Moose Droppings

Rumors on the net fly and right now many of our email boxes are being filled with a “Rare Black Buck from Michigan.” This buck is not from Michigan but rather Texas hill country in January 2004. Gordon Gouldin was the hunter who took this rare deer and this famous photo is Gordon’s wife with the black buck. NA Whitetail has the story so check it out.

Some other Black Buck stories I’ve seen are;

Andrew Hargrove shot this rare melanistic buck in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in 2002. The only white on the deer is the underside of the tail.

Bobbie Fain took this “black” buck in Dimmit County, Texas. Most melanistic deer live in Texas, with the highest number being around 150 miles northeast of this ranch. Photo by Gordon Whittington.

NA Whitetail

Brendan Pearson poses with the black whitetail deer he shot in Idaho state hunting Unit 8A, in potlatch, Idaho, in October 2007. The whitetail buck is exceptionally dark with a black head, black tongue and dark underbelly. Its legs also are dark and, aside from the white tip, its tail is all black. The first recorded report of a black deer came from New York in 1929.

Magic Valley

Bert Buegeler III black buck he took in Texas Hill Country

Hunting Lease Magazine

Donnie Rodriguez took this Texas Buck in 2005

Rising Sun Outdoors

Well these are the photos I often see and I suspect some of you do as well. I think there is little doubt that Texas is about your best chance to bag one of these rare deer. So next time you get a black buck photo maybe you’ll know the real story.

Steve Fidel, Deseret Morning News Jake Francom shows a pillow that was dragged away from his tent by a black bear early Saturday, a day before Sunday night’s fatal mauling in the same primitive area. Dark marks on the pillow are the bear’s paw prints.

This past summer in Utah a family camping trip turned into a tragedy when 11 year old Sam Ives was dragged from a tent and killed by a black bear. When one enters the wilderness where does personal responsibility begin and government involvement end? Camping in bear country certainly involves some risk but at the same time does government agencies have a responsibility to close an area if there is problematic bear activity? It is important to point out, that as I reported this summer, only hours before at the same campsite there was human bear encounter when a bear attempted to drag a man from a tent.

Government officials responded with tracking dogs but because of poor conditions the search was unproductive and called off. Should have the primitive campsite been closed by officials? I don’t know for sure but I tend to lean towards not.

Why weren’t they warned?
“We would have known something was up if there was just yellow tape up there, and I would still have my son,” a tearful Ives said at attorney Allen K. Young’s Provo office.
Their suits are seeking $2 million from the U.S. Forest Service and $550,000 from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR), which is protected by a state-mandated damages cap.

SLTrib

I traveled through that part of the country only weeks before these tragic events and there is ample opportunity for encounters with nature to go really bad. I think people entering the wilderness have a responsibility to prepare for these potential dangerous situations. If we expect government to post about dangers we might face the wilderness may become one large bulletin board. I’m glad I don’t have to decide and we’ll see what the courts say if this case goes forward.

A dermatologist in North Dakota has set off a multi state scare about how safe big game meat that has been harvested with high power rifles. He claims that after taking a number of samples of donated ground venison and testing them he found them contaminated with lead from the rifle bullets.

BISMARCK, N.D. - Thousands of pounds of venison donated to food pantries this year has become a contentious gift in three states. Officials in North Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa warn that the meat could be contaminated by lead from bullets. Hunting groups are calling it an overreaction.
“It’s alarmist and not supported by any science,” said Lawrence Keane, a vice president and lawyer for the Newton, Conn.-based National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry. “High quality protein is now taken out of the mouths of needy, hungry people.”North Dakota health officials on Wednesday told food pantries in the state to throw out donated venison, saying it may have lead fragments. Officials in Minnesota and Iowa followed with similar alerts, asking that venison in those states not be distributed.

AP
I got my serious doubts that a high power rifle round can send off enough lead dust to fully contaminate a big game animal. Dr. William Cornatzer , the doctor who has kicked off this scare, is a board member for “The Peregrine Fund” a group that has been active in banning the use of lead ammunition in California & Arizona.

Lead poisoning is a very serious issue and I’d be shocked if this is an issue and has never been discovered before now given that in many places wild game is often on the table. I’ve harvested a number of big game animals where I’ve recovered the bullet and been surprised at how much intact the bullet was making a deadly mushroom. Other times I’ve had complete pass through where the bullet wasn’t recovered but given the exit hole I’m certain that there wasn’t much left behind. I don’t see how lead dust can go from the chest cavity in the heart / lung area and get under the skin and contaminate a back strap or a hind quarter?

The bow hunters are gathering this weekend at the fairgrounds for the annual NC Bow Hunters Association Convention and Show. This show is not as large as other hunting shows like the Dixie Deer Classic but still a very good show. Admission cost is only $3 for the entire weekend and the crowds are smaller so there is ample time to talk with vendors and exhibitors.

