What Do I Do

Many people may ask "What do I do with my left over horns?" well this is a good question. You don't really want to get rid of them and just selling your horns makes you miss them even more. So here are some ideas that might keep your horns from going to waist and still keep there sentimental value.

Recently I have started a new hobby making furniture with my horns. I can't say that I am a professional yet because I have only made three lamps but I do take pride in them. My wife even let me put them in the house and she likes them. That in its self is a positive. So you can do what I have done and make a lamp yourself or you can have Wyoming Antler Design make one for you.

Eric Orem owns and makes the lamps for Wyoming Antler Design. He is one of my good friends and takes great pride in what he does. Some of the things he make are chandeliers, floor lamps and table lamps. These are great for gifts and also nice for memories. Not everyone has the money to mount ever buck or bull that they kill anyway so check Eric out at Wyoming Antler Design you won't be disappointed.

lily lake

Some of my fondest memories from my child hood are in the Bare tooth Mountains mostly camping at Lily Lake. Ever Labor Day my family and many other families would get together and go to Lily Lake. We would go cannoning, fly fishing, hiking and my favorite crawdad fishing.

Crawdad fishing was not like normal fishing it usually consisted of leftover chicken bones, a peace of fishing line and some times a little net. You had to walk very lightly out on to floating logs and dangle your chicken in the watter and wait for a crawdad to come.

It took skill to catch these crayfish you had to have good balance, a steady hand and quick reflexes. If you lacked one of these you would end up in the watter, the crawdad would end up back in the watter or some times both. I did spend my share in the watter be for I learned how to catch crawdads.

so if your are looking for a great place to camp fly fish and catch crawdads Lily lake is the place to go. It is located from Cody, take WY 120 17 miles north to WY 296, 47 miles northwest to US 212, then 1 mile northeast on Forest Road 130.

Copper Lakes

Well I looked all over to find a map to show you how to get to Copper Lakes in Wyoming but it must be one of the best kept secrets around. So I can't show you how to get there but I will give you some directions.

You may ask why you would want to know how to get there, or what makes this place so special. Well it is just that if there are not any maps to get their there must not be that many people up there right? That means you can have the whole lake to your self and if that doesn't intreag you the wonderful hike, scenery and fishing should.

So here are the directions to this oasis. From Cody head north on the Belfry hwy till you get to the Chef Joseph Scenic hwy and turn left follow it down the switchbacks passing Dead Indian campground keep going you are almost there. Now here is the tricky part there is a dirt road that turns left about 300 yards be for the clarksfork river look out (this is a bridge that over looks the clarksfork river) take this road and it will lead you to the trail head for Copper lakes.

The hike in, is all up hill but not that far of a hike. Also once you have reached the first lake (witch has the best fishing) you can walk to the back and follow the inlet to the next lake witch has golden trout. I hope you are up for the adventure. If you have any questions let me know.

Catfish Fishing

When some one hears of Catfish fishing they think of the mid west and those guys who catch these big fish with there hands. Well to us in Wyoming it means a camping trip with the guys staying up all night waiting for a bell to ring. We have a couple of spots that I am not a liberty to say where they are but there are two lakes where we normally fish at they are Beck lake in Cody and Yellowtail reservoir near Lovell Wyoming. These lakes are known for catfish.

Let me tell you a few secrets about how to catch the infamous Blue Catfish. Time and location are very important in being successful in catching a catfish. For example from the middle of June to the middle of July is the breading season for catfish. This is very important because they don't normally bite. You may catch a few little catfish but not normally the bigger ones. So the best time to go would be the end of July and all through August. Also the bate you use is very important, catfish don't have very good eyes so they go by there tentacles next to there mouth to feel and there nose for sent. So having a bate that is really smelly and good size can help in catching a catfish. Most of the time if we have it we will use "cut bate" witch is dead carp cut in to peaces leaving the skin on it so it will stay on your hook. Also chicken and beef livers work really good. Remember if the bate you use makes you gag than you know it will work. Good luck and i hope to see you out there catfish fishing.

Turkey Hunting

If your really in to hunting and have to be hunting all the time then you might want to think about Turkey hunting. In wyoming there are two seasons that you can hunt Turkeys in the fall and in the spring.

Some aras you have to put in for because the turkey population is not verry high and there are some areas where turkeys have been transplanted to like Cody. For the last 10 years the game and fish have been working hard on building the turkey population around Cody. but in other arias like Buffalo, Sheridan, and Gillette you can just buy turkey tags over the counter because of the high population.

Turkeys are verry smart and if you are thinking that you can just go out and shoot a turkey you are wrong. there are a few factors that can make your turkey hunt successful like the right sopt the camo you are whering, the gun you use and the call that is used. I think that the number one thing that you should worrie about is your call because turkeys are a bird they can tell a slight difference in the way you are calling. this can really make or break your hunt. Take a look at this video on how to use mouth calls and practice often so you can have a good hunt.

Horn Hunting

Not many people really know what horn hunting is. But to those who live in the state of Wyoming it is like finding a $200 bucks laying in the parking lot. Every spring all Elk, Deer, and Moose shed there horns. When i was a kid you could go looking for horns any where and when ever you want. Now then has become seasions like hunting seasions of when you can and cant go.

