Whether you are a wet-behind-the-ears outdoor writer, or a seasoned one; a full-time literary craftsman or a dabbler (like me), then I strongly encourage you to take a gander at the Outdoor Writers Forum. This is a great forum. The members there are very hospitable and have always been willing to answer my question, and treat me as a peer.

Drop on over - there’s a wealth of information there for those willing to ask.

LaCrosse® Launches New Alpha II With
OptiCirc Technology

Only LaCrosse Can Continue to Innovate with its Strong Heritage in Rubber

PORTLAND, OR - LaCrosse Footwear continues to reinvent the rubber boot category with the introduction of the new Alpha II Series featuring OptiCirc Technology for fall 2008. Alpha II is the most innovative line of rubber boots ever made, for the first time ever, a rubber boot is built to circulate air. Alpha II’s revolutionary OptiCirc Technology addresses the interior comfort of the boot by increasing airflow for maximum comfort.

OptiCirc Technology utilizes performance fibers and an open-air nylon mesh to form the Comfort Control lining built to circulate air around the foot to ensure feet stay comfortable no matter the conditions. This type of comfort and performance has never been offered in a rubber boot; OptiCirc Technology will forever change the way a rubber boot is expected to perform in the field. The ability to circulate air and keep feet dry ensures that a hunter will stay warm in cooler temperatures or maintain a cooler feeling in warmer, high activity environments as well.

The Alpha II Series is the next best thing in the rubber boot industry. LaCrosse is utilizing the tested-and-approved Sport Chassis™ platform for lightweight support in harsh and uneven terrain. The EVA midsole and footbed naturally insulate and cushion the foot. The Alpha II has the same fit and features that has made the LaCrosse’s Alpha boot series popular, including the adjustable gusset for a customized fit and 100 percent waterproof and scent-free protection.

LaCrosse paved the way for the industry with the development of Alpha technology in the AlphaBurly Series. The form fitting neoprene clad rubber boot changed the way a hunter thought a rubber boot should fit in the field and competition continues to emulate this fit because it has become the industry standard. LaCrosse’s new Alpha II with OptiCirc Technology will change what comfort means for a rubber boot.

The Alpha II Series can be uniquely identified by its textured rubber shell. The Alpha II 5.0 features Mossy Oak® Treestand and 5.0mm neoprene for additional insulation. Available in men’s sizes 6-16 (whole sizes only), the Alpha II 5.0mm Mossy Oak Treestand style is available for a retail price from $149.95.

For more information on LaCrosse Footwear, log on to www.lacrossefootwear.com.

LaCrosse Footwear, Inc. produces official licensed products of Mossy Oak/Haas Outdoors Inc. Haas Outdoors Inc., headquartered in West Point, Miss., was established in 1986 and is home of Mossy Oak (www.mossyoak.com). Mossy Oak specializes in developing and marketing modern camouflage designs for hunters and outdoorsmen. Mossy Oak patterns can be found on a multitude of products worldwide. Haas Outdoors Inc. is the outdoor industry leader in modern camouflage design, international licensing and marketing. Haas Outdoors Inc. markets its services and products under widely recognized brands including: Mossy Oak, BioLogic, Mossy Oak Productions, Mossy Oak Interactive, LLC and Mossy Oak Properties.

###

IT’S NOT A PASSION. IT’S AN OBSESSION

Outdoor writer - aspiring or otherwise? Bird dog enthusiast? This may interest you:

Doubles and Dogs (www.doublesanddogs.com) is currently accepting submissions for volume #1 of A Gentleman’s Fireside Diary. This compilation of short stories will be published at the beginning of 2009 in hard back form. The goal of this book is to provide individual authors with an opportunity to have their short story published in a book filled with quality, individually submitted stories. Our goal will be a 200 - 300 page book. Authors whose stories are selected for the book will receive a complimentary copy from Doubles and Dogs as a keepsake. All publishing and setup fees will be underwritten by Doubles and Dogs. Additional copies will be sold only on the Doubles and Dogs website in two versions - a standard edition and a deluxe, leather bound edition.

