Gorilla Stands Recalls EXO-Tech Safety Harness

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Gorilla Inc have announced a recall of the fall restraint system “EXO-Tech Safety Harness”.

The webbing of the waist belt on the safety harness is not routed through the lineman’s loop located on the front of the harness near waist level. Since the loops are not properly anchored to the harness webbing but are attached only through stitching not intended to restrain a user during a fall, they that can pull away from the harness when force is applied, leaving the user unrestrained.

Anyone that has this system should stop using it and contact Gorilla Inc about a refund.

: For additional information, contact Gorilla Inc. at (877) 685-7817 between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s Web site at www.gorillatreestands.com. Consumers can also write to the firm at Gorilla, Inc., P.O. 378, Flushing, MI., 48433 or 3475 Eastman Drive, Flushing, MI. 48433.

Guest Blog Post From Michael Waddell / Calling Elk Bow-Close

The following is a guest blog post from fellow hunter and writer Michael Waddell. Michael just this week announced that he will be a regular writer and contributor to Peterson’s Hunting. I’ve had the honor of meeting him a number of years ago here in Raleigh at the Scope Show and it is an honor to have him post on MooseDroppings

Whether hunting public or private land, the fundamentals of calling elk remain the same.
Calling Elk Bow-Close
Michael Waddell

We heard the bull bugle at first light and snuck into his core area. When I hit a lick on my bugle, the bull simply came unglued and stormed our position like a tank, crashing through brush and small lodgepole pines like they were matchsticks. Before we could react he was in our lap and we were pinned down, me hiding behind a camera, too scared to touch the tripod for fear my shaking hands would ruin the footage. All I could see of my partner wedged against a stunted pine was the tip of his undrawn arrow quivering on the rest. Before a shot presented itself, the bull smelled a rat and disappeared as quickly as he arrived. While this experience didn’t result in a dead elk, it did hopelessly addict me to calling them.

It seems that in all walks of life, be it the animal kingdom or humans, communication is a key ingredient for all social interaction. However, not all living things communicate to the same degree. If you ask my wife, I am sure she will tell you I am lacking in the communication department; in fact, I’m sure she believes I don’t listen to her at all, but when it comes to communicating with animals I can barely shut up. Of all the animals I love to communicate with, elk rate right at the top.

By nature, elk are very vocal. The uninitiated often simply think of bulls bugling, but cows, calves and bulls make all sorts of noises year-round. If you encounter a large herd, while you might not hear anything from a distance, if you get close you will hear lots of subtle vocalization. Most of the time these are sounds of contentment, but depending on what’s happening the vocalization reflects it. Elk can convey contentment, danger, curiosity or a cow in heat. Bulls, for instance, only bugle primarily in the rut, but they also communicate to establish a pecking order. After spending a considerable amount of time chasing the mighty wapiti, I’m convinced every elk in the herd knows each other by sound alone. This happens with the cows as well as the bulls, and based on my evaluation, somewhere in this mix is the deadly secret to calling elk bow-close.

Imitation Is The Sincerest Form Of Flattery
It seems that the more vocal a herd, the better the odds are for success at calling them. Some cows call subtly, while others are loud-mouth ladies actively looking for a date. By listening, it gives you a better opportunity to imitate the particular tones and intensity of the herd.

By calling, we are automatically intruding into the social club without an invitation. The closer we can sound to a known elk and match that intensity, the better the odds are of filling a tag. Even though we may sound like an outsider to the herd, luckily for us, love-crazed bulls are not looking to be intimate with just one or two cows; they are looking for all the love of every cow in the world, so taking advantage of their sexual frustrations and promiscuity is our salvation.

It doesn’t take a world champion elk caller to trick bulls within range. By simply paying attention to the herd and understanding simple elk rhythm, tone and, more important, volume when calling, a hunter can depend on an elk call to be a valuable asset to dulling broadheads.

Public Versus Private Land
Since I started hunting elk 16 years ago, on private as well as public ground, I’ve realized comparing these two different types of ground is like comparing night and day, and it is all about the amount of pressure each receives. Generally speaking, private ground bulls are way easier to call than public ground animals, but this is not always the case. Some private land gets a lot of pressure, which can make for some pretty tough calling duels with elk that can serve you up a humble pie every time you bust out a call. Conversely, some public land, either through sheer remoteness or hard-to-get tags, is like calling the best private land in the nation.

Hunting untouched land and cow calling to bulls that have never heard a Hoochie Mama would obviously be nice. It wouldn’t take long working over these uneducated elk to start feeling like an elk-calling pro, only to be deflated the first time we went to the national forest and mixed it up with bulls so well known by local hunters that they have nicknames. However, regardless of where you hunt, the basics of calling remain the same.

