Moose Droppings

Last week a heinous murder was committed on a Greyhound Bus in Canada where one passenger killed another passenger.

Just a week after the gruesome decapitation death of a passenger on a Greyhound bus in rural Manitoba sent shock waves around the world, an animal-rights lobby is drawing comparisons between the victim’s death and the handling of meat animals in North American slaughterhouses.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals submitted an ad for publication in the Portage Daily Graphic this week that compared the murder of Tim McLean, 22, to the “needless killing” of chickens, cows and pigs in “factory farms.”
“Like human victims, animals in slaughterhouses experience terror when they are attacked by a knife-wielding assailant,” says PETA’s Lindsay Rajt in a news release. “We are challenging everyone who is rightly horrified by this crime to look into their hearts and consider leaving violence off their dinner plates.”

National Post
This ad is way over the top and I understand why the paper wouldn’t run it. I also think that the crazy ridiculous ad should be shown so the mainstream can see how whacked this organization really is.

Of course this stance by PETA is hypocritical when they as an organization euthanize animals. PETA workers were caught here in North Carolina a few years ago dumping dead dogs and cats in dumpsters.

Now don’t get me wrong I understand that an overpopulation of dogs and cats must be controlled and euthanizing them in many cases is the only option. However if you’re an organization that equates the life of a cat, dog, chicken or cow as an equal with humans it seems inconceivable that you could kill them Never mind demonizing those who utilize animals for food as established by the Creator.

The director of the North Carolina Zoo, Dr David Jones, is supporting the lifting of Asheboro’s ban on alcohol sales.

Dr. David Jones says the approval of alcohol sales could generate a substantial increase in attendance and places the zoo in a stronger position to expand.
“It puts us in a situation at the zoo where we can more actively, perhaps more aggressively, pursue a hotel and meeting facilities, a conference facility on-site here, expand our evening functions,” he listed.

News 14

The sale of alcohol is a local issue here in North Carolina but of course the sale of hard liquor is a monopoly controlled operation by the state. I’m just not sure a state public official should be weighing in on this issue in any way that can be viewed as he is endorsing one side or the other.

While I see nothing wrong with drinking I do see a conflict with the state having a monopoly on alcohol as well as state officials pressuring the locals about the law. The reality is that expansion of the zoo is more a numbers game when it comes to the overall attendance and although alcohol sales could affect that there are other influences as well.
Seems like every city and town is banking on attracting conferences and meetings by building these types of venues. I think too much hype by public officials gets put into the “conference facilities” angle at a time when some of those traditional activities could go away. The cost of travel has risen sharply over the last few months and technology is at a place where virtual meetings can happen that travel is no longer a necessity. As business and people look to adjust costs and trim budgets I’m not sure that traditional meetings in one location will continue to take place.

Adding alcohol to the zoo could bring some unwanted changes as well and tarnish the family friendly image. The bottom line is that Dr. Jones is in a position that is supported and paid for by the tax payers of North Carolina I’m not sure that lobbying for the lifting of the sale of alcohol is within the role of what he was hired to do.

Story and Photo by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

Last summer seemed to be the summer of dangerous bear encounters with a number of fatalities reported across the country. As bear numbers continue to climb and habitat gets gobbled up encounters are going to be more enviable. To many people view wildlife with the same mentality as animals in the zoo and will crowd a wild animal. I’ve witnessed what could only be best described as stupid as people attempt to get near wildlife. Especially with bears you need to keep your distance for the most part they are a shy animal that will more often the not avoid human contact. A bear with a single swipe of it’s paw to the head could kill you. Many dangerous encounter are the result of getting to close to or between a sow and her cubs.

In recent news there are two bear human encounters that show carelessness on humans. The first is out of Utah where a camper smacked a bear in the head with a flashlight the other night when the bear stuck its head in the tent.

A woman sleeping at a Mirror Lake campground hit a bear with a flashlight to drive it out of her tent sometime around 2 a.m on July 25. The bear had stuck its head in her tent, presumably following a scent of food, when it surprised the woman who reacted by pummeling it with the light.
The bear scurried off and left the woman unharmed, according to Bruce Johnson of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR).

Park Record

Keeping a dirty camp in bear country is just asking for trouble, people need to follow proper storage rules to prevent encounters like this. Additionally the article goes on to explain that the woman failed to report it until hours later to camp ground staff. This can be really dangerous because the bear may visit another campsite and the outcomes may not be the same.

Second story is out of Alaska where a grizzly bear killed a moose calf in someone’s yard. Authorities posted the area and was going to let the grizzly sow feed on it till it was consumed however too many people decided to sightsee the area creating a very dangerous situation.

