Ted Nugent pleads no contest to Yuba County deer hunting charges | News10.net | Sacramento, California

MARYSVILLE, CA – Rock star and hunting enthusiast Ted Nugent pleaded no contest last week to charges stemming from a television appearance earlier this year that showed the rocker using forbidden methods to kill a young deer.An attorney for Nugent, 61, entered the plea in Yuba County Superior Court Friday to misdemeanor counts of baiting a deer and not acquiring an authorized signature after killing a deer, according to California Department of Fish and Game spokesman Patrick Foy.Foy said the case started when two California game wardens saw Nugent kill a young deer with a bow and arrow in Yuba County on Nugent’s Outdoor Channel series “Spirit of the Wild” last February.”They watched him appear to shoot a spiked buck, which is an illegal buck to take, because it’s too small. And he had it right there on television, and it wasn’t live, it was taped,” Foy said.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Ted Nugent pleads no contest to Yuba County deer hunting charges | News10.net | Sacramento, California | Local News.

Groups target lead in ammo, tackle – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

By Bob Frye, TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Lead is a common ingredient in ammunition and fishing tackle such as sinkers, but should it be?

Some say no.

A coalition of groups — the American Bird Conservancy, Center for Biological Diversity, Association of Avian Veterinarians, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and hunters’ group Project Gutpile — filed a petition with the Environmental Protection Agency asking for a ban on the use of lead in ammunition and fishing tackle.

It is being sought under the Toxic Substances Control Act, which regulates dangerous chemicals. The petition references almost 500 scientific studies, “most of which have been peer-reviewed, that starkly illustrate the widespread dangers from lead ammunition and fishing tackle,” according to a press release from the American Bird Conservancy.

The groups claim that 3,000 tons of lead are shot into the environment in the United States through hunting every year, that another 80,000 are released at shooting ranges and that 4,000 are lost in ponds and streams as fishing lures and sinkers. That poses a threat to birds such as bald eagles — the release called lead “a widespread killer in the wild” — and to people, who eat meat from game taken by lead bullets.  Click Link Below for Full Story!

via Groups target lead in ammo, tackle – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Record brown trout in Wisconsin | StarTribune.com

That’s one monster brown trout.

Wisconsin officials have verified that a 41-pound, 8-ounce brown trout caught by Roger Hellen of Franksville, Wis., caught in Lake Michigan on July 16 is now a Wisconsin state record fish. And it may be a world record, too.

It smashed the old record by almost 5 pounds. The previous record was 36 pounds 8.9 ounces and 40.5 inches for a fish caught August 23, 2004, in Lake Michigan near Kewaunee.

Hellen’s is the ninth state record set this year, and the first for a fish caught by hook and line.

He caught the fish north of Racine while competing in a fishing tournament. The fish measured 40.6 inches long.

The fish is an ounce heavier than the 41-pound 7-ounce world record brown trout caught last year in the Big Manistee River in Michigan.

“It was very exciting – it was certainly the biggest trout or salmon I’ve ever seen,” says Cheryl Peterson, DNR fisheries technician who weighted, measured and processed the fish at the tournament. “We knew as soon as it was on the scale it was going to be a new state record.”  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Record brown trout in Wisconsin | StarTribune.com.

Squirrels Beware

By: Michael Collins

The sky’s warm spotlight peaks over the ridge and reveals the canopy of that ‘ole’ hickory nut tree. The limbs are slightly bent toward the ground due to the bounty of nuts that are waiting to be harvested. Off in the distance, a train’s horn echoes around the countryside and a crow caws from above. Movement catches your eye; you turn your head to see a doe leading her fawn into the clover plot for an early meal. Your heart jumps in your throat as something begins to thrash around in the hickory above. A chiseling sound fills the area and little pieces of nut shell tap the leaves like rain on the way down to the forest floor. This can only mean one thing.

The Kentucky fall squirrel season begins on Aug. 21. This is the absolute best time for hunters to get after nut-crazed bushy tails. Hunters will find success if they find the nut trees.

Locate Nut Trees

On the opening weekend of the fall 2009 season, I found that the squirrels were cutting on walnuts. On the second weekend, the squirrels were getting into the hickory nuts. Finding either of these nut trees should be a first priority if you wish to fill your daily bag limit. It doesn’t take long to find where the squirrels are feasting. On a day that isn’t too windy, listen and watch for rustling in the trees, and listen for squirrels cutting on nuts. If you find a tree that squirrels are hitting hard, you’ll likely find more than one bucktoothed tree leaper, so make sure you’re ready for some quick shooting.

