Spate of Hunter Injuries Spurs New Call for Tree Stand Safety – US News and World Report
February 15, 2011
14 falls, 4 deaths in Alabama during recent hunting season leads experts to urge more caution
(HealthDay News) — Hunters who use tree stands can stay safe if they take proper precautions, say researchers who previously published a study on tree stand safety.
The reminder comes after it was announced that 14 hunters in Alabama fell from tree stands and four died during the recent deer-hunting season. That’s the highest number of deaths from tree stand falls in Alabama in a single year, said the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Across the United States, as many as 30 percent of hunters who use tree stands will have an incident at some point, according to the National Bowhunter Education Foundation’s Project Stand. More than half of those who use tree stands neglect to use a “fall arresting device”; and about one-quarter of those who fall from tree stands suffer serious injuries.
“Hunting can be safe — provided hunters have the appropriate training and safety equipment”; Gerald McGwin, an associate director for research at the Center for Injury Science at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said in a university news release. “Improvements in the safety design and proper use can help to minimize the burden of injury in the hunter population related to tree stands.” Click Link Below For Full Story!
via Spate of Hunter Injuries Spurs New Call for Tree Stand Safety – US News and World Report.
Mixed reactions to proposal to change Pa. deer hunting season – York Dispatch
February 15, 2011
JOHN WALK The York Dispatch
When it comes to rifle deer hunting season, West Manchester Township resident Don Moul said he considers himself a traditionalist.The rifle hunting season begins the Monday after Thanksgiving and ends the second Saturday in December.So each year, Moul said, he travels to the mountains the Saturday after Thanksgiving to "get settled in and get things in place. So that way I’m ready to go that Monday."Legislation that was recently introduced to get the season to start sooner — the Saturday after Thanksgiving instead of Monday — would disrupt Moul’s schedule, he said.Legislation: Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-Luzerne County, introduced the legislation last week.Mullery said he is pushing the legislation to help some hunters who expressed to him "an inability to enjoy the tradition of hunting because of an inability to get time off from work.""Several of the gentleman I spoke with were union workers who were unable to get off work for hunting because they’re so down on the totem poll to request off work," Mullery said.Opposition: But state Rep. Keith Gillespie, R-Springettsbury Township, said he believes most hunters would not be in favor of the change."I’m a big hunter. And I have a lot of hunting buddies. And they’re very much against it from a tradition standpoint," said Gillespie, who is also a member of the House of Representatives’ Game and Fisheries Committee. Click Link Below for Full Story!
via Mixed reactions to proposal to change Pa. deer hunting season – York Dispatch.
Advocates concerned about impact of hunting scandals – The State Journal-Register
February 15, 2011
By CHRIS YOUNG (chris.young@sj-r.com)
THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
Those at the top of their game may be willing to do anything to stay there. Even cheat.
But when baseball players use steroids or a hunting video star appears to flout the law, fans can feel hurt or betrayed.
At the moment, Exhibit A in that category is Jeff Foiles, a Pike County waterfowl guide and producer of the “Fallin’ Skies” video series, who faces multiple-count indictments in both the United States and Canada for routinely exceeding bag limits. Footage of the hunts in question ended up in his waterfowl hunting videos.
Foiles faces 23 counts in the U.S. indictment. He could be sentenced to jail and to pay fines of thousands of dollars if convicted.
But Foiles isn’t the only prominent hunter who’s faced allegations of breaking the law.
Five hunters, including television personality and self-described “whitetail addict” Andrae D’Acquisto, 49, recently reached a plea agreement with state and federal authorities relating to baiting of deer in Menard County.
D’Acquisto ended up paying more than $2,000 for not having a valid license or habitat stamp.
Even famous rock star and hunting advocate Ted Nugent recently ran afoul of the law in California. He pleaded no contest to a charge of baiting deer and not having a properly signed hunting tag in 2009, violations that cost him $1,750.
Baiting deer is legal in some places, but not in California or Illinois.
