More on CFIA

So here is the latest from CFIA. There are no changes to the 2001 regulations but apparently many offices have not been enforcing the regulations to the letter of the law and they will be now. So, any shipments of salted hides and boiled heads coming from a non-approved country (this includes all of Africa) will have to go to a certified taxidermist for an additional 28 days of treatment. After that they can be released to the owner for tanning or taxidermy or whatever he chooses to do with them. It will likely add an additional $1,000-$1,500 to the cost of importing trophies into Canada. There are several taxidermists in Canada presently trying to become certified very quickly.

The Versatile Rapid Z

Interesting what you can do without touching the turrets on your scope. The three shots at #1 were taken at 300 yards off bipod without compensating for wind. They are 1.25" group. This was after sighting 1.5 inches high at 100 yards. I'm using 300 yard hashmark.Wind ...was variable 5-10mph from right to left. Shots were taken with 3-15x42 Conquest HD with Rapid Z800. Velocity was 2808fps. Rapid Z calculator said to set magnification at 11.5x which three shots at #1 were taken at. Shot #2 was taken with magnification reduced to 11.25x. Shot #3 was taken by compensating for a 5mph wind using nothing more than the hashmark on the reticle. Shot #4 was taken by compensating for a 10mph wind using the 10mph indicator on the hashmark.

It really demonstrates the versatility of the Rapid Z under a wide variety of conditions but also the importance of field proofing your magnification setting and knowing exact wind speed. With that said, everything was well within the kill zone on a deer.

Importation of Hunting Trophies

Here is a letter that a friend wrote to his MP regarding the recent decision by the government regarding the importation of hunting trophies to Canada. Please read it and use it as a template to write your MP.
Ted
I am writing as a strong supporter (both financially and at the polls) of the Conservative party of Canada and as a voter within your riding. Recent changes (and apparently very suddenly) in importation rules with regard to international hunting trophies has me quite concerned. For years , hunters travelling internationally would have their big game trophies follow them home in the form of salted hides and associated skull/horns/antlers. The process included complete vet checks from both the international vet and a vet here in Canada upon arrival. Before any trophies left the shipping country they had to go through a complete sanitation process for entry into Canada. If the sanitization process was insufficient when it arrived into Canada, the trophies , upon inspection by Canadian vets/authorities were not released to the hunter.  All charges involved were of course at the expense of the international hunter. On top of that the hunter was also obliged to pay GST on the trophy fee charged in the foreign country for each animal imported. These fees for an average trip to Africa , for example, would be in the order of $10,000 to $25,000, depending upon the animals harvested.
Apparently, the new rules for importation from many countries will now require (as of yesterday!!)  FULL TAXIDERMY on all animals. I don't believe the consequences of these changes have been fully Evaluated by your government for the following reasons:
-          Taxidermy in foreign countries can be anywhere from excellent to downright shoddy - leaving open the possibility of insects and disease to be much worse than treated capes (hides)
-          You have now cut out a substantial amount of work for taxidermists in this country , many who rely on animals from foreign countries to "make ends meet".
-          This ruling will require ridiculous costs of shipping already taxidermied animals (can you imagine the shipping cost of a fully taxidermied cape buffalo or full mount lion or leopard)
If this ruling was designed to reduce accidental  insect and disease importation, I think the government is fooling themselves. I believe the problem could be much worse with already mounted animals. Of course in the back of my mind there is always a suspicion that the naïve anti-hunting lobby has something to do with the new rulings. As you well know CITIES regulations (world wide) control animal importation quotas extremely carefully.
I would very much like to hear your thoughts on these changes and the reasons behind them.

Backpack Gear List

Several people have been asking for a copy of my backpacking gear list so here it is.

