via LBL Quota Turkey Hunt Applications Available Online | SurfKY.com.

Why I Eat Wild Meat – Nature and Community – MOTHER EARTH NEWS

A veteran hunter and nature writer shares his belief that traditional hunting of wild meat draws us closer to nature and is a physical and intellectual challenge that fulfills one of our fundamental instincts.

By David Petersen

The out-of-doors is our true ancestral estate. For a mere five thousand years we have grubbed in the soil and laid brick upon brick to build the cities; but for a million years before that we lived the leisurely, free and adventurous life of hunters and gatherers. How can we pluck that deep root of feeling from the racial consciousness? Impossible!

— Edward Abbey

As one who makes no secret of his life preferences, I am often asked why I prefer to eat wild meat almost to the exclusion of domestic. It’s a fair question, to which I hope I have fair answers — beginning with health and nutrition.

By any comparison with the factory-produced, chemical-drenched, fat-laden pseudo-meat that too many Americans grow obese and sick from eating today, wild meat — fish, fowl or red — is brilliantly natural, inimitably healthy and morally superior. Wild game is the meat that made us human. Best of all, we must hunt in order to have it. The alleged “wild game” sold in some restaurants is in fact the comparatively flaccid flesh of captive wild animals and has the same culinary relationship to true wild meat as farmed salmon does to the genuine free-swimming creature.

And — this is my apologia — if we hunt with gratitude and reverence, we gradually acquire a personally meaningful love not only for the act of traditional hunting and the meat it procures, but for the animals we hunt as well.

Baloney, say hunting’s harshest critics. How can one who kills for “fun” feel compassion for his prey, the victims of the hunt?

To this emotionally charged yet seemingly reasonable criticism, I respond with a question of my own. Which would you rather be: a factory pig in a wire-floored cage whose neighbor in the next-door cage chews off your tail in frustration (for these are sentient beings), and you his; a castrated steer standing knee-deep in feedlot manure, being artificially fattened for undignified and panicked mass slaughter; a production-line chicken whose beak has been burned off to keep you from pecking your mates to death … or a deer, elk, turkey, or anything truly wild: born free, living and eventually dying where and as you lived, taken down by tooth and claw or winter’s cold white fangs or, yes, given a swift wild death by a well-placed arrow or bullet sent by a true hunter, one who cares about wildlife and its dwindling wild world and who isn’t merely killing for ego and antlers and who gratefully and humbly consumes your flesh? Forced to the choice — domestic or wild — which would you rather be, in death as well as life? Speaking to my fellow carnivores, I ask which is the greater “cruelty”: production-line domestication and mass slaughter, or wildness and fair-chase hunting?  Click Link Below For Full Story!

David Petersen has a long history with MOTHER EARTH NEWS magazine. He is the former Western Editor, and built his Colorado cabin from an early set of our building plans for a pole barn. He first met Edward Abbey when he interviewed him for the magazine. Check out his 9 wonderful books at David Petersen Books.

via Why I Eat Wild Meat – Nature and Community – MOTHER EARTH NEWS.

Bill for Sunday hunting in Va. makes it out of committee | PilotOnline.com

By Lee Tolliver

The Virginian-Pilot

The movement to open Virginia to Sunday hunting gained momentum Thursday when the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee voted 11-4 to turn a bill over to the full Senate.

Similar bills in years past have failed to make it out of committee.

“This has been a long journey,” said Matt O’Brien, a Suffolk hunter who two years ago started a Facebook page – “Legalize Virginia Sunday Hunting for All.”

“It’s game on now,” he said. “The Virginia Sunday Hunting Coalition gave a marvelous presentation.

I was not expecting this, and didn’t want to get my hopes up. But this is a huge day for Sunday hunting.”

The movement has had the support of other sportsmen’s groups, outdoors retailers, environmentalists and some lawmakers.

Several bills were rolled into one for Thursday’s session. The Senate now will review and vote on SB464, which allows private property owners to give permission to hunt on Sundays. Public lands would still be closed.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

The original bill was introduced by Sen. Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk.

via Bill for Sunday hunting in Va. makes it out of committee | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com.

Archery Range Opens In Madison County

FRANKFORT, Ky. – A new archery range is now open to the public at the Miller Welch-Central Kentucky Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Madison County.

Constructed on the northern edge of the WMA along Muddy Creek Road, the archery range consists of is a 12-target traditional range and a 30-target course through the woods, said Derek Beard, wildlife coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ Bluegrass Region.