Sinnott went to the kill site Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday, he posted signs telling walkers to be cautious and to avoid the area. The bear was behaving just like a bear should, he said.
“If this is all she’s doing, I’m not too worried,” he said.
By Wednesday, he had something to be worried about.
He decided to retrieve the carcass after learning people were ignoring the signs. Instead of avoiding the bear’s storage locker in the woods, people were looking for it and checking out the half-buried calf.

ADN

I’m sorry but people are nuts. Why would anyone in their right mind want to go in and look at a grizzly bear kill site?

Bears, like most predators, will eat whatever they can get the easiest and they’ll protect their kill. Bears are can be very dangerous and that should be the thought you have in your mind when ever you happen upon one. I love to photograph them but I use zoom lens and try to let them know I’m around so I don’t surprise them.

People can do the right thing especially when authorities have closed an area because of bear activity please honor those requests. If you live in bear country or will be spending some time in bear country find out the rules around bears and avoid doing things that will attracted them in.

Bear management I believe these days is more people management and that is pretty sad.

Story & Photo by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

Winston Salem Journal Graphic

There is no doubt that North Carolina has a abundant deer herd in most of the state and steps need to be taken to reduce the population. NCWRC at their last meeting floated an idea to give private landowners the option to choose what weapons could be used rather then having a set archery, muzzleloader, and firearm season. Today’s Journal had a story about this proposal and not surprisingly many bow hunters and muzzleload hunters are opposed to it.

Bowhunters and muzzleloaders who traditionally have early deer season to themselves in the North Carolina woods are annoyed by a proposal to create a uniform season, which would extend the crack of the gun by 10 weeks, from early September through January.

“It would have a detrimental impact on the quality of the herd, the quality of deer and the hunting experience,” said Ramon Bell, the president of the N.C. Bowhunters Association. “It would pretty much eliminate bowhunting and muzzleloading hunting.”

The idea came out of a meeting last month of the big-game committee of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. It is not a formal proposal, state officials said.

A uniform deer season across North Carolina would allow hunters to hunt with a legal weapon of choice on private properties from early September through January. It would not pertain to gamelands, which would maintain traditional bowhunting and muzzleloading seasons.

WS Journal
I’ve given this some careful thought over the last little bit and I’ll admit I don’t see why this shouldn’t be tried. I think it will retain more hunters but in the firearm arena. Bow hunters & Muzzleloaders I’m sure would see a loss in the numbers of those participating. There is no doubt that some bowhunters and muzzleload hunters only do that to extend the season.
We need to reduce the herd down in many areas while this proposal might do that however there is also a logical argument that it won’t work because there are still many hunters that will not kill does.

While I see no reason to oppose it I do see the potential to reduce the overall participation in the “privative weapons” so I’ll offer a compromise. Why not set the private lands statewide up to the Eastern Season? “Primitive weapon” enthusiasts will still get their seasons and the overall firearm season will be increased. No matter what gets decided I believe the next NCWRC meeting will be one that is watched closely.

August has snuck up on us and the real heat of the summer is probably going to hit us hard the next few days. I’ll tell ya I hate the heat and would much rather see snow falling then the grass growing. If there is a bright spot about August it is that hunting season is just around the bend. In one month doves and geese seasons will open up here in North Carolina and deer will follow shortly after them. I think I’ll move my season up a bit and head to Maine for bear season the end of this month. September will be here soon so now is the time to get ready.

Story & Photo by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

No radio show this week but hopefully I’ll have everything up and running by next week. Computer has been acting up and I think part of it is the amount of digital images I have. They take a lot of space and the memory get filled up quick. I purchased an external hard drive and have begun the long down load process. Well over 200 minutes to download and then I’ll delete them off my computer hard drive. A bit nerve racking when your a photo bug like I am. Speaking of that check out my wildlife photography blog Moose’s Wild America. I’m currently featuring photos I shot in Alaska a few years back.

Dick Hamilton NC Camo Coalition

The Camo Coalition is an advocacy group for outdoor sportsmen assisting with organizing us to speak with one voice on the issues that really matter. The Hog Blog & The Outdoor Smorgasbord both did stories about this recently and that is great. Anything to help us get the word out and get more sportsmen to participate. North Carolina is not alone in this type of organizing there are a number of states that I’m aware of that have Camo Coalitions; SC, MS, and GA I know have them. If your not in one of these states check to see if your state has a Camo Coalition and if not you need to do what you can to organize one. The anti’s are organized and have a strong voice we need to organize to protect the heritage we believe in.

