Moose Droppings » Trophy Animal

Massive Black Bear Killed In North Carolina

Daniel "Moose" McLaughlin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:18:17 +0000

Noel Harvey took this 760 lb bear while hunting with Conman's Guide Service

The second all time heaviest bear in North Carolina was taken this week and most likely the heaviest black bear any hunter in North America will take this year. This bear tipped the scales (certified) at 760 lbs making it the largest bear any hunter has taken while hunting with Conman’s Guide Service in Creswell North Carolina.

As I write this story I don’t have a lot of details but I’ll give you what I know so far. The hunter is Noel Harvey and the bear was taken on November 9th which I believe was the opening day of the bear season. The guide service is Conman’s and Mike Noles runs the business with his wife Connie (thus the name Conman’s). I’ve known them for a number of years and have hunted with them a number of times.

In April of 2008 I did a story on Bruiser Bruins in the Old North State featuring two massive bears that Mike had walking on his land. One of them they named “Maximus” and they estimate he could be 800 or more pounds. This bear that was killed this week by Noel Harvey is not one of those two bears. That is unbelievable when you think about it that there is a few of these massive creatures walking around. A black bear this size is bigger than a lot of the brown bears you see out west. That is just amazing when you think about it.

The hunting style for the most part is stand hunting over travel routes and food plots. Baiting of bears is only legal for those hunters who utilize hounds ( crazy rule) and Conman’s does not use hounds.
I hopefully will get a few more details on the hunt and hopefully a few more photos of this magnificent creature when I get back in from my own hunting adventures.

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

Daniel "Moose" McLaughlin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:02:14 +0000

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

The “Professor”, Waddell’s largest bull came from the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. Public land bulls like this can be call shy and may require some double teaming with a separate caller to fool. Master the cow call and you will call in elk bow-close. Use the bugle to locate as well as seal the deal on an aggressive bull.

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.

Master the cow call and you will call in elk bow-close. Use the bugle to locate as well as seal the deal on an aggressive bull.

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.

This public land bull didn’t sound like much when he bugled, but he turned out to be a lot better of a bull when he responded to some subtle calling and snuck into 16 yards.

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

Daniel "Moose" McLaughlin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 04:35:03 +0000

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.

North Carolinian Johnny Morris Wins Bid For Idaho’s First Wolf Tag

Daniel "Moose" McLaughlin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:06:35 +0000

Johnny Morris ,the founder of Bass Pro Shops, bid $8000 to be the first to get a wolf tag for the state of Idaho. Idaho is allowing 6 tags to be auctioned off by sportsman / conservation groups with the proceeds going to wolf restoration. The first tag was auctioned off by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation AP is reporting that Johnny Morris plans to give the tag to his son who already has a hunt planned for Idaho.

Want to Learn About Bears & Bear Management in North Carolina?

Daniel "Moose" McLaughlin — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 03:57:10 +0000

Photo Courtesy of Conman’s Guide Service Creswell NC

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission biologist Colleen Offenbuttel will be presenting a free lecture on Black Bear Research and Management in North Carolina this month. The lecture will be held on Wednesday the 14th of October at the Centennial Campus at 4pm.

“Black Bear Research and Management in North Carolina: 1970s Through the Present” will examine the modern era of black bear management. Olfenbuttel will discuss projects and cooperative agreements with various universities, including N.C. State University; research on the demographics of the bear population and how monitoring efforts provide a basis for making sound management decisions; and adopting regulations to benefit bear populations and habitats.

North Carolina has bears mostly concentrated in the west and the eastern part of the state but bears are apt to pop up almost anywhere in the state as the population expands. The bears in eastern North Carolina can grow to some massive sizes as you can see by the photo I posted. Earlier this summer I talked with Mike Noles of Conman’s Guide Service and as far as he knows this bear Maximus is still walking around. Mike offers stand hunts for bears but the most common method for hunting bears down east is with hounds.
As the human population expands and the bear population does as well what will NCWRC response be to deal with the conflicts that will arise. We’ve already seen some issues in the mountains, the Piedmont, and right here in the triangle.

The Centennial Campus Center for Wildlife Education is located at 1751 Varsity Drive, Raleigh.

New World Record Brown Trout?

Daniel "Moose" McLaughlin — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:47:01 +0000

This trout was caught in Michigan earlier this month in the Manistee River.

