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DEER HUNTING LEGEND IN POMONA -- matthews column-ONS -- 31dec02
Deer hunting guru one of Pomona shows' highlights
Mike Eastman, a legend among mule deer hunters and outdoor film makers, will be one of the headline speakers at this year's 2nd International Sportsman's Exhibition to be held at the Fairplex in Pomona January 9-12.
Eastman will have a guest with him named "Popeye" at the show.
This isn't the cartoon character of your childhood, this is one of the largest mule deer bucks ever photographed. The huge deer was given the name "Popeye" because -- as Eastman explains -- "your eyes pop out when you see him the first time."
"This is the most famous mule deer, bar none," said Eastman of this tremendous buck that was photographed and videoed four consecutive years on public land winter range in Wyoming until the buck died of old age. Eastman said that because of his videos and stories in his magazine, said the buck became perhaps the most well-known and most heavily hunted buck in the West. But it still managed to elude hunters to die of old age.
Eastman said a hunting partner of his, Eddie Boe, followed the big buck on the winter range picking up his sheds each year until he died, and those sheds show the growth of this incredible buck over the seasons. The publicity over Popeye drew hunters from all over the country to try to find the big deer during the hunting season, but he was never taken even though he lived his whole life in one of Wyoming's general hunting units. Eastman will have film and mounted heads with the antlers of Popeye, a huge deer with a 42-inch outside spread his last year of life.
Eastman, who publishes the Eastman Hunting Journal and Eastman Bowhunting Journal, is beginning his firth year on the Outdoor Channel with the video version of his magazine. His publications and television shows specialize in showing mule deer hunters the biggest bucks taken each year on public lands and explains what they need to do to be successful in taking monster bucks.
A Wyoming native, Eastman will be giving seminars daily at the show in Pomona outlining the four keys to taking big deer on public land: 1)hunting terrain that holds big bucks, 2) concentrating your hunting in the same place year after year, 3) learn how to glass a trophy deer area without pushing deer, and 4) learning how to judge what constitutes a real trophy buck.
"Mule deer have changed their behavior over the last 20 years, and you can't hunt them the same way our father's taught us back when we were younger," said Eastman. "Back then we had millions of mule deer and there wasn't the hunting pressure. We try to give hunters the skills they need to take a trophy mule deer."
Eastman's seminars, which have only been held in Southern California once before and then in Oxnard, typically draw from 400 to 500 dedicated hunters. His shows at ISE are free each day with admission to the event.
In addition to Eastman's seminars, the Eastman Hunting Journal's World Record Deer Tour will also be at the show with mounted heads of the largest mule deer ever taken by hunters, including the famous 46-inch Meeker buck. Roger Selner and Don Stemler, who run the deer tour, are also both Boone & Crockett scorers and encourage hunters to bring their big antlers by the booth to have them scored to see how they stack up with the big boys.
The ISE show, which features over 300 exhibitors from the hunting and fishing arena, will run Thursday through Sunday next week at the Fairplex at 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $9 for adults with kids 12 and under free. Discount coupons that knock $2 off the price on weekdays and $1 on weekends are available at Sportmart and Long Drug Stores.
Deer hunting guru one of Pomona shows' highlights
Mike Eastman, a legend among mule deer hunters and outdoor film makers, will be one of the headline speakers at this year's 2nd International Sportsman's Exhibition to be held at the Fairplex in Pomona January 9-12.
Eastman will have a guest with him named "Popeye" at the show.
This isn't the cartoon character of your childhood, this is one of the largest mule deer bucks ever photographed. The huge deer was given the name "Popeye" because -- as Eastman explains -- "your eyes pop out when you see him the first time."
"This is the most famous mule deer, bar none," said Eastman of this tremendous buck that was photographed and videoed four consecutive years on public land winter range in Wyoming until the buck died of old age. Eastman said that because of his videos and stories in his magazine, said the buck became perhaps the most well-known and most heavily hunted buck in the West. But it still managed to elude hunters to die of old age.
Eastman said a hunting partner of his, Eddie Boe, followed the big buck on the winter range picking up his sheds each year until he died, and those sheds show the growth of this incredible buck over the seasons. The publicity over Popeye drew hunters from all over the country to try to find the big deer during the hunting season, but he was never taken even though he lived his whole life in one of Wyoming's general hunting units. Eastman will have film and mounted heads with the antlers of Popeye, a huge deer with a 42-inch outside spread his last year of life.
Eastman, who publishes the Eastman Hunting Journal and Eastman Bowhunting Journal, is beginning his firth year on the Outdoor Channel with the video version of his magazine. His publications and television shows specialize in showing mule deer hunters the biggest bucks taken each year on public lands and explains what they need to do to be successful in taking monster bucks.
A Wyoming native, Eastman will be giving seminars daily at the show in Pomona outlining the four keys to taking big deer on public land: 1)hunting terrain that holds big bucks, 2) concentrating your hunting in the same place year after year, 3) learn how to glass a trophy deer area without pushing deer, and 4) learning how to judge what constitutes a real trophy buck.
"Mule deer have changed their behavior over the last 20 years, and you can't hunt them the same way our father's taught us back when we were younger," said Eastman. "Back then we had millions of mule deer and there wasn't the hunting pressure. We try to give hunters the skills they need to take a trophy mule deer."
Eastman's seminars, which have only been held in Southern California once before and then in Oxnard, typically draw from 400 to 500 dedicated hunters. His shows at ISE are free each day with admission to the event.
In addition to Eastman's seminars, the Eastman Hunting Journal's World Record Deer Tour will also be at the show with mounted heads of the largest mule deer ever taken by hunters, including the famous 46-inch Meeker buck. Roger Selner and Don Stemler, who run the deer tour, are also both Boone & Crockett scorers and encourage hunters to bring their big antlers by the booth to have them scored to see how they stack up with the big boys.
The ISE show, which features over 300 exhibitors from the hunting and fishing arena, will run Thursday through Sunday next week at the Fairplex at 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $9 for adults with kids 12 and under free. Discount coupons that knock $2 off the price on weekdays and $1 on weekends are available at Sportmart and Long Drug Stores.