Dick Hamilton

I had the opportunity to meet Dick Hamilton from the Camo Coalition and to hear his presentation. I think every one that hunts and / or fishes in North Carolina needs to sign up. In these days when attacks on our heritage can come from almost any arena be it local, county, state, or national we need to be organized to fight. It’s no secret that the antis will take incremental progress to ultimately outlaw our way of life.

There is no fee to join just a wiliness to receive e-mail alerts on issues of importance for sportsmen. Guys we got to stand together on these issues even if the attack is on a part of the sport we don’t participate in. When we get organized we can be a powerful voice in preserving the outdoor heritage for our kids and grandkids.

Other things happening out there included 3 d archery tournament as well as a number of raffles. I believe many of the raffles were drawn tonight at the banquet. The show runs through tomorrow (Sunday) so if you get a chance stop by and check it out.

NC Wildlife Resource Commission has a booth out there. Great time to ask a biologist a question.

Spring must be here with trout season opening soon April 5th to be exact. With the threat of the drought continuing through the foreseeable future North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission has adjusted the stocking schedule by shorting it to address this issue.

The Commission plans to stock more than 791,500 catchable-sized trout in streams designated as Hatchery-Supported and Delayed-Harvest Trout Waters. The ratio of stocked fish for most streams is 40 percent brook trout, 40 percent rainbow trout and 20 percent brown trout. Ninety-six percent of the stocked fish average 10 inches in length while the remaining fish exceed 14 inches in length.

Looking for a place to trout fish check out these online maps to find a place to go. North Carolina has some great fishing and spring in the mountains is just fabulous.

Breaking News out of South Carolina where Rob Keck CEO of the National Wild Turkey Federation has resigned suddenly after the board fired two other high ranking officials with the organization. Yesterday the board forced out Carl Brown Chief Operating Officer and Dick Rosenlieb Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for undisclosed reasons but not the first time the board has attempted this. This past fall the board attempted the same thing and at the time Rob Keck threatened to resign if they forced these two out and it failed. It world appear that Rob Keck followed through with his threat resigning after nearly 30 years with the organization and 27 of those years at the helm. Mr. Keck will remain till 01 June to help with the transition.

One has to wonder about the future of one of the most successful sportsman organizations in the world and what will happen with such a significant void in the management structure. I’m sure that more information will come out as this story develops but as a proud member of the NWTF I wonder what the heck is going on.

Turkey Season is approaching fast so this past weekend I got out scouting a bit. I know some are reporting they have been hearing some gobbling but I didn’t hear any. I walked a patch of woods that has always had a lot of sign; scratching where they scratch back the leaves looking for acorns to eat, droppings a gobblers has a J shape to it, and tracks usually find then in the mud and sand around stream crossings as well as on other bare dirt spots like roads and trails. I was surprised that I didn’t find much but I did find a fair amount of coyote sign. The coyotes are coming on strong in this area and it will not surprise me if one of us hunting this patch of land this season might not get a crack at one. The coyotes maybe putting some pressure on these birds but the lack of acorn this past season I suspect is the main reason there wasn’t much sign.

Another tract of land I hunt where we have some food plots had a lot of sign. The recent rains we’ve had has helped out a lot and the food plots are really starting to grow. The clover is coming on strong and the deer and turkeys are hitting it hard. The turnips that should of game up last fall are now growing and the leaves are getting stripped off these young plants as fast as they grow it seems. I believe that is more the deer doing that then the turkey. Plenty of droppings and tracks so this area looks promising for turkey hunting.
We went ahead and put up a blind to hunt out of and picked out a few more potential spots to erect some blinds. Rainy days are great days to blind hunt out of because the birds often will hit the fields and we can stay relatively dry in the blinds.

Once the season gets a bit closer the gobblers will start sounding off and we can get a pretty good idea about where they are roosting and hopefully find their strut zones. Like a bass the structure is important and once you know often the same area over the years will be used by different gobblers.

Turkey hunting is some of my favorite hunting so I’ll be talking a lot of turkey over the coming weeks and hopefully getting everyone fired up for the season. Whether you’re just a beginner or a novice I hope you can find some useful information to make you a better turkey hunter. If you got any questions about turkey hunting send them to me and I’ll try to get you an answer.

So hang on cause things are going to get fun.

