Young People Getting It Done In The Deer Woods

Today’s edition of the News & Observer had a great story about the success some young folks are having in the North Carolina Woods.

Ean Karpinski with his buck

Ean’s 150-grain Remington Cor-Lokt bullet found its mark, and the pair celebrated. The buck was rough-scored using the Boone & Crockett method by David Clark of Clark’s Taxidermy in Garner. It tallied 140 6/8 B & C, an impressive buck by any standard.

Tyler Hickman with his buck

The two waited 10 minutes for the buck to turn broadside. When the buck turned, Tyler squeezed the trigger on his Marlin 336 .30-30, and 65 yards away, the deer fell.

“He stood up and started hollerin’, ” said David Hickman of Tyler’s reaction. “I told him to take it easy. He was running top speed across the soybean field. I walked up to it and made sure it was dead. I counted 23 points.”

the Hickmans took it to Russell Avery of Avery’s Taxidermy in Clayton. Hickman said the rack had been rough-scored by two different people and they had gotten 185 and 187.

Avery, is Pope & Young Club’s certified scorer.

What a couple of nice bucks Congratulations to these young hunters. Do go and read the full story out at the N&O. Also a tip of the hat to the N&O to the commitment of reporting outdoor news and stories like these about young folks in a day and age when many newspapers have long ago abandoned the outdoors.

Be Careful Out There Deer on the Move

One only needs to listen to the morning traffic reports to realize the deer are on the move and on occasion they run into traffic. With the mating season (rut) taking place in the deer herd they are really on the move this time of the year. Drivers should be aware especially when traveling areas where deer are often seen. Studies have shown that the deer whistles that people mount on their cars have little effect on avoiding run ins with deer. Slow down, in the dark look for the reflection of their eyes, if you have one deer cross in front of you expect more to cross behind the one you just saw. Even with the best precautions a collision with a deer maybe unavoidable, don’t try to swerve to miss it you may hit another car deer or object. You also have a greater potential to lose control of your vehicle causing it to flip or leave the road surface.

This past weekend a Holly Springs Police Officer had a collision with a deer causing extensive damage to the cruiser but not much injuries to himself. Seat belts & Air bags work.
I hope everyone gets their deer this year lets just do it with a gun or bow and not our cars.

Story by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

UN Freaking Believable !!!!

Michael Burkley downed the potential state-record archery buck in Mississippi during early October with a 56-yard shot in a harvested bean field.

I saw this story on the NC Sportsman website.

“I got a game-cam shot of him (on Sept. 18), and also saw him several times with a spotting scope from about a thousand yards away,” he said.

As Burkley would soon discover, the behemoth sported a tangle of antlers that would greenscore 193 2/8.

The deer was about 56 yards away, but Burkley had painstakingly prepared himself for this situation.

“I had ranged several spots in the field, so I had a good idea of the distance he was away from me,” he said. “I had one of my pins set for 40 yards, so I held it about 10 inches over his back, and let the arrow go.”

When it connected, Burkley could tell he had made a good shot.

“I knew I had whacked him, but I was a little unsure of the penetration at that distance,” he said.

Unbelievable Go read the whole story at NC Sportsman.

A Place Andy & Oppie Might Even Fish

Mount Airy is what many believe the fictitious town of Mayberry was based on. Anyone that has watched the old show knows that fishing is often one of the recreational activities that Andy and Opie do together. Well the town of Mount Airy has a new place for folks to fish where even Howard could catch a trophy worthy of the State Aquarium.

Photo courtesy of NCWRC

A Universally Accessible Pier is Latest Feature at Westwood Park

MOUNT AIRY, N.C. (Oct. 27, 2008) – New pond. New fish. New pier. As part of a multi-phase effort to bring more fishing opportunities to local anglers, the City of Mount Airy, in cooperation with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, recently completed construction of a universally accessible fishing pier on Tumbling Rock Reservoir in Westwood Park.

The 59-foot floating pier is the latest feature at Westwood Park, which is located at 1250 Galax Trail. It has a T-shape section at the end that is 48 feet long and 11 feet wide, easily accommodating several wheelchair-bound anglers. The pier features seven low handrails to make it easier for anglers in wheelchairs and children to cast their lines into the 3-acre pond, which was drained in 2005 and re-filled in September 2007.