Boots:  Lowa Tibet GTX (early season)

            Lowa Hunter GTX Extreme (late season)

 

Backpack:       Mystery Ranch Kodiak 7,000

                        Pack cover

 

Pants:  Arc'teryx Gamma Rock Pant or similar (early season) 2 pair

            Arc'teryx AR Pant or similar (late Season) 1 pair

            Gore-Tex rain pants

 

Tops:   short-sleeve (I like bamboo or polyester with silver to keep scent down) x2

            long -sleeve (I like merino wool) x1

            X-Bionic Long-sleeve Accumulator shirt x1

            MEC windproof long-sleeve shirt (this is discontinued but awesome)

            Wind-proof fleece jacket

            Light-weight down jacket     

            Gore-Tex Rain Jacket

 

Other Clothing:           Wool finger mitts x2

                                    Gore-Tex over mitts

                                    OR Crocodiles Gaiters

                                    2 pair Smart Wool socks

                                    2 pair synthetic boxer shorts (Currently using Mark's brand)

                                    Down camp slippers   

                                    Wading shoes (if lots of stream crossings)

                                    Wool toque

                                    Neck Gaiter (late season)

                                    Synthetic long underwear bottoms (late season)

 

Tent:    MSR Carbon Extreme 2 (early season or solo trips. Great one person option but not for     two people)

            Hilleberg NAMMATJ3 GT (At 8 pounds this tent is heavy but is ideal for late season. It   sleeps two very comfortable and vestibule can be used for cooking and eating.)

            Siltarp 1 for emergency shelter

 

Sleeping Bag:  Western Mountaineering UltraLite -8 rating (early season)

                        Integral Design -20 (late season) Sadly this bag is discontinued

 

Mattress:         Thermarest ProLite

 

Optics:             Zeiss 15-56x65 Spotting Scope

                        Zeiss 10x42 Binos with integrated Rangefinder with S4 bino harness

                        Tines Up camera with spotting scope adaptor and extra battery

                        Cannon X10A Video camera with 4 batteries

                        Sony RX100 point and shoot camera and extra battery

                        Traxx tripod with Joby ball head with pan lock

                        Zeiss pre-moistened cleaning cloths

 

Rifle:   Rocky Mountain Rifle 6.5 Creedmoor

            Zeiss 3-15x42 Conquest HD5 with Rapid Z 800      

            20-30 rounds ammo

 

Miscellaneous: Petzl headlamp and spare batteries

                        Puma Ranger 20 Knife

                        Scalpel handle and 10 #10 blades

                        5 EZE towels

                        1-2 pounds fine salt

                        Iridium Satellite phone and spare battery

                        two Bic lighters and fire starter

                        two Black Diamond carbon hiking poles

                        six small tent pegs for SilTarp

                        50' parachute cord

                        2 game bags

                        2 garbage bags

                        1-2 rolls toilet paper

                        basic first aid kit

                        one-litre Nalgene bottle

                        head net for bugs

                        4 Freeze Zip Loc bags

                        GPS (optional)

                        SPOT (optional)

 

Cooking and Food:     MSR Firefly stove

                                    Titanium Pot

                                    Long handle spoon

                                    4 litre MSR water bladder

                                    one can of fuel per four days for two people

                                    small cup (for coffee and oatmeal)

                                   

                                    One Mountain House meal per day (Dinner)

                                    Cliff bar, chocolate bar, trail mix, jerky (lunch)

                                    Instant oatmeal or breakfast bars (breakfast)

                                    Fruit bars

                                    Starbucks Via coffee

                                    Crystal Lite

                                    Sharkies (energy snack)

                                    Electrolyte tablets

                                    Protein Powder

                                    Tea bags

                                    Emergen C packets

                                   

 

Personal Items:            Toothbrush and paste

                                    Deodorant (my one luxury)

                                    Baby wipes

                                    Advil

                                    Lip Balm

                                    Mosquito Repellant (optional)           

                                    Reading Glasses

                                    Paperback book (optional)

                                    Imodium

                                    Backpacker Towel (optional)

 

I separate gear and clothes in nylon stuff sacks

Probe into firearm seizures

Probe launched into firearm seizures in High River by RCMP http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/07/05/rcmp-flood-high-river-guns-complaint-commissioner-paulson.html

Silver Willow Taxidermy's new showroom