Moose Droppings

Alamance County Authorities have a number of bear sighting reports over the past few days. Alamance County is not an area that is in prime bear habitat and these sightings are unusual. North Carolina Wildlife officials feel that these are juvenile males out looking for a new home range.

While there is not a permanent bear population in Alamance County, George Strader, a biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, said it’s not uncommon to see a bear or two passing through the county once in a while.
Every year in late spring and early summer, Strader said he gets “numerous reports” of bear sightings throughout the Piedmont.
He said the bear or bears being spotted in Alamance County are likely young male bears that come from either the coast or the mountains who are trying to establish their own territory and that for some reason get dispersed and end up in the Piedmont.
He said bears will more likely follow a water source, such as a lake, creek or river, to get to their final destination in the mountains or the coast.

The Time News

While the bears are moving around looking for new areas people are encouraged not to leave food out that may invite an encounter. For additional information check this publication out “Black Bears In Residential Areas”

Story & Photo by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has announced a significant change for next year’s lottery with the elimination of paper applications.

Notice: Beginning in 2009, moose permit applications will only be accepted online. Paper applications will no longer be printed or mailed. The online application process will be available starting in early January of 2009.

There is no doubt that many wildlife agencies are moving towards utilizing the internet. For example this turkey season I tagged both my turkeys on line with NCWRC.

I can’t help but wonder if all the residents who hunt have access to the net and feel comfortable enough with conducting such a transaction on line. I got to admit that I was surprised that the 2000 census shows that Maine is slightly above the national average with 43 % of the homes having internet access.
I’m aware that many people do not feel comfortable doing credit card transactions over the net so it will be interesting to see how well this goes. I completed my moose application for this year’s draw on line so it will not make a difference for me because I’m pretty comfortable in doing such transactions over the web. What do others think? I wonder if they should of went to an on line as well as applying at license retailers for the first few years instead of making such a big leap.

Story and Photo by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

National Geographic Photograph by Mattias Klum

North Carolina Wildlife Officials are investigating the possible sighting of a King Cobra in Cedar Creek area after a man reported an encounter last week.

Vernon Byrd was on an all-terrain vehicle in a field off Johnson Road last Tuesday when he said an 8-foot-long snake reared up beside him – and the serpent’s head was about shoulder high to him.
“I caught something out of my eye, and this snake comes up beside me and looked at me,” Byrd said. “I’ve seen every kind of snake in this part of the country, but I’ve never seen a snake like this.”
He called Freddie Mims, a licensed wildlife rescue agent, who said the description of the snake sounded like a king cobra, the world’s largest poisonous snake.

WRAL

If it turns out to true chances are pretty good that someone illegally let an unwanted snake go. A King Cobra can kill an elephant with one bite so needless to say it is very dangerous to a human.

Their venom is not the most potent among venomous snakes, but the amount of neurotoxin they can deliver in a single bite—up to two-tenths of a fluid ounce (seven milliliters)—is enough to kill 20 people, or even an elephant. Fortunately, king cobras are shy and will avoid humans whenever possible, but they are fiercely aggressive when cornered.

National Geographic

Hopefully officials will capture this snake or get to the bottom of the story very quickly.

WRAL Video Story

Ever wonder what bloggers talk about when they get together? Probably not huh? Well one thing that comes up a lot is how slow the outdoor people and companies are to get on board with the whole blogging deal. The potential is there and every year more and more blogs spring up about hunting and fishing. I think after the Zumbo mess last year( Outdoor Life Writer & Spokesman for a number of outdoor companies including Remington did a blog post condemning people who use “assault rifles”) some companies may shy away from blogs and not see the true potential they are. If we should learn anything from the Zumbo fiasco it is that people read blogs especially those who shoot, hunt, and fish.

Rocky Boots is launching a blog about hunting and the outdoors;

This will NOT be your run-of-the-mill blog about a company’s finances, business tactics and all around corporate Crap! You don’t care and neither do I.
Now, with that out of the way let me introduce myself. My name is Sam Casey. Yes, I’m a ROCKY employee, but I also happen to be a hunting, tracking and survival expert. On this blog you will hear about the hunts that I go on and the gear I field test.

Welcome Sam and I look forward to reading your stuff. I hope we have more and more outdoor companies join us out here blogging.

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission reminds boaters to be safe on the waterways and to be prepared for emergencies.

“Before that first trip, take time to prepare,” Capt. Huebner said. “A few minutes beforehand inspecting equipment and getting ready could save many hours of distress and possible injury later. Wildlife officers will patrol the waterways across North Carolina to ensure safety, performing vessel inspections and watching for intoxicated and dangerous boaters.”

