RamTracks 27-1 - Wild Sheep Foundation
Transcription
RamTracks 27-1 - Wild Sheep Foundation
Spring Newsletter 2006 Volume 27 Issue 1 OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS PRESIDENT John Coulter 201 Craig Tracy, MN 56175 (507) 829-2304 (507) 629-3481 fax [email protected] VICE PRESIDENT Jerry Mariska 14203 410th Avenue Waseca, MN 56093 (507) 835-1442 [email protected] TREASURER Tim McEuen N14788 Harris Road Trempealeau, WI 54661 (608) 539-4400 (608) 539-4300 fax [email protected] SECRETARY Brian Helm 1910 Stowe Avenue Arden Hills, MN 55112-7826 (651) 631-9273 [email protected] DIRECTORS Dick Barr 16205 Creekwood Circle Prior Lake, MN 55372 (952) 447-4795 [email protected] Gregg Boeke 17695 Italy Path Lakeville, MN 55044 (952) 898-5063 [email protected] Al Burke 2304 Donegal Court Hudson, WI 54016 (715) 386-2182 [email protected] David Evenson 1025 Riders Club Road Onalaska, WI 54650 (608) 526-5857 [email protected] Al Holland 11933 Highway 65 NE Blaine, MN 55434 (763) 755-8680 [email protected] Bill Kiefer 1432 Third Street N Fargo, ND 58102 (701) 280-2024 [email protected] Stewart Shaft 5720 E 115th Street Northfield, MN 55057 (507) 663-6056 [email protected] Ram Tracks Spring Newsletter 2006 Volume 27 Issue 1 President’s Message Dear FNAWS Family: Christmas has come and gone and I hope you all had the opportunity to spend some quality time with friends and family during this most special time of the year. Soon you will be able to visit with your MN-WI FNAWS family, at the 27th Annual Convention, which will once again be held at the beautiful Minneapolis Marriott Southwest Hotel in Minnetonka. Your Board of Directors is hard at work trying to make this the best convention ever, and there are plenty of reasons to believe it will be! Brian Iverson, who works with the hotel staff on our behalf, has been able to keep room rates at $79 a night and promises the best meals ever! Board member Brian Helm, has now made it possible for our members to register for the convention online if they like! In addition we want our members to understand that our Saturday auction is going to be split into two parts much along the lines of National FNAWS! Splitting the Saturday auction into an afternoon and evening auction was done out of consideration for our members. Our Saturday night auction had gotten too large and was too long. By auctioning Saturday afternoon, we should be done early enough Saturday night so you can have time to visit with friends, outfitters and relax in general! To have a successful fundraiser this year, we need our members to attend not only Friday night, but all day Saturday as well! An incredible list of live auction items, of the best quality ever, will be available and over 50 outfitters will have booths and be present to talk hunting with you! Because of the incredible generosity of life member and former director Brian Iverson this years convention is going to have a special theme. You will remember that Brian donated a choice piece of land in a northern Minneapolis suburb to MN-WI FNAWS several years ago. Your board recently sold that land, allowing us to create our very own Endowment Fund, that STARTS with a balance of $300,000! Your board has voted to use money generated from this endowment fund ONLY for wild sheep, their preservation and the acquisition of important wild sheep habitat such as lambing areas. Protecting Wild Sheep on the Mountains - Forever! will be the theme of this convention and our new endowment fund. Bill Kiefer and Dave Evenson have agreed to chair this endowment fund, answer any questions you may have, and encourage our members to contribute to it so that it can continue to grow and protect sheep for years to come. In another very exciting development, I am happy and proud to announce that MN-WI FNAWS now has an office with someone available to help you in person or by telephone Monday through Friday! Patti Quinnell who is the editor of our newsletter RAM TRACKS, has agreed to allow us to use her office on main street in Northfield, Minnesota as our headquarters. Our official address is now: Minnesota-Wisconsin FNAWS 307 Division Street Northfield, Minnesota 55057 Telephone: (507) 645-8811 PAGE 3 These are special and proud days for MN-WI FNAWS! With this new endowment fund, and a home office in place, MN-WI FNAWS will play an even larger role in the world of wildlife conservation. Our membership should be very proud of themselves and these fine accomplishments! I look forward to seeing and talking to all of you March 17th and 18th! Sincerely, John Coulter IMPORTANT MAJOR CHANGES TAKING PLACE!! There are some Major Changes Taking Place on SATURDAY, MARCH 18TH at the MN-WI FNAWS Fundraiser! THE SATURDAY AUCTION IS BEING SPLIT INTO TWO PARTS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!! On Saturday, there will be a tremendous brunch served from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm followed by a Saturday afternoon auction from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm! We will start our Saturday night banquet promptly at 6:00 pm which will be followed by our main auction of no more than 25 great items at 7:00 pm. Your board’s goal is to have everything done by 9:00 pm so you have more time to relax, talk to outfitters and friends! Please note these changes so you do not miss any of the ALL DAY SATURDAY FUN at our 27th Annual Fundraiser! To have a successful auction we need our loyal MN-WI FNAWS members to attend both Saturday auctions. We need you to: “Keep Putting Sheep on the Mountains - Forever!” NEW MN-WI FNAWS OFFICE HEADQUARTERS: 307 Division Street Northfield, MN 55057 (507) 645-8811 (Ask for Patti Quinnell) Also check out our WebSite: www.fnawsmnwi.org Future Shows At A Glance . . . EASTERN FNAWS BANQUET February 16-19, 2006 Host Resort Hotel, Lancaster, PA MN SCI CHAPTER BANQUET February 17-18, 2006 Northland Inn, Brooklyn Park, MN SCI HUNTER EXPO February 24-26, 2006 Lambeau Field Atrium, Green Bay, WI NORTH COUNTRY BOWHUNTERS SCI CHAPTER, March 3-4, 2006 Treasure Island Resort & Casino, Red Wing, MN MN-WI FNAWS 27th ANNUAL CONVENTION March 17-18, 2006 Minneapolis Marriott SW Minneapolis, MN LAKE SUPERIOR CHAPTER OF SCI April 7-8, 2006 Grand Casino-Hinckley, MN OREGON FNAWS BANQUET & AUCTION April 29, 2006 Redmond, OR PAGE 4 MN-WI CHAPTER FNAWS SPRING 2006 FUNDRAISER/BANQUET March 17 & 18, 2006 Minneapolis Marriott Southwest Minneapolis, Minnesota Schedule of Events Preliminary List of the Premium Hunts to be Auctioned Thursday March 16, 2006 Board of Directors Meeting 6:30 pm Friday March 17, 2006 Outfitter’s Set Up Booths 8 am-2 pm Outfitter and Exhibitor Booths Open 2 pm Friday Night Banquet, Annual Meeting and Auction 6 pm-8:30 pm Visit with Outfitters and Donors 8:30 pm-11 pm Saturday March 18, 2006 Outfitter and Exhibitor Booths Open Saturday Morning Brunch 8 am 10:30 am-12:30 pm 2006 North Dakota Bighorn Sheep License Contact Brett Wiedmann, North Dakota Game & Fish Telephone 701-227-7431 2006 Wyoming Governor’s Bighorn Sheep License Contact Kevin Hurley-WY Game Dept:. 307-527-7125 2006 Mexican Biosphere Desert Sheep License and Hunt Contact FNAWS President Ray Lee. 307-527-6261 2006 Yukon Stone Sheep in the Yukon with Dean Sandulak of Macmillian River Outfitters-Value $21,950 web: www.macmillanriveradventures.com telephone: 204-745-6995 2006 Marco Polo Sheep Hunt in Kyrgyzstan with George Sevich of Eurasian Expeditions-Value $24,800 web: www.eurasianexpeditions.com telephone: 301-869-7160 Saturday Afternoon Auction 1 pm-4 pm 2006 Wyoming Governor’s Elk, Deer or Antelope Tag Gala Saturday Banquet and Auction 6 pm–9 pm 2006 15-Day Spring Grizzly Hunt with Urban Rahoi with non-hunter included! Outfitter and Exhibitor Booths Open 9 pm-11 pm REGISTRATION FULL REGISTRATION: Includes Friday night dinner, Saturday brunch and banquet Before February 28 After February 28 SATURDAY BANQUET ONLY: Before February 28 After February 28 $115.00 $135.00 $ 85.00 $ 95.00 FNAWS rooms can be reserved at the Marriott for $79.00. Call 1 -888-887-1681 or 952-935-5500 and refer to “Sheep Foundation” If you have donations, mounts for displays or would like a booth, please contact one of the board members listed on the inside front cover of this newsletter. REGISTER ONLINE at: www.fnawsmnwi.org or use the enclosed Registration Form 3 Day Iowa Guided Turkey Hunt for 2 Adult/Youth, North