Start with mastering the cow call and all its various inflections. Your basic reed-type calls are the easiest to learn as well as get proficient with. You will find two kinds; both are bite-down reed-type calls, one being enclosed and the other having an open reed or reeds. These calls make a very realistic sound and before your wife can run you out of the house you will master the basics.

I rely heavily on the cow call and think most of the time hunters are better off sticking with it over a bugle no matter where they are hunting. However, learning how to make a basic bugle is important, especially for locating bulls at a distance before getting close and working him with your cow call. In addition, sometimes it is the bugle that finally provokes a dominant bull to commit, especially during the early season when bulls are still sorting out their pecking order.

Earning Your Public Ground Ph.D
Let’s face it, unless you have deep pockets much of the private ground in the West is pretty much off limits, so you have to learn to hunt public land. This is not a bad thing, as public ground comprises millions upon millions of acres across the West and happens to have some of the biggest bulls found anywhere. While it can be tougher than private, once you learn how to hunt it you won’t be disappointed. Over the years one of my favorite places to hunt is the Gila National Forest in New Mexico, and even though this is a trophy area, tags are fairly obtainable through application.

In the Gila, the trophy potential is off the chart, sporting some of the biggest bulls in the country, but just because the big ones live there doesn’t mean that you automatically make one call and they come running to get in the back of your truck. These mature jokers have a Ph.D in avoiding hunters.

Over the last six years I have hunted this area religiously and have had the opportunity to shoot some nice bulls, all by using elk calls as an aid to close the coffin.

Notice I said, “as an aid,” meaning the call was just one thing in a bag of tricks to help smoke these monarchs. My biggest bull that came out of the Gila was a 378 P&Y bull that earned the name The Professor because he always seemed to take you to school when you applied too much pressure. However, this bull was vocal and would bugle his butt off. He also seemed to be fairly easy to find, not only by his gnarly, raspy bugle that set him apart, but frequently he could be found early in the morning in a large meadow just south of a particular water hole that always attracted a large herd.

The Professor was not the only bull in the area that had large headgear, but it was the Professor that seemed to call the shots. I had caught this bull in the open several times, but calling seemed to really make him uneasy when you were in close. However, he would bugle hard to distant cow calls and seemed to be whole heartedly interested, but he had a sixth sense when you moved in for the attack.

Finally, we decided to have a caller stay behind as we worked him coming off the meadow at daybreak. By doing this we could keep him interested and bugling as we stalked in closer. The caller always was no closer than 80 yards behind me. While the caller kept him occupied, I slid within 50 yards and gave him a G5 Tekan right behind the shoulder. This hunt was really a stalk, but the call and caller had a big part to do with his demise. Once we started quartering the bull, we found a piece of an old arrow lodged just below the backstraps, so obviously someone had him in close before and gave the teacher an education, which explained why he was so wary.

The Double Team
As this old bull showed, hunting with a partner can work extremely well. It not only puts the hunter out in front of the call, it gives the hunter a chance to move and adjust the angle based on where the bull might be approaching. Likewise, the caller has the flexibility to move and apply a lot of different calling techniques.

The double-team plan worked again on another hunt. It had been hot, and the bulls were only bugling early and late. As soon as the sun would rise the elk woods would turn into a ghost town.

Just after daybreak on the fourth day of our hunt we heard this bull bugle. He hit it only two times, both very weak. He sounded like the littlest rag horn in the land, but with no other game in town we went after him. Getting as close as possible to where we thought the bugle came from, I eased up and sat down by a pine stump while my buddy moved back and to my right about 40 yards.

Neither of us was very optimistic about our chances. My buddy made one or maybe two very soft cow calls on a two-reed diaphragm, then he started raking a tree and rolled a few rocks. We sat there for possibly 10 minutes in silence, then out of nowhere appeared a wide 6×6 coming directly to us.

At 25 yards the bull let out a soft chuckle, looked over his surrounding, and kept walking in the direction of where the last rock had been rolled, which led him 16 steps from my pine stump. By now I was at full draw, waiting for a broadside shot. When the arrow left my bow, I knew we had killed a call-shy monster by keeping it low-key and staying patient. Needless to say, I was never convinced by the two times he had bugled earlier that he was a shooter. This was a lesson in itself. Never judge a bugle until you can see what is making the sound.

The most exciting way to bag a bull elk is to get him in close, and the best way to do that is with a call. Confidence in your call is critical, because if you’re insecure about using your call, there is a good chance you will spook elk. Have confidence in your calling ability and become just another elk in the herd where you are hunting.

Find a call that works for you and not what works for someone else. Think like an elk and do as elk do. Realism, rhythm and volume control can make the difference between bringing them in or running them over the next ridge. Remember, it’s not always about calling. It can be about just patiently listening to the sounds around you and applying minimal calls while practicing good woodsmenship and stalking skills that could help you put that monster on the back of the truck.

