Muzzleload Eve I Can Hardly Wait

Opening of the central muzzleloader season here in North Carolina is just hours away and I can’t wait. Like a kid on Christmas Eve I anticipate what the season will bring. This has been a busy week getting things wrapped up at work because I have all of next week off as well as getting things ready to go to deer camp. The weather looks like it will cooperate as the forecasters are predicting the first killing frost of the season for Saturday morning. Nothing like a sunrise on a crisp autumn morning as the steamy moisture rises off the frosty leaves to greet the warm sunshine. I don’t even need to see a deer and I know I’ll enjoy it but I’m hopeful the deer will show up around my stand. I hope I enjoy success like I did on the opening of the Eastern Muzzleloader.
I have the week off from work and I plan to be hunting fool next week. But don’t worry I got some obligations that will drag me in from outdoors so I suspect I’ll get some posts up and keep you updated on how the hunting is going.

North Carolina Wildlife Federation Calls on Governor Perdue to Clean Up North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Appointments

The State Board of Elections concluded their hearings last week into the former Governor’s administration turning it over to the district attorney’s office because it appears state laws were violated. As part of the hearings allegations that seats on the Wildlife Commission were up for sale was testified to under oath. Now the North Carolina Wildlife Federation has passed a resolution asking the current Governor to fix this problem;

THE NORTH CAROLINA WILDLIFE FEDERATION CALL TO UPHOLD THE INTEGRITY AND CREDIBILITY OF THE WILDLIFE RESOURCES COMMISSION AND THE PROCESS BY WHICH COMMISSIONERS ARE APPOINTED

WHEREAS sworn testimony in the recent hearings of the Board of Elections regarding irregularities in the Mike Easley for Governor Campaign of 2004 alleged that the appointment of certain commissioners to the Wildlife Resources Commission was predicated upon political donations of over $100,000; and,

WHEREAS Wildlife Commissioners serve a crucial and sensitive role as guardians of the fish and wildlife resources of North Carolina that demands the highest level of integrity and objectivity as they establish rules and policies to guide the agency in its mission to provide a sound and representative fish and wildlife conservation program; and,

WHEREAS the North Carolina Wildlife Federation was formed in 1945 on the premise that fish and wildlife conservation programs must be conducted in a manner beneficial to the resource and representative of citizens who value and enjoy outdoor recreational activities and was instrumental in the establishment of the Wildlife Resources Commission in 1947 based upon that principle; and,

WHEREAS the alleged circumstances of the appointment of certain North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Commissioners with an expectation of political contributions predicating the nomination is contrary to the law prohibiting the sale of office, erodes public confidence, and casts aspersion on the integrity and operations of the agency and its policy makers.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the North Carolina Wildlife Federation condemns the practice of appointing Wildlife Commissioners based upon political considerations as contrary to the founding principles upon which the Wildlife Resources Commission was created, and calls for appointments to the Commission to be solely based on interest, concern, knowledge, and commitment to the natural resources of our State.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Wildlife Federation, on behalf of all sportsmen and fish and wildlife enthusiasts in North Carolina, calls upon Governor Beverly Perdue to use all the means at her disposal to determine the truth of the allegation that appointments to the Wildlife Resources Commission were made in return for political donations; and, if that allegation is substantiated thereby calling the integrity of the Wildlife Resources Commission into question, the Wildlife Federation further calls upon Governor Perdue to immediately demand the resignations of any individual who were appointed under such circumstances and to appoint duly qualified, representative citizens to serve out those replaced terms thereby restoring as much credibility to the current appointment process and structure of the Wildlife Commission as it and the mission it represents rightly deserves.

I hope sportsmen across the state will stand up and demand that the politics get removed from the Wildlife Commission.

A Day Without The Web

A traffic accident yesterday took out all the phone lines to my subdivision and my DSL line. It is amazing how addicted we become to the net and how much we miss it when we can’t access it. Well I could access it some on my Blackberry but blogging and such is difficult if not impossible with the Blackberry.
I was somewhat disappointed when AT&T informed me this afternoon that it would be Thursday before the repairs were completed and service restored. That proved not to be the case because when I got home the lines were restored.
Technology is wonderful when it works but when it doesn’t our world can come to a standstill.

Update on I 40 Rock Slide

Last week I reported on a massive rockslide blocking I 40 a major travel route through the mountains of North Carolina. What was initially thought would take crews 2 months to clear now is estimated to be a 4 month project.

The rock slide more than a week ago will keep the interstate closed for at least four months. N.C. Transportation officials say the cleanup could cost $10 million, and Gov. Bev Perdue has declared the slide an emergency.

WRAL
Anyone planning travel through the mountains along I 40 corridor in and out of Tennessee should review travel routes to get around the slide.

Dog Hunting Declining Across the South East?

I’ll admit that I’ve never hunted deer with dogs but I’m hopefully going to get out on a dog hunt this season and see what it is all about. In the local newspaper this week Fred Bonner talks about the decline of this sport. This is the second article I’ve seen this season about this topic and it is sad to see a local cultural hunting tradition go by the wayside and the poor economy seems to be hasting its demise.

For the deer hunters who chose to have their hounds chase the deer the conditions couldn’t have been more ideal. It was damp enough that the deer’s scent hung close to the ground and it was cool enough to make it comfortable for both the hunters and the dogs.

That’s why I was surprised to find relatively few deer hunters out there with their dogs on the opening day of the season. Ordinarily we’d see truck after truck loaded with dog boxes, two-way radio antennas, tracking antennas and elevated stands lining the roads in the more rural areas Down east. I started to wonder just what was wrong here.

He goes on a bit later in the article to point out some of the pressures on this sport.

The national economy is playing a large part in having a change in the way deer hunters carry out their sport. This seems to be particularly true in the case of the deer hunters who choose to hunt with the aid of dogs.

Dog owners who formerly owned several trained deer hounds found the price of keeping these dogs was getting really expensive. Between the price of dog food and the medications that keep the dog healthy the hunters simply found themselves in a financial pinch. When it comes down to a choice between feeding and keeping healthy their families versus several large hunting dogs, the families won out.

Garner News

Dog hunting is a long standing tradition in this part of the country and it would be a shame if that tradition was to be lost. Even hunters like myself who don’t use hounds to hunt deer should tread lightly as dog hunters get squeezed out because we could be next. I realize that there are issues around the use of hounds. Most often conflict arises when the dogs get off the land they are suppose to be on and run on land they are not suppose to be. Unfortunately the hunters causing the conflicts are often the ones that draw the most attention and thus cause negative prejudices against this hunting tradition.
Read the whole article Fred Bonner wrote and see if you can learn a little bit about this tradition. I hope to get out an experience a hound hunt this season and I’ll report back here on my experience.

RIP LBK

The death of a friend is always tough especially when they are so young. I just found out that David Rillo a man I knew as LBK from the internet died earlier this month. I had talked with him a number of times on line and actually met him for the first time at a get together we had last month. On the computer and in real life he seemed like a great guy.

My last conversation with him was not any earth shattering deep talk just a conversation on where a couple of big old boys could find hunting equipment in our size. We also talked about hunting in Maine. I enjoyed meeting him and only wished I had gotten to know him better.

I’ll admit that there are some thoughts running through my mind that as a person that regularly deals with troubled people was there anything I could have done to help him. I know there is not because like many from our website we did not know that he was troubled and contemplating suicide . The day we all spent together in September was really a great day of fun and I think a time we all forgot about the daily troubles and struggles we wrestle with.

David Andrew Rillo, age 34, of 304 Tremont Dr., Asheboro died Sunday, October 18, 2009 at his home.

Funeral services will be held Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 2:00 pm at Balfour Baptist Church with Chaplain Dwight Ayers and Dr. Ron Chaney officiating.

Mr. Rillo was a 1993 graduate of Southern Davidson High School, received his associate degree in Criminal Justice from Randolph Community College and was a deputy with the Randolph County Sherriff’s Department. He was an avid fisherman and hunter.

He is survived by his wife, Duwana V. Rillo; step-daughter, Samantha Tubbleville of the home; parents, Jerry and Kathryn Rillo of Candor; brothers, John Rillo of Norman, Paul Rillo of Star; sister, Courtney Rillo of Candor; grandfather, Ronald Chartier of Peru, ME; grandmother, Lorette Rillo of Ellerbe.

