Get the Utah Snowmobiling Trail Maps and Grooming Report before you go!

Utah State Parks has a few great resources for the snowmobiling fan out there and one of the best is their Utah Snowmobile Trail download maps from their web site. http://stateparks.utah.gov/ohv/snow-trails

 Also, don't forget to check the snowmobile Trail Grooming Report by the Utah Snowmobile Association's web site at http://www.snowut.org/groomingreports.htm

Get the information before you go and stay safe in the great Utah Outdoors!

Utah first General season permits on sale starting Feb. 16, 2010

If you didn’t obtain a limited entry permit to hunt wild turkeys in
Utah this spring, don’t put your shotgun away. Permits for Utah’s
first general statewide turkey hunt go on sale starting Feb. 16.

“We’re excited,” says Judi Tutorow, wildlife licensing
coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. “For the first
time, every hunter who wants to hunt wild turkeys in Utah can hunt.”

Because the general hunt is brand new, Tutorow says the DWR has
received lots of questions from hunters. She provides the following
information:

- You don’t have to get a permit on Feb. 16. General turkey permits
are not limited in number, so they won’t run out. Permits will be
available until the season ends on May 31.

- You can buy a general turkey permit and still keep all of your
limited entry turkey bonus points. You won’t lose any of your bonus
points if you buy a general turkey permit.

- If you buy a general turkey permit, you can hunt anywhere in Utah
that’s open to turkey hunting.

- If you obtained a limited entry turkey permit, you can’t obtain a
general turkey permit. (You can have only one turkey permit each year.)


- You can buy a permit at www.wildlife.utah.gov starting Feb. 16.
Permits will also be available at DWR offices and from more than 300
hunting license agents across Utah.

- Two general hunts will be held:

* The first hunt is a special youth hunt. This hunt is for hunters who
are 15 years of age or younger. It runs April 30 - May 2.

To participate, young hunters must buy a general statewide hunting
permit. Young hunters who drew a limited entry permit can’t
participate in the youth hunt.

Youngsters who buy a permit for the youth hunt can also use the permit
to hunt during Utah’s general statewide hunt. That hunt opens May 3.

* The second hunt is open to anyone who buys a statewide general turkey
permit. The hunt runs May 3 - 31.

For more information, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources
office or the DWR’s Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.

See as many as 10,000 snow geese at the Utah Snow Goose Festival

Watch the skies turn white!

Delta -- It’s a sight you have to see to believe: thousands of pure
white snow and Ross’ geese lifting off Gunnison Bend Reservoir amid
honks and the beating of wings.

You can see this spectacle yourself on Feb. 19, 20 and 21 at the annual
Utah Snow Goose Festival. The festival will be held at and near
Gunnison Bend Reservoir, just west of Delta. Admission is free.

As many as 10,000 snow geese have been at the reservoir during past
festivals. Except for the black tips on their wings, snow geese are
pure white.

“We’ll provide spotting scopes so you can get a close look at the
geese,” says Bob Walters, Watchable Wildlife coordinator for the
Division of Wildlife Resources. “We’ll also be available to answer
any questions you have.”

In addition to seeing the geese, you can learn more about wildlife at
free seminars offered by the DWR. The seminars will be held on
Saturday, Feb. 20.

The best times to see the geese

The areas where you’ll see the geese vary according to the time of
the day.

“If you arrive early in the morning, you can watch the geese feeding
in fields that surround the reservoir. Then, at about 10:30 a.m., the
geese take off and fly back to the reservoir. That’s an exciting time
to see and hear the geese,” Walters says.

After landing on the reservoir, the geese usually spend the next few
hours there. “Then, anywhere from 4 to 6 p.m., they take off again
and fly back to the fields,” he says. “It’s thrilling to be there
when the geese do this.”

DWR biologists will watch which fields the geese fly to. If you arrive
after the geese have left the reservoir, the biologists will direct you
to the fields where the geese are feeding.

Viewing tips

- Use binoculars or a spotting scope to view the geese. If you get too
close to the geese, you could scare them away.

- If you pull off the road to view the geese, pull as far off the road
as you can. And watch for cars.

- The weather could be cold and wet. Bring the proper clothes so you
can stay warm and dry.

For more information about the 2010 Snow Goose Festival, call the Delta
Area Chamber of Commerce at (435) 864-4316.

DWR proposes new safety rules as Utah's interest in Poisonous Snakes is Growing

Did you know that the number of Utahns who want to catch and keep a
poisonous snake in their home is growing?

To make sure this activity is done safely, the Division of Wildlife
Resources is proposing several changes to the state law that governs
it.

Utah’s five public Regional Advisory Councils want your thoughts
about the DWR’s ideas. You can read the agency’s ideas at
www.wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings/info/2010-02-03.pdf .