Commission personnel stocked the pond last year with 1,350 largemouth bass and bluegill. They also stocked an additional 300 redear sunfish fingerlings this fall to create a self-sustaining fishery.

Biologists expect these young fish to grow to catchable size in two to three years. Anglers, however, will be able to fish for catchable-size channel catfish next summer when the Commission begins stocking catfish through its Community Fishing Program (CFP). The program will begin in July 2009, and 900 catfish will be stocked monthly through October. After 2009, monthly stockings will occur from May through October.

According to Kin Hodges, fisheries biologist with the Commission, the decision to delay catfish stocking until next summer will maximize the survival of the fingerlings.

“The sunfish and largemouth bass were stocked at 2 to 3 inches long. If we had stocked the channel catfish this year, they could have ended up eating a lot of the fingerlings,” Hodges said. “By waiting until 2009 to stock the catfish, most of the bass and sunfish fingerlings should be large enough to avoid being eaten by the catfish.”

Because the reservoir was refilled recently, the fingerlings have plenty of places to hide from predators.

“There are currently lots of bushes growing in the shallow areas of the pond, which took root while the pond was drawn down for renovations,” Hodges said. “Now that the pond has been refilled, they make great shallow-water fish habitat.”

Additionally, creek channels winding through the bottom of the pond provide deep-water sanctuaries for fish.

“Fish like these types of places because they like to hang out in deep water, while still being close to shallow water,” Hodges added.

To facilitate access to the pond, public services and park personnel constructed a universally accessible paved trail connecting the main parking area to the pond. The trail encircles the pond, providing excellent access for bank anglers.

“The trail leading to the pond is closed to vehicles so anglers have to walk about 1/5 of a mile to the pond from the parking area,” said Jeff Boyles, Mt. Airy director of public services. “However, anglers with disabilities will be allowed to drive to the pond, and there are several parking spaces designated as universally accessible right beside the pond.”

The fish stockings, fishing pier and plans to install a floating fish feeder in 2009 are part of a fisheries management plan jointly developed by Hodges and Mt. Airy officials through the Commission’s Community Fishing Program.

The Community Fishing Program is a cooperative venture between the Commission and local governments to provide more fishing opportunities in city and county parks, particularly for the young, elderly and physically challenged. Program expenses are cost-shared with local cooperators, with the Commission providing 75 percent of the operating funds through the Sport Fish Restoration Fund and local cooperators paying the remaining 25 percent.

In addition to partnering with the Wildlife Commission, the City of Mount Airy secured funding for Westwood Park from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and the Resource Institute, according to Catrina Alexander, Mt. Airy director of parks and recreation.

“Westwood Park is a great example of local government developing partnerships to stretch its budget and to maximize recreational opportunities for the community,” Alexander said. “Families visiting Westwood Park can have fun on our two ball fields, a picnic shelter, playground area, par fitness golf, a 9-hole Frisbee golf course, 6 miles of mountain bike trails, nearly 1 ½ miles of gravel and paved trails, and of course, the new fishing pier on Tumbling Rock Reservoir.”

For more information about Westwood Park, call the Mt. Airy Parks and Recreation Department at 336-786-8313, or visit www.mountairy.org.

For more information about the Wildlife Commission’s Community Fishing Program or fishing in the state’s public, inland waters, click here, or call the Division of Inland Fisheries, (919) 707-0220.

NCWRC

Granny Gets Her Buck

Don’t tell Delores Wilhelms she is to old to hunt. This 89 year old woman just killed a 150lb 3 point buck in her home state of Wisconsin with a crossbow.

The 89-year-old Delores Wilhelms of Dotyville reached a new height of Nirvana last week when she bagged a buck, using her deceased husband’s crossbow.
“It’s a thrill I tell you. I hope God lets me live long enough to do it again next year,” Delores said.
The 150-pound, three-point buck was shot about 5:45 p.m. on Oct. 15, on the property of Ron Haessly, a neighbor who lives on 30 acres about a half-mile up the road.
The funny thing, Ron said, is the woman is so tiny and frail that when she went for her hunting license the guys behind the counter snickered at her, mocking her age.
“They thought she wouldn’t actually be able to hunt, and she told them, ‘What do ya’ mean I’m too old?”