Monster Buck Taken In Minnesota at Camp Ripley

Scott O’Konek has arrowed what is likely the new Minnesota State Record when he killed a 32 point buck while hunting at Camp Ripley.

The proof of O’Konek’s proficiency with a bow and arrow hangs on his walls, but his latest shot will more than likely land him in the record book.

“I was like, that thing is something else, ya know! I’ve never seen one that big,” O’Konek recalled.

On the first day of the special lottery archery hunt at Camp Ripley, he arrowed a 32-point, non-typical whitetail buck. One perfect arrow from 44 yards away.

The initial “green score” of the animal’s antlers, registered a score of 228.

If the buck’s scoring holds two months from now when the antlers are fully dried, O’Konek’s whitetail buck will be the largest non-typical rack ever taken by archery in Minnesota. It would score nearly two points higher than the current record holder.

WCCO

You’ve got to go check out the photo gallery on this buck that Field & Stream has set up. I’d probably fall out of the tree if I saw this bad boy walking towards me. Congratulations to Scott on taking a really nice buck.

New NC Record Non Typical Velvet Antlered Buck Taken?

Rumors and this photo are circling around the net indicating that a state record may have been taken in Stokes County. The NC Sportsman Magazine reports that a story about this buck will be in the next issue. This is what was reported on NC Hunt & Fish;

The deer that was killed was a non typical velvet deer the green score was 145 7/8. My good friend killed this deer a day after I saw it with him. It was around a 25 yd shot and about 150 yard recovery. Its an awesome and should beat the previous record that stands with nc bow hunters which I believe is 132. After 60 days it will be scored again by 3 more certified scorers. So I think the most it will lose is 5 in beating the previous record by 8 in.. If left anything out just let me know. Oh yeah it was his first bow kill!!!

I guess I’ll have to sit by my mailbox and wait to read the full story in NC Sportsman.

In The News: Urban Deer Hunting

As the urbanization continues across North Carolina more natural habitat gets taken up with homes and expensive landscaping the whitetail deer just learns to adapt. I work inside the city of Raleigh and I see a lot of deer within the city as I travel about and other wild animals are adapting to city life including the coyote and the fox.
The deer presents a difficult problem because encounters with humans especially in the form of accidents can cause significant property damage as well as injuries and death. This happens mostly in motor vehicles but recently a man in New York State died after a collision with a deer while the man was bike riding.

ULSTER PARK — A 68-year-old man died after apparently striking a deer while riding his bicycle Thursday morning, according to the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said Warren “Bud” Clarke of Ulster Park was riding on Pokonoie Road about 7:20 a.m. when the accident occurred. It appears Clarke struck a deer and was thrown from the bike, deputies said.

The accident was reported to Ulster County 911 at 7:22 a.m.

Daily Freeman

Another significant problem the deer cause is damage to landscaping as they search for food in their urban environment. They have adjusted well learning to eat non native plants that have replaced their usual crops.

That’s the case at the Cary home of Mary Marsha Cupitt, whose house backs up to the Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve. She said deer snacked on her two tomato plants to the point that only a single tomato was left. And she’d rather not get into the state of her hostas.
“They love hostas, and that’s the one plant I have that’s eaten down to nothing but skin,” Cupitt said.

N&O

The NCWRC developed rules to allow cities to offer an urban deer archery season in January to help control the urban deer herd. There has been some reluctance on cities part to institute this but a few have across the state have and there has been no incidents or accidents reported. Bow hunting is very safe and a cheap alternative for cities during this time of dwindling budgets.

City officials have raised legitimate concerns about urban deer hunting, said Greg Batts, a biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. Those include the cost of managing the program and, more importantly, safety questions. City governments have been reluctant to embrace a program that its residents could perceive as dangerous or reckless, Batts told a group of people with deer problems in Holly Springs last week.
But Batts said other methods of population control, such as poisoning, transferring deer to other areas and deer birth control are not as cost-effective or successful as hunting can be.

The NCBA was a driving force behind getting the Urban Season established and here is what Ramon Bell the president of the NCBA had to say.

Bell says urban deer hunting doesn’t present any safety hazard. City officials specify what areas can and cannot be hunted safely. Populated, busy areas are off limits. And for suburban homeowners concerned about hunting in their backyards, hunters would need written consent from individual property owners to hunt on their land and must pass a certification program offered by the Bowhunters Association to be eligible.

Cities and towns will have to address the issue of controlling wildlife within their limits and the costs associated with that. Urban Bow Season is a safe solution and can help keep things in balance.

My Thoughts On The NC Bow Hunters Association and Why I’m No Longer a Member Part Two

This is the second part of my response to the guest blog post from Ramon Bell of the North Carolina Bow Hunter Association. As I said in my earlier post I’m grateful for Mr. Bell’s post and while we may disagree on a few points there is many points we do agree on. Today I want to address the crossbow issue and the reason in good conscience I could not renew my membership.