American Outdoor Adventures, Paynesville, MN. Value: $1,600 Telephone: 320-243-7880 or 800-228-0531 12 Day Trophy Dall Sheep Hunt (including non-hunter) in Northwest Territories with Harold Grinde, Gana River Outfitters. Includes all accomodations and airfares. Value: $15,000. Telephone: 403-783-3499 10 Day Canadian Moose Hunt in British Columbia with Dennis and Deb Beattie, Wicked River Outfitters. Elk, mule deer, whitetail and black bear are available for a trophy fee. Telephone: 250-783-9291 www.wickedriveroutfitters.com Moose, Elk or Goat Hunt in British Columbia with Larry and Lori Warren, Tuchodi River Outfitters. Telephone: 250-263-4526 Mountain Goat Hunt in British Columbia with Brian Glaicar. PAGE 5 Minnesota-Wisconsin FNAWS Creates Wild Sheep Endowment Fund! Because of an incredible gift of $300,000 by life member and wild sheep enthusiast Brian Iverson, MN-WI FNAWS has been able to create an Endowment Fund. This Endowment Fund will be used exclusively for wild sheep, their preservation and the acquisition of important wild sheep habitat. This fund will allow MN-WI FNAWS to go on: Protecting Wild Sheep on the Mountains - Forever!! Please consider making a gift to this Endowment Fund so we can all watch this fund grow and provide even more money for future funding of wild sheep project. Gifts to the Minnesota-Wisconsin Endowment Fund are fully deductible! For more information about the new MN-WI FNAWS Wild Sheep Endowment Fund please contact either: Bill Kiefer 1432 Third Street North Fargo, ND 58102 (701) 280-2024 Email: [email protected] or Dave Evenson 1025 Riders Club Road Onalaska, WI 54650 (608) 526-5857 [email protected] Endowment Fund Rifle/Knife Package To Be Given Away At Our Gala Saturday Night Auction! Well-known custom rifle maker and loyal MN-WI FNAWS donor, Bob Everson of Woodbury, Minnesota, is building a most special rifle to help start our new MN-WI FNAWS Wild Sheep Endowment Fund. The rifle will be a 270 Winchester Short Magnum with a Remington Titanium Action, Kahles Scope, Douglas Target Grade Barrel with Two Stocks (English Walnut Stock and Kevlar Stock). Dr. Jerry Johnson of Worthington, Minnesota, longtime FNAWS donor, has also stepped forward to add his own special touch to this endowment fund donation. He has created a one-of-a-kind, specially engraved bowie knife with a handle set with jewels. The rifle and knife will be cased in a specially made wooden case. This incredible donation from Bob Everson, Jerry Johnson and MN-WI FNAWS will go as a gift to the person who makes the largest pledge to our newly created Minnesota-Wisconsin Endowment Fund at our Gala Saturday Night Auction. Any and all gifts to our Endowment Fund will be fully tax-deductible with all funds going directly into the Endowment Fund to help us: “Keep Putting Sheep on the Mountains - Forever!” PAGE 6 PROFILE: Board Member - Tim McEuen Treasurer of MN-WI FNAWS 1993-2005 Quilts we used each year. It made him happy to hear comments at the fundraisers about the quality of our prizes and hunts. In 1994, Tim married Pam. Their sons, T.J. and Casey, were born in 1997 and 1999 respectively. In 2002, they adopted Bayley Rose. She was born with multiple handicaps, but now 25 surgeries later, she is a happy healthy three-year-old. She was joined in 2004 by her third brother, Taton. Being busy with family and FNAWS, Tim didn’t have time to go on any long hunts. He was happy hunting in Wisconsin. He received black bear permits in 1996,1997 and 2004, and had success in 1996 and 2004, but had to cut his season short in 1997 due to T.J.'s birth. Tim has been on pheasant hunts purchased from FNAWS auctions, otherwise he mainly went deer hunting and wild turkey hunting. Now that his boys are getting older, he’s hoping to get them more involved. They enjoy helping Tim scout for turkey hunting locations. Tim McDuen Tim joined MN-WI FNAWS the year that it became a chapter. In 1992 he joined his father on the Board of Directors. In 1993 he was elected to the job of Treasurer. Tim remained Treasurer from 1993 until 2005. During his time as Treasurer, he can only remember missing four board meetings. In the fall of 2005, Tim and his family moved to Oregon to be closer to Pam's family. It was a hard decision to make as they have so many good friends in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Tim said his boys are very sad to be missing the spring fundraiser this year as it always has been the high point of their year. There is good hunting in Oregon, and Tim and Pam would love to have any of their FNAWS friends visit while hunting or fishing in Oregon. As Treasurer, Tim really enjoyed searching for unique raffle and door prize items. He also liked picking out the Amish ATTENTION All who wish to display their trophies at our Fundraiser . . . Please send information to Jerry Mariska or Dick Barr as soon as possible. We are limited on space and we don’t want to leave anyone out! Call Jerry at (507) 835-1442 or Dick at (952) 447-4795 Watch for our NEW 24 HOUR SILENT AUCTION for hunts, taxidermy and other major items at our upcoming March 17-18 Fundraiser! REGISTER ONLINE AT: www.fnawsmnwi.org PAGE 7 Seven Day Horseback Trail Ride Alberta by Mike Alff, Stevens Point, WI I purchased a seven day trail ride at the MN/WI FNAWS banquet last March. The trip was fully donated by Gregg Kristoff and Chungo Creek Outfitters through Al’s Worldwide Adventures. Never having had an opportunity to visit Alberta I thought I could solve that problem and provide a unique vacation for my wife, Dawn, as well. It took a little extra convincing, but she decided to accompany me. We left for Calgary from central Wisconsin in early August. Gregg and Diane Kristoff met us at the airport and we drove directly to the Chungo Creek Outfitters base camp which is located near the small town of Nordegg. After a fine meal, we settled into our own private cabin for some well needed rest before riding out the next morning. It took awhile for everyone to get all the stock saddled and the packs loaded. Anyone with much experience around pack animals knows it’s best to be patient and stay out of the way unless you’re asked to help. Once loaded up, we started off on a seven hour ride into the mountains. We were led out by Cory and Ryan Kristoff, along with Ryan’s girlfriend Andrea, and Cory’s two children, Danika and Colt. Coming up in the rear was Shawn, who would serve as our wrangler along with Buddy the camp dog. We spent the next six days up in the mountains where we never saw another person. Our first stop was at their summer trail ride camp which consisted of several sleeping tents and a large cook tent. The camp was clean, comfortable and strategically located for doing day rides to sightsee or fish. After a few days, we loaded up the entire camp and packed it to another location several hours away. The second location was to be one of their primary hunting camps come September. From the second camp we trailed out to a different trail head so we never crossed our own tracks the entire trip. The scenery on this trip was fantastic! We saw Bighorn Sheep on several occasions including five nice rams. Also spotted were elk, mule deer, whitetail deer, grizzly, and moose. While not the best trout fisherman, I was able to land some nice Bull and Cutthroat trout. The stock used was excellent and matched to the riders abilities. I would highly recommend Chungo Creek Outfitters to anyone looking for a similar adventure. It is definitely a trail ride that you can feel comfortable taking the whole family on. Thanks again to the entire Kristoff family for donating this trip and seeing to it that we had such great vacation. PAGE 8 North Dakota Game & Fish by Brett P. Wiedmann The new North Dakota State Record Bighorn Sheep was harvested by Jerry Brenner, purchaser of last year’s Governor’s Tag, on October 9, 2005. The seven-year-old ram grossed 169 5/8”, with an official net score of 168 6/8”; and weighed a whopping 275 pounds! The previous state record, harvested in 1987, scored 166 5/8”. Tentative plans are for the ram to be displayed during the MN-WI FNAWS Banquet in March. Some may not know that purchasing the North Dakota’s Governor’s Tag is not the only option for non-residents to hunt bighorn sheep in the state. Non-residents can also apply for one of North Dakota’s lottery licenses for a nonrefundable