Petersen's Hunting September 2018

“BEST OF ALL HE LOVED THE FALL … the fall with the tawny and grey, the leaves yellow on the cottonwoods, leaves floating on the trout streams and above the hills the high blue windless skies. He loved to shoot, he loved to ride and he loved to fish.” Those famous words from Ernest Hemingway ring no truer than in the month of September. From the first day of the month, which happens to be the traditional dove opener in many states, all the way through to the 30 , September holds so much promise for sportsmen and women. The problem is, it’s almost too much. With so many things to do, there’s never enough time in those 30 days to pack everything in. Let’s count the opportunities September offers: the aforementioned…

CWD A THREAT TO HUMANS? I was surprised to hear that CWD is not transmissible to humans, according to Kip Adams of QDMA. Perhaps he should share his information with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and with numerous CWD researchers. I would agree that there is probably a low risk of humans getting CWD, but it is not no risk. For most states with CWD, in regard to containment or eradication, that ship has already sailed. States would best spend their money on research and to provide timely low-cost or no-cost tests for hunters. I’m 100 percent in agreement with Adams’s statement, “Hunters should have the tools to know if their deer is infected without going through a complicated process. We should not eat infected animals.” MAJ. FRED O. WYANT,…

READING ABOUT CRAIG BODDINGTON BEING THE 2017 WINNER OF THE WEATHERBY AWARD (JUNE/ JULY) BROUGHT ME BACK TO WHEN I WAS A PLUMBER IN ALBANY, OREGON. I WAS MAKING SMALL TALK WITH THE HOME OWNER AND MENTIONED THAT I SAW SOME CAMOUFLAGE IN HIS GARAGE AND ASKED IF HE WAS GOING HUNTING THIS WEEKEND. HE SAID NO THEN STARTED TALKING ABOUT SOME OF HIS HUNTS AND THE PEOPLE HE HAS HUNTED WITH AND THAT HE ALWAYS HUNTED WITH WEATHERBY FIREARMS AND HAD TWO IDENTICAL RIFLES BUILT WHEN HE ORDERED A NEW RIFLE. AT FIRST, I THOUGHT HE WAS FULL OF IT. HE WALKED ME TO HIS DINING ROOM WHERE I SAW A TROPHY ABOUT FOUR FEET TALL. MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS THAT HE HAD WON A SHOOTING EVENT. I BENT OVER…

After 43 years and tens of millions of dollars, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) population of grizzly bears is off the Endangered Species List (ESL). Conservationists, including state and federal biologists who have dedicated their lives to recovery efforts, hailed the delisting. “It isn’t just another success story of the Endangered Species Act, I would say it is one of the greatest success stories,” said Dr. Chris Servheen, PhD, retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grizzly bear recovery coordinator. Just 136 bears roamed the GYE when they were placed on the ESL in 1975. Now at least 700 call the Yellowstone area home. Their range has expanded exponentially as well. As recently as 2002, they occupied about 8.1 million acres in the GYE. Today, they roam nearly twice that area. History may repeat…

BULLET BASICS An all-around hunting bullet designed for use on deer- to elk-size game, the InterLock BTSP features a lead-alloy core in a tapered, boat-tailed jacket. A crimping groove is swedged into the jacket and mechanically locks the core in place. The generous exposed-lead tip initiates immediate, dramatic expansion on impact, and the tapered jacket and InterLock ring control expansion to create a good mushroom shape. It’s not as cutting-edge as its newer polymer-tipped cousins, but it’s a solid, reliable bullet that’s been bringing home the deer for decades. TESTING GROUND This bullet was used to take a cow elk. Fired from a .30-06 at an estimated 2,700 fps from a distance of 125 yards, it impacted the elk with a remaining velocity of about 2,500 fps. FIELD PERFORMANCE Driving directly through the ribcage, destroying…

HISTORY Intended to be the ultimate flat-shooting cartridge for western big game, the 7mm RUM is a true magnum-length cartridge. Introduced in 2002, its based on the .404 Jeffery case and is extremely overbored and excessively inefficient and suffers from short barrel life. Since it burns extraordinary quantities of gunpowder to generate best-in-class speed, it kicks like a startled mule. On the plus side, it pushes high-BC projectiles at really impressive velocities. For those desiring ultimate long-range 7mm capability, it’s a good choice. APPLICATION If you don’t mind the recoil and muzzle blast, the 7mm RUM is spectacular as an open-country deer, antelope, and elk cartridge, and with correct bullet choice, it’s good for moose. It is marginally adequate for bison and grizzly bear, but there are much better options. Handloading enables shooters to…