Capt. Chris Huebner, NCWRC Boating Safety Coordinator

The NCWRC offers some online resources for boaters like a safety checklist and vessel operators guide in addition to finding out about boating safety courses.
There are two on line classes’ available one exclusively for NC; Boat Ed and another online program that meets the requirements for many other states besides NC is Amboat. Both of these allow you to pay on line, take the class and also complete the test for a certification.

Additionally boaters are urged to follow these other recommendations;

Wildlife officers who patrol the state’s waterways also recommend:
• Wear a Life Vest: Everyone should, but children younger than 13 are required by law to wear a proper personal floatation device. In an emergency, wearing a life vest can be a lifesaver.
• Boat Safe, Boat Sober: Alcohol consumption can prove dangerous for operators and passengers. State law sets a .08 blood-alcohol level as intoxicated and illegal for operating boats and motor vehicles.
• Free Boating Education: Courses are offered at no charge across the state by the Wildlife Resources Commission. Completion also certifies anyone between the ages of 14 and 16 to operate a personal watercraft in North Carolina.
• Blue Light = No Wake: A vessel within 100 feet of a law enforcement vessel displaying flashing blue lights must slow to a no-wake speed. In narrow channels, the distance is 50 feet.

Enjoy the Water Safely

Story by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

Every Thursday the News and Observer runs an outdoor section which is pretty good. In a day when many papers have long abandon the outdoors as a place to make cuts the N&O continues to run it weekly. I highlight articles from them often but I rarely point out how good it is to have a newspaper that still writes about hunting and fishing. Many times they pick up outdoor stories from other parts of the country like they did today with a turkey hunting story out of the Miami Herald.
They also feature local stories as well like this weeks story about NC State students learning how to shock fish to study the health of a lake.

If you have a local newspaper that devotes any type of coverage to the outdoor sports you should be grateful and supportive. So a tip of the hat to the N&O for writing about the great outdoors every week.

Photo Courtesy of NCWRC

John Litton Clark is the newest member of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission board. Mr. Clark was appointed by Speaker of the House Joe Hackney to fill a vacancy on the 19 member board. The Commission board sets all the rules and policies for the state when it comes to hunting, fishing, trapping and boating.

Mr. Clark has been active in a variety of sportsmen groups including; National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited, and Quality Deer Management Association. He was sworn in this past Friday at the Outer Banks Center.

“I look forward to my service with the commission,” Clark said. “My goal is to help in any way I can to preserve a way of life that I grew up with – and continue to enjoy as much as I do – being outdoors.”

It would appear that Mr. Clark is one that loves the outdoors and understand the heritage of hunting and fishing.

NCWRC PR

I was in the mountains this past weekend and witnessed a wide array of weather and the power of Mother Nature. Storm cells rolled through much of the state brining severe thunderstorms, hail ( some the size of baseballs), high winds and tornadoes. North Carolina was not hit as bad as some of the other states across the Midwest and the Southeast where deaths and injuries and major property destruction were reported.

Monday morning on the back end of this front the temperatures dropped, in some of the higher elevations snow squalls were reported overnight, where we were in Boone NC we witnessed many trees and branches down along with traffic signs bent over by the strong wind. Wind gusts were being reported in excesses of 60 mph in Boone yesterday morning.

We had planned to do go up on the Blue Ridge Parkway and Grandfather Mountain so I could do some photography work. The Blue Ridge Parkway was littered with limbs and shredded leaves not unlike what an area looks like after a hurricane rolls through. The wind was pretty strong and at times I had difficulty just standing up when some of the stronger gusts hit.

We stopped at one of the visitor centers on the parkway and the outside thermometer read 30’ a bit cool even for the mountains this time of the year. I’m sure the wind chill made it felt closer to 0’F.

We arrived at Grandfather Mountain to discover it was closed but hopefully parts of it would be opening latter in the day. Talking with Grandfather Mountain staff the conditions on the summit was bad with 100 mph wind and numerous trees down all over the mountain blocking roads, buildings and trails. With only the morning free we returned to the Blue Ridge Parkway and continued our exploring there. We did find some turkeys working a field that was blocked from the winds.

Once back in Boone we had a lunch meeting to attend and as we sat there I couldn’t help but notice as the clouds broke up and the sun beamed down how beautiful a day it was turning out to be. We had to return to Raleigh so I ride back was much like Saturdays ride with lots of sunshine. Hopefully I’ll get up on Grandfather Mountain one of these days when it’s not so crowded like it is in the height of the tourist season.