application fee of $100. The easiest method is to log on to the Department’s website, www.nd.gov/gnf, and click the “Online Services” tab. Then, simply follow the instructions. The Department will begin taking applications in March 2006. If a non-resident is fortunate enough to draw one of these coveted licenses, he or she must then pay an additional license fee of $500. If you do not have access to the internet you can obtain a paper application by calling the North Dakota Game & Fish Department at 701-328-6300 or pick one up at our booth during the March Banquet. The 2006 application deadline is March 22nd. Good luck!!! We are now in the final planning stages for the Montana transplant of 20 bighorns from the Missouri River Breaks and three in-state transplants, scheduled for January 2006. The Montana sheep will be used to establish a new herd east of the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and the in-state transplants will all be augmenting existing herds. Population surveys should be completed in March. Hopefully, many of this year’s record lamb crop will make it through the winter! It’s been a mild December, which should greatly benefit the youngsters as they commence their first North Dakota winter. North Dakota’s inaugural mountain lion season has been fruitful thus far, as two lions were harvested in November. I was very happy to learn that one of the cats, a young male, was harvested in Ice Box Canyon, which is one of our premier bighorn areas. In fact, the new state record ram was taken from this vicinity last October. Fortunately, three additional lions can still be harvested per our quota of five lions annually. The season closes on March 12th. Thanks again for all you do for our beloved bighorns, and I’ll see you in March! Jim Spies killed this beautiful whitetail deer near Pierre, South Dakota after crawling almost a mile across a wheat stubble field. The deer grossed 180 B&C points. Please add Barry H. Baumann, MN-WI FNAWS life member to the list of Desert 3/4 Slammers publicized in the Spring 2005 issue of Wild Sheep. PAGE 9 Grand Slam Completed After 31 Years! by Dr. Michael R. Fisher, Windom, MN After 29 consecutive years of applying for a Desert Sheep permit, I finally drew one in 2005 with the help of John Coulter, Dennis Campbell and reference. I booked a hunt with Roy Lerg of Grand Slam Safaris Outfitters in late November where I took a Rocky Mountain Desert Sheep in the Muddy Mountains of Southeast Nevada. applied to all states for Desert and Rocky Mountain Bighorn. I was guided by Huey Ley in 1990 in the Pecos Wilderness area of northern New Mexico to a great ram. On November 22, 2005 Roy Lerg and his son, Emmitt, guided me to a great seven year old, 160+ class Desert Ram. The slam is now complete after 31 years! Hunters never, ever give up on the slam! The quest for the grand slam started in 1974 with a Dall Sheep with outfitter Tom Walker in Alaska. In 1975 outfitter Blaine Southwick guided me to a Stone Sheep. I then Daniel Scharmer, of Houston, MN took this Mule Deer Buck in September, 2005 while hunting the Scape Goat Wilderness Area in Montana with Brett Todd of K-Lazy Three Ranch Outfitters. LATE NEWS FLASH: Dan was the lucky 3/4 slam winner at the GSC/Ovis Hunter & Outfitter Convention on Saturday, February 11th. Congratulations and well deserved! PAGE 10 Your Hunt Is Canceled! by Stewart Shaft, Northfield, MN Last October, four days after receiving a phone call from a fellow MN-WI member advising me that there was an unexpected opening in their party of five, I was off to Canada to hunt Quebec-Labrador caribou! The last time I hunted in that province was in 1979 hunting the eastern George River caribou herd. All the hunters were to gather in the lobby of the hotel in Montreal at 8 pm on October 5th to meet the representative from Nunami Outfitters. All 13 hunters formed a big circle in the lobby as "Michael" walked in the door. As he was standing in the middle of us he said "I feel I've just walked into a lion's den!” There were a lot of puzzled looks and then he went on to say, "I have some very bad news....the charter plane to camp is not flying tomorrow.” Upon further inquiry as to when the plane was going to our hunting area, Michael stunningly announced that there was not going to be any flight and that the entire hunt was canceled! He had no further explanation or suggestions. Can you imagine the feeling of all of us hearing this devastating news? Put yourself in the shoes of three big Texans who just pulled up to the hotel in their big diesel duelly and trailer rig a couple of hours before our meeting having driven 36 hours straight! As the saying goes, there was some mighty unhappy campers! What to do? Steve Bruggeman grabbed the bull by the horns and reached a representative that night from Mirage Outfitters. As a result of Steve's aggressive, but diplomatic action, Mirage was able to shoehorn a few of us into one of their northern camps. The hunt would have to be shortened a little as this was near the end of their season hunting the western Leaf River caribou herd and we were still in Montreal! October 8th our chartered twin engine landed at the LG-4 airstrip and we soon left Mirage's beautiful main lodge in a beaver float plane and flew to their Clear Water Lake Camp much further to the North. Landing at the Clear Water lodge complex it was immediately evident that hunting had been very good from the size and quantity of the many large caribou racks lying by the dock. The next day a young pediatrician, Mark, from Texas and I paired up to start hunting. Our guide and camp manager, Wayne, had me sit next to a large boulder on top of a high rock ridge while he took Mark to another spot 1/4 mile away. It wasn't long before I started to see caribou ... hundreds and hundreds of them off in the distance swimming my way across the lake. Soon they were close ... some so close that I couldn't get one of the bull's whole body in my camera's view finder! They kept coming in wave after wave with some very handsome looking bulls among them. Finally after about four hours of watching the steady stream of caribou through my binoculars, one bull really got my attention. He was with a number of other bulls, but definitely stood out. I had to make a decision quickly as he was already passed me...I fired! Walking up to the downed bull I knew he had all the necessary head gear to be a trophy class caribou. When Wayne came over a 1/2 hour or so later he was very pleased and asked me if I really knew what I just shot? I said I believe I did know and that I too was very happy with my caribou! I sat the rest of the day still watching countless caribou walking by. Oct. 9, 2006—411 1/8” B&C—#3 SCI 488 4/8” Hunt day #2 found me hunting in a different area with Steve and Oscar Carlson who had tagged out on his 2 caribou the first day. Wayne was my guide again and placed me next to PAGE 11 MN-WI FNAWS 2005 Funding The Board of Directors of MN-WI FNAWS is proud to announce the following funding so far in 2005. The funding is only possible because of the generosity of our wonderful members! North Dakota Game and Fish Department $86,981 Wildlife Heritage Foundation of Wyoming $42,975 Wyoming FNAWS - $20,000 FNAWS - $1,130 Oct. 10, 2006—423 4/8” B&C - #1 SCI 504 0/8” a pile of rocks at the top of a ridge telling me that he was going to go a couple hundred yards distant in case a good caribou came by his location. He then would then try to signal me. I never looked his way as I was transfixed with the steady stream of caribou filing along a route below me. Caribou were everywhere! Bulls...bulls and more bulls! I couldn't believe that I was witnessing the mass migration of a reported 330,000 caribou that were strung out 40 miles and I was right in the midst of this exciting annual event! Suddenly after several hours of watching many hundreds of caribou walk by me... there he was! Wow!... what a rack and look at all those long top points and double shovels too! Hurry up as he'll be disappearing behind that hill in a few seconds! Time for only one shot and he disappeared. Half running the 200 yards to where I last saw him I was greatly relieved to see that he was down. While I was waiting for my guide to arrive I went up onto the side of a hill and laid down because the caribou were still moving past me and generally towards Steve with his