Pesky Prowlers: How coyotes can spoil your deer hunts
September 16, 2010
By Michael Collins
The presence of coyotes on your farm can pose serious threats to the success you have in the deer woods this season.
Coyotes don’t necessarily affect the shear number of deer by killing them on your farm, in fact, coyotes would rather eat road kill than chase a deer across the county, according to C.J. Winand, a whitetail biologist and staff writer for Bowhunter Magazine. Coyotes will most affect your hunt just by residing on your place.
The presence of coyotes will certainly put deer on the edge. If coyotes are using your farm frequently, it’s probably because they have an abundance of food, water and shelter. Coyotes will eat almost anything. There choices of food can range from insects, to berries; fish, rodents, road kill, and deer. Deer will be aware of the danger and they will avoid your farm completely, which means you won’t be seeing to many deer during your hunts.
Deer will not just be aware of the coyotes, they’ll be aware of you as well. When deer detect danger in the area they will become more cautious wherever they go. All hunters have experienced how tough deer can be to hunt if they are always on the lookout for danger. A cautious deer has been known to have the ability to duck and escape a speeding arrow. The deer’s reaction time is much faster when they are cautious than when they’re caught by surprise. Coyotes can spoil your hunts.
One way to find out if you have a coyote problem is to hang trail cameras around your farm. Place them around watering holes, food plots and field edges. Coyotes will search these areas for food. Another way to find out if you have a wild dog problem is to sit on your back porch in the evenings and just listen. Listen for the howls.
Solving the problem can be difficult because coyotes are tough to hunt. The coyote’s eyes are excellent, they have an amazing sense of smell and they have an unbelievable ability to hear. Its sense of smell and hearing are so keen that they can help it detect a tiny mouse moving through the grass in a large field. All of these formidable defenses of the coyote will test any hunter’s patience, persistence, perseverance.
Hunting and trapping coyotes are the best ways to help get rid of the problem on your farm. These animals may be a pest, but they are majestic in their own way. They are naturally great hunters and their survival techniques must be respected and applauded.
If you do have a problem with coyotes on your farm and you wish to do something about it, make sure you abide by the Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide’s rules and regulations. Conservation should be the ultimate goal when going after the sly coyote. It is important to consider how your harvests will affect the ecosystem around your property.
Ruffed grouse hunting season canceled this year | Springfield News
September 7, 2010
Missouri will not have a ruffed grouse hunting season this year for the first time in more than 25 years.But the Missouri Department of Conservation says that does not necessarily mean ruffed grouse hunting is gone from the Show-Me State forever.Acting on a recommendation from its staff, the Conservation Commission voted earlier this year for an emergency closure of the grouse season, which was to run from Oct. 15 through Jan. 15.Low grouse population numbers were cited as the reason for the emergency closure.The action supersedes information printed in the 2010 Summary of Hunting and Trapping Regulations, which were printed before the decision to close grouse season.Ruffed grouse are native to Missouri, although the Show-Me State is near the southwestern edge of the species’ historic range. Click Link Below For Full Story!
via Ruffed grouse hunting season canceled this year | News-Leader.com | Springfield News-Leader.
Longmont’s Sara Brandenburg earns world record for sheep hunt – Boulder Daily Camera
September 7, 2010
Sara Rose Brandenburg, 16, poses with a male Stone sheep that she shot in the Canadian Yukon on Aug. 8. The animal is the fourth sheep she s harvested in a year. The teen is now the youngest female in the world to earn a North American Grand Slam, a coveted hunting title.
Teen says she wants to be a role model for girls
By Heath Urie Camera Staff Writer
A Longmont teenager has been transformed into an international celebrity after setting a world-record by becoming the youngest female hunter to achieve a “North American Grand Slam.”
Sara Rose Brandenburg, 16, successfully shot and killed a Stone sheep in the Canadian Yukon on Aug. 8.
The Grand Slam is a coveted achievement in the hunting community, which involves harvesting four of the most elusive game in North America: the Dall, Rocky Mountain bighorn, desert bighorn and Stone sheep.
Most hunters who pursue a Grand Slam take a lifetime to do it. Sara, who comes from a family of avid hunters, did it in about a year — and just a few days short of her 16th birthday. Click Link Below For Full Story!
via Longmont’s Sara Brandenburg earns world record for sheep hunt – Boulder Daily Camera.
