The Outdoor Scene

Misty Waggener of Priest River, Idaho, leads a double life. From 9 am to 5 pm she’s all business as a training manager at the community bank. During her free time, she’s hard at work racking up elk calling titles, with five women’s division victories to her credit so far. Her latest win came last weekend when she captured the women’s division of the 2010 RMEF/Leupold World Elk Calling Championship. The competition was held during Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s 26th Annual Elk Camp, March 4-7.

While still a teen, she whupped all the boys in the youth division of the World Elk Calling Championship – three times – before moving into the women’s division in 1998.

Barks, whistles, grunts and squeals are in her blood. Her dad, Rockie Jacobsen, is a three-time RMEF World Champion elk caller while her brother Corey is also a competition caller, with several top five finishes under his belt.

Misty said she got her start 17 years ago when her dad was inventing his patented Tone Top Mouth Call Diaphragm. He asked her to give the call a test run, and quickly realized she had inherited the family bugling gene. Misty credits her success to her dad’s call. It’s the only kind she uses whether she’s knocking the judges’ socks off on stage or she’s knocking ‘em dead in the woods.

While Misty enjoys calling on stage, elk hunting is her true passion. She said she actually feels more pressure calling when she’s afield. She started off hunting with a rifle under her dad’s tutelage; however, today Misty prefers the challenge and adrenalin rush of bowhunting. When she gets time off from work, Misty and her husband Casey head to the wilderness to get their fix of screaming bulls.

A lot of Misty’s practice time occurs in the field, hearing the real deal. However, she also trains by listening to bulls on video. She admitted she doesn’t practice as much as she should, however, between riding her horses and shooting her bow, there’s not a lot of time left. Fortunately her hobbies mesh nicely. The trail riding gets her to the woods and the archery practice and calling competitions keep her hunting skills sharp.

Thanks to the $1,500 Misty received as top female caller this year, she said there might be a new horse trailer in her future. She also plans to enjoy all the other swag she won including a Remington .243, Cabela’s gift card and prizes from Eberlestock, Hoyt, Kershaw Knives, Montana Decoy, Montana Silversmiths, Schnee’s and Traditions Performance Firearms.

Even though hunting is a way of life in northern Idaho, Misty said not all that many women go. Still, her co-workers think what she does is pretty cool, and from time to time they ask her to liven up their meetings with a calling demonstration. Misty hopes she can use her accomplishments to encourage other women to get involved in the calling competition as well as give hunting a try.

Women do have a great opportunity to compete against each other at the World Elk Calling Championships. RMEF officials introduced the women’s division in 1994 in response to the enthusiastic participation at the Becoming an Outdoors-woman seminars they offered at Elk Camp, according to head judge and contest official, Fred McClanahan, Jr.

Good news is, with next year’s Elk Camp scheduled for March 3-6 in Reno, Nevada, you’ve got about a year to get your mews and chirps down pat.

For more information, visit http://www.rmef.org/AboutUs/ElkCamp/ElkCampMedia.htm

If you ever took a moment to watch the reality show drivel known as “Denise Richards: It’s Complicated,” you immediately understood it was anything but that.

What is does suggest, though, are the lengths some Americans will go to avoid topics with any complexity. Thank goodness there are people willing to do the deep thinking for those trapped in a haze of crappertainment.

There does seem to be an uptick in the willingness to tease through the tricky details whether it is understanding the ramifications of the health care bills or how McDonald v. City of Chicago will decide whether or not the 50 states are required to obey the Second Amendment, by testing the 14th amendment.

Hunting is not without its share of difficult issues as well.  What constitutes fair chase and the legal intricacies associated with access are just a couple of the matters we have to grapple with. In many ways the privileges we enjoy as hunters depend on our ability to tune in, understand and take a stand.

Being someone who helps shape the future means you should have some understanding of the past. Our wildlife history is a riches to rags to riches story that includes a group of conservation forefathers who pioneered a blueprint known as North American Wildlife Conservation Model.

Elk have benefited from the principles outlined in the North American Model.

While the North American Model and the Seven Sisters of Conservation may sound like a wild theme party at the Playboy mansion, actually, it’s the philosophical framework used to restore wildlife populations from the brink of extinction to the abundant levels we know today.

The model’s two basic principles—that fish and wildlife belong to everyone and are to be managed so their populations will be sustained forever—are explained through a set of guidelines known as the “Seven Sisters for Conservation.”

