Archive for November, 2007
Breaking News:
A 51 year old hunter from Calgary was found dead two days ago. He was attacked and killed by a grizzly bear. He was out hunting and found dead just 200 meters from his vehicle. Don Peters, an avid hunter, was hunting near Sundry, Alberta when apparently he crossed a grizzly bear. Authorities are thinking that he was trying to make it back to his truck. They discovered that one shot from his rifle had been discharged and that he went down fighting.
Don had a tree stand in the area. The weather was very cold and snowy and the attacked occurred in a heavily wooded area. He did not return on Sunday and a search was conducted, taking three days to find him. Authorities are still in search of the grizzly bear.
November 30th, 2007
I had the opportunity to travel to Knoxville, Tennessee and take a ride on the new 2008 Yamaha Rhino 700 FI Side by Side. Yamaha has come out with an all new Rhino 700 Side x Side that is a nice improvement over the previous Rhino 660.
Here are a few improvements that have been made:
-Increased the motor to 686cc (hence the 700)
-Added Fuel Injection (basically looking at the motor that is now in the new Grizzly 700 FI)
-Added power and smoothness of ride
-Improved the parking brake lever
-Added side doors for safety and keeping out the mud, brush and branches
-Passenger seat has hold bar and grip handle
-Moved the Air intake higher
-Moved the air filter more to the front to move noise away from the riders
-Added disc brakes to both rear wheels
-Parking brake uses a separate single disc brake
-Improved steering wheel fit and finish
Also available are not only the stock models, but a few different custom models with wheels and custom paint jobs.
After some really good riding, I have to say the there are some good improvements on the new Yamaha Rhino 700 FI over the older 660. Better and smoother power, I really like the new steering wheel and felt the brakes are great. Very good stopping power for a big machine. I was hesitant on the doors, but really think they are a good addition. I went through a ton of mud and river crossings and the doors really help keep you dry and clear of stray brush and limbs.
I was not impressed at all with the parking brake lever on the old 660 model. By putting on a more traditional parking brake lever, it is now nice and convenient to use the parking brake - and used it a lot. Power is great and the four wheel drive system is top notch. Motored through some steep inclines with rocks and the four wheel drive with differential lock got me out of everything. It was really wet with a lot of rock and exposed tree roots. Once these got wet and very slippery, the four wheel drive with differential lock was the only way to go. Oh, by the way…the mud bogs in Tennessee are deep!
Overall I was very impressed with the improvements made on the new Rhino 700. I think it is coming at a good time where the Rhino was in need of a good face lift. A good all around work and play machine. Nothing really jumped out at me as to something that was really missing or didn’t perform as expected.
You can see the full review on the new 2008 Yamaha Rhino 700 in the Feb/March 2008 issue of Hunting Illustrated.
November 28th, 2007
Browse and shop Exclusively
From our On-Line Virtual Catalog!
Yes, it is time to shop! We have provided a very unique on-line shopping experience with our Virtual Catalog. Many of you received our Holiday Gift Catalog in the mail. Many of you did not. Regardless, you can now shop using that same catalog on-line.
Browse and flip through the pages, click on the products and it will open a window and take you right to the product page on our eCommerce web site where you can add it to your cart. Then simply go back to the to the Virtual Catalog and continue shopping.
Give it a try and let me know what you think.
November 22nd, 2007
Many of you have never even heard of a Black Mule Deer, let alone seen one. However, this recent photo taken in Winnemucca, Nevada showcases the rare occurence.
Mike Cox, big game biologist at the Nevada Department of Wildlife, has his own name for the phantom deer…he calls it a genetic alteration. It’s not quite as catchy as Tahoe Tessie, but it does explain things.
“It looks like it fell into an oil spill, but obviously we don’t have those in the middle of Nevada,” jokes Cox. “There are genes that map out the characteristics of an animal in its embryonic stage. Sometimes it’s a funky hoof, or a tweaked antler, or in this case the hairs of this mule deer are a different color than the normal mule. Sometimes there are recessive traits that are hidden in those genes that never see the light of day except for maybe one in a million, or one in two million.”
NDOW biologist Ed Partee states that black mule deer have been spotted before in Nevada.
“We have seen these black deer in the past in Humboldt County, mainly in the Jacksons, but we haven’t seen it for quite some time,” said Partee.
Cox reports that there appears to be nothing else out of the ordinary with the black mule deer doe other than its striking color.
“It’s definitely unusual. We may never see it again for a generation, or 50 years, or we may see it next year,” said Cox. “It’s almost like slot machines. You have to pull that slot machine a long, long time until you get the right combination, and that’s what happened with this melanistic mutation.”
******
Just as I was posting this, I received an email of another Black Mule Deer spotted. This one a buck mule deer. These photos show the buck in velvet and then after he has rubbed off. These are amazing photos. Apparently, it was spotted near Eagleville , California which is just northwest of Reno and the photos were taken September 2nd and 3rd of 2007.
November 20th, 2007
I just posted the photos of three awesome record mule deer from Oregon from the 2007 archery season. You can see two archery velvet typical mule deer nip and tuck from each other on official score. So far we have a new state record.
We also have a photo of the new non-typical state record velvet archery mule deer for Oregon posted.
Click Here to see the photos and the original post that started this whole thing and read how it all unfolded. You will be able to read the stories on all three of these bucks in an upcoming issue of Hunting Illustrated Magazine.
November 19th, 2007
I have posted on the monster 443 non-typical archery bull taken by Jimmy Ryan before - Here….and Here. The official score is now in. It looks like the green score held pretty good. The official score is 443 2/8 gross and 428 3/8 net non-typical P&Y.
That is big. This will shatter the state record archery bull, become the new overall state non-typical record for any weapon and is a pending #2 in the world non-typical archery bull for Pope & Young.
November 19th, 2007
The 2007 Suzuki KingQuad 450 has fuel injection, fully independent suspension, four-wheel drive with four-wheel differential lock, digital display, and a ton more features that make this 450 ATV a complete package. The Suzuki King Quad 450 has all of the features, along with a smooth ride and a decent motor, that should be worthy of a closer look if you are after a utility ATV in the 450-500 class department.
Read the full review article in the Aug/Sept 2007 issue of Hunting Illustrated.
November 18th, 2007
A Montana hunter was out hunting last Sunday, hiking along a trail, when he heard a scream. That scream was from a mountain lion because a short time later he heard a growl right behind him. He turned and was 10-15 feet from the cougar. He turned to get behind a tree when the big cat jump him from behind. He shredded his backpack (which saved him from further damage). The hunter was able to reach for a gun and shoot, scaring the mountain lion away.
He shot several more times and eventually got help from some other hunters in the area and made it to the hospital. Outside of some scratches and cuts that required stitches he is fine.
This is a good lesson…if you encounter a mountain lion, never turn your back. And especially don’t turn your back and run. This kicks in the animals instincts. Easy for me to say. I have never been 10 feet from a lion looking to jump me…
LINK: Story
November 17th, 2007
Check out these amazing photos of two bull elk found on the side of the road in Dixon, Montana! These two bulls decided to fight through the fence. They removed 100 yards of fence. The big bull was 7 X 6. What a mess.
November 13th, 2007
Brent Wallace gave me a call on Saturday to see if he could stop by and have me take a look at his buck. He was hunting with a CWMU tag here in Utah and passed on some other nice bucks and finally settled on this buck. Good width, some trash and pretty 3-inch eyeguards will make this a nice wallhanger. He came in at 29-inches wide and scores 161 gross B&C.
November 7th, 2007
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