“The desire to catch venomous snakes in the wild and then breed them
in captivity is growing among herpetologists in Utah,” says Krissy
Wilson, native aquatic species coordinator for the DWR.

(Herpetologists are people who enjoy catching and raising snakes.)

Wilson says six rattlesnake species live in Utah. The DWR is proposing
that enthusiasts be allowed to catch and keep only the two most common
rattlesnakes in the state -- the midget faded rattlesnake and the Great
Basin rattlesnake.

To keep those snakes, snake enthusiasts would have to follow a number
of safety rules. “Public safety is our main concern,” Wilson says.
“We don’t want a snake to escape from someone’s home.”

The requirements the DWR is proposing would also limit the number of
snakes people could catch in the wild and the number of young the snakes
could produce each year.

“Snake enthusiasts would also be required to follow all city or
county laws related to keeping and raising poisonous snakes,” Wilson
says.

Two ways to share your ideas

After reading the DWR’s ideas at
www.wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings/info/2010-02-03.pdf , you can
share your thoughts with your RAC chairman one of two ways.

(Your chairman will take the input he receives to the Utah Wildlife
Board when it meets March 3 and 4 in Salt Lake City. Board members will
use the input to help them set snake collection and possession rules in
Utah.)

E-mail

You can provide your comments to your RAC via e-mail. E-mail addresses
for your RAC members are available at
www.wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings .

RAC meetings

Five Regional Advisory Council meetings will be held across Utah. You
can participate and provide your input at any of the following
meetings:

Southern Region
Feb. 9
7 p.m.
Hurricane High School
345 W. 100 S.
Hurricane

Southeastern Region
Feb. 10
6:30 p.m.
John Wesley Powell Museum
1765 E. Main St.
Green River

Northeastern Region
Feb. 11
6:30 p.m.
Uintah Basin Applied Technology College
450 N. 2000 W.
Vernal

Central Region
Feb. 16
6:30 p.m.
Central Region Conference Center
1115 N. Main St.
Springville

Northern Region
Feb. 17
6 p.m.
Student Union Building, Room 404A
Weber State University
3848 Harrison Blvd.
Ogden


For more information, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources
office or the DWR’s Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700

Trail Master Outdoors Radio Show 1st Hour Podcast for January 30, 2010

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD! Cris Draper, the Trail Master and Lori Lee, author and freelance writer and also with Lori's Mountain Report, in studio and the first hour is all snowshoes! We will be checking in with the Utah Avalanche Center for a look at the BAD conditions in the backcountry right now with the recent snow and wind conditions. Lori will be sharing her free web site www.snowshoeutah.com a great resource for trails along the Wasatch front range and talking about getting started to taking it to the next level and doing it safely. Jake Thamm with Crescent Moon Snowshoes will call in and we will go over some of the great features the Crescent Moon shoe offers over other and how to properly fit your shoe to your activity.

Trail Master Outdoors Radio Show 2nd Hour Podcast for January 30, 2010

Click here to download! Cris Draper, the Trail Master hosts and we are talking fishing. From ice fishing in Northeastern Utah to fly fishing the Provo! Lance Egan from the U. S. Flyfishing Team and Cabelas fly shop calls in with a look at fishing locally and share some tips for this time of year and we talk about going out on the ice and drilling a few holes. Ron Stewart, Outreach Manager for the Utah DWR call in and we talk about the bison release they have been trying to get done for a few weeks now and Mother Nature just isn't helping them. This is the second release in the Book Cliffs and will bring up the number to a significant amount, establishing the third area we have bison in Utah, and he share some great places to ice fish in NE Utah right now. Chris Barkey with Trout Unlimited calls in and asks us for some help spreading the word on House Bill 80. This is an important bill that affects us all when we are accessing waterways and rivers in Utah and Trout Unlimited, along with mny other partners, have jumped on board to try and help gain support!

SHOW Show 2010, Las Vegas, NV – A look from the Trail Master’s side

If there was ever a heaven on this Earth for the Outdoorsman/women, Military, Tactical or Law Enforcement crowd, you just missed it as the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show or known in the industry as the SHOT Show, for 2010 wrapped up last week with near record attendance. As I look back over the last year as both a media professional and as an on-line retailer, even the struggling economy has not damped firearms and ammunition sales. SHOT Show this year ran from January 19-22 and I saw signs of both optimism and yet still in a ever seemingly struggling market, trying to rekindle and reshape itself to adapt to the new buying market places the online community and retail stores both have had the challenges of facing to meet customers’ needs and demands.