Last season I sat up against a tree in front of a large hickory that the squirrels were hitting. Three squirrels showed up just after day light and I was able to come out with two of them. When multiple squirrels show up to one tree, you know it’s a place you need to set up shop. Finding a spot like that his helpful because it’s a way hunters can beat the heat. Sitting and waiting will keep you cooler than if you’re moving around looking for squirrels.

Nut Report

In the Northern Kentucky area I have found that hickory nut trees have produced a solid crop this year. The walnut crop seems to be down a little from last year, but there are still plenty out there. In areas such as Owen County and Grant County, the walnut and hickory crops are very good. In June, I checked out some hickory nut trees on a farm in Owen Co. and I found that the nuts were abnormally huge for that time of year. Check out the property you hunt to find out where the squirrels will be on opening day.

Tips and Tricks

If you are around an area where squirrels like to hang out, but you don’t see any, there are a few things you can try to enhance your chances of getting on some. I have used a young squirrel distress whistle for many years and I have had pretty good success with it. Squirrel calls are designed to make squirrels move or bark, but I have called squirrels in to me on several occasions with this call.

Another effective way to call in squirrels is to use two quarters. Quarters have rigid edges on them. Scrape the edges of the quarters together and it will make the sound of a squirrel cutting on a nut. I have seen this technique work. It is a simple way to improve your chances as long as you have two quarters in your pocket.

One of the reasons that fall squirrel hunting can be fun is because hunters can use the thick foliage to slip up on unsuspecting squeakers. This does not mean that it’s easy to do so however. Move when the squirrel moves or when the squirrel is concentrating on cutting into a nut. If the woods are still and you are moving, you take the risk of spooking the squirrel.

Beating the Bugzzzz

By talking with other hunters, I found that bugs are one of the biggest reasons that keep them from going to the woods to hunt fall squirrels. The bugs are horrendous at this time of year and I do admit that they discourage me from hitting the woods from time to time. One way hunters can beat the bugs is to use a ThermaCell Mosquito Repellent. The device contains a butane cartridge inside that releases an odorless repellant. In no way am I advertising for ThermaCell, but I have used the ThermaCell and it has worked for me. This gadget is my best friend when I’m hunting in hot weather.

Go Get Em

Fall squirrel hunting is a great pastime in which hunters can spend time with friends and family. It is also a great opportunity to educate young hunters about hunting and conservation. Squirrel hunting is an excellent time for young hunters to learn how to hunt, how to shoot, how to stalk, and most importantly, how to respect the land that we live on. Get out there and get after them. It’s squirrel bustin’ time!

Kentucky Afield Outdoors: Bass Mortality At Small Tournaments Concerns Anglers, Biologists

The dog days of August make fishing during the day miserable. After warming the air all summer, the late summer sun seems the hottest from now until the first weeks of September.

The heat forces bass tournaments into the dark hours at this time of year, but the stresses on the bass caught in those tournaments do not diminish just because its night time. Late summer into early fall presents considerable stresses to black bass just trying to survive.

“The fish are stressed before they get caught from the high water temperatures, especially with the hot summer we’ve had,” said Chris Hickey, black bass biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “The ordeal of catching the fish, fighting it, placing it in a livewell for hours, weighing it in and releasing the fish by the marina or ramp into water warmer than where they were is really hard on a bass. They try to make it back home and may not have enough stamina left. Sometimes, they don’t ever recover.”

Anglers recently voiced concerns to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife after they found several 4 to 7-pound bass floating dead following a recent bass tournament at Ken Lake Marina on Kentucky Lake.

“Those tournament anglers could legally take six largemouth, smallmouth or spotted (Kentucky) bass in aggregate daily,” said Gerry Buynak, assistant director of fisheries for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “By releasing these fish, a good number likely survived.”

Larger bass are at greater risk of dying from the stresses of tournament fishing.

“Their oxygen requirements are much higher” Hickey said. “The big ones stay out of the water longest for photos, showing off and such. Those 6-pound fish are more likely to die from stress than a 16-incher. When people see several large bass floating near a ramp or marina after a tournament, they get really upset.”

The larger tournament trails do a great job of employing strategies such as placing the fish in salted, oxygenated tanks while waiting for their fish to be weighed. They also use release boats to distribute bass all over the lake and not stockpile them at the weigh-in site. They limit the time bass are out of the water.

Smaller bass tournaments such as those put on by clubs or by your workplace don’t have the resources that large tournament organizations possess. However, some simple strategies will keep more bass alive and limit mortality.

“There are some simple things small tournament organizers can do to reduce mortality,” Buynak said.