I visited Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s Web site to obtain a list of the “Seven Sisters” and below, I’ve provided a synopsis. You can see the full explanation at: http://www.rmef.org/Hunting/HuntersConservation/

Sister #1: The Public Trust
In the United States and Canada, wildlife is not owned by individuals. Instead, federal, state and provincial governments are responsible for managing wildlife and their habitat on public lands. This public trust gives all citizens the opportunity to view, hunt, fish and enjoy these natural resources.

Two hundred years ago, American colonists appreciated this unfettered access to the continent’s abundant wildlife. Back in Europe, in many cases only nobility and the very wealthy were allowed to hunt. In 1842, the U.S. Supreme Court set a legal precedent by supporting the American ideal that wildlife belongs to everyone.

Sister #2: Prohibition on Commerce of Dead Wildlife
Because we all own wildlife, it is illegal in North America to sell the meat of any wild animal. In some cases the hides, teeth, antlers and horns of game animals and the hides of a select few furbearers may be sold.

In the latter half of the 1800s, buying and selling meat, hides, feathers and other wild animal parts was big business. Excessive hunting nearly wiped out bison, egrets and elk, and drove other species, such as the passenger pigeon, to extinction. Strong laws written at the turn of the 20th century restricted market hunting and the buying and selling of some wild animals, which allowed many threatened wildlife species to rebound and thrive.

Sister #3: Democratic Rule of Law
Every citizen of the United States and Canada has the right to help create laws to conserve and manage wildlife. You can share your ideas and opinions about wildlife management at government hosted public forums or by voting for or against ballot measures.

Early 20th-century conservationists wanted to protect wildlife populations, yet many still wanted to hunt and fish. So they established laws and set limits to enjoy the bounty without depleting the population.

Sister #4: Hunting Opportunity for All
Everyone is allowed by law to hunt and fish in the United States and Canada regardless of social status, race, creed, religion or gender.

Hunters and anglers led the crusade for wildlife conservation a century ago. For instance, before Theodore Roosevelt became president, he helped found the Boone and Crockett Club. The club’s Fair Chase Statement was the first document outlining a code of conduct and ethics for hunters and anglers. It became a cornerstone of our game laws.

Sister #5: Non-frivolous Use
In North America, we can legally kill certain wild animals under strict guidelines for food and fur, self-defense and property protection.

Laws restrict us from casually killing wildlife. We can’t kill wildlife merely for antlers, horns or feathers or to use only a small portion of the meat. Laws also help ensure we show respect for and avoid mistreating wildlife and the land, and that we make maximum use of every animal hunted for food and other purposes.

Sister #6: International Resources
Because fish and wildlife migrate freely across boundaries between states, provinces and countries, the United States and Canada jointly manage land and wildlife to ensure wildlife can safely cross borders and that no country, state or province will take more than its share of a common resource.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 demonstrates this cooperation between countries. The Act made it illegal to capture or kill migratory birds, except as allowed by specific hunting regulations. Treaties now exist between the United States, Canada, Mexico and Russia, which has helped restore ducks, geese and cranes that cross several countries between their wintering and nesting areas.

Sister #7: Scientific Management
Scientific research—and applying that research–is essential to managing and sustaining North America’s wildlife and habitats.

If you’re still reading this, your understanding of wildlife conservation likely ranks in the top percentile. You probably could run an entire Jeopardy category titled “Measures That Saved Wildlife.”

Besides the obvious game show advantages, understanding the basic principles of wildlife conservation can help you become an informed decision-maker and a better spokesman or woman for hunting and fishing. Many Americans don’t even know hunters and anglers led the way in rescuing our wildlife populations let alone that we continue to be the biggest supporters of conservation today.

This community’s willingness to give back helps drive the model’s success. And a great place to start is by being in the know.

One of the most delicious 22 minutes on cable TV has to be “The Soup,” a comedy show hosted by the sultan of satire, Joel McHale. The part of the show that always cracks me up is when Joel gazes into the camera and leads into the regular segment about female celebrities by saying, “Let’s talk about chicks, man.” Though I don’t normally refer to women as babes, girls or chicks, the segment logo, which features several baby birds huddled together, is set off by biting commentary about the antics of Heidi Montag or Kim Kardashian, making the whole thing just plain funny.

Though I don’t aspire to that kind of humor, this week I will be talking about chicks, instead of what I usually do, which is talk with chicks.

Kenny Kieser

To that end, I called Kenny Kieser, an outdoor writer, book author, hunter and angler who possess an unabashed admiration of strong women.
Kenny comes from hardy stock. He loves to tell the story about his great, great, great grandmother, Elizabeth Rose, a Missouri woman who in 1876 bravely forged ahead to South Dakota with her four children after her husband succumbed to illness. Kenny said the family contends Elizabeth Rose was the second white women in Deadwood, S.D. She and her boys set up a livery stable and food tent for the town’s hungry gold miners. And she prospered during a time when there wasn’t a government bailout for widows trying to make a go of it against all odds with rough prospectors and hostile Lakota.