muzzleloader. The bulls were in the rut and grunting loudly as they passed by...close...very close. I thought about quickly reaching out and touching one, but changed my mind at the last second. My hunt was over and when Wayne finally came to see what I had taken he was ecstatic for he knew as I did that this was truly a great animal! What an adventure, and I'm now a believer that the stars, at times, truly do all line up in your favor! Northern B.C. Guides Association - $5,000 Montana FNAWS - $5,000 Utah FNAWS (Mountain Lion Control) $10,000 That is a total of $171,086 funded by MN-WI FNAWS so far in 2005, with more funding to come! The membership of MinnesotaWisconsin FNAWS should be very proud. Congratulations! Become a Board Member of MI-WI FNAWS NEW BOARD MEMBER ELECTION Friday, March 17, 2006 - 6:00 p.m. Minneapolis Marriott Southwest At Annual Meeting Just Before Friday Night Auction During Fundraiser PAGE 12 Stone Sheep Hunt By John and Monica Behrns, Wabasha, MN I have known Art and Crystal Thomson of Gundahoo River Outfitters for almost 20 years now, so I thought it was time to go with them and get my Stone Sheep. At the 2003 FNAWS Convention in Reno, I booked a hunt with them for the fall of 2005. It was to be a 14-day combination hunt for sheep, goat, moose and grizzly. At the end of August my wife, Monica, and I left home in our pickup camper for Ft. Nelson, BC. In 7 days, 2200 miles and almost 40 hours of driving we arrived at Art and Crystal's Lodge, 2 ½ hours past Ft Nelson on Grizzly Lake. They have a great set up at the lodge with cabins for taking care of their hunters. They also have a skinning shed and walk-in coolers for taking care of their trophies. We spent the night there at the lodge hoping for nice weather for the next day so I could get into the mountains. The next day was sunny and warm, so we loaded up my gear in Art's Husky airplane and flew out that morning. We were heading to a cabin on the Gundahoo River. It was the same area my dad had hunted in 1982 for his Stone Sheep. While circling around to land we spotted some nice moose in the hills above the cabin. They were still in the velvet but I hoped that they would be losing the velvet in the later part of the hunt. My guide Brian Hubschmid and wrangler Jayme Hunter were waiting for me when we landed. They both are from an area in central Alberta. We had to wait for Art to bring out the groceries and my gun that I had left in the trailer back at the lodge on his next trip. We loaded up the horses for our ride to a spike camp, which they had already set up for us a couple of valleys away. When Art returned with the groceries and my gun, we headed out. We rode through some good moose country and saw some decent moose on our way to the spike camp. We arrived later in the afternoon so we glassed from camp till dark. The next morning we headed up the mountains right behind camp. The country was full of large and small basins above the tree line with tall peaks in between. Almost every one of those basins is full of grasses and either has a lake or a stream running through it. We looked into and glassed these basins, but there were so many crooks and draws it was hard to cover the entire basin you were looking into. We watched a grizzly about a mile away on another mountain for most of the morning. While looking in the last basin, on the way back to the horses, we spotted a couple of rams tucked back in the corner. We backtracked down the valley so we could slip up the draw right next to them. We got to within 350 yards of them. Here we found seven rams, some grazing and some were sleeping. We looked them over and found two of the rams were eight years old and one was nine. One of the eight year olds was slightly broomed, and the other one was just under a full curl, but his horns were thinner. Both were about the same length. The nine year old had heavy, dark horns but had a tight almost full curl. After looking at them for a while, and being it was the first full day of hunting, I decided to turn them down. The next couple of days we headed back up the mountains and walked a lot of the ridges so we could get a good look into the next valley to glass them. We saw a couple of goats in the distance and a lot of nice caribou, some of them already starting to rub their velvet off. We spotted a few bands of ½ and ¾ curl rams along with some lambs and ewes. We also saw lots of grizzly sign all over. We had a sow and cub come right through camp one morning. On the 5th day of my hunt we got an early start when the horses spooked and we had to chase them heading down the valley about 5 o'clock in the morning. We rode a couple miles up into one of the valleys then headed back up to the top of the mountains. We walked along the ridges and glassed until we came to the headwaters of the Gundahoo River. There we saw four bull moose working their way in the timber along the river bottoms. We were looking at them to see if they were worth going after. One did look pretty decent. We went around the backside of a peak to look into a valley just behind the valley the moose were in. PAGE 13 After glassing for a while, Jayme went back to look into a corner of the Gundahoo Valley which we couldn't see from our other glassing spot earlier. He had spotted a moose in the timber, but couldn't get a good look at it. So we went to take a look. While waiting for the moose to come out of the timber, a sheep suddenly appeared from nowhere. When we took a look at him we could tell he had a dark body and the horns were a lot darker than any of the other rams we had seen earlier. The more we looked at him we realized he was a nice ram. He was in a spot where he would see us coming down the mountain to get into the bottom of the valley. Once we were in the valley bottom we could have a couple of options, depending on the direction of the winds. It was 5 o'clock already. We only had a good couple of hours of daylight left so we knew we had to do something fast. The best plan we came up with was for Brian and I to walk straight towards the ram. Jayme would stay up on the ridge and watch. I was to walk right behind Brian in his footsteps. If we were to walk right out in the open maybe he wouldn't look at us as a threat, hoping we would look more like a caribou than two hunters. Getting down the steep mountain with me right behind Brian was a challenge, but it worked great. The winds were blowing hard, but most of the time they were in our favor. We finally got into the willow brush on the valley floor. We had to make it up one last small willow covered ridge to get to where we had last seen the ram. The willows were way too thick to get through, so we worked our way up to a shale slide just above the thicker willow patches. With about a couple hundred feet to go to get to the top of the ridge, the winds changed direction and began blowing straight towards where we thought the ram would be. So I took off for the top of the ridge, hoping I could get a chance at him before he realized what was happening. Just as I hit the crest of the ridge, I could see horns and rump disappear about 30 yards away into a little dip straight away from me. He wasn't spooked yet but he knew something was up. When he came out he was slightly below me and about 80 yards away, looking almost straight away. I was afraid he would head back down in the dip where I wouldn't be able to see him at all. I knew if he spooked he could go down hill and I wouldn't see him until he was about 300 yards or more out there. If he went uphill I wouldn't see him until he was about 200 yards away. I couldn't see a whole lot of him, but when he turned slightly to his left I took a shot at his front shoulder. Not wanting to hit his horn or hit him in the rear, I shot right in front of him. I took a quick second shot and hit him right where it counts. He ran a few yards and Brian yelled. “Hit him again,” so I hit him with a third shot right in the front shoulder. He didn't go far then. We took pictures, got him caped out in short order and were heading back up to the top of the mountain to get to the horses by 8 o'clock. The sun went down and the stars came out as we were walking back along the ridge tops. The shale slides we had to walk across didn't look nearly as steep in the starlight as they did in the daylight. We got back to the horses about 1:30 in the