Moose Droppings

Deer Hunting season isn’t even three weeks old and there has already been four serious hunting accidents involving falls from treestands with two of those accidents being fatalities. The common thread in all of these accidents is that none of the hunters were wearing safety harness.

Urgent Safety Message for Hunters Using Tree Stands
Two Deaths, Two Serious Injuries in Two Weeks

RALEIGH, N.C. (Sept. 29, 2008) – Following four serious accidents since Sept. 13, including two fatalities, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is issuing an urgent warning for hunters to exercise caution when using a tree stand.

All the recent accidents involved falls from tree stands, with the deaths occurring in Richmond and Harnett counties. Investigations show that none of the hunters killed or injured were wearing a fall-restraint system at the time of the accidents.

“The best advice I can give is to always wear a fall arrest system,” said Capt. Chris Huebner, the state’s Hunting Safety Coordinator. “A full body harness is the best precaution anyone can use.”

The popularity of deer hunting from an elevated position has increased in recent years. It provides some distinct advantages, such as putting a hunter out of a deer’s normal field of view, increasing a hunter’s range of vision, reducing scent detection and allowing closer shots.

Research by the Treestand Manufacturers Association, in cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, found that 82 percent of all hunters injured in tree-stand falls were not wearing a safety harness.

North Carolina hunting safety instructors also recommend:

* Maintain three points of contact (hands and feet) when climbing up or down.
* Never carry anything when climbing – use a haul line to raise and lower an unloaded gun, bow or other equipment once safely seated.
* Check all belts, chains and attachment cords before use.
* Avoid selection of a decaying or leaning tree, or slippery-surfaced or smooth-bark tree.

NCWRC

Story by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

Wildlife In North Carolina Magazine is an award winning magazine about wildlife and nature throughout the state. The magazine has some very good photos and illustrations as well as a good variety of stories about nature and the outdoor culture here in the old north state. I look forward to receiving my copy every month and often wonder why more don’t subscribe. Trust me it will be some of the best $12 you’ll ever spend.

This month’s issue has a great story about the early days of wildlife enforcement in Pisgah Refuge and the challenge to capturing poachers. Now I realize that many of my readers probably don’t subscribe and while I’d like to pass my copy around for all of ya’s to read that’s really not practical. Well we’re all in luck because the editors selected this article as the feature sample article for this month so every one can read it. Even if you don’t call North Carolina home there is nothing stopping you from subscribing to this great magazine. So check it out.

Story by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

Another important landmark in North Carolina is now protected from development with the addition of Grandfather Mountain to the state park system.

Gov. Mike Easley announced Monday that the state will pay $12 million to acquire Grandfather Mountain, one of North Carolina’s signature landmarks and most popular tourist attractions.

The nearly 6,000-foot tall peak and 2,600 surrounding, undeveloped acres will be turned into North Carolina’s 34th state park.

“Today, Grandfather Mountain and all its scenic beauty becomes a state park,” Easley said. “This is an extremely important habitat, and we will take good care of it. The dreams of many North Carolinians and Hugh Morton will be met: North Carolina will protect and preserve Grandfather Mountain forever.”

WRAL

Much like the purchase of Chimney Rock a few years ago to protect another important landmark this is great addition to the NC State Parks.

Aside from being one of the signature landmarks in our state, Grandfather Mountain is a premier natural resource, boasting 16 distinct ecological communities and 73 rare species and is an International Biosphere Reserve.

NC Parks

Story & Photo by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

In conjunction with National Hunting and Fishing Day the Wildlife Education Center on North Carolina State University Centennial Campus will hold a day long events this Saturday.

From 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. there will be programs, demonstrations and activities, along with free parking, and some added events:
• Eugene Hester, wildlife biologist and photographer
Learn about wildlife photography and how to get that shot.
• Fly-fishing demonstration
Learn to fly-fish, with casting demonstrations and the basics needed to get started.
• Eastern Carolina Hunting Retriever Club
See hunting dogs at work in field conditions.
• Eastern Long Hunter re-enactment
A living history demonstration of how early American mountain men lived.

