Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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The Heber Wild Horse Territory was established in 1974. It was in conjunction with the Wild Horse & Burro Act that President Nixon signed into law in 1971. Since that time, horses in the Heber area have been studied extensively. In 1993, the Apache Sitgreaves National forests found that there were only two solitary mares in the area at that time. This changed in 2002 with the Rodeo Chedeski fire. Horses that were on the White Mountain Apache Tribal lands poured into the Apache Sitgreaves... Full story
Publishers Note: This article was first published in July 2016. However, the projects continue and always need more volunteers. Please Contact Don McDowell (Arizona Dear Association) for information on volunteering opportunities at don@huntingfishing.com. Each year, Arizona's conservation groups help raise close to $2,000,000.00 through the auction and raffle tags for all of the big game species in Arizona. There are two tags that are auctioned and one tag that is raffled for each of the big... Full story
This article was written in June of 2016. The annual hunting season, long declared to be barbaric by the social media watchdogs, was officially cancelled today by the Arizona Species Specialists, a group of environmentally sensitive and morally conscious individuals who report to the chair of the Prohibited Actions On Public Lands Committee. While the demise of the hunting practice has long been predicted, today's announcement came as a mild surprise to those who hoped that the recreational... Full story
Welcome to the Wild West! The Internet, with all of its wonderful benefits, has also become a place for of refuge for those without a life or the courage to get out and do something positive. Trollers have become the new, cowardly lions of the 21st century. Troller's make other people's lives miserable by bullying, gang messaging and attacking the core of another human whom they have never met. For Wrong/Evil, Few Repercussions Because of the relative newness of the Internet, there are very few... Full story
I read an article in one of the daily newspapers by a couple of individuals who represent organizations that proclaim that there should be jaguars all across Arizona. The article was morbidly interesting since I find that more and more of these green environmental types are pushing for predators of any species to make their way into Arizona. Their language was colorful, dramatic and a bit of blarney. I chose to look at their comments and make what I perceive to be the reality of the situation. "... Full story
I had an opportunity this past month to escape the looming desert heat and visit with my son in Portland, Ore. Part of our get together involved going salmon fishing in the Tilamook Bay area. Yes, we did the usual tourist visit of the Tilamook cheese factory (smoked cheddar can't be beat) and yes, we hiked around in the massive pine forests that tower into the skies. The whole trip, however, centered around father-and-son time in a boat fishing for spring salmon. Our Guide The guide we chose... Full story
I recently watched some of the videos regarding the Salt River horses that the Arizona Republic was kind enough to film. They showed people who were out with their cell phones and cameras, delightedly taking pictures of the horses. They interviewed a rather portly man who proclaimed that people "should get out and see wildlife; this is amazing". As I watched these new-found rugged outdoor people looking at horses, it suddenly dawned on me how this is the newer generation of wildlife watching. I... Full story
We have all been led to believe that democracy is the best way of life and that the United States is the best example of how a society should be lived. I have long held that belief, but current events have had me wondering if that is really true or if as a sportsman democracy could put an end to the pursuits that I hold dear. How can this possibly be? Let's follow along and see if you agree with my train of thought. The Right To Hunt And Fish The right to bear arms is always front and center of... Full story
Contact Koleszar at elkhabitat@gmail.com to share your thoughts on this subject. For the past 20 years now, the conservation groups have been screaming about the land grabs and Endangered Species Act use by Envirolitigants that have curtailed activities in many areas of Arizona. The frivolous lawsuits and inundation of the United States Fish & Wildlife Service with new endangered species listings have effectively made groups like the Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of... Full story
As the sweltering heat oppresses most of us in the Valley of the Sun, news items have come across my desk that bear repeating. I will not champion any particular item, but merely report (sometimes tongue in cheek) the news as it has come down. Gift Triggers Edible, Fiscal Thoughts A gift was presented to me at the Shake Rattle & Troll radio show last Sunday. The gift was a canned tin of - horsemeat! Despite the feelings of many in the United States, horse meat is a delicacy in many countries. Ob... Full story
While the sportsmen and women of Arizona have been patiently waiting for draw results, certain organizations have been using their political clout to remove another massive chunk of real estate from the hunting communities' places to recreate. The following has been in process for a couple of years now, and it appears to be the proverbial train coming down the tracks with not much hope in sight. Save It From What? "Do You Want To Save The Grand Canyon?" That banner has been bandied about by... Full story