morning. They were as glad to see us, as we were to see them. An hour later we were back to our spike camp. It got to be long, but very successful day. The next day it started to rain on our way back to the cabin. It only rained once, but it lasted for the next seven days. We spent the next few days looking for moose and grizzly. Most of the time we couldn't even see the mountains where the goats were. We covered a lot of country and looked at a lot of animals, but we knew there was a lot more of them around, but they just wouldn't come out of the timber. On the last couple of days Art flew Monica out to the cabin with us. She had spent the last week back at the lodge. I thought this was something she should see, as she has never experienced anything like this before. She was deadly afraid of the grizzlies. On the drive up she had to pick up bear spray, bear bangers and flares. So it was on her mind all the time she was out in the mountains with them. The next day the four of us headed out in the rain to look for moose or grizzly. Just a mile or so from camp as we were riding along the river and we ran into a grizzly walking down the river. We saw him about a couple hundred yards away. Brian and I jumped off our horses and took off on foot to see if we could get a better look at him. Monica and Jayme stayed with the horses. After we left Jayme told Monica that we had taken the only two guns and I had her bear spray in my backpack. I think she was so excited about seeing a bear out in the wild, that she didn't even have time to get scared. The bear had slipped into the willows and we didn't see him again. The rest of the day we rode and glassed the area. We saw a few moose, but it rained all day. The weather had cleared a couple of days later. Art flew in to start hauling us back to the lodge. On the way out we spotted a lot of nice bulls amongst the timber. Monica had spent a couple of days at the cabin and loved it, so I know next time she can spend the whole time with me out in the mountains. We spent the night at the lodge, loading up the camper and saying goodbye. We got started the next morning for the Alcan Highway. On the last creek we had to cross we tore a tire on the rocks so we had to change the tire and get to Ft. Nelson to get a new tire before they closed. We want to thank Art and Crystal, their whole crew and everybody there who helped make this a trip we will always remember. Thanks also to Brian and Jayme who worked so hard and put up with us. EDITOR’S NOTE: In the last issue of Ram Tracks, this article was run with an incorrect name of the authors. Sorry for any confusion. PAGE 14 Bighorn Sheep Management Projects in North Dakota Funded by MN-WI FNAWS By Brett Wiedmann, North Dakota Game & Fish Department Greetings from North Dakota! As all of you know, we at the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDGF) are very excited about two bighorn sheep projects possibly slated for this winter. Since we have requested funding from MN-WI FNAWS for these projects, perhaps now would be a good time to summarize how your dollars have been spent in North Dakota since our management partnership commenced in 1999. The five year partnership, which was extended an additional five years in 2003, assured that a full-time big game biologist would be on NDGF's staff to ensure that our state's bighorns receive the time that it takes to ensure their perpetuity in this very historic and important piece of habitat. Thus, MN-WI FNAWS agreed to offer a grant of $25,000 annually to NDGF that would be used as a base salary for the new biologist position, and your conservation group would receive the rights to auction North Dakota's lone Governor's Tag, with all proceeds returned to NDGF. Additionally, since 1999, MN-WI FNAWS has also been very generous in funding enhancement projects that have been crucial to rebuilding our state's small bighorn population following the die-off that occurred in the late1990s. A brief explanation of how these monies are distributed via NDGF's accounting system may perhaps be beneficial. The manner by which the department administers revenues and expenditures is stipulated by the North Dakota State Legislator and, therefore, the department has minimal discretion on how revenues are directed within the department's accounting system. For example, grant monies received from MN-WIFNAWS are entered into our Bighorn Sheep Donation Account and can only be spent on projects specific to bighorn sheep. Bighorn Sheep Projects Funded in North Dakota by MN-WI FNAWS 2000: NDGF radio-collared 28 bighorn sheep within 7 herds. We continue to gain valuable data from this project such as population demographics, home range size, cause-specific mortality, lamb recruitment rates, as well as the opportunity to provide other agencies with empirical data that can be a major determinant regarding land management practices on federal lands. $25,000 grant for bighorn biologist. $20,000 from ND Bighorn Sheep Governor's Tag. 2001: South Bullion Transplant. 3 rams and 6 ewes were translocated in order to reestablish a herd that was lost due to the late-90s die-off. Transplant has been successful thus far. $25,000 grant for bighorn biologist. $39,000 from ND Bighorn Sheep Governor's Tag. 2002: North Bullion Transplant. 2 rams and 3 ewes were translocated in order to augment a small band of ewes that survived the late-90s die-off. Transplant has been successful thus far. $25,000 grant for bighorn biologist. $32,000 from ND Bighorn Sheep Governor's Tag. 2003: Oregon Transplant. 26 bighorns were translocated to ND in order to establish two new herds within the northern and southern badlands. Transplant has been successful thus far. $25,000 for transplant and $3300 for radio-collar replacement. $25,000 grant for bighorn biologist. $35,000 from ND Bighorn Sheep Governor's Tag. 2004: Oregon Transplant. 15 bighorns were translocated to ND in order to establish one new herd and augment another within the northern badlands. Transplant has been successful thus far. $18,045 for transplant and $4000 for radio-collar replacement. $25,000 grant for bighorn biologist. $40,000 from ND Bighorn Sheep Governor's Tag. 2005: $25,000 grant for bighorn biologist. $43,000 from ND Bighorn Sheep Governor's Tag. NDGF has agreed to reclassify temporary status of Bighorn Sheep Biologist position to Full-time Permanent Big Game Biologist in 2007. NDGF, recognizing that radio-marked animals are necessary to effectively survey bighorn sheep in the state, will no longer request funding from MN-WI FNAWS for radiocollar replacement costs, but will now incur these costs from the department's General Expenditures Account. Since NDGF and MN-WI FNAWS commenced our bighorn sheep management program in 1999, the total number of herds in ND has increased from 9 to 15; and will be 16 following the MT transplant. Additionally, from 1999 to PAGE 15 Montana Mule Deer Hunt by Jerry Mortier, Vulcan, MI My nephew, Gary Gendron, and I went on a deer hunt on the Hansen Ranches. They are located south of Ekalaka, Montana on Box Elder Creek. Our tag was good for whitetail or mule deer but we were going to concentrate on mule deer. Since Gary had never seen or hunted mule deer, I gave him first opportunity. He took advantage of that and by 4 pm on the first day, he had a dandy typical 4x4 with brow tines to fill his tag. It exceeded 24 inches inside. So, on the second day it was my turn. By around 1 pm we stalked a great non-typical buck. That stalk didn't work but we got on him again about 2 pm and I made a 235 yard shot about 3 pm. He was a great non-typical that measured 27 1/2 inches inside. The Hansen's, Vic and Leigh, and their children and brothers, Mike and Chris, are great people who really make you welcome and are very helpful. The new accommodations and Leigh's great food made the trip very enjoyable. This was my second trip to their ranch and probably not my last. At 150 to 250 deer per day, there seems to be deer in sight at all times. 2004, our total population has increased by 56%; and we observed a new record number of lambs during our summer 2005 bighorn survey, so our population has the potential to increase even more in 2005!!! These tremendous successes in OREGON FNAWS ANNUAL BANQUET AND AUCTION Saturday, April 29, 2006—Redmond, Oregon Special Auction Items: * Statewide Deer Tag auctioned at 8:00 pm * Mexican Desert Bighorn Hunt auctioned at 8:30 pm Telephone bids will be accepted — Please call to pre-arrange at 503-784-1358 or 971-563-0619 or email [email protected] for further information Raffle Item: Aoudad Hunt — A fair chase hunt in West Texas with Super Guide Bubba Glossen Only 700 tickets will be sold. $10 per ticket or 11 for $100. Contact Tom Thomsen at 503-678-2342 or [email protected] for tickets PAGE 16 FNAWS Sponsored Father & Son Hunt by Pat Lothspeich, Belfield, ND One of the auctioneers took off his hat and said, "Hey, let's help Jason go on a hunt", and started passing it around the room. While the hat was being passed, Brian Lindberg, of Soap Creek Outfitters, stood up and said he would donate a hunt for Jason on his land in Iowa. Then Fritz Meyer of Wind River Mountain Outfitters of Dubois, Wyoming stood up and donated a back country horseback fishing trip for Jason and me. Brian Lindberg stood up again and said he would make the hunt for me as well as Jason. If that wasn't enough Brian Kadrmas, owner of Dakota Taxidermy, donated a head mount for Jason, and artist Joshua Spies stood up and said he would sponsor my head mount if I were to be successful. In December 2003, my son, Jason, was a sophomore attending the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks when he received word that the National Guard 141st Combat Engineer Battalion, of which he was a member, was being put on alert. The plan was for deployment to Iraq in January 2004. Joining the National Guard was not only a good way to help pay for college, it was a personal challenge and a way for Jason to make a contribution to his country. Jason was also inspired by his older brother, Joshua, who is a U.S. Army Ranger and Staff Sergeant. Josh is a squad leader in a Stryker Brigade at Ft. Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska, currently deployed in Iraq. The primary job of the 141st was to patrol the roads around Balad and Samarra., Iraq looking for road side bombs commonly known as I.E.D.'s (Improvised Explosive Device). They also conducted security sweeps, patrols and demolitions. Unfortunately five soldiers from their unit were killed including a close friend from Williston, ND who was in Jason's company. Several other soldiers were wounded as well. Upon return their unit received many awards and accolades for doing such a great job. When Jason returned home in February 2005, I asked him whether he wanted to accompany me to the MinnesotaWisconsin FNAWS convention in Minneapolis. I told him he would see many beautiful wildlife mounts, eat great food, attend auctions and meet interesting people who are very dedicated to helping wild sheep in North America. Being an avid hunter, Jason took me up on the offer. During the Saturday night auction the North Dakota Bighorn Sheep Biologist, Brett Weidman, mentioned that Jason had just returned from serving in Iraq. When the crowd of 400 plus people gave him a standing ovation Jason and I were honored and overwhelmed with the respect and appreciation they showed. What happened next was unbelievable. Jason and I were completely overwhelmed with what had happened within those few minutes. When I told my family and friends they asked, "Why did they do that?" I told them that the people who belong to organizations like FNAWS are unique and special people and they like to do unique and special things. What they did for Jason and me was something very special and we will never forget it. We are extremely grateful to all FNAWS members and especially Brian Lindberg, Fritz Meyer, Brian Kadrmas and Joshua Spies for their generous donations. We weren't able to schedule the fishing trip with Fritz Meyer last summer but hope to take the trip during the summer of 2006. Jason and I didn't draw muzzleloader tags in Iowa either, but Brian Lindberg was able to obtain a special license for Jason through the Iowa DNR office. His five day hunt was on and we left for Iowa on December 19th. We stayed at one of Brian Lindberg's cabins and hunted a combination of ground blinds and tree stands for the next five days. South central Iowa near Albia has rolling hills with small rivers and creeks running through it. The forests are dominated by white oak trees. Most mornings and late afternoons we saw lots of deer and Jason had opportunities PAGE 17 to harvest bucks in the 130 to 140 range, but could not get within range of several 150 plus class bucks we saw. We vowed to return after the holidays and try again. Work conflicts prevented me from going on the second trip to Iowa but fortunately my son, Eric, was home from college for the holidays and was able to accompany Jason. Like the first trip Jason and Eric saw lots of deer and observed and video taped several bucks in the 150 plus category, but unfortunately they were either out of position or out of range to take a shot. Even though Jason did not harvest a deer, the hunt can be called successful because the experience is really what it all about. Brian Lindberg worked very hard for Jason and we want to thank Brian and Soap Creek Outfitters African Cat Hunt by Russell Benoy, Forest Lake, MN Sheep hunters do get old and their knees give out, so they must look for lower mountains to hunt. So I booked a small cat hunt in August, 2005, with Johan Strydom Safaris to hunt in the Orange Free State Mountains south of Bethleham, South Africa. Johan hunts all the cats with dogs. My wife, Corrine, came with to take photographs. On August 8 when returning from bird hunting, I was lucky enough to see and shoot an African Wildcat for my birthday present. It was very dry and windy so the dogs couldn’t trail very well. A couple of days later it was very foggy, so the scents stayed on the ground. The dogs jumped a cat and ran it up and down the mountain. It was a Carocolcat which finely treed in a canyon where I shot it with a 22 cal. rifle. Corrine took pictures. for the opportunity and experience of hunting trophy whitetails in Iowa. I would like to quote Stanley M. Boots' comments about hunting from a past article in the National FNAWS magazine. He said, "I've been hunting all my life - and look at it as an experience. The success and enjoyment of a hunt is not in the trophy you obtain, but the experience of obtaining it. It is the people you meet, the friendships you make, the memories you'll cherish, the beauty of the outdoors, the wilderness, the wildlife, the sights and sounds, the smell, and the feelings they evoke. It is the total experience." Jason and I would like to thank all FNAWS members for an event we will always remember: the Saturday night banquet and auction of the 2005 Minnesota-Wisconsin Chapter FNAWS convention. Your actions are a reflection of your thanks and appreciation of U.S. servicemen and women all over the world. Thank you again and God Bless America! Several days later it rained so I hunted in an area where there were a lot of birds that the Serval cats feed on. The dogs jumped one in the rocks and ran it a long way around the mountain and up a stanting tree. The dogs were climbing the tree, and as we came up it jumped out into the long grass where I shot it. I spent the next few days hunting jackels with the dogs ending a very enjoyable eleventh African Safari. PAGE 18 My Hunt of a Lifetime by Mike Ruzic Well, I’d like to introduce myself right off the bat. I’m Mike Ruzic, and I am going to tell you my September 2005 story of hunting big game in British Columbia with outfitter and MN-WI FNAWS supporter Rudy Day. We flew out of Dease Lake, British Columbia on a local air charter. As we were flying across the mountains, lakes and wooded bogs, we saw many caribou and bear walking and grazing about. When we finally landed at Camp Island, we were met by all eight of the Days: Rudy, Linda, Grandma, Doyle, Shane, Dennis, Jordan, and Ivan. The camp was beautiful, and we were glad to be there and were excited about our upcoming hunt. I was also introduced to our four, four-legged furry friends: Chester, Banker, Smudge, and Cloud, the sure-footed horses carrying our asses around for the next few days. The first night in camp we all slept like rocks, with giant caribou circling in all of our heads as we slept. DAY 1 We rode out of Camp Island and started our hunt. I happened to get Doyle for a guide. We rode to a new camp that Dennis and Jordan had set up, that they named