You can read more about the book HERE

Ryan Doughty from Doubles and Dogs contacted me about a possible submission. They are seeking submissions currently. If interested in contributing a story or purchasing a book, please contact them.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Sharon Hayden (614) 888-4868 ext. 226

July 22, 2008

Introducing the New U.S. Sportsmen’s Alert Network!

Getting Sportsmen Information Fast

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) is kicking off the new U.S. Sportsmen’s Alert Network. This new program informs and unites sportsmen through e-mail news releases and the weekly On Target e-newsletter. The new U.S. Sportsmen’s Alert Network is communicating with nearly 400,000 members so far.

“The network allows for the USSA and its partners to get critical information to sportsmen in a timely manner,” said USSA Senior Vice President Rick Story. “We can immediately mobilize sportsmen for action whenever their rights are threatened in the states, before Congress, right down to the local level.”

There is a lot more to protecting the future of the outdoors than simply voting for good candidates at election time, Story said.

“The process by which laws are made is a participatory endeavor,” he said. “ Even a bad legislator will vote right if given the political reasons to do so. The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alert Network is the most important tool yet to make sure hunters, anglers, trappers and wildlife management get a fair shake in the forums that make public policy.”

There are a number of ways that hunters, anglers, trappers and wildlife professionals can become involved with the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alert Network.

Individual sportsmen can submit their email address and interest to the USSA through an online form, or can email info@ussportsmen.org. By including their particular outdoor interest the USSA can make sure to send information that most pertains to them.

Small clubs and organizations can also be involved by providing the USSA their email list, which will be included in the overall database.

Large organizations can be involved by either providing their email list to USSA or by assigning a key person to receive the alerts and then forward them on to the list. Email lists will be used for no other purpose than to inform and involve members in the particular campaign for which the email is intended. Large organizations may have the right to approve any email sent to its membership. The key person in the large organization will also be able to view a draft of the alert before it is sent out in order to decide if they wish to be included in that alert.

Participants will receive first hand information and organizations will have their logo included on the alert letterhead.

For more information regarding the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alert Network, call 614-888-4868, or email Sharon Hayden, assistant director of communications data at shayden@ussportsmen.org.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organizations that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.

–30–

New interactive e-map shows where to fish in Arizona

Ever wish you could see a map of Arizona showing all the places to go fishing, along with what types of fish you can find and maybe even something about the facilities at each lake, river or stream?

Well, just wave a magic wand over your computer because your wish has been granted – thanks to a little computer magic from the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

The Game and Fish Department now has a computerized interactive fishing hole map of Arizona on its Web site at www.azgfd.gov/fishing under “Where To Fish.”

Most of the information for the interactive computerized map was taken from the popular “Arizona Fishin’ Holes” booklet published by the Game and Fish Department.

One of the cool things about this interactive map is it gives you the ability to locate places to fish for specific species. “Want to know where to fish for rainbow trout? Simply click on the words ‘rainbow trout’ at the bottom and the map will only show those locations with trout,” said Web Master Brian Ference, who headed up the project.

Do you need directions to a particular fishing hole? Those are there too. You can even choose the type of map you want, including topographical or satellite imagery. There are even links to Wikipedia to provide more detailed information.

Are you curious about the current weather over your prospective fishing hole? Just click on the link to “View on Google Earth” at the top of the map and with a couple of tweaks, you can see for yourself.

Don’t forget, you can also sign up to have the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Weekly Fishing Report delivered directly to your computer each and every week. It’s always good to find out what fish are biting where, and what baits or methods to use as well.

To complete your friendly arsenal of relevant fishing information, you might want to purchase the $6 “Arizona Fishin’ Holes” publication as well – it is sized to fit most vehicle glove compartments. To obtain an order form, visit www.azgfd.gov/i_e/pubs/publications.shtml

Fixing the Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax Inequity

CSF Briefs Congressmen on Introduced FAET Legislation

July 16, 2008 - Washington, DC – The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) hosted a Capitol Hill briefing, sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), where members of Congress, leaders of conservation organizations and industry representatives were informed about the inequity that exists in the excise tax payment schedule for firearms and ammunition manufacturers.