FDLReporter

What a wonderful thing Ron Haessly did taking this lady hunting. We often think about taking young people hunting but let’s not forget about those young at heart. The future of our sport depends on us introducing others to the great sport. So let’s carry on the tradition and take someone hunting.

Story by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

“Shots Fired” call Leads to Poaching & Drug Bust In Efland NC

Photo & Quotes courtesy of NCWRC

Thanks to some quick work by Orange County Sheriff’s Office and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Enforcement Division four men were apprehended on multiple game and drug charges.

The case began in the early morning hours of Oct. 5, with reports of shots fired in the Efland/Brookhollow community. An Orange County deputy made a traffic stop of a pickup truck matching the description of a vehicle seen in the area where shots were heard. Wildlife officers Justin Mathis and Forrest Orr quickly arrived to assist the deputy and began an investigation.
Visible were two rifles, a shotgun and a bloody knife covered in deer hair inside the passenger compartment. A freshly-killed, antlered buck head was found in the pickup bed. Upon questioning the two men in the truck, officers learned two other men had been dropped off in the woods to look for additional deer that had been shot. These suspects were later apprehended at a nearby store.

These unnamed men face multiple charges;

The following charges were made:
• 10 violations of night deer hunting regulations
• Nine unlawful possession of deer violations
• One violation of hunting while impaired regulation
• One count of unlawful transportation
• One count of closed season deer hunting
• One count of hunting without a license
• One violation of big-game license regulations

A tip of the hat to the officers involved and their diligent work to take poachers and drug dealers off our streets. When a poacher fires a rifle in the dark there is no way he can know nor does he care what lies beyond the animal he is trying to kill. A house beyond the trees, a person driving down another road, or someone walking could be struck with the poacher’s bullet. We need to get these slobs off our streets and out of our fields & forests. Turn a poacher in… NC 24 hour hotline 1-800-662-7137… I’m sure if you’re from another state they have one as well.

Story by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

Where Has Moose Been?

A really good question… I wish I could say I’ve been off hunting but that is sadly not the case. I’ve had some major technical difficulties with my computer finally giving up the ghost. Well I have a new computer and I’m scrambling to get things set up on it as well as recover as much as I can from my old machine. I plan to get both my blogs going again here with regular posts and hopefully my radio show will back this week as well. I appreciate all my readers and thank you for your visits to my sites.
-Moose-

Moose’s Wild America

Moose Droppings

Dead Bear Carcass Wrapped in Obama Signs Dumped on NC College Campus

Western Carolina University in Cullowhee NC reports that a dead black bear cub wrapped in two Obama signs was discovered on the campus earlier this morning. The bear cub appears to have been killed by gun shot to the head. At this time there is no group or individual claiming responsibility for this act. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Enforcement division is heading the investigation. Currently bear season is open in the area around the area but obviously the illegal disposal and potentially other game violations are being investigated.

Why anyone would do this senseless act is unclear. The conclusions many are jumping to is that a McCain supporter must be behind this act. Of course one could surmise in an area of that the state (rural areas) where McCain appears to be doing better that an Obama supporter could have done this to stir things up. I don’t think laying blame on any group is the way to go and we should wait till the authorities complete their investigation.

Bottom line why anyone would kill a bear cub and dump it is a senseless act stealing from all the citizens of the state. I hope anyone with information on this or any game violation will call;

Report wildlife violations
1-800-662-7137

WYFF 4

Story by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

Fall In Cataloochee

For any of my regular readers it shouldn’t be a surprise of my love for the Cataloochee Valley inside Great Smoky Mountain National Park. This weekend my wife and I took off for a weekend get away. Saturday at daybreak we were in the Cataloochee valley, a very foggy cool morning. The valley was alive with the sound of turkeys greeting the daybreak from their roosts and the sound of antlers clicking as the bulls challenged each other. As I often do I let my photos from that morning speak of the beauty of the valley and the nature that was all around us.

Story & Photos by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

Hunter Attacked By Grizzly Returns To Area To Complete Elk Hunt

For most of us as hunters there are few circumstances that we become the prey and extremely rare that we’ll face a life and death struggle with a predator but that was the situation the Leming’s faced this past September on a Wyoming elk hunt.

