Testifying before the US Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control On December 7, 2011, US Forest Service Chief David Ferrell stated that in 2011 “Marijuana cultivation occurred on 67 National Forests in 20 states.” And this is just a drop in the bucket. Large marijuana gardens are also found on BLM, US National Park, state and regional parks and state and national Wildlife Refuges. A far cry from the “hippie gardens” of the 60’s and 70’s, today’s pot gardens on public lands are thousands of plants and almost entirely the work of international drug cartels.

These gardens wreak havoc on the land, fish and wildlife, with heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides, growers poaching wildlife and damming and diverting streams. A thousand plants consume 5000 gallons of water a day, and the typical garden is 10-20 acres. Also, the growers, who live with the gardens 24/7 from April through October, are all armed, and the gardens are often booby-trapped, turning the woods into a war zone as recreationists and state and federal land managers are threatened, chased out of the woods, and sometimes shot. Sometimes people who do venture into the woods find bodies buried in shallow graves, apparently the result of wars between different cartels.

Did you know that according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation 14% of hunters hunt alone. Are you one of those 14%? I am!

I wrote an article a few weeks ago titled: Hunting Deer/Elk/Bear Alone - In the Glacier Peak Wilderness of Washington State, where I brought attention to a recent elk hunter dyeing while hunting alone near Mt St. Helens. I went on to explain how I had hunted alone in the Wilderness area several times for a mule deer buck and didn't have any problems.

Well this story is about my friend Jim Williams. Jim is an avid hunter, having taken several deer, elk, moose and goat with a bow, muzzleloader and modern rifle. This story starts in early spring of 2011 when Jim wanted to go elk hunting in Montana for the first time. He bought $900 worth of tags for his Montana hunt. He was going to hunt with his bow, so he had a choice of either a cow or a big bull. Of course you know what he wanted! I must back up a little bit as one of his friends, Alan also wanted Jim to go moose hunting in British Columbia after he got back from his elk hunt in Montana. Jim had to shell out $800 for tags and $6200 for an outfitter to guide him on this moose hunt.

I just got this in my email box and I thought it was important enough to pass on to all of our readers! 

Big Action Alert today.  We need your help to return wolves to state management in yet another state.  Here is what is happening.  US Fish and Wildlife Service's public comment period for Wyoming's wolf-delisting closes in two days, January 13, 2012.
 
Anti-sportsmen from all over America have been working hard to post comments in an attempt to derail the return of wolves to state management.  They are working hard to outnumber comments from the good people of Wyoming.
 
Let's even the score.
 
Here is where it gets interesting.  Reportedly, less than 2,000 comments have been made so far.  This is because automatic comments are not permitted by Fish and Wildlife's system.
 
Approximately 20,000 Big Game Forever supporters can turn the tide.  This one will take 5 minutes to go through the sign-in process for US Fish and Wildlife's system.  It is worth your time to help the good people of Wyoming.
 
See the message below on how to make a comment.  Once you are in the system, you can keep your comments very short.  Simply indicate you support the right of Wyoming and all states to manage wolves and other wildlife.
 
Your comment can make a huge difference.  Please take 5 minutes today to protect the future of wildlife in America.  We are winning one state at a time.  
 
There is currently two ways in which you may submit comments:
1) - A hard copy can be submitted by U.S. mail to:
       Public Comments Processing
        Attn: FWS-R6-ES-2011-0039
        Division of Policy & Directives Management
        U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
        4401 North Fairfax Drive
        MS 2042-PDM
        Arlington, VA 22203
2) - Via email
To submit comments via email, in your search engine enter the following: http://www.regulations.gov. Once the link opens, look for the box which asks for a Keyword or ID. Enter FWS-R6-ES-2011-0039, then click the search button.
The next screen look for the heading "Document Type" and place a check in the box before Proposed Rule (1).
You should see below a section which should now read: 1 result for "FWS-R6-ES-2011-0039".
Within the orange box titled "View by Relevance", you should see to the right Submit a Comment.
Click on Submit a Comment and complete the form.
      
There are three Sections; 1. Enter Information, 2. Type Comment, and 3. Upload File(s).
  
Any information you enter in Section 1 will be available for all to read so use caution in how much information you provide. You may only want to provide a first name and your state.  You may want to mention your affiliation with SFW or Big Game Forever.  I would discourage you from providing your email address, phone number, etc as anyone with internet access will be able to view whatever you submit.
 
Your comments do not need to be lengthy but should clearly state you support the USFWS proposal to remove wolves from the list of Endangered and Threatened Species.
 
Once you have completed your comments click on the orange submit button and you should receive confirmation that your comments have been submitted.
 
Thanks again for your support and participation in this effort,
 
Ryan Benson
http://biggameforever.org/
ryandbenson@msn.com

Junior hunts are the best opportunity to get kids out into the field for a taste of the great sport of hunting. Most states have set dates, whether they be before the season starts or the weekend after the season ends, just for junior hunters alone. This is to give juniors a better chance of success with fewer people out in the field hunting wild game. Of course a junior needs to be accompanied by an adult with a valid hunting license, but only the junior can hunt. My last junior hunt happened to be one of the best hunts I have ever been on.

It was mid July. I was in Houston, Texas for the World Waterfowling Calling Contest. Being from California, I usually know when someone else from California is going to a contest that I will attend. This time it was a surprise. A friend of mine, Dan Jernigan, decided to show up in Texas to compete in the world specklebelly and snow goose calling contests. Dan and I had met a few times before, but we were not really that close. I watched him win the world team specklebelly goose contest. After I congratulated him and started talking to him about hunting and his guiding business, he offered to take me out on the junior hunt, which in California is the weekend after the regular season ends. Upon receiving his offer, I was excited by the opportunity presented to me! I had never hunted specklebelly geese before, and I could not refuse. Knowing that the hunt was over six months away, I had to try to put my mind at ease.