J-D. Shortly after we arrived, Doyle and I went hunting. Nothing was in sight, but we did hear one bull thrashing his horns on a tree. A few moments later, we heard on the radio that Dean got a goat. We decided not to head back to camp until it was dark, giving us the few extra minutes that could become the moment that we would see “the great one.” We had supper, told stories, told more stories, drank beer, and then it was cold enough to surrender to the almighty sleeping bag. It was nice to be with a bunch of men who enjoyed the great outdoors as much as I did. What a great day and night it had been! Day 2 as the rain started to pour down. We saw a nice bull, but it was too late to shoot it. This is great moose country! We rode back to camp, had supper, and I went to bed early. I was so tired that I snored loud enough to keep the other guys from sleeping. Dennis made Doyle wake me up several times so they could finally fall asleep. Day 3 We went hunting the minute we finished breakfast. We headed straight for Charlie Hill, the place we had seen the bull moose at last light the day before. At 6:00, we saw a tremendous bull that Doyle estimated at 60 inches or more, but it was almost two miles away. We heard a number of shots from the direction Gordie Dramen was hunting. We later discovered that he had killed the great moose he had come so far north to get! We again arrived at camp in darkness with the assistance of my good horse, Smudge. We found chicken, potatoes, and carrots awaiting us. As we ate, we watched the Northern Lights dance in the distance. It was that night that Dennis gave me my nickname, "The Sylvanian Indian." Day 4 We Dean Wetzel with his 9” Goat I woke up to the great smell of breakfast being cooked. It was Grandma Day cooking eggs in a nest just for me … and the other eight guys. When we got done shoving our faces full of food, we saddled our horses and went out for another hunt. We saw a goat on the side of the guiding area that my partners, Gordie and Dean, were hunting, but by 3:30 nothing was in sight on our side. Things were looking wet and bleak Gordie Dramen (left), Rudy Day, Outfitter (right) Moose 56”, 23 pts. awaken this day and found the water containers in camp frozen. We ate breakfast and saddled up to go hunting further up the area where we spotted the large bull the day before. Dennis and Jordan went back to the main camp for supplies. Dennis was the only one coming back because Jordan went to help Rudy and Gordie with his bull. Meanwhile, Doyle and I were really in great moose country! We found a skull and horns of a nice moose in the woods. It was 4:00 p.m. and still nothing is moving. On our way back to camp, we saw a bull really, really close on the trail. Wow! What a sight! Once again, we arrived at camp in the dark. said, “Mike, get your PAGE 19 Again we arrive at camp in the dark. We ate supper around 11:00 and immediately turned in, for we were dead tired. I don’t believe that Doyle knows how much I appreciated his help. He was doing a great job and was working very hard. Thanks Doyle! Day 5 We woke and rounded up the horses for another day in the woods. We were hopeful that our persistence would pay off as we headed straight back out to our big bull country. Doyle and I took Dennis along to show him the sights and to help find the “Big One.” By 2:00 p.m. we still hadn't spotted anything, so we decided to eat our lunch amongst the trees on the mountainside. We were softly whispering to each other while watching when things started to turn our way. Doyle said, “Mike, get your gun.” I almost smiled, thinking he was just joking until I observed the seriousness in his voice and on his face. Doyle pointed out a moose, a big moose, to me.Dennis pulled out his handy dandy range finder, which estimated 328 yards. I knew we had to get closer, but Doyle said I should shoot. We snuck up to only 309 yards away, I leaned against a sapling tree and shot twice. By damned, the huge moose toppled over! I couldn’t believe my eyes, and the same for my two companions! I’ve never hugged a man as hard as I did Doyle! The slaps on the backs went right along with the hugs and handshakes. I had my moose; the whole 59 inches and 31 points of his massive rack were all mine. Then the work started. We rode down to where he fell, tied the horse up and began to take a look. What a bull! Did I mention that his rack was 59 inches wide and had 31 points? I took tons of pictures and had the video camera rolling. After this emotional high, we started quartering him, with Doyle giving directions. We had parts, antlers, and blood everywhere! Finally, our work was done and it was time to ride back to camp, which was, once again, in the dark. I think my two companions were happier than I was. We were extremely tired - completely exhausted! I ingested Ich-ban and went to bed. Mike Ruzic, Moose 59”, 31 pts, shot at 309 yards Day 6 The morning started after we rolled out of our sleeping bags, caught the horses, made fire and drank coffee. We were very sore from all the strenuous work of the day before, and were all thinking about the packing it was going to take to get my moose in bags, boxes, and anything else you could shove moose meat into. We rode out and couldn’t wait to see the moose again. We got there after a ride that felt like hours, and started to load up the horses. The meat and horns were on Chester’s back, for he was most likely to get them to camp in one piece. We got back to J-D’s Camp, loaded the sleeping bags and foam pads, and cleaned the rest of the camp. As we headed back to Camp Island, I was so excited to show off my big moose. I almost wanted to put the horns on my shoulders and run them to camp! We finally reached our destination and Linda and Grandma were excited to see such a large animal. Thank God for the horses, for they got us back safely. I thought, “Time to relax,” until I realized that we had to unpack not only our packs, but the horse packs with all that moose meat! After all of that work, it was finally time to sit and settle down. We had a delicious supper consisting of caribou ribs and stew. After supper we indulged in a couple of Brandy and Cokes and told a few more stories that came to mind. What a great night, thanks not only to a very large moose, but great guys who made the entire experience possible! Don't forget Grandma Day, what a special woman! Day 7 The guys and I were awakened by Grandma yelling, “Wake up, there’s a moose, there’s a moose swimming across the lake!” We ran out wearing whatever we went to bed in and saw a cow moose 150 yards down from the cabins. We watched it cross, and shortly after that came a bull with about a 50-inch spread. What an incredible sight! We retreated back to the cabins and ate our breakfast. We saddled up and Dennis and I rode off in search of a trophy Mountain Goat for me. Back at camp, Linda, Doyle and Grandma worked on my moose getting the cape and meat ready. On the ride up to the high terrain where the goats would be, Dennis remarked, “We're going to see some beautiful country up here today.” What a wonderful world I saw that day! It was one of pristine beauty, untouched and unspoiled by human contact. During the day, we spotted a nanny and her kids. Later in the day, I spotted a big billy, which Dennis estimated at ten inches or better, but there was no way to get closer for a shot. On the way back to the horses, we spotted another billy and a nanny, but we passed on him for he wasn’t very big. By the time we got back to camp, it was 11:00 p.m.. We ate supper and quickly went to the sack for a good night's rest. Day 8 The next morning we woke up to another beautiful morning. During breakfast, Doyle said we were going to try out Shesley Valley. I was very excited thinking of the upcoming hunt for my elusive billy. We took a two-hour trip up to Shesley Valley, and when we got there we spotted a goat not 260 yards away. We snuck through the trees a little bit and evaluated on how we were going to get him! Doyle had decided that he was going to try and get around the goat and push him my way. When Doyle had gotten around him, we watched the goat ease his way onto the steep wall of the PAGE 20 Hunt of a Lifetime (continued) Mountain, and then he began to come my way! Hey, this is working pretty smoothly, I thought. As I sat there waiting for a possible glimpse at the goat, Doyle suddenly yelled, “He’s going around you!” I immediately got up and sprinted to a rock where I could see him sneaking through the rocks. I raised my rifle, put the crosshairs right behind the front shoulders and down went my goat! I watched in horror as the goat tumbled, bounced and tenderized itself by falling down the mountain. Luckily he got stuck in some trees. When we got down to him, we were thankful that the billy still had his horns! They measured an incredible 10 inches! However, more work was in store for us since we still had to quarter him out and hike up the mountain to the horses. When we got back to camp, everyone was excited for us. Dean Wetzel and his guide, Shane, were still out. When Dean and Shane showed up, we ate a great supper of moose meat and potatoes. After supper we worked on my goat and its cape. When we were finally done, it was very late so it didn’t take us long to fall asleep. Durango we had rented in Smithers. We registered our animals with British Columbia Fish and Game and began the long drive back to Smithers, the closest major airport in this remote country. Goride Dramen and his 37 pt caribou Shot at 400 plus yards Mike Ruzic’s 10” goat - Last day of hunt Day 9 This was our last day in camp with Rudy and all the others in the Day family. Dean Wetzel went out again to try and fill his moose tag, but luck was against him. He did take a great goat, however. We packed all of our things and carried them down to the docks. We said good-bye and thanked everyone for all they had done for us. As we heard the plane coming for us, we finally realized our "Hunt of a Lifetime" was now over, and we would be heading back to our homes. On the first trip, the plane took Gordie, Dean, and some of our gear back to Dease Lake. I got to stay a little longer and see the pristine beauty of Rudy Day's beautiful hunting area a little longer than my hunting pals. After a couple hours, I heard the plane coming in so it was my turn to leave this paradise. For the last time, I shook hands with everyone and climbed into the plane. On the way back, I spotted a grizzly sow and her cubs. I thought to myself, “thank God, I’m in the air and not on the ground as we passed over them.” The plane safely landed and we unloaded the rest of our gear and loaded it into the Dodge Day 10 When we got to our motel in Smithers, we cleaned up and were able to get three hours of sleep. We were up at 6:00 a.m. trying to arrange our gear for our upcoming flight at 9:18 a.m.. We took our capes to a local Smithers taxidermist who would hold them until a friend who had driven up to hunt later, would stop and bring them home for us. We caught our flight at 9:18 and were on our way home. Our experience of a lifetime was now over. I would like to thank my hunting partners, Dean Wetzel and Gordie Dramen, for all the work they put in this hunt. I’d also like to thank Rudy Day and his family for their hospitality and guiding skills. A special thank you to John Coulter for recommending Rudy Day in the first place. John kept telling us not to worry, that our "Hunt of a Lifetime" would be perfect, and it was! This story is by Mike Ruzic, "The Sylvanian Indian." If anyone is interested in how I got this nickname, ask me when you see me at the upcoming March 17th and 18th MN -WI FNAWS Convention! PAGE 21 African Safari Hunt by Don Dusick, Chippewa Falls, WI I never thought I’d hunt in Africa, but it was the most enjoyable hunt I have ever been on. I went in April of 2005. Eon from African Safaris was my guide and they really take care of you over there. I felt it was first class in every respect. I took five animals while I was there—two Kudos, one CEMS Buck and two Impalas. Because of my wonderful adventure, I plan to go back in 2007! Chpater Board Meetings Your Chapter Board of Directors invites you to attend their meetings at any time. We welcome your input! Next Meeting Thursday, March 16, 2006 at 6:30 pm Minneapolis Marriott Southwest Minnetonka, MN WE NEED YOU! The Board of Directors needs volunteers at our Banquet on March 17th and 18th to assist with raffle sales, registration desk, banquet seating, silent auction set up, etc. Contact one of the Board of Directors listed on the inside front cover if you are willing to give a couple hours of your time to FNAWS! Annual Business Meeting THANK YOU! Friday, March 17, 2006 at 6:00 pm Minneapolis Marriott Southwest Minnetonka, MN Future Fundraiser Dates March 17-18, 2006 March 16-17, 2007 PAGE 22 Thank You To all who send in their hunting stories. Included with this newsletter is a Hunt Report Form for you to fill out. Remember...if you bought or won an auction hunt, you owe it to the donor, fellow members and your chapter to file a complete and timely hunt report! Please send all member hunting reports, photos and correspondence to: Patti Quinnell, Newsletter Editor 307 Division Street, Northfield, MN 55057 [email protected] Deadline for Next Issue: June 2, 2006 27th Annual MN-WI FNAWS Convention March 17-18, 2006 At the Minneapolis Marriott Southwest in Minnetonaka, MN! REGISTER ONLINE: www.fnawsmnwi.org (or use the enclosed form) ADVERTISE WITH MN-WI FNAWS Business Card 1/4 Page 1/2 Page 1 Issue $ 40 $ 60 $100 3 Issues $100 $150 $250 Contact Patti Quinnell, 307 Division Street, Northfield, MN 55057 [email protected] ADVERTISING AND HUNTING STORIES DEADLINES June 2 October 2 December 20 PAGE 26 Hunt Report Form MN-WI FNAWS hunt report form-"My hunting trip!" Location of Hunt: _________________________________________________________ Dates of Hunt: ___________________________________________________________ Travel arrangements: ______________________________________________________ Hunter's name: ___________________________________________________________ Hunter's address: _________________________________________________________ Telephone number: _______________________________________________________ Outfitter for this hunt: _____________________________________________________ Outfitter's telephone number: ________________________________________________ Guide's name: ____________________________________________________________ Amount of game seen: _____________________________________________________ Weather during hunt: ______________________________________________________ Trophy or trophies taken: __________________________________________________ Methods of hunting used: __________________________________________________ General paragraph describing your hunt: _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ Important reminder! Two clear pictures showing the hunter and the trophy or trophies is a requirement! Remember, "A good picture is worth a thousand words!" **Send your pictures and completed form to: Patti Quinnell, 307 Division Street, Northfield, MN 55057 or email it to: [email protected] PAGE 28 PAGE 29 un.” I almost smiled, thinking he was just joking, until I observed the seriousness in his voice and on his face. Doyle pointed out a moose, a big moose, to me.. PAGE 30 MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL FORM Minnesota-Wisconsin Chapter Foundation for North American Wild Sheep PLEASE NOTE: All yearly and three-year memberships will now expire on the last day of February. (Previously memberships expired on December 31st.) The membership year will run from March 1st to February 28th. Please check your mailing label on this newsletter for your expiration date. Last Name _____________________________________ First Name _______________________ Street Address ____________________________________________________________________ City _________________________________ State __________________ Zip ________________ ڤOne Year Membership @ $ 40.00 ڤThree-Year Membership @ $ 75.00 ڤLifetime Membership @ $500.00 NOTE: Your membership expiration date is shown on your address label. How are you paying? (circle one) Credit Card Type (check one) Check ڤMastercard ڤDiscover Credit Card ڤVisa ڤAmerican Express Name on Credit Card ____________________________________________________________ Credit Card No _________________________________________ Expiration Date __________ Signature of Card Holder ______________________________Telephone # ________________ Send registration form and payment to: Brian Helm, 1910 Stowe Avenue, Arden Hills, MN 55112-7826 PAGE 32
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