EZHNT BLOG

  Hunting violations are easily made when you don’t read the many pages of state regulations. It is extremely important to know your rights and the violations that can be made, especially when you’re handling a firearm, and you’re hunting out of state. However, if you’re an avid hunter, you have to have a general knowledge of the rules in different states. To ensure that you are not fined or are harming wildlife, check out the most 10 violations from 2019. Report: 2019 Law Enforcement and Violation Annual Report . 1.       FISH WITHOUT A PROPER/VALID LICENSE; with a total of 620 cases in 2019. This one seems simple, yet, maybe not. Colorado laws state you must have a valid license to fish. A Colorado residents fishing license is $12 for a one-day pass and a non-Colorado resident is $15 for a one-day pass. If you are caught fishing without a license you can potentially be fined for each individual fish you have caught. For more rates on a fishing license, click here .   2.   

      Photo by Fredrik Ohlander        Whether you realize it or not, conservation of wildlife is among one of the most important aspects of maintaining all ecosystems. Many people think of different ecosystems as being completely separate from one another, but oftentimes they are interlaced.  It is easy to see an insect, a fish, and even a bear and think that they have absolutely nothing to do with each other. The truth, however, is that they are all three intimately related. If you consider what would happen if the insects that young salmon depend on went away, you would quickly realize it would be detrimental to the salmon population. If this caused the salmon population to be reduced, then the bear population would be impacted by the lack of fish to eat. This is why healthy populations of all species are important. Conservation plays an important role in maintaining these populations so that ecosystems can thrive. A great way to generate conservation dollars is hunting.     While I

       Photo by Clint Patterson      Hunting wild hog and boar in Texas have been one of the most interesting hunts for me to think about. Want to learn a little more about these animals? Read the rest of this blog to find out some fun facts about these beautiful animals.     Wild pigs have the largest population of free-ranging hooved animals in the United States. Starting in 1982 until 2016 the wild hog and pig population has risen from 2.4 million to 6.9 million. These wild pigs reproduce at a fast rate and with no natural predators in the United States they just keep growing in population. These animals lived in 18 states in 1982 now as of 2016 these wild pigs live in 35 states.     Wild pigs are on the top 100 list of invasive species. They were brought here to America from Asia and Europe to be hunted for sport. Wild pigs are estimated to have about 300 dollars’ worth of damage per pig per year. That was an estimated 1.5 billion dollars’ worth of damage in 2007, if that amoun

     Have you ever just wanted to go to Alaska and take a few weeks to hunt Sitka blacktail deer? Well, I’m going to help prepare you for your trip.   Read the rest of this blog to learn a little about these deer and their habitat.      Sitka blacktail deer are a subspecies of mule deer and are closely related to the larger Colombia black tailed deer. These deer are only found in Alaska and some parts of Canada. Sitka blacktail deer have an average life span of 10 years but can live up to 15 years. Male deer (bucks) have an average weight of 120 pounds in October. Females (does) typically weigh 80 pounds in October. Bucks have been reported to reach over 200 pounds on some occasions.      Sitka blacktail deer live in the West Coastal Rain Forest of Alaska. These deer are wanderers and tend to feed on berries, huckleberry bushes, and grasses. The best time to hunt these deer is during Rut November. Rut November is when black tail start to mate, typically peaking during the middle we

Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash We all know that hunting has a strong history of the patrilineage, but many of us know that women hunt too. Based on a study from “ 2016 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation ” 10% of hunters are female. Although that doesn’t sound like a lot, there are many females who have a strong passion for hunting and fishing. Based on that study, that is 1.1 million women in the United States that go hunting. We must assure that women feel supported and are welcomed into the community of hunters. So, where can you go to find support from other women hunters? One example is Facebook groups, there are various Facebook groups that advocate for women hunters, including “ Women Hunt Too ”. Those groups boost morales of women who enjoy the sport of hunting and like to share their accomplishments with other women who share that same passion. You can also join groups like The Complete Sportswoman by Artemis that advocate no

