate a reliable buck:doe ratio. In the east zone, where population declines and range retraction are occurring at the greatest rates, only 7 mule deer were observed over 318.6 miles of private land spotlight transects in 2019. Fawn:doe ratio in the west zone was 19.5F:100D; in the east zone no mule deer fawns were observed, likely a result of the overall low sample size.

The major goal of deer management in Kansas is to maintain herd size at socially acceptable levels. This largely means minimizing landowner damage complaints and deer/ vehicle accidents, while maintaining quality hunting opportunities in regard to hunter observations of deer and harvest opportunities.

Currently, both hunters and landowners are expressing concern about the declining mule deer population in the eastern zone, thus the current management goal is “more” mule deer and current population levels are below the goal. In the west zone, hunters and landowners are concerned about mule deer numbers, but strong increases in mule deer numbers

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in certain areas has led to a growing number of landowner complaints due to crop damage attributed to mule deer.

Hunters have taken an average of 2,465 mule deer/year during the last 10 years. In an effort to expand and increase the mule deer population, reductions in the permit quotas have been made in recent years. In 2019, for the fourth consecutive year, no antlerless permits allowing the take of mule deer were issued. In 2018, Kansas had the lowest estimated total harvest (1,811) of mule deer since 1984 (1,789).

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) annually estimates the statewide mule deer population because of a statutory requirement that the agency provides one. However, that estimate is based on a crude model that biologists have low confidence in and is not used for making management recommendations. For management purposes, FWP relies on harvest and population survey data.

Antlered mule deer hunting regulations have remained one deer per resident hunter and approximately 25,000 non-resident opportunities valid across much of the state for many years. Therefore, antlered mule deer harvest has been viewed as an index of population size and trend. Statewide antlered mule deer harvest increased annually from 2010 through 2016 to a 22 year high of 45,564. Since 2016, the statewide mule deer buck harvest estimate declined to 39,278— compared to the 1960-2018 average of 45,320. The statewide population estimate and antlered mule deer harvest suggest that the statewide mule deer population experienced a modern low within years 2010–2012. This low was strongly influenced by severe conditions (extended cold temperatures and deep snow) across the eastern half of the state during winter periods 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. From 2011 through 2017, the statewide population estimate increased from 211,361 to 386,075 and statewide antlered mule deer harvest increased from 28,985 to 42,851, suggesting a population increase during that period. Survey and harvest data suggest a slight decline in mule deer since 2016. This decline was likely the result of severe winter conditions across the state during 2018-19.

Within the state, long-term mule deer populations have varied. Those across the western 1/3 of the state, the mountain/foothill environments, have generally trended down and remain below historic highs and averages.

Habitat changes facilitated by conifer forest succession, overutilization of browse resources by mule deer, and increased resource competition from growing populations of elk and white-tailed deer are thought to be primary influencers of mule deer trend across the mountain/foothill environments. On the contrary, populations across the eastern 2/3 of the state, the prairie breaks environment, have generally remained stable or increased.

The statewide estimate for deer (mule and white-tailed) hunters was 145,348 in 2019, compared to 152,284 in 2018 and a 1986–2018 average of 163,807. The number of deer hunters in Montana peaked at 201,576 in 1994, annually decreased to 148,736 in 1998, and has remained relatively stable since that time.

Following the 2019 hunting season, the statewide average buck:doe and fawn:doe ratios were 29: 100 and 61:100, respectively.

Mule deer habitat across Nebraska can loosely be considered as a gradient, with the most suitable habitats occurring in the western third to half of Nebraska, the least favorable being found in eastern Nebraska, and transitional habitats arising in the central band of counties. The highest quality mule deer habitats are the relatively intact native grasslands and pine forests in Western Nebraska, plus some of the lightly agriculture diversified grasslands in central and southwest counties of the state. Intermediate habitat are fragmented grasslands interspersed with croplands and are characterized as the swath of east-central portion of the state. The least favorable mule deer habitat occurs in the

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Big Game: Species Profile continued THE STATUS OF MULE DEER POPULATIONS agricultural compromised tallgrass prairie ecosystem, which is now mostly entirely converted to row-crops. Compromised poor quality habitat conditions are responsible for low relative abundance of mule deer in eastern Nebraska. Eastern Nebraska mule deer populations will likely remain low unless landscape conditions change. Mule deer populations in Nebraska generally reflect the quality of habitat. The eastern range of mule deer has receded westward in the last 15 years. We suspect that this is partially due to habitat loss and partially due to impacts of meningeal brain worm (P. tenuis).

Harvest of mule deer bucks was 8,546 in 2019, a slight decline from 2018 and accounted for 76% of total mule deer harvest. Total deer harvest in 2019 was 60,310 in Nebraska, of which 19% were mule deer. 50% of harvested mule deer bucks were aged 3 or older at check stations in 2019 (see graph). Mule deer harvest is greater than white-tailed deer harvest in 4 of 18 DMUs, and mule deer are abundant in 10 of 18 DMUs across Nebraska.

Herd growth is desired in five DMUs where antlerless mule deer restrictions are in effect.

Habitat conditions remain good for healthy herds and population growth. Low antlerless harvest and normal precipitation levels have driven population growth the past five to ten years.

Chronic Wasting Disease was first discovered in a mule deer in Nebraska in 2000.

Since then, CWD has been found in 49 of 93 counties in mule deer, whitetail deer and elk.

Since 1997, NGPC has tested more than 55,000 deer for CWD. NGPC currently surveys about ¼ of DMUs on a rotating basis, sampling 1,000-1,500 deer for CWD annually. Bucks 2.5 and older are targeted for sampling at November Firearm check stations.

The Nevada Board of Wildlife Commission approved a statewide quota of 16,868 mule deer tags for the 2019-2020 season. Of those, 400 tags were returned that could not be re-issued resulting in 16,466 deer hunters with valid tags when the season began. There were approximately 70,000 applications for regular mule deer hunts (not including PIW, Dream Tag, or Silver State applications) in the 2019 main big game draw. Total deer harvest for

44

2019 was 6,454 deer including bucks and does.

Of those, approximately 5,595 were bucks and about 45% were 4-point or greater. Mule deer hunters averaged about 5.3 days in the field during 2019. Statewide success rates for all mule deer hunts was 45% in 2019 which was significantly lower compared to the previous year’s success rate of 54%.

Statewide fawn production was slightly lower during 2019 with 45 fawns:100 does observed during post-season surveys, compared to 49 fawns:100 does during the fall of 2018.

The observed post-season buck ratio was 28 bucks:100 does for 2019 which is slightly below the statewide management objective of 30 bucks:100 does for standard units. Unfortunately, over-winter fawn survival remained below the 5-year average for the 2019-20 winter, with a ratio of 27 fawns:100 adults observed during the spring survey. The low fawn recruitment may be attributed to above average snow and cold temperatures during March of 2019 followed by a very dry summer and poor forage quality in many parts of Nevada. The statewide population estimate for Nevada has remained stable the past 4 years with an estimated 92,000 mule deer for 2020.

Mule deer population growth in New Mexico is highly dependent on the amount and timing of precipitation. If moisture levels and timing are appropriate, fawn survival and recruitment will increase, and consecutive years of good rainfall are important to grow a deer population. During periods of drought, or if the summer monsoon rains arrive late in the summer, fawn survival may be low resulting in declining populations.

In addition to precipitation, wildfires can improve habitat and lead to population growth. Wildfires that occurred within the last 10-15 years have reset mature forest stands to early successional habitat stages; these burned areas provide excellent hiding cover and nutritious forage for mule deer. As a result, deer populations in recently burned areas show continued signs of growth.

Deer hunting opportunities on public land are issued through the public draw; private land deer hunting opportunities are available over-the-counter with written permission in most areas of the state. Trends in

composition ratios obtained from the aerial surveys are used to adjust the number of deer hunting licenses that are issued through the public draw.

The harvest reporting system does not distinguish mule deer from white-tailed deer unless a hunt is for a specific species. The majority of deer harvested in New Mexico are mule deer with white-tailed deer comprising approximately 3% of the total harvest. Hunter success was approximately 33% during the 2019-2020 hunting season for all weapon types combined. This is higher than the long-term average success rate for deer hunters in New Mexico (29%; 1953-2019).

North Dakota’s badlands mule deer population showed an increasing trend with high fawn production from 19902007. Mule deer fawn production was typically greater than 90 fawns:100 does during these years. Winter weather conditions were mild during this time period except in 1996.

Mule deer numbers peaked in 2005-2007.

Following this population peak, North Dakota experienced three of the most severe winters on record from 2008-2010. Consequently, mule deer abundance in the badlands decreased by 50% and reached a population low in 2012. Record low fawn:doe ratios were recorded in 2009-2012 following these winters. Winter weather conditions moderated in 2011-2019 and the mule deer population has increased since 2013. The 2020 spring index was 7% higher than the 2019 index, and 22% higher than the long-term average. Fawn production has trended upward since the population low in 2012.

The combination of eliminating antlerless harvest and milder winter weather conditions in 2011-2015 is responsible for mule deer population growth in the badlands. North Dakota has a limited quota license system and a goal of maintaining at least 30 bucks:100 does prior to the gun season. The mule deer buck:doe ratio has remained stable and above objective since 1999. Mule deer are currently above the objective of maintaining at least six deer per square mile in the badlands. A conservative harvest strategy with a limited number of antlerless licenses is being used to encourage additional population growth of mule deer in the badlands.

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Big Game: Species Profile continued THE STATUS OF MULE DEER POPULATIONS With Oklahoma being the eastern edge for what is considered mule deer habitat, we estimate between 1,750 and 2,250 animals pre-hunting season in our panhandle, NW and far SW portions of the state. Most harvest occurs on private lands, but opportunities to harvest a mule deer does exist on some of our public hunting areas.

Oklahoma does not differentiate between mule deer and white-tailed deer in our tagging system. A statewide deer permit allows the harvest of either species. Mule deer harvest was up slightly for the 2019-2020 season (252) compared to the 2018-2019 hunting season (222) mule deer.

Both mule deer and blacktailed deer are substantially below the long-term statewide management objectives and benchmarks. Following two successive difficult winters of 2016- 2017 and 2017-2018 Oregon’s estimated mule deer population declined precipitously to around 160,000– 200,000.

During winters of 2014-2015 through 20192020, over 1,400 GPS radio-collars have been deployed on mule deer across their eastern Oregon distribution to refine herd range boundaries for data collection and monitoring. Analyses indicate Oregon has 13 mule deer herd ranges in the core of Oregon’s mule deer distribution in eastern Oregon. Survival continues to vary considerably across the landscape but has improved over the very low levels observed during winter 2016–2017.

Over-winter survival during winter 20192020 was the best since monitoring with radio-collar began.

The province-wide 2019 mule deer population estimate is 74,000, which is a coarse extrapolation derived from spotlight and aerial survey results. Mule deer density varies considerably in Saskatchewan, ranging from 0.05 deer / km2 in the northern part of their range to 2.0 deer / km 2 in the southwest portion of the province.

Following a series of severe winters from 2011 to 2013, mule deer populations have been increasing across the province, with

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particularly strong growth across the northern part of their range. The province is in the process of updating population management objectives as part of the development of a long-term mule deer management plan.

A total of 13,078 mule deer licenses were sold in 2019, resulting in an estimated 9,245 mule deer harvested throughout the province in 2019 (Figure 1). Males made up 54% of the total harvest, with a total of 5,024 buck mule deer harvested in 2019. Hunters holding draw, either-sex licenses harvested 4,860 mule deer, with an average success rate of 79% which is near the previous five-year average of 76%. Draw antlerless mule deer hunters harvested 3,837 doe or young mule deer, with an average harvest success rate of 99%. Hunters holding over-the-counter (OTC) archery mule deer licenses harvested 547 mule deer, with a success rate of 21%, which is near the previous 5-year average (2013-2018) of 20%.

Chronic wasting disease continues to increase in prevalence and distribution across Saskatchewan. In 2019, voluntary hunter surveillance sampling resulted in a provincewide prevalence rate in mule deer estimated at 33% (414 positive / 1249 testable samples), which is an increase from 29% prevalence (251 positive / 875 testable samples) found in 2018 and 25% prevalence (87 positive / 342 testable samples) detected in 2017. CWD was detected in seven new wildlife management zones across the province, with a general movement of spread of the disease north and eastwards in Saskatchewan.

Mule deer populations in South Dakota are slowly responding to reduced harvest rates in recent years, and results from several biological surveys provide evidence that populations are increasing. Most hunting unit population objectives are set to substantially increase mule deer numbers; however, several unit objectives have recently been modified as populations approach desired densities. Pre-season herd composition surveys showed steady recruitment in 2019, and overall recruitment has been similar the last two years at 75 fawns:100 does. The statewide pre-season sex ratio in 2019 was 41 bucks:100 does.

Trans-Pecos: In general, the Trans-Pecos population has been on an increasing trend since 2012 because of good range conditions and fawn production and recruitment from 2013-2017.

In 2019, the Trans-Pecos mule deer population estimate was 135,655, over a 30% increase from 2018. Surveys were not conducted in 2007 and 2010. The estimated 2019 fawn crop of 34 fawns:100 does was higher than 2018 (23 fawns:100 does). The sex ratio for 2019 was 56 bucks:100 does, the highest bucks:100 does estimate since 2011.

Panhandle: The Panhandle population trend has been increasing since 2011. Surveys were not conducted in 2015. The 2019 population estimate of 91,737 was slightly lower than the 2018 estimate of 96,713. Fawn production was 43 fawns:100 does in 2019, which was above the region average (37 fawns:100 does).

The sex ratio for 2019 was 32 bucks:100 does.

Sex ratios have varied from 21 to 36 bucks:100 does since 2011. Sex ratio data indicate a higher harvest rate of mule deer bucks compared to the Trans-Pecos in almost all years, but the post-season sex ratio has been above 21 bucks:100 does in 8 out of 9 survey years.

Utah manages for diverse hunting opportunities and attempts to balance quality and opportunity. We have 29 general season units that are managed for hunter opportunity with a goal of 15-17 or 1820 bucks per 100 does following the fall hunts.

Utah also has limited entry units that are managed for increased quality at 25-35 bucks per 100 does. In addition, we have 2 premium limited entry units that are managed for 4055 bucks per 100 does with ≥ 40% harvested bucks 5 years of age or older.

Utah’s current statewide population estimate is 319,150 with a total population objective of 453,100. This is a decrease of more than 50,000 deer from previous years, largely due to severe drought followed by harsh winter conditions. Fawn:doe ratios in 2018 and 2019 declined to 53 fawns per 100 does, but were favorable in the previous 8 years ranging between 59 and 65 fawns per 100 does. Adult and fawn survival is estimated annually by radiocollaring around 500 deer on 7 representative units throughout the state. Annual doe

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survival averages 0.82 (0.75-0.86) and fawn survival has averaged 0.58 0.30-0.82). In 2019, severe drought and harsh winters reduced both adult and fawn survival (0.75 adult, 0.37 fawn) resulting in large population reductions across much of the state.

Over the past 25 years, buck to doe ratios have increased as a result of growing populations and decreased buck permits. In 1994, roughly 97,000 public draw permits were issued for general season units, and the post season buck to doe ratio was 8 bucks per 100 does. Last year 89,900 public draw permits were issued, and the post season buck to doe ratio exceeded 17 bucks per 100 does. For the 2020 hunting season, Utah is recommending a decrease in general season deer permits (79,675) in order to manage to the buck:doe ratios in our management plan.

Populations within most of Washington’s 7 mule deer management zones are stable but status varies by region. Harvest estimates and composition ratios from annual monitoring efforts for mule deer indicate populations along the northern Cascade Mountains, are likely stable to increasing. However, southern herds remain stable to decreasing. Similar to last year, antlerless permits for mule deer will be limited in most management zones. Habitat management activities for mule deer are on the rise due to restoration projects begun in association with implementation of Secretarial Order 3362. Projects include restoration of areas impacted by unauthorized vehicle use, weed control, and restoration of native vegetation on both public and private lands.

estimated there were 343,300 mule deer in the state. This is 28% below the statewide objective of 476,600 mule deer. Nine herds were at objective (24%), 28 herds were below objective (76%) and no herds were above objective (0%). Mule deer populations, while still below objective, trended upward from 2013 to 2016 but then decreased the last three years. Population estimates are derived using post-season fawn and buck classifications in concert with measured harvest and synthesized in a spreadsheetbased population model. Harvest has been largely limited to bucks the past several years in response to declining deer numbers.

Numbers and distribution have generally been on the upswing since first reports in the early 1920’s. The current population estimate of 1,000 territory-wide is a guess based on observations in agricultural areas and from aerial surveys for

other species. The first deer hunting season was implemented in 2006. Licensed hunters in Yukon must apply for a male-only permit through a lottery system. Interest in the deer hunt continues to be high with 400 to 500 hunters applying for 10 permits issued each year. As of 2010, two additional permits have been available annually to young hunters. First Nation beneficiaries are entitled to harvest deer under their subsistence rights as of the effective date of their settled final agreements.

No records of First Nation harvest are available. The licensed harvest for the 2019 hunting season was 7 deer and 31 were killed in vehicle collisions. Generally, the annual licensed harvest ranges between 4 and 9 deer.

Literature cited. RANGE-WIDE STATUS OF MULE DEER AND BLACK-TAILED DEER IN 2020.

Mule Deer Working Group. Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, USA. 44p

2020 LIMITED ARROW WRAPS WWW.STATEWRAPS.COM

Mule deer populations throughout Wyoming have declined since the early 1990s.

Over the past 30 years, fawn productivity, on average, has decreased statewide by about 15% and has been below the objective of 66 fawns:100 does 20 times. Postseason buck:doe ratios have trended upward, ranging from 26 to 38 and averaging 32:100 since 2000. Throughout Wyoming, mule deer populations have declined by an estimated 202,000 (42%) mule deer since 2000. Harvest followed suit, declining 44%.

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NOSKA’S NOTES: MULE DEER MEMORIES

By Frank Noska

F

ocusing the Zeiss 10x40B binoculars on the group of mule deer bucks, one buck, in particular, looked like a giant to me! After searching all over my hunting unit for several days, I finally found the kind of buck that this area was known for.

Several years prior, I studied, researched, applied for, and finally drawn a much sought-after mule deer tag in northwest Colorado. My preparation for this hunt was as comprehensive and complete as I knew how to do at the time. That prep started with reading everything I could get my hands on about the unit and also calling anyone with knowledge about the area. This was before the highly capable GPS’s that we have today. I remember ordering large, rolled topographic maps with a paper order form I sent off in the mail with a personal check. I did have one of the latest and greatest GPS’s for the

time, but all it did was provide latitude and longitude positions. I got pretty darn good at navigating using that limited GPS, combined with the paper topo maps.

That was an essential skill for this hunt since some private land was intermixed amongst the good public hunting land.

I wish I could remember the game warden’s name that worked that area at that time. In that part of northwest Colorado, some sizeable private land ranches are known for great hunting. Back then, it was rumored that some of the private ranches would give unknowing and unprepared hunters that were near to their boundaries some hardships. They would leave intimidating and threatening notes on a parked vehicle if parked anywhere near their fence. And if you happened to personally encounter a representative from the ranch on one of the public

dirt roads, they would try and basically scare you off by saying that this was all private land. I contacted the game warden well before the season and introduced myself. After just a short time visiting on the phone, he knew that I had done my homework. I assured him that I would not trespass onto any private land but that I would hunt all of the public lands, right up to the private property lines if necessary. I’ll never know exactly if my communication with that game warden was the reason, but I never had any private land issues on the hunt.

Looking through those Zeiss binoculars and seeing that large mule deer buck, I can still vividly remember everything about the stalk. There were three bucks total in the group. The one I wanted to shoot was by far larger than his two cohorts. They were feeding across the top

Frank and his 2018, Sonora, Mexico mule deer, scoring 180 7/8.

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of a sagebrush hill. Looking at them from a distance, I made a plan to stalk up the backside of the hill and intercept them while they were feeding across the top.

Without the deer in sight, but knowing the course I was taking should intercept them, I quietly stalked up the hill. The closer I got to where the deer should be, the slower I moved. With every small, quiet step I advanced, more of the sagecovered hill would come into view. Where were they? I knew I had to be close. Bowhunting adrenaline was building.

The first thing I saw was just the top of a deer’s back. Immediately I crouched down lower. On my knees now, with an arrow nocked, another back of a deer materialized. Which deer was which? There was no way to tell. The deer slowly moved across in front of me, feeding. I waited for one of the bucks to raise his head to reveal

his headgear. Finally, the buck in the lead raised his head just enough that I could see the back of his antlers. He was the big one! His head was up only for an instant, and then it went quickly back down to feed. The deer had no idea about the very excited young bowhunter, hiding nearby in the sagebrush. Slowly coming to full draw and raising just enough to see the buck’s broadside chest, I settled the sight pin exactly where I wanted the arrow to go. The big buck’s antlers were still totally obscured by the hill, but I was confident he was the one when the arrow left the string.

The bowhunter high I felt when I walked up and touched those antlers is still a fond memory today. That was back in 2000.

That mule deer scored 172 6/8” and was my eleventh Pope and Young animal.

Years later, on another mule deer hunting adventure, I spotted a special buck on

a ranch south of the border. This buck had it all; mass, length, spread, deep forks, symmetry, and even G-1’s. From the first time I saw this buck, I knew I had to try for him. There were a lot of mule deer on that ranch, including several nice bucks.

However, I decided I was going to devote all of my time hunting for this one buck.

When there are numerous good bucks around, I am here to tell you; it’s not an easy task to harvest one particular buck.

After seeing this buck on several occasions, the best chance at harvesting him became clear. The terrain around where he frequented was not conducive for stalking. My best hope for success was to put up a Double Bull ground blind over an isolated water source. I had not personally seen him water at this spot, but since I had seen him in the general area many times, I knew he had to be drinking there.

Frank and his 2000, Colorado mulie, scoring 172 6/8.

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NOSKA’S NOTES: MULE DEER MEMORIES continued

I lost count on how many hours and days I sat in that blind. It was not without action, however. There were deer within sight and watering multiple times a day, but just not THE deer I was after. One day he was walking like he was going to pass perfectly in front of my blind. Instead, at the last second, he made a turn and walked behind my blind at 20 yards, where I had no shooting lane. There were a couple of more exciting close calls, similar to this, over the next few days. As the hours and days passed by, I hoped that my perseverance would finally pay off. Then it happened.

All of a sudden, multiple sets of antlers appeared in my shooting window, surprising me. It was a group of bucks, and they were all walking straight towards the

waterhole. It did not take me long to realize that the big one was in the group. They all were at the water, and drinking in an instant. Of course, as fate would have it, I did not have a clear shot at the big buck.

Smaller bucks were watering in front of him. As a deer would finish drinking, it would quickly walk off behind some thick brush. They did not linger around at all. A small buck that was blocking my shot started to walk away. At about that same time, the big one finished drinking and turned to leave. Very quickly, a clear broadside shot materialized. The window of opportunity was there, but it was not going to last long. Just as the big buck’s head was entering the thick brush at 30 yards, I was able to get an arrow in the air. Everything happened so fast. Sitting

there, half in shock, I couldn’t believe that he had almost gotten away. He didn’t run far and died in a big patch of chollas cactus. The satisfaction of tagging that one particular target buck still brings a smile to my face every time I see that set of antlers. This mule deer hunt took place in 2018 in Sonora, Mexico. He is my highest scoring buck to date at 180 7/8”.

