Moose Droppings

A Unique Take On Fast Food

Moose — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 04:00:26 +0000

I received these photos in an email saying that this bizarre accident happened in Farmville NC. I’ve attempted to run this down but thus far have not been able to confirm the story. No matter very interesting photos.

The story according to the email;

An older man and woman were on the way to Greenville, NC and stopped at McDonalds in Farmville just off of 264 East bypass last Saturday and did not know that they hit this deer!! Someone in McDonalds had to tell them …the old man said he noticed that the car was starting to run a little hot the last few miles!!!!! Only in eastern North Carolina could this happen.

I suspect this isn’t the exact story behind these photos given that the condition of the bucks hoofs and head are in good condition showing little sign of being dragged “a couple of miles”.

Secondary Rut In The Piedmont?

Moose — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:25:17 +0000

The signs sure seem to point to it where I’ve been hunting this seems to be the time to try to catch that buck who is cruising for a doe. I should back up a bit first and talk about the rut and how it relates to the secondary rut.

The rut is the breeding time for the whitetail deer when the majority of the does are ready to be bred. This happens in the fall and is triggered by the amount of day light among other factors. Countless articles have been written on the triggers of the rut so I won’t go much into that now. For our discussion today I’ll simply break the rut into these three stages; Pre Rut, Peak Rut and Post Rut. The pre rut is the time that the bucks are ready to breed but the does for the most part are not ready so the bucks spend most of their time looking for does and defending their territory from other bucks. As the does come into heat the bucks will find them and breed them in the ideal situation most of the herd will come in to heat about the same time and is known as the Peak Rut. These are often a few intense days or so when this activity is taken place as the time wanes less and less does are ready so the cycle goes into the post rut stage. In the post rut the bucks are still looking but most of the does are no longer ready or have already been bred.

Hunters will debate which part of the cycle is the best to hunt but in my experience the pre and the post is when you see the most buck movement. After the initial cycle there will be a little bit of a lull but not for long because any does that were not successfully bred they will go back into heat 28 days latter. This will kick off the secondary rut and will keep repeating itself every 28 days till the does are bred.

I can’t tell you why but this year we are seeing, or at least it seems to be, a very defined rut cycle in the area we hunt. Often times in the past we have seen what many refer to as a trickle rut where the cycle is very less defined and hard to read the signs and determine what is happening. This year we are seeing a lot more scrapes and signs that deer are using these a lot more to communicate. This past weekend we found that many of these scrapes were being cleaned out and tendered to leading us to believe the secondary rut cycle is kicking off. I’m hearing from other hunters in the Piedmont that are experiencing similar situations so now it seems is the time to be in the woods.
Of course I took off during the initial rut so I’ve got work responsibilities keeping me out of the woods but come this weekend I plan to be sitting in a tree somewhere.

If you’re like me and haven’t gotten your buck yet keep the faith there is still time. Hunt whenever you can focus on areas that have or attract does and watch for that cruising buck. We’ve got a little less then a month to go in the season.

Story & Photos by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

Mountain Lion In Chapel Hill?

Moose — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:29:41 +0000

Mountain Lion Photo by Moose

Reports of Mountain Lion sightings in North Carolina are not all that unusual but totally unproven despite the reports. ( Union County Moore County )
The latest report is from Orange County North Carolina and more specifically the town of Chapel Hill.

Linda Janssen said she was having coffee with her nephew, a 22-year-old Army private visiting for Thanksgiving, when they looked out her kitchen window Friday morning. Janssen’s property backs up to Bolin Creek.

“It was big,” she said. “We were just so stunned.”

Janssen said they saw the animal, as big as her black Lab, in profile and face-on and saw it leap over a tree trunk. They watched the big cat for about a minute and a half.

“It wasn’t a bobcat; it didn’t have that shape,” Janssen said. “It was sleek, like [a Lincoln Mercury] car commercial.”

N&O

Bobcat Photo by Moose

These days between cell phone cameras, digital cameras, as well as game cameras if a mountain lion is prowling the state I’m sure we’ll have some proof. If a cat is loose in Chapel Hill its probably more likely an exotic pet that has escaped.

Story & Photos by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

Suspected Poacher Shot By Tennessee Authorities

Moose — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 03:58:04 +0000

A Lewis County deputy assisting Tennessee Game Warden in attempting to arrest two poaching suspects shot one as he tried to level a long gun on the officers.

According to a news release from the Lewis County Sheriff’s Dept., Tuesday night (Nov. 25) around 8:30 pm, Lewis County deputies were called to assist a Lewis County TWRA Wildlife Officer.

The un-named oficer said he had seen a vehcile spotlighting for deer and attempted a stop. The vehicle howwever fled at high speed.

Lewis County deputies caught up to the chase on Natchez Trace Parkway. At one point the suspect vehicle forced a deputy’s car off the road.

The suspect’s vehicle began smoking and slowed to a stop.

According to the sheriff’s dept. release, “The Driver exited the driver side with his hands in his coat. Lewis County Deputies and the T.W.R.A officer exited their vehicles.
The driver was given verbal command by Lewis County Deputies to get down on the ground. When the Lewis County Deputy put his hands on the driver, the driver resisted restraint. The driver was identified as Robert “Bob” Allan Szostek.

At the same time, the passenger exited the passenger side with a long gun in hand and ran east up an embankment. Lewis County Deputies gave verbal command for the fleeing subject to get down on the ground. The passenger turned toward the three Lewis County Deputies and the T.W.R.A officer and pointed the long gun toward them.