Us outdoor types are usually very observant and see a lot that the average person may miss. It seems to never fail I’ll be driving down a road and I’ll see wildlife everywhere and my wife often times doesn’t see it till I point it out. “How can you be watching the road while scanning the fields looking for deer” she’ll often ask me. I’m not exactly looking in the fields but after years of observing critters I just can pick them out. We’ve trained our brains and our eyes to see the wildlife and we can do that with spiritual things as well.
We look around us and we can’t help to see the Creator’s handiwork in all of creation around us and we have to realize that there is a Creator. Some of us may recognize a Creator but don’t take the extra step to develop a relationship with Him through his Son Jesus. Jesus defeated death for us and that is what we celebrate every Easter. Accepting his sacrifice for our sins we can also have victory over death and enjoy eternal life.
On that original Easter Morning the tomb Jesus was in was sealed and secured with soldiers guarding it and the Bible tells us that the stone was rolled back. Why to let Jesus out? No to let man in to see that the tomb was empty. There are a number of accounts of Jesus appearing to those who knew him well and them not recognizing him at first…why? I’m not sure maybe disbelief or utter sadness over his death but like critters on the side of the road once someone points it out we can’t help but see.

I went to the community sunrise service this morning at Lake Benson Park. There were a good number of folks for it being such a cool morning. For me sunrise is always a special time, and I often find myself talking with God so this morning was no different. Something about singing “Up From The Grave He Arose” as the geese get up off the lake and fly over joining in our praise for the Creator. I get to do this many mornings a year often from a treestand or a blind and not so many people but it’s great to rejoice with all creation. I hope you can see clearly the message of Easter and that you’ve accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior if not check this link out for more information.
Happy Easter
-Moose-

This week’s show will be the 2nd part of the presentation that Allen and his pro staff gave at the Dixie Deer Classic. This week the focus is geese and swans so join us at 1pm on Skinny Moose Radio. Both shows will be available for download in the near future for those who can’t hear it when they air.

This past year in response to concerns over nuisance calls about bears in and around Dupont State Forest the Wildlife Commission attempted to have a limited draw hunt. That hunt was canceled because of issues around the use of dogs and the rules prevented the NCWRC from enacting such a hunt. Well the NCWRC got those rules changed and plans were being made to hold a limited draw hunt on bears and feral hogs.
The Division of Forestry Resources citing public opposition has rejected the NCWRC plans and instead has decided to “study” the bear population within the park. Opposition to the hunt cites a state forest rule that requires dogs to be on a leash but a rule that is not enforced.

Transylvania County resident Charles Parris, who represents sportsmen on the advisory committee, favored allowing the bear and raccoon hunts. Parris said dogs already roam freely in DuPont because it is hard to enforce the leash law.

He said he was not surprised by the decision, but was not happy about it.

“I still think there’s plenty of bear. I know there are,” said Parris, who hunts deer but not bear. “I still think really and truly they should have listened to the wildlife resources on it. They know the population.”

Blue Ridge

Bears and other wildlife are a renewable resource that has to be properly managed and hunting is one of the best tools to control the population. We’ll continue to follow this story.

On another note this week is bear week on Moose’s Wild America so stop by and see some of my bear photos.

Thompson Center Arms has laid off 36 employees citing the poor economy as well as an unseasonable warm hunting season. While I’m sure that the downturn in the economy has had a huge impact I scratch my head on the warmer hunting season. Global warming gets blamed for everything. Granted this past season was a bit warmer around here then normal but I don’t recall anyone opting to go swimming rather then going hunting. I guess one could not say it was a lack of advertising when it seems just about every hunting personality on the hunting shows uses their product. As far as firearm manufactures go they must be the leader when it comes to market saturation. I don’t own one but if they need another pro staff give me a call and I’ll help ya with the marketing.

As a benefit of blogging I’ve been given a subscription to the Northwoods Sporting Journal a New England outdoor magazine. Having grown up in New England I have a lot of ties with the area and like to keep up with what is going on up there. I even on occasion chase moose or bear across the northern woods and I do enjoy the tug of a brook trout on the line.

I’m excited about the coming year and the news and stories that will come in monthly. Just a quick glance of the current magazine there is local stories like places to go clamming in NH, ice fishing reports and stories that reach to a much larger audience and not necessarily just New England folks. There is a great story on how to read a compass, using blinds to turkey hunt and one very funny story about the trouble a Maine Warden got into on the side of a road.
It seems that a trucker hit a doe with fawns killing the doe and the fawns ran off. After much searching the warden and the trucker could not find the fawns so they pulled the doe away from the road in hopes the fawns would return to the doe. The warden planned to increase patrols in that area to see if he could catch the young fawns. Latter that day he was passing by when he saw a car pulled off the road and two ladies running into the bushes. Knowing that they must have spotted the fawns he swung around and tried to catch up with them before they scared the fawns away. Well he ran into the bushes calling to them and found them answering natures call and they were not to happy. His telling of the story is much better and much funnier then my readers digest version.

Why I have never subscribed to Northwoods before I have to say it’s because I never remember. I buy Northwoods almost every time I visit the state so now I have no excuse. If you enjoy a quality outdoor magazine you should check them out and who knows maybe you’ll hear the call of the North Woods to come hunt a bear, a moose, or maybe even a trophy buck of a lifetime.