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one_more_ridge

@one_more_ridge

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Hunting, Fishing, Family, and the 2nd Amendment

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Luck Over Skill

This hunt wasn’t what I imagined finally shooting my first archery bull would be like. It wasn’t solo, miles into the backcountry, with an incredible spot and stalk, an even more incredible shot, and ending with a suckfest of a pack out that I would recall years down the road as one of the coolest moments of my hunting experiences.

What was it? It was lucky. It just happened to be the right day, at the right time, in the right location. The bull stopped at 60 yards, but then for no other reason than it was “just my day”, it came the last 30 yards and turned broadside. The shot was “just good enough”. There wasn’t even a pack out. But more importantly, it was 10 days of hunting with my oldest son on his first ever archery hunt. It was shooting my first bull and him making his first archery kill on the same day. It was seeing his reaction when he heard his first bugle, and watching him spot animal after animal before I could. It was 10 days with a long-time high school buddy and his family. It was time back in Montana, listening to rural radio stations stuck in a time warp talking about giving away a full hog to the winner of the upcoming skeet shoot. It was my son asking me why he wasn’t able to grow up in Montana! It was a lot of laughs, teamwork, and a few disappointing moments, as well.

It was so much more than I could possibly put in an Instagram post.

It was so important to me that Mason enjoyed the trip, regardless of how many tags were punched. We knocked that goal out of the park. He is now addicted (my words) to archery hunting. Mission accomplished and that makes me so happy!

In a nutshell, for me, it was listening to my son tell my friend and his family that, “Something happens to my dad that I’ve never seen before when he hears a bugle. It flips a switch.” Yes it does, and I hope I never lose that.

I’ll take luck over skill any day.

#defendthehunt
#guardthegate
#huntingislife
#hunting
#antihuntingisdiscrimination
#publicland
#publiclandowner
#conservation
#wildlifeconservation
#fieldtotable
#wildgame
#habitat
#hunt
#fish
#bethevoice
#definehunting
#bowhunting
#bowhunter
#bowseason
#huntingseason
#buck
#bull
#bear by @one_more_ridge

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a year ago

FINALLY!

More to come…..#defendthehunt #huntingislife #huntingisconservation #antihuntingisdiscrimination #washingtonhunting #guardthegate #montanahunting #hunting #publiclandowner #definehunting #archery #archeryelk #elk #deer #archerydeer by @one_more_ridge

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a year ago

HOW THE INSLEE COMMISSION WAS BUILT
For years, Washington sportsmen have asked how we ended up with a Commission that so often appears disconnected from hunters, anglers, and the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.
A 2020 document from JT Austin, Gov. Jay Inslee’s Natural Resources Policy Advisor, gives us a remarkable look at how some of the biggest disgraces to our Commission were brought on board.
The document identifies Fred Koontz, Lorna Smith and Melanie Rowland among the top candidates and then specifically recommends all three as replacements for sitting commissioners.
There is a story is in the references.
FRED KOONTZ
His references included former WDFW scientists Harriet Allen (Wolf Haven Board member) and Gary Koehler, who has become known for being outspoken against cougar hunting. And Ruth Musgrave, who would later become Inslee’s Natural Resources Policy Advisor and was well connected to Barbara Baker.
LORNA SMITH
Her references included Kurt Beardslee of Wild Fish Conservancy and former Rep. Hans Dunshee. Dunshee became the Political Director of HSUS, an anti-hunting powerhouse. One of our other commissioners was allegedly in an ongoing relationship Dunshee, as confirmed by this commissioner to our team when asked.
MELANIE ROWLAND
Her references included Ruth Musgrave and Claire Davis, identified in the document as an attorney for Animal & Earth Advocates, Wild Fish Conservancy, and Washington Wildlife First.
And look at the language used throughout the candidate spreadsheet.
We’ve shared records with multiple of these people- this document brings it all together and highlights the connections.
The candidates being elevated were repeatedly categorized as “CONSERVATIONISTS.”
Hunters and anglers were categorized as “LICENSE HOLDERS.” From the looks of the spreadsheet sportsmen were largely left out of the process.
Hunters and anglers ARE conservationists.
This process elevated a network of environmental and animal-welfare advocates under the banner of “conservation,” while sportsmen were reduced to their status as license holders.
The Commission didn’t just become this way.
It was built to become this way by Inslee and his advisors. by @one_more_ridge

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15 days ago

Day 7, 8….12?

I’ve lost track honestly. The last several days have been incredible, but there have been some pretty low moments mixed in with the excitement.

I had a bear I could have easily gotten a shot on, but they closed the season 2 days earlier. I hit a doe back and spent a total of 10 hours searching across 2 days. Gridded nearly 4 miles and even called a tracker. The tracker was far too expensive, and I never found her. I also missed a beautiful buck at 20 yds. He’s the buck walking away on the horizon.