Representatives Ron Kind (D-WI), Paul Ryan (R-WI), Dan Boren (D-OK) and Steve Pearce (R-NM), leadership of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC), have introduced legislation, H.R. 6310, seeking to rectify a longstanding inequity in the collection of the Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax (FAET). The FAET flows from the IRS through the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to the state wildlife agencies and is the major source of conservation funding for the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Trust Fund.

HR 6310 will allow the firearms and ammunition industry to pay the FAET on a quarterly basis; the same payment schedule as every other industry that supports conservation. Currently firearms and ammunition manufacturers must pay the FAET bi-weekly. This payment schedule forces many manufacturers to borrow money to ensure on-time payment, and industry members spend thousands of man-hours administering the necessary paperwork to successfully complete the bi-weekly payments - monies that are due long before manufacturers are paid by their customers. Changing the schedules could free as much as $22 million annually for manufacturers to invest and contribute to industry growth, which in turn, would expand the FAET base.

One component of the schedule change would affect funding for the North American Wetlands Conservation Act of 1989 (NAWCA) to provide matching grants to organizations and individuals who have developed partnerships to carry out wetlands conservation projects North America to benefit migratory birds and other wildlife. One of several sources of funding is from interest accrued on the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Trust Fund.

According to estimates from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), a ‘cost’ to make the FAET payment schedule change would be a loss of not more than $2.6 million over 20 years in interest payments to the NAWCA account.

A proposal from NSSF to help rectify the shortfall in NAWCA funding is supported by North American Wetlands Conservation Council (NAWCC). The proposal asserts that the NSSF and its allies will supply monetary contributions to fund certain NAWCA projects and provide educational outreach about NAWCA.

At the briefing, the CSC co-chairs, Reps. Kind and Ryan, as outdoorsmen, stressed the importance of explaining the role that sportsmen and the firearms industry plays in wildlife conservation to their Congressional colleagues so that there was a clear understanding of how the FAET schedule affected state wildlife conservation programs.

NSSF President and CEO, Steve Sanetti said, “The firearms industry is not trying to get a tax break or avoid taxes; we just want parity with the other industries that support conservation.” Sanetti explained that the bi-weekly schedule places an administrative burden on the industry, costing manufactures millions that could be better spent reinvesting in their businesses. And, Sanetti repeated the NSSF pledge for funding NAWCA programs.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Director H. Dale Hall detailed a brief history of the conservation ethic, the North American Model of Conservation and the funding mechanisms that began in the 1930s. He pointed out that the industry voluntarily stepped forward to pay for wildlife conservation efforts through the establishment of the Pittman-Robertson Fund.

About the proposed legislation, Director Hall said, “We cannot overestimate the importance of the funds paid by the firearms and ammunitions industry. I believe we need fairness across the board and support these efforts to make it fair.”

Gary L. Taylor, Legislative Director of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) stated that ‘on the ground’ state wildlife conservation programs have received $5.6 billion in funding since 1937. Each year, state wildlife agencies use $75 million to manage the 30 million acres of public lands purchased with Pittman-Robertson funding, spend $50 million on research and $25 million to fund Hunter Education programs which have, so far, served 24 million students. According to Taylor, state fish and wildlife managers support the legislation.

“It is critical that we continue to nurture and enhance the relationship between hunters and anglers, industry, and the state and federal fish and wildlife agencies in order to ensure the vitality and sustainability of the North American Model through the coming decades,” said Taylor.

Jay McAninch, President and CEO of the Archery Trade Association spoke about the 2004 change in the excise tax collection schedule for the archery manufacturers. He noted that the

change resulted in an increase in revenue from the archery industry to the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Trust Fund of nearly $15-million; an increase of more than 50 percent.