This sounds like a great event especially if you have some kids interested in the outdoors. Many states are participating in National Hunting and Fishing Day so check to see if similar events are happening in your area.

Story by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

I don’t get into politics much on the blog but Governor Palin’s selection has increased the opportunity to talk about moose. I get questions about moose hunting and the taste of moose on a regular basis now. Most of the questions come from my non hunting friends who have become fascinated with moose since Governor Palin is a fellow moose hunter.
Moose is the best tasting game meat I’ve ever eaten similar to the finest cut of beef. Where can you get some moose meat? I’m out killed my last one 3 years ago in Maine and I was not lucky enough to get drawn. If you want to hunt moose there are a number of places to hunt them in northern US states as well as Canada. Maine has a high hunter success rate but getting a tag is the hard part. Alaska is a beautiful state (while I’ve never hunted I have visited it) moose tags are over the counter and today’s Anchorage Daily News pegs hunter success rate at 34%.
What’s it like to field dress a moose? It tends to be a messy job just ask my friend Billy.

What a refreshing change to have a real hunter in the race. The 2nd Amendment is extremely important to me and with Obama’s views on guns it will be a cold day in a very warm place (further south then Florida) before I cast a vote for him. I guess I’m just bitter and clinging to my guns or just call me “Moose Hunter for Palin”

Story & Photo by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

There won’t be a radio show this week because of my schedule the last few days. As I posted before my friend Darlene Wyrick passed away unexpectedly this week and in addition my wife’s Uncle Woodrow also died this week.

Mr. James Woodrow Adams
September 17, 2008

Godwin, NC: Mr. James Woodrow Adams, age 84, of 6175 Bluman Road died Wednesday at Wake Medical Center in Raleigh. Funeral Services will be at 3:00 PM Friday at Stone’s Creek Advent Christian Church in Benson. Officiating will be Rev. Doug Abel. Burial will follow in the Church Cemetery.
Mr. Adams was born February 14, 1924 in Johnston County to the late John Quincy and Mancy Lee Adams. He was also preceded in death by a brother, Pinkney Adams. Mr. Adams was a farmer and a volunteer fireman with the Godwin-Falcon Fire Department. He served in the U. S. Army Infantry during World War II and was a member of the American Legion Banner Post 109. Mr. Adams was a member of Stone’s Creek Advent Christian Church where he served as a deacon and an elder.

Mr. Woodrow was a great man, loved to fish and always talked to me about my latest hunting adventure. A number of years ago I brought BBQ Goose to the family gathering and he absolutely loved it. From that day on just about every time he saw me he asked me when I was going to bring him some more. I killed some on opening day and froze them with the plan to cook him some when he got out of the hospital. Mr. Woodrow will be missed and whenever I cook geese I’ll have fond memories of him. In honor of him here is my goose recipe.

My recipe for Apple Hickory BBQ Goose
First off we do not pluck the geese we skin and breast the meat out as a boneless cut. Geese come in a wide variety of sizes so you’ll have to adjust cooking times to the size of the geese you have.
Take the boneless skinless goose breasts and put them in a roasting pan with about ¼ inch of apple cider vinegar in the bottom of the pan. Then cover the tops of the skinless goose with strips of bacon. Put the goose in a pre heated oven (375) and let cook till done but not overly down. For me this is usually about 45 minutes (internal temp of 165’f)
BBQ Sauce
Jar of Apple Jelly
Bottle of Hickory BBQ Sauce
½ cup of Apple cider vinegar
Mix all together in saucepan heat slowly stirring often till all the jelly is melted and everything blends together.
Take cooked goose out of oven drain off greases remove bacon and discard. You’ll still have small amount of grease in the pan but that’s fine you just want to dump the majority out. Allow the goose to rest for about 15 minutes and to begin to cool so it is easier to slice. Then slice it up like a roast and then return the slices to the roasting pan. Pour the BBQ sauce over the meat cover the pan with tin foil and return to the oven. Turn the oven down to 300 and leave it in for an hour. I’ve served this and people swear its beef roast or deer roast. No one guesses its Canadian goose.