A total of 58,444 people made the trek to Las Vegas with 31,280 buyers, and the 1,804 media professionals attending establishing a new record. Every company a person that loves this type of crowd could ever imagine is there representing new products, services, toys and gear to hit the market this year or to renew old friendships, contracts, place yearly orders and to make new relationships. From some of the most rich and famous to the little guys with great ideas trying to bring them to market, you never knew who you might run into at the next turn, and let me tell you, with the Event covering much of the entire Sand Convention Centers 700,000 net square feet in the convention center’s halls and the Venetian Hotel’s meeting rooms. Exhibiting companies numbered 1,633, with about 125 of them being international companies. The show is owned and sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the firearms industry’s trade association and is not open to the general public, but is the breeding ground, behind the scenes, of the hunting, fishing and outdoors World.

Having the opportunity of going down with a unique perspective of both sides of the industry, as a media professional, I was in awe! Getting to the point in your career to be able to go rub elbows with friends you’ve made along the way and finally meet with many of the people you have interviewed and worked with for years, but in many cases, never actually gotten to meet is one not to be forgotten but rather cherished. Having the opportunity to be invited to go to The 2010 Sportsman Channel’s, Sportsman Choice Award Ceremony at Lagasse's Stadium in the Venetian Hotel and see a man I have watched his career blossom over the last few years from selling his first DVD’s on-line to him starting his very popular TV Show and now to being Awarded the Best Hunt Show, Les Johnson with Predator Quest, you are the man! And being there after having the show I am involved with, Huntin’ with “The Judge” with Judge Julie Mogenis and Posse’, being in the initial running for these awards, was an honor all in itself. The equivalent of the Academy Awards of the Outdoor Industry, who would have ever thought I would be sitting there. Someone pinch me OK?

And yet as a retailer, hearing both success stories and then seeing struggling smaller companies trying to break into the market, it brought back to reality how the industry as a whole has quickly changed in the market place we find ourselves in as 2010 starts off. We are adapting and companies are finding ways to improve technology and in most cases keep costs affordable for the everyday outdoorsman, and yet many higher end companies that are producing products (for the right price) can and will do about anything to make the next time you head outdoors a new experience. But not only for the outdoors-man, no way, if you like tactical, high tech, muscle and protection, hundreds of dealers from the consumer level to the Military only products are there by the droves. Not having been to the 2009 SHOT Show, I saw change from the 2008 show which was the last I had attended, changes in a tough market that has been undermined with legal lawsuits and public misunderstanding of many of the issues hunters, fisherman and outdoors man face, I saw optimism! Strong folks in a tough spot often are the best form when they are banded together and SHOT Show does bring bonding and proactive change within our industry as a whole. I am hopeful for a robust and growing 2010 market and I think the industry as a whole is too!

Next year’s SHOT Show is slated for January 18-21, 2011, at the Sands Expo & Conference Center in Las Vegas.

DEER VALLEY RESORT TO OFFER “SKI UTAH LUCKY 13” LEARN-TO-SKI PACKAGE

January 30 – 31, 2010


WHAT:
In honor of the January National Learn a Snowsport Month, Deer Valley Resort will offer an introductory learn-to-ski package to Utah locals who have never skied before. A local is anyone with a current Utah driver’s license. If the participant does not have a valid Utah driver’s license they must present a photo ID accompanied by a current Utah property tax form, Utah utility bill or Utah business paycheck stub. Participants must also be 13 years of age or older.

WHEN:
The clinics are offered on Saturday, January 30 and Sunday, January 31, 2010, from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Registered participants must check-in between 7:45 and 8:45 a.m.

COST:
$39 for the learn-to-ski package ($13 for lifts, $13 for rental and $13 for clinic).
Reservations must be canceled by 5 p.m. MST two days prior to the reservation; otherwise a cancellation/no-show fee of $39 per reservation will be charged.

HOW:
Reservations must be made by calling 888-754-8477 or 435-645-6648 and mentioning the "Ski Utah Lucky 13”. One lesson, per person please. The promotion is limited to the first 55 participants each day.

WHERE:
Participants will check in at the Snow Park Lodge lower level in the basket check area. Deer Valley Resort, Park City, Utah.

Jayson Toerck, Pro Staff, Trail Master Outdoors

Jayson Toerck and Turk, Turk is the blond, good looking one, have been a member of our Pro Staff for many years now. Jayson gets the tough job of reviewing products and performing in public appearances for the Trail Master Outdoors company.

Jayson has a knack of taking the toughest and most well built products and putting them through test process to make sure they stand up to our high standards. He has been known to find a few flaws in every product, but yet also be able to separate those flaws out and determine high lights as well.

Turk on the other hand, is our test pilot for all products related to the four legged variety and making sure they get his personal seal of approval.

Your Trail Master to the Great Outdoors, Cris Draper

Cris Draper, the Trail Master

Born in Salt Lake City, Utah
Raised in Magna, Utah
Attended Cyprus High School
Joined the U.S. Marine Corps from 1978-81
Served in Okinawa, Japan, Camp Pendelton, and Camp Fort Hunter Leggett

Growing up in Utah, and having a very outdoor oriented family, I have been enjoying outdoor recreation since before I could walk. My father was an avid fisherman, hunter and rock hound. My mother also shared these interests and passed them on to my sister and myself. Family time usually found us escaping to a remote favorite camping spot and leaving the fast paced World behind. Learning and sharing these experiences at a young age distilled a life long love of the outdoors in me that has recently grown into commitment for me to do all I can to ensure the same opportunities are available for my children that I had available when I was growing up here in our great State.

