UNITED BOWHUNTERS MISSOURI

UNITED

BOWHUNTERS of

MISSOURI

UNITED The Official Publication of

BOWHUNTERS

of MISSOURI

The United Bowhunters of Missouri

Spring 2017

Calendar of Events

March

10th-12th - Concervation Federation of Missouri Convention, Capitol Plaza Hotel, Jefferson City, MO 18th19th - Tennessee Classic

April

5th -8th- Pope & Young Convention, St. Louis, MO 6th -11th- Kansas spring archery turkey season 12th -Kansas spring regular turkey season opens 17th - Missouri spring turkey season opens

May

7th-Missouri spring turkey season closes 27th - Missouri squirrel season opens 31st - Kansas spring regular turkey season closes

Please feel free to contact the editor of the United Bowhunter to place a FREE classified ad in this publication. Please, no commercial or retail ads.

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Discount for commitment of 4 issues. No advertising will be accepted that promotes anti hunting or animal rights issues or anything derogatory to archery or bowhunting. The editor reserves final right of approval for inclusion in publication. Prepayment is required.

Submit all photos and stories to: Elise Haverstick Graphic Designer The United Bowhunter, 10276 N FR 183 Fair Grove, MO 65648 or you can email: Elise.Haverstick@ Cell phone: (417) 693-6084

President ------------------------- Brian Peterson

Vice President --------------------------- JIm Pyles Executive Secretary -------------- Brenda Hudson

Membership --------------------- Brenda Hudson

Graphic Designer ------------------ Elise Haverstick Elise.Haverstick@

Webmaster ---------------------- Darren Haverstick dchaverstick@

It is the purpose of The United Bowhunters of Missouri to support and upgrade the sport of bowhunting and foster a spirit of sportsmanship.

The United Bowhunter is published quarterly by The United Bowhunters of Missouri for the membership. This publication is a public forum available to the members to voice their ideas, concerns and to share their experiences.

Written materials, photos and artwork for publication are welcome. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope with the materials you would like returned. The editors can assume no responsibility for any submitted materials.

The editors reserve the right to edit or reject any material and the right to crop any submitted photographs.

Send articles and photos for submissions consideration, question and comments to:

The United Bowhunter Attn: Elise Haverstick 10276 N FR 183 Fair Grove, mo 65648

Opinions expressed, or materials used in this publication, are not necessarily endorsed by: the Board of Directors, officers, membership of the United Bowhunters of Missouri or the editor of The United Bowhunter magazine. Advertisements for merchandise or services are not necessarily endorsed or approved by the Board of Directors, officers, membership of the United Bowhunters

of Missouri or the editor of The United Bowhunter Magazine.

-- On the Cover --

A beautiful view of the Kodiak Island coast line.

deadlines for submitting copy and pictures to The United Bowhunter

Feb. 15th, May 3rd, Sept. 15th, Dec. 10th

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From the Laptop

Brian Peterson, President

Happy 30th, ubm!!! T'was a special festival this past weekend for sure, and other than a SNAFU with a handful of room reservations, it seemed to go without a hitch. My apologies to all those inconvenienced by the Great Room Reservation Boondoggle of 2017 and my appreciation to you all for not making it a deal-breaker for the weekend. It was definitely a surprise especially since Darren and I had reviewed the facility the week

before and there was no mention of any potential issues, but the Ramada did their best to make it right with us. And speaking of the staff at the Ramada, a big round of applause for those folks attending to our every need.

And speaking of applause, give your board and UBM volunteers a big round of hand slapping for all their hard work putting the festival together. A couple of our volunteers made the comment that they didn't seem to have much to do, but honestly I think it was because so many folks stepped up and were doing such a fine job that no one seemed over-worked or under undo pressure. That's the way it should be, and I hope as Darren and I step away from holding office for a while things will continue to run as smoothly.

I know, speaking for myself, I love this club and what we represent, and I'll do anything in my power to help out and further our agenda, but honestly there's a reason we established 3-year term limits on holding office. It's a lot of work and it's easy to suffer from burn out, especially when life starts to get in the way. Since I'm in my 8th year in the President/Vice President/President cycle plus dealing with a lot of "mom" stuff (plus I know Darren's taken on even more responsibility than me). I trust you'll understand. I'm excited to see the younger generation stepping up to take the reins and I'm there to help, coach and advise where prudent. And again, thanks to everyone for all the help and support....

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DIY Antelope on a Flatlander's Budget

Ethan Grotheer

There I was, completely exhausted, mentally broken down, and in desperate need of a shower. Like a crazy person, I was actually laying on my back beside a watering hole and staring into that great big Wyoming sky. I had just endured the toughest 4 days of hunting that I think I've ever experienced and not 15 yards away from me was the fruit of my hard work, a young antelope buck. I'd been crawling, hiking several miles a day, and stalking antelope hard with a few misses and very little sleep thrown in during the entire course of the hunt so my nerves became completely unraveled in that moment. Truth be told, I broke down almost to tears right then and there and just stayed there soaking in the surreal moment of watching a perfect arrow disappear through both lungs of that buck and watching him fall a mere 15 yards from the shot. I regained my composure a few more minutes later when I heard the familiar sound of "hunt rig" coming down the gravel road north of me. As frustrating as the

whole ordeal was, within 20 minutes after loading my buck into the rig, I was thinking about how badly I couldn't wait to be back here next year chasing these frustrating critters again.

It all started in 2015 with the idea that Lyle Shaulis and I had to research doing a DIY antelope hunt in Wyoming. We had unsuccessfully attempted a cow elk hunt around Cody, Wyoming the previous year and couldn't help but be mesmerized by the beauty of the antelope that we saw almost everywhere in the landscape along the highway in the Cowboy State. That same fall we called the Wyoming Fish and Game department inquiring about an area

outside of Cody for next season and were essentially informed that we'd be better off not trying the public lands in that area as they had become overrun. After a few other inquiries, we came up with either the same results or opportunities to hunt that were far beyond our personal budgets. We had just about given up when a close friend and taxidermist that we knew informed us of a hunt that his son had just completed a few years previous. The son had researched an area and then

called the Fish and Game department asking them about a list of landowners that charged a "trespass fee" to hunt their lands. Apparently, you need to know the right questions to ask the Fish and Game. As I later discovered, most Fish and Game offices in Wyoming are quite helpful if you are willing to put in the research online and call them asking information about specific units and hunts. Some offices even have a list of landowners that are looking to make a little extra cash and allow out-of-state-hunters to hunt their properties for these fees.

With this info on landowners, we soon came into contact with a pretty friendly rancher who agreed to let us hunt his land consisting of five square miles for a "trespass fee" that was more affordable than we could have ever imagined. We also learned that in Wyoming if you find access to private lands, then you can apply for a type 2 private land only tag in the unit you are hunting, which, in most cases is a guaranteed draw.

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After putting in for our tags in March, we both researched equipment and antelope hunting strategies all spring and summer, and began to pick up a few ground blinds at outdoor sales throughout the year. We knew that the property possessed roughly six watering locations because the rancher runs cattle for a part of the year on it, so we ended up acquiring five ground blinds with the goal to set them up on the first day. Neither of us ended up purchasing an antelope decoy, but we constructed some rough cutouts from insulation board in case we wanted to try them during a stalk. I did have one antelope buck come charging in during that first trip using our makeshift decoys but I never got a great shot opportunity. If I return this coming fall, I'll be using a 2D frontal shot decoy of a buck I received as a gift this past fall that will attach to my

bow.

Our research showed that our odds would be best if we spent most of our time hunting over water and our experience over the last two years has proven that true. On that note, we have discovered over the last two hunts now that the wind can be quite horrid in the open spaces of Wyoming and any ground blind that isn't staked and secured properly acts practically as a scarecrow to antelope

at the water. We also have learned that due to our inability to set the ground blinds weeks before our actual hunt, the antelope will vary in their reaction to the camo intrusion at their drink station. Some bucks will completely disregard the blind and come trotting in for a drink while others will either choose the farthest end of the pond away from the blind to drink, or simply refuse to come in altogether for a few days. On a related note, bring an ample supply of water with you for yourself while you are in the blind. You don't want to get dehydrated out there.

We both approached the first trip with the mindset that we would take any buck that gave us an opportunity. Fortunately for Lyle, he ended up arrowing a nice young buck at thirty yards on the mid-morning walk to his ground blind on the second day of our hunt.

I personally fell in love with stalking antelope. It's incredibly hard to do in these open areas and I think that I was still digging some resurfacing cacti needles from leg just a few weeks ago, but it offers a thrill that is unparalleled by any

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