    Photo by Gary Bendig           You may be interested in getting into rabbit hunting but don't know where to start. Before hunting any animal for the first time, the best thing you can do to help ensure a successful hunt is to educate yourself on the animal. Here are three tips to help point you in the right direction if you're a beginner.  1. Find the Food, Find the Rabbit      The first thing you want to do when trying your hand at rabbit hunting is find their food source. In the warmer months, rabbits tend to eat weeds, grasses, clovers, vegetable plants, and flowers. In contrast, during the winter months, rabbits tend to gravitate more towards twigs, buds, bark, conifer needles and will search for any greens that haven't succumb to the cold weather. If you have time to do a little recon of the area you plan to hunt, keep an eye out for these food sources, and your odds of finding rabbits will greatly increase. 2. Remember Hide and Seek?     Hunting rabbits can be a l

       The three states I want to talk about are very rough terrain to hunt on. Washington, Maine and Alaska are three of the best states to hunt for Moose. Moose have three subspecies, keep in mind each subspecies of moose has different weights, heights, and many other things.        Washington has one of the highest population densities of Moose in America. The main subspecies in Washington is the “Shiras” moose. These animals love large amounts of brush and thick forest area. This makes hunting them extremely difficult but the payoff is probably a years’ worth of Moose meat. This state also has a good climate for these massive animals to survive. Moose are large animals, so, once temperatures rise above 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit they need to cool down in a body of water. Moose live in areas near rivers, ponds, and marshes. Always check with the department of wildlife for each state you hunt or fish. Special tags or licenses may be needed for these types of animals.       Maine

       Shedding takes place from mid-January to mid-April. This is due to the decline in testosterone that causes hormones to reabsorb the calcium in the bone surrounding pedicle. This process directly results in the antlers shedding from the deer's head. Some deer shed their antlers earlier or later than normal depending on different factors. Wounded or injured deer usually cast their antlers earlier than normal because injuries activate the osteoclasts cells early. The same situation goes for deer with declining physical conditions.      Deer that are in good condition, live in a mild climate, and have a higher quality habitat will keep their antlers well into the spring months. Deer with poorer conditions, live through harsh winters, and have limited nutrition based on their habitat will shed their antlers earlier.      As for springtime, head out in the woods and start shed hunting to see if you can find shed antlers deer have dropped! These can be a great tool for the next rut

          Small game outtings can be some of the most fun hunts you can go on. Oftentimes, when you find a good habitat for these animals, there is a lot of action and many hunts are successful. Some of the most common small game you can hunt are squirrels, rabbits, ducks, grouse, pheasants, quail, doves, and geese. At first glance, these animals can seem like they may not be worth your time due to their size, so, what are the benefits of hunting small game? 1. Meat     Small game can be an excellent source of meat. While they are not as large, oftentimes you are able to harvest many of them even in just one hunting outing. The amount of animals you are able to harvest makes up for their lack of size and together can yield enough  meat that can last for months or even years if you store them correctly.  2. Target Practice     Hunting small game can make for some great target practice. These small animals are typically much more agile than big game. They are also significantly smaller  

        Do you own multiple acres with great terrain for hunting? Do you utilize it as much as you wish? Would you ever let a stranger use it to go hunting? I’m guessing the last answer depends if you know the person and if you can trust their character. I’m also guessing you only let friends and family utilize your land because you don’t want the land to get crowded with people who is carrying a gun. However, there are many reasons why allowing hunters to hunt on your land could benefit you.        If you are a farmer, wildlife oftentimes destroys crops as they graze. Hunting can help reduce crop depravation. Deer can also be destructive to fencing considering that they travel far. Allowing hunters to use your land helps manage wildlife populations. Hunting is the checks and balance to a healthy habitat. Too many deer can result in spread of diseases, disruptions of other wildlife communities due to lack of food, and destruction of natural habitat.      Hunting is crucial when it come