Living in Alaska, I do not hunt mule deer regularly. However, I have been lucky enough to tag a few of them over the years. Mule deer, having the largest antlers of the five deer species, are impressive. Seeing those big antlers in the field never disappoints. It is easy to understand why a mule deer buck is a favorite of so many bowhunters that live in mule deer country.

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How It All

Began

With the Museum move currently in progress, we thought you might like a little history of our Museum.

We look at the early years of the Museum, from planning, up to the move. Here’s a look back through the words of then Club historian, Joe St. Charles, and museum reports of then Museum Director Glenn Hisey, as well as excerpts from Board of Director’s meetings.

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2002 Summer-Club Historian-Joe St. Charles • In the past few months, it was

decided that it would be nice to display some of the Club’s artifacts in the new and future home of the Pope & Young Club/ St. Charles Museum at the headquarters in Chatfield, MN. Director Ron Sherer was headed to the Board meeting at the end of April, so he decided to make a trip up to Seattle two weeks before, to pick up some of the items. Ron drove his truck and trailer and brought along his friend Gary Rathbone who was a great help. They spent two days in Seattle and gathered up some of the more historical items. They packed up the large case of items the belonged to Saxton Pope and Art Young, which also included the Polar Bear and Lion Rugs that were trophies of Mr. Young. Also picked up was the extensive collection of Fred Bear items. The other three collections loaded in the trailer were the recurve bows and the display cases containing the Howard Hill items and the California by Products equipment. Ron delivered these items to the new headquarters just before the board meeting. The items have yet to be put in their final displays there, but they can be viewed.

Board of Directors meeting, Summer 2002 • The Museum Committee, consist-

ing of Ron Sherer (as chairman), Billy Ellis, Gene Hopkins, Joe St. Charles, Kent Brigham, Chuck Young, Kevin Hisey, and Glenn Hisey, was appointed.

The committee will be charged with several primary functions, including layout

design of the display area, fundraising, facilitating the move, developing policies regarding receipt of donations (including head mounts), and developing policies regarding the potential The Timeline - Describing the significant events in bowhunting’s history. partnership with the Hall of Fame. seum project. Kevin attended a meeting to Ron reported on the items he brought gather data at Bass Pro Shops in February this week from Seattle. The entire colthat the Club was invited to for possible lection and its increasing value were involvement in a new project they are discussed. He laid out a proposal for a working on. In March, we contacted and three-phase construction of the display met with a museum consultant and have area based on size. Glenn noted the posproduced artist renderings, showing a sibility of getting a grad student from the possible timeline approach to the evoluUniversity of Minnesota museum program tion of bowhunting. Five dioramas would involved in the development phase. He be featured (Ishi, Pope, Young, St. Charles, was instructed to proceed with inquiring Fred Bear). Areas of continual change further. (unique displays) would be featured in the As a significant fundraiser for the other area.

Museum, Ron suggested a multi-level The amount of funding generated will campaign involving legacy bricks. Ideas have a significant impact on how advanced and discussions were generated on the levthis can proceed. The options for proceedels, naming the levels and location of the ing with the construction have been nardisplays in/out of the building. A fundraisrowed down and were discussed. The Board ing goal of $500,000.00 was approved. The approved a general contractor to begin the Board voted “to proceed with the Museum development. Ron noted that the remainfundraising campaign with five levels: ing collections in Seattle would need to be Bronze Level-$125, Silver Level-$250, Gold moved this fall.

Level-$1,000, Platinum Level-$2,500 and Per previous discussions, the Board Ishi Level-$10,000.” How donors will be acknowledged will be resolved. voted to pursue having representative examples of each of the 28 big game species Board of Directors meeting, Summer in the Museum complex through donations 2003 • President Don Morgan reviewed or loans. Policies, procedures, and limitarecent developments regarding the mutions will be formulated.

Joe St. Charles spent a week here in Chatfield installing and arranging the broadhead, quiver, bow and arrow displays.

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How It All Began Bob Filbrandt has worked here several different times over the last few months, including coming up while Joe was here to help arrange and set up these displays.

continued

Museum Report 2003 Fall – Glenn Hisey • Glenn presented, and the Board

approved the Museum’s mission is “To increase the awareness and appreciation of our bowhunting heritage and history.”

The Board approved the concept of working on a national designation bill for the Museum.

Museum Report 2003 Winter – Glenn Hisey • On October 19th, I went out to visit

A lowered ceiling was constructed in the diorama area to allow for spotlights. The spotlights will highlight storyboards and artifact cases that will tell the story of the historical progression of bowhunting.

Glenn St. Charles in Seattle, Washington.

While there, accompanied by Club members Joe St. Charles, Ron and Suzie Sherer, and Donnie Ward, we packed up all of the items from our Museum and loaded them onto a semi-trailer. Two and one-half days later, the semi and all of the items arrived in Chatfield, Minnesota, in perfect condition. Club members Bob Filbrandt, Larry Streiff, Jay Deones, Dave Boland, Randy Doyle, Kevin Hisey, and I transferred the items into the Club’s headquarters to secure storage until the displays are completed. A big thanks to those that helped.

Since the last newsletter, the walls in the new museum area have been covered with fire code sheetrock, and the taping has been completed. The next project is painting and installing a lowered ceiling in part of the area. The next step will

be furnishing the dioramas, making the storyboards, and creating the displays for the artifacts.

Museum Report 2004 Spring - Glenn Hisey • The painting has been completed,

railings have been installed in the front of the five dioramas, and spotlights have been put in as well.

When we were in Seattle loading up the museum items to bring to Minnesota, we included an eight-foot section of Glenn St. Charles’ workbench from the back room of Northwest Archery. We have that workbench in one of the dioramas and re-enact a scene of Glenn making an early bow.

Joe St. Charles spent a week here in Chatfield installing and arranging the broadhead, quiver, bow, and arrow displays.

Bob Filbrandt has worked here several different times over the last few months, including coming up while Joe was here to help arrange and set up these displays.

Larry Streiff has spent numerous days helping in various ways with the construction of this Museum. We appreciate all the volunteer help we have received from these dedicated members of the Club.

The museum construction and displays are taking shape and coming along nicely.

It is so exciting to see it all coming togeth-

We commissioned a team of specialists from the Milwaukee Public Museum to do the background scenes, habitat and mannequin figures for the dioramas. In constructing the mannequin figures, they take a plaster cast of someone of similar body size, weight and build and also a plaster cast of someone with similar head size and facial features. After getting these plaster casts and molding the figure, they modify and paint to match the depicted person.

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How It All Began er. We still need more donations, however, to get it finished.

2004 Summer- Glenn Hisey • The ac-

companying photo shows a lowered ceiling that was constructed in the diorama area to allow for spotlights. The spotlights will highlight storyboards and artifact cases that will tell the story of the historical progression of bowhunting.

We will have five dioramas highlighting Ishi, Saxton Pope, Art Young, Fred Bear, and Glenn St. Charles. The St. Charles diorama will duplicate a scene from page 52 of Glenn’s book “Billets to Bows.” The lower right photo shows the progress of that diorama. The workbench, tools, and other items are from Glenn’s workshop in Seattle.

The St. Charles diorama will duplicate a scene from page 52 of Glenn’s book “Billets to Bows.

The workbench, tools, and other items are from Glenn’s workshop in Seattle.

continued

We have commissioned a team of specialists from the Milwaukee Public Museum to do the background scenes, habitat, and mannequin figures for the dioramas. In constructing the mannequin figures, they take a plaster cast of similar body size, weight, and build and a plaster cast of someone with similar head size and facial features. After getting these plaster casts and molding the figure, they modify and paint to match the depicted person. It is really quite an interesting process.

Fall 2004- Glenn Hisey • The Pope and Young Club / St. Charles Museum of Bowhunting — “To increase the awareness and appreciation of North America’s bowhunting heritage and history.”

Since the last report, museum construction progress has been at a fever pitch. As this is being written, the grand opening is still a few weeks away.

Our focus has been to complete the dioramas and maze area, which we refer to as “Walk in the Footsteps of Pioneer Bowhunters,” and to display the majority of the remaining collection. The artist, Bob Frankowiak, has spent three-week-long stretches painting the background scenes for the dioramas. He has totaled well over 200 hours of dedicated work on these, and I’m sure you all will be highly impressed with the quality and imagery of the product. He will yet be making one more trip there from his home in Milwaukee for

final touch-up work.

Wendy Senk and her team of museum specialists have been hard at work creating the five likenesses of Glenn St. Charles, Fred Bear, Ishi, Saxton Pope, and Art Young. The likeness of Glenn was completed first and has already been placed in that scene. The others are close to being finished as well. Wendy and her husband, Gary, have made several trips from Milwaukee, creating the dioramas’ habitat. I believe you’ll be equally impressed with their creativeness and the professional quality atmosphere we’re developing with the Museum.

In addition to the above, we’ve been immersed in the “nuts and bolts” kind of things. Our security system has been further upgraded to include cameras and monitors, as well as laser beams across the dioramas. The storyline and timeline have been laid out, and visuals are being produced. Club member Jerry Finley has helped to build the wall-mounted artifact display cases for the maze area. We’re constructing special exhibit areas in the rear portion of the Museum. The outdoor sign and indoor signage are presently underway. Club member Larry Streiff has spent numerous days helping with miscellaneous things and doing most of the electrical work. Bob Filbrandt, Randy Doyle, and Dave Boland have also recently helped. We are very grateful for the assistance from all of these volunteers.

We have commissioned a team of specialists from the Milwaukee Public Museum to do the background scenes, habitat, and mannequin figures for the dioramas.

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How It All Began 2004 Winter- Glenn Hisey Museum Grand Opening October 2nd, 2004 • The Pope and Young Club / St. Charles Museum of Bowhunting held its public opening on October 2nd with a dedication ceremony, ribbon cutting, and public touring. More than 450 people came—some locally and some from all parts of the country—for the historic unveiling.

Speaking during the dedication ceremony, the Mayor of Chatfield, Curt Sorensen, expressed the city’s excitement and anticipation over the opening of this significant cultural attraction.

On behalf of Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and DNR Commissioner Gene Merriam, DNR Director of Communications Mark LaBarbera expressed appreciation for the Club’s dedication to the outdoor heritage and traditions, plus the societal benefits of connecting people Artist, Bob Frankowiak, has spent three-weeklong stretches painting the background scenes for the dioramas.

continued

with the environment showcased by the Museum.

Club President Donald Ace Morgan noted that this day is not a commencement of activities—instead is just a completion of one phase of the Museum Program development. Club President Don Morgan, the Museum Director Glenn Hisey, and the Club’s Executive Secretary Kevin Hisey spoke about future activities which include, among other things, interactive and audio/visual enhancements to the Museum, creation of wildlife conservation displays, the formation of traveling Museum displays and kiosks and program development for kids.

Pope and Young Club Founder, and museum namesake Glenn St. Charles, was on hand to meet people and sign autographs.

It was a special privilege to have Glenn, at age 93, present to commemorate this culmination of more than four decades of his devotion to protecting bowhunting artifacts.

Pope & Young Club / St. Charles Museum of Bowhunting • Increasing the awareness and appreciation of North America’s bowhunting heritage and history A Living Legacy • In the early days of the Club, soon after its founding in 1961, Glenn St. Charles began collecting artifacts and memorabilia from bowhunting’s past. In these early days, one of the Club’s founding members, Fred Bear, donated a few rare and valuable Saxton Pope and Art Young items to the collection. Over the decades since, the collection has grown into North America’s largest and most complete collection of historically important bowhunting artifacts

Our collection has grown into North America’s largest and most complete collection of historically important bowhunting artifacts and memorabilia ever assembled for public display.

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and memorabilia ever assembled for public display. Among its thousands of cataloged items are handcrafted bows, arrows, and hunting heads created by noted bowhunting pioneers. These treasures—along with books, periodicals, equipment catalogs, and other priceless archery items produced over the last century and a half—forever link us to bowhunting’s rich past, provide us with a carefully detailed historical record, and collectively comprise a living legacy we gladly share with any and all interested visitors.

The value of housing, cataloging, growing, and protecting such a collection is great, in and of itself. Still, it needs to be shared with the public (hunting and nonhunting) so that individuals can understand and appreciate the history, heritage, evolution, and value of this great American outdoor lifestyle. That is the challenge and goal of our Museum program.

The Museum • A history of modern-day bowhunting in North America.

A Walk in the Footsteps of Pioneer Bowhunters – The Museum’s showcase is this maze of exhibits. Through select artifacts displayed in glass cases, descriptive storyboards, and dramatic dioramas, the story of bowhunting’s evolution over the last 150 years is told.

The feature dioramas, with detailed likenesses of the individuals, habitat, and background paintings are: Ishi, by a fire on the bank of Deer Creek in northern California Saxton Pope, with the first black bear he took with bow and arrow Arthur Young, on the Alaska Penn. with moose antlers on his back Fred Bear diorama, Fred at the Little Delta cabin.

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How It All Began Glenn St. Charles diorama - Glenn in his shop working on a bow stave

Glenn St. Charles, in his shop working on a bow stave Fred Bear, at the Little Delta cabin The Timeline • Describing the significant events in bowhunting’s history.

Broadhead Collection • The largest and most complete collection of manufactured broadheads available for public viewing.

Special Displays • “Journey to Africa,” “The Life of Art Young,” Archery Hall of

continued

Fame Inductees display, 500+ longbow and recurves, North American big game specimen, “Early Bear Archery,” and much more.

Thank you’s • Thank you to all the members and supporters who have contributed so far to the fundraising campaign.

Because of your generous support, the Club has been able to get this program moving along this far already. To date, just over $240,000 has been raised towards the $500,000 goal established for this program.

Thank you to all the volunteers who contributed time and energy during the construction phase—Larry Streiff, Jerry Finley, Bob Filbrandt, Randy Doyle, Daryl Meeker, Jay Deones, and Dave Boland.

The collection of representative examples of all North American big game species (referred to below) has advanced very fast thanks to the contributions (either through a long-term loan or outright donation) of the following: T. J. Conrads, Monty Browning, M. R. James, Stan Godfrey, Bill Clink, Don Vraspir, Glenn St. Charles and Glenn Hisey. Thank you all!

Arthur Young, on the Alaska Penn. with moose antlers on his back.

Thank you to everyone who came for the grand opening and those volunteers who helped during the event—Bob and Susan Filbrandt, Dave and Sandy Rogers, Larry Streiff, and Marlene Hisey.

Only a start…

The Club was able to achieve the Museum opening in the planned timeframe. But there is much more to do. Some monetarily significant construction is needed to finish

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©2020 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries. Some jurisdictions regulate or prohibit the use of satellite communication devices. It is your responsibility to know and follow all applicable laws in the jurisdictions where the the satellite communication device is intended to be used.

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How It All Began

continued

Pope and Young Club Founder, and museum namesake Glenn St. Charles, was on hand to meet people and sign autographs. It was a special privilege to have Glenn, at age 93, present to commemorate this culmination of more than four decades of his devotion to protecting bowhunting artifacts

Phase 1 (initial completion of the physical exhibit area).

Phase 1 included, among many other things, renovation of the lobby, construct walls in the maze area, wall coverings, ceiling, diorama completion, artifact display cases, storyboards, timeline construction, and the outdoor sign.

Phase 2 will include such activities as: Audio and video enhancements Continuous rotation and influx of new special exhibits to keep the Museum and its messages fresh Addition of interactive exhibits oriented toward children and youth Expansion will highlight North America’s

XSERIES

X30

ATA 30” | Brace 6.25” IBO 352 FPS | Weight 3.6

X33

ATA 32.5” | Brace 6.5” IBO 350 FPS | Weight 3.7

X37

ATA 37.5” | Brace 7.5” IBO 334 FPS | Weight 3.9

X P E D I T I O N A R C H E R Y. C O M | ( 8 4 4 ) 2 6 3 - 3 6 6 5

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wildlife conservation heritage. Through donations and loans, we will acquire representative examples of all native North American big game species. We will develop materials and displays to showcase and educate visitors about our country’s successful wildlife conservation principles. In addition to aiding in teaching the wildlife conservation message, the wildlife mounts will provide the “eye candy” to attract and hold visitors’ attention. To date, we already have representative specimen full mounts (or shoulder mounts) of 24 of the 28 N.A. big game species.

Develop display of Pope and Young Club past, present, and future Develop loan/donation legal documents, paperwork, etc.

Enhance museum collection database Develop archival cataloging system and cabinets Phase 3 - Special programs will be developed to teach about bowhunting history, wildlife, wildlife conservation, and the importance of each. We will become integral in area public schools and environmental education centers’ curriculum (i.e., Field trips).

Phase 4 will focus on forming a library and resource base for information relevant to bowhunting, past, and present. Potentially, a complete website of such information could exist.

• Partnerships and loans will be a vital avenue to elevate the mission of the Museum. We have already formed a partnership with the Archery Hall of Fame, including display space for the Hall within our museum area. We have just acquired a few additional rare artifacts of Saxton Pope via a loan from the California Academy of Sciences at Golden Gate Park. We are working on a variety of other loans or donations.

• We are beginning to explore the concept of having “satellite” Pope and Young Club Museum displays or traveling exhibitions in such venues as Bass Pro stores, Cabela’s stores, Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, the National Museum of Natural History, etc.

• Simultaneous to the phases will be an effort to better educate the hunting community about its past through the ongoing publication and dissemination of information, brochures, videos, articles, etc.

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32nd RECORDING PERIOD PARTIAL LISTING The following listing represents entries that have been received and accepted into the Records Program since the publication of the last quarterly journal.

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ALASKA BROWN BEAR

WORLD RECORD 29 4/16

SCORE GROSS HUNTER/OUTFITTER AREA/ST/PROV 25 11/16 25 11/16 Braxton B. Glass/Jonah’s Alaskan Outfitters Big River, AK 25 10/16 25 10/16 Greg Spurgeon/Jonah’s Alaskan Outfitters Drift River, AK

DATE MEASURER 6/10/2020 C. Anderson, Jr. 6/2/2020 J. Fields II

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SITKA BLACKTAIL DEER

WORLD RECORD 116 3/8

SCORE 101 2/8 82 3/8

AREA/ST/PROV Kodiak Island, AK Kodiak Island, AK

GROSS 104 3/8 87 3/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Alan Brock/Cole Kramer Zack Walton

DATE 12/1/2019 11/14/2020

MEASURER R. Register J. Walton

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BLACK BEAR

TYPICAL COUES’ DEER

WORLD RECORD 130 1/8

SCORE 103 5/8 94 0/8 90 2/8 86 4/8 83 5/8 74 5/8 74 2/8 72 2/8

AREA/ST/PROV Sonora, MEX Sonora, MEX Pinal County, AZ Sonora, MEX Sonora, MEX Sonora, MEX Pima County, AZ Pima County, AZ

SCORE 22 4/16 21 7/16 21 3/16 21 1/16 21 0/16 20 11/16 20 10/16 20 9/16 20 6/16 20 5/16 20 4/16 20 1/16 20 0/16 19 15/16 19 15/16 19 14/16 19 14/16 19 12/16 19 11/16 19 11/16 19 11/16 19 10/16 19 8/16 19 7/16 19 4/16 19 4/16 19 3/16 19 3/16 19 3/16 19 2/16 19 1/16 19 0/16 18 15/16 18 15/16 18 15/16 18 14/16 18 13/16 18 12/16 18 12/16 18 10/16 18 9/16 18 5/16 18 3/16 18 2/16 18 2/16 18 2/16 18 0/16 18 0/16

GROSS 22 4/16 21 7/16 21 3/16 21 1/16 21 0/16 20 11/16 20 10/16 20 9/16 20 6/16 20 5/16 20 4/16 20 1/16 20 0/16 19 15/16 19 15/16 19 14/16 19 14/16 19 12/16 19 11/16 19 11/16 19 11/16 19 10/16 19 8/16 19 7/16 19 4/16 19 4/16 19 3/16 19 3/16 19 3/16 19 2/16 19 1/16 19 0/16 18 15/16 18 15/16 18 15/16 18 14/16 18 13/16 18 12/16 18 12/16 18 10/16 18 9/16 18 5/16 18 3/16 18 2/16 18 2/16 18 2/16 18 0/16 18 0/16

WORLD RECORD 23 5/16 HUNTER/OUTFITTER Robert Ercolino Robert Capece Lukas Fehr Alan Delong David Brown Jason L. Jalbert Roman Kolodziej Joseph Martin Learn Franklin Brewer Michael Arias Bob Morton/Brian MacDonald Jen Prysliak Steven Jeska Jim Morton/Brian MacDonald Jim Morton/Brian MacDonald Steven Mysko Chris Cochran/Scott Oliphant Jace Cometto Brian Kehrli/Dave Proctor John Peterson Jared Seymour Larry Bunnell Brian Drake Kevin Brouwer/Pine Acres Bear Camp Zachary Ten Pas Brian Karl Ross David Andersen Mike Broadwell/Mike Lancaster Rorke Christiuk Tom Morton/Brian MacDonald Randal Default/Matt Ebb Richard E. Robards Michael J. Rose/Pine Acres Bear Camp Chris Arsenault Janelle Mysko Stephanie Guillen-Turner McKenna Kehrli/Dave Proctor Brent Watson Chad Lenz James Markovitz Anthony Roettger/Jimmy Wallner Michael David Sheetz Mark Kramer/Arrow 5 Kinnon Scharen Christopher Wine Bryan Todd Klein John Kevin Grubbs Craig Anselmi/Gage Lowery

AREA/ST/PROV Sayavaniaktok River, AK Hunterdon County, NJ Riding Mountain, MAN Dunn County, WI Chautauqua County, NY Hubbard County, MN Gunnison County, CO Menocino County, CA Madison County, AR Jackson County, CO Carswell Lake, SAS Willow Brook, SAS Routt County, CO Carswell Lake, SAS Carswell lake, SAS Frenchamn Butte, SAS Ashland County, WI Klicktat County, WA Woodlands, MAN Kannebec County, MN Carbon County, MT Marinette County, WI Kean County, CA Vermillion Bay, ONT Octonto County, WI Newaygo County, MI Trempealeau County, WI Los Animas County, CO Longbow Lake, ONT Carswell Lake, SAS Otter Falls, ONT Dutchess County, NY Vermillion Bay, ONT Hampton County, NY Frenchman Butte, SAS Clear Creek County, CO Woodlands, MAN Harper Creek, ALB Clearwater River, ALB Reindeer Lake, SAS Cook County, MN Giles County, VA Trinity County, CA Juneau, AK Shenandoah County, VA Olha, MAN Albermarle County, VA Setting Lake, MAN

DATE MEASURER 8/17/2020 N. Muche 10/12/2020 M. Titus 5/23/2020 R. Mehling 9/14/2020 S. Ashley 10/13/2020 R. Turk 9/7/2018 C. Kozitka 9/25/2020 S. Hargrove 8/16/2020 R. Sniff 9/26/2020 B. Davis 9/22/2020 B. Smith 5/16/2017 S. Koelzer 6/5/2020 H. Dreger 9/7/2020 J. Lunde 5/10/2019 S. Koelzer 5/18/2017 S. Koelzer 5/18/2020 A. England 9/14/2019 M. Miller 8/1/2020 S. Leake 5/31/2018 M. Dudzinski 9/4/2018 S. Grabow 9/5/2020 L. Buhmann 9/12/2010 S. Zirbel 8/18/2019 G. McCain 6/14/2018 B. Novosad 9/7/2019 E. Jones 9/15/2020 D. Temple 9/11/2020 C. Rotering 9/13/2020 D. Waechtler 5/6/2020 R. Mehling 5/10/2019 S. Koelzer 5/20/2019 R. Krueger 10/3/2020 J. Borlang 6/5/2017 B. Novosad 1/13/2019 J. Chapdelaine 5/30/2020 A. England 9/5/2020 R. Rockwell 5/27/2018 M. Dudzinski 6/1/2020 D. Johnson 9/8/2020 C. Dillabough 6/4/2019 J. Walter, Jr. 9/1/2020 K. Fredrickson 10/19/2018 C. Lawson 8/25/2020 C. Fechner 5/30/2020 D. Larsen 10/15/2019 B. Trumbo 5/23/2020 S. Holman 12/23/2020 C. Grubbs 5/6/2019 J. Harmon

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TYPICAL COLUMBIAN BLACKTAIL DEER

WORLD RECORD 172 2/8

SCORE 132 4/8 126 3/8 119 0/8 118 6/8 113 1/8 105 1/8

AREA/ST/PROV Humboldt County, CA Jackson County, OR Douglas County, OR Mendocino County, CA King County, WA King County, WA

GROSS 149 5/8 132 6/8 125 3/8 122 6/8 119 1/8 119 0/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Leonard Ward, Jr. Randy Steverson Daniel Mallia/Chad Gilbert Zack Walton Adam Reisenaver Kevin Fields

DATE MEASURER 9/30/2019 G. Hooper 11/15/2020 M. Zeringue, Sr. 11/14/2020 D. Heffner 11/22/2020 M. Gustafson 9/9/2019 K. Krause 9/3/2020 R. Spaulding

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NON-TYPICAL COLUMBIAN BLACKTAIL DEER WORLD RECORD 194 4/8 SCORE 143 3/8

GROSS 146 0/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Roger A. Simonis, Jr.