I thought public land belonged to us; so what ever we find there should be ours right? It has been said the the game and fish are even going to make it so you can't even horn hunt anymore. The animal rights activist are saying that when some one goes horn hunting they push the animals around so that they will drop there horns. They clam that horn hunters are harassing the animals. i feel that if someone wants to take the time out of there day and go horn hunting they should be able to.

we as members of this state should have the right to decide what goes on here not some one that live back east. This is what happened with the wolves. No one in the state wanted it but look at us now they have become a problem. i feel that this is a very important issue that need to be addressed be for we loose the right to be on public land.

The Gray Wolf

As we all know that Wyoming was left behind on releasing the Gray Wolf form the endangered spices list. Due to its aggressive plan to make the animal a praetor and allowing no quota on how many wolves could be killed. The Wyoming Game and fish has revised there plan and hunter management program making it more like the laws of Idaho and Montana. Take a look here to see what plan Wyoming is offering as a wolf management plan and tell me what you think.

Primetime Fishing #2

In the first Primetime Fishing I talk about how the fish are heading up stream to spawn that was at the end of April. Now it is June and the fish are heading down stream back the Buffalo Bill reservoir. The watter is a little muddy but the fish are hitting a brite orange egg pattern trailing a bead head halfback. These fish may not have as much of energy as they did in April because of the long journey that they had to take to be able to spawn. But in reality when you hook a fish on a fly rod it doesn't matter how big or how small it is it will get your blood pumping. So take some time off work or just a day to relax and go catch a fish because it will be another year till you will be able to get your fly rod out on the Northfork of the Shoshone river.

fly fishermens dream

The Big Horn Mountain range is known to be a fly fisherman's dream due it its many lakes and streams, beautiful hikes, and lack of grizzly bears. These lakes and streams are full of fish. Because of its high elevation, they are highly populates with Brook trout. As many may know the Brook trout are very cagey but love dry flies. This makes for a very interesting fishing trip.

The Paint Rock Lakes are located just above Shell Cannon by the Shell reservoir. This is one of my favorite places to go camping and fishing. There is a upper and a lower Paint Rock lake connected by a little stream that is full of Brook trout. What makes this stream so fun to fish is the fact that you have to sneak on to every hole. Some times because of the low cover, you have to belly crawl just to catch a fish. But believe me it is worth it. One of the best flies is called the Mosquito or the Joe's Hopper. I can promise if you use one of these two flies you will not go with out dinner in the Big Horns.

Last Chance

This post is for my father in-law but if it can help any one else that would be great. This year the Wyoming Game and Fish has made it possible to buy the leftover Elk, Deer, and Antelope tags. They will become available to the public on July 7 at 8am mountain standard time. You can buy them on the Wyoming Game and Fish website or at any store in Wyoming that is set up to sell hunting licences. Click here to see what arias have leftover tags. It is best if you fill out your information be for hand so on the morning of July 7 you can just click the tags you would like to buy and check out. the tags will be sold on a first come first serve basis. So you want to get it done as soon as you can. I hope this is a benefit to those who missed out on the first draw.

Destain to Hunt

From the time I was little I had many experiences that allowed me to gain a love for the outdoors. Many mornings my dad would come in and wake me up at 5am to take me hunting. This to me was a chance that I had to spend time with my dad in the outdoors with no one around. I grew to love the outdoors and looked forward to spending time with my dad.

I remember falling a sleep under the tree stand wile my dad waited for his trophy buck to walk by. when I would wake up my dad would tell me how a doe and her fawn would walk over to me and sniff my feet to see what I was. How much I wanted to be awake for this to happened it always seemed like the deer would come buy when I was sleeping.

Every year I would look forward to going hunting with my dad just to have the chance to be inches from a deer and for it not to realize that I was there. As years went buy I eventually had the experience to be that close to a wild animal. Still to this day I look forward to hunting season just to spend the time with my dad. I look forward to the opportunity to take my kids hunting.

The Wolf

In January of 1995 an event happened that changed the lives of those people living near Yellowstone National Park. This is when the gray wolf was reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park. Many people thought that the wolf would stay in the park but they are not like people where you can tell them to stay somewhere and they will do it.

From the start wolfs have been a problem killing lots of livestock and wild animals. The moose population has significantly been affected since 1995 and in a article in missoulian.com online news it talks about the elk herds decreasing in numbers do the increase in wolf population.

At the end of President Bush's term he tried to take the gray wolf off the endangered species list. As of now the wolf is off the list in Montana and Idaho. But what about Wyoming we were left in the dust because we wanted to take them from an endangered specie to a predator. They are a problem even in the park. In May of 2009 the park service because it was chasing bicyclists and approaching cars and causing problems.

I feel that the gray wolf needs to be taken off the endangered species list. By doing this it will make wolfs afraid of humans and help maintain them in the park.