Archers are already excited about the new facilities. “We had people using the range within minutes of putting up the final signs at the entrance and opening the gates,” he said.

Beard said the new ranges in Madison County will provide opportunity for area archers, bowhunters, and for groups such as sportsmen’s organizations, 4-H clubs, scouts, schools and church organizations. “With archery being one of fastest growing sports in the U.S. today, the new ranges will allow for expanded public archery opportunity within close driving distance of one of our fastest growing populations,” Beard explained.

The traditional static range includes 12 lanes with targets set at 10 meters and 15 meters, in addition to targets at 20 yards to 60 yards. Archers shoot into large outdoor archery targets that are secured into target sheds. The second range is a walking woods course consisting of a loop trail with lanes cut and a target placed at the end of each shooting lane. Archers can move within the lane to a comfortable distance ranging from 10 yards up to 65 yards.

The new ranges are open daily from 9 a.m. eastern time to sunset. To reduce impact to targets, broadheads are not allowed on arrows. Groups may apply to reserve a range for a shooting event, by submitting a WMA User Permit Application to the Area Manager for consideration. Call (859) 986-4130 for more information.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife also has archery ranges at Jones-Keeney WMA in Caldwell County, Curtis Gates Lloyd WMA in Grant County, Otter Creek Outdoor Recreational Area in Meade County and West Kentucky WMA in McCracken County.

For a complete listing of shooting and archery ranges on Kentucky’s wildlife management areas, go online to www.fw.ky.gov and click onto the “Maps and Online Services” tab, followed by “Other KDFWR Maps.”

Hunters Find Sandhills Challenging During Kentucky’s Inaugural Crane Season

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Larry Dreamis Hill failed in his quest to take a bird during Kentucky’s inaugural sandhill crane hunting season – but says it wasn’t for lack of effort.

“These birds were extremely challenging and seemed to change their patterns a little every day. I really enjoyed the challenge and look forward to future seasons of pursuing this bird. I remember when the first sandhill cranes showed up in Cecilia (in Hardin County) years ago – now I have the opportunity to hunt them. It’s very exciting,” said Hill, Cecilia’s retired fire chief.

Kentucky’s first modern hunting season for sandhill cranes came to a close Sunday, Jan. 15. The month-long season marked the first time in nearly 100 years that Kentucky sportsmen and sportswomen had the opportunity to hunt sandhill cranes in the Commonwealth. By closing day, hunters had harvested 50 birds. Kentucky had allowed for a maximum harvest of 400 sandhill cranes.

“The harvest number was not surprising to us because Kentucky does not have a tradition of sandhill crane hunting,” said Rocky Pritchert, Migratory Bird Program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “These are extremely wary birds and are a challenge to hunt. Sandhill cranes are hunted in a fashion similar to geese, using decoys in fields. Sandhill cranes are hunted for their meat. They are generally regarded as the finest table fare among migratory birds.”

Kentucky was the first state to allow sandhill crane hunting on the Eastern Population of sandhill cranes. The Mid-Continent Population of sandhill cranes has been hunted for more than 50 years in the United States.

Last fall, a survey coordinated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service counted a minimum of 72,000 sandhill cranes in the Eastern Population. “This population has experienced significant growth over the last decade and has reached a point where we can allow a limited harvest without impacting the population,” said Pritchert. “As a biologist it is my responsibility to ensure harvest does not negatively impact the population and this season will not harm the Eastern Population of sandhill cranes.”

This season, most of the cranes were harvested in Hardin and Barren counties. These are traditional wintering areas for sandhill cranes in Kentucky.

Hunters had to pass an online identification course before being issued a permit. Hunters will have to complete a post-season survey as well.

“The information obtained from these surveys helps us better understand how the season went,” said Pritchert. “The information obtained from this hunt will help us manage future hunts of sandhill hunts in Kentucky and other states that might potentially hunt sandhill cranes.”

The-Daily-Record.com – A deer story nearly 9 years in the making: Is this buck from the famed “Kaser Buck’ bloodline? And one hunter’s unlucky fate

By ART HOLDEN

Daily Record Outdoor Editor

If you hunt long enough, you’ll come to realize that it’s sometimes better to be lucky, than good.

While luck is often the result of preparation, being in the right place at the right time always trumps hard work.

This is a story of just such circumstances, neighbors in pursuit of the same thing, just different approaches.

It’s a story you can’t make up.