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AREA/ST/PROV Douglas County, OR

DATE 12/3/2020

MEASURER J. Knoebel

GROSS 105 7/8 98 3/8 93 5/8 90 1/8 88 6/8 75 5/8 80 2/8 74 1/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Kent E. Davis/Wards Outfitting Greg Spurgeon/Frank Noska Bob Ameen Stewart Turner/Wards Outfitters Nicholas S. Muche Carl E. Brent/Esteban Peralta Bob Ameen Shawn Wood

DATE MEASURER 1/7/2020 L. Leonard 12/29/2020 J. Fields II 12/15/2019 M. Kronyak 1/26/2021 J. Bronnenberg 1/10/2021 S. Parkerson 12/31/2020 F. Noska IV 12/15/2019 M. Kronyak 1/2/2021 Z. Walton

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TYPICAL COUES’ DEER VELVET SCORE 88 6/8 84 6/8

GROSS 91 2/8 86 6/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Garrett Chavez Eric Gomez

AREA/ST/PROV Gila County, AZ Apache County, AZ

DATE 8/21/2020 9/3/2019

MEASURE J. Gardner M. Zieser

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NON-TYPICAL COUES’ DEER

WORLD RECORD 141 5/8

SCORE 122 2/8 101 3/8

AREA/ST/PROV Sonora, MEX Pinal County, AZ

GROSS 124 3/8 103 7/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Zack Walton Jacob Hernandez

DATE 1/12/2021 1/2/2020

MEASURER J. Walton C. Salyer

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NON-TYPICAL COUES’ DEER VELVET SCORE 134 4/8

GROSS 136 0/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Tristen Littleton

AREA/ST/PROV Catron County, NM

DATE 9/4/2020

MEASURER J. Edwards

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TYPICAL MULE DEER

WORLD RECORD 205 6/8

SCORE 187 2/8 179 0/8 173 5/8 171 2/8 169 6/8 167 6/8 167 4/8 166 3/8 165 7/8 165 6/8 164 5/8 162 4/8 161 1/8 155 5/8 155 1/8 154 0/8 152 4/8 152 0/8 151 6/8 151 4/8 149 6/8 147 7/8 147 3/8 147 1/8

AREA/ST/PROV DATE MEASURER Salt Lake County, UT 11/20/2020 B. Nielsen Montrose County, CO 9/6/2020 M. Kronyak Saskatchewan River, ALB 9/25/2019 G. Steele Chase County, NE 11/9/2020 R. Stutheit Pennington County, SD 11/2/2020 G. English Sonora, MEX 11/28/2020 R. Moore Pima County, AZ 12/29/2020 J. Maytum Slope County, ND 9/19/2020 D. Erickstad Salt Lake County, UT 11/17/2019 B. Capes Hinsdale County, CO 9/4/2020 J. Willems Buffalo County, SD 9/21/2020 M. Olson Douglas County, Co 11/16/2020 R. Rockwell Mesa County, CO 9/18/2020 T. Hawkins Park County, CO 9/27/2020 R. Rockwell Morgan County, CO 11/11/2020 M. Moline Vermilion, ALB 9/12/2020 N. Napora Salt Lake County, UT 11/17/2019 B. Capes S. Saskatchewan River, ALB 9/9/2020 D. Bromberger Vermilion, ALB 9/8/2018 N. Napora Michichi Resevoir, ALB 9/28/2020 D. Bromberger Douglas County, CO 9/2/2020 M. Arnold Sheridan County, WY 9/13/2020 R. Tastsides Larimer County, Co 11/27/2020 M. Casey Las Animas County, CO 9/10/2020 D. Waechtler

GROSS 194 6/8 192 2/8 177 1/8 183 7/8 181 0/8 171 5/8 176 6/8 172 1/8 178 6/8 175 1/8 173 6/8 178 5/8 164 7/8 163 3/8 158 7/8 158 3/8 155 2/8 155 7/8 185 3/8 155 3/8 170 5/8 156 6/8 152 1/8 151 0/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER John T. Nielsen Leonardo Lospoto/Ben Harris Johnnie M. Wilson, III Preston Schnitzler Cody Robert Brua Alan Harris/Wards Outfitters Gary Maytum Damian Reiter Eric Parker Steve King Adam J. Cramer/Will Stoval Nathan Meyers Emily Pinneo Craig Mull Erik Mohrlang Claude Gosselin Nickolas Butterfield Heather Wilson Jonathan Desrochers Jame Hugh Parton Milly Anne Christmann Paul Mazur/Dustin DeCroo Joe Bradley Mike Broadwell/Mike Lancaster

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TYPICAL MULE DEER VELVET SCORE 179 1/8 170 6/8 159 0/8 158 7/8 150 1/8

GROSS 182 5/8 174 7/8 165 5/8 164 0/8 158 6/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Joel Saul Ryan L. Johnson Elijah Costello Tyler Austin Mickelson Chad Moore

AREA/ST/PROV Crook County, OR Gunnison County, CO Sanpete County, UT Lassen County, CA Wolf Lake, ALB

DATE 8/31/2020 9/5/2020 8/15/2020 8/22/2020 8/29/2009

MEASURER T. Rozewski S. Hargrove B. Capes Z. Walton B. Watson

SUMMER 2021

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NON-TYPICAL MULE DEER

WORLD RECORD 291 5/8

TYPICAL WHITETAIL DEER CONTINUED

WORLD RECORD 204 4/8

SCORE 199 6/8 199 2/8 180 5/8

AREA/ST/PROV Dunn County, ND Sioux County, ND Gove County, KS

SCORE 155 3/8 155 0/8 154 6/8 154 0/8 154 0/8 153 7/8 153 6/8 153 6/8 153 4/8 153 1/8 153 1/8 152 7/8 152 4/8 152 4/8 152 3/8 152 3/8 152 2/8

AREA/ST/PROV Arkansas County, AR Trempealeau County, WI Wayne County, NY Washburn County, WI Montcalm County, MI Clinton County, MI Monroe County, WI St. Joseph County, IN Adams County, WI Orleans County, NY Athens County, OH Pierce County, WI Mercer County, OH Fulton County, IN Yankton County, SD Jefferson County, IN Saline County, MO

GROSS 204 7/8 203 0/8 186 0/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Brady Olson Dustin Martin Dobbs Jason Stafford

DATE 9/23/2020 10/12/2020 11/9/2020

MEASURER M. Belland H. Daniels R. Niziolek

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NON-TYPICAL MULE DEER VELVET

WORLD RECORD 326 1/8

SCORE 212 7/8 178 5/8

AREA/ST/PROV Oxbow, SAS Slope County, ND

GROSS 218 7/8 185 2/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Travis Markoski Kevin E. Sonsalla

DATE 9/1/2020 9/6/2020

MEASURER M. Halirewich J. Schneider

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TYPICAL WHITETAIL DEER

WORLD RECORD 204 4/8

SCORE 183 5/8 183 1/8 182 2/8 181 7/8 177 3/8 176 2/8 175 6/8 175 6/8 174 6/8 174 5/8 173 1/8 172 1/8 170 7/8 170 3/8 170 3/8 170 1/8 169 4/8 168 6/8 168 1/8 167 2/8 166 1/8 165 5/8 164 7/8 164 5/8 164 0/8 163 6/8 163 3/8 163 2/8 163 0/8 162 6/8 161 7/8 161 6/8 161 1/8 160 7/8 160 4/8 160 4/8 160 3/8 160 0/8 159 2/8 159 1/8 158 6/8 158 2/8 158 1/8 157 7/8 157 6/8 157 3/8 157 2/8 157 0/8 156 7/8 156 5/8 156 4/8 156 2/8 156 0/8 155 6/8 155 5/8

AREA/ST/PROV Polk County, WI Howard County, MO Winona County, MN Hardin County, OH Fairfield Countyf, OH Greene County, IN Lyon County, KS Cecil County, MD Trempealeau County, WI Dunn County, WI Waukesha County, WI Chester County, PA Pierce County, WI Elk County, PA Appanoose County, IA Saline County, NE La Salle County, TX Randolph County, IL Mason County, MI Motley County, AR Cass County, IN Owsley County, KY Oconto County, WI Bradford County, PA Marshall County, SD Adams County, IL Jackson County, MI Parke County, IN Williams County, OH Fayette County, IN Jefferson County, KS Warren County, IA Columbia County, WI Cayuga County, NY Polk County, WI Dickinson County, IA Ottowa County, KS Putnam County, MO Wapello County, IA Belmont County, OH Pembina County, ND Washington County, MN Trempealeau County, WI St. Joseph County, IN Livingston County, MI Lake County, IN Portage County, WI Fillmore County, MN Hancock County, GA Palo Alto County, IA Foothills, ALB Marquette County, WI Iowa County, WI Becker County, MN Henderson County, IL

GROSS 207 2/8 187 3/4 195 3/8 188 3/8 192 5/8 189 4/8 184 3/8 186 2/8 196 3/8 177 6/8 181 1/8 178 3/8 182 6/8 179 2/8 203 1/8 182 0/8 173 7/8 170 7/8 177 1/8 177 0/8 191 0/8 183 3/8 187 6/8 176 2/8 168 6/8 186 0/8 173 6/8 172 4/8 185 5/8 165 2/8 167 0/8 187 0/8 165 4/8 169 1/8 172 0/8 166 5/8 191 3/8 161 3/8 168 4/8 162 0/8 189 2/8 161 4/8 163 6/8 189 3/8 168 2/8 172 7/8 163 3/8 158 1/8 161 0/8 170 1/8 158 4/8 178 5/8 170 6/8 160 3/8 160 3/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Jeff Bader Ernie Boggs, Jr. George McIntire Austin Hull Michael Nastasi, II/Whitetail Kings Chad M. Rusher Aaron Brinkman Ryan Woerner Allan D. Stuhr Ben Hintz Matt Buchta Brian P. Claar Jason Fuchs Justin Maletto Brock Aldershot Josh Davenport Glenn Thurman Derek Klein Timothy C. Coon Andreas Bossler Jeff Closser Tyler Thompson Brian Georgia Paul W. Emerson Megan Biel Scott D. Pitre Kevin D. Luke Kyle A. Wall Jeff Borton Jon C. Stollings David Williams Drew Sobek Blain Warren Dana Haff Russell Niles Terry L. Heidebrink Thomas J. Robinson Trevor Simon Wesley Pierson Doug Sefsick Adam Ciak Jesse Lynch Dylan Kunz Derek B. White Aaron Bryce Bryce D’Andrea Justin W. Jeske Joel Goodman Dalton Trammel Dan Schnetzer Kyle Sinclair-Smith Mark Schiller Cory Krueger Dustin L. Jasken Ernest G. Hurst/Travis Bigger

DATE MEASURER 11/2/2020 J. Romans 11/14/2019 J. Demand 10/29/2020 D. Boland 11/4/2020 W. Bellman 11/14/2020 M. Kronyak 11/4/2020 J. Moore 11/11/2020 D. Boland 10/18/2020 R. Newton III 11/17/2020 S. Godfrey 11/2/2020 S. Ashley 9/15/2020 P. Barwick 11/9/2020 R. Newton III 11/14/2020 S. Fish 10/9/2020 D. Mitchell 11/11/2020 D. Boland 10/24/2020 K. Wohlers 10/18/2020 J. Stein 10/30/2020 M. Umbdenstock 11/5/2020 B. Novosad 10/17/2020 C. Newcomb 10/31/2020 R. Graber 11/7/2020 D. Weddle 10/2/2020 R. Loberger 10/27/2020 R. Kingsley 1/1/2020 D. Kelsey 11/13/2020 M. Zeringue, Sr. 11/8/2020 J. Knevel 11/13/2020 J. Fields II 10/31/2020 B. Nash, Jr. 11/5/2020 T. Wright 11/10/2020 S. Woitaszewski 10/29/2019 C. Coble 11/7/2020 C. Fish 11/19/2020 M. Parah 11/13/2020 J. Lunde 11/14/2020 M. Gustafson 11/10/2020 D. Doughty 9/30/2020 J. Lunde 10/4/2020 D. Bradley 10/30/2020 J. Williamson 11/2/2020 R. Dufault 9/20/2020 B. Bowman 10/20/30 M. Sedelbauer 10/24/2020 J. Bogucki 10/24/2020 L. Hansen 11/13/2020 R. Miller 9/17/2020 T. Heil 10/29/2020 D. Boland 10/17/2020 W. Cooper 11/14/2020 M. Gustafson 11/15/2020 K. Brayford 10/24/2020 P. Barwick 10/23/2020 S. Gobeli 11/1/2020 C. Kozitka 11/9/2020 R. Graber

GROSS 160 3/8 158 3/8 163 4/8 166 2/8 160 5/8 159 2/8 156 7/8 158 2/8 162 7/8 166 1/8 181 0/8 195 2/8 161 0/8 179 7/8 160 0/8 163 2/8 162 4/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Joseph W. Moody Michael Tiedt Sean R. Gefell Jay Koenig David D. Alexander Zachary Martens Jesse D. Bernhardt Matthew R. Williams Jeff Buske Steven Biernacki Blake William Jenkins Marcie Dallas Kaleb Kuhn Kyle Brown Benjamin R. Hebel Derek Bevans Rick Toliver

MEASURER L. Walt S. Zirbel R. Songin J. Lunde L. Hansen P. Rankin B. Pfaff R. Karczewski G. Martin G. Rightmyer M. Headen K. Rimer W. Bellman R. Graber S. Zirbel T. Wright B. Harriman

MIKE BREDLAW • Non-Typical Whitetail • 220 6/8 • Menard County, Il • 11/08/2019

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DATE 11/15/2020 10/28/2017 11/2/2020 11/2/2020 10/11/2020 10/30/2020 11/1/2020 11/5/2020 11/5/2020 11/11/2020 10/18/2020 11/10/2020 10/30/2020 11/5/2020 11/5/2020 10/30/2020 11/1/2019

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32nd RECORDING PERIOD PARTIAL LISTING continued

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TYPICAL WHITETAIL DEER CONTINUED

WORLD RECORD 204 4/8

TYPICAL WHITETAIL DEER CONTINUED

WORLD RECORD 204 4/8

SCORE 152 0/8 151 7/8 151 5/8 151 4/8 151 2/8 151 2/8 151 0/8 150 7/8 150 5/8 150 5/8 150 5/8 150 4/8 150 3/8 150 2/8 150 1/8 150 0/8 149 7/8 149 6/8 149 4/8 149 4/8 149 2/8 149 2/8 149 0/8 149 0/8 148 6/8 148 5/8 148 3/8 148 1/8 148 1/8 147 7/8 147 6/8 147 6/8 147 5/8 147 5/8 147 3/8 147 2/8 147 2/8 147 2/8 147 1/8 147 1/8 147 0/8 147 0/8 146 7/8 146 5/8 146 4/8 146 4/8 146 3/8 146 3/8 146 3/8 146 3/8 146 3/8 146 2/8 146 2/8 146 2/8 146 0/8 146 0/8 145 7/8 145 7/8 145 7/8 145 6/8 145 6/8 145 5/8 145 5/8 145 5/8 145 4/8 145 4/8 145 3/8 145 3/8

AREA/ST/PROV DATE MEASURER Polk County, WI 10/28/2020 J. Lunde Franklin County, IN 11/12/2020 T. Wright McKean County, PA 11/4/2020 R. Worden Mecosta County, MI 10/31/2020 J. Best Polk County, WI 10/15/2020 J. Lunde Pettis County, MO 11/11/2020 J. Holley Monroe County, IA 11/5/2020 E. DeYoung Putnam County, MO 10/28/2016 M. Kronyak Monroe County, NY 10/30/2020 G. Rightmyer Green County, WI 9/30/2020 S. Gobeli Jackson County, WV 10/28/2020 G. Dearth Buffalo County, WI 10/9/2020 T. Orlikowski Hillsdale County, MI 11/11/2020 B. Nash, Jr. Buncombe County, NC 11/21/2020 D. Stepp Minnehaha County, SD 10/23/2020 E. Hagen Erie County, NY 11/3/2020 K. Schilling St. Croix County, WI 10/29/2017 M. Piaskowski Sullivan County, MO 11/13/2019 R. Cannon Marion County, IL 12/14/2019 C. Murphy Polk County, IA 10/16/2020 D. Mealey Ozaukee County, WI 11/18/2020 G. Wegner Olmsted County, MN 10/12/2020 D. Boland Grant County, SD 11/16/2020 R. Oberle Deleware County, IA 10/28/2020 D. Boland Onondaga County, NY 11/7/2020 M. Parah Androscoggin County, ME 10/23/2020 A. Wentworth Olmsted County, MN 11/4/2020 D. Boland McHenry County, IL 11/14/2020 R. Tastsides Howard County, IA 11/3/2020 D. Boland Barron County, WI 9/18/2020 K. Zimmerman St. Clair County, IL 11/29/2019 M. Umbdenstock Olmsted County, MN 9/21/2020 D. Boland Clark County, SD 11/2/2020 J. Converse Reno County, KS 11/1/2020 K. Farmer Lake County, IN 1/7/2020 J. Bogucki Oconto County, WI 9/13/2020 P. Gauthier McDowell County, WV 11/21/2020 T. Dowdy Edmonds County, SD 11/12/2020 R. Heintzman Wapello County, IA 11/6/2020 D. Boland Fond Du Lac County, WI 10/29/2020 M. Miller Douglas County, KS 11/9/2020 G. Fitts St. Croix County, WI 10/23/2020 S. Ashley Clark County, IL 11/8/2020 J. Fields II Adams County, IL 11/3/2020 B. Novosad Morris County, NJ 11/6/2020 M. Kronyak Seward County, NE 8/4/2020 S. Woitaszewski Marquette County, WI 10/21/2020 J. Ramsey Kewaunee County, WI 11/7/2020 B. Ihlenfeldt Jackson County, WI 10/29/2020 M. Miller Grant County, WI 11/14/2020 S. Zirbel Worchester County, MA 11/16/2020 L. Desmarais Goodhue County, MN 11/1/2020 C. Collins Washington County, PA 11/18/2020 J. Walter, Jr. Vinton County, OH 11/6/2020 L. Culbertson Buffalo County, WI 11/5/2020 E. Nelson St. Joseph County, IN 11/3/2020 J. Bogucki Sauk County, WI 10/19/2020 D. Evenson Shawano County, WI 10/13/2020 S. Zirbel Pierce County, WI 10/22/2020 S. Ashley Manitowoc County, WI 10/26/2019 B. Ihlenfeldt Pike County, IL 11/2/2020 G. Morrison Lapeer County, MI 10/3/2020 J. Ohmer Sauk County, WI 10/24/2020 J. Ramsey Kingman County, KS 11/4/2020 B. Novosad Henry County, KY 11/5/2020 T. Wright St. Clair County, MO 11/13/2020 B. Denison Clay County, TX 10/9/2015 K. Easley Hunterdon County, NJ 10/8/2020 M. Titus

SCORE 145 3/8 145 2/8 145 1/8 144 7/8 144 7/8 144 6/8 144 5/8 144 5/8 144 2/8 144 2/8 144 1/8 144 1/8 144 1/8 143 6/8 143 5/8 143 5/8 143 4/8 143 4/8 143 4/8 143 3/8 143 3/8 143 3/8 143 0/8 143 0/8 142 7/8 142 6/8 142 6/8 142 6/8 142 2/8 142 2/8 142 2/8 142 0/8 141 6/8 141 6/8 141 5/8 141 2/8 141 2/8 141 2/8 141 2/8 141 1/8 141 1/8 141 1/8 141 0/8 141 0/8 140 7/8 140 6/8 140 6/8 140 6/8 140 6/8 140 5/8 140 4/8 140 3/8 140 3/8 140 3/8 140 3/8 140 3/8 140 2/8 140 2/8 140 1/8 140 0/8 140 0/8 139 7/8 139 6/8 139 6/8 139 6/8 139 3/8 139 3/8 139 2/8

AREA/ST/PROV Henry County, IA Douglas County, WI Morgan County, MO Rock County, WI Hennepin County, MN Southampton County, VA Kewaunee County, WI Woodbury County, IA Saline County, NE Jackson County, IN Minnehaha County, SD Olmsted County, MN Walworth County, WI McHenry County, ND Deleware County, IA Clinton County, IN Berkshire County, MA Winona County, MN Pulaski County, KY Chippewa County, WI Kiowa County, KS Litchfield County, CT Broome County, NY Randolph County, GA Union County, IA Houston County, MN Kent County, MI Trempealeau County, WI Hancock County, OH St. Croix County, WI Waukesha County, WI Morrow County, OH Buffalo County, WI Richland County, ND Worcester County, MA Vernon County, WI Logan County, WV Doniphan County, KS Craig County, OK Saginaw County, MI Carroll County, GA Eau Claire County, WI Vanderburgh County, IN Monroe County, KY Jefferson County, IA Vernon County, WI Desha County, AR Decatur County, IA Polk County, MO Kosciusko County, IN Clark County, WI Tioga County, NY Stueben County, IN Franklin County, KS McHenry County, IL Nelson County, ND Brown County, WI Pike County, IL McCoupin County, IL Washington County, MN Noble County, OH Marshall County, KS Spring Lake, ALB Schuyler County, NY Fond Du Lac County, WI Lincoln County, AR Dunn County, WI Berrien County, MI