Advocates for Illinois’ 316,000 hunters say the actions of a few could hurt the sport’s future.
“Any bad publicity about our industry is bad,” said Stan Potts of Clinton.
Potts is the host of “Dominant Bucks” on the Outdoor Channel and co-host of “North American Whitetail Television” on the Sportsman Channel. He and his wife Brenda both work in the hunting industry. Click Link Below For Full Story!
via Advocates concerned about impact of hunting scandals – Springfield, IL – The State Journal-Register.
Colo. wildlife officials woo nation’s elk hunters – The Denver Post
February 15, 2011
By CATHERINE TSAI Associated Press
DENVER—After years of watching sales of elk licenses slide, Colorado wildlife officials are launching a nationwide ad campaign to bring more hunters to the state.
The trick will be convincing people who pay hundreds of dollars for a nonresident hunting license in some states that the 23 million acres of public land and 300,000 elk in Colorado are the best in the West.
"We have exceptional elk hunting. It’s very good in many of the western states," said Al Langston of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. "It’s up to the hunter to decide what system fits."
The Colorado Division of Wildlife gets about two-thirds of its $110 million budget from hunting and fishing licenses, but sales of elk licenses in Colorado dropped by more than 37,000 from 2005 to 2009, with revenue falling by roughly $8 million in that time, Director Tom Remington said.
About 229,000 limited draw and over-the-counter licenses were sold in 2009, with thousands left unsold.
The division largely doesn’t get money from the state’s general fund, drawing instead from lottery funds, federal excise tax revenue and mostly, licenses.
"It’s critically important for us to attract elk hunters. It’s our very survival," division spokesman Randy Hampton said.
This week, the division is launching its "Elevate Your Game" marketing campaign with a new website—huntcolorado.org—that went live Monday. It’s also running ads in the March issues of Outdoor Life magazine and Game and Fish magazine, on websites geared toward outdoorsmen, and on The Sportsman Channel and the Outdoor Channel to draw elk hunters. Click Link Below for Full Story!
via Colo. wildlife officials woo nation’s elk hunters – The Denver Post.
Fly Fishing Film Tour brings 10 cutting-edge flicks to The Bing – Spokesman.com
February 14, 2011
Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
The Fly Fishing Film Tour is making its fourth annual winter run through Spokane on Thursday, bringing the pulse of rivers, saltwater flats and heart-thumping music to the Bing Crosby Theater.
Ten new films have been compiled into two hours of drama, savage strikes and humor set to start at 7 p.m.
The tour – booked in more than 90 cities in 31 states and Canada so far this year – showcases some of the best independent outdoor filmmakers focused on fly fishing from saltwater flats to high mountain ranges.
“The goal of the Fly Fishing Film Tour is to energize the industry and inspire filmmakers to create new cutting-edge films to both entertain and educate outdoor enthusiasts,” said Thad Robison, tour co-owner.
The films, presented in high definition, often feature the first public looks at new footage from across the globe. The evening revs up with audience prize giveaways.
After previewing the films, it’s clear that the filmmakers are getting much more sophisticated at going beyond the fish-strike action and “That’s a good fish!” dialogue to telling the stories behind the fishing adventures.
“Filmmakers really stepped up this year,” said Doug Powell, tour spokesman. “Great stuff. Our main problem is there’s too much good stuff,” he added, noting the difficulty in honing the tour to two hours. Click Link Below For Full Story
via Fly Fishing Film Tour brings 10 cutting-edge flicks to The Bing – Spokesman.com – Feb. 13, 2011.
Eastern Elk Flourish | Bowhunter.Com
February 9, 2011
Traditional thinking has always said “Go west!” for elk, but hunters nowadays are rethinking tradition.
By Dr. Dave Samuel
Ask bowhunters what their favorite animal to hunt is and most will answer deer. However, a growing number will pause and then say something positive about elk hunting. Every fall, more and more bowhunters travel westward to hunt elk because rutting, bugling bulls stir their souls.