Sisters bag bears: DNR learn to hunt program a hit with these girls
September 7, 2010
By AARON HOLBROOK, Editor
Breanna and Michelle Deaver of Fox Lake spent the last weekend of summer on an adventure that will certainly give them plenty to talk about at school.
The two sisters participated in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Learn to Bear Hunt program and both came home with a trophy.
“It’s our first time bear hunting,” said Michelle Deaver, 13, who in less than two years as a hunter has bagged seven deer bow and gun hunting with her dad Chris Deaver.
For Breanna, 10, it was her first chance to harvest big game.
The two had to apply to program in spring. The application process includes an essay and requires that the applicants have less than two years of experience as hunters. DNR personnel select hunters and connect them with guides. Clink Link Below for Full Story!
via Sisters bag bears: DNR learn to hunt program a hit with these girls.
Pennsylvania Pulls Welcome Mat Back From Poachers – Digital Journal
September 7, 2010
PR Newswire
HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 7
HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe said, starting today, the Commonwealth has begun to reverse its reputation of being a state with minimal risks for chronic poachers as new penalties – including higher fines and possible jail time – go into effect.
“Some chronic or commercial poachers considered Pennsylvania’s previous fines as merely a ‘cost of doing business,’” Roe said. “However, the Pennsylvania General Assembly and Gov. Rendell – with the support of the Game Commission and law-abiding hunters and trappers – pulled the welcome mat back from those who would consider poaching Pennsylvania wildlife when they enacted a law establishing a new slate of fines and penalties for those convicted of various poaching-related offenses.”
Act 54 of 2010 was introduced as House Bill 1859, and sponsored by House Game and Fisheries Committee Chairman Edward G. Staback. The bill was approved by the House on July 21, 2009, by a vote of 196-3. The Senate, after making minor adjustments to the bill, approved the measure unanimously on July 3, 2010, followed by a 189-6 concurrence vote in the House also on July 3, which sent the bill onto Gov. Rendell, who signed it on July 9.
“We want to thank Rep. Staback for his hard work and diligence in getting House Bill 1859 through the system,” Roe said. “It was not an easy task, but a needed one.
“Increasing penalties for serious violations is one of the operational objectives within the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Strategic Plan. This marks the first comprehensive piece of legislation to increase Game and Wildlife Code penalties since 1987, and we believe it will significantly enhance wildlife protection in the Commonwealth, especially since this marks the first time that some poachers could actually face prison time for their actions.”
Rep. Staback noted that, from Day One, when he first sat down with Carl Roe to talk about putting an anti-poaching bill together, he wanted the penalties to be so tough that they would become a deterrent, keeping people from committing the crime in the first place.
“I wanted that shooter to know that he faces high fines and jail time for breaking wildlife laws, not just a slap on the wrist like before,” Rep. Staback said. “After three years of effort, working side by side with the Game Commission, the new laws on the book treat poachers and black marketers just as they are – criminals who deserve the stiff penalties that they now will face in the court of law.”
Roe noted that, before the passage of this bill, a poacher could kill every big game animal – which includes deer, elk, bear and turkey – in Pennsylvania and the penalty was the legal equivalent of a traffic ticket with no possibility of jail time.
“Under this legislation, those convicted of killing five or more big game animals, or three big game poaching offenses within seven years, will face possible felony-level penalties ranging from $1,000 to up to $15,000, loss of license privileges for 15 years, and up to three years in prison,” Roe said. “In fact, even the poaching of a single deer now carries a minimum of a $1,000 fine and up to 90 days in jail, with five years license revocation.
“This is an enormous step forward in creating deterrence to poaching. It treats the theft of wildlife, which is what poaching is, similar to the theft of anything else in regards to punishment, and ultimately enhancing the protection of the Commonwealth’s wildlife resource.”
As examples of how the new law would be applied, Rich Palmer, Game Commission Bureau of Wildlife Protection director, noted that a case from last December in which two individuals who went on a two-day poaching spree that resulted in at least eight dead deer were liable for up to $6,400 in fines and three years of hunting license revocations. Under the new law, for committing the same offense a violator would be looking at up to $15,000 in fines, up to three years in jail, and up to 15 years of license revocation.