The family will receive friends Thursday from 12:00-1:30pm at Balfour Baptist Church, 1644 North Fayetteville Street, Asheboro, NC.

Arrangements by Pugh Funeral Home, Asheboro.

Memorials may be made to David Rillo Memorial Fund, c/o Randolph County Sherriff Department, 727 McDowell Rd., Asheboro, NC 27205.

I hope LBK rests in peace and I’m glad to hear that he was a born again Christian. His family is in my prayers and I hope that anyone that reads this and maybe struggling with suicidal thoughts will seek out help.

Guest Blog Post From Michael Waddell / Calling Elk Bow-Close

The following is a guest blog post from fellow hunter and writer Michael Waddell. Michael just this week announced that he will be a regular writer and contributor to Peterson’s Hunting. I’ve had the honor of meeting him a number of years ago here in Raleigh at the Scope Show and it is an honor to have him post on MooseDroppings

Whether hunting public or private land, the fundamentals of calling elk remain the same.
Calling Elk Bow-Close
Michael Waddell

We heard the bull bugle at first light and snuck into his core area. When I hit a lick on my bugle, the bull simply came unglued and stormed our position like a tank, crashing through brush and small lodgepole pines like they were matchsticks. Before we could react he was in our lap and we were pinned down, me hiding behind a camera, too scared to touch the tripod for fear my shaking hands would ruin the footage. All I could see of my partner wedged against a stunted pine was the tip of his undrawn arrow quivering on the rest. Before a shot presented itself, the bull smelled a rat and disappeared as quickly as he arrived. While this experience didn’t result in a dead elk, it did hopelessly addict me to calling them.

It seems that in all walks of life, be it the animal kingdom or humans, communication is a key ingredient for all social interaction. However, not all living things communicate to the same degree. If you ask my wife, I am sure she will tell you I am lacking in the communication department; in fact, I’m sure she believes I don’t listen to her at all, but when it comes to communicating with animals I can barely shut up. Of all the animals I love to communicate with, elk rate right at the top.

By nature, elk are very vocal. The uninitiated often simply think of bulls bugling, but cows, calves and bulls make all sorts of noises year-round. If you encounter a large herd, while you might not hear anything from a distance, if you get close you will hear lots of subtle vocalization. Most of the time these are sounds of contentment, but depending on what’s happening the vocalization reflects it. Elk can convey contentment, danger, curiosity or a cow in heat. Bulls, for instance, only bugle primarily in the rut, but they also communicate to establish a pecking order. After spending a considerable amount of time chasing the mighty wapiti, I’m convinced every elk in the herd knows each other by sound alone. This happens with the cows as well as the bulls, and based on my evaluation, somewhere in this mix is the deadly secret to calling elk bow-close.

Imitation Is The Sincerest Form Of Flattery
It seems that the more vocal a herd, the better the odds are for success at calling them. Some cows call subtly, while others are loud-mouth ladies actively looking for a date. By listening, it gives you a better opportunity to imitate the particular tones and intensity of the herd.

By calling, we are automatically intruding into the social club without an invitation. The closer we can sound to a known elk and match that intensity, the better the odds are of filling a tag. Even though we may sound like an outsider to the herd, luckily for us, love-crazed bulls are not looking to be intimate with just one or two cows; they are looking for all the love of every cow in the world, so taking advantage of their sexual frustrations and promiscuity is our salvation.

It doesn’t take a world champion elk caller to trick bulls within range. By simply paying attention to the herd and understanding simple elk rhythm, tone and, more important, volume when calling, a hunter can depend on an elk call to be a valuable asset to dulling broadheads.

Public Versus Private Land
Since I started hunting elk 16 years ago, on private as well as public ground, I’ve realized comparing these two different types of ground is like comparing night and day, and it is all about the amount of pressure each receives. Generally speaking, private ground bulls are way easier to call than public ground animals, but this is not always the case. Some private land gets a lot of pressure, which can make for some pretty tough calling duels with elk that can serve you up a humble pie every time you bust out a call. Conversely, some public land, either through sheer remoteness or hard-to-get tags, is like calling the best private land in the nation.