GROSS 160 6/8 163 5/8 153 4/8 155 6/8 155 0/8 184 7/8 156 0/8 157 7/8 156 4/8 159 7/8 152 7/8 160 3/8 155 7/8 155 0/8 158 3/8 174 0/8 164 7/8 152 1/8 152 5/8 161 4/8 153 1/8 154 4/8 153 3/8 155 1/8 153 5/8 154 3/8 171 2/8 153 3/8 151 7/8 149 5/8 152 5/8 174 6/8 181 5/8 150 6/8 161 6/8 152 2/8 150 5/8 154 0/8 151 5/8 159 4/8 155 2/8 167 2/8 157 2/8 160 2/8 151 7/8 154 0/8 167 2/8 170 0/8 158 0/8 156 4/8 151 0/8 151 4/8 153 0/8 148 1/8 152 7/8 155 3/8 159 6/8 155 3/8 150 0/8 179 0/8 149 1/8 152 5/8 161 4/8 150 1/8 168 2/8 156 4/8 150 2/8 148 6/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Ron Thelen Michael W. Arison Brett M. Butler Richard Smith Dan Dahlberg Adam Lee Dillon Darin Holman Christopher Errickson Richard J. Steubing Paul Ovadall Dustin R. Marks Mason A. Firkus Virgil J. Huffman, III Stephen Boyd Shelton Ethan May Kenneth Kwasniewski Tyler Timm Zach Cresup Edward Heath Jesse Freeman Richard R. Schnell Bryan A. King Arnie Veen Dean W. Dempster, II Nicholas J. DeSantis Gerald M. Simpson Braden Thompson Zack Smith Marshall Klein Dale Griffith Wayne M. Kniepkamp Robert G. Beeman David Bukowski Timothy F. Butler Joshua D. Marlow Owen Morgan Dale R. Murray, Jr. Lucas Nehlich Andrew Cheslock Nick Brust Corbin Rowe Colin Kerr Dylan C. Bubeck Ryan W. Leonard Mark Spoto Aaron Jones Michael T. Mcreath Logan Kroening Adam King Zachary J. Manders Mark Murphy Corey Bonnin Robert L. Cameron Martin E. Cain Douglas Waara Jeffrey D. Papczynski Brian Schlough James Snortum Brady Brenner Jerry Schaus Allan Thomas Black Kevin Vanderploeg Steven J. Hutson Aaron Ambur/Chris Hanman Jason Burcham Kurtis Kneller Justin Beesinger John Greczylo

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GROSS 154 1/8 151 1/8 154 1/8 161 0/8 150 6/8 149 4/8 155 7/8 154 1/8 152 0/8 159 3/8 164 2/8 146 0/8 154 2/8 152 4/8 163 2/8 155 3/8 179 3/8 149 4/8 157 5/8 147 7/8 151 2/8 152 2/8 146 5/8 151 0/8 158 1/8 145 6/8 144 4/8 146 5/8 165 3/8 147 1/8 147 2/8 153 2/8 158 3/8 144 0/8 152 4/8 148 4/8 146 6/8 146 2/8 145 6/8 146 5/8 154 0/8 143 7/8 144 3/8 162 6/8 145 0/8 146 4/8 147 0/8 155 1/8 154 5/8 157 7/8 144 7/8 146 4/8 144 5/8 155 2/8 153 3/8 146 1/8 155 6/8 146 2/8 145 4/8 146 3/8 144 4/8 142 0/8 143 4/8 147 5/8 143 6/8 144 0/8 146 0/8 146 1/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Thomas A. Hahn Kent VanderMesden Sheldon M. Schulte Andrew Trace Nicholas Elsen Chase Johnson Phillips Chris Krohn Erv Strohbeen Neil Formanek Jesse Benbow Jeremy Timmermans Kasey Carlson Ed McLernon Jeff Jacob Dean W. Dempster, III Michael D. Halstead Thomas Foland Marshall Klein James B. Moss Vic Rouleau Mike Bonney Ryan Shay Rodney G. Barton Pat Sanders Craig Percell David Nicolai Louis A. Koepke Brook Burling Todd Ward Jordan Van Dien Michael J. Kelenic Ronald Spangler Shane Stuhr Trevor Thiele Joe D. Stefano Jim Feyerisen Mikey Brown John Dahlberg Philip Marone Tyler Scott Kemerer Brandon Jones Douglas J. Devine Thomas A. Szczapinski Brayden Cole Moss Paul Dean Bontrager Matthew Hirschfield Martin Lee Walt, IV Bradley Blanchard Dustin L. Vestal Zach J. Baughman Robert A. Davel Michael Hall Robert W. Harris Christopher Errickson James Schmidt Andrew Reiter Larry Bunnell David J. Luedde Donald J. Papczynski Jon Ekstrand James M. Baker, II Jared Mason Daris Coombs Dan Begley Anthony J. Schwartz Martin Lee Walt, IV Rodney Keenlyne Herman Barry

DATE MEASURER 11/7/2020 G. Martin 9/15/2020 K. Zimmerman 10/31/2020 L. Lueckenhoff 11/4/2020 S. Gobeli 11/18/2019 T. Rogers 11/11/2020 C. Grubbs 11/10/2019 B. Ihlenfeldt 11/14/2020 J. Weltz 11/6/2020 S. Cowan III 11/8/2019 T. Wright 11/21/2020 J. Twamley 11/27/2020 L. Streiff 11/12/2020 T. Senft 10/17/2020 D. Scofield 10/28/2018 D. Boland 11/11/2020 M. Ali 11/18/2020 R. Peltier 11/3/2017 D. Boland 11/2/2020 D. Weddle 10/7/2020 J. Lunde 11/10/2020 C. Slopey 11/14/2020 S. Cowles 10/19/2020 G. Dennis 12/15/2018 W. Cooper 11/14/2020 J. Weltz 11/13/2020 J. Lunde 10/26/2020 L. Hansen 10/31/2020 S. Zirbel 11/6/2020 R. Ebert 10/12/2017 S. Ashley 10/31/2020 B. Tessmann 11/21/2020 T. Morang 10/27/2020 S. Godfrey 11/1/2020 J. Zins 11/4/2020 J. Brown 11/3/2020 E. Jones 11/20/2020 E. Richmond 11/17/2011 J. Lunde 10/31/2020 J. Langley 11/8/2020 R. Banaszak 9/20/2020 B. Head 11/3/2020 K. Rimer 11/13/2020 D. Belwood 9/18/2020 R. Estes 11/8/2019 R. Wilt 11/11/2020 J. Frank 12/1/2020 L. Walt 11/11/2020 D. Boland 11/11/2020 T. Donnelly 11/16/2016 R. Karczewski 11/7/2020 B. Laufenberg 11/3/2020 M. Compton 10/25/2020 J. Bogucki 11/6/2016 M. Kronyak 11/27/2020 R. Tastsides 1/4/2020 D. Erickstad 10/30/2020 S. Zirbel 11/1/2020 T. Donnelly 11/10/2020 J. Bogucki 11/28/2020 J. Lunde 11/14/2020 E. Feron 11/1/2020 G. Douglas, Jr. 10/21/2020 D. Bromberger 11/15/2020 S. Heatley 9/12/2020 M. Miller 10/24/2020 L. Walt 11/6/2008 C. Fish 10/11/2020 A. Blaske

SUMMER 2021

6/15/21 8:00 AM

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

TYPICAL WHITETAIL DEER CONTINUED

WORLD RECORD 204 4/8

TYPICAL WHITETAIL DEER CONTINUED

WORLD RECORD 204 4/8

SCORE 139 2/8 139 1/8 139 1/8 138 7/8 138 7/8 138 6/8 138 4/8 138 3/8 138 3/8 138 3/8 138 2/8 138 2/8 138 2/8 138 2/8 138 1/8 138 0/8 137 7/8 137 7/8 137 7/8 137 7/8 137 7/8 137 7/8 137 7/8 137 6/8 137 6/8 137 5/8 137 4/8 137 3/8

AREA/ST/PROV Saint-Raymond, QUE Kewaunee County, WI Allamakee County, IA Juniata County, PA Hancock County, IL Indiana County, PA LaGrange County, IN Sheboygan County, WI Merrick County, NE Orleans County, NY Ramsey County, ND Iowa County, WI Pulaski County, GA Ontario County, NY Hasse Lake, ALB Shiawassee County, MI Pierce County, WI Monroe County, WI Franklin County, OH Clark County, IN Sage County, ND Polk County, WI Plymouth County, IA Richland County, WI New Castle County, DE Jay County, IN Warren County, KY Dougherty County, GA

SCORE 137 3/8 137 3/8 137 2/8 137 2/8 137 2/8 137 1/8 137 1/8 137 1/8 137 1/8 137 0/8 137 0/8 136 6/8 136 6/8 136 6/8 136 6/8 136 6/8 136 5/8 136 5/8 136 4/8 136 3/8 136 3/8 136 3/8 136 2/8 136 2/8 136 0/8 136 0/8 136 0/8 136 0/8

AREA/ST/PROV Branch County, MI Buffalo County, WI Manitowoc County, WI Goochland County, VA Green County, WI Adams County, PA Hampshire County, MA Portage County, WI Hillsdale County, MI Mitchell County, KS Waushara County, WI Lafayette County, WI Allen County, KY Jefferson County, MO Faulk County, SD Hillside County, MI Houston County, MN Richland County, WI Boone County, WV Trempealeau County, WI Audubon County, IA Harrsion County, KY Columbia County, WI Suffolk County, NY Scott County, IN Lewis County, TN Juneau County, WI Hennepin County, MN

GROSS 153 4/8 153 2/8 158 2/8 143 5/8 148 5/8 151 5/8 142 0/8 146 1/8 170 5/8 145 3/8 140 6/8 158 1/8 145 0/8 148 4/8 142 3/8 141 4/8 145 6/8 143 3/8 140 0/8 145 7/8 143 2/8 141 4/8 149 0/8 145 4/8 144 6/8 168 5/8 159 7/8 145 0/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Dany Paquette Joshua Stabenau Kurt Brasser Trevor Arnold Scott J. Polega Ryan Hopkins Clint R. Rasler Laine K. Brendel Nathan R. Krug Ken Oliver Randy J. Griedl William Fitzgibbon Brince Coody Lawrence Graser Daris Coombs Timothy A. Bontrager Richard Johnson Gene Scherf Rick Zwayer Nathan P. Bourland David L. Seidl Kody Koch Nick Hemmingsen Jeffrey M. Smith Rod Kulesza Trent J. Bechtol Charlie Durbin Neal J. Roberson

DATE MEASURER 11/8/2020 R. Groleau 11/5/2020 B. Ihlenfeldt 11/12/2020 S. Zirbel 11/13/2020 J. Heidel 11/5/2020 R. Banaszak 10/21/2020 G. Douglas, Jr. 10/13/2020 J. Bogucki 11/7/2020 S. Zirbel 11/8/2020 R. Dierking 10/16/2020 D. Haseley 11/11/2020 D. Erickstad 10/30/2020 A. Zuhlke 9/12/2020 B. Bond 10/31/2020 K. Schilling 11/26/2019 D. Bromberger 11/14/2020 R. Wilt 11/2/2020 B. Bowman 11/8/2020 D. Evenson 11/13/2000 S. Holtrey 11/6/2014 J. Moore 10/6/2020 S. Zirbel 10/29/2020 J. Lunde 11/15/2020 M. Gustafson 11/2/2020 J. Ramsey 10/31/2020 C. Slopey 11/1/2019 T. Wright 9/6/2020 K. Morphew 10/25/2020 W. Cooper

GROSS 153 1/8 139 5/8 138 7/8 140 0/8 140 1/8 144 1/8 150 7/8 140 1/8 141 0/8 139 1/8 144 6/8 139 7/8 146 2/8 159 1/8 142 4/8 145 2/8 143 4/8 141 4/8 139 0/8 141 1/8 148 2/8 159 3/8 148 2/8 149 5/8 140 4/8 146 5/8 145 4/8 141 3/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Bret R. Cary Thad W. Henderson Timothy J. Weber Wesley Cole Boardman Allen O. Nehls, Jr. Chester Sanders Jamie Tocci Randy S. Rusin Lonnie P. Ingledue Mike Morrow Tyler James Schroeder Chris Kimsley Scott Cheek Charles Burt Cory Snyder Ryan McBroom Nick Thesing Michael C. Kieler Tad Bailey William Blank Kevin Charles Nanasy Ethan Wayne Stamper Tanner Legried Victor Collaco Brandon M. Taylor Paul G. Hingle, III Tom Deutsch Blake Rizner

DATE MEASURER 10/25/2020 A. Blaske 11/9/2020 K. Zimmerman 11/3/2020 S. Zirbel 10/17/2020 J. Farren 10/25/2020 G. Wegner 9/30/2017 T. Mollett 11/3/2018 R. Kimball 11/16/2020 T. Heil 11/2/2020 R. Harris 11/11/2020 D. Sherpy 10/25/2019 S. Zirbel 10/31/2020 S. Gobeli 9/24/2020 K. Morphew 11/11/2020 C. Hill 10/15/2020 R. Heintzman 11/7/2020 B. Nash, Jr. 11/14/2020 D. Boland 11/5/2020 J. Ramsey 10/10/2020 E. Richmond 11/15/2019 L. Kindred 11/3/2020 M. Heeg 10/24/2020 D. Weddle 11/7/2020 A. Zuhlke 10/24/2020 R. DiBene 12/4/2010 J. Moore 9/28/2020 M. Zeringue, Sr. 10/15/2020 S. Gobeli 12/5/2020 J. Lunde

WILLIAM PETTETT, JR • Muskox • 97 6/8 • Kangerlussuaq, Grenada, GRN • 08/20/2019

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6/15/21 8:00 AM

32nd RECORDING PERIOD PARTIAL LISTING continued

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

TYPICAL WHITETAIL DEER CONTINUED

WORLD RECORD 204 4/8

TYPICAL WHITETAIL DEER CONTINUED

WORLD RECORD 204 4/8

SCORE 135 7/8 135 7/8 135 6/8 135 6/8 135 5/8 135 5/8 135 4/8 135 4/8 135 4/8 135 3/8 135 2/8 135 2/8 135 2/8 135 1/8 135 1/8 135 1/8 135 1/8 135 0/8 135 0/8 135 0/8 135 0/8 134 6/8 134 6/8 134 5/8 134 5/8 134 4/8 134 4/8 134 3/8 134 3/8 134 2/8 134 2/8 134 1/8 134 0/8 133 7/8 133 7/8 133 7/8 133 6/8 133 6/8 133 5/8 133 4/8 133 3/8 133 3/8 133 3/8 133 2/8 133 2/8 133 2/8 133 1/8 133 1/8 133 1/8 133 1/8 133 1/8 133 1/8 133 0/8 133 0/8 132 7/8 132 7/8 132 7/8 132 6/8 132 5/8 132 4/8 132 4/8 132 4/8 132 3/8 132 3/8 132 3/8 132 2/8 132 1/8 132 1/8

AREA/ST/PROV Pulaski County, MO Venango County, PA Manitowoc County, WI Henry County, IN Chippewa County, WI Greene County, GA Delaware County, OH New Haven County, CT Craig County, OK Wayne County, KY Richland County, ND Anoka County, MN Vigo County, IN Houston County, MN Buffalo County, WI Franklin County, KS Crawford County, IL Norton County, KS Adams County, IA McHenry County, ND Logan County, OH Steuben County, IN Elbert County, GA LeFlore County, OK Crowley County, KS Walworth County, WI Lafayette County, WI Wyoming County, WV Woodbury County, IA Boone County, IN Ferry County, WA Grand Forks County, ND Buffalo County, WI Jefferson County, OH Richland County, WI Allegan County, MI Macon County, MO Meigs County, OH Wyandot County, OH Wallowa County, OR Kewaunee County, WI Adams County, NE Wayne County, NY Delaware County, IA Pulaski County, AR Beaver County, PA Pleasants County, WV Buffalo County, WI Lafayette County, WI Adams County, OH Belmont County, OH Lafayette County, WI Polk County, WI Vernon County, WI Wabasha County, MN Lass County, MI Westchester County, NY Fond Du Lac County, WI Marshall County, KS Christian County, KY Martin County, MN Jefferson County, WI Griggs County, ND Crosby County, TX Polk County, WI Richland County, WI Franklin County, MA Traill County, ND

SCORE 132 1/8 132 1/8 132 1/8 132 1/8 132 0/8 131 7/8 131 6/8 131 6/8 131 6/8 131 6/8 131 5/8 131 5/8 131 5/8 131 4/8 131 4/8 131 4/8 131 4/8 131 4/8 131 4/8 131 3/8 131 2/8 131 1/8 131 1/8 131 1/8 131 0/8 131 0/8 130 7/8 130 6/8 130 6/8 130 6/8 130 6/8 130 5/8 130 5/8 130 3/8 130 3/8 130 2/8 130 2/8 130 2/8 130 1/8 130 1/8 130 1/8 130 0/8 130 0/8 130 0/8 130 0/8 130 0/8 130 0/8 129 7/8 129 7/8 129 7/8 129 7/8 129 6/8 129 5/8 129 4/8 129 4/8 129 3/8 129 2/8 129 2/8 129 1/8 129 1/8 129 1/8 129 1/8 129 0/8 129 0/8 129 0/8 128 7/8 128 6/8 128 6/8

AREA/ST/PROV Spokane County, WA Ingham County, MI Allegheny County, PA Clinton County, MI Wyoming County, NY McHenry County, ND McPherson County, KS Green County, WI Vermillion County, IN Cheyenne County, KS Jo Daviess County, IL Carrot River, SAS Deleware County, IA Monroe County, NY Beaverhead County, MT Mellette County, SD Boone County, IL Cuming County, NE Hunterdon County, NJ Hughes County, OK Stafford County, KS Ward County, ND Frontenac, ONT Chester County, PA Green County, WI Winnabago County, WI Door County, WI Davis County, IA Stutsman County, ND Branch County, MI Iron County, WI Buffalo County, WI Goodhue County, MN Tyler County, WV Genesee County, NY Madison County, MT Loudoun County, VA Preble County, OH Franklin County, OH Montcalm County, MI Logan County, KY Camanche County, TX Lampasas County, TX Missaukee County, MI Sauk County, WI Martin County, MN Cheyenne County, CO Spalding County, GA Wabasha County, MN Bayfield County, WI Tompkins County, NY Coldwater County, KS Filmore County, MN Erath County, TX Marathon County, WI Thayer County, NE Texas County, MO Mercer County, MO Adams County, PA Plymouth County, IA Oswego County, NY Cambria County, PA Bradford County, PA Seward County, NE Webster County, KY Jefferson County, WI Ramsey County, ND Spokane County, WA

GROSS 137 4/8 141 4/8 154 5/8 139 0/8 146 2/8 143 4/8 137 5/8 138 5/8 145 5/8 143 5/8 163 0/8 137 0/8 138 5/8 138 0/8 140 0/8 139 1/8 159 1/8 142 7/8 143 4/8 138 3/8 165 3/8 138 7/8 142 6/8 137 0/8 139 0/8 149 6/8 145 3/8 137 2/8 148 5/8 163 1/8 137 0/8 137 1/8 136 3/8 147 3/8 138 7/8 148 7/8 138 0/8 137 0/8 141 4/8 140 2/8 137 2/8 140 5/8 135 2/8 136 7/8 138 2/8 137 7/8 137 4/8 136 7/8 140 6/8 139 2/8 138 4/8 148 7/8 141 7/8 135 1/8 139 2/8 155 0/8 158 7/8 137 0/8 151 2/8 139 4/8 138 4/8 136 2/8 138 2/8 140 0/8 140 5/8 136 6/8 136 0/8 136 1/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Ken Morgan Levi Coon Lawrence Bonde Shane Kaboski Wyatt Boe Joe Tolbert Nick Kleon Jeff White Philip Marone Lyle Bontrager Joshua Dura Adam Pierce Greg Spurgeon Thomas A. Tiedemann Adam Pronschinske Christopher Errickson Gregory Allen Harbison Luke Wolfert Derek Gentile Christopher Errickson Brendala Anspaugh Travis Goodwin Derrick Burden Mike Walters Jimmy Carpenter Fred M. Gauger Logan Branch Troy Carter Robert E. Daniels Nic White Robert Adams John Brewinski Dave Walchle Chris Snoderly Kody Kraemer Trey Szymanowski Liam B. Morgan Michael A. Bradley Andrew Baker Blair A. Haberman Mathew Agamaite Tanner Gossack Corey Tyler Nichole Dempster Blake Brewer Richard C. McEwen Kohen Mossor Cody Henderson Marc Bonin Theron J. Covey Michael A. Frey Zachary Sigafus Devin Koethe James M. Krueger Craig Durushia Adam Taylor Michael G. Carnazza, Sr. Mark Jon Miller Jacob Bolick Lyle Bontrager Brooke Michalke Andrew Weber Al Messner Roger E. Smith Grant Pickard Michael C. Kieler Eric Jacque Jason Magnuson

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DATE MEASURER 11/3/2020 T. Donnelly 10/27/2020 P. Neff 10/31/2020 E. Jones 11/9/2020 J. Moore 9/22/2020 J. Lunde 10/2/2020 D. McZilkey 11/8/2020 A. Cramer 9/17/2020 J. Chapdelaine 11/18/2020 J. Langley 9/12/2020 D. Weddle 10/2/2020 J. Zins 11/10/2020 J. Lunde 10/27/2020 J. Fields II 11/4/2020 E. Hagen 9/13/2020 C. Rotering 11/12/2017 M. Kronyak 11/12/2020 J. Fields II 11/14/2020 E. DeYoung 11/10/2020 J. Ohmer 9/6/2012 M. Kronyak 11/6/2020 L. Yoakam 11/2/2020 R. Harris 9/24/2020 L. Fox 11/5/2020 J. Langley 11/16/2020 K. Witt 11/7/2020 G. Martin 11/12/2016 S. Gobeli 11/14/2017 T. Dowdy 12/2/2020 G. Hempey 10/28/2020 J. Moore 12/7/2020 S. Duchow 11/6/2020 R. Dufault 11/1/2020 R. Harris 10/30/2020 T. Crawford 9/12/2020 D. Evenson 11/13/2020 M. Seedorff 10/31/2020 D. Temple 11/8/2020 L. Culbertson 11/14/2020 R. Ebert 9/23/2020 T. Rozewski 9/18/2020 B. Ihlenfeldt 11/9/2019 M. Arnold 11/14/2020 M. Parah 11/5/2020 D. Boland 10/24/2020 J. Moody 11/7/2020 P. Neff 10/3/2020 G. Dearth 10/27/2020 D. O’Brien 11/19/2020 J. Frank 11/10/2020 C. Grubbs 11/23/2020 D. Yoho 10/15/2020 S. Gobeli 9/13/2020 J. Lunde 10/30/2018 J. Ramsey 11/11/2020 J. Lunde 11/3/2020 A. Blaske 11/28/2020 S. Cowles 10/27/2020 S. Zirbel 11/11/2020 D. Allen 10/31/2019 D. Weddle 11/13/2020 D. Boland 10/24/2020 E. Nelson 11/3/2020 J. Zins 11/8/2020 K. Witt 11/6/2020 S. Ashley 10/10/2020 J. Ramsey 10/30/2020 L. Desmarais 11/12/2018 J. Zins