CSF President Jeff Crane spoke about how the American system of wildlife conservation funding was the envy of the world. He said “The highly successful American system of funding wildlife conservation can benefit from the remedy this legislation would afford. It would be a big win for the firearms industry that would ultimately provide a bigger win for wildlife conservation and the sportsmen’s community.”

Quick facts: In 2007, the firearms and ammunition industry contributed a total of $303.2 million in excise taxes, up 21.2 percent from the $250.1 million in 2006. Earlier this year, the industry marked an important milestone in its longstanding support of wildlife conservation. Since 1991 manufacturers have contributed more than $3 billion dollars to the Pittman-Robertson Trust Fund.

About the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF)
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation is the most respected and trusted proponent for hunters and fishermen in the political arena. With support from every major hunting and fishing organization, CSF is the leader in promoting sportsmen’s issues with elected officials. CSF works directly with the bi-partisan, bi-cameral Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus in the U.S. Congress, as well as affiliated state sportsmen’s caucuses in state legislatures around the country. For additional information, visit www.sportsmenslink.org or call 202-543-6850.

Allan Ellis

Director of Communications

Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation

110 North Carolina Ave., SE

Washington, DC 20003

202-543-6850 Extension 19

$5 raffle ticket for chance at rare Gould’s turkey hunt

The Arizona State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) is hosting a raffle for a chance at a 2008 Arizona Game and Fish Commission’s special turkey hunt permit-tag. The winner can hunt either the Merriam’s or the Gould’s turkey from Aug. 15, 2008 – Aug. 14, 2009 as regulated by commission order 29.

Representatives from NWTF will be on-hand selling raffle tickets this Saturday, July 19, from 10 a.m. to noon at Bass Pro Shops in Mesa, Cabela’s in Glendale, Sportsman’s Warehouse in Phoenix and the Sportsman’s Warehouse in Mesa. Tickets are $5 and may be purchased with cash only.

Monies raised are returned to the Arizona Game and Fish Department to be used for the direct management and benefit for wild turkeys in Arizona.

“We really appreciate the NWTF for hosting this fundraising event,” says Brian Wakeling, big game management supervisor. “The revenue generated allows the department to conduct projects that directly benefit turkeys. The Gould’s turkey reintroduction is a perfect example. Once eradicated from Arizona, we now enjoy a healthy and growing population of this incredible subspecies.”

There will be a public drawing for the winning ticket Aug. 4 at the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Pinetop regional office at 2878 E. White Mountain Blvd. The time is yet to be determined. The winner does not need to be present to win.

Additional contacts for getting raffle tickets are Rich Williams (602) 881-6815 (Phoenix), Craig Kennedy (602) 531-6263 (Mesa), Anthony Chavez (623) 877-7246 or krisgchavez@yahoo.com (Phoenix AZGFD), John Millican j2dbmill@msn.com (Sierra Vista), or John Larsen (928) 537-9848 or jlarsennwtf@yahoo.com (Pinetop area).

The Arizona Game and Fish Commission may award up to three special tags for each big game species to qualifying nonprofit conservation organizations per A.R.S. § 17-346 and R12-4-120. Proceeds from the sale of these tags are used for wildlife management and conservation of the species of each particular tag sold.

Just saw this posted by Tom over at the Black Bear Blog: Judge places gray wolf back on endangered species list.

Tom says this:

Judge Donald Molloy of the U.S. District Court in Missoula, Montana returned the Northern Rockies gray wolf back under the protection of the Endangered Species Act. One report stated that Molloy said he thought the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acted “prematurely” in removing the wolf from protection “despite scientific evidence”.

Once again this ruling shows us that science plays no role in the decisions that drive the Endangered Species Act or any kind of wildlife management programs for that matter. Whichever organization pushing or defending a lawsuit that can present the most emotional case wins, the rest can be put to hell.

