WORD FROM THE PUBLISHER
By: Mike Rinehart
Time runs by, swift as high mountain streams, and it is autumn again, that golden time of harvest and frost, the season some of us wait for all year. Oh sure, summer is great for fishing and trips to the hills, but can anything beat that ache that comes with cool nights, that pulls you toward the high country with a power that equals the gust that sweep down off the Wind River peaks. It’s a calling as strong as a bull elk’s clear bugle lifting across a mountain dawn.
As we once again gather the re-collections, and trophies of the first--and perhaps even the last--of the hunters of west central Wyoming, I’m pleased to announced a new development for the 8th Annual Hunting Edition. In the spring of 2005, we launched Rocky Mountain Biker Magazine, geared toward motorcycle enthusiasts and the many unique trails the west offers them. That has given us a statewide sales staff and over 750 drop points in Wyoming and neighboring states for distribution. We are now able to take Wyoming Hunting Edition statewide, and this issue will be the first to make that expansion! For seven years, we have focused on the west-central part of the state and distributed about 20,000 copies in that region. Now, we will take your hunting tales throughout Wyoming with 60,000 copies.
The 2004 season saw a fortunate draw of Whitetail tags for both my wife and me, and we harvested two fine specimens. The property we leased for Whitetail hunting had become available for purchase the December before that, and we were lucky enough to buy this unique hunting ranchette. The 2004 season was our first full season we hunted on our own property, and we’re thrilled to be able to manage it with the help of our neighbors for an excellent deer herd. Neither of us drew antelope tags last year, and I continue to miss out on the coveted Big Horn Sheep tag. We did make our annual pilgrimage to a favorite backcountry hideaway with general elk tags, though, and my wife filled hers first, with a nice five-point bull. That evening, it started to snow, and it kept doing so for the entire eight day trip. We packed up and fought our way back to the trailhead, only to have to dig out the trucks and chain up to get out. Of course, that is just another one of the fun adventures sure to come along during hunting season! My son did have the chance to shoot a couple of Mulies and a branch-antlered elk, but opted to pass them up, knowing there were plenty of big boys still out there. We can only hope there will always be big boys, as it becomes clearer with each passing season that the elk in that area--and many others--are in sharp decline. It was common to see herds that numbered in the hundreds not so long ago, but now we rarely see more than a couple dozen at most. Along with low cow/calf percentages, I can only attribute this drastic change in elk herd health to the rapidly rising predator base--and that means the Canadian Grey Wolf. Without active involvement by every sportsman and aggressive control of government bullying, I wonder how long any of us will be swapping stories that are no more than distant memories of hunting.
I look forward to the 2005 season and the chance to spend two full weeks in elk camp. We have Whitetail tags to fill, as well. It looks to be a great year in the field, except for the pressures the wolves are putting on Wyoming’s deer and elk herds.
This is a season like no other, a singular chance in our swift time on this earth to walk the hills or ride a trail, surveying vistas so wide and hauntingly beautiful that one heart, one memory, one life can scarcely contain it all. Don’t be so rushed by “buck fever” or other commitments that you miss one moment of this glorious time. Smell the crisp hint of frost on the mountain air. Take in the wash of gold across white aspen spires. And, with success, admire the magnificent animal for his power, his wiles, his instincts, his presence in your world. It is my fervent hope that each of the sportsmen and women reading this, and hunting Wyoming’s unmatched big game opportunities, are blessed with safety and success this year while enjoying the camaraderie of family and friends. Take this chance to make new memories in our backcountry paradise.
Please patronize the many local and area businesses that advertise in these pages, for without their continuing support, there would never have been--nor would continue to be--The Hunting Edition to bring your many dramatic, funny, and exciting stories together.
Take this great blessing we have seriously, have a great season, and hunt safely and responsibly. Wishing everyone the best season yet! |