GROSS 135 6/8 139 1/8 137 6/8 145 1/8 133 6/8 134 7/8 145 2/8 142 5/8 150 3/8 141 5/8 134 4/8 145 5/8 143 7/8 135 0/8 133 1/8 164 5/8 142 4/8 155 1/8 141 6/8 139 7/8 152 5/8 139 0/8 151 4/8 136 3/8 136 5/8 161 3/8 132 3/8 148 4/8 134 7/8 132 1/8 135 6/8 149 1/8 137 7/8 133 6/8 144 5/8 143 7/8 144 0/8 160 7/8 133 0/8 134 2/8 146 2/8 145 7/8 133 2/8 135 4/8 137 0/8 135 1/8 149 2/8 133 5/8 132 5/8 132 2/8 153 4/8 140 5/8 136 0/8 135 4/8 132 0/8 131 7/8 150 2/8 145 5/8 131 4/8 133 4/8 132 1/8 131 0/8 133 0/8 143 7/8 135 7/8 139 0/8 134 5/8 132 4/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Brandon Enevold Bailey Lytle Timothy P. Sye Cole DeVault Gregory Thomas Jensen Troy Cooper Luke Wildenberg Kyle Klopfenstein Todd Wickens Merritt C. Compton John Paul Baunach Brent Watson Dean W. Dempster, III Andrew Parisian Richard N. King Matthew Even Mark W. Gullickson Josh Cornett Timothy Catanzareti Brian Talbert Allie M. Butler Dan Larcombe Kenneth Lemner William Thomas Steve Gobeli Kevin Bradway Austin Alberts Aaron Ambur Jacob Ryun Nathan S. Carper Joshua D. Ciatti Macail Henderson Colten Welch Richard D. Walker David C. Williams John C. Sherrill, Jr. Joseph C. Peppernick Ryan Bendelow Matthew V. Olson Michael Compton Jake Hudson Geoffrey Carney Samuel Polk Mike Wilt John P. Rindfleish Kory Michalke Steve Schulz Steven R. Barron, Jr. Rachel Rapp Ross Thompson Joshua B. Berggren Joshua Stabenau Paul Nurkala Cody Land Cyle R. Kowalski Dylan Holle Tyler Williams Chrishopher Errickson Jedidiah Fetter Christopher Ommen Mason Zemotel Justin S. Ramsdorfer John H. Kumpf Dave Niehus Stephen Davis Clinton A Lenz Beau W. Brodina Brandon Enevold

DATE MEASURER 9/2/2020 S. Duchow 10/28/2020 R. Banaszak 10/26/2020 P. Neff 11/11/2020 B. Hagy 10/31/2020 M. Parah 10/25/2020 D. Scofield 11/1/2020 J. Lunde 9/19/2020 S. Gobeli 11/6/2020 J. Fields II 11/23/2020 M. Ali 11/13/2020 F. Achilles 10/30/2020 D. Johnson 10/24/2020 D. Boland 10/30/2020 R. Songin 11/14/2020 F. King 9/22/2020 T. Morang 11/18/2020 R. Tastsides 10/27/2020 R. Krueger 10/5/2020 M. Titus 11/1/2019 T. Cartwright 11/27/2020 K. Morphew 10/31/2020 D. Scofield 11/16/2019 D. Robillard 12/9/2020 R. Newton III 11/14/2020 J. Carlson 11/19/2020 E. Conradt 10/17/2020 B. Ihlenfeldt 11/15/2019 B. Novosad 10/25/2020 J. Zins 10/31/2020 A. Blaske 11/11/2020 A. Loomans 9/12/2020 K. Zimmerman 10/17/2020 C. Collins 11/14/2020 C. Wilcox 11/7/2020 G. Rightmyer 9/27/2018 T. Barnes 10/25/2019 E. Ford 11/12/2020 B. Nash, Jr. 12/14/2020 A. Cramer 11/7/2020 M. Seedorff 10/3/2020 D. Weddle 10/16/2020 K. Witt 12/22/2019 R. Skinner 11/6/2020 R. Wilt 10/28/2020 J. Ramsey 11/7/2020 D. Boland 11/21/2020 P. McAteer 9/26/2020 B. Bond 10/25/2020 C. Collins 11/11/2020 M. Miller 11/15/2020 M. Compton 12/13/2019 B. Ihlenfeldt 11/7/2020 G. Hisey 10/29/2020 R. Skinner 9/19/2020 T. Heil 10/22/2019 S. Woitaszewski 10/12/2019 C. Myers 11/3/2020 M. Kronyak 11/7/2020 T. Mollett 11/12/2020 G. Hempey 11/18/2020 M. Parah 11/8/2011 G. Douglas, Jr. 10/3/2020 M. Compton 11/7/2020 S. Woitaszewski 11/11/2020 L. Desmarais 10/29/2020 E. Nelson 9/16/2020 D. Erickstad 12/7/2012 S. Duchow

SUMMER 2021

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32nd RECORDING PERIOD PARTIAL LISTING continued

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TYPICAL WHITETAIL DEER CONTINUED

WORLD RECORD 204 4/8

TYPICAL WHITETAIL DEER CONTINUED

WORLD RECORD 204 4/8

SCORE 128 6/8 128 6/8 128 5/8 128 3/8 128 3/8 128 3/8 128 3/8 128 3/8 128 2/8 128 2/8 128 2/8 128 2/8 128 2/8 128 1/8 128 1/8 128 0/8 128 0/8 127 7/8 127 7/8 127 7/8 127 7/8 127 6/8 127 6/8 127 6/8 127 6/8 127 5/8 127 5/8 127 5/8 127 4/8 127 4/8 127 4/8 127 2/8 127 2/8 127 2/8 127 2/8 127 2/8 127 1/8 127 1/8 127 1/8 127 0/8 127 0/8 127 0/8 127 0/8 127 0/8 127 0/8 126 7/8 126 7/8 126 7/8 126 6/8 126 6/8 126 6/8 126 6/8 126 5/8 126 5/8 126 5/8 126 5/8 126 5/8 126 4/8 126 3/8 126 2/8 126 2/8 126 2/8 126 2/8 126 0/8 126 0/8 125 7/8 125 6/8 125 6/8

AREA/ST/PROV Putnam County, IN Menard County, IL Leavenworth County, KS Jo Daviess County, IL Manitowoc County, WI Cleveland County, OK Goodhue County, MN Erie County, NY Butte County, SD Dane County, WI Franklin County, OH Waukesha County, WI Mercer County, MO Portage County, WI Pike County, IL Litchfield County, CT Spokane County, WA Trego County, KS Benton County, MS Chemung County, NY Belmont County, OH Polk County, WI Polk County, WI Montgomery County, TN Orleans County, NY Spokane County, WA Crowley County, KS Warren County, NJ Brown County, WI Marion County, KS Rush County, IN Vinton County, OH Putnam County, GA Early County, GA Manitowoc County, WI LaPorte County, IN Hancock County, WV Ramsey County, ND Crawford County, WI Steuben County, NY Branch County, MI Walworth County, WI Bucks County, PA Armstrong County, PA Crooked Creek, ALB Pushmataha County, OK Pierce County, WI Steuben County, IN Richland County, WI Beaver County, PA Porter County, IN Kewaunee County, WI Perkins County, SD Hardy County, WV Vermillion County, IL Ottertail County, MN Hinds County, MS Somerset County, PA Washara County, WI Tulsa County, OK Butler County, NE Clark County, IN Barbour County, WV Burnett County, WI Crawford County, WI Richland County, WI Jefferson County, AR Marshall County, WV

SCORE 125 5/8 125 4/8 125 4/8 125 4/8 125 4/8 125 4/8 125 3/8 125 3/8 125 2/8 125 1/8 125 1/8 125 1/8 125 0/8 125 0/8 125 0/8 125 0/8 125 0/8 125 0/8 125 0/8

AREA/ST/PROV Portage County, WI Barton County, KS Barron County, WI Monroe County, PA Washington County, WI Trego County, KS Teton County, ID Wabasha County, MN Kiowa County, KS Belmont County, OH Marquette County, WI Litchfield County, CT Polk County, WI Juneau County, WI Leelanau County, MI Polk County, WI Linn County, KS Tripp County, SD Livingston County, NY

GROSS 133 7/8 142 7/8 134 1/8 150 6/8 131 5/8 132 7/8 132 0/8 132 0/8 132 1/8 138 2/8 142 0/8 137 1/8 142 2/8 133 5/8 133 3/8 130 6/8 132 0/8 132 4/8 134 4/8 130 6/8 131 5/8 130 3/8 139 3/8 129 1/8 135 2/8 133 1/8 132 0/8 133 3/8 135 4/8 157 7/8 130 0/8 129 7/8 130 0/8 138 5/8 138 2/8 150 3/8 130 5/8 135 3/8 133 7/8 131 3/8 128 0/8 131 5/8 134 7/8 137 4/8 130 5/8 75 3/8 152 0/8 131 1/8 130 2/8 130 0/8 147 6/8 130 3/8 128 4/8 143 6/8 136 3/8 153 6/8 147 2/8 128 0/8 153 5/8 135 6/8 150 7/8 128 6/8 130 2/8 129 1/8 132 0/8 128 0/8 127 3/8 131 5/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Kyle McColley Todd Grimm Matthew Stone John G. Baunach Kurt Schaus John Buck Southerland Courtney Bonnin Kevin Meegan Tom Nauman/Terry Kudulock Jeremy Lund Kenneth M. Garloch, Jr. Sean P. Donahue Brian Keith Bowker Jared J. Jirschele David J. Luedde Bill Romanchick Brandon Enevold Lane Hughes Ben Holcomb Robert F. Diehr, Jr. Eric Everett White Craig Durushia Jared Firle Keith Vaughn Samuel S. Recco Brandon Enevold Russell Branum Kevin Kinney Steve Calewarts Michael Mode William E. Gorman Steven K. Radomski Gerry Gilbert Andy Ganas, Jr. Nick Schaus Adam Taylor Chris Snoderly Daniel J. Erickstad Josh P. Bleck Scott M. Peters Bret R. Cary Joseph Luedtke Kenneth C. Hinterberger Jared C. Meyer Chad Lenz Cooper Hill James Fuchs Dave Walchle Gage Krause Richard L. McEwen Christopher Allyn Hoover Mason Ravet Scott Walter Duane Allen Vetter, II Steven C. Gevaert Bryce Claassen Noah K. Shook Wyatt Paul Dermer Nathaniel T. Cook Corbin Rowe Andrew J. Wachal Eddie Umbreit, Jr. William Martin Nose Trevor Simon Jonathan R. Eckhart Tyler Trieloff Brett Stewart Sara E. Suhodolski

DATE MEASURER 11/3/2019 J. Moore 10/27/2001 R. Willmore 11/12/2020 J. Blystone 11/14/2020 F. Achilles 10/31/2020 B. Ihlenfeldt 11/9/2019 K. Lyon 10/22/2020 C. Collins 10/25/2020 K. Schilling 11/20/2019 S. Woitaszewski 11/13/2020 D. Evenson 11/16/2020 S. Holtrey 11/11/2019 G. Wegner 11/8/2020 G. Lackey 10/23/2020 T. Heil 11/2/2019 A. Blaske 11/8/2020 J. Chapdelaine 12/9/2018 S. Duchow 10/30/2020 J. Johnson 10/9/2020 S. Brown 10/28/2011 M. Compton 10/26/2020 D. Yoho 9/12/2020 J. Lunde 10/29/2019 J. Lunde 11/4/2020 G. Lackey 10/4/2020 G. Rightmyer 11/20/2010 S. Duchow 12/19/2020 J. Gardner 10/30/2020 J. Messeroll 9/19/2020 B. Ihlenfeldt 11/16/2019 K. Witt 11/17/2017 J. Moore 11/2/2020 S. Cowles 10/5/2020 S. Frazier 10/2/2020 W. Cooper 11/9/2018 B. Ihlenfeldt 10/31/2018 A. Blaske 11/5/2020 T. Crawford 10/23/2020 R. Dufault 11/1/2020 B. Tessmann 11/13/2020 M. Parah 10/10/2020 A. Blaske 11/14/2020 T. Senft 10/10/2020 M. Titus 10/3/2020 G. Douglas, Jr. 9/7/2020 C. Dillabough 10/18/2020 J. Langley 11/3/2010 C. Fish 11/11/2020 R. Harris 10/30/2020 A. Zuhlke 11/9/2020 P. Neff 11/2/2018 R. Miller 10/18/2020 B. Ihlenfeldt 11/9/2020 S. Rauch 11/14/2020 C. Teets 11/2/2020 J. Ramsey 9/19/2020 T. Kalsbeck 10/9/2020 B. Dye 10/31/2020 M. Pyle 11/8/2020 S. Zirbel 11/12/2019 G. Fitts 10/2/2020 M. Dudzinski 11/2/2008 J. Moore 11/7/2020 C. Teets 9/23/2019 J. Lunde 10/31/2020 G. Martin 11/3/2020 E. Nelson 10/28/2020 L. Walt 10/31/2020 D. Yoho

GROSS 128 0/8 148 6/8 127 1/8 139 3/8 141 6/8 134 0/8 128 0/8 136 7/8 139 1/8 128 5/8 135 0/8 133 0/8 127 7/8 127 7/8 132 1/8 130 6/8 129 7/8 159 7/8 130 2/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Donald Wisinski Russell A. Nichols Keith Lantta Justan Green Mike Thorton Loren Hughes Darin Duane Kerr Stacy Fox Chris Wallace Michael Kolberg Marie S. Putterbaugh Ryan Shay Jack Nelson David Sura Christopher Parker Jared Firle Benton J. Vanderwall Justin Nelson Brett Walker

MEASURER T. Orlikowski W. Johnson S. Zirbel T. Mollett B. Tessmann J. Johnson A. Roberts D. Boland J. Lunde M. Olson J. Ramsey S. Cowles J. Lunde G. Martin J. Best J. Lunde B. Novosad M. Clausen D. Levasseur

STACEE KLEINSMITH • Dall Sheep • 148 4/8 • Kichatan River, Alaska • 09/17/2019

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DATE 9/17/2016 11/9/2020 10/9/2020 11/5/2020 11/1/2020 11/1/2020 12/1/2020 11/14/2018 11/1/2019 11/13/2020 11/8/2020 11/22/2016 11/7/2020 11/5/2017 11/3/2020 10/30/2020 11/11/2020 10/28/2020 10/29/2020

71

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32nd RECORDING PERIOD PARTIAL LISTING continued

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TYPICAL WHITETAIL DEER VELVET

TYPICAL AMERICAN ELK CONTINUED

SCORE 146 6/8 144 6/8 143 4/8 142 4/8 141 1/8 130 6/8 129 5/8

GROSS 148 6/8 156 4/8 155 3/8 147 1/8 150 0/8 135 1/8 140 6/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Charles Hines, Jr. Mitchel Law Quentin Moss Jordan Lee Brewer Kevin Wahl Brent Watson Kirk Sapp

AREA/ST/PROV Pulaski County, KY Marion County, KY Monroe County, KY Stokes County, NC Eau Claire County, WI Saskatoon Mtn., ALB Ferry County, WA

DATE 9/8/2020 9/5/2020 9/5/2020 9/7/2013 9/13/2020 8/31/2020 9/1/2020

MEASURER D. Weddle J. Farren R. Estes J. Pope, Jr. C. Fish D. Johnson W. Van Zwoll

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TYPICAL AMERICAN ELK

WORLD RECORD 430 0/8

SCORE 368 4/8 351 2/8 347 5/8 347 4/8 343 0/8 335 5/8 334 0/8 331 0/8 324 5/8 323 0/8 323 0/8 321 5/8 321 1/8 321 0/8 319 6/8 318 7/8 317 4/8 313 4/8 312 5/8

AREA/ST/PROV DATE Pima County, AZ 9/17/2019 Archuleta County, CO 9/24/2020 Douglas County, CO 9/26/2020 Fergus County, MT 10/11/2020 Phillips County, MT 9/25/2020 Mesa County, CO 9/13/2020 Elko County, NV 9/8/2020 Albany County, WY 9/1/2020 Sublette County, WY 9/20/2016 Deer Lodge County, MT 9/6/2020 Catron County, NM 9/11/2020 Lincoln County, WY 9/17/2020 Rio Blanco County, CO 9/3/2020 Colfax County, NM 9/5/2020 Socorro County, NM 9/11/2019 Lemhi County, ID 9/3/2011 Umatilla County, OR 9/16/2019 Ravalli County, MT 9/24/2020 Gila County, AZ 9/18/2020

GROSS 387 4/8 365 0/8 354 7/8 351 5/8 347 1/8 343 6/8 350 7/8 337 4/8 332 1/8 327 6/8 332 7/8 331 5/8 332 5/8 331 2/8 329 4/8 326 4/8 326 5/8 320 7/8 358 5/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Russ Richardson/Levi Armstong Gary Gasperini Robert Neumueller David Duvall Kevin A. Schaetzl Greg Spurgeon Gilbert Hernandez Mark Adamson Andrew Harpster Tim Moore Chris Niro/Justin Webb Leslie Hillberg Russell Sharp Victor L. Shelton Andy L. Heppeard Jeffery S. Wiseman Kenneth A. Zimny Matthew A. Caldarom Mark Kramer

MEASURER D. Richardson T. Rogers M. Moline D. Janes T. Heil J. Fields II R. Krueger E. Boley R. Harris G. Dearth S. Keithley R. Loberger S. Gobeli C. Myers D. Aikin S. Heatley R. Miller K. Lehr C. Fechner

SCORE 312 0/8 310 0/8 309 3/8 307 0/8 304 2/8 303 4/8 302 6/8 301 6/8 300 6/8 300 5/8 298 3/8 297 6/8 294 4/8 294 0/8 293 7/8 293 1/8 293 1/8 292 5/8 287 6/8 285 4/8 283 5/8 280 4/8 280 2/8 279 1/8 278 1/8 274 6/8 273 4/8 273 0/8 272 3/8 272 2/8

GROSS 326 7/8 324 3/8 343 2/8 310 0/8 341 4/8 309 3/8 316 7/8 312 4/8 309 7/8 308 5/8 306 7/8 307 7/8 304 5/8 305 2/8 301 2/8 299 7/8 300 2/8 297 2/8 293 4/8 183 2/8 292 2/8 323 5/8 290 6/8 282 0/8 288 4/8 281 0/8 279 0/8 297 4/8 279 0/8 278 5/8

WORLD RECORD 430 0/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER AREA/ST/PROV Bullard A.H. Spence/Elk Ridge Outfitters Park County, MT Bobby Dye/Mike Bondurant Alamosa County, Co Adam Reisenauer/Scott Tinklenberg Chouteau County, MT Mark E. Brathol Garfield County, CO Brock Coyle Bighorn County, MT John Mack Lewis County, WA Andrew Jarr Routt County, CO Zac Sells Bell County, KY Devin Smith Fremont County, WY Matt Peterson San Miguel County, CO Ronald F. Lax Weston County, WY John C. Robinson Fremont County, Co Kenneth E. Cole/Black Mtn. Outfitters Catron County, NM Chase Wennersten/Gunner Goodman Apache County, AZ Mark Turner San Juan County, UT Ron Niziolek Park County, WY Michael L. Roth Judith Basin County, MT Miika Otava Beaverhead County, MT Nathanael Ryan Castagne Lewis & Clark County, MT Miika Otava Lemhi County, ID Jerry G. Brownlee Custer County, ID Jim Walton Apache County, AZ Sam Niziolek Park County, WY Tyler James Schroeder/Rich Schneider Carter County, MT Sean Pritchard/Elk Creek Outfitting Sanders County, MT Lance Robert Poole/James Fleming Yavapai County, AZ Jordan L. Carter Missoula County, MT Adam Elsesser/Little Wood River Blaine County, ID Miika Otava Bonniville County, ID Chad Ludwigson Sheridan County, WY

DATE 9/30/2020 9/18/2020 9/8/2020 9/23/2020 9/5/2020 9/15/2018 9/28/2020 9/20/2020 9/23/2020 9/28/2020 9/24/2020 9/6/2020 9/22/2020 9/22/2020 9/16/2016 9/23/2020 9/23/2020 9/28/2020 9/12/2020 9/21/2020 9/27/2020 9/19/2019 9/20/2020 9/16/2019 9/12/2020 9/30/2020 9/12/2020 9/11/2020 9/8/2018 9/17/2020

MEASURER D. Erickson S. Brown K. Krause T. Bradley M. Barrett R. Spaulding R. Walter M. Olson T. Hawkins R. Rockwell R. Detloff R. Sniff R. Hall C. Salyer R. Rockwell M. Barrett S. Duchow C. Ferrell T. Barnes C. Ferrell R. Harris Z. Walton R. Niziolek S. Zirbel B. Ihlenfeldt J. Knez K. Lehr B. Hagy C. Ferrell E. Jones

ANDREW ROWLAND • Bighorn Sheep • 159 2/8 • Park County, CO • 08/08/2019

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TYPICAL AMERICAN ELK CONTINUED

WORLD RECORD 430 0/8

PRONGHORN ANTELOPE

WORLD RECORD 91 4/8

SCORE 269 7/8 269 3/8 269 2/8 267 4/8 266 0/8 263 5/8 263 1/8 260 4/8

AREA/ST/PROV Apache County, AZ Apache County, AZ Fremont County, CO Custer County, ID Saguache County, CO Rio Blanco County, CO Rio Arriba, NM Phillips County, MT

SCORE 68 2/8 68 0/8 67 4/8 67 0/8

AREA/ST/PROV Natrona County, WY Valley County, MT Youngstown, ALB Williams County, ND

GROSS 286 5/8 290 3/8 280 0/8 274 5/8 275 5/8 279 5/8 273 3/8 270 5/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Kenneth A. Zimny Douglas L. Liles Michael W. Stanley Todd Grimm Blake Hokamp/Lilly Edwin Dominic Baker John Mark Adams DJ Stinchcomb

DATE 9/27/2017 9/23/2020 9/20/2020 9/7/2009 9/15/2020 9/8/2020 9/19/2020 9/17/2017

MEASURER R. Miller R. York M. Moline R. Willmore R. Krueger E. Nelson R. Avery E. Feron

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CANADA MOOSE SCORE 193 2/8 186 3/8 171 1/8 155 0/8 154 1/8 149 6/8 143 1/8 141 6/8

GROSS 204 5/8 192 5/8 172 0/8 160 1/8 158 3/8 154 0/8 155 7/8 144 5/8

WORLD RECORD 222 1/8 HUNTER/OUTFITTER Steven H. Lewis Eric Rainville Lukas Fehr James Paskevich Alexander Sharif Bryce Goforth Stephen Davis/Dave Radun Chad Moore

AREA/ST/PROV Thunder Bay, ONT Saddle Hills, ALB Thompson, MAN Smoky Lake, ALB Stettler, ALB Pierson, MAN Essex County, VT Cutbank River, ALB

DATE 10/3/2020 9/19/2020 10/3/2020 9/20/2020 10/9/2020 9/24/2020 10/4/2020 9/28/2020

MEASURER P. Martin K. Brayford R. Mehling J. Shapka D. Paplawski B. Minshull L. Desmarais B. Watson

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SHIRAS’ MOOSE SCORE 160 4/8 153 3/8 144 5/8 133 0/8

GROSS 165 3/8 155 7/8 152 5/8 140 3/8

WORLD RECORD 192 0/8 HUNTER/OUTFITTER Robert Washburn Christopher McCasky M. Blake Patton/Dave Pllkington Jeffrey R. Stander

AREA/ST/PROV Cassia County, ID Grand County, CO Weber County, UT Sheridan County, WY

DATE MEASURER 10/10/2020 C. Nielson 9/14/2020 R. Rockwell 10/6/2020 R. Skinner 9/15/2020 S. Woitaszewski

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MUSKOX SCORE 114 0/8 107 6/8 103 0/8 90 2/8

GROSS 68 7/8 70 0/8 68 1/8 68 1/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Sam Niziolek Trent Kinzell Donald S. Squire Brad Helstad

DATE 8/15/2020 10/9/2020 9/19/2020 9/5/2020

MEASURER R. Niziolek J. Plesuk B. Daudelin C. Richardson

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ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT

WORLD RECORD 53 4/8

SCORE 47 2/8 41 4/8

AREA/ST/PROV Salt Lake County, UT Summit County, CO

GROSS 47 4/8 41 6/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Edwin Kip Fowler Charles Hicks

DATE 9/5/2020 9/10/2020

MEASURER B. Capes B. Smit

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BIGHORN SHEEP SCORE 194 0/8 178 0/8 154 2/8

GROSS 194 4/8 178 3/8 156 3/8

WORLD RECORD 209 1/8 HUNTER/OUTFITTER Carson Eddie John Hampton Kay A. Davidson

AREA/ST/PROV DATE Phillips County, MT 11/15/2020 Taos County, NM 8/10/2020 Lewis & Clark County, MT 11/10/2009

MEASURER O. Opre P. Sharp R. Burtis

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DALL SHEEP SCORE 155 3/8 154 1/8 140 3/8

GROSS 155 5/8 154 4/8 140 6/8

WORLD RECORD 174 0/8 HUNTER/OUTFITTER Remi Warren Jonah M. Stewart Cameron Gray

AREA/ST/PROV Eklutna, AK Chugach, AK Dietrich River, AK

DATE 9/5/2018 10/6/2020 8/22/2020

MEASURER A. Mudd N. Muche N. Muche

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DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP SCORE 179 3/8

GROSS 179 5/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Timothy Vance/Shane Palister

WORLD RECORD 186 4/8 AREA/ST/PROV Sonora, MEX

DATE 1/31/2020

MEASURER F. Noska IV

WORLD RECORD 127 2/8 GROSS 115 0/8 110 2/8 104 2/8 93 4/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER James Horneck Alex Bias Mike Lutt Thomas Wauters/Christian Heinz

AREA/ST/PROV Chesterfield Inlet, NUN Nunivak, AK Kanderlussuag, GRN Kangerlussuag, GRN

DATE 8/27/2019 2/12/2020 8/5/2019 8/24/2019

MEASURER S. Godfrey D. Poole R. Krueger S. Zirbel

CODY KIEVIT • Roosevelt’s Elk • 334 1/8 • Lane County, OR • 08/29/2020

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PRONGHORN ANTELOPE

WORLD RECORD 91 4/8

SCORE 82 0/8 78 0/8 78 0/8 76 0/8 75 2/8 75 0/8 74 4/8 73 4/8 73 4/8 73 4/8 72 6/8 72 6/8 72 4/8 71 6/8 71 4/8 71 4/8 71 0/8 71 0/8 70 2/8 70 2/8 69 6/8 69 4/8 69 4/8 69 4/8 69 2/8 69 0/8 69 0/8 69 0/8

AREA/ST/PROV Duchesne County, UT Warner County, ALB Coconino County, AZ Bighorn County, MT Broadwater County, MT Eureka County, NV Fergus County, MT Powder River County, MT Weld County, CO Gallatin County, MT Freemont County, WY Natrona County, WY Sweetwater County, WY Elbert County, CO Carbon County, WY Youngstown, ALB Pershing County, NV Moffat County, CO Gallatin County, MT Louisina Lakes, ALB Crook County, WY Tooele County, UT Butte County, SD Grand County, CO Lemhi County, ID Buffalo Trail, ALB Lincoln County, WY Las Animas County, CO

GROSS 82 5/8 79 4/8 79 6/8 76 6/8 76 0/8 75 3/8 77 0/8 74 5/8 74 7/8 74 7/8 74 4/8 73 6/8 73 0/8 72 1/8 73 1/8 72 0/8 71 2/8 71 7/8 70 4/8 70 5/8 70 0/8 71 2/8 70 4/8 70 0/8 69 4/8 70 4/8 70 5/8 69 6/8

HUNTER/OUTFITTER Justin Long Dallas Cota David W. Ridge Connor Langel Marvin Philip Drake David E. Evanow Amy LePage Gene A. Welle/John Stuver Michael A. Lee Tom Morton Aaron Ambur Richard N. King/Bradley Welch Joel Hoenk Mike Thompson/Sean Sanders Jim Walton Marty A. Raskauskas Connor Thomas Anderson Tavis Rogers Bob Morton Lindsay McQuaid Steven C. Gevaert Emmett C. Joyner Tom Nauman/Terry Kudulock Leonardo Lospoto/Clay Hill Rockie L. Walker Chad Lenz Samantha Brady Hugh Schwartz/Dan Borrego

DATE MEASURER 8/15/2020 D. Leo 9/21/2018 T. Brew 8/22/2020 P. Dalrymple 9/22/2018 J. Pallister 8/27/2020 S. Koelzer 8/7/2020 K. Evanow 8/28/2020 J. Fleharty 9/6/2020 D. Eider 8/22/2020 J. Bradley 9/27/2020 S. Koelzer 8/18/2019 B. Novosad 9/6/2020 F. King 9/1/2020 M. Barrett 8/17/2015 K. Wells 8/16/2020 Z. Walton 9/1/2020 B. Daudelin 8/2/2020 T. Humes 8/23/2020 J. Knez 10/28/2017 S. Koelzer 9/17/2020 D. Kaiser 9/23/2020 R. Loberger 9/4/2019 B. Capes 9/17/2019 S. Woitaszewski 8/16/2019 M. Kronyak 8/15/2019 J. Eder 9/15/2020 C. Dillabough 8/15/2020 B. Capes 9/7/2020 E. Stanosheck

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Super Slam Hunting

By Chuck Adams

THOUGHTS ABOUT ARROW PENETRATION

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yths about arrow penetration fly around hunting camp. Some topics are debatable. Others are silly. Penetration is an old standby for debate and an interesting one to think about in your spare time.

One of the least productive penetration arguments says that your broadhead should stay inside the animal. First off, it is impossible to retard arrow penetration with any consistency. The best-laid plans seldom work out. For example, one

recurve-shooting friend of mine decided to use a 40-pound bow last year with lightweight carbon arrows. The hope was that he’d leave his arrow inside a deer.

The first buck he hit got away after the arrow bounced off the shoulder blade.

The second deer he hit dropped fast, but not because the broadhead stayed inside. The light, low-energy shaft sailed between ribs and completely out the other side.

That being said, I do not believe that shallow penetration is ever good, even if you could achieve it. A full-size, shavingsharp broadhead cuts an awesome hole as it slices through a critter’s chest, and it need not stay inside to cause a quick death. The damage has already been done.

If the arrow does fail to exit, a number of not-so-good outcomes can occur.

For one thing, no exit hole means less blood on the ground. Trailing can be difficult, even if your animal is done for. Give me two holes in an animal every time.

Less broadhead penetration means less tissue damage and a potentially

The size of the animal you go after should affect how much attention you pay to arrow penetration factors. A 200-pound deer is not a 1,400-pound moose!

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slower kill. An arrow that stays in the animal will also wave like a flag as it runs away, scaring it badly as it feels the shaft and sees it in the corner of its eye.

Then, there’s the problem of hitting leg, shoulder, spine, or hip bones with a setup designed for shallow penetration.

A high-energy arrow can kill with marginal hits. A low-energy arrow in these same places is apt to cripple.

Modern bows are potent. Today, an average big game compound produces 60 to 70 foot-pounds of point-blank penetrating arrow energy, even with a fairly lightweight shaft. That’s 20 to 30-percent more power than a compound produced just 20 years ago and a much higher percentage than most heavy-draw recurve bows or longbows. Such energy at your fingertips makes arguments about arrow penetration in big game less common than they used to be because bowhunters shoot completely through most broadside deer. Penetration in large animals like caribou, elk, moose, brown bear, and bison can be a bigger issue.

A few factors can still retard penetration in quartering or poorly hit critters the size of antelope and deer. Regardless of the species you hunt, I believe you should milk every last ounce of “oomph” out of your setup in case you score a less than perfect hit.

There’s no secret to getting more penetration. The hardest way is cranking up the draw weight of your bow. A fivepound increase in compound peak weight will yield about 10-percent more penetrating arrow energy, but there’s a price to pay on your bow-drawing muscles.

Two methods make more sense because they don’t tax your body at all.

These work equally well with compound and non-compound bows.

If you increase arrow weight 50 grains, you’ll gain about 1-1/2-percent more penetration at close range and up

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to 4 or 5-percent beyond 40 yards. Some carbon arrow companies say that very small-diameter shafts penetrate better in game, but such claims can be misleading. A skinny shaft is always heavier than a fatter shaft of the same spine (stiffness), so the skinny shaft certainly absorbs more energy from your bow and drives deeper in game at all ranges. But diameter alone seldom affects arrow penetration, because the broadhead cuts a much larger hole than the size of the shaft. The head creates the wound channel, and the shaft slides along behind with next to no friction.

Broadhead design can be the single biggest “free lunch” when it comes to penetration in game. Cranking up your bow gives you extra penetration. Shooting a heavier shaft gives you a little bit more. But a streamlined, low-friction broadhead can boost penetration a huge amount. Heads with knife-like noses or small pyramid points drive deeper through all flesh-like substances, including green cowhides, layers of tanned leather, and dead animals. All else being equal, two-blade heads penetrate better than those with three blades, and threeblade heads penetrate better than those with four blades.

Some companies use foam, ballistic gelatin, or other synthetic substances to test arrow penetration, but most such substances clamp around the broadhead and shaft and produce bogus results. In my experience, only animal-like substances give true readings about penetration in living game.

Some heads that open on impact or incorporate large nose cones can absolutely destroy deep penetration. It depends on the exact design, but your common sense can tell you a lot as you inspect various models.

Poorly tuned arrows that wobble through the air will also reduce pen-

etration. Drag against flesh and bone is increased, and blades that open on impact or arrows that wobble can also flip sideways on quartering animals. This hurts penetration even more.

Modern archery gear is potentially powerful enough to blow through the biggest animals in North America. But you’ve got to do your part. Shoot the heaviest bow that is comfortable, use moderately heavy shafts, tune for perfect

flight, and insist on streamlined broadheads. If your animal jumps the string, if you make a poor shot, or if you go after a magnum critter, you’ll appreciate the extra penetration.

Editor’s Note: Be sure to check out Chuck’s new website at chuckadamsarchery.com for his weekly blog, plus striking photos, unique products, and one-of-a-kind bowhunting memorabilia.

Deep arrow penetration is always a good thing. Larger critters like Chuck’s elk require maximum bow power, moderately heavy shafts, well-tuned arrow flight, and streamlined broadheads for best results.

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Adventure Bowhunter

By Tom Miranda

RIVER MONSTERS Throughout the Zambezi, hippos claim ownership of the deepest pools while daring bowhunters to approach the banks with arrows nocked and hearts pounding.

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n North America, there’s seldom a reason to draw more than 70 pounds or shoot arrows over six hundred grains. The largest animals of our continent, the moose, bison, and brown bear, sport heavy bones, yet still— relatively thin skin covers these large frames and hence the vitals of these mammals. However, when one travels to Africa, bow poundage and arrow weights skyrocket when pursuing the heavy, dangerous game. Eighty, ninety, and even a hundred pound draw weights are needed, and arrow weights in the 800-1200 grain range. With today’s PC culture and extreme ideals, one may not think it proper or even necessary to hunt animals like hippopota-

mus, elephant, or rhino. However, as our wildlife management practices have shown, all animals must be managed, and hunting gives value to wildlife, no matter where it lives. Culling overpopulated animals cost money, while hunting brings commerce and value to the governments, countries, and people of these areas, giving these huge animals a value above and beyond their presence in the wild. Poaching feeds families in rural Africa, yet sport hunting allows for large sums of money to pass into these communities, as well as the meat created from such enterprising hunts.

This is one such story.

Rising from swamps in northwestern

Zambia, the Zambezi River begins serpentining its way across the landscape for fewer than 400 kilometers before growing to epic and dangerous proportions. The river eventually cascades over Victoria Falls in northern Zimbabwe and twists an additional 2000 kilometers to central Mozambique before its tumultuous effluence into the Indian ocean. Like the Nile in the north and the Congo of central Africa, the Zambezi is the southern continent’s lifeblood.

Wildlife thrives in the Zambezi ecosystem, which reaches far beyond the banks of the actual river. Herds of plains game migrate along the savannah, and elephant, hippo, and buffalo walk the river’s edge.

Bowhunting icon Pete Shepley with his whopper Luangwa River Monster.

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Each crosses the river or calls it home. At different times in each life cycle, they are continually aware that crocodiles patiently patrol the water with their dead eyes and long snouts barely periscoping through the surface film. Prides of lions hunt the fringes of the riverine forests that are often punctuated by the grumbling, sawtoothed call of leopards that still movement throughout the jungle canopy.

In 1872 big game adventurer Courtney Selous traveled to Africa. Arriving at Cape Town by ship, Selous traveled throughout southern Africa, hunting elephants and dangerous animals for museum collections.

Selous guided Theodore Roosevelt down the Zambezi on his African safari expedition, and soon the area became famous for the richness of big game animal species.

HIPPO QUEST • A major tributary to the mighty Zambezi is the famed Luangwa River. Nestled on the muddy river banks is a small safari camp, my home for ten days.

This remote area is a two-day drive by land cruiser from the Zambia capital of Lusaka, or a two-hour flight by Cessna. My 20-hour

flight from Florida to Johannesburg, and then a four-hour flight to Lusaka, went off without a hitch until I realized that my bow cases were nowhere to be found. It took three agonizing days in the Zambia capital before my bows caught up. By that point, I had chewed my fingernails to nubs and was, to put it mildly, frazzled. Such is travel in Africa.

My quest was the pursuit of a bull hippopotamus. Two years before, I had used an arrow tipped with a drug-filled syringe to dart a white rhino with guide Pieter Bothma, the animal was tranqualized and released, not killed. The rhino herd lived at Bothma’s “Cheetah Safaris,” an 11,000 hectare ( 25,000 acres) South African concession. It was here that I learned of the Zambia camp and listened to the stories of wild Africa and the bow safaris of the Luangwa.

Pieter spoke of having guided bowhunting icon Pete Shepley in his Zambia camp, where the PSE Archery founder had taken a great hippo. Shepley also arrowed a beautiful leopard on that trip and planned to return for a chance at a lion. Pieter’s Zambia

concession is as wild as it gets, and when I woke up the first morning, the first sound I heard was elephants trumpeting. Groggily I realized that the tuskers were not just near the camp but in camp.

Darting the rhino was amazing, but my hippo quest was actually planned as a training ground for a future elephant hunt. Hippopotamus get their name from the ancient Greek for “river horse,” but they’re more like a river monster. Related to the whale in prehistory, hippos are only out-classed on land by the elephant and white rhino. And they kill more people than all the other dangerous African animals combined.

HEAVY EQUIPMENT • I had taken a cape buffalo in the 1990s and knew the rigors of heavy arrows and serious draw-weight poundage. Pulling 80-plus pounds doesn’t sound like much when you’re used to hunting with 70; however, the added weight is much more difficult than can be imagined.

My rig was a specially-built Mathews Black Max bow with custom, heavy limbs.

Professional hunter Pieter Bothma guided Tom on his Rhinoceros Green hunt in 2003, two years before this hippopotamus hunt.

Hippo camp was right on the river bank. The Luangwa river is likely one of the wildest places in Africa.

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Adventure Bowhunter continued

The bow was set at 85 pounds and paired with special arrow shafts comprised of a carbon arrow sleeved inside a carbon arrow for extra weight and durability. Five-inch plastic vanes finished the nock-end of my hippo arrows, while the business end was tipped with two-blade, 180-grain German Kinetics broadheads. A finished arrow weighed a total of 850 grains, and my pre-hunt practice sessions often resulted in them blowing through my Block targets like a hot knife through butter, meaning I had to back up the first target with a second to absorb the 100-plus pounds of kinetic energy generated by my setup. Even then, the arrows would penetrate deep enough to wrinkle my plastic vanes. It was a fantastic example of raw archery power.

At first, I could only draw the rig about a dozen times before tiring, but after a week of practice-pulling, 30 practice shots was just a good workout. The Black Max is a short bow with even a shorter brace height.

The radical cam of this solo-cam bow generated serious arrow speed - but the sheer weight of my projectile resulted in a rainbow trajectory at 50 yards, which was my max shooting distance.

TOUGH HUNT • My safari was in September

when the mighty Luangwa River was at its lowest stage. The river was still flowing in the dry season but was a far cry from the year’s wetter times. The hippo were congregated near deep pools in the river and seemingly on edge. Instead of sporting the huge, mean “afraid of nothing” attitude I had expected, the huge beasts were spooky, running at the slightest sound or whiff of scent - diving like fat girls into the deep end of the city pool. Mine was the last hunt of the season, and the previous four months of hunting pressure,combined with the low water, had the hippos nervous enough to hang close to the deepwater that offered security.

Once the giant herbivores hit the water, there was no chance with a bow. With their entire body submerged, all that’s visible are the nostrils, eyes, ears, and top of the head. A pod of hippo heads staring at you standing on the bank is a helpless feeling, sort of like a ship captain staring at a bobbing iceberg knowing just what lies beneath, but powerless to change anything.

However harmless a nearly fully submerged hippo can seem, we still had bulls bent on making mock charges. These hair-raising acts of bravado would bring the bulls running toward the bank, while roaring with

A young elephant invades the hippo camp.

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mouths wide open and tusks at the ready.

As quickly as they started, they would stop at a distance of 20 meters, while glaring with malice and massive jaws popping.

It’s pretty amazing how quick a threeton hippo can move, and witnessing it for the first time; your mind recoils in question to what’s real and what’s not. It becomes evident that if a bull decides to engage in a full-on charge, it’s a good time to get real religious because you’re not going to get away. One chomp or even just getting stepped on would be the equivalent of being t-boned by a city bus. To top it all off, these huge beasts can submerge for upwards of five minutes and run along the river’s bottom like they are on land. An entire pod can disappear and reappear all day long at opposite ends of a 100-meter wide river pool.

WILD PLACE • The Luangwa River valley is trodden with game trails and tracks. A Jeep path follows the river, sometimes right beside it, and sometimes winding a mile distant. The trail was our access to camp and the hunting area. Every day in the valley, our land cruiser was chased by an elephant, with one particular “cheeky cow” who would come running at just the sound

The Chobe bushbuck also lives along the banks of the Luangwa.

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Adventure Bowhunter continued

of the truck bouncing down the rough trail.

Buffalo herds often obliterated our cruiser tracks. Snake trails crisscrossed in the sand and looked as if someone had dragged logs across the road. Pieter would casually say, “python or cobra” as we drove past, and the In my mind, bowhunting hippo is a stepping stone to attempting an elephant with a bow. It’s a challenging hunt that requires heavy gear and accurate shooting. If you can arrow a hippo, a bull elephant could be in your future.

Tom Miranda videotaped his 2005 hippopotamus hunt to air on ESPN.

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hair would stand up on my neck.

The elephant, rhino, cape buffalo, lion, and leopard are known as the Big Five.

These were always considered the most dangerous and prized African big game species to hunt. In the early 1980s, the hip-

po was added to the list to make the quest the Big Six. Some hunters and safari camps add the crocodile, adding one more intimidating customer- calling it the Big Seven.

Of course, taking any of Africa’s dangerous animals with archery tackle is a feat in and of itself because each species has its own nuances that make it a challenging hunt.

Other animals hunt along the Luangwa - cool animals like red lechwe, chobe bushbuck, puku, leopard, and lion. My safari included a leopard tag, and we had plans of hunting the sly cats. Yet with my initial lost luggage fiasco and a need to secure leopard bait, the priority was to arrow a hippo first.

The river monster would supply ten leopard baits if we could get an arrow in the vitals of a good bull.

I had brought some tree stands, and we placed a set along the river where bushbucks were drinking. We literally set the stands, climbed in, and within 5 minutes began to see Chobe bucks. I could see crocs sunning in the shallows and lying on the sandy river bank from the stand. Crocodiles are amazingly fierce, and the sheer numbers on the Luangwa made any walk near the water’s edge unnerving. I arrowed a good bushbuck that afternoon, and then we went back into hippo mode.

LOTTO • Five days of sneaking along the river on tiptoe, watching the wind and glassing from a distance, resulted in sightings, but nothing else. No matter our plan or strategy, the hippo had the upper hand.

My safari was half over, and I hadn’t drawn on a bull. I hadn’t even gotten close.

By day six and we were on a mission. As the cruiser rolled to a stop, Pieter mentioned a 500-yard walk to the river. The place looked familiar. We had seen these spooky hippo days before but were honestly running out of options. So we were back for a second try. I pulled my leafy camo over my safari shorts for good luck. It was the same leafy suit I had worn the day before on the bushbuck stand.

Slipping quietly through the thick river bottom brush, we walked in on a hippo trail wide enough to drive a quad. As we ap-

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proached the water, I could see on our left the deep pool with hippo cows and calves moving in the water. On our right at 120 yards lie two huge bulls basking in the sun, to my total amazement. Somehow this time, the hippo were clueless. We were close.

Pieter glassed the bulls. Because the tusks determine trophy size, hippo bulls are tough to judge. Schooled PHs know that large bumps protruding from the upper lip are actually the lower tusks protruding into the lip, and the bigger the bumps, the better the trophy. Both bulls were mature and 30-plus years old. We planned to stay tucked in the bush and wait for a chance.

That didn’t happen, because suddenly one of the cows in the pool let out a bellowing cry. The alarm was deafening, and suddenly hippos were running and diving for deep water.

The bulls on the right jumped to their feet, the farthest opting to run straight away from us. The closer bull turned toward us and began bouncing in our direction. Bothma and I quickly moved up the edge of the steep embankment. The bull saw us and immediately changed his spooky demeanor. The giant bull began a trot, and his head cocked like a proud herd bull elk showing ownership and dominance. The hippo bounced through kneedeep water, watching us. He circled to the far side of the river. The river at this spot was narrow- my rangefinder registering it 50 yards wide. I cranked 85 pounds of Black Max and anchored.

At 44 yards, the beast had slowed his gait, offering me a full-on broadside angle at the vitals. His head was still cocked in our direction as the shot opportunity became a now-or-never reality. The bow uncoiled and sent my heavy shaft and sharp blade on a true course, burying to the fletch and ensuring double-lung penetration. The old bull thrusted forward, hooking to our left and diving into the deep pool with harem and young. The water turned red with blood, and soon we could see the hippo pod pushing out of the opposite end of the pool.

The beast was dead, and his blood had the crocs moving. In one of the most

unique experiences of my life, we were soon using dugout canoes and a hemp rope to fish the 5000 -plus pound hippo from the croc-infested water. Never in my life had I thought so hard about the logistics of keeping a canoe upright at all costs. It took a crew of seven to roll the river monster into the shallows. The local villagers all came to the river for their share of the meat. It was a celebration with many smiles and appreciative people. Nothing went to waste.

It was a fantastic hunt, and easy to understand why hippos are responsible for more human deaths than any other animal on the Dark Continent. They are absolutely huge, and when they leave the river at night to feed, they don’t take kindly to anything getting in their way. The hippo is a formidable challenge for the experienced bowhunter. Hippopotamus are animals

that demand respect, and hunting them requires preparation and common sense.

Tougher to hunt than cape buffalo, hippo are the ideal animal to gauge a hunter’s mental toughness for shooting Africa’s dangerous game.

The challenge of hunting Africa’s Big Six is magnified by the knowledge that these type of hunts are, for most, only once in a lifetime. Such an experience’s sights and sounds fill the senses and overcome one with emotional and spiritual feelings that burn memories onto a bowhunter’s soul.