But, I also stalked into position to ambush some elk and the bull walked by at 6 yds. It was incredible. I had a cow tag, but the cows never followed. I’ve been able to see several stunning sunsets and called in two more bulls within 30 yds hoping they might bring some cows with them.

This morning is my last day, and I had 4 bucks come by at 30 yds and wasn’t able to get a clear shot on a single one.

Leaving is bittersweet as always. I had opportunities to fill more tags, but I will never forget this trip and I’m ready to go home and sleep for a few days!

#huntingislife #huntingisconservation #archeryhunting #defendthehunt #hunting by @one_more_ridge

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18 days ago

Days 4, 5 and 6

Day 4 was pretty slow, but Gary put a spike down in the last hour and a half. We had two other spikes come in, but Keaton chose to hold off so we could locate Gary’s bull.

Day 5 was very slow. We only saw one elk and got no opportunities.

Day 6 six started off with a bang, and it was a good thing Keaton held off on the spike because he was able to capitalize on a nice six point.

8 days left and 1 cow elk tag and 2 deer tags. Bear hunting was closed yesterday so that’s no longer an option, unfortunately.

#huntingislife #huntingisconservation #archeryelkhunting by @one_more_ridge

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24 days ago

Day 3

I’ll let the clips speak for themselves. Still solo. Gary and his son don’t join me until Wednesday.

4 bulls called in. One came to just under 100 yds and the other 3 were under 15 yds. I punched my bull tag on a spike, and I don’t regret it. Meat is in the freezer and that feels good.

An incredible day that ended with one of the bulls in a beautiful sunset. Love this place.

#archeryelkhunting #huntingislife #archeryhunting by @one_more_ridge

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a month ago

MT Archery Hunt Update

Day 1 was wet, cold, and muddy. Despite that, I got stalks on two little muley bucks and a small bull. Both were disrupted by other hunters. The day ended with clearing skies and a missed shot on a spike.

Day 2 was redemption day. I had an elk on the ground by 7 am. It was my first frontal shot, and they are devastating.

Incredibly happy to have meat in the freezer. I still have a cow tag, 2 deer tags, a bear tag, and 12 more days.

I would be happy to have to buy more coolers for the drive home. #defendthehunt #huntingislife #huntingisconservation by @one_more_ridge

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a month ago

Well, we all knew Columbia Insight had become a favorite outlet for anti-hunting, preservationist activists, but this article is next level.
The author has managed to take an investigation into WDFW commissioners and somehow turn it into a story about persecuted commissioners and angry hunters who just wanted to kill bears and take them on a “witch hunt”. Side note- it is extremely difficult to feel any empathy for “tarnished reputations” when people bring things on themselves as a consequence of their own behaviors (our opinion).😒
The headline literally says: “Hunters’ demands for spring bear kills led to dubious reprimand, tarnished reputations, say commissioners.” Then there’s a section titled “Hunters want pelts.” Oh and how this article talked about Sportsmen’s Alliance and CCW versus the Jody Allen funded, Washington Wildlife First is astonishing.
Spring bear was a catalyst for our concerns with this Commission—not the entirety of them. Our concerns have grown from countless issues involving commissioner conduct, transparency, accountability, decision-making, and especially HOW spring bear was ended.
Meanwhile, the investigation itself substantiated concerns involving public-records compliance, open meetings and commissioner conduct. But apparently those details aren’t nearly as interesting as building a victim narrative around Smith, Rowland and Lehmkuhl.
And let’s not forget the way hunters have been portrayed before. Mehaffey wrote “Hunters argue for right to kill mothers with cubs”. If that isn’t slandering a whole community..
And Lorna and Rowland, who have been unavailable or declined comment for other coverage recently, suddenly have plenty to say here. Wonder why?
K.C. Mehaffey and Melanie Rowland are from the same town. Methow Valley news, where she recently released her response article from is also from Twisp..
This isn’t objective reporting. Reality was not in the room with this one.
If you want to read how Lorna and Melanie feel targeted for their decades of activism: https://columbiainsight.org/governors-response-to-wdfw-investigation-sows-more-discord/
Photo credit- Columbia Insight by @one_more_ridge

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a month ago

This document is from a March 25, 2025 legal analysis prepared by Joe Panesko, Senior Counsel with the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, and provided to Governor Ferguson’s Chief Legal Counsel, Kristin Beneski, as part of the review involving the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission.

The section addresses Commissioner Lorna Smith’s compensation claims and whether the days she claimed met the statutory requirements for commissioner compensation. The analysis notes that there was a lack of documentation showing what official work Smith had performed for all of the days for which she claimed compensation.