Grand Rapids area resident Tom Healy caught the 41-pound, 7.25 ounce monster on a crankbait while fishing with Tim Roller’s charter service. Michigan DNR fisheries biologists Mark Tonello and Todd Kalish weighed the fish after leveling the certified scales and determined the weight. It is the new record hold for Michigan. Upon the second weighing with the scales leveled, the weight was determined to be 1 pound, .75 ounces heavier than originally determined. The fish was 43.75 inches long.

Go check out Michigan Fly Fishing Club Blog for the details. Wow what a fish.

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New NC Record Non Typical Velvet Antlered Buck Taken?

Daniel "Moose" McLaughlin — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 05:08:29 +0000

Rumored to be a New State Record Book Buck

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.

Here Kitty Kitty…. New North America Record Bobcat Taken?

Daniel "Moose" McLaughlin — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 03:47:24 +0000

Wisconsin hunter Dave Arendt has killed one huge bobcat that has surpassed the state record and may be the largest bobcat ever taken.

“I had been chasing a big one up in Marinette County that was the biggest paw print I had ever seen,” Arendt said. “This was just a chance occurrence.”

The cat’s track was already 18 hours old when Arendt, on a hunt organized by Andy Dryja, found it. It measured 3 1/2 inches and the stride was huge, Arendt said, comparable to a small cougar.

The bobcat led the hunters on a lengthy chase, complicated by crossing trails with other cats and a coyote. Eventually, the group came close enough to their quarry to release the trailing hounds.

The animal was treed and dispatched shortly thereafter.

A male, the 52-pound bobcat eclipsed the Wisconsin verified record of a 48.84 pound cat killed in Marinette County in 1984.

In comparison, the largest verified cat taken in Minnesota weighed 38.72 pounds.

“One over 40 pounds is the rare thing,” Arendt said. “Bobcat hunters are always looking for those.”

To date, no record of a verified cat that is larger has been found across North America, meaning that the bobcat might find immortality in the record books.

Arendt said the cat has already been placed on the Wisconsin record list, but it will take more studies before it is certified as a national record animal.

Antigo Daily Journal

That is one huge cat. I’d hate to have one that size come in on me when I’m trying to call turkeys.

Long Nose Gar Shatters Previous State Record by 6 + lbs

Daniel "Moose" McLaughlin — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 02:32:25 +0000

Kelly Williams of Virginia Beach landed the new North Carolina State record for long nose gar while fishing in the Intracoastal waterway near Coinjock. This record book fish was almost lost when Kelly didn’t at first realize he had a potential record book fish.

The pair was fishing for striped bass in about six feet of water when Williams hooked the monster gar. Despite the size of the fish, Williams said he was planning to release it when Cooper pulled out his iPhone and downloaded the freshwater fish state record information from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s Web site.

They had the fish weighed on certified scales at TW’s Bait and Tackle in Kitty Hawk. Kevin Dockendorf, a fisheries biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, verified the catch.

In North Carolina, longnose gar are found statewide, but are most abundant in coastal rivers and streams. They are the only species of gar found in the state.

Williams’ catch surpasses the previous record-holder, held by Sebastian Lankiewicz of Jacksonville since June 2006, by over six pounds.

Daily Advance

Not long ago a potential world record Black Drum was let go prior to any weights or measurements were taken.

I guess we all may want to check out the State Records for Fish before we eat or throw back a keeper.

It’s Official Field & Stream Buck Scores 233 2/8

Daniel "Moose" McLaughlin — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 07:59:16 +0000

It’s Official Field & Stream Buck Scores 233 2/8 making it the New Wisconsin State Record for Non Typical Bucks. When I posted the story about this buck being taken I promised to keep you up to date on it’s status and the record books.

Questions about whether the buck would qualify for world-record status were answered Wednesday when official scorers with the Pope and Young Club ruled the animal’s antlers as nontypical, disqualifying it from holding the world title.

However, Decker’s deer still attained high honors. The 16-pointer, which officially was measured at 233 2/8 inches (all scoring is done in eighths of inches), is the largest nontypical buck shot with a bow in Wisconsin history, breaking the state’s longest-standing archery deer hunting record – 231 5/8 inches – in place since 1979. The state’s nontypical gun record is 247 3/8 inches.

Leader Telegram

What ever you want to call it the “Decker Buck” or the “Field & Stream Buck” it is one impressive buck. Congratulations to Bob Decker for taking one awesome buck, I’m sure at some point this deer will make the show circuit so we can all get a closer look at the impressive rack.

Moose Droppings » Trophy Animal

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