8 February General Sherman’s Birthday February 8, 2020By Joe Cavanaugh Announcements, General Information Black Bear Hunts, Elk Hunts, Idaho Hunts, Idaho wilderness hunts, Mule Deer Hunts, Wolf Hunts 0 General William Tecumseh Sherman was born on this date, February 8th, in 1820. You might be wondering why I’m reminding you of Sherman’s birthday. The answer is simple—because if I don’t, no one else will. I know this because in the 1980s, after I had been schooled in the US, I met several Guatemalan Army officers who knew more about our civil war than I did, and were using Sherman’s “total war” tactics to defeat their enemy. The flanking and turning maneuvers Sherman employed from Chattanooga to Atlanta against the Confederate Army and his subsequent march to the sea are epic in military history, and studied in military academies all over the world to this day.Sherman is relevant to a hunting blog for his extraordinary fortitude. Though Sherman experienced set-back after set-back in his early years, he kept pressing on like the tank that bears his name to become a Major General by the end of the war, and one of the most celebrated personalities in his time.All hunters can improve from a study of Sherman’s fortitude. Though we don’t normally encounter obstacles of the magnitude that Sherman did, we do nonetheless encounter obstacles frequently, such as inclement weather, steep slopes, or just plain bad luck. I am disappointed, however, at the number of hunters who quit before the end of a 5-day hunt when things don’t go well for them, even after months of preparation and anticipation. Fortitude is as crucial to a successful hunt as proper equipment or the ability to use our weapons proficiently—if not more so. Stick with it, stay pumped, and don’t give up. God bless America.Joe Cavanaugh Related Posts All-American Birthday of the Month: Mountain Man James Beckwourth When I had the idea to acknowledge birthdays of early trappers and explorers of the American West, I quickly found that very few of them had recorded birth dates. Most were born in log cabins to frontier parents, who were more worried about survival than traveling back East to find a courthouse. Highly American Birthdays March is a good birthday month for bad-ass Americans, as we have no less than four to remind you of. All four of these highly American figures define where we Americans come from and who we are. We must not forget them. Snowshoes for Late Winter Adventures For those of you who are itching to get outside and do some predator hunting or general, backcountry reconnaissance—late winter is an advantageous time of year to do so, and snowshoes are the optimum means of travel. By March, deep snow has covered much of the downed timber and brush, and warm afternoons followed by cold nights have formed a hard crust on the snow. That crust is key for traveling in country burdened with deep snow as it can easily support a man on snowshoes, and a loaded toboggan in tow. Idaho Controlled-Hunt Application Period for Elk, Deer, Antelope, and Fall Bear Opens May 1st The tag application period for Idaho controlled-hunt elk, deer, pronghorn, and fall bear tags opens May 1 and runs to June 5. Idaho does not use a bonus/preference point system for controlled hunts. As a result, hunters have the same odds of drawing a tag the first year they apply as they do any other year. Last Chance for Idaho Controlled Hunt Tags Time is running out to apply for elk, deer, and pronghorn controlled hunts in Idaho—the deadline being June 5th. Idaho does not use a bonus/preference point system for controlled hunts, so you have just as good of a chance at drawing a tag as anyone else. Got Tags? It seems these days that the first, and often times largest, obstacle to hunting elk out west is getting a tag. Well, thanks to bad planning on our part, we find ourselves with 4 extra tags to hunt in a unit that sold out in only 3 days for residents and months ago for nonresidents. We know all the results of the draws are out for the west and finding someone with actual tags and openings to be able to hunt, and at a discounted rate, is nearly impossible so we believe these will go fast: we have exactly 4 tags left for elk in area 28 in central Idaho and we are even discounting this hunt opportunity. Comment (0) Comments are closed.