Hunting untouched land and cow calling to bulls that have never heard a Hoochie Mama would obviously be nice. It wouldn’t take long working over these uneducated elk to start feeling like an elk-calling pro, only to be deflated the first time we went to the national forest and mixed it up with bulls so well known by local hunters that they have nicknames. However, regardless of where you hunt, the basics of calling remain the same.

Start with mastering the cow call and all its various inflections. Your basic reed-type calls are the easiest to learn as well as get proficient with. You will find two kinds; both are bite-down reed-type calls, one being enclosed and the other having an open reed or reeds. These calls make a very realistic sound and before your wife can run you out of the house you will master the basics.

I rely heavily on the cow call and think most of the time hunters are better off sticking with it over a bugle no matter where they are hunting. However, learning how to make a basic bugle is important, especially for locating bulls at a distance before getting close and working him with your cow call. In addition, sometimes it is the bugle that finally provokes a dominant bull to commit, especially during the early season when bulls are still sorting out their pecking order.

Earning Your Public Ground Ph.D
Let’s face it, unless you have deep pockets much of the private ground in the West is pretty much off limits, so you have to learn to hunt public land. This is not a bad thing, as public ground comprises millions upon millions of acres across the West and happens to have some of the biggest bulls found anywhere. While it can be tougher than private, once you learn how to hunt it you won’t be disappointed. Over the years one of my favorite places to hunt is the Gila National Forest in New Mexico, and even though this is a trophy area, tags are fairly obtainable through application.

In the Gila, the trophy potential is off the chart, sporting some of the biggest bulls in the country, but just because the big ones live there doesn’t mean that you automatically make one call and they come running to get in the back of your truck. These mature jokers have a Ph.D in avoiding hunters.

Over the last six years I have hunted this area religiously and have had the opportunity to shoot some nice bulls, all by using elk calls as an aid to close the coffin.

Notice I said, “as an aid,” meaning the call was just one thing in a bag of tricks to help smoke these monarchs. My biggest bull that came out of the Gila was a 378 P&Y bull that earned the name The Professor because he always seemed to take you to school when you applied too much pressure. However, this bull was vocal and would bugle his butt off. He also seemed to be fairly easy to find, not only by his gnarly, raspy bugle that set him apart, but frequently he could be found early in the morning in a large meadow just south of a particular water hole that always attracted a large herd.

The Professor was not the only bull in the area that had large headgear, but it was the Professor that seemed to call the shots. I had caught this bull in the open several times, but calling seemed to really make him uneasy when you were in close. However, he would bugle hard to distant cow calls and seemed to be whole heartedly interested, but he had a sixth sense when you moved in for the attack.

Finally, we decided to have a caller stay behind as we worked him coming off the meadow at daybreak. By doing this we could keep him interested and bugling as we stalked in closer. The caller always was no closer than 80 yards behind me. While the caller kept him occupied, I slid within 50 yards and gave him a G5 Tekan right behind the shoulder. This hunt was really a stalk, but the call and caller had a big part to do with his demise. Once we started quartering the bull, we found a piece of an old arrow lodged just below the backstraps, so obviously someone had him in close before and gave the teacher an education, which explained why he was so wary.

The Double Team
As this old bull showed, hunting with a partner can work extremely well. It not only puts the hunter out in front of the call, it gives the hunter a chance to move and adjust the angle based on where the bull might be approaching. Likewise, the caller has the flexibility to move and apply a lot of different calling techniques.

The double-team plan worked again on another hunt. It had been hot, and the bulls were only bugling early and late. As soon as the sun would rise the elk woods would turn into a ghost town.

Just after daybreak on the fourth day of our hunt we heard this bull bugle. He hit it only two times, both very weak. He sounded like the littlest rag horn in the land, but with no other game in town we went after him. Getting as close as possible to where we thought the bugle came from, I eased up and sat down by a pine stump while my buddy moved back and to my right about 40 yards.

Neither of us was very optimistic about our chances. My buddy made one or maybe two very soft cow calls on a two-reed diaphragm, then he started raking a tree and rolled a few rocks. We sat there for possibly 10 minutes in silence, then out of nowhere appeared a wide 6×6 coming directly to us.

At 25 yards the bull let out a soft chuckle, looked over his surrounding, and kept walking in the direction of where the last rock had been rolled, which led him 16 steps from my pine stump. By now I was at full draw, waiting for a broadside shot. When the arrow left my bow, I knew we had killed a call-shy monster by keeping it low-key and staying patient. Needless to say, I was never convinced by the two times he had bugled earlier that he was a shooter. This was a lesson in itself. Never judge a bugle until you can see what is making the sound.

The most exciting way to bag a bull elk is to get him in close, and the best way to do that is with a call. Confidence in your call is critical, because if you’re insecure about using your call, there is a good chance you will spook elk. Have confidence in your calling ability and become just another elk in the herd where you are hunting.

Find a call that works for you and not what works for someone else. Think like an elk and do as elk do. Realism, rhythm and volume control can make the difference between bringing them in or running them over the next ridge. Remember, it’s not always about calling. It can be about just patiently listening to the sounds around you and applying minimal calls while practicing good woodsmenship and stalking skills that could help you put that monster on the back of the truck.

“I Don’t Recall”

The North Carolina State Board of Elections is into day two of the former Governor Easley Campaign Finance Hearing and the testimony so far seem devastating. A number of the former governor’s associates have testified to the committee about efforts to avoid campaign finance laws and donation limits as donations for Easley were washed through the State Democratic Party.
The role of the Allen Brother’s Gary and Randy is of particular interested seeing that both have served as wildlife commissioners (Randy is still a commissioner).

Gary Allen, a developer, doesn’t remember anything about writing two $50,000 checks to the N.C. Democratic Party.
Lanny Wilson, a friend and business associate to Allen, testified Monday that he briefed former Gov. Mike Easley a list of things Allen wanted including his seat on the Wildlife Commission and a permit for a boat dock.

N&O

In an earlier story I asked if there Mr. Randy Allen bought his way on to the Wildlife Commission and it appears that they may be a very valid question.

Six years ago, Wilmington developer Lanny Wilson laid out a five-point plan for Gov. Mike Easley to win a big campaign contribution from Wilson’s business partner.
Wilson wrote in an e-mail to an Easley campaign staffer that Gary Allen, a Charlotte-area developer, would like to keep his appointment on the state Wildlife Commission and needed the governor’s help to get a permit to construct a boat ramp at a Brunswick County subdivision.
Easley, he wrote, should take credit for helping arrange a meeting between Allen and a Progress Energy vice president to discuss land that Allen wanted. And Easley should ask an aide, John Merritt, for background information on Allen to help set him at ease.
Easley was to meet with Allen the following day. By the end of the month, Allen had written a $50,000 check to the N.C. Democratic Party, a contribution that Wilson testified Monday was intended to wind up in Easley’s campaign.
Allen won the boat ramp permit, and Easley reappointed him to the commission in 2004. Easley appointed Gary Allen’s brother and business partner, Randy Allen, to the commission the next year.

Charlotte Observer

Mr. Allen seems to be a lot like Hillary Clinton from years ago with his answer “I don’t recall…”
With the testimony that has been offered so far it seems that there is more than ample evidence to present to a grand jury and to get some indictments.
While to the average citizen the work of the Wildlife Commission may not be something they really think about or realize how it impacts them but for some of us it is extremely important and impacts important areas of our lives and culture. Corruption anywhere cannot be tolerated but the sale of seats at the Wildlife Commission has got to stop. The days of political cronies and political payback in the appointment of Commissioners should be stopped Now.
I’ll not hold my breath waiting for it to happen but I hope there is a price to pay for those who put their integrity up for sale. I hope that as the musical chairs get shuffled that the former governor does not leave everyone else holding the bag if he is guilty he should be treated just like the criminals he took down as the State Attorney General.

Other Stories I’ve Done

Feds Investigate Possible Corruption in Wildlife Commissioner Appointment

North Carolina’s Own “White Water”

Commissioner Randy Allen Buy His Way On To The NCWRC?

Massive Rock Slide Blocks I 40 In North Carolina Mountains

A massive rock slide has blocked all four lanes of I 40 on the North Carolina Tennessee border at mile marker 2.6. The slide happened overnight being reported around 2am Sunday. Unknown is if there were any vehicles in the area when the slide happened and if they are buried under the massive amounts of rocks.
North Carolina Department of Transportation report that it could be a couple of months before the highway is cleared and reopened to traffic.
This is an important travel route for western NC and important to the local economy that depends on tourism. The detour around this slide is one hundred and forty miles!!! While there is never a good time for something like this to happen during the fall when people are traveling to see the fall colors and not to mention that Thanksgiving travel will be upon us soon.

UPDATE
A few new videos shot from the scene has been added that give you a pretty good idea how massive a slide this is. It would appear that the remoteness and the early morning hours kept anyone to be passing by at the time the slide took place.

Monster Buck Taken In Minnesota at Camp Ripley

Scott O’Konek has arrowed what is likely the new Minnesota State Record when he killed a 32 point buck while hunting at Camp Ripley.

The proof of O’Konek’s proficiency with a bow and arrow hangs on his walls, but his latest shot will more than likely land him in the record book.

“I was like, that thing is something else, ya know! I’ve never seen one that big,” O’Konek recalled.

On the first day of the special lottery archery hunt at Camp Ripley, he arrowed a 32-point, non-typical whitetail buck. One perfect arrow from 44 yards away.

The initial “green score” of the animal’s antlers, registered a score of 228.

If the buck’s scoring holds two months from now when the antlers are fully dried, O’Konek’s whitetail buck will be the largest non-typical rack ever taken by archery in Minnesota. It would score nearly two points higher than the current record holder.

WCCO

You’ve got to go check out the photo gallery on this buck that Field & Stream has set up. I’d probably fall out of the tree if I saw this bad boy walking towards me. Congratulations to Scott on taking a really nice buck.

Bad Economy Hits Deer Hunters?

Downeast where the deer season is in full swing reports of empty campgrounds and not many hunters on the Game Lands may be a result of the bad economy. These areas are prime dog hunting areas where the thick cover is difficult to hunt without the aid of a deer hound.
Outdoor writer Mike Marsh reported on this in the Star News this week getting the following quote from Vic French biologist with North Carolina Wildlife Commission.

“People can’t afford to go hunting,” he said. “A lot of the hunters who used to keep dogs don’t do it any longer. People who used to drive here to hunt are staying closer to home or doing other things that are less expensive.”

Mike further reports that the Game Land’s Campground was virtually empty when in the past it would be full.

With unemployment running in double digits and many folks getting laid off I think people have scaled back on hunting expenses. I think many will still hunt but they are apt to hunt closer to home. I have not had anyone tell me they are not hunting this year so I’m not sure why such a drastic drop seems to be happening down east especially on Game Lands where rising lease costs would not factor in for hunters there.

It will be interesting to see what the harvest numbers look like at the end of the season because many folks I believe will need to kill some deer to make ends meet. I think a deer that may of gotten a pass in previous years may find itself on the dinner table feeding hungry folks.

In Between Chocolate Covered Bacon and Deep Fried Moon Pies Check Out NC Wildlife

The NC State Fair is in town and well worth the time and cost to visit. The food is always an attractor and there are some new offerings like the chocolate covered bacon or the deep fried moon pies but there are many other things out there to see.

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has a great display showing off the different aspects of the agency and the job they do for the citizens. “The Many Faces of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission” is the theme and an informative display as well as biologists on hand to answer questions makes it a very informative display.

The Sensory Safari Trailer is there giving people the opportunity to see and touch pelts and mounts of animals both native and non native to the state. They have a small bull moose on display but they have no plans to stock moose into the state.

The Game Wardens are once again supervising the BB gun booth where the kids can learn about gun safety as well as shoot a target. This is a popular activity for the kids and of course it is free so the parents like it too.

Another tradition with the Wild Life display is the free button they pass out. This year’s button features the Brook Trout the only native trout to the state.

The fair runs through Sunday so if you get a chance head on out and check out the NCWRC Display area near the Village of Yester Year. I will say I tried the Chocolate Covered Bacon and it didn’t do much for me. If you’re looking to satisfy a sweet tooth a better bet would be the NC State University Ice Cream Booth.

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