The other proposal NCBA opposes is the legalization of crossbows across the board for anyone who wants to use them. We specially oppose them being legalized during ‘Bow Only’ seasons for anyone other than those who qualify for the handicapped hunting permit to use them. This is why this state law was enacted some 12-15 years ago.. to give the handicapped and physically challenged hunters a “special” privilege and the opportunity and advantage to hunt during bow seasons. Adoption of this proposal will eliminate the need for the special handicapped license/permits, and it will also eliminate the only advantage and privilege

NCBA Crossbow Facts & Fiction

Most of the folks I’ve met over the years that have a handicap did not necessarily want an “advantage” over those who don’t have a handicap just an opportunity to participate. Nor do I believe that the crossbow is an advantage over the modern compound bow.
Opposition to the crossbow by the NCBA is certainly their right as an organization even though I don’t understand the demonization of this weapon.

The N.C.B.A. will not permit its members to use this type of weapon (Crossbows or “Draw-Lock” devices), to hunt legal game, unless the member is legitimately physically disabled.
Members may not endorse such a weapon under any circumstances. If a member is caught using or endorsing such a weapon in violation of this article, he/she will be subject to immediate dismissal from N.C.B.A. membership.

NCBA

Opposing its use during the archery season is one thing but to oppose its use ever even during firearm season seems to be a bit extreme. In states that have legalized the use of a crossbow there has not been a significant loss of bow hunters. I think one could make the argument that more folks leave the bow hunting ranks and use firearms rather then switch to crossbows. However NCBA will drum a member out who uses a crossbow but has no such rule for firearms.
I don’t see anything wrong with a crossbow and if it brings more folks into the hunting ranks I think it is a good thing. So instead of getting kicked out I decided that I just would not renew my membership.
The NCBA is a great organization and does a lot of good things but their don’t ask don’t tell stand on crossbows is just one I can’t live with.

My Thoughts On The NC Bow Hunters Association and Why I’m No Longer a Member Part One

I was pleased to have Ramon Bell from the NCBA as a guest poster on here earlier this week. I appreciate his willingness to address the issues and clarify the Association’s position. The NCBA is certainly a prominent sportsman organization here in the state and have supported and advocated for our sport over the years. While I agree with them on many issues there is a few I fundamentally don’t agree.

Opposition to 2nd Week of Muzzleloader Season

The one that is most important to NCBA is the opening of gun (muzzle loader) season one week earlier statewide. Not so much that it encroaches on the ‘bow only’ seasons statewide by another week, it does. But because we feel this is not in the best interests of the quality of the buck deer population and the quality of deer hunting in general for all of North Carolina.

I don’t know about anyone else but I was surprised at this statement because the message I heard at the public hearing I went to was that adding this week on would only make the bucks go nocturnal earlier reducing the opportunity for bow hunters. I’m certain that there message of Quality Deer Management and improving the Buck population was missed by a lot of the hunters in attendance at the public meetings and not just me. I’m not convinced that the way to go about improving the maturity of bucks in NC is by season lengths but rather by bag limits and other regulatory measures. I’m not advocating for that and that is really another whole topic (QDM, Antler Restrictions, and Earn a Buck programs) that we’ll certainly get into in the future.
In the past archery equipment was not allowed during the muzzleloader season but that has been corrected and basically you can bow hunt from opening day in September all the way till the closing day on January 1st. The majority of hunting takes place on private land so individuals and clubs can easily control hunting methods, antler restrictions, doe harvesting etc. Everything one could want except controlling how your neighbors hunt.

We (NCBA) also believe there are other ‘Safety’ and ‘Social’ factors for why any gun season for deer should not be opened earlier. From a ‘Safety’ standpoint, we feel it will be dangerous, not only for hunters and bowhunters in particular! It will be dangerous to others who will be using the woods at this time of year.. late October.. when leaves are still on trees and in full fall colors to boot. This foliage will not only restrict vision and line of sight for hunters and make for dangerous shooting situations, our ‘blaze orange’ hats and vests will blend in with the fall colors complicating already dangerous situations. From a ‘Social’ standpoint, there could be many more unwanted and unnecessary confrontations and conflicts between hunters and others who will be in the outdoors during this time engaging in a variety of other outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, biking, horseback riding, animal/bird watching.. and just sightseeing in general to take in the fall colors.