They fly, drive, and some (myself, for example) even go west via Amtrak. No matter how you get there, hunting elk is one of the most exciting things you can do with a bow. However, the time is coming when significant numbers of hunters won’t have to travel out West to bowhunt for elk. That’s because huntable populations of elk are growing throughout the Midwest and in an increasing number of states east of the Mississippi River.
The eastward migration of elk began slowly but has mushroomed in recent years. Beginning in 1997, Kentucky brought in 1,550 elk from the West and released them at eight sites. The original goal was to reach a population of 7,000 by 2019, but the herd topped that number by 2008. One reason for this rapid growth is an extremely high calf survival rate of 92 percent. That success has led to today’s population of 10,000, with 800 permits issued to hunters. Click Link Below For Full Story!
via Eastern Elk Flourish.
Hunting amendment wins approval from House panel | The Courier-Journal
February 9, 2011
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Two proposed constitutional amendments — one making hunting and fishing a right and one automatically restoring most felons’ right to vote — cleared the first step of the legislative process Tuesday.
Neither bill faced significant opposition in passing the House Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee. They now move to the full House.
House Bill 1, one of House Speaker Greg Stumbo’s main priorities for the session, would make it a right rather than a privilege to hunt and fish. The National Rifle Association has pushed similar legislation in several other states.
“There are some people who truly do question the importance of this bill,” said Rep. Leslie Combs, the Pikeville Democrat who is the bill’s sponsor.
But Combs said the amendment would protect the economic development and tourism that accompany hunting and fishing. She also said it would prevent any anti-hunting groups from seeking a ban on it. Click Link Below For Full Story!
via Hunting amendment wins approval from House panel | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com.
Questions raised about handling of charitable elk hunting permits | Kentucky.com
February 9, 2011
By Beth Musgrave — bmusgrave@herald-leader.com
FRANKFORT — Lawmakers peppered staff of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Thursday about a potential ethics violation involving lucrative elk hunting permits that are used as fund-raisers for non-profit groups.
Legislators also raised questions about an agreement that calls for Kentucky to give Missouri 150 elk over the next three years in exchange for crappie to restock Kentucky lakes. The Government Contract Review Committee has never seen a contract between the two states allowing the wildlife exchange.
Marcheta Sparrow, secretary of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, confirmed after Tuesday’s meeting that there is a complaint before the Executive Branch Ethics Commission regarding the awarding of charitable elk hunting licenses.
Lawmakers had questioned why the nine-member commission that oversees Fish and Wildlife decided to award three elk hunting permits to a non-profit group with ties to current and former commissioners when state regulations appear to say a non-profit may receive only one elk hunting permit.
The elk hunting permits can generate as much as $100,000 in raffles and auctions. Click Link Below for Full Story!
75-Year-Old Illinois Woman Wins FLW Fantasy Fishing Event
February 9, 2011
‘Fishin’ Momma’ keeps contest, winning in the family
MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Mary Zedonis of St. Charles, Ill., knows a thing or two about professional fishing. The mother of five children, including an avid competitive angler, also knows a bit about Fantasy Fishing. In fact, the self-proclaimed "Fishin’ Momma" won $15,000 by playing FLW Fantasy Fishing presented by Straight Talk held in conjunction with the Walmart FLW Tour presented by Evinrude tournament on Lake Okeechobee Feb. 3-6. Zedonis correctly picked Brandon McMillan of Belle Glade, Fla., to win the event.
"Wait until I tell the kids," said Zedonis. "Our family plays Fantasy Fishing together. They originally called me ‘The Momma’ but I changed my team name to ‘Fishin’ Momma.’ Momma always seems to pick the right guys.
"We banter back and forth because Momma usually sits on top of the league, and I’m no spring chicken," Zedonis added. "You know what, we’ve been kidding like crazy because my son Paul is the big fisherman in the family."
In 2009 David Zedonis, one of the five children in the Zedonis family, topped his brother and mother in the Fantasy Fishing game that coincided with the FLW Tour’s Walmart Open on Beaver Lake.