Story & Photos by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

The new Cabela’s store in Maine is about to open in the backyard of the New England giant in outdoor supplies LL Bean. Growing up in New England stopping at LL Bean was always a treat to see the taxidermy mounts, the live trout, and of course all the equipment they have for sale. Having visited numerous Cabela’s across the country I’m certain LL Bean is in for a run to compete with them. The big question that remains to be answered is these Maine big enough for these two retail giants? The competition should be fierce and helpful to all.

I like both retailers and do the vast majority of my shopping via the internet. I swear by my LL Bean Hunting Boots and have warn them tromping around a wide variety of habitat and terrain in the wilds of America. Cabela’s is my main suppler when it comes to hunting equipment because of their vast variety of equipment. I guess this will make my trips back home a bit longer having another place to stop.

The impact of these giant’s reaches well beyond the borders of the state of Maine so I think initially there will be little impact on each other. I think the retailer that may really hurt in this deal will be Kittery Trading Post. A much smaller retailer that has just recently stepped into the world of the internet in addition to their physical store. They will need to look for their niche if they plan to remain viable. I think they have with the wide selection of both new and used firearms that neither Cabela’s nor LL Bean seem to focus on.

Maine is an outdoors man paradise but how favorable it will be for equipment supply stores will be interesting to watch over the next couple of years.

Opening Info Page with Specials & Appearances

Story by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

I think sometimes we over look the hard work that our wildlife officers do for us day in and day out. The North Carolina Bow Hunters Association has recognized Master Officer Mike Edmisten for his dedicated especially in the area of instructing youth in archery.

For his dedication to conservation and tireless efforts in hunter education, Master Officer Mike Edmisten of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has been named law enforcement officer of the year by the N.C. Bowhunters Association.
“It doesn’t hurt that he’s a dedicated bowhunter, too,” said Ramon Bell, president of the Bowhunters Association, upon announcing the award.

The second officer that has been recognized is Master Officer Barry Joyce and this is the second time the North Carolina chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation has named him officer of the year.

He is a rare, two-time winner of the prestigious recognition.
Officer Joyce was selected for his diligence in arresting poachers and protecting natural resources, as well as his involvement in hunting heritage and conservation activities. A turkey hunter himself, Officer Joyce is an active member of the Southern Sharp Spurs chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation.

Congratulations to both these men and a tip of the hat to all the wild officers that work to protect our resources.

Story by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

Yesterday I gathered with a group of sportsmen and conservationists to support the great work of Ducks Unlimited. It was an enjoyable evening and hopefully a lot of money got raised to support many of the efforts of DU here in North Carolina.

I’m afraid that the down turn in the economy may have suffocated some of the fund raising as seen by the signature item, DU Edition “Gun of the Year, not having its reserve met. The Beretta White Onyx 20 gauge Over and Under was a very pretty gun and it was surprising that it fell short of the reserve by just $50 and no one was willing to meet the reserve.

Troy Smart, who I met on a duck hunt this past January, is the chairman of Caldwell County DU and he and the committee did a great job putting this event on. Hog Wild BBQ was awesome and if you left hungry it was your own fault.

One of the guys sitting at my table was Bubba and we had some great conversations. At one point he informed me he was going to win the shotgun. I told that be hard because it was riding home with me. Low and behold that is what happened and my Lucky Hat continues its streak, two guns and two turkeys. Bubba was a bit surprised and with my additional luck in the raffle with multiple wins. I think Bubba now believes in the Lucky Hat.

I had a fun evening and met some great people who care about the habitat and the future of wetlands.

Young man Wins a Red Ryder BB Gun

Auction Items

Story & Photos by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

As I talked about on my Radio Show today this Saturday evening I plan to attend the Caldwell County DU Spring Fling. Troy Smart has invited me, if you recall he and I met duck hunting this past January. As a matter of fact Troy be happy if all of ya’s showed up and seeing it’s for a good cause and all. The doors to the Club Cola in Granite Falls NC ( 30 S Main St) open at 6pm with Tickets available at the door. (Tickets $25 under 16, $35 Single, $60 Couples) There will be a silent auction as well as regular auction, raffles, games, artwork, sculptures and who knows what else. The event is being catered by “Hog Wild BBQ” and I can hardly wait to get some of that good mountain BBQ. Sounds like it’s going to be a great time so join us if you can.

Story by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose