Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources – Quota Elk Hunt Drawing Extended Through the Weekend; Deadline was April 30

Frankfort, Ky. – Hunters now have three extra days to apply for the 2009 Kentucky elk hunt. Citing technical problems over the past few days with state government’s online payment application, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources officials today extended the original April 30 deadline to midnight Eastern Time, May 3.

“We want to ensure that everyone who wants to apply has that chance,” said Wildlife Division Director Karen Alexy. “We’ve already had a record number of applicants because Kentucky is issuing a record number of its elk permits. The word is getting around that a Kentucky elk hunt is truly the hunt of a lifetime.”

To date, more than 37,500 people have applied for the 2009 general elk hunt while an additional 375 people have applied for the special Paul Van Booven Wildlife Management Area WMA youth hunt. Kentucky will issue 1,002 permits for the general elk hunt, and five permits for the WMA youth hunt. The deadline extension applies to both the general hunt and the WMA youth hunt.

Applications for the elk hunt are $10 and available online only at fw.ky.gov. The drawing is open to Kentucky residents and non-residents.

Last week, the department began encountering problems with the electronic payment system for its online permit and license sales. Department officials took the payment system offline for part of the day on Friday, April 24, and Saturday, April 25, until the problem was fixed.

Any person who encountered difficulties with an online transaction on the department’s website in the past week may call the department at 1-800-858-1549.

Kentucky’s elk herd numbers approximately 10,000 animals. Last year, the hunter rate for bulls reached 96 percent, while 89 percent of cow hunt hunters enjoyed success.

New for this year is the WMA youth hunt. The five youngsters drawn for this hunt have their choice of taking a bull or cow elk in one of the best hunting areas in the state. Hunters must be 15 or under by the end of the application period to be eligible.

“These are probably the best odds we’ll ever see for a quota elk hunt,” said Kentucky’s Big Game Coordinator, Tina Brunjes. “Young hunters should apply for this hunt. I guarantee it will be a hunt that they’ll tell their grandchildren about.”

For more information about season, regulations and elk hunting in Kentucky, visit the department’s Internet site at fw.ky.gov.

via Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources – Quota Elk Hunt Drawing Extended Through the Weekend; Deadline was April 30.

Vt. moose hunting applications available | The Burlington Free Press

April 29, 2009

WATERBURY – Vermont moose hunting permit applications are now available for the upcoming 2009 hunting season.

Season dates are October 17-22, or October 24 through November 1. A total of 1,230 hunting permits would be issued, and about 600 moose are expected to be taken.

“We are managing Vermont’s moose population to keep it in balance with available habitat,” said Cedric Alexander, Vermont’s lead biologist on moose. “Carefully constructed hunting regulations enable us once again to enjoy having moose in Vermont on a sustained basis, while their numbers are maintained at levels that fit habitat capacity and the needs of people.”

Applications are available on the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department Web site and at license agents statewide. On the Web site, look under “Hunting and Trapping,” and then click on Lottery Applications.

Lottery applications are $10 for residents and $25 for nonresidents. The deadline to apply is June 2.

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.

Vermont’s 2008 Moose Harvest Report is also available on the Fish and Wildlife Web site

via Vt. moose hunting applications available | burlingtonfreepress.com | The Burlington Free Press.

Fantasy angler reels in $100,000 – syracuse.com

By David Figura

Outdoors editor

Eugene Sullivan, of Syracuse, recently earned $100,000 from a professional bass fishing competition – and he didn’t even wet his line. Õ7SullivanÕ Sullivan, 54, won an online fantasy fishing game that is tied to an actual bass fishing series – the Wal-Mart FLW Tour.

Sullivan’s victory came because of how accurately he picked the finishes for 10 anglers in a real fishing tournament last week on Lake Norman in Charlotte, N.C.

“This is simply a miracle,” said Sullivan, who’s been out of work for nearly a year and is facing mounting bills. He was laid off from his job as a data security administrator at JPMorgan Chase. Earlier this month, he underwent heart bypass surgery.  Click link below for full story!

via Fantasy angler reels in $100,000 – syracuse.com.

Biologist’s study supports open season on bass | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star

There are those who will disagree with Jed Pearson’s position that there is no reason to have a closed season on Indiana largemouth bass during the spawning season, which is now.

They can argue the point with Pearson, a Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist, but he said his position is based on a study that shows a 27-year trend, and not on his personal opinion.

Indiana discontinued its closed season in 1948.

The argument for a closed season is that nests should be protected during the spawn; that catching male and female largemouth bass reduces the bass population in the state’s natural lakes.

Not true, Pearson said.

Then there’s the ethical issue of disturbing bass when they are nesting. Pearson doesn’t address that issue in a report he released this month, leaving it to the angler to decide.

Even the novice bass fisherman knows the best time to be successful is during the spawn. That’s when it’s easy to find bass — usually large bass — moving around at or near their fanned-out, circular shoreline nests.

And that is when many bass tournaments are held in Indiana.  Click link below for full story.

via Biologist’s study supports open season on bass | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star.

Opposing Views: Rush Limbaugh Goes Anti-Gun With Humane Society Ads

By National Shooting Sports Foundation , Always Shooting for More – April 27, 2009

By Bill Brassard | NSSF Aiming for Accuracy

We hope Rush Limbaugh pulls his support for the Humane Society of the United States. In case you missed it, “El Rushbo” recently recorded two advertisements that, unfortunately, lend credibility to a group that is the most well-financed anti-hunting force in America.

For now we will give Mr. Limbaugh the benefit of the doubt, believing he simply was confused about what HSUS stands for, as are many Americans, including a number of hunters and shooters who mistakenly contribute to HSUS and thereby inadvertently strengthen a group that works against them and their hunting traditions. Mr. Limbaugh may have thought HSUS was the group that ran the local shelter for dogs and cats Rush makes note of his cat, Pumpkin, in one of the ads. Well, HSUS is not your local humane society. Please remember that.

In response to Mr. Limbaugh’s misguided support of HSUS, the sporting community has sent a number of letters to him, including one signed by 28 pro-hunting, pro-conservation groups, including NSSF, gently chastising him for getting cozy with an organization that has been connected with nearly every major piece of anti-hunting legislation. The letter seeks to educate Mr. Limbaugh about the vital role that hunters, trappers and anglers play in conserving America’s wildlife and wild places.

“Every year, billions of dollars are pumped into conservation and local economies by American hunters, anglers, and trappers through the purchases of their licenses, equipment and clothing, and through their expenditures on hotels, travel, and dining.”

The letter points out to Mr. Limbaugh how his endorsement assists HSUS in advancing its agenda:

“Your decision to produce these advertisements for HSUS, and the implied endorsements that come with them, are a real coup for their cause. With America’s most prominent conservative spokesman on board, they have the opportunity to make in-roads in to a new cross-section of our country.  Click link below for full story

via Opposing Views: OPINION: Rush Limbaugh Goes Anti-Gun With Humane Society Ads.

Earn-A-Buck regulations are put on hold – JSOnline

Madison – Responding to mounting criticism and unprecedented input from hunters, the Department of Natural Resources announced Thursday a moratorium on Earn-A-Buck deer hunting regulations for most of the state in 2009.

According to DNR Secretary Matt Frank, the department will recommend a regular deer hunting framework, without even an October antlerless gun hunt, for the fall seasons in most of the state. Earn-A-Buck regulations will be offered only in Chronic Wasting Disease management zones.

“Deer hunting is a rich tradition in Wisconsin, and the DNR takes our role in protecting this important part of our heritage very seriously,” Frank said. “In light of the recommendation from the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, and the concerns of hunters expressed at meetings across the state, the DNR is recommending a break from Earn-a-Buck this year.”  Click linkd below for full story

via Earn-A-Buck regulations are put on hold – JSOnline.

Spring turkey hunt looks like a big one | The Courier-Journal

By Gary Garth • Special to The Courier-Journal • April 12, 2009

Wild turkeys remain largely a mystery to both the people who hunt them and the wildlife workers who try to manage them.

Gobblers have a marble-size brain and apparently no natural curiosity. They can appear arrogant, ignorant, fretful, focused, frightened and oblivious, all at the same time.

They are large, clumsy birds that can barely fly, spend most of their lives on the ground, run with an awkward, almost comical gait, can vanish in an instant and can duck a shotgun blast from 20 yards.

Kentucky wildlife officials are unsure how many turkey hunters are in the state, and they also are largely guessing about the number of turkeys.

Last year the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources sold about 17,000 resident turkey permits and another 5,300 nonresident permits. But nearly 40,000 hunters bought a sportsman’s license, which includes a turkey permit. Factor in license-exempt landowners and tenants, and the number of gobbler hunters probably spikes to around 80,000.

“I’d be comfortable with an estimate of our turkey hunters between 75,000 and 85,000,” said state turkey specialist Steven Dobey. He puts bird numbers “probably somewhere between 215,000 and 225,000,” a large percentage of which are 1 and 2 years old.

Regardless of the precise number of turkeys or hunters, the woods will be packed with both when the spring season opens Saturday. The opportunity to bag one has never been better. Click Link Below for Full Story!

via Spring turkey hunt looks like a big one | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal.

Interesting Weekend On Dry Run Creek

BY JOHN BERRY

I had a three day trip with four guys from Kentucky. On the first day I took them to Rim Shoals. I ferried a couple of them (Dan and Glen) over to the second island. I rigged them up with woolly buggers and placed them in productive water. I took Jack and his grandfather, Bill, out in my river boat. We drifted in the immediate vicinity of the island and tagged a few fish. Bill caught the most fish and the big fish, an eighteen inch rainbow.

On the next day, Saturday, I had scheduled my wife, Lori, to guide Jack on Dry Run Creek. Bill went along with them to take pictures and watch Jack catch some nice fish. In the meanwhile, I took Dan and Glen out in the boat at Rim Shoals. Later in the morning, I loaded my boat back on the trailer and drove over to Bull Shoals in search of clean water because Rim was a bit muddy.

When Lori arrived with her clients, she was concerned that Dry Run Creek was extremely high and very muddy. Bill remarked that the creek looked like the Mississippi River. Lori and I had discussed the possibility before we left the house that morning and she was ready for this situation.

Lori carefully rigged Jack’s rod. She tied on a hot pink San Juan worm, a lot of lead and a good sized strike indicator. She used 4X tippet. They walked far upstream and began fishing. Jack cast for about thirty minutes with no takers. Lori gathered them up and the moved to another likely spot down stream. This time they hooked up almost immediately. It was a twenty one inch rainbow. Bill took several photos and congratulated Jack. From then on it was one fish after another. Lori also tried a Y2K with great success.

Jack landed a nice twenty three inch rainbow. When they went to photograph it Bill’s camera failed. Lori kept the big bow in the net and kept it in the water while Bill hastily changed out the batteries. Jack was concerned that the fish would be harmed, so they released it without a picture.

Jack finished the day with fifty one fish (his careful count) and a burning desire to come back the next day. Bill asked Lori if she was available. She nodded and they made arrangements to return the next day. Jack was beaming as he left the creek.

Lori picked up Jack the next day. The weather had turned off a lot colder than the previous two days. Bill decided to stay at the motel. He had recently undergone chemotherapy and the cold was too much for him. I had picked up Dan and Glen earlier. We headed over to the Norfork to take advantage of some low water.

When Lori and jack arrived at Dry Run they were pleased to find that the water was lower and much cleaner. With the improved conditions, Lori was able to switch to more traditional flies for the creek. She tied on a sowbug. There were several other people fishing on the creek but Lori guides on the creek often and knew exactly where to head to escape the crowds.

She put Jack into position and he made his first cast. To his surprise, he got a strong take before the strike indicator had moved two feet. He set the hook and the fight was on. This time they could see the fish. It was a stout twenty seven inch female. Jack expertly worked it in and Lori got the picture. Later in the day he landed a twenty five inch male rainbow.

The next big fish was a bit more interesting. Lori had rigged up jack with a bright green woolly bugger that had a lot of green flash. He began drifting it in the run where they had caught the most fish. On the fourth cast, the strike indicator went down and Jack instinctively set the hook. There was a violent reaction on the other end. In an instant, there were yards of line speeding off of the reel and the indicator was no where to be seen. He instinctively knew it was a huge fish. The rod was bent nearly double. The big fish moved up and down the run at will. Jack fought it like a pro and slowly worked the big trout closer. Finally, they got a glimpse of him. It was a monster male brown with a bad attitude. Lori was sure that it was well over thirty inches and would probably weigh about twenty pounds. Jack worked him closer and closer. Lori was there with the boat net. The brown took one look at the net and decided he wanted no part of it. He made an incredibly fast run toward the far side of the creek and literally crashed into the bank breaking the leader in the process. Lori and Jack could not believe their eyes. Neither had ever seen a struggle like that!

There was nothing that could be done. Jack had done a masterful job of fighting the big trout. Lori knew that he had not made any errors. Jack still felt like he should have landed it. With a fish that big, you need a good measure of luck.

After an exciting morning on Dry Run, it was unfortunately time to go. Jack reluctantly walked out with visions of monster trout whirling through his brain. He will never forget this trip.

