Five mistakes to avoid when deer hunting – Times-Picayune – NOLA.com
November 25, 2008
by Andy Crawford, Special to The Times-Picayune
Deer hunting pits man against one of nature’s wiliest creatures. Years can pass without a hunter getting a shot at a monster deer, and even killing a doe often presents a challenge. That’s what makes hunting so exciting: It’s not a sport of ease.
Many hunters chalk up their lack of success to being unlucky, but often blown opportunities are the result of mistakes. So here are five things to avoid:
1. Hunting green patches
Dale Cobb invited me on a hunt a few years back to his father’s lease in West Feliciana Parish. The 5,000-acre property has been one of my favorite hunting grounds and usually crawls with deer. This was, by most accounts, an off year, and club members complained that deer seemed to have disappeared. Full Story!
Five mistakes to avoid when deer hunting – Outdoors Beat – Times-Picayune – NOLA.com.
Waterfowl hunting looks good in state- Kentucky.Com
November 25, 2008
Breeding conditions in the northern Great Plains states and the Prairie Pothole region of Canada were dismal last spring. That would normally spell poor hunting for Kentucky waterfowl seasons, which opened Sunday for Canada goose and will open Thursday for ducks, but this could be an exceptional year.
“We have a lot of ducks in west Kentucky right now,” said John Brunjes, migratory bird biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “The Mississippi River flooding this past summer in Iowa, Missouri and Illinois may have caused less food availability up north and pushed them here.”
Ballard Wildlife Management Area in Ballard County has been a waterfowl hunting mecca and is a good bellwether for the season. Full Story!
Fifty Additional Hunters Drawn for Special Season Hunt for Cow Elk in January-February
November 25, 2008
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has selected an additional 50 hunters from among the previous pool of unsuccessful applicants for a special cow elk hunt in January and February.
This special season for antlerless elk is designed to help private landowners reduce damage from elk in portions of Knott, Bell and Harlan counties.
Hunters who bought an elk lottery application for the 2008-09 season can now go to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s website at fw.ky.gov to see if they were drawn. Applicants must enter either their Social Security number or their date of birth and the 19-digit number that appears on their elk lottery application. Applicants without Internet access may call the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Information Center toll-free at 1-800-858-1549 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Eastern) during the week.
The special season will take place Jan. 24 – Feb. 6 on private land within two of the state’s Elk Management Units.
“What we’re hoping to accomplish is to have some animals removed from specific landholdings that have had problems with elk,” said Tina Brunjes, big game program coordinator for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “The primary goal is to provide these landowners an opportunity to have elk taken from their property during the time of year when most damage occurs.”
Drawn hunters must purchase a quota elk permit from Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. Permit fees of $30 for Kentucky residents and $365 for nonresidents are the same as for the regular-season quota elk hunt. After confirming that they were drawn online, hunters will see several information links detailing special season hunt regulations, where to send a check or money order for the permit, and who to contact to find a place to hunt.
Hunters must possess an annual Kentucky hunting license in addition to the quota elk permit. General elk hunting regulations, including equipment restrictions, hunter education requirements and more, are available in the 2008-09 Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide at fw.ky.gov and wherever hunting licenses are sold.
Hunters kill 22% fewer deer on opening weekend – JSOnline
November 25, 2008
By Lee Bergquist of the Journal Sentinel
Hunters killed 22% fewer deer during the opening weekend of the nine-day gun deer season, the Department of Natural Resources reported Monday.
The number of hunters injured in shootings increased to four, in addition to the single fatality on Sunday that had been previously reported.
A preliminary count of the first two days of the season showed that hunters killed 133,828 deer.
The buck harvest was down 25%, and antlerless harvest fell 20%.
Last year, the preliminary count totaled 171,584.
The DNR said several factors have contributed to a lower harvest.
They included a smaller deer population after several years of regulations to drive down the population, cold hunting conditions in northern Wisconsin, a late opening weekend that missed the peak of the rutting season and hard 2007-’08 winter conditions after a string of mild winters. Click Link Below for full story!
Hunters kill 22% fewer deer on opening weekend – JSOnline.
CHANGING SEASONS
November 18, 2008
I was recently watching the weather channel to prepare for my guide trip on the White River the next day. I noted that I would be starting the day in freezing temperatures. I was about to work through the change of seasons and I needed to prepare for it. The change had come rather suddenly and I was still dressing to fish in warm conditions.
