We have been guiding non-stop for the past month and we are very thankful for all our "Magnum Hunters" business. Our hunters were successful on; bongo, roan, springbok, black wildebeest, siberian ibex, nile lechwe, numerous grey fox, javelina, aoudad and gemsbok. Highlights included our "Youth Essay Contest" winner, 17 yr old Leigh Ann Bodenchuk harvesting a 39 inch gemsbok bull. She was a blessing to have in camp as was her father Mike, a biologist and State Director with the USDA Wildlife Services division. Leigh Ann offers many ideas on how hunters and guide/outfitters can boost youth involvement in the outdoors. Another highlight was day before yesterday when Kevin Crown, husband of Barbara Crown Editor/Owner of the Hunting Report, and I were nearly run over by a very angry wounded boar javelina. Kevin spun and fired from the hip knocking the boar down at a distance of 4 feet! Great shot Kevin, "thank you" for backing me!

Melony's mom and long time Magnum cook, Mary Ann Wagner is losing her fight with pancreatic cancer. Hospice and family are with her now. Your prayers and friendship are greatly appreciated at this most difficult time in our lives. Mary Ann wants all her friends to know, "In my Father's house are many mansions, I hope yours is next to mine."

Our spring turkey hunters start arriving this coming Thursday and will continue for the next several weeks. The forecast calls for a good number of 3 yr old gobblers, a good number of jakes with fewer 2 & 4 yr old gobblers. We have received around 4 times our normal winter rainfall so range conditions will be excellent if "old man winter" ever allows spring to come in. Temperatures tomorrow night are forecast to be in the 20's. Once things green up the birds should become very vocal but for now, we are expecting a slower start with mid April being the peak of the gobbling. By then, the Texas landscape will be painted a rich green and dotted with colorful wildflowers. What a great place for turkey hunters to be photographed with their large Rio Grande Gobblers!

Lastly, we recently had a hunter knock down an aoudad ram at 400 yards with a 190 grain Berger bullet fired from a .300 Win Mag. The shot looked good but by the time we hiked 20 minutes down a small canyon and up the other side we found the sheep was gone! There was no blood, hair or meat, just the video tape. The hunter said he thought he hit him low in the shoulder, I thought high towards the spine for he immediately fell to the shot, crawled to his front feet dragging his rear half, then fell over and lay motionless for 7-8 minutes as we loaded up our packs. Either way, the bullet either failed to penetrate or did not expand with the exit wound covered by fatty tissue for there was no blood or hair where the sheep had fallen. The entry side was towards the sky. Has anyone out there had much hunting experience with Berger bullets? I have only seen them used on some of the outdoor TV shows at extremely long ranges. Out of over 7,500 clients we have never had a client use these type bullets before and would like to know more about them.

Our photo gallery should be updated tomorrow so check it out if you have time. Happy Easter and God Bless!

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The Hunting Report


Fax Number: 305-670-1376 Order Line: 305-670-1918
Web: www.HuntingReport.com
E-Mail: Mail@HuntingReport.com
February 2010 Volume 30 Number 2


Hunting Report subscribers with children or grandchildren ages nine to 17 who would like to go hunting will be interested in an offer we just received from the Crown X Ranch in West Texas. You may remember the report we published in 2006 from correspondent Ray Sasser regarding the Crown X Ranch. (See Article ID 1719.) You’ll recall that the Schwerdtfeger family, which owns this 35,000-acre property in the Chinati Mountains, was creating their own African savannah with a collection of more than 31 species of game, including Cape buffalo. The idea was to have many of the animals ranging freely in one huge area in self-sustaining, interactive herds – just like in Africa. The Crown X is an exclusive property and is not open to the general public. But the family wanted to use hunting as a conservation management tool on the property and was prepared to offer a very limited number of hunts through outfitter and guide Jim Roche of Magnum Guide Service.

So, how does this translate to an offer for a youth hunter in your life? Well, Roche recently contacted us with news and a proposal from Howard Schwerdtfeger. First of all, he says the Crown X has built a luxurious lodge and within the last year has successfully hosted a small number of hunters. They are interested in catering to conservation minded hunters who appreciate their efforts to conserve some of the endangered species on their property. But they are also interested in encouraging young people to become more involved in the outdoors, wildlife conservation and wildlife management through hunting. In fact, they are prepared to offer a free hunt through The Hunting Report to a youth hunter.

