Moose Droppings

Last summer while on vacation out west I walked into Cabela’s near Salt Lake City and stumbled on a deal. I found this Upland Game Hunting Coat in the markdown section of the store. I paid about ½ price for it but even if I paid full price I think it would be a deal.

Now anyone that knows me knows I’m warm nature so coats are not an item of clothing I wear much, however today walking the briars this coat was great protecting me. I normally wear an upland vest with just a sweatshirt but that often gets me hung up in them red briars especially. I’ll admit I never zipped my coat up and with the temps in the 30’s- 40’s I was plenty comfortable.

Some good things about this coat is the large pockets and the large game bag, on my game vest the pockets are not as big or deep and I often drop my bottle of water out of it. Today with this coat this was not an issue at all. A very comfortable coat protecting me from the brush only my exposed skin has scratches tonight. If you’re looking for a good upland coat this is one certainly worth checking out.

Hunters and dogs work briers along field edge

I just spent the better part of the day in the briars with the scars and some bunnies to prove it. My first rabbit hunt of the year and it was a dandy. We hunted a couple of tracts in Caswell county that I’ve deer hunted and turkey hunted a time or two and I always seem to jump some rabbits. It was one of these hunts where I get a call from my buddy Rick the other day inviting me to join him and a group of guys that had some beagles to see if they could run this coming Saturday.

We all met up and it wasn’t long after the beagles got turned lose that we had our first of many races of the day. We held back on the first one and just listen to the music of the pack as it tore through the overgrown clear cut hot on the trail. The rabbit successfully eluded the dogs by doubling back but one of the hunters saw him and gave him a pass to see if the dogs would pick up the trail again. It wasn’t long till they did and the hunt was on this time if we saw the bunny we were going to try and take him. My buddy Rick got the first shot but the rabbit proved to be a bit faster. Then one of the guys down below me shot and killed a rabbit. We figured it had to be a second rabbit or the world’s fastest one to cover the ground between Rick and the other hunter. It wasn’t long before our suspicions were proven as the rabbit Rick shot at was kicked up and run by the dogs. That rabbit lead them on a long chase and when it crossed the road the dogs were pulled back.

We worked a windrow along a field edge and I caught a bunny trying to break across the field. My first shot was a bit behind but my second one rolled him. I was pumped, not even 9 am and we already had 2 bunnies. We broke for an early lunch but had 5 bunnies already to show for our morning hunt. Two of them I had dropped. Rabbit hunting is a bit of luck if you’re in the right place the bunny will run by ya. Although I killed two all of us working together really killed the 5. It was a great morning hunt.

We moved to another location and they put out a fresh set of dogs. The briars were a little less here and more switch grass to contend with. We ended up taking two here for a total of 7 for the day.

The last race of the day was a spectacular one with the rabbit running a large circle. In case you’ve never hunted rabbits they usually run in a circle so if you jump them at one spot if you wait there you have a good chance of seeing it again when it completes it’s circle. This rabbit ran a large circle going from the woods to the field of switch grass and back to the woods. Between the woods and the switch grass there was a mowed path that rabbit crossed at least 3 times and on the 4th time my buddy Dan stopped him with one shot. I was behind Dan inside the woods because I just knew that bunny was going to get by him. We all kid Dan about his shooting ability, heck his own Dad has said a time or two that “Dan couldn’t hit sand if he fell off a camel” Well he laid this bunny out and I missed an opportunity to get a triple for the day. This last race was more then 30 minutes long and a great pleasure listening to the beagles’ song.

What a grand day we had and I hope we get the chance to go again before the season goes out the end of next month.

The North Carolina Wildlife Commission has released the proposed changes to be discussed at the public meetings next month. I have quickly read them and the big changes as I read it are; two buck limit statewide (Yes about time) and extend the squirrel season to the end of February (Makes sense to me). There are numerous other changes but those seem to be significant. The sleeper change if I was picking one is the proposal to allow Falconry Hunting on Sunday. This is a curious proposal and it will be interesting to see if those adamantly opposed to hunting on Sunday will rally around this issue.

H12. Allow falconry on Sundays.
Justification: The Commission has the legal authority to allow falconry on
Sundays, and there is no biological reason to maintain the current prohibition.

The reason this is so interesting is that the same legal authority that allows them to open falconry would also allow them to open bow hunting. I bet they won’t go there at this point

This is your opportunity to have a say so I hope you get out to one of the public meetings.

Photo Charlotte Observer

A weekend squirrel hunting trip in Connelly Springs turned tragic when a loaded 410 shotgun fell off a moving golf cart and discharged striking William Reynolds age 13 of Hickory NC. He succumbed to his injuries latter at Grace Hospital in Morganton after rescue personnel transported him from the scene. The accident is under investigation by North Carolina Wildlife Commission but investigators do not expect charges to be filed in this case. None of the news stories I’ve read have said whether or not William had taken a hunter safety class but there was adult supervision present on the hunt.

“He went out with a friend of mine, and they were going to celebrate his birthday a week late and do some hunting,” said his mother, Lucy Huffman Reynolds.
“What I’ve been told is that he (William) was driving a golf cart when it happened. It hit a bump, and he let go of his gun to grab the wheel with both hands. … The gun slipped backward. It hit the back of the cart and went off.
“He fought to the bitter end for his life,” she said.

Charlotte Observer

This is such a tragic ending that didn’t have to happen. Firearms should always be unloaded prior to being put into a vehicle. I hope that people learn from this accident and we don’t have any other families that have to go through this nightmare.

I was reading Ed Hardin’s column in today’s Greensboro Record and his reflections on the decline of hunters despite the important role they play in conservation. As he points out at one time the opening of squirrel season in many parts of the country was a much bigger day then it is in our current society.

Squirrel hunting was how many people got their start in hunting back not all that long ago but the deer & turkey populations were virtually non existent in most parts. With strong deer populations today and squirrel season opening during deer season not many folks get out and hunt squirrels. I think there are some good reasons to start a kid on small game rather then big game;
• Teaching Gun Safety with smaller caliber or birdshot rather then higher caliber or slugs/ buckshot
• Small game is great to practice and learn woodsmanship skills where as big game a mess up can scare everything for a while.
• Small game is more tolerant of human voice and scent.
• Hunts can easily accommodate a short period of time.

One unusual lines in Ed’s column that has me scratching my head is this one;

Even the Humane Society, which points to the increasing numbers of birdwatchers and wildlife photographers as evidence of shifting trends, is on record supporting hunters under certain circumstances.

Huh? News to me I was unaware that the Humane Society supported any form of hunting. If any of my readers are aware of a situation where the Humane Society supported a hunting opportunity please share with me.

Ed makes some great points in his article so check it out and by all means if you get the opportunity to take a kid hunting or fishing please do.

Bet you didn’t know that squirrels migrate? Well I didn’t and wildlife officials are predicting this could be the year we see such a rare event. South Carolina officials are thinking that the late killing frost this spring has wiped out much of the food wildlife especially squirrels depend on to get through the winter.

The same Easter freeze that devastated the state’s peach crop could lead to a phenomenon unseen in these parts for nearly 40 years a massive squirrel migration.
Sure, the term sounds funny — picture squirrels in little covered wagons heading west — but it’s serious stuff.
In September 1968, squirrels searching for more hospitable living conditions along the Eastern Seaboard ended up dead along the highways and floating in lake spillways throughout the Southeast.
Wildlife officials have no idea whether another September migration is near, but they do see a repeat of one factor in the last one — the Easter freeze wiped out white oak acorn production.

Herald

Well I’ve never seen a squirrel swimming but I’ll certainly be on the look out this fall.

Flyger, who died last year at age 83, reported squirrels in North Carolina in 1968 were so determined to swim across lakes that wildlife officers in boats couldn’t force them to turn around.
Unfortunately, squirrels aren’t great swimmers, and 45 carcasses were found in two weeks in the spillway of the Cheoah Dam in North Carolina. Hundreds more were found dead on highways. Motorists reported squirrels seemed to be dancing in the roads, apparently spooked by traffic after spending most of their lives in the woods.

If nothing else I suspect we’ll see more squirrels at our wildlife feeders.

A typical spring morning as I watch a rabbit feeding on the clover in my backyard with little fear because rabbit season has been long over or is it?
Well at least for humans it has but like small game all over the list of predators is long and every day is a struggle to survive. Just the other day I caught a glimpse of the red shoulder hawk zipping across my backyard and hardly a day goes by that I don’t see someone’s house cat stalking in my yard. Most of them have learned that they are unwelcome intruders in my yard and at the first sound of the door opening they are gone. If you’re a cat owner you really need to keep your cat home because they are a predator and do prey on birds and other small game. Check out the Bird Advocate blog to see I’m not the only one concerned about the impact of free ranging cats.

I occasionally catch a quick glimpse of the grey fox that wanders through looking for a furry happy meal and either cat or rabbit will do. I’ve yet to see the coyote in my yard but I often hear them at night so I know they do pass through.

The odds seemed stack against the rabbit and yet they continue to survive. It’s not unusual that by fall I no longer see rabbits on the lawn. The question is did they get wiped out or did they find a place to feed with a little more protection?

I have a brush pile in the back corner of the property that I add brush to each year and I take no action to kill the clover in the lawn that the rabbits like to feed on small steps to keep the circle of life going. I guess if small game can survive in a hostile environment like my backyard imagine how good it could do on your hunting land if you take some small steps.

Provide Cover, food and predator control and you can have a great place to hunt small game. Quail Unlimited and National Wild Turkey Federation have some great resources and many of the steps you take to help those species will also be a boost to other small game.

The song of the beagles I can still hear if I close my eyes. What a day we had this last Saturday of rabbit season. The game vest wasn’t to full but it also wasn’t empty. Today like the last few days was very dry and it made it hard for the dogs to run a good trail. The dogs ran 6 bunnies for us today and we were able to bag 5 of them. The last two runs were the most exciting with lots of action and some long runs by the rabbits. There is nothing better then a good day of hunting with old friends and some new ones. Here is a collection of photos I took today I hope you enjoy.

Not Exactly a Shed

I Got One!!

End of the hunt

“I don’t believe you Rick”

“I smell rabbits in that truck”

Somebody is tired

Washington County that is towards the coast of North Carolina. I left last Thursday to head down to Conman’s on Lake Phelps for some R&R and some hunting. I did a bit of rabbit hunting which I haven’t done in years it was great to hear the beagles run.

I found myself listening and laughing so much that a lot of the times I forgot I had a shotgun slung over my shoulder. I didn’t have any bunnies for the bag but I got a bunch of great memories with some great friends.

On Friday afternoon we set about 200 Swan decoys out in a wheat field and climbed into a nearby ditch and waited for the Swans. My good friend Billy and his wife Nicole and I all had tags to fill and despite a few misses at the first few birds that flew by we ended up killing 3 birds out of a 3 bird flock that came into check our decoys. Billy and I shot on the first pass dropping two of the 3 birds. Nicole got her chance when the last bird circled back around and she smoked it.

What a beautiful sight and what a great time. Saturday I watched 8 guys hunting the same setup from the afternoon before fill their tags as the swans once again cooperated the big question was would the same thing happen Monday when 20+ members from NC Deer showed up.
To Be Continued

WS Journal fired Dan as we talked about in an earlier post. Since then the outcry from sportsmen has gotten the WS Journal to continue an outdoor section minus the local connection. This week’s stories came out of Virginia and another one out of New York, both fine states but it seems to me that during the height of the hunting season that some local stories would have been included. I’m sure the local advertisers are happy to see stories from those states and can expect orders from Virginia and New York to pour in over the coming days but I digress. Dan did have a story in the Fayetteville Observer about Fox Squirrels and I hope you follow the link and read it. I’ve yet to see one and would love the chance to hunt them sometime.

I’ve got a spot I hunt that is basically my meat spot. I’ve been hunting it for a dozen years or so. I’ve never seen any spectacular deer but I usually see deer. Well this season has been rough I haven’t seen a deer yet. I was sitting in my blind the other day and counted 10 squirrels running around me.

Well today I got out of work and grabbed my shotgun and a handful of shells and headed out to thin out some tree rats. The land owner hates them because they tear up his pecan trees and his fruit trees and he wants me to kill a mess of them. Growing up in the city where they were considered vermin I have a difficult time thinking of them as a meal. I know a gentleman who struggles to put food on the table and I’ve often help him out. I was talking to him not to long ago and he told me how when he was a boy his mother use to cook squirrels and other small game for their family. I asked him if he would like some squirrels sometime and he said he would love some. Having someone to give some squirrels to I felt better about going out to kill a few so that was my quest for the afternoon.

I didn’t have much time so I just swung by the house and grabbed the gun and a few #6 shells. It was about an hour before sundown so I didn’t bother changing into camo I just threw on a orange hat and slipped in to my spot at my blind. There was nothing moving I noticed a couple of new rubs since I was there before. I decided to take advantage of the coming rain tomorrow to wash away my scent before Saturday’s hunt and check the deer sign out. I came across a fresh scrape within 35 yards of my blind. I decided I would get out of there and go to the other end of the property and kill me some squirrels.

The other end of the property I was slipping down a logging road coming up on a sharp curve when I heard something coming through the woods. I knew it was a deer so I just froze there in the logging trail and watched. I saw it come out of the woods and turn down the road headed towards me. Because of the trees and brush I couldn’t tell exactly what it was but I knew it had some size to it.

I don’t even recall doing this but I suddenly realized that I had raised my shotgun up into a shooting position out of habit. I kind of chuckled to myself otherwise I would of cried because I knew that with #6 birdshot that there wasn’t much I could do. A slight sicking feeling came over me when I recalled that I had momentarily picked up my 357 revolver and debated wearing it. That’s ok this will be funny to see how close this doe gets to me before she sees me.
The deer is trotting down the side of the logging road and although I have not gotten a good look at it yet I have not seen any of the white flash off the antlers that I know I could see by now. The deer comes to a screeching halt about 10 paces away from me. There is a good size tree and some brush between us because it hasn’t quite hit the corner of the road. I can see just behind the shoulder and most of the way back to see this is a pretty good body size deer. I’m certain this has to be a buck and I’m beginning to feel ill. His head comes part of the way around the tree and I can see he has chocolate colored antlers and he is a nice 8 pt. There is nothing I can do but watch and dream. He takes another step forward and he begins the head bopping and foot stomping because he knows something ain’t right. I feel the ever slightest of breeze on my neck and he snorts and bounds back the way he came.
I walked out of the woods with no squirrels this evening but I had an encounter I will not soon forget.

Now Saturday should I plan to hunt squirrels or deer? Maybe I’ll go prepared to hunt both.

 One of my good hunting partners contacted me a few months ago to see if I would participate in a youth hunt because they had some youth that needed adult sponsors.  I told him I’d be honored to participate.  We paired up with two brothers from his church that had never hunted before for the weekend pheasant hunt.

 The day started with a skeet warm up and then the important safety talk.

As we walked to the field the boys were very excited about the first hunt and nervous about whether or not they could hit a bird.  We assured them that they would do fine and there would be plenty of opportunity for them to get a bird.  It wasn’t long before the older brother with me dropped a nice hen pheasant.

At the lunch break the boys were comparing their shooting although the oldest brother had more pheasants he also had shot more.  Billy had to make a run for more shells.  After lunch we returned to the field and the wind had picked up significantly but the shooting was fast.

 As sportsmen we really need to make the most of every opportunity we have to introduce a youngster to the sport.  The future of outdoor sports depends on us passing it on to the younger generation.

I hope everyone who reads this will commit to taking a youngster into the great outdoors. 

 A few hours of shooting, fishing, camping, or hiking is a small investment in a young person’s life and it will benefit us all.