One Lewis County Deputy fireed his service weapon at the passenger and the passenger fell to the ground. The passenger immediately got back up and ran again. The deputy fired a total of four shots.

The Chattanoogan
Hours latter the alleged suspect contacted the Lewis County Sheriff’s Department requesting assistance because he had been shot. Thomas J. Szostek was airlifted to a hospital where he remains in critical condition.

Multiple charges for both men are being filed;

The driver, Robert “Bob” Allan Szostek was taken into custody and charged:
by T.W.R.A officer with:
Hunting from a Public Road;
Spotlighting;
Hunting from a motor vehicle;
Hunting big game in closed season;
Felony Evading; and
Reckless Endangerment

by Lewis County Deputy officer with:
Possession drug paraphernalia
Reckless endangerment
Reckless endangerment
Reckless endangerment
Resisting arrest
Felony Evading

Thomas J Szostek is charged with two counts of First Degree Attempted Murder by the Lewis County Sheriff’s Department. Charged by T.W.R.A officer with Hunting from a Public Road; Spotlighting; Hunting from a motor vehicle; and Hunting big game in closed season.

Once again this shows us how dangerous the job our law enforcement community does every day especially the game wardens who face armed suspects in remote areas often. When ever you get a chance thank them for the job they do for us.

Connecting Successful Hunters With Needy Families

Moose — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 04:03:18 +0000

The North Carolina Bow Hunters Association has launched a web based matching service to help hunters give deer & feral hogs to families that could use the meat. In tough economic times like we face now I’m sure there are a lot of people that could use the help and with deer populations needing to be thinned this seems like a win win situation for sure.

“I don’t have any more space,” said Ramon Bell of Stokesdale. “I’ve got deer and wild game in two freezers. I don’t have space for it, but I wouldn’t mind shooting an extra doe.”

That’s what inspired Bell, who heads the N.C. Bowhunters Association, to create an online deer-donation registry. It pairs hunters who want to donate deer carcasses with people who want to feed their families venison.

The bowhunters association started the new program online this week.

North Carolina’s population of white-tailed deer is at 1.1 million, and there were about 18,000 deer collisions reported last year. As a way to control the population, there is no limit on the number of does a hunter can kill in deer season. Hunters in the western part of the state are allowed to kill two bucks.

This is a great idea and hopefully will help a lot of people in these tough economic times.

Hunting Accident? More Likely Careless Hunter

Moose — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 15:13:07 +0000

A deer hunter walking out of the woods was mistaken by another as a deer and shot in the back.

The man was shot with a rifle by another hunter who mistook him for a deer, said Officer Fred Gorchess of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

The victim was walking out of the woods near Watha about 5:30 p.m. Friday when he was shot, Gorchess said.

A 23-year-old man was charged with negligent hunting resulting in bodily injury, a misdemeanor, in connection with the shooting, Gorchess said.

Wilmington Star

The hunter that was shot is hospitalized in Wilmington recovering. There is little other details that have been made public to help explain how this could of happened. Hunters in North Carolina are required to wear unknown if either had it on. The end of legal shooting light was at 5:32 pm the article states the accident happened around 5:30pm.

Bottom line is the shooter failed a number of safety rules including the most important one to identify your target. In most cases like this one I don’t feel that the victim shares any of the blame because the shooter is 100% responsible for the identification of the target and the release of the bullet.
Don’t get me wrong there are things we can do to reduce the risk of getting shot including wearing hunter orange hat or vest. Use artificial light when exiting the woods. I wear a light clipped on my hat so as I walk out there is little doubt what I am even though I have the utmost trust in the safety of the individuals I hunt with.

Hunter safety is all our responsibility so be safe.

Post by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

Happy Thanksgiving

Moose — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:11:09 +0000

I hope everyone has a great day we all have a lot to be Thankful for.
-Moose-

Seeking Refuge In A Church

180 Class Deer Taken In Yadkin County

Moose — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:07:50 +0000

What a hoss of a buck and I’m afraid I have none of the details. These images were posted up on NC Hunt & Fish and I’m pretty sure this is an actual NC Deer and not an internet rumor. One of the regular posters over there has posted his own game camera shots of this buck and it was taken within a 1/2 a mile of where he hunts. I hope this deer shows up at the Dixie Deer Classic this year and I’m sure we’ll hear more about it and who the lucky hunter is.

Seems like we are seeing more and more big bucks in North Carolina these days and I attributed it to the two buck limit as well as more and more hunters willing to let small bucks walk.

Post by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

Drought Conditions Impact Waterfowl Hunts On Caswell Game Lands

Moose — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:18:58 +0000

While most of the state has returned to more normal water levels the R. Wayne Bailey-Caswell County Game Land still has drought conditions impacting the waterfowl impoundment. Hunters who have been drawn for permit hunts are urged to contact the Caswell game land depot at (336) 694-9272 prior to going on their hunt. NCWRC states that the permit hunts have not been canceled for Caswell but the conditions are less then ideal.

Post & Photo by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose

Gabriel From Outdoor Smorgasbord Connects on a Buck

Moose — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:25:58 +0000

Congratulations to Gabriel From Outdoor Smorgasbord for taking a nice Alamance County Buck. Check out the story and additional photos he has posted.

Moose Droppings

A Unique Take On Fast Food

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