My choice of foot wear for warm weather is boat sandals. They are comfortable, dry quickly and afford secure footing on the wet decks of boats. They are not very warm. With the cold weather coming, I switched to a pair of L. L. Bean gumshoes. They are waterproof and warm. They also provide sure footing in the boat. I wear a pair of heavy wool socks with them.
My warm weather slacks and shirts are lightweight and designed for the tropics. I only wear long pants and long sleeved shirts. This is to afford me full sun protection. I am very fair skinned due to my Scots Irish heritage and I burn easily. As the weather cools, I switch to jeans or if it is very cold to pile pants. In lieu of the tropical shirts I wear fleece jackets. I have several of them in different weights and try to match them to the weather. The colder it is the thicker the pile I choose. Pile is not wind proof, however. I wear my waders and a rain jacket on windy days to break the wind and stay toasty warm.
In the summer, I generally wear silk weight boxer shorts. They are cool and non-chafing. When the weather shifts, I switch over to poly propylene long under wear. They are warm and wick moisture away from my body. If you are dry, you are more comfortable.
It was also time to put away my panama hat. The sun protection afforded by it and the soft comfort is without peer. I have another straw with a chin strap that I wear on windy days and a light weight rain hat for stormy summer days. Now as the seasons change, I once again turn to my beloved cowboy hat. There is something about it that looks and feels right. I have been fishing in it for twenty five years and it is starting look its age. It has a broad brim to protect me from the sun and since it is beaver felt it keeps me warm in cool weather. I added a rattle snake band years ago as a bit of whimsy. I throw a fleece hat with a short bill and ear flaps into my wading bag for bitterly cold days. It will fit under the hood on my rain jacket and easily fits into a jacket pocket. I also carry a wax cotton baseball hat for rainy conditions. It repels the rain and it also fits under the hood of my rain jacket.
I wear sun gloves in the summer to protect my hands from the harmful rays of the sun. They are not very warm. Now is when I switch over to fingerless wool gloves. They allow me to tie knots and rig fly rods without removing them. Wool has the ability to keep you warm even when wet. I generally carry an extra pair in my vest. When it is a bit colder, I switch over to full pile gloves with a wind proof shell. I find these particularly handy for long runs up river in my boat.
My waders of choice during warm weather are waist highs. The water is generally lower during the summer and these are much cooler as your torso is not covered by the waders. In cold weather, I switch over to chest waders. They cover more of your body and you can wade deeper. The ones I use have hand warmer pockets which are a welcome feature on bitterly cold days. I use wader boots that are one full size larger, in the winter. These allow me to wear two pair of socks. I use one pair in my regular size and another one a size larger.
I switch over my rain jacket from the light weight one I wear in warm weather. My cold weather one is a lot heavier and has fleece lined hand warmer pockets. It is also a little longer to cover more of my torso.
In addition to changing up my clothing, I also throw several packages of chemical hand warmers into my wader bag. I pull my big stainless thermos out of the cupboard and fill it with hot coffee every morning before I leave the house. Nothing can make a big difference on a cold day like a cup of hot coffee.
Take note of the changing seasons. If you prepare for it, you will be more comfortable.
(870) 435-2169
berrybrothers@infodash.com
www.berrybrothersguides.com
Shift to Online-Only Applications to Solve Elk Hunter Notification Problem
November 18, 2008
Other licenses and permits will not be affected by the change.
Elk lottery applications for the 2009-10 hunting season go on sale Dec. 1, 2008. Applicants can purchase their $10 quota hunt application through the department’s secure license sales webpage by going to fw.ky.gov and clicking on “Purchase Licenses Here”.
Georgia hunters try to keep their heritage alive | ajc.com
November 18, 2008
by STEVE HUMMER
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sunday, November 16, 2008
RAYLE — He was roused from the down cocoon of his sleeping bag at 4:30 a.m., a time that is but a rumor to many 15-year-olds.
Fed a quick breakfast of Pop-Tarts, clad in cotton and camouflage, Mike Johnson was semi-conscious on the short ride from the hunt camp to the lonely woods.
Dave Johnson of Cumming sits below his tree stand and waits for deer early on a recent Saturday morning. He and his family hunt on 300 acres they rent with others near Rayle, east of Atlanta between Athens and Augusta.
Of the three boys in his family, Mike is the youngest. He is also the slowest to take to hunting. Video games and fishing are more his speed.
Mike’s got company. The popularity of hunting is waning nationwide, and as Georgia becomes more and more urban, fewer people are taking to the woods with cradled rifle.
There were 343,633 licensed resident Georgia hunters in 1986, and 291,804 two decades later — a 15 percent drop in a rapidly growing overall population. One in four Georgia hunters were minors in 1986. In 10 years, that dwindled to one in 10.