Buynak explained that tournament organizers can shorten the length of tournaments held in summer into early fall. For example, shorten the time frame from 8 hours to 4 hours. They can adopt a paper tournament format such as musky anglers do by calling an observer to validate the catch and take digital photo for further proof. They can also stage multiple weigh-ins, one halfway through and one at the end of the tournament, to reduce the time bass slosh around in a livewell.

Anglers fishing the tournament can also employ some simple tactics to reduce stress on the bass.
· Play the bass quickly after it’s hooked. Don’t use underpowered rods and line for tournament fishing, forcing you to play the fish for a long time before landing it.

· Wet your hands before handling the fish as this helps protect the vital slime coat on a bass. The slime coat is the bass’ protection from infection, parasites and disease.

· Also, don’t let the bass flop around on the boat deck. The hot boat deck makes bass flop around after contact. The deck’s carpet removes the vital slime coat of a bass. Fight the fish and remove the hooks quickly; don’t let it flop around on the boat’s deck. Get the bass in the boat’s livewell as quickly as possible.

· Cooling the water in your livewell is one of the most important things to do when surface water temperatures rise above 75 degrees. Some area lakes have water temperatures pushing 90 degrees right now. Cooler water holds more dissolved oxygen than warmer water. Cool the water no more than 10 degrees.

· Adding 1/3 cup of non-iodized or rock salt for every 5 gallons of water in the livewell also aides in reducing stress on the bass. Non-iodized salt works as an anesthetic for bass and makes them more comfortable.

· Salt also helps bass regenerate their protective coating slime that protects them from infection and disease. Commercial livewell additives such as Please Release Me provide about the same benefits as salt.

· Run the livewell aerator continuously in hot weather and whenever more than five pounds of bass are in it. This reduces stress on the bass by keeping the livewell water brimming with dissolved oxygen that fish need to breathe.

· Exchange one-half the water in the livewell every 2 to 3 hours. Add the proper amount of salt and cool the water again.

Late summer and early fall bass fishing usually means fishing deep. If you catch a bass from a depth of 20 feet or more, you may have to “fizz” the bass. Bass possess an expandable bladder in their abdomens that allows them greater buoyancy when needed. When an angler pulls a bass from deep water, the fish often have this bladder extended. They float belly up in the livewell and strain desperately to right themselves.

You’ll have to deflate the bladder with a hypodermic needle with the plunger removed. Draw a line from the split between the dorsal fins along the bass’ back to its anal vent. Insert the needle at a 45-degree angle toward the fish’s head about four rows of scales below where this line meets the lateral line. Listen for a hissing sound and submerge the fish and needle. Wait until the bubbles stop and release the bass. Do not squeeze it. If you remove too much air, the bass will sink to the bottom like a rock.

“Just because it swims away after you release it doesn’t mean it is fine,” said Gerry Buynak, assistant director of fisheries for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “Bass may die the next day or a few days later from the stress. But, fizzing and the other precautions will increase chances for survival.”

Tournament angling is popular in Kentucky during the summer. The money spent by tournament anglers helps drive the economy near our major and minor lakes. The excise taxes paid by tournament anglers purchasing motorboat fuel and fishing equipment fund the construction of new boat ramps as well as fisheries management. Their purchase of annual fishing licenses helps provide the money needed to operate Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.

Bass tournament anglers are an important group. Following these precautions will help ensure healthy fish after your bass tournament.
via Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources – Kentucky Afield Outdoors: Bass Mortality At Small Tournaments Concerns Anglers, Biologists.

Fly Fishers Serving as Transports for Noxious Little Invaders – NYTimes.com

By FELICITY BARRINGER

Blame their boots — or, more precisely, their felt soles. Growing scientific evidence suggests that felt, which helps anglers stay upright on slick rocks, is also a vehicle for noxious microorganisms that hitchhike to new places and disrupt freshwater ecosystems.

That is why Alaska and Vermont recently approved bans on felt-soled boots and Maryland plans to do so soon.

“If you were trying to design a material to transport microscopic material around,” said Jack Williams, an expert on invasive species with the environmental group Trout Unlimited,  “felt on the bottom of someone’s boots in a stream would be as close to perfection as you could find.”

The response among fishermen threatened with the loss of soles that cling to slippery rocks parallels the five stages of grief.

There is denial (the science is wrong), anger (why should I fall on my tail for the good of the planet?), bargaining (I will wash them, I will disinfect them, I will dry them), depression (I cannot afford new boots) and, finally, acceptance (I will go feltless if I must).

John Berry, a fishing guide in Cotter, Ark., switched to studded rubber-soled waders this year, after the streams near his house, by the White River in the Ozark Mountains, became infected with Didymosphenia geminata, or didymo.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Fly Fishers Serving as Transports for Noxious Little Invaders – NYTimes.com.