Bowhunters who venture into trackless Africa brave malaria, snakes, scorpions, and close encounters with giant, dangerous animals.

There’s no need to over-romanticize a hippo hunt because it is and always will be an incredible bowhunting adventure.

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Membership Column

By Augie Gray

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ember Sponsorship: For the eight months of July 2020 – February 2021, roughly one hundred (100) Pope and Young Club Members sponsored 130 new Adult members and 39 new Youth members. During the same period, 523 new Adult members and 21 Youth members joined unsponsored – joining on their own without an actual sponsor (or not noting a Sponsor). We currently have a total of 6,334 total members as follows: 5,518 General Members, 306 Youth Members, 216 Regular Members, and 294 Senior Members (the last two membership groups representing the voting members of the Club). While many of our new members join the organization while having their animals measured and entered in the P&Y Record Book (i.e., membership is discounted for individuals entering qualifying animals in the P&Y Record Book), we really do need to work harder at growing and sustaining our membership base. The initial screen on the Club’s website (www.Pope-Young.org) contains a hotlink, where the arrowheads are in the center of the page, to a rolling total of new members (both sponsored and unsponsored). Have your name added to the New Member Sponsor Wall by signing up at least one new P&Y Club Member. Please consider making the personal commitment to sponsor at least one new Pope and Young Club. Our future depends on it!

Where is the Passion?: By the time this Ethic Magazine hits the street, hopefully you will see the beginning of a perception change regarding membership in the Pope and Young Club. The Club is busy working with a Marketing team to examine and promote the Value Proposition associated with being a member of the Pope and Young Club.

Pope and Young has a rich and proud history dating back to the 1960s, when being a successful bowhunter was made more difficult by limitations within

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archery and hunting equipment, lack of scientific data regarding animal behavior by species, access limitations (in some cases too remote) game-rich areas and required dedication to constant shooting practice to maintain a good bowhunting skill level. Many of the founders of modern bowhunting were Pope and Young Club Members. Many bowhunters, back in the day, wanted to belong to an organization with a membership structure that allowed dedicated bowhunters to progress within the tiered membership structure of the organization.

Reminding today’s bowhunters about North American bowhunting roots and the pioneering nature of the Pope and Young Club will hopefully focus awareness on the leadership role P&Y has played and continues to play in establishing and maintaining the bowhunting opportunities we all enjoy today in North America. Hopefully, our new Value Proposition will restore the pride and passion of being a Pope and Young Club Member.

Life Membership: There are currently 675 General Life Members. Many of these members have met the requirements to advance to Regular Membership. The requirements to advance from General to Regular Membership (which includes Life Membership in both categories) include: • General Membership for at least five years; • Having harvested either three different species of North American big game animals with a bow or having three animals listed in the Pope and Young Record Book, all of which can be the same species; • Attending at least one Pope and Young biennial convention (like the upcoming Reno Convention in July 2021) or exhibiting an involvement in Club activities (i.e., being a Measurer, serving on a Committee, volunteering

to help at Club functions, etc.); and • Exhibiting sufficient involvement in at least two areas, including state and local bowhunting organization activities, mentoring, conservation activities, and Club involvement (not including activities listed in bullet point #2, above).

If you are a P&Y General Life Member, you have or will be receiving a communication from the Club to consider upgrading your membership to Regular Life Membership. Providing you have satisfied the advancement criteria listed directly above, you can submit a Regular Member Application (available on the Club website) to the Club Office, and your application will be voted on by all Regular and Senior Members. The cost of being a Regular Life Member is either $2,000 (if you are at least 65 years of age) or $2,500 (if you are less than 65).

Just like your General Life Membership, Regular Life Members never have to pay dues.

Report Changes to Your Contact Information to the P&Y Office: There are typically several communication items that the Pope and Young Club sends out to members throughout the year. Many of these are timely communications involving biennial convention news, legislative articles, voting issues, and dues renewal reminders. Email communications are fast and inexpensive. All Club members should notify the Club Office of any changes to their email address, phone numbers, or mailing address.

The last time I checked, we had hundreds of members who had not updated their email addresses and consequently were not receiving information from the Club.

If you are unsure if the Club has your current email address, send an email to the office and quickly update their files.

2020 New Member Hoyt Bow Raffle Winner to be Drawn at the July Reno Convention: Although some of you may

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have forgotten, the Pope and Young Club is holding a raffle for new members who joined the Pope and Young Club in 2020.

The raffle winner will have their choice of one of two new Hoyt bows – either a Satori recurve bow or an RX-4 Alpha carbon compound bow. Each new member received one entry in this bow raffle for the number of years included with their new membership, from one access for single-year memberships to ten entries for life memberships. A winner will be drawn and announced at the July Reno Convention. The winner need not be present to win, and the winner’s name will appear in an upcoming Ethic magazine.

A Busy Spring/Summer for the Club: As you can probably tell from the topics discussed in the Ethic issue, a lot is happening in the Pope and Young Club between April and August in 2021. You undoubtedly know about the July P&Y Convention in Reno – a recurring primary Club function. The Club Bowhunting Museum in Chatfield will also be moving to Springfield, Missouri, and will become part of the Wonders of Wildlife Museum associated with Bass Pro’s Outdoor World.

A big thanks to Johnny Morris and Bass Pro Shops! This move is a significant opportunity to increase the visibility and rich history of all of the bowhunting treasures that have made up the Chatfield Museum for so many years. At the same time, our Chatfield business office is scheduled to move to a new location TBD as of this article’s writing. This would be a lot of change for any organization, so bear with us as the Club continues to improve itself to better serve its members and the larger archery/bowhunting community. These changes, along with the Marketing work referenced above, are all positive changes for the Pope and Young Club both in the near-term and long-term future.

Future Changes to Look Forward to: The COVID-19 Virus and 2020 allowed us to discuss many new ideas and/or changes that have yet to be fully implemented. Among them are: developing a regional structure for our membership programs; building an automated interface relationship with archery dealers across the country, and creating programs to directly address the commonly referred to R3 Initiatives (i.e., Recruit, Retain and Reactivate) that are getting a lot of attention from all sportsmen’s groups to address the negative trend of declining hunter numbers. The fact that the Club has identified and is working on these programs is a good thing.

New Membership Chair (Mike Oropallo): Unfortunately, due to changes in my personal life connected with the passing of my wife of 44 years, I will not be able to fulfill the second year of my Pope and Young Club Membership Chair’s term. Having served as the P&Y Club Youth Director for several years and then serving a year as the Membership

Chair, I have enjoyed being involved as both a Senior Member of the Pope and Young Club and in leadership roles within the organization. It has truly been a pleasure to represent and work with Club members, officers, and the Club Office personnel in Chatfield.

Mike Oropallo has been appointed as the new Membership Chair to fill out the last year of my two-year term. He has both the qualifications and passion for the position. Mike has been an attorney for over thirty years and an active participant in working with outdoor-related organizations on various legal matters. He has been a bowhunter since the 1970’s having hunted extensively throughout North America, South America, and Africa. Mike calls Central New York his home and lives there with his wife. They have three children and five grandchildren.

I do not doubt that Mike will be successful as the new P&Y Membership Chair. He has fresh ideas and a can-do attitude that will allow him to advance programs with the current P&Y Board of Directors. Look for his Membership articles in future Ethic magazines and say hi if you see him at a Club function in the future.

OSTRICH

ELK

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PY21-2SU End of Book-Section 6.indd 83

BISON

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Membership

IN MEMORY

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Clair Luce

General Member & Measurer

Burgaw, NC General Member Since 2007 ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Broderick Head

General Member & Measurer

Roopville, GA General Member Since 2003 ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Lee L. Wood

General Member

Burkburnett, TX General Member Since 2014 ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Chuck Matyska

General Member

Cecil, WI General Member Since 1985 ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Si Pellow

General Member

Loomis, CA

General Member Since 1996

General Fund Donors Mark Kruse Charles W. Boyer, Jr. Paul C. Aughtry III Joseph Murphy Bill Thacker

Thomas Jarvis Sam Bradley Jade J. Collins Louis Schweim Luis Tueme

Merrill Jones John Gardner John M. Ramsey Charles W. Boyer Al Deruyter

John Petropoulos Dave Suchland Frank Leonardo Thomas Edgington John (Jack) Frost

Lifetime General Membership

Kent Kebe Cade Griggs Charles W. Boyer Robert Heisser

New Youth Members

Chase Wennersten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AZ

Eric Ahlgren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AZ

David Bastow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PA

Lou Foehrkolb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MD

Blake Hokamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NE

Justin Rankin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NV

Don Bell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MI

DuWayne Larson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ND

Steve Bruggeman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MN

Clenon “Andy” Cox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NM

Robert Morton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MO

Randy Ferry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PA

Matthew Muehlstein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TX

Ralph Gilster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TX Preston Davis Clayton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TX Stephen Brien Jr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .OR Logan Branch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WI Bailey Lutle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MI Mila Rose Embry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AK Mikah Burger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ALB Lawson Gibson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ND Robert Hirschfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WI

New Members Michael W. Lynch. . . . . . . AZ Joel J. Hansen . . . . . . . . . . NE Ben Kersey. . . . . . . . . . . . . GA Brett A. Monson. . . . . . . . WI

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Shaun Collins . . . . . . . . . . KY Benjamin L. Allen. . . . . . .CO Trevor McClintock . . . . . . UT Jarrod Sanders . . . . . . . . . KY

Michael Scheele. . . . . . . . OR Jean-Alexis Leroux . . . QUE Kirk Cavarra . . . . . . . . . . .CO Justin Long. . . . . . . . . . . . . UT

Justin Hogan. . . . . . . . . . . UT Luke Kulbeth . . . . . . . . . . . LA Kari Ann Plowman . . . . . . IA Kyle Dagestad . . . . . . . . . . IA

Alfred J. Gemrich . . . . . . . .MI Alex Guess. . . . . . . . . . . . . MS Eric Everett White . . . . . .OH Kaleb Kuhn . . . . . . . . . . . .OH

SUMMER 2021

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New Members continued David Mattes . . . . . . . . . . WI Charles Haydu . . . . . . . . . AK Alex Such. . . . . . . . . . . . . .ND Douglas James Devine . . WI Eli Broughton . . . . . . . . . . SD Sebastien Therrien. . . . . . BC Jeff Osborne . . . . . . . . . . . KY Louis Koepke. . . . . . . . . . . .MI Chris Johanek . . . . . . . . . . WI Isaac Dudley . . . . . . . . . . . . FL Kevin A. Schaetzl. . . . . . . WI Justin Jeske . . . . . . . . . . . . WI Gary Gasperini . . . . . . . . MN Malcolm Lynch . . . . . . . . . NY Michael Miller Jr . . . . . . . . NC Brandon Jones . . . . . . . . . GA Liam Morgan. . . . . . . . . . . .MI George Heltz. . . . . . . . . . . NY Richard Smith . . . . . . . . . . .MI Charles Wooten . . . . . . . . CA Michael Rose . . . . . . . . . . .MI Rick A. Arendsen . . . . . . . .MI Kevin J. Jeffords . . . . . . . . KY Michael Arias . . . . . . . . . .CO Levi L. Coon. . . . . . . . . . . . PA David Alexander . . . . . . . .MI Robert Neumueller . . . . .CO Kevin A. Fields . . . . . . . . .WA Tony L. Hughes . . . . . . . . . . IL John F. Greczylo Jr.. . . . . . .NJ Charlie Warren Ange Jr. NC John Buck Southerland . OK Zach Cresap . . . . . . . . . . . MS Michael Hirschi. . . . . . . . . UT Austin Alberts. . . . . . . . . . WI Andrew J. Wachal . . . . . . NE Derek White . . . . . . . . . . . WI Nathan Endicott . . . . . . . OR Jacob Hawkins . . . . . . . . . .IN Zack Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . IL Larry Bunnell . . . . . . . . . . . WI Reginald Lewis . . . . . . . . . LA Jason Dallas . . . . . . . . . . . WI Marcie Dallas . . . . . . . . . . WI Cory Sabatini . . . . . . . . . . NY James Seitz . . . . . . . . . . . . CT Dustin Newer . . . . . . . . . . OK Andrew Kohlhofer . . . . . . .MI Cooper Collins . . . . . . . . . .TX Nathan Krug. . . . . . . . . . . NE Tom Spisz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MI

Zachary Martens . . . . . . . .MI Joseph Tolbert. . . . . . . . . . GA Justin Medcalf. . . . . . . . . .WA Logan Lee Kroening . . . . WI Kenneth Kwasniewski. . . NY Trent Kinzell. . . . . . . . . . . .ND Larry Jones. . . . . . . . . . . . . OR Arthur Gruner . . . . . . . . . . WI Kurt Eggert . . . . . . . . . . . . WI Sean Gefell . . . . . . . . . . . . NY Carl D. Maines . . . . . . . . . NY Craig Alan Johnson. . . . . WI Kohen Mossor. . . . . . . . . .WV Eric Rainville . . . . . . . . . . ALB Kyle Stornetta. . . . . . . . . . CA Paul W. Emerson. . . . . . . . NY Lance Poole . . . . . . . . . . .CO Aaron Bryce . . . . . . . . . . . .MI Steven K. Radomski. . . . . NY Timothy Adams . . . . . . . . .MI Alex Thelen . . . . . . . . . . . . .MI Andrew Parisian. . . . . . . . NY Kenneth Oliver . . . . . . . . . NY Christopher Arsenault . .MA Josh Owens . . . . . . . . . . . . .IN Dee Balk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PA Aaron Jordan Cowhy . . . .MI Michael Tiedt . . . . . . . . . . WI Jared Mason . . . . . . . . . . . PA Ryan Hopkins . . . . . . . . . . PA Chris Krohn . . . . . . . . . . . . WI Sean Pritchard . . . . . . . . . WI Cooper Smith . . . . . . . . . . .TX Cody Sailing . . . . . . . . . . . WI Blake T. Knoll. . . . . . . . . . . LA Philip Hilton . . . . . . . . . . . MS Jerome Garcia. . . . . . . . . NM Bryan Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . .MI Jerry Brownlee . . . . . . . . . .MI Tyler Scott Kemerer . . . . . .MI David Hott. . . . . . . . . . . . . NV Hugh Schwartz. . . . . . . . . .TX Mark Olson . . . . . . . . . . . .OH Matt Scott . . . . . . . . . . . . . OK David K. Wright . . . . . . . . KY Travis Timm . . . . . . . . . . . . WI Colin Kerr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . WI Tyler Timm . . . . . . . . . . . . . WI Mike Walters . . . . . . . . . . . OK Richard L. McEwen . . . . . PA Daniel Begley . . . . . . . . . . PA

Sara Suhodolski . . . . . . . .WV Thomas T. McEntire . . . . . .TX Cody Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TX Richard C. McEwen . . . . . PA Karl E. Withrow. . . . . . . . . .MI Derrick Burden . . . . . . . . . GA Scott Polega . . . . . . . . . . . .MI Daniel Riley . . . . . . . . . . . . MS Thomas P. James . . . . . . . .MI Chad Moore . . . . . . . . . . ALB Thomas Wauters . . . . . . . WI Dustin Vestal. . . . . . . . . . MO Blake William Jenkins . . . NC Mark Murphy . . . . . . . . . .MA Keith Vaughn . . . . . . . . . . TN Terry Carpenter. . . . . . . . . .MI Gerald M. Simpson . . . . . ME Cory Snyder. . . . . . . . . . . . SD Andrew Halliwell . . . . . . ALB Dave Hall. . . . . . . . . . . . . .CO Brayden Moss . . . . . . . . . . TN Quentin Moss . . . . . . . . . . TN Nathanael Ryan Castagne . . . . . . . . . . . . . MT Lonnie Ingledue . . . . . . . . .IN Trevor Thiele . . . . . . . . . . .ND Daris Coombs . . . . . . . . . ALB Jared C. Meyer . . . . . . . . . PA Brianna Ambrose. . . . . . . OR Richard Schnell . . . . . . . . WI Derrick Starke . . . . . . . . . . .MI Ronald Spangler . . . . . . . .MI Ethan Wayne Stamper . . KY Jerred Dean . . . . . . . . . . . . GA Austin Stenvold . . . . . . . .ND John Michael Guyton . . . LA James A. Schmidt. . . . . . . . IL Mike Mihlfried. . . . . . . . . . . ID Martin R. Freitas. . . . . . . .WA David Hunter Darling . . . .MI Marcel Bourque . . . . . . . . NB James H. Miller . . . . . . . . . .TX Kurt Brasser. . . . . . . . . . . . WI Laine K. Brandel. . . . . . . . WI David L. Seidl . . . . . . . . . . WI Nathaniel Cook . . . . . . . . WI Janelle Mysko . . . . . . . . . . SK Kasey Carlson. . . . . . . . . MN Kevin Nanasy . . . . . . . . . . .MI Joseph DiStefano. . . . . . .MA Shannon Crouch . . . . . . MO

Tyler Mickelson. . . . . . . . . CA Gerard Lanoie. . . . . . . . . . ME Trevor Arnold . . . . . . . . . . PA Ben Vanderwall . . . . . . . . .MI Dale Murray Jr . . . . . . . . .WV Troy J. Carter . . . . . . . . . . .WV Randy S. Rusin . . . . . . . . . WI Lucas Nehlich . . . . . . . . . . SD Kinnon A. Scharen. . . . . . AK Derek Fletcher . . . . . . . . . WI Cole DeVault. . . . . . . . . . . .MI Gage Krause . . . . . . . . . . . WI Darin G. Woods . . . . . . . .OH Edward T. Marshall. . . . . MO Grant Everett Myers. . . . . NE Stephanie Turner . . . . . . .CO Stephen Paulazzo . . . . . . CA Mark E. Brathol. . . . . . . . . WI Thomas E. Bartolomucci . IL Lee Whipkey . . . . . . . . . . MN Keith Andrews . . . . . . . . . GA Josh Neil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OK Samuel Kenneth Niziolek . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WY Brett Edward J Martin . . ALB Branden Martin . . . . . . . ALB Michael Thorpe . . . . . . . .WA Richard D. Walker . . . . . .MD Brett Walker . . . . . . . . . . . NY Austin Hull. . . . . . . . . . . . .OH Owen Morgan. . . . . . . . . . WI Justus Marshall . . . . . . . . . .IN Tyler James Schroeder . . WI Nick Brust . . . . . . . . . . . . . WI Zachary J. Manders. . . . . WI Levi Goeden . . . . . . . . . . MN Jeffrey Derrick. . . . . . . . . . WI Dustin M. Dobbs . . . . . . .ND Brett Butler . . . . . . . . . . . . PA Justin Beesinger . . . . . . . . .TX Kurt Bakken. . . . . . . . . . . . WI Brian Georgia . . . . . . . . . . WI Justin Ramsdorfer . . . . . . PA Chris Kingsley . . . . . . . . . . WI Luke Wolfert . . . . . . . . . . . .MI David C. Williams. . . . . . . NY Theron J. Covey . . . . . . . . VA Noah Shook . . . . . . . . . . . MS Phillip J. Pless . . . . . . . . . . NY Michael Nastasi II . . . . . . .NJ Brian Keith Bowker . . . . . TN

Tyler Zeh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WI Michael Sr. George Carnazza . . . . . . . . . . . . . NY Joshua Glenn Beaver . . .WV Daniel Hale . . . . . . . . . . . . AR Gabriel Meyer. . . . . . . . . MN Jimmy Marquardt . . . . . . . WI Eric Rebechini. . . . . . . . . . .TX Jason M. Phelps . . . . . . . . .IN Christopher A. Niro . . . . .MD Jessy Urrutia . . . . . . . . . . . UT Louis Schweim . . . . . . . . MN Chris Kossmeyer. . . . . . . MO Luis Tueme . . . . . . . . . . . . .MA Erika Gorgichuk . . . . . . . ALB Joe Knapick. . . . . . . . . . . . PA Brent Wetherald . . . . . . . . GA Andrew B. Aiello . . . . . . . CA Jedidiah D. Fetter . . . . . . . PA Ken Hinterberger . . . . . . . PA Niki Walkey . . . . . . . . . . . . BC Gary Weaver. . . . . . . . . . . AK Keith Norbeck . . . . . . . . .ND Craig Tobin . . . . . . . . . . . . WI Charles Hines Jr . . . . . . . . KY Mark A. Schiller . . . . . . . . WI Christopher Errickson . . . .NJ William M. Nose. . . . . . . .WV Wyatt Paul Dermer . . . . . PA Tyler Thompson . . . . . . . . KY Mark Sutherland . . . . . . MO Mathew Agamaite. . . . . . WI Joshua Stabenau . . . . . . . WI Allan Black . . . . . . . . . . . . . FL Timothy J. Weber . . . . . . . WI Taylor Knowles . . . . . . . . . WI Victor Collaco. . . . . . . . . . NY Bill Canas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . AZ Jon Robertson. . . . . . . . . . VA David Cox . . . . . . . . . . . . MO Brian Miller . . . . . . . . . . . .WA Ryan Leonard . . . . . . . . . . .MI Brook Burling . . . . . . . . . . WI Daniel Leonard. . . . . . . . .OH Kevin Bradway . . . . . . . . . WI Michael A. Kolberg . . . . .OH Mason Ravet. . . . . . . . . . . WI Chris Parker. . . . . . . . . . . . .MI Don Papczynski . . . . . . . . .IN Jeffrey D. Papczysnki . . . MT Jeff Buske. . . . . . . . . . . . . . WI

SUMMER 2021

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Membership

New Members continued Joshua Ciatti. . . . . . . . . . . WI Ryan Ferrell . . . . . . . . . . . .MA Brigham Holm. . . . . . . . . . UT Kyle Seipp . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TX Michael Burger . . . . . . . . ALB William R. Abbott . . . . . . .NJ Annie McCartney . . . . . . NE David J. Luedde . . . . . . . MO David Bukowski . . . . . . . . SD Paul Blymire III . . . . . . . . . PA Shannon Morris . . . . . . . MN Brady Brenner. . . . . . . . . . WI William Blank . . . . . . . . . . WI Michael Hall . . . . . . . . . . . NY Robert Diehr Jr.. . . . . . . . . NY John H. Kumpf . . . . . . . . . NY Lyle Bontrager . . . . . . . . . KY Edward Heath. . . . . . . . . . . IL Douglas L. Liles. . . . . . . . . CA Tyler Klamm. . . . . . . . . . . .WY Ernie Boggs . . . . . . . . . . . MO

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Dale Boyer. . . . . . . . . . . . . WI Kristopher Springman. . . .IN Brett Whitman . . . . . . . . . .MI Brian Jolly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . WI Jace Cometto . . . . . . . . . . . ID Jim Tubbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NE Scott Stinnette . . . . . . . . . NE Christopher T. Mullins . . . KS Paul Schnell. . . . . . . . . . . . AZ Kevin J. Wade . . . . . . . . . . . ID Michael M. Pool . . . . . . . . . IL Philip Weaver . . . . . . . . . . KY Jason Hubanks . . . . . . . . . WI Randall Philip Haddad. . LA Jeffrey Farrell Wentworth. . . . . . . . . . . . AZ Colton Guilliams . . . . . . . AZ Jeff Vlies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WI John Kevin Grubbs . . . . . VA Chad M. Kaufman Jr.. . . . KY Edgar F. McGaughey. . . . KY