Safety while handling any weapon is important safe gun handling is especially important. I fully support and advocate people follow the rules when it comes to guns. Identifying your target is paramount whether it is an arrow, bolt, or bullet you are releasing. Hunting is a safe sport especially compared to other recreational activities like softball, soccer, and football. The vast majority of serious and fatal accidents in hunting are from falls. There are a number of firearm hunting opportunities that take place prior to killing frosts while foliage is still present. There does not seem to be an increase in accidental shootings because of it. I believe that this argument supports an unfounded stereotype against hunters in general and I would have hoped that the NCBA would not engage in promoting such a stereotype.
How this proposal came to be is not that important because it obviously had wide support at the public meetings. There are many gun hunters that support QDM practices but the majority of them did not appear to support this argument at least in the public meeting forums I attended. I honestly believe that if people feel strongly about improving the age of bucks in this state that there are better ways to go about it then season structure. I’d be curious to know the age structure of bucks taken by bow as to those taken by gun. Anecdotally in conversations I have with hunters that hunt all methods it seems that when they have a bow in the hand they are more apt to take a smaller buck then if they were gun hunting they’d pass it up. I got two buck tags for where I hunt whether I take them in October, November, or December I don’t think will matter.
Part 2 will look at the Crossbow Issue and I elaborate a bit on why I did not renew my membership.

Guest Post: Statement from NCBA on 2009 WRC Regulations

Statement from NCBA on 2009 WRC Regulations

The N.C. Bowhunters Association has been criticized because some of our members, along with other hunters, non-NCBA members, sportsmen and women, wrote letters to the ‘Rules Review Commission’ (RRC) objecting to some of the proposed wildlife regulations for 2009-10 that were approved by the N.C. Wildlife Commissioners. This resulted in many deer proposals being placed on “HOLD” temporarily for legislative review beginning next year.

It should be known that the WRC knew that letters would most likely be written to the RRC objecting to a number of the new proposals, as this procedure was a topic of discussion with us (NCBA) and some of them (WRC) over a year ago. In fact, we (NCBA) were informed of this (Rules Review) option by WRC officials to begin with.

We (NCBA) also were aware that if these TEN letters were received by the RRC that all the WRC had to do was request that the new regulations be enacted as a temporary rule. We fully anticipated that this is what they would do, but that didn’t happen.

So.. why didn’t the WRC asked for a temporary rule to enact these proposals this year? Possibly so that this inaction by the WRC may be intended to place the burden (or blame) primarily on NCBA for the delay in enacting these proposals.

NCBA has only taken issue with two of the proposals that were approved. The fact that other proposals were also included is beyond our control, as multiple proposals were included in one “omnibus” regulation that encompassed them all. The one that is most important to NCBA is the opening of gun (muzzle loader) season one week earlier statewide. Not so much that it encroaches on the ‘bow only’ seasons statewide by another week, it does. But because we feel this is not in the best interests of the quality of the buck deer population and the quality of deer hunting in general for all of North Carolina. This is echoed by reports and opinions from professional biologists from both within the WRC and also biologists in the private sector. In a report from the WRC’s ‘Deer Committee, a majority of their biological staff did not recommend opening gun seasons up any earlier, including the muzzleloader season. In fact, some have gone on record stating gun seasons should be opened later, especially in the Eastern Deer Season. Dr. David Cobb, the WRC’s chief biologist, told them that this is not an option, and since Dr. Cobb sets the official policy for the agency.. that’s the way it will be. Apparently, it doesn’t really matter what the opinions of his field staff of biologists believe to be best for the resource and for the stakeholders.

So, where did this proposal originate? The 2008-09 Proposed Regulation Change (#16) was originated by a man named Grady Barnes. It was submitted by a man named Daron Barnes. (NOTE: Daron Barnes works for the WRC at the main office in Raleigh. He is not a field biologist. We have been told, confidentially, that Mr. Barnes was asked, or recruited to sumbit this proposal by one of his superiors.) It states, in part, “Hunters who are interested in utilizing a hunting opportunity outside the regular gun season currently have two options: a muzzle-loading season that is limited to 7 days (really 6 days), or an archery season that ranges from 24 up to 54 days. This means that hunters who are capable and interested in bowhunting have, depending on their geographical location, from 17 to 47 additional hunting days (opportunities) than hunters who are not interested or incapable of bow hunting…. This bias towards bowhunting reduces the opportunity of hunters who are interested in pursuing muzzle-loading style hunting. It goes on to say, “In a time of concern of hunter recruitment and retention, this rule change will increase the hunting opportunities for hunters who are not able to take advantage of current bow hunting opportunities.”