The Schwerdtfegers are inviting the children, grandchildren or nieces and nephews of Hunting Report subscribers to share their thoughts on the topic: How Can Hunters, Guides And Outfitters Get More Kids Involved In Hunting and Conservation? To that end, we are working with the Crown X to sponsor an essay-writing contest for children ages 9 to 17. The winner of the contest will get to visit the Crown X with a parent and hunt a gemsbok on the property. The dates for this hunt are March 13-16, 2010. The hunt includes meals, lodging, guiding, two days of hunting and three nights lodging for one youth hunter and one non-hunting parent or grandparent, aunt or uncle, who could be upgraded to a hunter at regular rates. Essays should be a minimum of 400 words and up to 1,000. Entries may be sent by e-mail to Editor Barbara Crown at Barbara@hunting report.com; or via fax (305-253-5532). You can also send them by snail mail to: The Hunting Report, Attention Barbara Crown, 12182 SW 128th Street, Miami, FL 33186. Just be aware the deadline to receive all entries is February 25, 2010, and the winner must be able to travel to the ranch the week of March 15. Entries will be judged by the ranch owners, Roche and Crown. The winner will be notified no later than February 28. Please include the child’s name, age and grade, as well as the name of and the relationship to a Hunting Report subscriber and complete contact details, including phone, e-mail and mailing address. The Schwerdtfegers want the sincere thoughts and ideas of today’s youth, so please, no “help” from adults. All details for the contest will be posted to The Hunting Report web site under Web Site Uploads. Participating youth should also include information indicating their shooting or hunting experience. They should be able to handle a .243 at minimum with a .270 preferable. Roche is experienced in guiding youth hunters and will provide some coaching and encouragement, but some preparedness on the youngster’s part is necessary. All of the entries will become part of a campaign to educate and increase interest in hunting among youth. “It is my sincere hope that we all might gain insight into the minds of today’s children so that we may utilize this information to better preserve our hunting heritage for future generations,” says Roche.

The Hunting Report will share the results with guide/outfitter associations, hunting conservation groups and sportsmen in general. All entries will be posted to The Hunting Report web site. You can learn more about the Crown X Ranch on their web site at www.cxsafaris.com. Join today and enter a child. You can make a difference in the life of a child and the future of our hunting heritage.



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Our whitetail season is going into full swing. The start of the primary rut is about a week away. Fresh rubs and scrapes are everywhere. The weather has been getting cooler and the fall colors are awesome! What a great time to be in the woods. Our hunter's success rates have been high and we have been truly blessed with some outstanding hunters to share our Lodge and campfire with. Our "West Texas Safaris" have been a big hit, as have our West Texas Aoudad Sheep Hunts. We still have 3 "Free Range" Mule Deer hunts available on our "Cancellation Special". These are really fun, action packed adventures with casual sightings of; elk, whitetail, aoudad, javelina and maybe a mountain lion! That's right. On our last aoudad sheep hunt our professional guide Neil Grant and sheep hunter "Wig" got to watch a big lion from a distance on top of a steep bluff. Now is the time to plan your December thru March Predator Hunt. The bobcat population is at an all time high! Come help us balance the scales for our fawn and turkey survival. For parents looking for an affordable opportunity to get their kids involved in the "great outdoors", please look for all the "Youth Specials" designed to help keep families hunting together. From time to time we have last minute "Hunt Specials" or "Cancellation Specials". Please monitor our website for the latest, breaking news. We here at "Team Magnum" are excited about this fall hunting season and look forward to seeing all of our returning friends and building new friendships. Happy Hunting and may God Bless You!

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The single greatest threat facing the future of hunting, wildlife conservation, and firearm ownership in America is kids. That is, the lack of kids participating in an outdoors lifestyle, especially hunting. The exploding, or now (imploding) commercialization of the Hunting Industry has driven prices so high that most dads can not afford to take their kids hunting anymore. The kids therefore lose quality time with their dads and take up video games, texting, and other computer sports. Their idea of going outdoors is watching Nat Geo or Animal Planet on TV. Why should the next generation care about hunting, wildlife conservation or gun ownership? How can we stop this trend?

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We are sad to share the news of long time friend and hunting companion, Harry Saunders, PA, passed away on July 10th. He was a young 89 years old and will be greatly missed by many. He entertained us all with lots of jokes, past hunting trips and stories from the good ole days. His favorite line to me, the cook, was; "I didn't come here to eat, I came here to hunt"! That was what Harry was all about.


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We are saddened to report that Magnum guide, Corey Kovar, lost his battle with bile duct cancer today, July 11, 2009. He is now in heaven and no longer in pain. Please remember the Kovar family in your prayers and thank you all for your love and support.

We feel so close to our staff and clients that we are compelled to share these postings with all of you to honor those that have gone on before us.

God Bless you all.

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Melony's mother and long time chef for many Magnum Hunters, Mary Ann Wagner, is "living" with (stage 4) pancreatic cancer. In addition, long time guide Corey Kovar is "living" with (stage 4) bile duct cancer. Tomorrow, June 27, 2009 is the Memorial Service "celebrating the life" of long time friend and Magnum Hunter, David Fortney who recently lost his battle with cancer. For those Magnum Hunters and friends who would like phone numbers or mailing addresses, please contact our office.

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Does anyone out there have experience on bullet performance with the Barnes "Tipped" TSX Bullets on thin skinned game such as whitetail deer or thicker skinned game such as moose or African plains game animals?

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As of this morning we have received an additional 3-5 inches of rain, bringing our total over the past 40 days to 10-12 inches depending on the individual ranch! Thank you Lord!

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We have been blessed once again with beneficial spring rains that are so necessary for growing big antlers and boosting our turkey hatch. Last night some of our ranches received as much as 3 1/2 inches while others received 1 inch. That brings our 30 day total to almost 7 inches!!!

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