Winchester hunter tags a record size gobbler | The Peoples Defender

By Tom Cross

Jamie Nesbitt of Winchester tagged what might end up being one of the biggest gobblers harvested in the state this year. According to the National Wild Turkey Federation’s record list, Nesbitt’s gobbler would be the 34th largest turkey ever taken in Ohio. Nesbitt’s big gobbler weighed 24 pounds and had an 11-1/4 inch beard with spurs 1-3/4 and 1-1/2 inches long. Nesbitt bagged the gobbler on opening day of Ohio’s turkey season in northern Brown County.

Nesbitt knew his hunting area well having taken a gobbler from the same place last year.

“I set my blind up about 40 yards from the woods edge in a weedy field that turkeys have been visiting regularly,” said Nesbitt. “About 8:00 a.m. a group of gobblers responded to my call; there was five or six bird’s altogether. I could see one gobbler was much bigger then the others and when the bachelor group was close enough and the big tom offered a clear shot I took it. The gobbler was about 45 yards away when I shot and down it went.”  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Winchester hunter tags a record size gobbler.

The battle over crossbows in this state has been waged for two decades and it hasn’t been pretty | syracuse.com

By David Figura

It’s an emotional, occasionally insult-laced argument that’s been going on in this state among outdoorsmen for more than two decades.

It’s the debate over crossbows — specifically when, where and how they should be used.

“I went to a recent meeting up in Buffalo and there were hundreds of people against the three of us. We got bushwhacked,” said Avon resident David Kosowski, legislative chairman of the N.Y. Bowhunters Inc., a group that has been at the forefront of keeping crossbows out of the archery season since its formation in 1991. He said he’s been going to similar meetings for years.

“You get called a communist, told this is a free country and that everyone has a right to hunt the way they want. … a few years back I even had one outdoors writer come across the table and challenge me. Guys had to restrain him,” he said.

Crossbow advocates say their critics are selfish and condescending and that the abuse goes both ways.

Crossbow 101 with Dave Figura Crossbow 101 with Dave Figura A Bass Pro Shops hunting and archery expert gives some beginning tips on using a crossbow while Post Standard outdoors writer David Figura takes his best shot. Watch video

The issue boils down to this: Crossbow hunters want to hunt during bowhunting season, which precedes the firearms season. Bowhunters say they’re not against crossbows — they just don’t want to share the woods with them during that time.

The debate is coming to a head again with the Dec. 31 expiration of a two-year law drafted by Sen. David Valesky, D-Oneida, in 2010. Valesky’s bill allowed the use of crossbows in this state for the first time during the fall hunting season for big game (deer and bear). However, it restricted their use to the regular firearms season and the muzzleloader season that followed. They were banned during the regular bow season.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via The battle over crossbows in this state has been waged for two decades and it hasn’t been pretty | syracuse.com.

Holy mackerel, Alabama record falls twice in 5 weeks | al.com

By Michael C. Bolton

Even hard-hearted people enjoy a heart-warming story now and then. In the world of Alabama outdoors, the pursuit of the state record king mackerel has provided a couple of goodies in recent months.

King mackerel make their runs off the Alabama Gulf Coast in spring and that ritual brings out hard-core fishermen. Old salts with decades on the water live for the moment. Talk of 40-pound-plus kings dominates their lives.

The 2012 king mackerel run began a couple of months ago with Mobile’s Michael J. Kirchler at the top of the record book. The 67-pound, 15-ounce king he caught in 2002 had withstood a decade of challengers. His record appeared untouchable.

Andrew Quinn’s presence didn’t strike fear in anyone. The small 8-year-old from Michigan was on the Alabama coast only to vacation with family and to play in the sand. The fishing trip with the male grown-ups was just gravy. It was his first deep sea fishing adventure ever.

The 68-pound, 3-ounce king mackerel the youngster landed on March 28 aboard the charter boat “Fish Trap” was the largest king mackerel ever caught in the state. The serious king mackerel fishermen could only shake their heads.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Holy mackerel, Alabama record falls twice in 5 weeks | al.com.

Vermont Moose Hunting Applications Are Available

WAITSFIELD, VT — Vermont moose hunting permit applications are available on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department’s website (www.vtfishandwildlife.com), and printed applications will be at Vermont license agents statewide in June.

Lottery applications are $10 for residents and $25 for nonresidents. The deadline to apply is July 5. Winners of the permit lottery will purchase resident hunting permits for $100 and nonresident hunting permits for $350. Hunters also will have the option to bid on five moose hunting permits in an auction to be announced later.

“Permit allocation numbers will not be finalized until a regulation is adopted this summer,” said Wildlife Division Director Mark Scott. “We are making the applications available now for hunters’ convenience. Hunters can look online at the proposed number of permits and Wildlife Management Units proposed to be open for moose hunting.”

The Fish and Wildlife Department has proposed 385 moose hunting permits for the regular October 20-25 moose season, and 50 permits for an archery moose season October 1-7.

The 2011 Vermont Moose Harvest Report with details on last year’s hunt, including the towns where moose were taken, is on Fish and Wildlife’s website. Look under “Hunting and Trapping” and then “Big Game.”

Winners Of Kentucky Elk Hunt Lottery Announced

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Results of the Kentucky elk hunt lottery drawing are now available online at fw.ky.gov.

Final results show that 33,675 people submitted an application for one of the 905 quota hunt permits to be issued by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources this year.

Kentucky’s hunt of a lifetime drew interest from hunters across the country, including three from Hawaii, 25 from Alaska, 24 from Maine and 59 from California. Hunters could apply for up to two permits. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife received 59,672 permit applications, meaning the majority of hunters applied more than once.

The Kentucky Commonwealth Office of Technology conducted the drawing Thursday, May 3, using a random computer program.

Hunters may visit the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife website to check if they were drawn. Hunters must either enter their social security number, or their birth date and the 19-digit number they received while applying. Applicants should enter the information carefully to make sure they do not put in an incorrect number.

Drawn hunters also will receive a notification letter from Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. Hunters have until July 1 to apply online for an Elk Hunting Unit (EHU). Kentucky’s elk hunting zone is subdivided into units to help spread hunting pressure. A second drawing is conducted to determine an individual’s hunting unit.

Hunters should visit the department website for more information regarding hunting unit selection. The website also contains maps and additional information on public hunting lands within the elk zone.

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