John Berry
(870) 435-2169
berrybrothers@infodash.com
www.berrybrothersguides.com

A Successful Turkey Hunting Season

By Joel Walters

Last season was one of my most successful years turkey hunting, and not for the reasons you may think. Last season was my first year of marriage and I was able to take my wife with me on opening morning. She is not a hunter and nor does anyone in her family hunt, so this was a whole new world of experience for her. I was very proud of her for taking an interest in something that is so important to me; however I do believe her favorite portion of the season was getting to go shopping–even if the shopping was only for a new Mossy Oak outfit for her to wear.

Opening morning was crisp and sunny. We walked out a ridge from my cousin’s house that had been mowed for hay. The ridge winds it way for about 800 yards and then ends in a tree line where the neighbor’s property begins. For her first hunt, I wanted my wife to be as comfortable as possible. For this reason I decided to use a ground blind and set it in a likely strutting spot in the hayfield along the woods. This would give us ample room and a comfortable chair to sit in while we waited for turkeys to visit. I set up my strutting decoy at the top of the ridge facing away from the woods and placed a hen in the breeding position a few yards away. A few yards farther away I placed a feeding hen decoy. My blind was positioned with my back to the woods facing toward the decoys in the hayfield which rolls gently downhill to our right until it hits another tree line that starts a 25 acre patch of woods leading down the hill from us. The hayfield is a favorite strutting area for toms because it is hidden from view from the longer expanse of open ground but is clearly visible by turkeys in the woods.

We got situated in our chairs and we could already hear a few gobbles behind us and below and to our right in the woods. I picked up my Cane Creek glass call and gave a few tree yelps. We immediately got a response that cut off my call so we decided to sit and not call for awhile. As the light began to shine in the hayfield in front of us, we heard a few birds pitching down in the distance. I gave my wife my hat, and while I let loose a fly down cackle with my call she beat the hat against her leg to mimic a bird flying down from a nearby tree.

For the next few minutes I made a series of clucks, yelps, and purrs on a Sla-Tek surface friction call by Knight and Hale. We heard a few gobbles behind us in the woods that seemed about 150-200 yards away. My wife had been hearing me practice my calls for weeks now and would soon show me that she had a pretty good idea of how to call in that gobbler. The year before at her parents house in Pennsylvania, while sitting on their front porch, she had yelped with her natural voice and called in a whole flock of birds to within a few dozen yards of the house. She has an innate ear for a good turkey sound, so when she told me to switch to another call I quickly switched over to my small slate call. As soon as I gave a few yelps, the gobbler reacted and seemed to close the distance. As I began to do a few soft clucks and purrs I could see out of the right window of the blind the blue head of a gobbler strutting at the edge of the woods.

Carefully I set down my calls and with a whisper told my wife to hold her ears. I stuck the barrel of my shotgun out the window, drew a bead, and fired. Disaster was avoided as I almost, but not quite, ejected the spent shell into my wife’s face. We quickly exited the blind to grab our harvest.

From start to finish, our hunt had lasted maybe 35 minutes. Never had I had such an easy time in the woods. I told my wife that turkey hunting is very seldom so much of a foregone conclusion, but I don’t think she fully believed me. As I start to prepare for the upcoming ‘09 season opener, I am hoping that the itch will strike her as well so that she might buy a tag for herself. Hopefully she will at least go along with me so that some of her good luck will rub off again this year.

Outdoors: Father, son bond with dream – Norwich, CT – Norwich Bulletin

By BOB SAMPSON

sports@norwichbulletin.com

Posted Apr 08, 2009 @ 11:16 PM

In this age of computers and the Internet, sports enthusiasts can play fantasy football or baseball online. In cyberspace, they create teams from their favorite players and through the statistics those players compile, the computer spits out the winners.

Sport fishermen don’t have such useless games to play, because they tend to go out and do rather than watch. That doesn’t mean they are not creative or live without any fantasies. We’ve all created fishing fantasies that lead to exotic places and the fish of a lifetime.

During some of those long rides to fish pike and muskies in the north country, we’ve speculated and fantasized about what the fishing would have been like during pre-Colonial times here in North America. We’ve even speculated about sport fishing with modern equipment on the Atlantic during the age of dinosaurs, wondering and joking if the boat we would have been on could possibly have become nothing more than an artificial lure for a giant mossier or other prehistoric sea monster.

In today’s world, with its challenging economy for most, it’s more practical as fishermen to simply dream of catching a big one in our favorite fishing hole.

Jeff Turner, a middle-aged angler from West Virginia and his son, Taylor, have taken their dream fishing trip of a lifetime to the next level and have planned out an epic angling quest to fish 50 trophy waters in all 50 states in only 50 days. Click Link Below for Full Story!

via Outdoors: Father, son bond with dream – Norwich, CT – Norwich Bulletin.

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