august 2019 ❘ 8 ❘ americanhunter.org
saysyou saysme
NRA HUNTER’S CODE OF ETHICS 1. I will consider myself an invited guest of the landowner, seeking his permission, and so conducting
myself that I may be welcome in the future. 2. I will obey the rules of safe gun handling, and will courteously but firmly insist that others who hunt
with me do the same. 3. I will obey all game laws and regulations and will insist that my companions do likewise. 4. I will do my best to acquire those
marksmanship skills which ensure clean, sportsmanlike kills. 5. I will support conservation efforts which can ensure good hunting for future generations
of Americans. 6. I will pass along to younger hunters the attitudes and skills essential to a true outdoor sportsman.The editors welcome your letters. Mail them to:
Says You, American Hunter, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030-9400.
Or email us at [email protected]. Letters may be edited for the sake of brevity.J. Scott Olmsted
Editor in ChiefDefying Hunting’s ‘National Decline’
Your story in the June issue about Western and Southeastern states claiming they “defy hunting’s
national decline” (“First Light”) may be misleading. In order to enhance revenues, most Western
states now require you to buy a hunting license before you can submit an application for a draw tag.
They do not give you a refund if you are not successful in drawing a tag, either. This policy is inflat-
ing the number of hunting licenses sold as hunters apply each year to receive preference points but
do not get to hunt. Note that Wyoming is the only state that increased tag sales. With their aggres-
sive control of wolves, it only makes sense that their game herds are doing well. I remember Alaska
doing a study on wolves killing caribou on an island in the state where the conclusion was that each
wolf kills 32 caribou-size heads of game each year. Now do the math on that, people. Idaho Fish and
Game reported in 2015 that there were 108 documented packs of wolves in the state, with an average
size of 6.4 wolves per pack. I will help you with the math: They kill over 20,000 elk per year. So it is
no wonder they need the money to make up for lost tag sales.
Lee Price, Emmett, Idaho
I live in Vermont and can say that hunters I talk to are getting more and more concerned with the
many tick-borne diseases that are becoming all too common here and in neighboring states. I have
a friend who ended up in a wheelchair due to Lyme disease and is still recovering. Another hunter-
friend had both Lyme and anaplasmosis at the same time. Not sure how the rest of the country is
faring, but it’s truly an epidemic here, and for people like me who both work and play in the woods
it’s becoming a very serious problem. I’m sure this has a negative effect on hunting participation.
David Appleton, Reading, Vt.
I started hunting elk in Colorado by invitation from a retired fellow employee. Back then a nonresi-
dent could apply for a future preference point as a first choice then an “elk zone” as a second choice.
I did this for a few years, usually obtaining the preference point (free) and the second-choice license.
About 2006 or so, they started charging about $25-$30 for the point. A few years later the price went
up to $40. It remained that way until this year. A nonresident cannot just buy a preference point
any longer. Now a nonresident elk hunter must first buy a qualifying license. Yup, I now have a 2019
Colorado small game license. I had to purchase at least a small-game license (total cost $81.75) before
I could even apply for a 2019 Colorado elk license or preference point. That’s why Colorado license
numbers have risen rather than declined.
Vern Denzer, Holcombe, Wis.
Zip Ties to the Rescue
As an avid hunter, extended-range scuba diver and camper, I’ve long thought that zip ties and duct
tape are man’s greatest inventions—maybe even more so than the wheel. (“Know-How,” June)
Will Campbell, Port Jefferson, N.Y.
How Times Have Changed
I grew up in Torrance, Calif., and used to ride out to the desert near El Mirage Lake (a dry lake bed
in the Victor Valley of the Mojave) on weekends to plink rabbits, ground squirrels and sparrows that
would get into the grain for the livestock. We rode motor scooters and motorcycles out to the desert,
about 110 miles, with our .22s slung across our backs. Never a problem. Catching a jackrabbit on the
run at a hundred yards was common. I continued to varmint hunt after high school and as a young
adult up till I was drafted in 1968. Back then, this was varmint hunting, and the local ranchers wel-
comed our efforts. We were careful never to fire toward houses or ranches, or into the air. Today, I
suppose someone would call the police at the sight of a gun.
Terry Redding, De Leon Springs, Fla.
This is August, so this is the
“meat issue.” I would be
remiss if I did not point your
attention to this month’s
installment of “Join the Hunt”
(about saving money by eat-
ing game) and a feature, “Plan
Now for Perfect Backstrap.”
Both articles, incidentally, are
written by the same man,
Mark Kayser; his years of
experience make him a top
choice to address the topic.
But I also would be remiss
if I did not point your attention
to the cover story about the
making of the Remington
Model 700 American Hunter.
As I have grown fond of
saying this year, “Hunters,
there are many rifles but this
one is yours.”
The rifle is the product of
more than a year’s work. Nat-
urally, we’re proud of it—we’re
proud of our collaboration
with Remington and we’re
proud of the characteristics
the rifle displays after working
diligently to make sure we
addressed several trends
in the bolt-action market. It
is chambered in America’s
most popular centerfire
cartridge: the 6.5 Creedmoor.
It sports a composite stock,
weatherproof metalwork. Its
20-inch, heavy-contour barrel
invites riflemen to ably carry
it anywhere—and to point it
and hold it on targets from
25-500 yards. It is a practical
rifle, above all else. Think of it
as a “patrol rifle for hunters.”
Enjoy.