Radio Show will return next week

Story by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

A place many of us long for throughout the year but now also a new blog by an old friend and regular reader of my blogs. So if you get the opportunity check out Whitetail Woods and say hi to Rick.

Almost any hunting message board I’ve been on this time of year someone posts about looking for a place to hunt. While they often will get some general info and encouragement no one is giving out GPS coordinates to that ole mossy horn. To be successful on public land you need to look at maps to identify and narrow down the possible places to hunt. Then you really need to wear out a little boot leather scouting these areas out preferably before the season comes in. The inspiration for this post came from an article out of Virginia by Andy Thompson. His focus is on Virginia but his tips are good pretty much any where you plan to hunt on public land.

“What you’re trying to do is get away from a place where a person can walk in 100 or 200 yards. You’re looking for places where a normal person is not going to walk back into.”
When to go: Public lands can be busy places during whitetail seasons. There are two schools of thought. On the one hand, you’re more likely to encounter interference from other hunters. On the other, people can bump deer around and get them moving.
“If a person does want to hunt national forest lands,” Lafon said, “I would recommend they hunt on one of the busier days, because you’re really wanting hunters to help you out a bit. It’ll get the deer moving.”
That means try opening day and Saturdays.
On WMAs, he said, “I would hunt during the week, because you’re trying to find a place to not rub elbows with people and walk on top of each other.”

North Carolina has some great Game Lands (public hunting areas) so get out and check them out.

Story by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

Darlene & Avery getting ready in predawn hours for our annual swan hunt

Darlene Wyrick left this life Tuesday but her memory will live on forever. Whenever we gather around the campfire of hunting camp we’ll remember her. I’ve been a friend with her husband Avery (Hawkeye) for a number of years hunting and fishing all over the state with him. The last few years Darlene started joining in and she became another one of the guys at hunt camp.

Darlene tagging her swan.

I loved to hear her tell a hunting story and then hear Avery tell his side. Darlene told me about a duck hunt her and Avery went on, they had asked a guy if they could hunt his pond and he gave them permission. It turns out it wasn’t his pond and the real landowner showed up while they were hunting. A few tense moments but once Avery explained what was going on the landowner relaxed and they talked it out. Latter I talked with Avery about this story and found out Darlene left a part of the story out it seems when this landowner showed up Darlene slipped away and got in the truck. Avery said that once the initial tension was over he looked up and saw Darlene sitting in the truck. To hear her tell it you’d of thought she was right there to hear it all. Boy we laughed about that story a number of times.

Last year on the swan hunt Avery handed Darlene an unloaded shotgun while we were hunting so the click on the empty chamber was all we heard as her turn to shoot a swan happened. Of course we all believed that Avery did that to her on purpose so she wouldn’t show him up.

Although I didn’t hunt a lot with Avery and Darlene we kind of did get the chance to sit in the deer stand some with them between the stories and the videos. Darlene will be missed a lot from us that knew her from the swan hunts and the get togethers we’ve had over the years. While she may of seemed quiet I’m surely going to miss her “Hey Moose how are ya?”

For I will turn their mourning into joy And will comfort them and give them joy for their sorrow. Jeremiah 31:13

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Darlene Hall Wyrick
November 7, 1962 - September 16, 2008

Till We Meet Again Rest In Peace
-Moose-

Feral hogs have long been a problem in Great Smoky National Park and now they seem to be moving into the Cades Cove area of the park. At least visitors are starting to see them. Feral Hogs are very destructive and although you can try to control them it is unlikely you can ever eradicate them.

“The Park has had a wild hog management program since the mid-1970s to try and control the population,” Gray said. “There is no way we will ever remove all the wild hogs. They are extremely prolific at reproduction. There is no distinct breeding time for wild hogs, so they can breed throughout the year. Hogs normally have two litters a year and a normal litter is five but they can have up to nine piglets.