Of course those who filed the lawsuit seeking the injunction are happy and stating that removing the wolf from protection will endanger its survival. The scientists, whose job it is to manage wildlife, say that is not true but obviously have little say in these matters anymore.

This is ludicrous. Just when I think nothing will surprise me any more, something does. I wouldn’t want this judge deciding a traffic ticket.

Rick over at Tails and Trails tagged me, thereby dragging me into this online chain letter (just kidding, fellow bloggers). It seems that I need to summarize the past 15 years in 10 bullet points. Here was his list: Rick’s Life. This is the mission:

Think back on the last 15 years of your life. What would you tell someone that you hadn’t seen or talked to for 15 years? How would you sum up your life? You get 10 bullet points. A list of 10 things to summarize about you. At the end of your list, tag 5 more people and send on the love…

I am embarrassed to say that I don’t know how to make bullets on here…

Away we go:
- Was married to a Maine girl, living in Houlton. Working as a Millwright at a starch factory in Island Falls
- Got out of the Canadian Military (Reserves) after 13 years’ service
- Got divorced (yuck)
- Met another Maine girl, this time on the internet. She lived in Arizona. We visited back and forth a few times
- 2 job offers in Arizona. Decide on one and head west. Eventually remarry
- Working as a Millwright at a metal stamping plant in Chandler,AZ Later would become the Facilities Manager
- My wife and I have a new daughter
- All the while dabbling at writing. Asst Editor at the Arizona Outdoorsman magazine, columnist with another small monthly paper. Start doing some outdoor-related marketing writing. Would later hook up with Skinny Moose
- Buy our first new house. Six years later would upgrade to a different new home
- Change careers - Now working in electrical engineering. Pays better, but don’t enjoy what I am doing as much

There you have it. It looks topsy turvy, but overall, pretty flatlined, with a few “blips”.

Now let’s pass this along to a few others:
Tom, at the Black Bear Blog
John, at Stabley Outdoors
Heather, at Heather’s Feathers
Jason, at The Adventurist
Phil, at The Hog Blog

What Are Your Memories Made Of?

You know, the human brain is a curious thing. For example, I lose something almost every day. My keys, my sunglasses, my wallet. I can’t remember someone’s name, ten minutes after I meet them. On the other hand, I can picture the campsite where my Mom and Dad took us camping when I was a youngster. A tent site, along Shiktehawk Stream. There was a deep pool in front of the campsite – great for swimming and fishing. I couldn’t tell you the date of my next Doctor’s appointment, but I could take you to the exact spot in the Haynesville Woods, where I shot my last Maine deer. Further up the trail, I could take you to the spot where I played peek-a-boo with a big owl one day. Maybe the human mind is subconsciously selective; maybe it just automatically divided things into “Important to remember” and “Not important to remember”. Seems that my “important” section is filled mostly with memories of the outdoors.
Curiously, my most vivid memories are formed around smells. Nothing, and I mean nothing – smells like breakfast cooking in a hunting camp. My grandfather smoked menthol cigarettes (as did I for awhile, later in life). I can smell his cigarette smoke, like he’s standing here next to me. There’s something about cigarette smoke when it is mixed with fresh air (ironically) – I imagine the smoke, close my eyes, and can see him there – casting into Clearwater Stream – there was another big pool, just down off the main road a bit. The same goes for my Dad, who smoked pipes and cigars – the odor of a White Owl, for a lot of years, brought some kind of comfort to me. Of course, smoking is out of vogue these days, but there are times when I long for the smell of Borkum Riff pipe tobacco. I remember sitting in the boat at the lake in Mount Carleton provincial park – excited about being with dad and Gramp. I recall with great clarity, feeling like a little man – the long trip there (3 or 4 hours was a long trek, to a kid in NB); the taste of black coffee from a thermos, along with a corned beef sandwich – made with hot mustard, of course.
I remember the time my friend Darrell and I packed in a frying pan, and a bag of flour/cornmeal mixture. I can smell the pinnacle of that trip – a small campfire, and frying up brook trout that were caught less than half an hour prior – rolled in the flour and cornmeal, and sizzling away in pure melted butter.
In those days, at home, insect repellent was called “fly dope”. Our fly dope of choice was this inky brown stuff called Old Time Woodsman. Most people hated the smell of that stuff – I grew to love it! Maybe it was because my brain associated it with fishing trips. The smell of diesel exhaust transports me instantly back to a military exercise. The Battery is lined up and ready to move – guns and gun tractors, command posts, comms vehicles, ambulances, and ammo trucks. I can sense the excitement and fatigue; I can hear the rumbling of the vehicles and the chatter of the soldiers. I can hear officers issuing move orders and NCOs making sure everything is right. All that from a city bus driving by – go figure.
Happily, I have discovered that Arizona has its own unique smells, which ultimately trigger vivid memories. A few drops of rain here invariably bring the smell of creosote and other desert botanicals wafting across the landscape. I don’t know when or even if, I will ever leave Arizona. I can tell you that the smell of orange blossoms will be with me always. My commute takes me through a half dozen orange orchards on a regular basis. At times, the heady perfume of the blossoms is almost overpowering. That strong for sure, but never to the point where it was annoying or overwhelming. The deserts too, have a smell. You’ve heard people say that something “smells wet” – well, the best way I can put it is that the deserts “smell dry”. It’s not an unpleasant odor, but one that is sort of hard to describe. A couple of years ago, I went on my first ever elk hunt. It was a disaster, but that is another story. My biggest surprise of the adventure was just how smelly those things are! Several minutes before spotting the first group of these beasts, we could smell them. Another scent, another memory.
Maybe with some people, it is sound that triggers memories. Maybe the mew of a cow elk zooms you back to elk camp some 20 or 30 years ago. Perhaps it is color or sight – a particular type of sunrise transports you back to that time when you and your uncle fished the tarpon flats – a great present for your 15th birthday. For others, maybe it is touch. Running your hand over a well-oiled gun stock takes you back to those quail hunts with your grand-dad. I bet when some people glide their fingertips over the massive antlers of their moose mount hanging in the living room, that they are there again, in northern British Columbia. Pushing through alder thickets towards the mournful bawls of a lonely bull. I am sure there are folks that – when they taste chalky dust on their lips – they are back in Africa. In Africa where there is no refuge from the pervasive dust – although that does nothing to quell the enthusiasm that comes with watching kudu and hartebeests come and go from a mucky waterhole.
So – what are your memories made out of? Tastes? Smells? Sounds? What is it that puts you there again – in the midst of it all? I’ll take these kinds of memories any day – over remembering where I put my keys down.

I saw this story at Michelle Malkin’s site. Read this: DC Rejects Heller’s Gun Permit Application.

D.C. rejects Heller’s gun permit applicationposted at 1:12 pm on July 17, 2008 by Allahpundit

The 32-year ban ends this morning — or does it? Even crueler than being first in line for the iPhone only to find they’re out of stock…

Dick Heller is the man who brought the lawsuit against the District’s 32-year-old ban on handguns. He was among the first in line Thursday morning to apply for a handgun permit.
But when he tried to register his semi-automatic weapon, he says he was rejected. He says his gun has seven bullet clip. Heller says the City Council legislation allows weapons with fewer than eleven bullets in the clip. A spokesman for the DC Police says the gun was a bottom-loading weapon, and according to their interpretation, all bottom-loading guns are outlawed because they are grouped with machine guns.

This is chickens**t to the Nth Degree. It reinforces that the anti-gun crowd feels that they are even above the will of the Supreme Court.

You can read the full article in the Denver Post online: The Trophy Hunter

The trophy hunter
By Nancy Lofholm
The Denver Post

A Colorado Division of Wildlife photo shows a bighorn sheep that was part of the investigation of Kirt Darner. DOW agents spent eight years on the investigation before a New Mexico grand jury indicted him on 41 counts. CRAWFORD”N — o Hunting.”

The faux rustic sign that decorates the front porch at Kirt Darner’s ranch house is an obvious joke, placed under an antler porch light and within sight of an outbuilding jammed with hunting gear and legions of glassy-eyed mounted animal heads.

But the joke is over. Kirt Darner, a once-legendary hunter and outfitter, is now branded a felon who broke the rules, not the records. As bloggers on hunting websites put it, he has dropped from the penthouse to the outhouse. He can never hunt, fish or own a firearm again.

Darner, 69, pleaded guilty last month in New Mexico to illegally transporting wild elk and receiving stolen bighorn sheep heads — charges that cap what appears to be a series of

Kirt Darner, once a nationally known outfitter with a reputation for big kills and record-setting racks, can never hunt, fish or own a gun again after pleading guilty last month in New Mexico to illegally transporting wild elk and receiving two trophy bighorn sheep heads that were stolen from the Colorado Division of Wildlife in 2000. lies and cheating that span at least 30 years, driven by a passion to claim more records and more trophy heads than anyone else.
“I can understand how the drive pushes people over into the unethical. It’s primal instinct. There is something about the biggest and the best,” said David Virostko, managing editor of MuleyCrazy magazine, a publication devoted to those crazy about mule deer. “But it’s so not worth it. His life is over.”

Darner did not answer requests for interviews, but his story unfolds in the two hunting books he published in the 1980s and in numerous articles written about him in his glory days.

According to a chapter written by Ida Darner in “Hunting the Rockies, Home of the Giants,” her son’s hunting obsession began in the mountains of New Mexico where the family hunted and fished, and heard campfire tales about coveted giant racks. In grade school, Darner drew pictures of hunters aiming at bucks for every art project.

The hunter’s glory days

Darner stood out early on as a hunter who would track animals on foot or horseback for days through weather that would turn back the fainter of heart. His advice was eagerly sought by other hunters and those who paid dearly to hunt with Darner.

“I was raised by a father who believed that big-game hunting is the world’s most healthful, invigorating and challenging activity,” Darner wrote in the preface to “Hunting the Rockies.”

By the early 1980s, he had been featured in Outdoor Life and Field & Stream magazines and in ads for Remington rifles and Redfield scopes.

He had 11 record trophy heads — more than any other hunter ever — in Boone & Crockett, the conservation organization founded by another legendary hunter, Teddy Roosevelt.

Aside from size and symmetry, antlers show more subtle differences such as blood veins, calcium deposits and beading, which make a set of antlers akin to human fingerprints. No two are exactly alike.

And that is where Darner first ran into trouble.

He had submitted measurements and a photo of a huge mule deer he claimed to have killed in Colorado in 1977. It went into the Boone & Crockett books.

Darner used a photograph of himself gazing pensively into the distance behind those antlers for the cover of his first book, “How to Find Giant Bucks.” He billed himself as “The Man Who Rewrote the Record Books.”

That book and “Hunting the Rockies” were actually ghost written by Rich LaRocca, an avid hunter and outdoor writer, who after hearing whispered and unsubstantiated rumors about Darner’s reliability for several years, ultimately came forward with the evidence that showed Darner cheated.

LaRocca received a photograph from an anonymous source that pictured another man holding a giant rack that looked a lot like the one Darner had claimed. Close inspection showed the rack was the same.

The trophy mule deer had been killed by a World War II veteran in 1948 in New Mexico and sold to a taxidermist for $5 to cover the cost of a hunting license in those lean times. The taxidermist died before the investigation began, so how the rack ended up in Darner’s hands is unknown.

It took Jack Reneau, director of big-game records with Boone & Crockett years of travel through multiple states to find irrefutable proof of the violation, which the organization takes very seriously.

This is everything that hunting is NOT about. Some will make excuses - “He just got caught up in the hype”. Too bad. He is a thief and a liar. I like big racks and B&C records as much as the next guy, but that is not why we do this. In my mind, if that is all that motivates you, then it won’t be long before you are a poacher too.