Ron J. and his father, Ron G. Leming, were archery hunting for elk up the South Fork of the Shoshone River in northwest Wyoming in mid-September, about 15 miles into the Washakie Wilderness from the trailhead. It’s an area they are familiar with, having hunted there for the past 15 years.

For three days they’d bugled, cow-called and worked the woods, hoping to arrow a big bull. Fall is when elk breed. Big bulls bugle to challenge other bulls in hopes of breeding more cow elk. Hunters imitate the sounds in hopes of luring the testosterone-amped bulls into range.

During the morning hunt they were working two bulls when they encountered the grizzly bear.

This time, though, something different happened. The bull elk that had been shredding the tree bolted away.

Leming stood up to walk down to his father when again he heard a sound behind him. Turning, he found himself 15 feet away from a full-grown, 11-year-old male grizzly. The Lemings often encounter bears in the backcountry. It’s a huge area that ties into Yellowstone and Teton national parks and the Washakie Wilderness. Last year, a six-point bull elk that Leming shot had been partially consumed by a bear when he returned to pack it out.

“I hollered at him,” Leming said. “I said, ‘Get out of here.’ He waited about a half-second, laid his ears back and came at me full speed.”

Initially, Leming thought about hooking his bow release, a triggerlike device, onto his bowstring and taking a shot. But as he fumbled to hook the release, he quickly discarded that idea. He ran around a tree and sprinted downhill, the big bear hot on his tail.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Leming recalled. “We always talk about what we would do if we ran into a bear. But you never think it’s going to happen to you.”

Leming said he considered standing his ground, but there was no way he was going to drop and play dead. If he dropped, he said, he wasn’t sure if the bear would maul him or just start eating him.

“I’m not going to lay there and let something eat on me,” he said.

Leming, a fence builder, is no small fellow. At 37, he stands 6 feet tall and weighs 230 pounds.

As he blazed past his father, he saw an arrow fly within a foot of his leg.

“The bear was two feet behind me at that point,” Leming said. “I just kept running. I made it three more steps and the bear knocked me down.”

As he was falling, Leming pivoted onto his back. As the bear bore down on him, he fought back, throwing punches and kicking to keep the bear away from his head.

“I wouldn’t have wanted to be on the other end of those,” his father said. “He definitely fought for all he was worth. That kid’s Ford tough.”

But the bear seemed undeterred. Chomping down, the bear bit into Leming’s right arm, just below the elbow.

“I couldn’t believe the force,” he said.

Somehow, Leming managed to get back up and tried to escape again, this time getting tangled in the branches between two trees as he ran. The bear attacked from behind, biting into his shoulder and then pulling him down. This time, the bear bit through his gloved left hand. At the same time, his father was beating the bear on the back with his bow.

“The bear took a couple of steps toward my dad, then he just slowly turned and walked away from us,” Leming said. “Dad put another arrow in his bow, but he didn’t want to shoot.”

The grizzly staggered down the hill about 80 yards and fell over dead. With his first shot at the running bear, the elder Leming had likely nicked the bear’s aorta, causing it to quickly bleed out.

“I was covered in blood,” Leming said. “I didn’t know if it was my blood or the bear’s.

“My dad pretty much saved my life there,” he said. “That’s the thing I cannot believe in this whole story. He stood there with a bow and made that shot at a charging grizzly bear. That’s amazing. You could take that shot a thousand more times and never do it.”

“I’m just glad it ended the way it did,” his father said “The only thing that went through my head was that bear was going to maul my boy.

“I just knew I had one shot. I never thought it would do what it did.”

The elder Leming said he was exceptionally unruffled during the whole incident.

“I was just calm as can be, and I don’t know why,” he said.

He said he prays often. He prays for his family’s safety. And that morning, before hunting, he prayed that God would guide his arrow, although he had a big bull elk in mind.

He figured the bear was about 10 feet from him when he shot, although he can’t remember using the bow’s sight to aim. He also had to wait until his son passed, so his target window was short and his target was moving.

“I knew I was going to hit him, but I didn’t know where,” the father said. “When you’re in a situation like that, it all happens so fast.”

According to Mark Bruscino, bear specialist for Wyoming Game and Fish Department who examined the fight site and the bear the following day, the bear was hit with the arrow in the upper right chest and the arrow continued horizontally into the bear’s body.

