A Word From the Publisher…
by Mike Rinehart
Ah, glorious autumn! That best of all seasons has arrived again, the one we plan and prepare for, the one that fills our dreams, all year long, with antlers and high country calls. Every other time of year has its own grand reason, but fall seems to come around with a purposeful focus, a gradual slowing of a busy and beautiful world, to aim with undivided glory into the heart of the Rocky Mountain west.

There is a tug more powerful than Wyoming’s wind, a calling more irresistible than a big bull’s clear echo across a mountain dawn. And here again we offer a gathering of the recollections and occasional yarn that sift down from the frosty hills.

With the 2005 season, I put in my eighth year hunting elk in the South Fork of Buffalo country. Instead of the usual crew of five, I packed in with just my wife Teresa and one hunting partner, so we were all kept busy. Apparently, 9 days of hunting and camping is the best exercise program ever devised, as I lost 15 pounds in the process! The first morning in the field, I took a nice 5- point bull from a herd numbering about 125. I spent the rest of the week helping my partner, who brought in a branch-antlered bull; he also got an excellent mountain Mulie, bagged on our final evening in camp.

My wife hunted several evenings, but missed a couple
chances, and didn’t fill her tag this time. In addition to coming down the mountain with two good bulls and a dandy Mulie, we got nine great days of perfect fall weather, in some of the best country God ever saw fit to plant on this globe.

We reside on another great spot, a little country place on the Wind River west of town, which we are in our fourth year managing the terrific Whitetail residents. The payoff is starting to show up, and we’re seeing bigger bucks and an improved buck:doe ratio. My wife shot a buck that sported unique palmated antlers, the main beams lacking just ?” of touching. As dusk approached on the final day of November, I got a nice buck, too. It wasn’t the biggest I’d ever taken, but a fine example of the type of buck we’re trying to get on the Wind River Whitetail Ranch. I have always harvested a whitetail between November 5th and 20th in previous years, but this year I waited until the deer were in full rut to seriously hunt. The results were disappointing, as the bucks became increasingly nocturnal, and the pressures of hunting in surrounding areas significantly altered their patterns and behaviors. Given the opportunity to hunt sooner, I don’t expect I’ll wait so long in future seasons.

Wyoming sportsmen and women still face critical battles
that promise to affect our hunting rights and opportunities,
and the sporting legacy we leave to future generations.
Our state continues in a court battle over plans to
delist and manage wolves. I sincerely hope we have the
stamina and focus to stop the big government bullies, and
agencies such as the US Fish and Wildlife Service that neither represent us - the citizens and taxpayers that fund their jobs - nor have our best interests at heart. Whatever positive actions they may believe they’re doing, it most assuredly does not reach the wildlife, habitat, and sportsmen of Wyoming’s irreplaceable backcountry. It is still my opinion that such giant bureaucracies need to be reined in and more closely managed – by us. We also
need more aggressive management of four-legged predators,
through increased hunting quotas on mountain lions,
black bear sows and coyotes and the de-listing of the grizzly
bear, for the future of game species. Keep fighting,
stay the course, or a day will come when none of us will be
swapping stories of the hunt.

I hope the tales collected in these pages renew in your life
the camaraderie of camp and pleasurable recollections.
Here are the firsts, the finest. We’ve gathered memories,
adventures, and someone’s last great trip. Take time to
distill every moment of this best of seasons. It is like no
other, a singular chance in our brief time on this earth to
hike beside a mountain stream, to ride a favorite
horse up a lonesome trail, to be part of a place so vast and
beautiful; a single heart can scarcely contain it all. But
that is what memories are for–to be able to relive those
special moments, unbound by time, health, or location!
This is the Ninth Annual Hunting Edition, the one I look
forward to all year and most enjoy publishing. I wish each
reader safety and success as they hunt the unmatched opportunities Wyoming offers. And, since this publication would not be possible without our advertisers, please show your thanks
by patronizing these businesses.

Hunt safely and responsibly, and enjoy the best season yet! MR

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