As you all have already realized I’ve been away from the blog for quite sometime now. I’d like to thank each and everyone one of you for reading this blog and I hope that you’ll continue following the SkinnyMoose Bloggers as they bring you the very latest and greatest outdoor news and entertainment. I will be on and off the blog sporadically from here on out because I am tied up building and maintaining an all new message board called www.carolinasoutdoor.com ,an all new hunting and fishing forum dedicated to North and South Carolina outdoorsmen. Come join us or at least check in often to see what the folks in the Carolinas are doing in the field. Once again thanks for your support.

RALEIGH, N.C. (Jan. 30, 2008) – The National Wild Turkey Federation will name Sgt. Brian Blankenship of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission as its Wildlife Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for North Carolina.

The recognition will come during the 32nd annual National Wild Turkey Federation Convention and Sport Show held Feb. 21-24 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Ga.

“Without the tremendous level of support for wild turkey conservation from wildlife officers such as Mr. Blankenship, restoration efforts and wildlife management strategies would never have succeeded,” said Rob Keck, National Wild Turkey Federation CEO. “We wanted to ensure that they receive the thanks and recognition they so richly deserve.”

Sgt. Blankenship was selected for the honor in part because of “his commitment to apprehending poachers via extensive patrolling and use of decoys” and his work with introducing young people to the outdoors.

By earning state-level accolades, Sgt. Blankenship and other state winners are eligible for the National Wild Turkey Federation’s National Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award.

Sgt. Blankenship is a 12-year veteran of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and serves Alleghany County. He is a graduate of Western Carolina University, with a degree in Natural Resource Management.

courtesy of NCWRC

With hunting season either over all together or soon to be in parts of the south, I’d like to start on a new project for the upcoming weeks/months. I am looking for harvest photos from across the south. These can be deer, hog, turkey, any small game, coyotes, hunting dogs, trapping photos, etc. Please be sure to include a name and state in which the animal(s) was taken. A brief story to be posted here at Southern Adventures would be awesome if you have time. Once I get enough submissions, I’ll be announcing the week in which I’ll begin to showcase a “Southern Trophy” a day. The contact information can be found at the top of the blog here. Hope to hear from you soon!!

With deer season only being gone for a few days now, some North Carolina hunters are already gearing up for the winter turkey season. Ten N.C. counties currently have a winter season which starts January 14 and continues through the 19th. Opinions about the winter season vary from hunter to hunter. For some, there is nothing that compares to a struttin’ Tom on a cool spring morning, and winter hunting isn’t worth using up one of only two tags. Others you talk to simply love the idea of being able to get out and locate birds during the winter, and they especially love the option of taking a hen.

I’ve yet to hunt turkeys in the winter but I may give it a shot in a few weeks. From what I’ve been told, finding the birds and playing a sit and wait game can often be your best bet. For many folks, patterning their winter turkey will not be that hard. For the last month or so, the turkeys have been spotted by deer hunters from the stand, giving the winter turkey hunter a slight advantage. One guy I spoke with has 3 flocks located and is simply debating on which one to try and cut-off. (Must be a bad problem to have )

So, for those that live in an area where the winter season is available, slip out there and see what happens. Nothing else, it’s a good way to get a head count for what awaits you for the spring season. Here is a list of the counties that currently have a Winter Turkey Season.

Winter Either-Sex Season (private lands only)
Jan. 14 – 19, 2008
Alleghany, Rockingham
Ashe, Stokes
Caswell, Surry
Granville, Watauga
Person, Wilkes