“He’s lucky the shot was as lethal as it was, because a wounded bear would’ve done more damage,” Bruscino said. “He lost a large amount of blood in a short period of time.”

Bruscino said the bear, which was in good condition, probably mistook the two for elk because they were calling. The two were also masking their scent with wafers that smell like cow elk urine.

These excerpts are from the full story in the Star Tribune that is certainly worth reading. An amazing story of survival wrapped in themes of faith and family. I’m sure the bond between father and son is stronger now after such an event. I’d be honest if it was me in this situation I’m not sure I’d want to hunt this area any time soon. However the Leming’s plan to return to the area and complete their annual elk hunt.

Ron was left bloodied, dazed and injured, but has healed in the month that’s passed since his ordeal with the large predator’s claws and teeth.

He plans to return to the same spot where the attack occurred, which is the family’s favorite place for elk hunting each fall.

And though bow hunting season is still open, this time the Lemings plan to hunt with rifles.

“And I’ll take my pistol,” Ron added.

He likely always will carry “little scars” on his left hand and right arm from his encounter with the grizzly.

“But I just like to go hunting,” Leming says.

“I don’t blame the bear at all,” he added. “I just think they need a season (on grizzlies) to put a little fear in them.”

Cody Enterprise

I agree with Ron’s statement that a hunting season needs to be put in place. With the reintroduction of predators into an area like the West hunting as a method to control the growth and restore the balance needs to be an option. Maintaining a natural fear of man in large predators like bears, lions, and wolves will help reduce dangerous encounters with humans.

On this hunt they will not go alone, a cameraman from Reel Outdoor TV will accompany father and son on the elk hunt. They plan to try to recover the broadhead from the bear remains if possible. This time their weapons will be firearms and they do not plan to ever allow a bear to get that close to them again.

Story by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

A Good Reason To Brown Bag It At Your Deer Stand This Year

Gabe over at the Outdoor Smorgasbord has written another article for Realtree this time about hunting those mid day bucks. This is a phenomenal strategy to utilize and Gabe uses actual buck movements to lay out some mid day plays you can try to score on that big boy. We all seem to know that big bucks may move mid day and it’s a bad time for us to be back in camp eating lunch. Check out his article and see if don’t give you some ideas to try this fall to catch a buck moving while everyone else is back at the club eating lunch and planning their evening hunt.

Story & Photo by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

Learning How To Make Your Yard Wildlife Friendly

Do you enjoy watching wildlife? There is a free class being offered by North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission on how to turn your yard into the perfect wildlife habitat.

Backyard Wildlife Habitat Workshop Coming to Raleigh
RALEIGH, N.C. (Oct. 9, 2008) – While it is easy to associate wildlife habitat with some remote wilderness, sometimes nature is as close as your backyard. How to encourage and foster neighborhood wildlife is the topic of a free program at the Centennial Campus Center for Wildlife Education in Raleigh on Oct. 25.
“A Backyard Wildlife Habitat Workshop” by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is designed for educators, gardeners and wildlife enthusiasts. The six-hour program, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., will focus on using native plants to attract butterflies, birds, reptiles, amphibians and small mammals. Attendees will learn how to get their backyard or schoolyard certified as a wildlife habitat by the North Carolina Wildlife Federation and the National Wildlife Federation.
Program sessions will include:
• Demonstrations on providing cover and water for wildlife
• Native Piedmont trees, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers and their wildlife benefits
• Site analysis for soil conditions and light, composting and vermiposting
• Garden design, exotic plants and chemicals
Completion of the program coursework gains Environmental Education certification credit in Criteria II and III. Workshop attendance is limited to 20 adults, including high school juniors and seniors.
The Centennial Campus Center for Wildlife Education is located at 1751 Varsity Drive, Raleigh in the headquarters of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission on the Centennial Campus of N.C. State University. For more information, call (919) 707-0207.

NCWRC
Although I haven’t taken the class myself I certainly try to make my yard wildlife friendly. The photo is of one of the many deer that visit my yard daily. Wildlife I’ve seen in my yard or evidence they’ve been in my yard include; Whitetail deer, cottontail rabbit, red shoulder hawk, red tail hawk, vulture, grey squirrel, red fox, grey fox, coyote, and countless song birds. A wildlife friendly yard gives you opportunity to view wildlife as well as photograph them.

Story & Photo by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

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