Draw Results

It use to be that you would fill out your hunting applications and mail them in to the Wyoming Game and Fish. Then four months later you would recive a letter in the mail with your tag if you drew and a check returing your money for your tags if not. Now the Game and Fish have finally moved up in the world of technology and have made it possible to fill out your tags online. This has made the draw faster moving up the date of the draw to find out what you will be hunting. This year they moved the date from July 7 2009 to June 24 2009. All you need is your name zipcode and date of birth to find out your draw results.

Long Range shooting

As a hunter in wyoming you may know that there is a lot of land to cover, and you can't always have the perfect distance or spot to shoot a big game animal. That is why the type of gun scope and even bullets you use can help prepare you for a successful hunt.

Growing up I have always used a Winchester bult action 270 with a Redfield scope. I have had many peeople tell me that i need somthing bigger like a 300 mag. I have not had a prolblem killing elk or deer at all it is actually my favorite gun to hung with. I would advice you to find a gun that fits you and you are comfortable shooting and practice often. If you do this you will be confident in your gun and not miss when that big bull or buck walks out.

An improvement to your gun that i would recommend is the long distance scopes made by Aaron Davidson in Burlington Wyoming. Aaron has made some modifications to his scopes making it possable to kill animals at long distances. He now holds the world record for the longest shoot ever taken and cought on tape to kill an antelope. It ranged in at a 1200 yard shot.

On Foot or On Horseback

As a hunter in Wyoming you may know that there are many different terrains that range from the high mountions to the low grassy plains and everything in between.Whether you decide to hunt on foot or horseback compared to hunting out of your truck or on the road. Will increase your chances of filling you deer or elk tags. We all know that the road hunters are really just too lazy to get out and work for the trophy animal. But the real question is whether hunting on horseback is more effective that hunting on foot. They both have there advantages and disadvantages but in reality it depends on your resources.

Not everyone has a horse or access to one so most people in Wyoming hunt on foot. There are many arias that have great hunting and are very easy to hunt on foot. Some of the places that a foot hunter might want think about hunting is the big horn mountion range there are many roads that wind around through the big horn mountions making it an easy to accesses and yet some of the biggest elk and deer have been killed up there and not to mention that the wolf population is a lot lower than most arias in the state of Wyoming.

Another aria that is an easy access for foot hunters is called the north fork. it is located west of Cody and runs to the right and left of the road that runs to Yellowstone. I have many friends that have hunted this aria and as successful ever year.

The Hunt of a Lifetime

A couple of years ago I had a hunting experience that I can guarantee will never happen to me again. It was in the Fall of 2006. My dad and I were sneaking on a bull elk that we were hoping to get. Right as we were heading into the trees we had two cow elk come walking down the trail we were hiking on. They walked about 30 feet from me then turned and walked down the hill. We kept sneaking up the hill making as little noise as possible, except for cow calling every once in a while in order to confuse the elk. We got a little ways up the hill and out came a spike bull. He was looking right at me and so my dad would call and the bull would look at him and I would hike a little, then I would call and the bull would look at me and my dad would hike. This went on for about twenty minutes. I got to a spot and waited for my dad to catch up so we could make a plan on where we needed to go next.

As we started to make a new game plan we heard a crashing through the trees, and, thinking that this was my big bull, I pulled up and got ready to fire when out came a cow elk being chased by a mountain lion hot on her heels. They were running twenty yards from us, and just as they passed us, the lion took down the elk and killed it. We could see the lion latched onto the throat of the elk.

We kept hiking and walked right in the middle of a herd of elk. In that herd I saw two big bulls fighting on the top of the hill and I wanted one of these two bulls. I am not sure what happened, but they must have caught wind of our scent and took off running. I ran after them hoping that I might see them come around the corner as I got up there, but I didn't see either elk. I cow called and a bull bugled right above me so I stepped out from behind the tree and shot him. When we got home we scored him and he scored 306. Not bad for my first bull. This was a hunt of a lifetime and I will never forget it.

Don't Forget

Don't forget to send in your Elk and Deer licences be for the end of the month. Time is running out there is only 13 days left that you are able to submit you licences to the game and fish. There are two ways that this can be done one you can go to any store where licences are sold, pick up a booklet and fill out the information and mail it to the game and fish, but remember they have to be there be for the 31 of may. The other way is by going to the Wyoming Game and Fish website that i have provided and fill it out there. Don't forget or you won't be hunting this fall.

Primetime fishing

If you add snow and sunlight you will get water. As this water reaches the rivers around Cody, Wyoming the temperature of the water rises. From the middle of March till the end of July thousands of fish head up river to spawn. This means prime time fishing. Every spring my Dad and I head up the NorthFork of the Shoshone River to spend all day standing in the water up to our waists.

With no one else around, we cast a fly back and forth and allow it to set smoothly on top of the water. With the help of the calm yet rushing water, we try to imitate a nymph or a loose egg drifting across the bottom of the river. Hoping to hook into one of the most amazing fish ever to be caught on a four-weight fly rod, the Rainbow Trout.

Every year I look forward to spending this time with my Dad. We do get a little competitive trying to out-fish the other to prove who is the better fisherman. Some days it is me and other days it is him but the real reason we go out is not only to catch fish but to get away from our busy lives and spend time in the most amazing country there is around. If you want a little more information about fly fishing in Wyoming go to the Fly Fishing Wyoming link.