I enjoy sharing my interests and love of the outdoors with my children and work to teach them to appreciate the great gifts we have in our backyards. We regularly spend family time ATV'ing, Snowmobiling, 4 X 4'ing, Camping or just about any outdoor activity you can name at one time of the year or the other. Being a single parent, I truly feel that the lessons the kids learn outdoors are invaluable in their growth and understanding of the Earth in which we live.

Cris and his Nova Scotia Black Bear

I have always found a special inner peace from the various activities I enjoy and countless hours I have spent in Mother Nature's embrace. This time spent in the outdoors, is when I find out "who" I am and what part I play in the World in which we live. This life long quest in the outdoors, has given me a vast knowledge of recreational experience to draw from in my current task in the workplace. In 1996, I put my outdoors experience to work (and the love to share these experiences) and decided to create a web site dedicated to the sport of hunting. The Hunting Trail fast grew into a very popular stop for web surfers to gather the information they where looking for. I developed a "web ring" scripting program and began providing a valuable service to the hunting community that allowed us to link our similar topic oriented web sites together into a on-line community. This free service was migrated into the fishing and outdoor recreation platforms and the Rec-Outdoors Marketing Group of web sites was born. I expanded to cover more of the recreational outdoor activities I had experience in and enjoyed participating in.

In 1999, the workload fast became more than I could handle on my own with over 10 million hits per month and I began looking for a likely partner to take these programs to the next level. The old AmazingOutdoors.com proved to be the final selected partner and a merger was finalized. With the merger, many opportunities to continue my passion in life have come full circle and I have diversified into almost all outdoor recreational activities from rock climbing to nature photography. In April of 2000, UtahOutdoors.com began producing a radio show dealing with outdoor recreation. We began the production of the UtahOutdoors.com Radio Show in late April and have taken this show to new heights! Our Saturday morning show is one of the highest rated shows airing in the time slot for our coverage area. With great outdoor information, weekly contests and FishBytes, (our weekly fishing report) and many more features, we are constantly working on bring our listeners the very best content available!

In 2006, we also launched the Amazing Outdoors Radio Network, a syndicated show which airs on our affiliate stations all across the West. The show has been received with great enthusiasm and is the fastest growing outdoors syndicated show in the market place.

Utah Outdoors Radio on KSL Newsradio 1160 AM and 102.7 FM had grown to be a force in the market with loyal listeners from all over the globe with the introduction of our PodCast in 2005. The show has won multiple awards from the Utah Broadcasters Association for the "Most Entertaining AM Talk Radio Show" in our market, winning over some long standing favorite competition! In November of 2008, I left the old crew at KSL to start on my own new pathway of adventures.

2009 brought new adventure and opportunities and Cris teamed up with the nationally televised TV Show, Huntin' with "The Judge" as part of the Posse' and March 4th launched the all new Trail Master Outdoors Radio which airs on Saturday mornings from 7 - 9 AM mountain time on KALL 700 Sports an ESPN Affiliate station.

Cris and his pending SCI New World Record Free Range Red Stag
New Zealand 2009

I am an accomplished writer and have had many articles featured in:

Utah Outdoors Magazine
Southern Utah Outdoors
The Valley Journals, Sports and Recreation News
Hunt'n and Fish'n Biz

I have also produced and been featured on many outdoor sports and recreation TV segments which aired on “Good Morning Utah”, the local ABC affiliate station in Salt Lake City, Utah. The segments featured all forms of outdoor activity from rock climbing, fishing, rock hounding, ATV’s, and more! I have produced and voiced many clients radio and television spots.

I have given seminars on Hunting Mule Deer at the International Sportsmen's Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah. I hosted and MC's the Sporting Dogs Arena at the 2003 ISE Show here in Salt Lake and hosted the Hunting Theater in 2004, 2005, and 2006 worked with the Youth Archery Area. I was honored also in 2003, to be the Master of Ceremonies for the Salt Lake Chapter of the Mule Deer Foundations Banquet Dinner. In 2004 as Master of Ceremonies for the Utah SCI Banquet, and in 2006 to the Utah Chaper of the Ducks Unlimited Banquet.

I am a self taught and accomplished Web Master with a full range of both HTML and Programming Skills. I enjoy the interaction with people from around the World the web affords me and have many world-wide friendships.

 Africa 2009

Tune in each Saturday morning on the radio, on the web or subscribe to our podcast on ITunes and watch for us on the Versus and Sportsman's Channel!