Rob Conway . . . . . . . . . . . KY Logan Wilcox . . . . . . . . . .OH Hunter Carter . . . . . . . . . . WI Ryan Kocian . . . . . . . . . . . WI Benjamin M. Johnston . . . IA Ted Hess. . . . . . . . . . . . . . MN Kevin D. Campbell . . . . . . MT Michael S. Everhart . . . . . PA Jeremy Gasiorowski. . . . . WI Chase Johnson Phillips. . VA Jeffery S. Lizyness . . . . . . .MI Robert Bruno . . . . . . . . . . WI Ed Darvin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WI Bruce Muche. . . . . . . . . . . WI Perry Merkes . . . . . . . . . . . WI Greg Prince . . . . . . . . . . . . WI Zac Sells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .OH David J. Brown . . . . . . . . . NY Daniel Daily . . . . . . . . . . . .IN Jesse Barkhurst. . . . . . . . .OH Stephen M. Finelli. . . . . . . PA

James Levakoff. . . . . . . . . NY Drew Forster . . . . . . . . . . . KS Brady Francois . . . . . . . . . WI Mitchell Dey . . . . . . . . . . . WI Chad Edberg . . . . . . . . . . . . IA Charles Hicks . . . . . . . . . .CO Michael D. Vogel . . . . . . . WI Kevin P. McCarthy . . . . . . NY Brad Helstad . . . . . . . . . . .ND Scott Kernz . . . . . . . . . . . . WI David J. Nennig . . . . . . . . . IA Bradley Reinhart . . . . . . . WI Dalton Schmidt . . . . . . . . WI Hunter McAlpine . . . . . . . WI Charles Anthony Hackney. . . . . . . . . . . . . . AL Rebecca Spring . . . . . . . . MT Jace William Myers . . . . . PA Charles Guhl . . . . . . . . . . . . IA Frank B. Leonardo . . . . . .MA Matthew Wilson. . . . . . . . NV

John Petropoulos . . . . . . .MA Zachary Sharp . . . . . . . . . . IL Benjamin Kuchta . . . . . MAN Ronald William Coyne . . TN Bradley Millard Hunter . . UT Douglas Mikesell . . . . . . .CO Joseph William Murphy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ALB Jeffrey Aycock . . . . . . . . . .TX Kenneth A. Nicoletti . . . . SC John M. Adams. . . . . . . . . NC Jared Lide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TX Mckenna Montana Kehrli. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NE Brian Kehrli . . . . . . . . . . . . NE Joel Rawls . . . . . . . . . . . . . AR Coty Mullins . . . . . . . . . . . KY Andy Stephens . . . . . . . . . KY Robert Washburn. . . . . . . . ID Neil M. Mayoros Sr. . . . . . .NJ Mark Hynes. . . . . . . . . . . MN Emily Marie Pinneo . . . . .CO Curt Armbruster . . . . . . . .CO William Abernathy . . . . . KY Zach Worth . . . . . . . . . . . . . IL Nathan Gerald Reisdorf . . . . . . . . . . . . . MN Daren Luce . . . . . . . . . . . . NY Ryan Hagan . . . . . . . . . . . KY Daniel Ontrop. . . . . . . . . . TN Kelly Warren . . . . . . . . . . . OR Brandi Maine . . . . . . . . . . . IA Dean J. Birrittella . . . . . . . NY Adam James Patterson . . . . . . . . . . . . .MD Braden Clark. . . . . . . . . . . . IL Jessica Brien . . . . . . . . . . . OR Randy Harper . . . . . . . . . . UT Mark Williams . . . . . . . . . MN Timothy Seils . . . . . . . . . . . WI Mike Ellingson. . . . . . . . . . NE Kenneth A. Zimny . . . . . . .IN Joshua James Duckett . . .MI Delvin Horst . . . . . . . . . . . . IL Steve Calewarts . . . . . . . . WI Eric Jacque . . . . . . . . . . . .MA Amy LePage . . . . . . . . . . . MT Bill Looser . . . . . . . . . . . . .OH Jake Hudson . . . . . . . . . . . KY Jesse Heins . . . . . . . . . . . ALB

SUMMER 2021

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SUMMER 2021

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Youth Membership: Youth Program Updates for 2021

W

hen I took over this column at the start of my term as youth coordinator, I promised all our members that this column would always contain a youth hunting story. However, this column leading up to our 2021 60th anniversary convention in Reno is going to be just a bit different. We have many very exciting things coming up for the youth membership this year, and I wanted to kick them all off here at once. I do always keep my promises, though, so there will be a short hunting story at the end of the column, and this one is quite literally worth the price of admission!

2021 Junior Outdoors Program We are very excited to kick off our latest installment of our Junior Outdoors Program for 2021. The Junior Outdoors Program is in its second year and has been a labor of love for members Dan Evenson and Zack Walton. These two gentlemen, combined with our extremely generous donors, have already made a significant impact in the lives of several of our youth members.

In the late summer of 2020, at the height of the COVID pandemic, Zack, Dan, and I

Thank you!

88

drew the first three winners of the initial installment of the program. Young Pierre van Tonder of South Africa was our first winner drawn and will enjoy an outfitted whitetail deer hunt courtesy of the Barnes Keith Ranch. Pierre has not yet been able to enjoy his hunt due to pandemic travel restrictions, but we look forward to hearing his stories and seeing his smile behind a big whitetail buck this winter!

Our second winner was Carson Niles of Michigan. This young man won a Texas hog hunt courtesy of our friend, and longtime member, Kyle Hudgins in Texas. You’ll hear a bit more about Carson’s hunt later (hint-hint). Our third and final winner of a Kansas turkey hunt and bass fishing trip, courtesy of Dirk Dietrich, was Christopher Pirrello of New Jersey. Christopher is out chasing turkeys right now as I type this update. I hope to see a picture of a nice longbeard and smiling young man very soon!

Moving into 2021, we are extremely excited and proud to offer our youth members the following hunts and prize packages to be drawn at the 2021 convention in Reno: • 1st Prize: 5-day Manitoba Black Bear Hunt with Adrenaline Outfitters, courtesy of Russ Mehling and Dan Evenson.

• 2nd Prize: Texas Whitetail Hunt with our long-time supporter and member Joe Keathley at his ranch near San Antonio.

• 3rd Prize: Texas Hog Hunt with long-time Pope and Young member and youth committee member Kyle Hudgins at his ranch in Texas.

• 4th Prize: Youth Bow Package generously donated by our generous supporters at Mission Archery • 5th Prize: Clothing package, consisting of a hat, shirt, and pants graciously supplied by KUIU, long-standing supporters of the Pope and Young Club.

These prizes will be drawn from the names of all active youth members as of the time of the convention in Reno.

A limited travel budget is also included

By Justin Broughton

to assist with airfare for each winner. We look forward to seeing who our next lucky recipients of these awesome hunts and prize packages will be in July! This is simply the best $10 drawing for a hunt you can buy for your child, all while supporting the Pope and Young Club.

Perpetual Youth Membership Over the years, one of the most significant challenges facing growing our youth membership has been retaining new members related to the need to renew each year upon expiration. In 2020, at the club’s summer board meeting, the board approved a perpetual youth membership. Anyone can now sign their child up for a perpetual youth membership for a one-time fee of $50. This one-time fee will ensure your child is a youth member in good standing up to the age of 18. If your child is over the age of 13, that one-time fee would be reduced by $10 for each year over the age of 13 commensurate with the years remaining of their youth membership eligibility, I.E., a 14-year-old would be $40, and a 15 year old $30, etc. To benefit those who choose this option, we will enter your child’s name into the Junior Outdoors Program drawing; five times in the first year they join as a perpetual member (4 times if 14, 3 times if 15, etc.). Your child will also still be eligible each subsequent year to be in the Junior Outdoors Program drawing for as long as the Club offers this benefit (and we already have great hunts in the works for 2022 and beyond!). This youth membership option is a great way to buy additional drawing chances to increase your youth’s odds of winning one of our hunt giveaways and simplifies your renewal options for years to come!

Youth Awards Program I often reminisce about a warm autumn day back in the late 1980s when this youth bowhunter took his first big game animal at the age of 15 and started a journey that would shape his life for many years to come. It was one of the proudest moments in my young life. That young whitetail doe

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If you would like to have your young hunter’s first harvest story shared in a future edition of the Ethic, please contact youth coordinator Justin Broughton. We would love to share the pictures and stories of the future of bowhunting with the rest of the Pope and Young Club members. Please follow the Club’s youth membership on Instagram @PNYYouth for more stories and photos from our youth members.

Carson with his first-ever big-game kill.

These letters were received from Carson and his mother, Jackie, in thanks for the Hog Hunt that Carson won from the Club.

was, and always will be, a trophy to me. We want to recognize all those trophies that are similarly harvested by our youth members and provide them with a way to commemorate their achievement. Later this summer, we will be rolling out a “First Harvest Award” for all our youth members.

Any youth member harvesting their first big game animal will be able to submit that harvest to the club for recognition in the youth awards program. The bowhunter will receive a certificate of achievement for their harvest and recognition on the club’s youth social media sites.

We will also recognize any subsequent harvest by a youth bowhunter in a similar fashion if they choose to submit them to the club. Forms for submission and official rules will be available on the club’s website before the fall hunting seasons.

The club will also initiate a “Youth Bowhunter Challenge” to recognize young bowhunters who have taken multiple species with their bow and encourage young bowhunters to chase their passion to the fullest. This award can be earned by any youth bowhunter that harvests an animal in all four categories recognized by the youth program. Those categories are any deer species, any turkey species, any small game or predator species, and then any one wild card animal.

The wild card animals could be any other recognized North American species or any feral hog, javelina, or fair chase exotic. Youth SUMMER 2021

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Youth Membership Youth Program Updates for 2021

achieving this challenge would be recognized with a plaque and recognition in the quarterly Ethic magazine. Official rules and forms for the Youth Bowhunter Challenge will also be available on the club’s website later this year.

It is important to note that these youth awards programs are in no way affiliated with the club’s official records program and will include no score or measurement.

They are simply a way to recognize our young bowhunters for their harvests and to encourage them to continue their bowhunting careers. Any animals taken that qualify for the club’s regular records program by a youth can also be submitted for recognition in the youth program if the bowhunter so desires.

A Bowhunter For Life As I mentioned earlier, I always keep my promises, so here’s a youth hunting story to warm the heart. Last summer, young Carson Niles of Michigan was signed up for a youth membership in the Club by his wrestling coach and

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long-time Pope and Young member Scott Homrich. Little did Carson know at that time the adventure he was soon to be in for! Carson’s membership made him eligible for the Club’s Junior Outdoors Program drawing. That drawing was held late last summer, and Carson’s name was drawn for a Texas hog hunt with Kyle Hudgins!

Carson was a slight young man of only nine years of age. He had never shot a bow or gun and had certainly never hunted. Carson’s family wasn’t a hunting family, but the interest in hunting was a fire that burned in Carson and his brother Cory. Since Carson had no experience with a bow or firearm, and no hunting experience, Scott decided to set him up with a crossbow to give him a good chance of success, and the best chance at a clean, humane kill. Carson practiced up and was soon on his way to Kyle’s ranch in Texas with his dad.

Upon arrival, they wasted little time getting out to the blind. Kyle was an amazing host, showing great patience with the young man and answering all the questions that accompany a young hunter on his first outing. Kyle

was also an outstanding guide; it didn’t take long, and Carson had a sounder of hogs in front of him. Carson made an excellent shot and was soon grinning ear to ear behind his first big game kill.

Carson had the time of his life for the rest of his trip with his dad and Kyle. They were able to take a couple more hogs, do some shed hunting on Kyle’s ranch, and enjoy a trip to the gulf coast. Upon arriving at home, Carson and his mother Jackie wrote the included heartfelt letters to the club thanking us for Carson’s experience. I want to close this quarter’s column with a quote from Carson himself in his letter to the club and a follow-up from his mother Jackie, “I am really excited to learn more about hunting and archery. I have started archery lessons, and I am getting my own bow and arrows.” “Carson and his brother Cory are going on their 3rd week of archery lessons, getting ready to get their own bows, and they are making big plans with their new skills.” The only one who may have taken more away from the experience is Kyle Hudgins, and he can’t wait for the next winner to visit!

Carson and Cory are what the youth program is all about, creating bowhunters for life.

Any adult booking a bear hunt with Adrenaline Outfitters may bring a Youth Hunter 12-17 years old at the time of the hunt) for HALF PRICE!

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Adventurous BowWoman Florida Alligator Archery Hunt

J

“ oni. Seriously. What the hell are we doing out here?” Jayme whispered to me. There we were, kneeling in tall grass on the edge of A swamp. Our guide, Glen, left us there to set up an electronic alligator call off to our right, up the bank about 50 yards away. Spiders were in the grass, all aroubd us; BIG spiders! Now to many, the fact that spiders creeped us out sounds silly; we were, after all, tough Alaskan chicks. We were bear hunters.

In fact, in 2012, I took a Pope and Young Brown Bear with my bow, so if I could do that, then how in the world could a bunch of spiders freak me out? I guess it just depends on what you are used to!

The things that can hurt you in the woods in Alaska are big, huge actually, and you can see them coming! They don’t

Joni and Jayme, just a couple of tough Alaskan chicks

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crawl up on you without you knowing as these spiders that were as big as my fist were trying to do! Jayme was looking around, trying to figure out how to keep the spiders from crawling on her. Glen started the baby alligator distress call, returned, and we hunched down to wait.

Usually an alligator bowhunt is done out of a boat. It is a much safer and more successful alternative. It is much easier to get close, and you have a far better opportunity for shot placement.

However, in my mind, a spot and stalk alligator hunt with a bow had always sounded a lot more exciting! During the first three days of the hunt we tried calling them within bow range at various locations. We also tried stalking after spotting them from afar, sunning them-

By Joni Marie

selves on the bank. Unfortunately, we were having trouble getting within bow range. I knew I had the boat option as an alternative, but I REALLY wanted to stick it out and get one on land. Alligator’s eyesight and hearing are excellent, so getting close enough for a good ethical shot was tough, especially shooting an 850-grain arrow that is needed to punch through their thick hide. Given my 25-inch draw and 55 lb raw weight, that arrow limited my range. I really needed to be 15 yards or less! The guide warned me that of over 720 hunts he had guided, only five of the hunts as spot and stalk, and of those five, one got too freaked out and called it off. And these were all men.

Glen said he never guided a woman on a spot and stalk before. This information just fueled me more. I was dedicated to doing this bowhunt on land, up close and personal!

Day 4, we hiked out to a little peninsula that stuck out into a huge lake.

We had seen several gators swimming in the lake and were going to try to call one in. We were walking single file down the bank, through the marshy grass and I looked down to my right and saw a snake sunning itself on the bank. I pointed down to my right and said “snake” softly over my shoulder to Jayme so she wouldn’t step on it. We walked another 10-15 ft and crouched down in the weeds. I whispered to the guide, “there’s a snake right there in the weeds,” and described its markings. He said, “oh, it’s probably harmless,” but I could see the wheels turning in his head.

A minute or two later, he crawled over to the water’s edge to take a look, came back and whispered,“Uh, guys, that’s a Water Moccasin, and they’re dangerous, don’t go over there, and keep an eye out.” Hmm... not too comforting for someone who had never seen a snake in the wild before (since we didn’t have them in Alaska!)!Jayme’s eyes were SO huge, and she whispered to me, “couldn’t

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it just slither over here in the weeds?” I shrugged as I really wanted a gator, so I was trying not to think about the snake.

The guide started calling, and immediately the gators responded. We joked that he was the “Alligator Whisperer” because when he called vocally rather than using the electronic call - they would make a beeline for him! Right away we could see five gators swimming towards us from all different directions. Now you have to imagine: 1) you are on a thin peninsula with water on three sides of you 2) you’re crouched down in tall grass you can barely see over with Big Old spiders crawling all around you; 3) a poisonious snake is lying in the grass about 15 feet away; and 4) five different alligators are headed toward you, responding to a baby alligator call because they think it’s is in distress and they want to EAT it. I am not going to lie; our hearts were really pounding!

One gator now stopped 15 yards away from us, out in the water, but everything was underwater except its eyes. Glen whispered, “that’s a female; she’s real close; keep an eye on her. She’s watching us.” Jayme’s nerves were getting the best of her, and she said, “Oh hell no!” out loud when she realized how close it was and started to raise up and back up slowly. I grabbed the back of her belt and pulled her back down in the weeds. “It can jump from there to here very quickly if it thinks you are food, stay down!” She looked white as a ghost and kept looking back over her shoulder; I figured she was checking for the snake. Then she whispered, “there is one right behind us,” and Glen says, “no, I don’t think so.” He and I were focused on the one in front of us, which was now moving forward to shore.

Glen got a better look and said, “she’s about 8-9 foot. I think you can do better.”

About that time, Jayme was frantically tapping on Glen’s shoulder while looking behind her. In an urgent whisper, she said, “Glen! It is RIGHT there, I see

its CLAW!” and her voice raised a little louder as she said it.

Suddenly there was a huge Splash!

A gator spun and dove into the water.

Not the one in front of us, but a HUGE one behind us, which Glen later estimated was close to 12 feet long. She was 100% right, it had snuck up on land behind us, and all she could see was its claw through the grass! We were now all shaking; it had been six yards away, obviously watching us, and we hadn’t even known it was there! But there was no time to continue to worry because we needed to deal with the one in front of us, which now had just it’s head up on shore, only eight yards away. She would easily be able to jump from where she was to where we were in a moment. Glen

They grow them big in Florida

The author and her giant reptile.

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Adventurous BowWoman Florida Alligator Archery Hunt

whispered, “just shoot her right in the forehead.” “What?” I whispered. I was so confused. “Right in the head, you don’t have a good shot on her anyhow, but she isn’t backing off, so that will scare her, and she will swim off. It won’t hurt her, and it’ll just scare her.” He’s the gator whisperer, so I didn’t argue; I raised slightly, drew and shot her right in the center of the head. My 250 grain, razorsharp broadhead bounced off her like a rubber ball, not even breaking the skin.

She spun around with a huge splash and swam off. Jayme and I looked at each other in disbelief; we were both shaking from the last 10 minutes of excitement and finally stood up and walked back up the hill.

Jayme said, “Joni, my nerves are shot.

I am just about over this hunt. It’s too intense!” At this point, I knew she was wondering how in the world I talked her into coming with me on my bucket-list hunt. This was only her 2nd hunt ever, and she was there because she was such an amazingly supportive friend to me. I was feeling guilty for putting her in situations where she was feeling so afraid!

We headed back to the vehicles, and my mind was racing. I’ve never bounced an arrow off anything in my life. Everything I had ever shot had been a complete pass through. Glen explained that I did exactly what he wanted me to do, knowing it would bounce off. He said he was demonstrating to me the thickness of their skin and why the shot placement will have to be in just the correct location. He said, “that isn’t where you would ever shoot to kill one; even a bullet will bounce off that dense area of the head.”

This blew my mind; seeing an arrow bounce off at such a close yardage.

We regrouped the next day and set out for a different hunting area, but still, in the back of my mind, I was thinking, CAN I actually penetrate an alligator’s hide with my arrow? Maybe I am not pulling enough weight?” Although Glen

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said it was intentional, the bounce-off had me rethinking my chances of getting one. We spotted a gator quite a ways off - across the lake, sunning itself onshore.

We hiked out around the end of the lake, which took about 20 minutes, coming out above it. This time Jayme stayed back up on the hill above us, her nerves were understandably shot after three days of continuous close calls with gators. I understood and supported her decision as I wanted to be sure she was having fun being on the hunt! She decided to video us stalking from up on the hill. Glen and I snuck down to about 30 yards. The gator must have heard us in the tall grass because he spooked and dove into the water. My heart sank, but then he suddenly turned around! I crouched down

in the weeds, which were well over my head. He was sitting about 15 yards out in the lake, facing me. Glen was about 10 yards behind me up the bank, also crouched down. The gator was looking in my direction and seemed to size me up, huddled in the grass. Apparently he decided that I looked like a pretty tasty little snack, and he chose to come in for some lunch. I was thrilled that he was coming back to give me another chance.

I slowly started to stalk in, crouched down, weaving through the tall grass towards the water by myself. The gator continued to come straight at me, but I felt calm this time. Everything seemed like it was happening in slow motion. As he climbed up on the bank and started to slither out toward me, I could see his

I looked like a pretty tasty little snack huddled in the grass.

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eyes really well. He looked aggressive, and there was no doubt that he was planning to make a meal of me. This was the break that I needed to get close to a gator! I stayed crouched down in the tall weeds. He was now pushed up, with his head lifted. and coming right at me much faster. When he closed the gap to six yards, I popped up, drawing back as I raised up, and shot. There was no bounce-off this time! The broadhead went all the way through the front of his chest.

The large gator broadheads are barbed so they won’t come back out.

He immediately spun around and dove back into the water where he felt safe, as they do when shot on land. My arrow had passed all the way through him and

was attached with a cord to the reel on my bow. The line deployed from the reel as it should, but the buoy was supposed to pop off the end to float behind the gator so we could find him - but it jammed. Now I had a cord attached to my bow with an angry, fleeing gator.

The pressure from him swimming away pulled hard on my bow, and my hand got caught in my wrist sling. There was so much pressure and heavy tension with the jammed buoy I couldn’t get my hand out. As the gator swam away, it dragged me down to the water’s edge at a rapid pace. I remember thinking, “oh my God, I’m going in the water with a wounded alligator!” I yelled out, “I’m stuck!” as I was now at the water’s edge. Glen was already running after

me. He grabbed the bow and pulled back just enough to relieve a little tension to get my hand out, however it pulled him out into the water well up past his knees before he finally just broke the reel off the bow and tossed it into the water. The buoy floated out into the lake.

Glen came back up to where I was, and we looked at each other, threw our arms around each other, hugged, and started to laugh. It wasn’t funny. It was just that nervous, happy laugh that you do in relief after you have just avoided a massive disaster. My heart was still pounding through my chest, and my hands were shaking. Jayme came running down from the hill above us. She had been screaming, but I never heard her. She was in a complete panic watching the whole

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Adventurous BowWoman Florida Alligator Archery Hunt

thing from afar. It finally started to sink in; I was so thrilled that I had just taken my bucket list animal with a bow at six yards! I was really in shock from the whole thing. We launched the airboat to retrieve my gator from the lake. To retrieve my gator, we pulled him up with the line attached to the arrow, being careful not to pull the arrow out of the gator. Once we got him into the boat I couldn’t believe his size! He measured an impressive 11 feet, which was much bigger than I had ever hoped for! That Gator rug?

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night we watched the video that Jayme shot on her camera. We anticipated some epic footage of my stalking in close, the gator charging me and dragging me to the water’s edge. However, in her terror that the alligator was going to eat her best friend, the footage consisted of the camera swirling and bobbing up and down, from the grass to the sky, all over the place. Her screaming, “he’s going to eat you, oh my God!! Nooooo, I’m coming, Joni,” and a ton of other things that had us in hysterics!! I’d love to have a video Big claws too!

of what happened, but hearing my friend screaming and running down a hill, armed with nothing more than a camera to rescue me against a giant alligator, is also something I cherish!! I couldn’t have been more thrilled. I feel proud that I wanted to do my alligator bowhunt the “hard” way, that I stuck to my goals, and that I harvested an incredible Alligator, spot, and stalk.

Joni Marie is an avid bowhunter and a National Factory Staffer for Athens Archery, Prois, and Quality Archery Designs. She is the owner of Rockstarlette Outdoors, a women’s activewear company that strives to empower and encourage women in outdoor adventures.

Instagram: @rbgrrrl and @rockstarletteoutdoors www.rockstarletteoutdoors.com

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Pope & Young Club, Inc. PO Box 548 Chatfield, MN 55923

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