Story & Photo by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

With an appeal to all ages, the exhibits at the Centennial Campus Center for Wildlife Education were judged the best.

Photo Courtesy of NCWRC

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has a good showing in national competition bringing home 3 first place awards, two second place, and one third place award. The awards were given out last week at the annual convention for Association for Conservation Information a national organization for Conservation Leaders & Educators.

ACI, the Association for Conservation Information, is a non-profit association of information and education professionals representing state, federal and Canadian agencies and private conservation organizations.
ACI was organized in 1938 and incorporated in 1984. ACI member professionals play a major role in providing natural resource, environmental, wildlife and other information and education to the public through a variety of means, many of which are continental in scope.
ACI does not prepare or provide information directly to the public. Instead, ACI trains and informs the staffs of member agencies and provides forums to exchange ideas, new concepts, and to improve skills and craftsmanship.

ACI

The Awards NCWRC won;

FIRST PLACE
• Exhibits and Dioramas category, for the Centennial Campus Center for Wildlife Education in Raleigh. This state-of-the-art exhibit uses historic and contemporary displays, a large satellite map and murals, touch-screen monitors and joystick-operated, high-magnification video cameras for an interactive experience.
• One-time Publications (Books/Reports) category, for the 2007 Biennial Report. Titled “Building a Stronger Foundation,” this report covers accomplishments and activities from July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2006 for all six division of the agency.
• Video (other) category, for “The North Carolina Piedmont: Our Changing Habitats.” This 20-minute video is shown daily at the Centennial Campus Center for Wildlife Education and presents a historical timeline of changes in the Piedmont landscape, from natural areas to suburban sprawl.
SECOND PLACE
• Magazine (4-color) category, for Wildlife in North Carolina. The agency’s monthly magazine features the best outdoors writers, artists and photographers, covering the diverse natural and recreational opportunities of North Carolina,.
• Education and Outreach category, for “Wildlife Profiles.” These fun and factual looks at native species are found online at www.ncwildlife.org in the “Outdoors Kids” section, but are useful for any age.
THIRD PLACE
• Communications Campaigns category, for “Blue Light = No Wake” boating law awareness. This year-long effort included a 30-second video broadcast spot, poster distribution, news releases and wallet-sized informative cards, as well as outreach and public appearances by wildlife officers.

Here is a list of all the award winners and a big thankyou for working so hard to educate everyone on the importance of conservation.

Story by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

3 days of rain helps suppress the Evan’s Road Fire in Eastern North Carolina but it also makes the roads treacherous to drive on. The Evans Road wildfire started back on Jun 1 and although the ground fire continues to burn the surface fire does not. The fire remains 75% contained, WRAL reports firefighters have gone high-tech and are utilizing an inferred camera to identify the hot spots to help them decide what areas they need to flood.

We Will continue to follow this story.

Story by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

I plan to do a more in depth story about it this week but I’ll give you a bit of an overview. The show was small but had a lot of vendors that I haven’t seen at the Dixie Deer Classic. I’m not sure what the overall attendance will be but it will be considered light I’m sure. I went up today and unlike the Buckmasters show there was no line waiting to get in. You could get free admission if you test drove a Toyota Tundra and with four of them cruising around a course laid out in an empty parking lot there wasn’t even a line to do that. I took the test drive and got my free ticket and headed into the show.

The show reminded me of the Scope Show that came to Raleigh a few times years ago. Had great speaker line up but for some reason just couldn’t pull in the crowds. The Big Buck Expo had some great hunting celebrities and overall I really enjoyed myself. Now to tell you how small the crowd was I did not run into a single person I know… well except for Larry Weishuhun who remembered me from the Dixie Deer Classic.

Story & Photo by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

The Big Buck Expo is a new show coming to the Greensboro Coliseum filling the void left by Buckmaster’s. The Big Buck Expo is being sponsored by Southern Trophy Hunters and they have done a number of shows across the southeast. I’m hopeful that I’ll get up to the show and check it out. With hunting season coming up rather quickly the timing of such a show is good for those who need to pick up a last minute treestand or a bottle of doe pee.

Like many shows I go to I don’t have any plans to buy anything but who knows. For those that are wondering Buckmasters has moved back to Alabama they were only temporarily here while the show venue was being renovated.

Story by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

Gabe over at the Outdoor Smorgasbord and a deer scientist has a great article about brain abscess in deer that has been picked up by Realtree. This is not a growth that I’ve seen in any deer I’ve harvested but by the sound of it we may see this more and more as the deer population ages. Check the article out as well as his blog I bet ya can’t visit it without learning something.

Story & Photo by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose