Wild Sheep Show

Don't forget you can bid online at the Wild Sheep Foundation auctions this week. http://bid.wildsheepfoundation.org/auctionlist.aspx

Hope to see everyone at the Calgary Boat and Sportsman Show, Feb 7-10
http://www.calgaryboatandsportshow.ca/seminars/

SCI Taxidermy

Check out some of the taxidermy photos that I took at the SCI convention in Reno http://www.outdoorlife.com/photos/gallery/hunting/big-game/elk/2013/01/20-best-taxidermy-photos-safari-club-international-conve

SCI Convention 2013

Just a small example of some the incredible taxidermy at the SCI Convention in Reno. We just wrapped up day 2 and are having an incredible time. Got all the details worked out for our trip to South Africa in May. Vanessa added lioness to her list and it looks like I'll be hunting Sable.....pretty excited! I'm also pretty sure that tur in Azerbaijan is on the list for this fall and we talked to a fellow about peacock bass fishing in the Amazon. What an incredible trip that would be. Off to the Northern Alberta Chapter hospitality suite tonight.

Zeiss Introduces new Line

NORTH CHESTERFIELD, VA. - Carl Zeiss Sports Optics, the world’s leading manufacturer in high performance sports optics, is pleased to announce the launch of the new TERRA 3x line of 1-inch riflescopes.
TERRA 3x riflescopes offer all the benefits of German quality, design, engineering and performance that you’ve come to expect from ZEISS, at a price point highly competitive with traditional 1-inch riflescope manufacturers. With best in class image quality, comfortable ergonomics and robust construction,
TERRA 3x riflescopes are built to handle the most rugged terrain and challenging conditions, and are backed by the Carl Zeiss’ U.S. Limited Lifetime Warranty.

“We are thrilled to offer our third ZEISS series of riflescopes to the market at a price that puts them within reach of most sportsmen,” said Mike Jensen, President of Carl Zeiss Sports Optics. “Carl Zeiss is the leader in world class premium hunting optics, but we have to be realists when servicing the American hunter. We are listening to what this market is asking for and delivering outstanding TERRA optical products at incredibly competitive price points. TERRA riflescopes will bring the ZEISS brand as an additional choice of optics to millions more sportsmen in the U.S.”

TERRA 3x Riflescopes pack powerful, uncompromising optical performance into a lightweight, yet extremely rugged, compact 1″ design. ZEISS optics with MC anti-reflective coatings produces bright, high contrast images and 1/4-MOA adjustments provide 100% repeatability, click by click. Available with standard Z-Plex or the newly designed TERRA exclusive RZ6 and RZ8 ballistic reticles (more information below).
2-7×32
With its compact size and extremely low profile, this scope will work perfectly as a slug gun scope, a lever gun scabbard scope or for highly mobile hunters who don’t need extra weight when stalking through dense heavy cover taking short to mid-range shots.
3-9×42
This all-purpose scope features a slightly larger objective to provide hunters with an added advantage
in low light situations. The 3-9×42 is a classic scope for American sportsmen and this will surely please those looking to enter the ZEISS family of products.
4-12×42
Suited for mid-to-long range hunting applications, this low profile scope is versatile yet still compact enough to manage rugged, mountainous terrain. Available in ZEISS Z-Plex and the new RZ8 reticle.
MSRP:

• TERRA 2-7×32 Z-Plex $388.00
• TERRA 3-9×42 Z-Plex $444.00
• TERRA 3-9×42 RZ6 $499.00
• TERRA 4-12×42 Z-Plex $499.00
• TERRA 4-12×42 RZ8 $555.00

Specs:
ZEISS Category Breakdown:

• *** VICTORY: Super Premium Optics. Made and handcrafted in Germany. Exceptional in every way.
• **CONQUEST: Premium Optics. Made or Assembled in Germany. Exceptional Quality,

Exceptional Value.

• *TERRA: Premium Optics. Made by Carl Zeiss. Pure Performance, Clearly Zeiss.

Hunting Opportunity Abounds

Spent the day in land management meetings. Man we are blessed in this province to have so many great conservation properties to hunt. Check them out at www.afga.org

Argentina Trophies Have Arrived

Our trophies from Argentina arrived today and everything looks good. Going to take them up to Curtis Fischer at Silver Willow Taxidermy this week and let him work his magic. Can't wait to get them back! 

Another cougar hunt in the bag

Yesterday was a very long day. We were up at 3:00 looking for tracks and we managed to find another one from the huge tom we chased the day before. The track was fairly old but Justin's dogs Nitro and Gator managed to sort the track out but the cat led them way up the mountain into some cliffs where the dogs just couldn't follow. It was hard coming home knowing that huge cat was still there.

We got home late in the afternoon, had a quick shower and then went to meet with Apie and Yolande from AAA Serapa Safaris to finalize our trip. It looks like we will be going to South Africa in early April for a plains game hunt. Vanessa is still considering hunting lioness so that would be very exciting. We should have everything finalized by the end of the week.

The curse continues

It seems all hunters have a nemesis and it seems that Vanessa's is the cougar. We found a huge tom track just after first light this morning. It was fairly old and was right on top of a track from a female and kitten but it was the only track we had so we started Hemi on it and after a bit he seemed to get it worked out so we kicked Rebel into the race. The track took them on a wild chase over 3,000 feet up a mountain and then off the end of it where they finally started barking tree. It was a bit of a hairy trip into the tree across the face of the mountain but we made it only to find the female and two very large kittens. The dogs must have crossed their fresher tracks along the way. One more morning to hunt. Perhaps year three is not the charm.........

 

 

 

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Close Today

Well, we thought it was all over today when we cut a really good track well before daylight. It had a 28" stride with a 2 5/8 pad and all indications of being a good tom. The track was a bit cold but we walked it out a bit and then got the dogs on it just after first light. They took the track right away and ran the cat way up a mountain face. It took us a while to get up the mountain but when we did, we were excited to see the big cat up the tree. Unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the biggest females anyone had ever seen so we let it go. Conditions are still goos so we'll try again tomorrow.

 

 

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Untitled

I got hit hard with the flu last night and can't remember being that violently ill before. Thankfully I'm feeling a bit better tonight. We got out today but a snowfall that lasted into the morning made finding tracks tough. We managed to find two large female tracks but nothing worth running. No snow tonight so tomorrow should be awesome. Up at 3:15 again!

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Another Great Day Running Cats

We ran two good tracks today but one turned out to be an ancient female and the other a nice tom but it just wasn't quite what Vanessa was looking for so we left him in the tree. Conditions are great so we'll give it another go tomorrow.

 

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Good First Day

We had a very interesting day chasing cats. Kyle and I went down a slope to check a track out and found a cougar den. We bumped a cat out of it that ran up the hill and crossed the road in front of Vanessa and the others. We dumped 8 young dogs on it and we shocked to not only catch the large female we let go on but also a large kitten. Where the kitten came from is anyone's guess. The young dogs did an awesome job!

 

 

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This Week on Outdoor Quest TV

Don't forget to watch the all new season of Outdoor Quest TV. Vanessa and I head to Argentina to hunt water buffalo and blackbuck with Caza Pampa.

Operation Cougar

Operation cougar begins tomorrow...watch for updates from the field.

Some Horn Porn

Here's a little horn porn for a Friday morning. These are some of the rams we videoed last week to help promote the Minister's Special Licence
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxEUSZFCSco

There is some justice in the world

Two charges dropped against Ian Thomson, two others to be dealt with later

Increased police presence at Welland self-defence trial By QMI Agency Posted 20 hours ago WELLAND — Two charges against a Port Colborne man who fired a gun to scare off men allegedly trying to firebomb his house in August were dropped by the Crown Wednesday morning in court. Ian Thomson, 53, had been facing a number of charges in relation to the incident, which Crown attorney Tyler Shuster called a dispute between neighbours that had been "simmering for years and boiled over." Shuster said on Aug. 22, 2010, Thomson heard a loud noise behind his house at 3499 Snider Rd. When he went outside, he found a man in a ski mask with a lit Molotov cocktail, yelling: "Are you ready to die?" "Mr. Thomson went back into his house and grabbed a loaded .38 (calibre) and fired three rounds in the direction of the man," Shuster said. A peaceful protest had been planned for outside the courthouse. Niagara Regional Police had officers inside the courthouse doors using a wand to screen people entering and also had a presence outside. One officer could be seen on the roof of a building across the street. A police videographer was also at the courthouse. Police spokesman Const. Nilan Dave said the extra officers were on hand to ensure the safety of the public. "We were prepared for the event," said Dave, adding police also wanted to ensure the safety of Thomson and his lawyer. Shuster said when looking at a case as a Crown attorney, he must consider the likelihood of conviction, including when and how a person can defend themselves and when a case goes to trial, the Crown must disprove self-defence. He said in the circumstances of Thomson's case, he saw little chance of a conviction on the first two charges — careless use of a firearm and pointing of a firearm — and asked they be withdrawn. He asked that the two remaining charges, two counts of careless storage of firearms, be dealt with at a future date. Thomson's lawyer, Ed Burlew — self-described as Canada's top gun-specialty lawyer — will meet with the Crown April 11 in Welland for a pre-trial hearing on the two remaining charges. Burlew was interviewed about Thomson's case by the website www.dailysplit.com earlier this year. Video of the interview can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Lu0NnyDYoA. The video includes what is presented as part of the attack, at 6:04 of the clip. Thomson will return to Welland court April 11, to deal with the remaining charges. Four people are facing arson charges in relation to the incident at Thomson's home. Randy Weaver, 48, of Port Colborne; Justin Lee, 19, of Welland; Richard Coulthearst, 46, of Welland; and Michael Theberge, 20, of Port Colborne, will all appear in a St. Catharines courtroom Tuesday at 11 a.m.

Viewer Email

Received this e-mail from a viewer of Outdoor Quest TV today and below it is my response...what do you think?

"I was just watching your program Outdoor Quest. and i have to say that it was some truly terrible hunting. As someone who truly loves hunting and the outdoors, i don't believe that chasing a Bear with dogs up a tree then shooting it constitues as hunting. As someone who really likes all ur other programing, I have to say this disgusted me as I watched it."

"Hi Braden:

Thanks for the e-mail. There are many types of legal hunting in Canada and the use of hounds for numerous species is legal in several provinces and has a long tradition in this country. While I appreciate that this type of hunting may not be for you, it is important to realize that many of the types of hunting you engage in may not be for others either. Hunters must not be too quick to criticize other hunters for practices they may not be familiar with or that they may personally decide not to partake in or soon there will not be any hunting opportunities left for us. Not only is hunting with hounds legal, it falls under the definition of “fair chase” as defined by the Boone and Crockett club, and it is a practice that takes a great deal of dedication by the houndsmen. It seems with the recent proliferation of social media sites that criticizing other hunters has become fashionable and it is tearing at the very fabric of the hunting tradition. If there is one thing we strive to do in our program, it’s to expose our viewers to all types of hunting with the hopes they will gain a bit more respect for their fellow hunters that engage in different techniques and practices. Thank you for taking the time to express your concerns and I hope my reply puts some of your angst at ease. At the end of the day, we are all hunters and must stick together to support this great heritage we so cherish.

Yours truly,

T.J. Schwanky"

New Zeiss Conquest line up

Here's a sneak preview of the new 5X zoom Zeiss Conquest HD scopes for 2013
http://sportsoptics.zeiss.com/hunting/en_us/riflescopes/conquest/conquest-hd5.html

New Season of Outdoor Quest TV

Don't forget that the new season of Outdoor Quest TV started this week on Wild TV. Sandy is hunting bighorn sheep in the mountains of Alberta.