'This is the end'... Jim Morrison, 1967 The annual hunting season, long declared to be barbaric by the social media watchdogs, was officially cancelled today by the Arizona Species Specialists, a group of environmentally sensitive and morally conscious individuals who report to the chair of the Prohibited Actions On Public Lands Committee. While the demise of the hunting practice has long been predicted, today's announcement came as a mild surprise to those who had hoped that the recreational... Full story
For those who are not aware, the State of Arizona has wild buffalo / bison. Those animals were brought to Arizona by one Charles "Buffalo" Jones in 1906. His dream was to create a hybrid animal and he attempted to mix breed the cow buffalo with Galloway bulls to create an animal better suited to the forage conditions in the West. That attempt was deemed a failure and eventually the State of Arizona bought 98 bison in 1926. Those animals were placed in the care and custody of what is now the... Full story
To: John ("JK") Koleszar & Western Outdoor Times, Arizona Boating and Watersports Re: "Western Wildlife" article in the February 2016 edition, "Wake Zone, What Price is Enough?" Challenge Accepted I would like to submit a response to the heavily opinionated piece that was published in the February 2016 "Western Wildlife" section of the Western Outdoor Times by John Koleszar. My response is that Mr. Koleszar seems to have written a biased piece without including many facts about wild horses and b... Full story
In 2006, I wrote a lengthy article about the inequities involved in the pay structure for the law enforcement personnel in the Arizona Game & Fish Department. The department was losing their personnel to competing agencies across the board. Some were leaving for DPS (Department of Public Safety) some were opting for local police departments and some were going to the local county sheriffs offices. At that time, the then director for the Arizona Game & Fish Department was Duane Schroufe. The... Full story
Every year the State of Arizona convenes the legislature in January and all kinds of bills pop up. Some are ludicrous (just ask Representative Townsend) and some are a response to critical problems. This year the Arizona Game & Fish Department has been pushing for SB1361 to be approved. What Is SB1361? What is SB1361 and why are a few select former commissioners screaming? Back in 1990, The Heritage Fund (Indian gaming monies) awarded an annual amount of $10 million dollars to the Arizona Game a... Full story
John ("JK") Koleszar can be reached at elkhabitat@gmail.comelkhabitat@gmail.com. Before anyone sets out the lynch mobs, let me be perfectly clear - I really like horses. I rode them for years, found them to be beautiful and, in many cases, like family members. I also love elk, deer, javelina, antelope, desert bighorn sheep and a host of other creatures. The problem that I have is in the prevailing attitude of those who proclaim the absolute love of only horses. I did a little digging, courtesy... Full story
Each year the Arizona Deer Association works with the Arizona Game & Fish Department Development Branch on worthwhile projects designed to help all wildlife but in particular, deer. The photos that you see are really the culmination of years of activity prior to the actual production of this walk-in water trough. For those who are not familiar with it, this article is a primer on how things get done. Every year HPC (Habitat Partnership Committee) groups meet all across the state. Water happens... Full story
In October, the Arizona Deer Association held a youth camp. I was privileged to be part of that event and it certainly proved to be eye opening for a lot of kids under the age of 18. Through the big-game-draw system here in Arizona there are tags that are allocated specifically for youths under the age of 18. In many instances, these are first-time hunters and in some instances, they do not have a mentor or knowledge of the area where the hunt is being held. Courtesy of a grant from Arizona... Full story
William “Billy” Edwards went to work last month, just as he has done every day for the past 25 years. He followed in his father’s footsteps as a computer consultant. His father was one of the pioneers of the industry, dating back to the 1950s when he worked for General Electric as a Mainframe Analyst. Billy had been part of the “Mac” revolution and had done some promising work on applications for the old Macintosh as well as the newer generations. Providing applications that helped the machi... Full story
It is time for a true survey, one that has credentials of being unbiased and one that polls people in the thousands, not just 300. The Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club and a whole group of other pro-wolf advocates have been showing up at public meetings since last fall, proclaiming that "More than 70 percent of Arizonans want more wolves. While the figures alone were stunning, the wolf advocates were constantly harping about heeding the demands of the population. After hearing this litany... Full story
As an advocate for all wildlife, I found the recent furor over the horse situation in the Salt River Recreation area to be tremendously sad because of the lack of education of the general public. From State legislator Kelly Townsend to all of the horse lovers of America, the very idea of removing SOME of the horses from the Salt River area was akin to mass murder. The reality of the situation is that horses do some things very well and that is where the problem arises. They eat, they poop and... Full story
The Truth About Arizona’s Big Bulls When I took the job as editor of this newsletter, little did I realize that I would have to put my life in jeopardy by going undercover to get the scoop on some real eye-opening and explosive information! Last week I met with Wild “BB” (Big Bull) Wapiti… yep, the infamous “400” bull of the Forest Lakes area. We met at the Bugle restaurant well after closing hours, just me….and him. I could smell him even before I saw him…his odor drifted through the fro... Full story