In the American old west, a woman had to be courageous and a proficient shot. Though Kenny hasn’t modeled one particular character after the legendary Elizabeth Rose in his books, you’ll find the women in Kenny’s historical westerns, “Ride the Trail of Death, and “Black Moon’s Revenge” borrow from her indomitable spirit.

Fast forward to modern times and Kenny says the women in his life are still  fiercely independent. His aunts know how to take care of themselves and his mother single-handedly runs a 160-acre farm. These role models have fostered Kenny’s appreciation and understanding of women who know what they want.

He said he’s glad today’s woman has claimed a more visible presence in the industry. Kenny is quick to point out more women hunters means additional dollars for conservation, through hunting license fees, duck stamps and taxes on firearms and ammunition especially earmarked for wildlife management and hunter education.

I asked Kenny what he thought about the conversations women were having now about our place in the outdoors including: Are women such as Tiffany Lakosky and Haley Heath good role models or does their beauty generate skepticism about their skills? Are pink firearms, fishing rods and other outdoor gear a condescending marketing ploy or a way for women to assert their femininity while enjoying hunting, fishing and target shooting? Does a woman have to be an “extreme” hunter or angler to portray the right image or should we strive to make the outdoors more welcoming to women who are beginners or maybe just less hard core?

I posed these questions to Kenny in a gush of words, and he had good answers. First, he said hunting and fishing should not be driven by your ego, whether you’re a man or a woman. Being an outdoors-woman is what you make of it, not an exercise in meeting some subjective standard. Kenny said hunting and fishing should be enjoyable. Relaxing. Exciting. A chance to watch the seasons change, observe wildlife, learn about nature, build your skills and confidence, and savor the companionship of your family and friends.

What I’ve come to understand is how neat it is to have such diversity among women who hunt, target shoot and fish. It means there truly is a place for every woman who wants to be a part of our community, whether she’s a diehard outdoorswomen or an occasional participant. There’s a place for women who wear makeup when they go fishing and shoot handguns with pink grips and for women who can identify ducks on the wing and insist on field dressing their own deer.

This really isn’t a new idea. Within my lifetime, I’ve seen attitudes change about women’s role in society.  When women first began entering the work force in great numbers, the career woman reigned supreme. However, attitudes have evolved and today, women are respected whether they want to work in an office, be a stay-at-home mom or both. The outdoor community is beginning to understand and accept this concept, too, that as outdoor women we should be free to be who we are, not who we should be.

Trees stand as the ultimate symbol of a healthy ecosystem. And while this country’s tree huggers legitimately care about the environment, they lack an understanding of what it takes to create healthy forests. They’re often followers of the preservationist approach or letting nature take its course. Problem is, that philosophy produces forests where trees are the same age, a situation that destroys biodiversity. Those who really want to give the woods a hug realize that forest management practices such as burning and thinning are vital to creating a mix of young and old stands.

Working to encourage a variety of beneficial trees is also critical in creating healthy forests and robust wildlife populations. One particularly valuable species, the American chestnut, is receiving a lot of attention from the scientific community.

When the Europeans first arrived in this country, this species occupied more than 200 million acres from Maine to Florida and from the piedmont west to the Ohio Valley. Chestnuts were an important food source for many wildlife species. And the settlers depended on the annual nut harvest as a cash crop to feed livestock as well as the lumber from harvested trees.

Though it was a fast growing tree, it couldn’t outrun a lethal fungus known as chestnut blight. This fungus killed an estimated 4 billion American chestnuts or 25 percent of ALL hardwoods in its range. By the middle of the 20th century, the chestnut was nearly wiped out.

However, things are looking up thanks to the work of The American Chestnut Foundation.  The mission of TACF, which was founded in 1983, is to restore the American chestnut tree to its native range using scientific research.

TACF’s founders, a group of prominent plant scientists, developed a program to breed a blight resistance species by backcrossing the American with the Chinese chestnut, which is naturally resistant to blight. Through the years, they’ve made significant progress in producing an American chestnut tree that retains no Chinese characteristics other than blight resistance. During the last 26 years, the TACF and its partners have invested more than $16 million to develop a resistant tree. 

Their work is not done, though. One key element to bringing back the American chestnut is the help and support of informed tree huggers…those who know that Mother Nature can’t always do it alone.  So log onto www.acf.org and become part of a conservation history. Go on, hug an American Chestnut.