It states:

If Smith is claiming compensation for days where she is not actually engaging in “statutorily prescribed duties” as a commissioner, such claims may constitute theft. There are no records showing what official work Smith was allegedly conducting for all the days claimed over the past 14 months. These claims of daily commission work are particularly egregious considering how little prior effort Smith was making towards locating and producing her personal records responsive to public record requests. This compensation claim issue is a separate and concerning element of Smith’s conduct as a commissioner that highly suggests misconduct and malfeasance, if not outright criminal theft for claiming compensation for days when she likely did not actually perform any official, statutory duties as a commissioner.

Those are the words of the department lawyer from the AG’s office. by @one_more_ridge

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a month ago

And, once again, we see the same pattern: Commissioner Smith openly advocating for a predetermined outcome and then using a deeply flawed anti-hunting poll (including the oft-repeated “80% of Washingtonians” figure ) as support for that position. Of course, the origin and recipients are personal email accounts instead of government issued ones.
We’re looking forward to the day when these kinds of Commissioners whose agendas come before duty are no longer tied to WDFW.
Hilarious seeing Lorna claiming a minority when a year later she would brag to preservationists about the 6 member voting alliance on the commission, sharing pictures of Commissioners Lehmkuhl, Baker, Meyers, Rowland, and Ragen (as well as Jay Inslee 😒).
This behavior has zero place in fish & wildlife management. by @one_more_ridge

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a month ago

CCW was recently contacted by Columbia Insight regarding Governor Ferguson’s letters to Lorna and Melanie.
Rather than participate in an interview, we provided the following written statement. We believe it is important that our position be presented accurately and in its entirety:

“The Conservation Coalition of Washington appreciates Governor Ferguson for initiating the investigation into the four commissioners. We believe the findings reinforce the concerns we have raised over the years about the conduct of some Washington Fish and Wildlife Commissioners.

Although we had hoped Governor Ferguson would take further action following the investigation, we understand that this was not a simple decision, particularly following the loss of Commissioner Victor Garcia and with only four months remaining in the current commissioners’ terms.

We hope Governor Ferguson will take the findings of the investigation seriously when considering future appointments to the Commission.

Our greatest concern is the precedent that could be created by the use of warning letters in this situation. This is bigger than any one commissioner or any wildlife policy issue. It is about the standards we expect from people serving in our state government and whether those standards are consistently applied to all public officials and Washington employees. This is about good government and accountability.

We do not want the outcome of this situation to create the impression that these standards are optional for current or future commissioners.

We have faith that Governor Ferguson’s office will be rigorous in the upcoming appointment process, as we believe they were with the 2025 appointments. We hope to see that process result in a Commission that can move forward in a more constructive direction and help strengthen public confidence in the Department.”

We are sharing our full statement publicly because we want our position to be clear and available in its entirety. by @one_more_ridge

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a month ago

This one is going to get people pissed off with us.
We recently obtained Messenger records between WDFW Commissioner John Lehmkuhl and the infamous Samantha Miller — formerly of Washington Wildlife First and a prominent leader of the Cats Aren’t Trophies campaign in Colorado, currently with Center for Biological Diversity.
John has repeatedly wanted people to believe he isn’t aligned with the anti-hunting crowd.
But then you read the conversations.
John followed Samantha’d hunting-ban campaign. He listened to her podcasts. He suggested her for a job. They made plans to meet for drinks. He sent her a personal gift. He wished the “cowgirl” a happy birthday.
And then the conversation gets into policy.
They discuss Commission politics, the Sportsmen’s Alliance petition, decision-making processes and the precautionary principle.
John talks about trying to build a better process and says:
“Given the difficulties of doing anything progressive we’ll see how it goes.”
That word — progressive — caught our attention. That sounds like it goes along with the concept of wildlife “reform”, coined by a certain group of people.
He also discusses the removal of Tim Ragen from the commission as being detrimental to “balance”. Funny because when Tim was on the commission 6 of the 9 commissioners had anti- hunting ties.
And Samantha’s statement to John:
“You’re back in the resistance! Welcome back…”
“We have wolves and good dinner company”
It’s also worth remembering that John was placed on the Commission and Commission’s vice-chair position with the support of anti-hunting groups.
A commissioner who insists he isn’t aligned with the anti-hunting movement, maintaining a close relationship with one of its prominent national activists, making plans to meet or ride horses (how many times has that happened?), etc — and essentially being told by her that he’s one of them.
To be fair, we give him credit for turning over the records. That’s more than we can say for some of the others.
But John, you wanted us to see them.
These messages show your colors and where you stand, but we didn’t need them to know. by @one_more_ridge

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2 months ago