“They are very prolific and in the terrain of the Park it is hard to restrict them. We feel we are holding the hog population in check.”

European wild boars were imported in 1912 from Germany to a hunting preserve at Hooper’s Bald in North Carolina, which is on Cherohala Skyway in Cherokee National Forest about 15 miles southwest of the Smokies.

After being imported in 1912, “the wild hogs multiplied in that location and escaped to the mountains in 1920. On the way they interbred with feral pigs (wild domestic pigs) and the resulting stock looks like the wild pigs. They have tusks, a mane and dark, hairy fur,” Gray said.

The average weight for males is 125 pounds.

Cades Cove seems to be an ideal place for the hogs to move into with lots of mast crops for them to feed on. The problem is they’ll compete with native species for the food.

“Cades Cove is an ideal spot for wild hogs for several reasons. One is that they enjoy damp areas where they can do their wallowing behavior. They have no sweat glands so they need to find areas where they can cool off,” she said.

There are several areas in the flood plain and wetlands in Cades Cove where the hogs can wallow.

The wallowing creates depressions, which can cause erosion problems. Also, wild hogs carry bacteria, which can wind up in the streams and wetlands near where they wallow.

They use their snouts to root for food — plants, rhizomes and grubs. Areas where the wild hogs have rooted look like a rototiller has been at work, Gray said.

Basically wild hogs will eat almost anything — flowering plants, grubs, snakes, vertebrates, bird eggs and salamanders.

However, their mainstay food is hard mast crops — any kind of nuts, such as acorns, hickory nuts and walnuts.

Cades Cove is a prime area at this time of year because the acorns and other nuts are beginning to fall.

Hard mast is also a main crop for the larger mammals, like bear and deer, as well as a cadre of smaller Park residents.

Quotes and photo from the Daily Times

Story by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

Tree Stand Safety is all our responsibilities when we hunt. I came across this on the NCWRC’s website and thought it was worthwhile to post.

Five basic guidelines for tree stand safety include:
· Always wear a full body harness, also known as a fall arrest system. This is the best precaution anyone can use.
· Maintain three points of contact (hands and feet) when climbing up or down.
· Never carry anything when climbing – use a haul line to raise and lower an unloaded gun, bow or other equipment once safely seated.
· Check all belts, chains and attachment cords before use.
· Don’t select a decaying or leaning tree, or slippery-surfaced or smooth-bark tree.

Lets Be Safe Out There
-Moose-

Frederic Markham was found by his hunting buddy at the base of his treestand dead this past Saturday evening in Harnett County At this time it is unclear whether medical issues played any role in his death or if he died as a result of falling out of the tree. An autopsy is being conducted. Story from the Dunn Daily Record.

Former Harnett County Sheriff Deputy Found Dead
A former Harnett County Sheriff’s deputy died this weekend as he was hunting in Anderson Creek.

Frederic John Markham, 52, also known as “Fritz,” was found dead around 7:20 a.m. Saturday by a friend with whom he’d been hunting.

Harnett County Sheriff Larry Rollins said Mr. Markham had fallen out of the tree stand where he was hunting in the woods near Buckhorn Road. He said it was not clear if he died as the result of the fall or a heart attack.

“He had had a number of medical problems over the year,” Sheriff Rollins said. “It could have been that, but we won’t know for sure until we get the autopsy.”

Mr. Markham, of Dickens Road in Broadway, resigned from the department in April. He had been with the department for 14 years.

Sheriff Rollins said Mr. Markham was known throughout the department as an avid hunter.

“He was a good guy,” Sheriff Rollins said. “Fritz loved to hunt. And it’s kind of like some people say, ‘if they have to go, they want to go doing what they enjoy.’

“But still, I hate it for his family,” Sheriff Rollins said.

Sheriff Rollins said he was uncertain when Mr. Markham’s autopsy would be completed.

Sounds like he may not have been using a safety belt or at least he had to get out of it to climb up and down the tree. No matter what is the cause of this man’s death lets be careful while hunting.

Story by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose