Moose Droppings

Photo from Stanley News

In his 10 years with the North Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper Palmer has never seen a larger buck then the one he saw on Saturday evening while investigating a MVA in Stanly County. The SUV that collided with this hoss of a buck was being driven by an unidentified hunter who had spent all day Saturday hunting without bagging anything. Little did he know that his ride home he would bag what for many would be a trophy of a lifetime but unfortunately it would be with his vehicle and not a gun. No one was injured in the accident but his vehicle did sustain significant damage and the buck was killed.

Trooper Palmer reports the buck was a 12 point with a 20 inch spread weighing 200lbs, a trophy by anyone’s standards I’m sure. The driver was allowed to keep the deer but not before Trooper Palmer got a snapshot of himself with a buck of a lifetime.

The Stanley News & Press

This is part 3 in a series on Sunday Hunting Ban and the ongoing debate about that here in North Carolina. If you’re just joining us please be sure to check out part 1 and part 2.

Landowners should always have the right to decide what activity does or does not take place on their property so I have no problem with landowners deciding that aspect. However a challenge to overturn this law based on it should be up to the landowners is somewhat flawed because seasons and limits are a State function and not left up to landowners. The State has the right and the duty to establish the seasons and bag limits. I think if some want to change the law to allow hunting on Sunday’s and they base it on landowners’ rights that they should also encompass other hunting aspects that effect landowners.

Certainly statewide the issue of trespass on private land is an issue and going the route other places have and allow reverse posting, all privately held land is considered posted unless signs indicate it’s open for others to enjoy, so that first offenders get a ticket instead of a warning would put a little more bite into it. This would also eliminate the problem with vandalism and outright destruction of posted signs to create access points on to private land. In the counties that allow dog hunting finding a way to protect landowners rights is paramount. Currently there is little a landowner can do if deer hunters run their hounds across the land. As one who has experienced this on numerous occasions I can certainly see why non-hunting landowners would object to changing this law. That would in effect basically double the headache they are already facing with adding an additional weekend day.

By opening up just private land on Sunday’s and by potentially banning the use of hounds on Sunday’s you are really fragments the minority of hunters who currently support the law change. I certainly think there is some validity to allowing landowners decide but getting past the objections to allow this I think is a far fetch idea when you consider the atmosphere around this issue currently in the state of North Carolina.

Although I think there are some valid points in this point of view I do not think this by itself will get the Sunday Hunting Ban overturned. Up next I’ll address if Sunday hunting will help us balance the herd and improve hunter retention.

North Carolina Wildlife Enforcement officers are hunting for the individual or individuals responsible for the illegal dumping of deer carcass in McDowell Creek in Huntersville North Carolina. The remains of a deer wrapped in 3 plastic bags were found dumped in the creek. Wildlife Enforcement Officers investigating this case believe poachers and not hunters are responsible for this crime because it would appear that only the antlers are missing.

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Those responsible for this could face up to $10,000 in fines for dumping into a waterway. This is such a senseless act and a black eye on hunting even though it is the work of poachers. I hope if anyone has any information on those who are responsible for this crime that they will contact NCWC.

For hunters here in NC we can legally dispose of deer remains by burying them or placing them in a heavily wooded area where vultures and other scavengers can feed on the remains. Let’s make sure we don’t leave them in places that are frequented by others and certainly not in a waterway.

Photo courtesy of From the Stand

This week it’s my pleasure to have Allen Treadwell the Co Host of Bass Pro Shop’s Outdoor World Hunting Television on the radio show. I caught up with Allen after a successful Wisconsin Whitetail Deer Hunt where he took a nice buck. So listen to Skinny Moose Radio this Friday at 1pm and catch my show.

People often refer to the First Amendment of the US Constitution as the “separation of church & state” which is a completely wrong interpretation of the 1st amendment. It disallows the government from establishing an “official religion” for the country but at the same time it does not prohibit the expression of Judaeo Christian principles that are integrate philosophy of the founding of this country.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Needless to say I believe that many of the liberals including most of the media has twisted the First Amendment to attempt to blot out any mention of God, to stop prays, and to block the rights of individuals to practice or display religion in public. I could expand even more on that topic but I won’t at this time.

How does this apply to hunting on Sunday? Those who want to have this law over turned would have you believe that this law violates the “First Amendment” by believing that it establishes an official religion within the State of North Carolina or by taking the more liberal interpretation it violates the “Separation of Church & State”. I don’t see that it does.
I will grant you that this law along with many others has some foundation within Judaeo Christian principles but it is not totally based on them. The government has not allowed a variety of activities on Sundays over time and many of them have been changed not because the violated the “separation of church & state” but the people got the laws changed. Many of us remember when stores use to be closed on Sundays for example. Currently in the State of North Carolina you can not purchase hard liquor on Sundays if this was a 1st Amendment issue one would think the popularity of alcohol would drive a challenge to the state’s stance.

In North Carolina we have a representative government which means we elect individuals to go to Raleigh and make the laws and change the laws for us. We do not have referendums for the people to decide but we tell our legislators what we want. Currently I don’t see a group of legislators that see this as an important issue to even attempt to put it on the docket. The legislators did ask for the North Carolina Wildlife Commission to study this issue and the results came back last year showing that there was not majority support among the people of the state to change this law. Even when you separate out the hunters from the study that sub group did not support the changing of this law.
Those who want to see this law changed could challenge it violates the 1st Amendment but I don’t think this will change it. They must get the legislators to change the law and in order to do that they must gain the support of many of the stake holders including land owners which is the next thing I’ll talk about in this series. The rights of property owners when it comes to the Sunday Hunting issue.

Sunday Hunting Part 1

Photo Courtesy of NCWC

Shelly Lake in Raleigh is part of the North Carolina Wildlife Commission’s Community Fishing Program that is a partnership between the NCWC and the local government to provide fishing access to the public. Community fishing sites are located throughout the state, many having handicap accessibility, and are stocked regularly with channel cats. Supplemental feeding of the fish is important in these ponds and at Shelly Lake the drastic fluctuation in water levels has resulted in the destruction of the stationary feeders by flood waters.

“At one time, the stationary feeders attracted and congregated so many fish that Shelley Lake was considered a premier fishing location in Wake County,” said Bobby Glenn Kimbrell, a fisheries technician with the Commission. “But during heavy rain, water levels in the lake would quickly rise as much as 23 feet and destroy the feeders, which were valued at $400 each.”

Bobby Kimbrell and David Hart from the park designed a new feeder and with the help of the inmates at the Dan River Prison Work Farm in Caswell County they got some prototypes built. The new fish feeders are no longer mounted on a pole but will float. The new feeders also hold a month’s supply of food as opposed to the old ones that only held a week’s supply of food.

This is the forth edition of prototype feeder and so far it appears to be working well. They will test it through March 2008 and make sure it continues to function properly and if it does they will have additional feeders built to be used in the park as well as other community fishing sites that have similar issues with rapid water fluctuations.

This is the first part in a series I’ll do over the next little bit

North Carolina along with a handful of states still does not allow hunting on Sundays and in hunting circles it is a divisive topic. My series of posts will focus mostly on the issue here in North Carolina but I’m sure the issues are the same else where. From the onset I must say that I’m for the most part opposed to lifting the ban but at the same time I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.
Currently with the way things are other land users can get out and enjoy the outdoors with little fear of getting shot. Now I know that even during a hunting day the risk of such an accident is extremely low but we as hunters have allowed this fallacy to be painted of us and in many cases we have contributed to it;

“I got to find some private land to hunt cause it’s dangerous on Game Lands”

“Even if you don’t hunt you should wear bright clothing when you go walking because it’s hunting season”

I’m sure you’ve heard this said and maybe out of your mouth a time or two. The facts are that here in North Carolina you are far more likely to be involved in a hunting accident on private land then on public lands. That is certainly not the perception one gets when talking with hunters or reading posts on hunting message boards.

Wearing bright clothing makes you safer…. Really? I’m not so sure about that. If you know how to handle a firearm you know that one of the cardinal rules is “know your target and what is beyond it” you never shoot your weapon until you have properly identified your target. I believe that bright colored clothing only makes unsafe hunters safer and they really shouldn’t be in the woods anyways. The message you send to the non hunting community is that all hunters are unsafe because they will not properly identify their target before shooting.

When you have a deer season that currently runs September to January and a turkey season that runs April-May with only Sundays off for other land users to enjoy the outdoors I find it hard to support taking that day away. The Fall and Spring are the best times to really enjoy the outdoors here without the cold or the heat the other seasons bring.

I’m not sure how many stories I’ll have in this series but I welcome your comments just keep them civil. In the next few days I’ll respond to the Separation of Church & State Issues.

Sunday Hunting Stories I’ve Written

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