Hey MeatEaters,
I’m a lucky dog. Over the long weekend, I got to go for a ride in a 4-seater plane and take a look at my home range from way up high. Before you ask, no, I was not scouting for critters. That’s illegal. It was just a joy ride to see the mountains and waterways from an elevated perspective.
Between pointing out areas I recognized and reminiscing on backcountry trips well spent, ogling high country lakes I’ve yet to hike to, and peaks I’ve never summited, the Roadless Rule kept popping up in my mind. I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea of seeing two tracks scarring such a gnarly but also incredibly fragile landscape.
To learn more about the Roadless Rule, check out Ryan Callaghan’s article below or read Eli Fournier’s previous article here for an even deeper dive. The public comment period is open until 9/19— you know what to do.
-Maggie Hudlow
|
|
10 Best Modern Hunting Cartridges
By Jordan Sillars
Cartridge development of the mid-20th century stressed speed above all else. Developed in large part by Roy Weatherby and P.O. Ackley, these magnum marvels screamed across the landscape at previously unheard of velocities.
Many of these cartridges are still popular and useful today, but the last twenty-five years have seen a shift in emphasis. Rather than chase velocity, modern cartridges use heavy, high-ballistic coefficient bullets stabilized by fast-twist barrels. These cartridges may not boast magnum muzzle velocities, but they maintain those velocities better at long distance and are less impacted by wind. Because they use modern chamber designs along with modern bullets, they tend to be more accurate at shorter distances, too.
Whether you think this trend is the result of sound science or the perverse rise of “long-range hunting,” these modern cartridges are here for the foreseeable future. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading to the 21st century, here are 10 of the best big-game hunting cartridges released in the last 25 years.
|
|
Act Now to Protect the Roadless Rule
By Ryan Callaghan
Just last month, US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced her intention to roll back the 2001 “Roadless Rule,” which prohibits new road construction and most new development on nearly 59 million acres of Forest Service lands.
Now, that rollback has been officially released for public comment, and you have 21 days to make your voice heard.
I encourage anyone who cares about wild places and the critters that live on them to consider submitting a comment in opposition to this proposed rule change. Here’s why.
|
|
Puzzlemaster Spencer Neuharth has two fresh games for you to play this week. See if you can beat the crew's time! |
|
This week's Turtle theme is gear. Try to beat Jani's score of 32 seconds in 4 guesses.
|
|
This week's crossword theme is hunting. Try to beat Randall's score of 260 in 31 seconds.
|
|
|
|
Steve, Cal, and Mark Kenyon Hunt Desert Whitetail | MeatEater Season 8
The Coues deer hunt continues in Mexico, and the ranch chef demonstrates how to make chilli Colorado tamales with venison. Presented by the US Border Patrol.
|
|
Elk Feedgrounds Could Help Bears and Wolves More Than Hunters
By Eli Fournier
Winter-range elk feeding programs, like those near Jackson, Wyoming, are a double-edged sword for elk herds. On one hand, the hay and alfalfa handout stations can harbor and spread lethal diseases like CWD through the herds, but on the flip side, they’re also thought to prevent mass starvation and winter kill in heavy snow years. Ultimately, that means more elk for hunters to harvest—in theory, anyway.
New research conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) casts doubt on the effectiveness of feeding programs, indicating that any increase in elk populations may be completely offset by wolf and grizzly predation. In a study published this summer, researchers came to the conclusion based on 26 years of Wyoming and Montana data gleaned from elk monitoring surveys, hunter harvest reports, predator abundance estimates, and seasonal precipitation trends.
Broadly, the study found that feeding elk herds does increase the number of calves born in the spring, but those gains are not carried over to the huntable, adult population.
|
|
Surviving and Thriving (and Finding a Dead Man) in the Alaska Bush | The MeatEater Podcast Ep. 757
Steven Rinella talks with Randy Brown.
Topics discussed: Steve and Randall's latest audiobook is available for presale; MeatEater's Tailgate Tour is back!; our favorite First Lite Navigator Hoody; sprouting weed out of dog shit on a roof; digging in other peoples' gut piles; what to harvest off a bear; frying caribou tongue; hunting wolves; Tolkien people; the biggest lesson; and more.
|
|
|
|
|