It’s a tale of a late-season muzzleloader hunt that produced the biggest deer of the year, and the best story in a long time.

The details stretch over 8 1/2 years, and also includes a monster buck from yesteryear.

The successful hunter is 72 years old and has just one arm, while the hunting-savvy neighbor comes up empty again.

It all started when I got a call from Bob Yoder this past Monday. He said his neighbor had shot a monster buck down by the Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area refuge. In the conversation, Yoder often mentioned that the buck was similar to the Kaser Buck.

That bruiser was shot in 2003 by then 17-year-old Jeff Kaser. News of that harvest quickly spread, and even Gordon Whittington of North American Whitetail magazine showed up to get a look at the 27-pointer. The deer was scored several times, as high as 244, while the Buckmasters BTC score sheet tapes it out at 229 3/8.

Kaser wound up selling his buck to Cabela’s, and it now sits in the Wheeling, W.Va., store as part of the outdoor chain’s homage to whitetail deer.

After hanging up the phone from Yoder, I went back and revisited the Kaser story that I wrote, and one peculiar point came out of it — a Bob Yoder helped the teenager track down his deer on that late October night in 2003.

So, I called Yoder back, and asked him: “Are you the same Bob Yoder that I wrote about in the Kaser story?”

And thus, the story begins….  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via The-Daily-Record.com – A deer story nearly 9 years in the making: Is this buck from the famed “Kaser Buck’ bloodline? And one hunter’s unlucky fate.

Tarpon tourney’s tactics draw fire | The News-Press

A new controversy is brewing about tarpon fishing in Boca Grande Pass.

For years, live-bait fishermen have been at odds with jig fishermen. Now a group of tarpon advocates is protesting the fishing tactics of the Pro Tarpon Tournament Series, a catch-and-release event that takes place on five weekends in May and June.

“I wouldn’t join that thing if you paid me a large sum,” said Rick Hirsch, a retired New York stockbroker who fishes for tarpon in Southwest Florida three to four months a year. “Every time I go through the pass during the tournament, I go through as fast as I can to get away from it. It’s a mess.”

Tournament director Joe Mercurio defended the event.

“It’s offensive to me when people come out and make comments about us, saying we’re destroying the fishery,” Mercurio said. “They’re passionate, and that’s great, but we ask them to have an informed opinion based on facts, not a whim and a prayer.”

The Charlotte Harbor system, which includes Pine Island Sound and the Caloosahatchee River, is considered the tarpon capital of the world.

Every May and June, tarpon migrate to Southwest Florida by the thousands and congregate in Boca Grande Pass.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Tarpon tourney’s tactics draw fire | The News-Press | news-press.com.

Fishing’s big rig: Lure catches on fast, but stirs controversy » The Commercial Appeal

By Bryan Brasher

Bobby Wilson, chief of fisheries for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, will be traveling to Shreveport, La., next month for the annual Bassmaster Classic on the Red River.

He won’t be competing.

As much he enjoys fishing, he has no delusions about his ability to keep pace with the most talented bass anglers on the planet.

Instead, Wilson will be on a fact-finding mission.

He wants to learn everything he can about a wildly popular new fishing lure called “the Alabama Rig.” Because during the next few months, he and other TWRA officials will have some tough decisions to make regarding use of the rig in Tennessee waters.

“It’s a complicated issue,” Wilson said. “We want to come to a decision on the rig as quickly as we can. But we also want to make sure we have as much information as possible before we make that decision.”

The Alabama Rig allows anglers to use as many as five lures on the end of one line — and because it’s so enticing to hungry largemouth bass, it’s not uncommon to catch two or more fish on a single cast.

But Tennessee classifies the bait as an “umbrella rig” and currently prohibits its use unless major modifications are made to each individual rig.

That law could be changed completely or not all, depending on Wilson’s findings.

“The one thing we’ve been stressing since the issue first came up is that we didn’t create this law to target people who want to use the Alabama Rig,” Wilson said. “It’s a law that was created 10 years ago, mostly to protect striped bass. We certainly didn’t decide to do this just because people started having success with the Alabama Rig.”  Click Link Below for Full Story!

via Fishing’s big rig: Lure catches on fast, but stirs controversy » The Commercial Appeal.

Arctic Winds Bring Float And Fly Time

FRANKFORT, Ky. – The late Charlie Nuckols owned a tackle shop and lure company in east Tennessee, near South Holston Lake. Winter crappie anglers who fished small marabou jigs deep under bobbers complained to him about big smallmouth breaking off their rigs all of the time.