"Momma" Zedonis did her own research for the Lake Okeechobee event, including reading the Pundits Picks on FantasyFishing.com and utilizing Player’s Advantage, to pick her winning lineup.
Zedonis’ Fantasy Fishing team was led by McMillan and earned her 2,280 valuable points that will continue to accumulate throughout the season. Zedonis’ picks have provided her with an early lead in the Fantasy Fishing season.
Fantasy Fishing is free to play, but fans can gain an edge with Player’s Advantage. Player’s Advantage is a unique tool that offers additional resources and information, and those with Player’s Advantage have won at a rate of four-to-one. An added benefit to purchasing Player’s Advantage is receiving access to the FLW Outdoors Magazine e-Edition.
"The fact that I won…I’m just giggling because it tickles me," Zedonis said. "The Fishin’ Momma really knows what she’s doing."
Playing Fantasy Fishing has been a fun way for the Zedonis family, who live in three states (Indiana, Illinois and California), to stay connected. Zedonis hopes the family’s third win comes at the upcoming EverStart Series Western Division event on Lake Roosevelt where her son Paul is competing as a pro.
"It’s something to look forward to as a family," Zedonis added. "It’s very much a bonding thing for our family. It’s fun to tease one another and write little notes to each other. There aren’t too many things for families to bond with any more. Everybody’s off doing their own thing. This is a beautiful thing for everybody, really."
Finishing in second place on the fantasy side for the Lake Okeechobee event was Mark Smith of Virginia, Ill., who won $5,000, and in third was Larry Gragg of Pine Bluff, Ark., who won $1,000. Several other winners from Montana to Florida to Ontario took home prizes ranging from $500 to $10.
The 2011 Fantasy Fishing season consists of 10 tournaments surrounding the Walmart FLW Tour with cumulative and individual tournament prizes. Fans compete for more than $25,000 in cash and prizes from each of the 10 tournaments and a top prize of $15,000. The cumulative grand prize is $100,000 with the overall runner-up winning a Ranger Z-520 boat with a Ranger Trail Trailer, 250 Mercury outboard, Minn Kota Maxxum 80 trolling motor, Lowrance electronics and trolling motor batteries – all valued at $54,000.
The third-place overall winner will win a Chevy 1500 Silverado valued at $38,000, and fourth place will take home a FinCraft 17 Dual Console boat with a 115 Evinrude outboard that is valued at $27,000. A BRP Can-Am Outlander 400 All-Terrain vehicle, valued at $8,000, will be awarded to the fifth-place finisher; while sixth- through 10th-place finishers will win Walmart gift cards ranging in value from $9,000 to $5,000.
To begin playing, visit FantasyFishing.com and sign up. A team will automatically be selected for you, but you can edit that team and choose the 10 anglers you think will place the highest in the next Tour event. You must then select the angler you think will win the tournament and predict that angler’s cumulative winning weight, which will serve as the tiebreaker. Player’s modifications to their teams must be finalized by 11:59 p.m. ET the night prior to the tournament.
TracFone Wireless, America’s largest "no-contract" cellular service provider is the official and exclusive mobile phone service provider of FLW Outdoors. Supporting a two-member professional fishing team, Team Straight Talk’s Scott Canterbury and JT Kenney will compete in internationally televised events on the 2011 Walmart FLW Tour.
ABOUT FLW OUTDOORS
FLW Outdoors is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 191 tournaments in 2011. FLW Outdoors has taken fishing mainstream with the world’s richest fantasy sports game, FLW Fantasy Fishing presented by Straight Talk, where competitors can play for free as well as sign up for Player’s Advantage to gain an edge. For more information about FLW Outdoors and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com or FantasyFishing.com.
FLWOutdoors.com
Visit the FLW Outdoors Media Center at FLWOutdoors.com/mc for additional information.
via 75-Year-Old Illinois Woman Wins FLW Fantasy Fishing Event — MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ –.
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