  So where do you go? Oh yeah, public land! It is cheap(ish) to get a license, you can hunt for as long as the license allows, and you get the raw feeling of hunting in the wild. Unfortunately, public hunting places are often very crowded. Just like any public land, people love to utilize our magical home. Hunting on public land means sharing the land with other hunters. Just imagine this… You wake up at 4 AM, it is cold, it is foggy, you find the perfect spot to scout herds of elk. After hours you finally spot the perfect bull. It is now 7 AM and from across the hill you spot a bright orange vest, it is another hunter. CRAP… The elks see the other hunter and runs; your shot is ruined. So, public land did not work out, what else is there? Guided Hunts are another resource you can utilize when hunting in a new area. Simply Googling “Guided Hunts Near Me” will give you multiple businesses that offer guided hunts. Sure, that will be fun. Having a personal guide that can show you the ins a

  There are some popular states in which you can hunt Whitetail Deer. The whitetail deer mainly reside on the east side of the Rocky Mountains, they also live in Southwestern Arizona and most of Mexico. There are some popular states that these deer live in and are hunted regularly. Iowa, Ohio, and Wisconsin are some of the best states to hunt for whitetail deer.             Iowa is one of the states where you can find some of the largest whitetails. They do not populate the state like some of the other states on this small list, but they do produce some of the largest deer. Iowa has all the resources to produce some of the largest bucks in the United States.             Ohio is also another great state to go hunt for whitetail deer. Ohio has some of the best terrain for the deer to thrive. Ohio also produces some of the largest bucks, even rivaling Iowa. Ohio has some laws to help keep the deer population stable with consistently healthy numbers.             The last state I am g

The answer is yes...and no.  Elk are, by nature, a migratory species except where seasonal changes are moderate. (Roosevelt Elk, of the Pacific Coast regions in California, Oregon and Washington States do  not migrate. Other subspecies of Elk   migrate up to 50-100 miles.)  The elk spend the summer calving and fattening on fresh grass. Every fall, the massive herds migrate back down into the surrounding valleys and plains, where lower elevations provide respite from harsh winters. The decisions that these animals make about when to migrate are absolutely dependent on changes in the landscape, changes that are ultimately governed by the climate, and in the future, with climate change, we should expect the timing of these mass movements to be altered, which will affect the other wildlife and the people who depend on them, including predators, scavengers and hunters across the ecosystem.  Then they start their return in the Spring. Soon after, bull elk, shed their antlers in March and Apr

  For decades the people of the united states were hunting game in an unregulated manner. This led to millions of animals to lose significant numbers in their population. Fearing that this may be detrimental to the longevity of these animal species, men like Theodore Roosevelt, George Armstrong Custer, and George Bird Grinnell all realized that conservation efforts needed to be implemented before it was too late and the animals became gravely endangered or even worse, extinct. Over time, these conservation efforts turned into the formal model of conservation that we know today. Although we are all familiar with at least some aspects of this conservation model, what are the components of the conservation model? 1.         Wildlife Resources are Public Trusts Okay, but what does this mean? In short, it means that wildlife is not and cannot ever be owned by a private entity. It is held in trust for the benefit of the present and future generations by government. This is the legal foun

  The Elk or Wapiti is a large deer with a short tail and a prominent buff-colored patch on its rump. Together with the Sambar Deer and the Moose, this animal is one of the largest deer species in the world. Males have extremely large antlers, which usually start growing in the spring, being shed in the winter, while females have no antlers. Also, some individuals may grow thin mane on their neck. By the winter, the coat of these animals becomes thicker, in order to protect them from the cold. The winter coat of the elk consists of long, waterproof hairs, which cover the thick, wooly undercoat of this animal. The Newborn elk calves are spotted, losing their spots at the end of summer. The color of their fur depends on the habitat and season of the year. During the summer, their coat is reddish shade while in the winter their coat becomes lightish grey in color. Elks are social animals, gathering in summer herds that contain up to 400 elks. The matriarchy elk herd is led by a single cow