Mr. Evin Stanford (Deer Biologist’s) comments were that he was “OPPOSED to this proposal. He stated, “The NCWRC recently completed a human dimensions study of NC deer hunters, and a question concerning this exact season change was included on the survey. Survey results indicated that deer hunters were equally divided on this season change at 40% in favor and 40% opposed, and the other 20% had no opinion regarding this issue. The Deer Committee also has discussed this type of regulation proposal, and the consensus of the committee is that such a regulation change is NOT desirable at this time. While muzzle-loader season is much shorter than archery season (6 days vs. 24-54 days, muzzleloader hunters reported harvesting 53% more deer than archery hunters during the ‘06 season. However, does made up 51% of the reported archery season harvest, while does only made up 33% of the reported muzzleloader season harvest. Muzzleloader season hunters actually harvested slightly fewer does than archery season hunters, but the muzzleloader season buck harvest was 112% higher than the archery season buck harvest. While increasing the length of the muzzleloader season may provide more opportunity, the selectivity of muzzleloader hunters may result in an unwanted increase in antlered buck harvest with little corresponding increase in doe harvest. Results of the human dimensions survey indicated that 80% of deer hunters indicated that a lack of mature deer is a barrier to deer hunting. If the rule proposal does go forward, the proposed rule text should be clarified to more clearly define the season dates.”

Let me take a moment to clarify the “numbers” that Mr. Stanford refers to. I have included a chart below that breaks down the number of days actually allocated to archery season and to firearms seasons, muzzleloader season included. NOTE that in the Eastern Deer Season area, where the deer population is most prolific, the current season includes 24 days for archery only season and 70 days for firearms season. In the Central Deer Season, it is about even with 48 archery only days and 46 firearms days. The Northwestern Season has 54 archery days versus 31 firearms days, and the Western Deer Season has 60 archery days compared to 24 firearms day. Keep in mind that the deer season currently ends about two weeks earlier in the Northwestern and Western Deer Seasons. Also keep in mind that deer population densities are much thinner in the Western and Northwestern areas.

Secondly, NOTE the days during the “Peak of the Rut” that “archery only” seasons occur versus “firearms seasons.” In order to be fair, equitable and not show any “bias” toward any method of hunting, this is, or should be, the most important factor in determining WHEN the transition from archery to muzzleloader to regular modern firearms should be occurring. NOTE that in the Eastern Deer Season area, archery hunters have “0″ days that occur during the “Pre-Rut or entire Rutting Season.” We consider the “Rut” to encompass dates between November 1st and December 13th, or about the end of the deer seasons in the Western and Northwestern areas. In the “Central Deer Season” area, archery hunters currently have “6″ (SIX) days during the “Pre-Rut” for “Bow Only” days. Firearms seasons cover the remainder of the “Rutting” season, which is 31 days. Northwestern bowhunters have 12 days that occur during the “Pre-Rut and Rut” versus 25 days for firearms hunters, and Western bowhunters have 19 days compared to 18 days for firearms hunters. These season dates were established and agreed upon by our staff of field biologists based scientific data and their knowledge of what is best for the resource. It does not appear that there is any basis of scientific data or fact that supports Mr. Barnes proposal. And, his comment that there is a “bias” toward bowhunting seems to be an exaggeration on his part to place blame on the bowhunting community for the current hunting season date structure.

DEER SEASON DAYS BY WEAPON

BOW GUN

NOTE: GUN INCLUDES 6 Day Muzzle Loader Season

EASTERN
24 70

CENTRAL
48 46

NORTHWESTERN
54 31

WESTERN
60 24

IF ONE WEEK Muzzle Loader SEASON IS ADDED……

EASTERN
18 76

CENTRAL
BOW GUN
42 52

NORTHWESTERN
48 37

WESTERN
54 30

*DAYS DURING PEAK OF THE “RUT”..PRIME DEER SEASON – (NOV. 1 – DEC. 13)

BOW GUN
EASTERN
0 37

CENTRAL
6 31

NORTHWESTERN
12 25

WESTERN
19 18

Statewide TOTALS:
BOW GUN
37 111

Additional Comments:

* The whitetail “RUT” normally begins on/about the first of November and continues until what is commonly called the
“Second rut”, which begins about the first week of December. This is the “prime” time to hunt whitetail deer in N.C.

NOTE that “bow only” seasons include only a total of 37 days statewide during this period, and that the EASTERN Deer Season has NONE., while a TOTAL of 111 (one-hundred eleven) days are currently assigned to firearms seasons statewide. Where is this “bias” toward bowhunting that Mr. Barnes refers to?

The CENTRAL Deer Season has only 6 “Prime” hunting days for “Bow Only” season while 31 days are open for gun hunting. The EASTERN Deer Season already has “0″ days of prime deer hunting for “Bow Only” season, and if the muzzle-loader season, is opened one week earlier, it will push bowhunters even further back away from the peak season.

The traditional transition between “Bow season, Muzzle Loader Season and the regular Gun seasons that all hunters have become accustomed to should continue to occur near when the “Rut” begins, as it has been for many years. Gun season hunters already have a disproportionate number of “prime” days to deer hunt, except in the WESTERN Deer Season, where deer populations are less and a longer gun season is not justified.

