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
coulterj@iw.net
VICE PRESIDENT
Jerry Mariska
14203 410th Avenue
Waseca, MN 56093
(507) 835-1442
jpmmfm@hickorytech.net
TREASURER
Tim McEuen
N14788 Harris Road
Trempealeau, WI 54661
(608) 539-4400
(608) 539-4300 fax
macfnaws@outdrs.net
SECRETARY
Brian Helm
1910 Stowe Avenue
Arden Hills, MN 55112-7826
(651) 631-9273
blhelm@twincitizen.net
DIRECTORS
Dick Barr
16205 Creekwood Circle
Prior Lake, MN 55372
(952) 447-4795
richard.barr@mchsi.com
Gregg Boeke
17695 Italy Path
Lakeville, MN 55044
(952) 898-5063
tirapgb@msn.com
Al Burke
2304 Donegal Court
Hudson, WI 54016
(715) 386-2182
al_burke@kelleherconstruction.com
David Evenson
1025 Riders Club Road
Onalaska, WI 54650
(608) 526-5857
evensondave@charter.net
Al Holland
11933 Highway 65 NE
Blaine, MN 55434
(763) 755-8680
al.holland.b5b0@statefarm.com
Bill Kiefer
1432 Third Street N
Fargo, ND 58102
(701) 280-2024
kieferhome@cableone.net
Stewart Shaft
5720 E 115th Street
Northfield, MN 55057
(507) 663-6056
woodland_acres@yahoo.com
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: kieferhome@cableone.net
or
Dave Evenson
1025 Riders Club Road
Onalaska, WI 54650
(608) 526-5857
evensondave@charter.net
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 president@oregonfnaws.org 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 lonepinetom@aol.com 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
ramtracks@rconnect.com
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 ramtracks@rconnect.com
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: ramtracks@rconnect.com
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