This got Nuckols thinking. He, along with his brother Eddie, began experimenting with suspending small jigs, eventually settling on those tied with craft hair or duck feathers. They fished these jigs 8-to12-feet deep, suspended under bobbers cast on long, soft spinning rods along bluffs and deep points on South Holston Lake. They began to regularly catch smallmouth bass over four pounds on this new system. Word began to spread to other smallmouth lakes in the region, notably Dale Hollow Lake.

I read and heard about the technique and tried it a few times without success, using makeshift equipment ill suited to the task and fishing it with little passion. I wanted to get back to swimming a small bucktail jig just above bottom or casting live shiners – my preferred winter baits. After some friends starting having good success with the float and fly, I relented and bought the correct equipment and determined I would fish it until I caught a smallmouth.

It didn’t take long. Within my first dozen casts of fishing the float and fly correctly, I caught a 19-inch smallmouth that weighed right at four pounds. I’ve been hooked since. Now that arctic winds chilled the air and water in Kentucky over the last week, it is time to try this effective technique. The colder the water, the better the float and fly works.

The float and fly imitates what happens to baitfish such as shad in reservoirs in mid-winter. “Once the water temperatures drop below 50 degrees, shad don’t feel too good,” said Gerry Buynak, assistant director of fisheries for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “The cold water makes shad distressed and they flip around, twitch and swim in circles. The little jig imitates exactly what is happening to them.”

Smallmouth bass suspend under schools of baitfish and pick off the ones twitching as they fight to survive winter’s cold. Nature programmed smallmouth bass through the millennia to take advantage of easy feeding opportunities in winter. Female bass, especially, need winter nutrition to fuel egg development for spring spawning.

The next two months are the best time of year to employ the technique in the lower ends of Lake Cumberland, Dale Hollow Lake, Laurel River Lake, Green River Lake, Barren River Lake and the small mountain impoundments such as Cranks Creek (Herb Smith) Lake or Cannon Creek Lake.

When I got serious, I bought an 8 ½-foot rod from a top of the line manufacturer, attached a decent reel and bought a mixture of 1/16-ounce jigs made from duck feathers, craft hair or a mixture of both. I spooled on 4-pound test line and got busy. It isn’t necessary to spend a ton on the rod as manufacturers now offer affordable spinning rods from 8-to 11-feet long.

A 1/16-ounce craft hair fly in combinations of light blue, chartreuse, white, blue or silver work well. I drop down to 1/32-ounce flies on bright, shimmering days after a cold front.

Duck feather flies with stands of red or chartreuse craft tied into them produce best when the water temperatures fall below 47 degrees. Some anglers apply a petroleum jelly based scent called “dope” to their flies.

I trim my craft hair flies to match the bend of the hook and apply liberal amounts of dope. This gives the fly a slim profile and no action, which turns on lethargic smallmouths. If the water is a little stained, I apply dope only to the head of the fly to let the craft hair breathe and undulate so the smallmouths can find it easier. I only apply dope to the head of duck feather flies.

Set the bobber about 9 feet above the fly to start and adjust shallower or deeper as needed. Some anglers use a main line of 8-pound braided line running to a small brass three-way swivel with a leader of 4-pound fluorocarbon attached to one of the loops and clipping a small 7/8-inch pear-shaped plastic bobber to the other. Others simply tie a fly to a 4-pound main line of clear or green fluorocarbon or monofilament line and attach the bobber to the line as they are more comfortable with one knot than three. Both catch trophy smallmouths.

Cast the fly to main lake and secondary points or rock bluffs. Allow the bobber to ride up and down with the waves, letting nature impart action on the fly. After a time, reel in about five feet and repeat. In calm water, make the bobber wink at you by shaking the rod tip up and down to give the fly action.

Set your drag lightly. Watch the bobber intently. Big smallmouth bass often barely take the bobber under after they inhale the fly and don’t move. Trophy smallmouth bass coming from deeper water often engulf the fly and move shallower, causing the bobber to flop over on its side. Set the hook immediately if this happens.

Tackle shops around Lake Cumberland or Dale Hollow Lake carry the correct rods, flies, dope and other float and fly accessories. An internet search reveals dealers that carry this equipment as well.

Burn away the winter blues with a slipping drag from a huge smallmouth bass that just took your fly. The float and fly is similar to the bobber fishing you did as a kid, but instead of bluegill hitting, it is a 21-inch smallmouth.

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