If the gun season is opened up one week (6 days) earlier, to provide for two weeks of Muzzle Loader season statewide, the CENTRAL Deer Season will have “0″ days of “Bow Only” days during the “Pre-Rut”, which is still not after the “Rut” really kicks in about mid-November. Statewide totals will change from 37 to 31 days for the bow only season and from 111 to 117 days for the firearms season. Again, where is the “bias” toward bowhunting? It seems from the “Human Dimenseions Surveys” that there was no overwhelming majority of hunters that favor this proposal, so there was no “mandate” to approve it to begin with. And, again, there was no biological data to support this change. So, why did the commissioners vote to approve it? This is why we (NCBA) oppose this change.

We (NCBA) also believe there are other ‘Safety’ and ‘Social’ factors for why any gun season for deer should not be opened earlier. From a ‘Safety’ standpoint, we feel it will be dangerous, not only for hunters and bowhunters in particular! It will be dangerous to others who will be using the woods at this time of year.. late October.. when leaves are still on trees and in full fall colors to boot. This foliage will not only restrict vision and line of sight for hunters and make for dangerous shooting situations, our ‘blaze orange’ hats and vests will blend in with the fall colors complicating already dangerous situations. From a ‘Social’ standpoint, there could be many more unwanted and unnecessary confrontations and conflicts between hunters and others who will be in the outdoors during this time engaging in a variety of other outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, biking, horseback riding, animal/bird watching.. and just sightseeing in general to take in the fall colors.

NCBA firmly believes gun seasons should not open earlier for these reasons, not only in the Central and Western Deer season areas, but in the Eastern seasons as well.

The other proposal NCBA opposes is the legalization of crossbows across the board for anyone who wants to use them. We specially oppose them being legalized during ‘Bow Only’ seasons for anyone other than those who qualify for the handicapped hunting permit to use them. This is why this state law was enacted some 12-15 years ago.. to give the handicapped and physically challenged hunters a “special” privilege and the opportunity and advantage to hunt during bow seasons. Adoption of this proposal will eliminate the need for the special handicapped license/permits, and it will also eliminate the only advantage and privilege handicapped hunters currently have during the hunting season. We also feel this new rule that legalizes crossbows for everyone will contribute to overcrowding on public game lands during bow only seasons and detract from the quality of the hunting experience for those who have no other hunting opportunities available to them. The obvious solution to this is to restrict crossbows to gun seasons only.

As for Sunday hunting, NCBA has always taken a neutral stance, but stated that we would support whatever position the Wildlife Resources Commission chose to take on this issue. Since the commissioners did vote to approve Sunday bowhunting, we now voice our support of this proposal.

As President of the N.C. Bowhunters Association, I cannot lose sight of the fact that it is my sworn duty to work to preserve the heritage and tradition of the sport of bowhunting, and to support and enforce our Constitution and Bylaws. It is my intent to continue to do this. It is also our intent to continue to work with our wildlife agency and its professional staff to do what is best for our wildlife resources.

Ramon Bell, President/NCBA (August 21, 2009)

The following “Comments” were posted on the NC Sportsman Website on May 27, 2009. These comments are in response to an article in the Raleigh News & Observer titled, “Change Needs to Occur”.. by Mike Zlotnicki.
*******************************************************************************
NCBA at odds with WRC over public meetings and comments from commissioners to NCBA officers

The article appeared in the April 12th issue of the Raleigh News & Observer. It outlines some continuing issues we (NCBA) have had with the leadership of the NCWRC. Sometime after the March 4 commission meeting, NCBA (and others) questioned the legality of not being informed or allowed to attend committee meetings as had been the case in the past. It appears that this issue has been resolved at this time, as we received an email from the WRC today explaining the new policy.
There is also an article on the North Carolina Sportsman Magazine website that allures to an official grievance that has been filed with the office of the Governor pertaining to pressure brought upon us (NCBA) by the chairman and other leaders from the commissioners group meant to discourage future opposition to proposals we (or anyone) may be in disagreement with. Several of us have met personally, and also received phone calls from a couple of the commissioners who, in the course of conversation, mentioned their close political ties with the Governor and other legislators. And they insinuated that they could deny us consideration in the future on many issues, and even eliminate our bow seasons if they chose to do so. We interpreted this as being very intimidating to us personally, and even threatening to the existence of bowhunting itself. We (NCBA) also view this as abuse of the power vested
in them by their appointment and a violation of their oath of office as a wildlife commissioner.

