From cheerleader to record bear hunter – Outdoors – NewsObserver.com

BY MIKE POTTER

WAKE FOREST — Heather Jones Shepherd is a former Leesville Road High cheerleader, a Meredith College alumna and a record-setting bear hunter.

Shepherd, 24, has been hunting since she was 16 and has taken seven kinds of game.

“People have always known I was different,” said Shepherd, a human resources and finance specialist for Rocky Mount company AvuTox, which produces pain management drug screening. “A cheerleader and a dancer who’s also a hunter. They always called me a hillbilly or a redneck.”

But she wasn’t prepared for what happened in Hyde county on the morning of Nov. 14.

The bear she took down that day was a behemoth. The 678-pounder was the largest bear taken by a female with dogs, and the second-largest by a woman in North Carolina. It was the 12th largest taken since the record book started in 1969, with a “green score” of 21 7/8 inches.

That score put the kill in the Boone and Crockett All-Time Book, which recognizes all green scores over 21 inches.

Shepherd was on her first bear hunt that morning, accompanied by her father, Dicky Jones, of Raleigh and Greg McDonald of Fayetteville.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via From cheerleader to record bear hunter – Outdoors – NewsObserver.com.

Hunting, fishing on posted land? Get written permission | The Charlotte Observer Newspaper

Hunting, fishing on posted land? Get written permission

A new North Carolina law requires hunters and anglers to obtain written permission from a landowner or leaseholder before hunting or fishing on privately owned posted property – including land, waters, ponds or legally established waterfowl blinds.

The Landowner Protection Act also provides two ways to post land: by using vertical purple paint marks on posts or trees, or, as in the past, by placing signs or posters.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Hunting, fishing on posted land? Get written permission | CharlotteObserver.com & The Charlotte Observer Newspaper.

Hunting and Fishing Have Major Economic Impact in Tar Heel State

RALEIGH, N.C. (Sept. 3, 2008) – According to the organizers of National Hunting and Fishing Day, people in North Carolina spend more than $1.7 billion annually on their recreational hunting and fishing activities.

National Hunting and Fishing Day on Saturday, Sept. 27, recognizes that economic impact while celebrating – and encouraging – outdoor recreation. All four of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s education centers will host and participate in National Hunting and Fishing Day events:

* John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Center in Fayetteville will hold a wildlife expo for youth. For more information, call Kris Smith at (910) 868-5003.
* Centennial Campus Center for Wildlife Education in Raleigh will also hold a wildlife expo. For more information, call Beth Gunn at (919) 707-0205.
* Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education in Corolla, will be a part of a Ducks Unlimited Greenwings youth event at Mackay Island Wildlife Refuge. For more information, call Sharon Meade at (252) 453-0221 ext. 8.
* Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education near Brevard will hold an introductory fly-fishing seminar, along with fly-fishing and fly-tying demonstrations. For more information, call Emilie Johnson at (828) 877-4423.

“Spending by sportsmen supports a wide range of businesses while benefiting wildlife conservation and habitat protection,” said Walter “Deet” James, North Carolina’s Hunting Heritage Biologist. “Those dollars generated by hunting and fishing have a ripple effect throughout the state, for rural areas, mom and pop businesses, the tourism and travel industry, manufacturing and retail, and much more.”

Hunting and fishing are popular recreational pursuits for residents and visitors, who are apparently quite willing to open their wallets to enjoy the North Carolina outdoors. The economic stimulus of hunting and fishing equates to $4.7 million a day for North Carolina, according to the report “Hunting and Fishing: Bright Stars of the American Economy ~ A force as big as all outdoors.” It reports hunting and fishing directly supports 29,000 jobs and provides $818 million worth of paychecks around the state.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission recently published “The 2006 Economic Benefits of Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife Watching in North Carolina,” which provides in detail the economic stimulus on market sectors, employment contributions and other factors of this important travel, tourism and recreational demographic.

According to its authors, Southwick Associates, economic data can help increase awareness of the importance of fish and wildlife, and, as a result, boost conservation efforts and public recreational opportunities.

For information on hunting and fishing opportunities in North Carolina and a free download version of “The Economic Benefits of Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife Watching in North Carolina” click here. For more information on National Hunting and Fishing Day, go to www.nhfd.org.