In the face of the trend, it’s important to families such as the Johnsons that the tradition be passed to the next generation.
So, here was Mike, in the pre-dawn darkness, half asleep, perched high in a cold tree stand with every shift of his weight sounding like a relative thunderclap. Staying still, melting into the forest, doesn’t come naturally to a teenager.
As the sun began to pierce the trees, a movement below caught Mike’s eye. A wave of adrenaline swept over the boredom. Running past, not more than 10 yards away, was a deer — a good buck with a battle-worn, broken rack. Click link below for full story!
Georgia hunters try to keep their heritage alive | ajc.com.
Ohioans are arrow-minded – Cleveland.com
November 18, 2008
State wildlife officials, hunters, businesses help crossbow reach target audience
Saturday, November 15, 2008
D’Arcy Egan
Plain Dealer Columnist
The controversial cross bow slowly has gained acceptance around the country, and Ohio gets much of the credit.
Not only were Ohio wildlife officials among the first to embrace the crossbow as a deer hunting weapon, but two of the top crossbow companies are located in the Akron area. Horton Manufacturing Co., Inc., of Tallmadge, makes the most crossbows in the country; and nearby Ten Point Crossbow Technologies, of Suffield, isn’t far behind.
Ohio was the first proponent of deer hunting with a cutting-edge version of an ancient weapon. The crossbow was first allowed in the Buckeye state in 1976, but only for use during the statewide black powder rifle season. A year later, it had its own short 10-day season. Demand by hunters and a growing deer herd prompted the Division of Wildlife in 1984 to allow crossbows during the four-month archery deer campaign.
“Overall, archers take about 25 percent of the deer harvested in Ohio,” said Ottie Snyder of Horton. “Where they really excel is in the urban zones such as Cuyahoga County, where shotguns are not allowed.”
The total harvest last year was 232,854 bucks and does, and archers killed 78,639 deer. Crossbow hunters led the way with 42,292, a huge jump from the 29,397 deer they tagged in 2004. Compound, recurve and traditional bow hunters killed 36,347 deer last year Click Link Below for Full Story!
Ohioans are arrow-minded – Cleveland.com.
Two fined $12,988 for poaching trophy Ohio buck after dark in Ross County – Cleveland Sports News
November 18, 2008
Wildlife officer Bob Nelson displays a trophy white-tailed deer that was poached on Nov. 1 in Ross County. The men who spoltlighted and killed the deer just after midnight, Cary Posey and Kyle Kruger, paid almost $13,000 in restitution for the crime to the Ohio Division of Wildlife
The largest fine ever levied for killing a single white-tailed deer in Ohio was handed down to a pair of southern Ohio men who teamed to illegally kill a trophy buck after dark on Nov. 1. On Friday, the two paid a total of $12,988 under a new formula for poaching a trophy deer.
Cory Posey, 19, of South Salem, and Kyle Kruger, 20, of Washington Courthouse pled guilty in Chillicothe Municipal Court to killing the deer shortly after midnight on Nov. 1 in northwest Ross County. The deer was shot with a Ruger .30-06 high-powered rifle, an illegal deer-hunting weapon in Ohio. The pair also pled guilty to spotlighting, shooting a deer after legal hunting hours and killing more than the season bag limit of one antlered deer. Click link below for full story!
Premiere Archery Outfitters
November 5, 2008
Looking for the opportunity to take a mature whitetail buck? Well if you haven’t heard Kentucky is now one of the top producing states when it comes to Boone and Crockett deer. In fact over the past 5 years 181 bucks from Kentucky have been registered in the Boone and Crockett record book. Futhermore most of these animals have come from the agriculatural rich western part of the state. Located in Christain County Premiere Archery Outfitters has access to several thousand acres of prime whitetail habitat consisting mainly of farms producing wheat, soy bean and corn providing a constant source of nutrition for their whitetail herd, Mark Clifford outfitter and owner of Premiere Archery Outfitters is committed to providing the archer and a limited number of gun hunters the opportunity to see and harvest a trophy whitetail buck. Hunters will arrive at the lodge on Sunday afternoons and will hunt Monday – Thursday and depart on Friday morning before noon (unless other arraignments have been made). Hunts are all inclusive, this includes all meals, beverages, transportation to and from the hunting areas and a combination of lock on and 21 ft. ladder stands. So if you are looking for an affordable whitetail experience then visit their website at www.premierearcheryoutfitters.com for dates, availablity and rates or call Mark at 864.938.8699.
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