Mr. Seegars (Chairman at the time) stated, “Anytime we had a disagreement with them, they would take it personally. They have been incensed over this stuff, and I don’t know why.” I will comment that. In reference to the proposals, we do not take it personally. We objected because we did not agree with the proposals, and we will continue to object to proposals that we disagree with and feel are not in the best interest of the resource, or of the sport of hunting, and bowhunting in particular.
The WRC continues to whittle away the “Bow Only” seasons and Mr. Seegars says he doesn’t know why hunters are not happy with that! No one, including the NCBA is seeking to convert gun seasons to “Bow Only” seasons. On the contrary, it is quite the opposite. We are in a continuing struggle to try to preserve the existing “Bow Only” seasons from being converted to gun seasons for reasons not supported by any biological basis or fact, or by the majority of the WRC’s biological staff. The WRC’s position has been simply stated that, “we want to increase gun seasons so more people can have the opportunity to gun hunt earlier.” This sort of approach to management of deer has wreaked havoc on deer populations in other states like Pennsylvania and Georgia and ruined deer hunting in general for the average hunter. It is our opinion that this sort of wildlife/deer management mentality here in North Carolina would be devastating to the deer herd and to the sport of deer hunting itself, not to speak of the effect it would have on bowhunting and the archery industry itself in N.C.
For Bowhunting,
Ramon Bell, President/NCBA
***************************************

Guest Blogger Here Tomorrow

From time to time bloggers will have guests in to post on important topics or to fill on when the regular blogger is off. Tomorrow I’ll be stepping aside to allow a guest post on a very hot topic here in North Carolina and a man that has found himself at the center of it because of his position as president of the North Carolina Bow Hunters Association.
I sat next to Ramon Bell last month at the Big Game Committee Meeting and we struck up a conversation during the break. While there is a few things Raymond I probably disagree on there is far more stuff we agree on. As some may remember that many of the rule proposals for this upcoming season got sidetracked at the last minute and the NCBA has taken much of the blame for this. Initially that was my take on it but after some conversations with some folks and some digging on my part I discovered that the NCWRC had a lot to do with what happened.
At a time when hunters really should stand shoulder to shoulder with each other we don’t need some of the strive we have seen on some of the message forums. I’m happy to give Ramon and the North Carolina Bow hunters Association the opportunity to get their message out. I hope all my readers and any guests that drop in will listen to what Ramon has to say and feel free to comment.
While I wish Ramon was filling in because I was on the way to Maine to chase bears the reality is that I’m still in town but this is such an important topic that we need to talk about it. So please stop by Monday and see Ramon’s blog post.

Free Archery Hunting Magazine From Deer & Deer Hunting

Deer & Deer Hunting Magazine has made their 2009 Archery Annual available on line for free. Deer & Deer Hunting is a very informative magazine that I read pretty regularly and one that I think no matter your experience level you’ll find it very informative. A quick glance of the on line magazine it seems to have some great articles about Archery Hunting the only problem is how do I read it in the bathroom?

NCWRC Big Game Committee Meeting

I suspect like many of you other then the family time the rest of my vacation time I save to use during hunting season. Yesterday I used some of that time to attend the Commissioners meeting on Big Game because that seems to be where much of the stuff that affects our hunting comes from that committee.
Over the next few days I’ll go into depth on what was discussed at this 3 + hour meeting because there was a lot. The three main topics for yesterday’s meeting were; Bear hunting and baiting, Dog hunting in general, and should the state adopt a formal Quality Deer Management program.

I will say this that the average Joe hunter (which I consider myself one)needs to pay attention to what is going on because by far only the special interest groups seem to be represented at the meeting. Yesterday’s meeting there was about 20 to 25 people observing most of them were from the Bear Hunters Association and then a few from the Bow Hunters Association. There were only a handful of folks that was not associated with either of those two groups.

Don’t get me wrong these groups do a lot to preserve and advocate for our sport and I’m glad we have them. However their views are often one sided and may not represent the general view of the hunting community but rather their smaller group they represent. We saw that earlier in the crossbow fight.
Every year I attend the public hearings and give input on what is proposed and feel for the most part I’m pretty involved in the shaping of our sport here in North Carolina but maybe there is more that I can do. The meetings that are happening throughout the year are the ones I’m beginning to believe really shape the future of our sport. Voting and commenting on the proposals at a public hearing is good but can we have better impact by influencing what may get on the annual proposals in the first place? I think so or at least I’m going to check it out and see. I can’t make all the meetings but I’m certainly going to try to make a number of them. I may miss a day or two sitting in a treestand or a blind but maybe it will be worth it to see what takes place at the commissioners meeting and the future of our sport.

So now I’ll try to formulate some posts around what happened at yesterday’s meeting so stand by.

Public Meeting About Changes At Jordan Game Land

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has announced a public meeting on 21 July 2009 to hear comments about converting 200 acres to an archery only zone.

a proposal to establish archery-only hunting on approximately 200 acres of Jordan Game Land in the vicinity of Nancy Branch, Morris Branch and Panther Creek in Chatham County.
The meeting will begin at 11 a.m. in the Commission meeting room on the fifth floor of the Wildlife Resources Commission Headquarters at 1751 Varsity Drive in Raleigh.

As development encroaches on game lands I’m sure will see this happen more and more.

Next Page »