In another example, two individuals were found guilty of killing a black bear out of season last year. They were each charged with committing a summary offense, with fines up to $1,500 and three years license revocation. Anyone caught committing the same crime now is facing a misdemeanor offense with fines up to $3,000, up to six months imprisonment, and five years of hunting license revocation.
The new law also includes heightened penalties for the buying and selling of game; increased fines for summary offenses, such as using unlawful methods or devices; increased penalties for the killing of threatened or endangered species; and increased jail time for non-payment of fines from 120 days to six months.
“For the person who jacklights a couple of deer, kills a bear to sell its gall bladder or claws, or goes on a killing spree for some twisted reason, Pennsylvania’s wildlife protection laws now for the first time include felonies and misdemeanors that fit the crime,” Rep. Staback said. “Sportsmen are the most vocal group demanding tough treatment of poachers because they know that not only does poaching deplete a resource, it gives a black eye to the sport that we all enjoy and respect.”
Roe noted that a second bill, Senate Bill 1200, would complete the state’s effort to discourage would-be poachers from committing their crimes in Pennsylvania. SB 1200 is Senate Game and Fisheries Committee Chairman Richard Alloway’s measure to enroll Pennsylvania in the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact. This bill passed the Senate unanimously on March 23, 2010, and presently is awaiting a final vote in the House of Representatives.
“By having Pennsylvania part of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, anyone convicted of poaching-related offenses in Pennsylvania also would lose their hunting privileges in other IWVC-member states,” Roe said. “Similarly, those convicted of poaching-related offenses in other IWVC-member states would not be able to lawfully hunt in Pennsylvania.”
Given the variations of hunting laws from state to state, SB 1200 spells out the specific hunting violations that would place someone who loses their hunting privileges in another state on the Pennsylvania list of ineligible license buyers. This list also represents the only violations committed in Pennsylvania that will be added to the IWVC database. Those specific offenses listed in Senate Bill 1200 include: unlawfully using lights to take wildlife; buying and selling game; hunting or furtaking under the influence of drugs or alcohol; shooting at or causing injury to a human; counterfeiting, altering or forging a license or tag; committing violations related to threatened or endangered species; assaulting/interfering or causing bodily injury to a Wildlife Conservation Officer; hunting or furtaking while on revocation; and illegally taking or possessing big game in closed season. The list also would include those convicted of other wildlife crimes classified as fourth-degree summaries or greater, such as road hunting, if there are two convictions within a 24-month period.
“Enactment of these two bills will go a long way toward closing Pennsylvania’s borders to those who have proven themselves to be unrepentant poachers,” Roe said. “House Bill 1859 already has been enacted. The second bill, Senate Bill 1200, is nearing the finish line, and I urge our state legislators to enact this bill to improve the Game Commission’s ability to protect wildlife.
“Also, I thank the many sportsmen’s organizations for once again standing up for wildlife and for law-abiding and ethical hunters and trappers for supporting these two measures.”
With the increased penalties and the possibility of Pennsylvania soon joining the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, Roe noted that there is yet a third reason that poachers need to be wary of perpetuating their illegal practices in Pennsylvania: the general public.
“The Game Commission is noticing a renewed ‘we’re-not-going-to-take-it-anymore’ attitude from concerned residents and law-abiding hunters who are taking the initiative to report what they are seeing and hearing, and we applaud them for their efforts,” Roe said. “Calls and e-mails to our Turn-In-a-Poacher (TIP) Hotline have increased and resulted in several solid convictions. In fact, some of the information is so overwhelming that defendants simply pled guilty rather than having the embarrassment of going to court to try and defend their indefensible actions.
“The bottom line is that Pennsylvania will no longer be walked on – like a welcome mat – by those who abuse their hunting and trapping privileges in our state or other states.”
Note to Editors: If you would like to receive Game Commission news releases via e-mail, please send a note with your name, address, telephone number and the name of the organization you represent to: PGCNews@state.pa.us
SOURCE Pennsylvania Game Commission
via Pennsylvania Pulls Welcome Mat Back From Poachers – Press Release – Digital Journal.
Kentucky Afield Outdoors: Use These Tips For An Excellent Deer Season
September 3, 2010
FRANKFORT, Ky. – Picking the right entry and exit route to your treestand or ground blind might be more important to success in deer hunting than where you actually hunt.
“I’d much rather hunt a marginal stand location, where bucks don’t know they’re being hunted,” said Bill Winke, who gave a deer hunting seminar at the recent Quality Deer Management Association national convention in Louisville. “I’m scouting for hidden access routes. Good deer sign is easy to find.”
Winke believes traveling undetected when entering and exiting a hunting area is the real secret to whitetail success. He’s deer hunted an average of 60 days a season for the past 20 years and manages 1,200 acres in south-central Iowa.
He also goes to extreme measures to stay hidden from the keen eyes, ears and noses of deer. “If a big buck knows he’s being hunted, you can forget it,” Winke said. “Chances are you’ll never see him again during the season from that stand.”
The strategies he outlined will work anywhere during both archery and firearms deer seasons.
“I like to get in fast and quiet,” said Winke, a columnist for Petersen’s Bowhunting magazine and publisher of MidwestWhitetail.Com. “If deer don’t know you’re there, you’ve got a good chance at getting a shot.”
Wilke strives to emulate the old saying, “the first time you hunt a treestand is the best” every time he hunts. This is true regardless of the number of times he’s used a particular treestand.
He uses gullies, creeks, standing corn and fencerows to shield his movement.
“I don’t like to go in (to a stand) in the dark,” said Winke. “I want it to be just light enough to see my feet so I won’t step on sticks and make too much noise.”
If downed timber or brush clutters a route, he often goes in before the season and clears the way with a chainsaw. However, Winke cautions that mowing paths to treestands with a tractor can cause problems.
“Deer will sometimes adopt a mowed path as a trail,” he said, “and catch your scent on the ground where you’ve been walking.”
Stands should be approached from down wind, or cross wind, as long as the hunter’s scent is not being blown in the direction deer are expected to approach.
“I like to hunt on windy days, especially when I’m going through standing corn to get to my tree,” said Winke. “Standing corn screens your movement and the rustling covers the sounds of walking.”
He stays away from his best stands on calm days. “Deer can hear you approach from a long way off when it’s quiet in the woods.”
Winke resists the temptation to sneak around his hunting area before the season.
“You need to match normal human activity whenever possible, and park where deer expect vehicles to be parked,” said Winke. “Don’t park too close to where you are going to hunt. Park at a house or beside a barn and take the long way in to your treestand.”
He checks the trail cameras he positions on the edges of fields from a pickup truck. “I mount my trail cameras on metal fence posts,” Winke said. “That way I can drive right up to the camera, replace the memory card with a blank one, and drive off.”
Driving tractors and trucks around a hunting area mimics normal farm traffic, and doesn’t alert deer to danger, like a human on foot does.
He encourages hunters to set their stands and trim the trees well in advance of the season opening day.
An avid bow and muzzleloader hunter, Winke concentrates on does (antlerless deer) in October and bucks in November.
His favorite time to hunt is when the bucks are cruising, just prior to the onset of breeding. “That usually falls between Nov. 5 and Nov. 10, with Nov. 7 being my favorite day to be in my best treestand,” Winke said.
Kentucky’s 135-day archery season begins Saturday, Sept. 4. At the beginning of archery season, Kentucky deer are focused on food. Fields of clover, alfalfa, or sprouting wheat, planted as a cover crop, are good places to hunt.
Pick a tree that provides good cover in a fenceline for your treestand, or a brushy area in the corner of the field for a ground blind. Early in the season the wind predominately blows from the west or southwest, but frequently shifts to the northwest with the advance of cool fronts.
Facing your stand northwest is the ideal positioning for hunting cool front. That way you’ll have the sun set over your left shoulder, and the wind in your face. Deer approaching from upwind won’t be able to smell you, and you’ll be hidden in the shadows as the sun moves to the western horizon.
Early in the season, concentrate on hunting in the late afternoons, especially during the first and last quarter moon periods. This is when the moon is a thin crescent and positioned at 12 o’clock in the sky at dusk. Deer are most likely to converge on feeding areas before dark during this time.
Modern gun deer season opens Nov. 13 statewide. The season runs until Nov. 28 for Zone 1 and Zone 2 counties and until Nov. 22 for Zone 3 and Zone 4 counties.
For other information on Kentucky’s 2010-2011 deer season, visit our website at: fw.ky.gov.
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