Man Kills 22 point buck

One Georgia hunter is celebrating a likely record kill. Fletcher Culpepper killed a 22 point buck Monday in Worth County, Georgia. The four-year-old deer weighed nearly 250 pounds. Culpepper says he almost didn't go hunting Monday because he just had surgery on his shoulder, but at the last minute he decided to hit the tree stand.

Written by: Jeff Wyatt

Officials from West Michigan, home to several special events combining veterans and the outdoor activities, helped usher through state legislation that provides free hunting and fishing licenses for disabled veterans.

State Rep. Holly Hughes, who introduced the bill earlier this year, and Muskegon County Veterans Center Director Dave Eling were among the advocates for the new law signed last week by Gov. Rick Snyder. Beginning March 1, free hunting and fishing licenses will be available for any 100 percent disabled veteran applying for a license.

 

Eling, who presented Snyder with a military challenge coin in recognition of his efforts during the bill signing ceremony, described the free licenses as a nice recognition for the veterans.

"On behalf of all veterans in the state of Michigan, we are pleased that the Legislature has passed this legislation and that Gov. Snyder has signed it into law,” Eling said. “This will give 100 percent disabled veterans the ability to go hunting and fishing without the charge of a license. I am proud of Rep. Hughes for all of her work pushing this through."
Veterans who are 100 percent disabled can currently purchase hunting and fishing licenses at a 60 percent discount. Public Act 339 of 2012 waives the fees for any 100 percent disabled veteran who applies for hunting or fishing licenses in Michigan.
"Providing free licenses for disabled veterans is just a small token of our deep gratitude for their sacrifice for all of us," said Denise Gruben, manager of licensing and reservations for the Department of Natural Resources. "We want veterans to be full participants in outdoor sports. We're pleased to make these licenses available to qualifying veterans beginning next March under this new law."

 

More than 3,000 disabled veterans in Michigan purchased hunting or fishing licenses in 2010.

"This is a small token of our gratitude and a way to help those who have made such overwhelming sacrifices for our country," said Hughes, R-White River Township. "Helping these veterans enjoy the many wonderful natural resources our state offers can also help them find a sense of normalcy in their lives by being able to return to the places and outdoor sporting they love."
Based on the new law’s language, a “disabled veteran” refers to a resident who has been determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to be permanently and totally disabled as a result of military service or a resident rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as individually unemployable.

By: Eric Gaertner

Reading Body Language

Communication among white-tailed deer always has intrigued hunters. North American Indians used crude calls to bring deer close, but only in the past 20 years or so has deer calling caught on among modern day hunters.

However, most forms of whitetail communication witnessed by observant hunters are silent. Learning this body language can make you both a better and more successful hunter. Here are some messages to look for your next time afield.

The best known communication display among does and bucks is what I call the frozen stare, in which a deer’s body becomes rigid, its chin held high and its gaze locked on some item of interest. It’s used when danger is suspected (such as a hidden hunter) and other deer readily pick up on it.

A deer also will stare in the direction of a perceived intruder, watching for any movement. Following a concentrated stare, the deer might appear to lose interest by dropping its head and seemingly forgetting about its subject. The deer then abruptly jerks its head upward to catch any errant motion. The game might last a few minutes and is sometimes embellished by the deer stomping the ground in an attempt to make the object of its concern reveal its identity and/or location.

The turret-like movement of a deer’s large, cupped ears is an additional form of body language. Although the ear’s main function is to amplify sounds, a rigidly held, flicking ear also alerts other deer that something’s up.

A deer’s white hind end is the transmitter for a variety of unspoken messages. The basic body language is for bucks and does to raise their tails and flare the long, white hairs as they flee danger, usually with the tail waving back and forth. Even the rump hairs might be stiffened and raised, making much of the rear end white. This familiar process is known as flagging. Conversely, a deer attempting to maintain a low profile will tuck its tail and draw in its rump hairs, hiding as much white as possible.

Does exhibit another communication, tail wagging, as they loosely flop their tails from side to side, signaling their fawns to follow. The tail’s casual movement isn’t one of alarm, but rather an easily-followed sign used to maintain contact with fawns while feeding, traveling at night or when moving through understory.

Both bucks and does flick the horizontally held tail in a side-by-side motion to communicate. It’s employed when something’s believed to be amiss but doesn’t necessarily result in a deer immediately running from danger.

When a deer shifts its tail signals from flicking to horizontal hold — usually accompanied by a hard stare — it warns others that something’s not right.  But the deer might not have made a decision as to what it will do. A hunter scoping a deer should be forewarned that his target is about to bolt when the tail shifts from its normal, downward position to horizontal and then vertical. If the deer decides it’s a false alarm, the tail will drop back into its normal downward position.

By the time the fall rut rolls around, herd bucks that spent the summer in one another’s company will have established a social hierarchy based on interaction, aggressiveness and rack sizes. Small bucks might show their submission by grooming and licking dominant bucks on the head, shoulders and back. Direct eye contact by the younger buck, as usual, is a no-no.

Big bucks shielding their does from lesser bucks will render a hard gaze, laying back their ears and walking in a stiff-legged gait with their antlers directed forward. Even when bedded, subordinate bucks will not face dominant bucks, thereby avoiding accidental eye contact and a possible scuffle.

by Tom Fegely

Time to Get Ready for Hunting Season

With slightly less than a month remaining between now and the beginning of hunting season here in Ohio, and a couple of months until archery season, it is time for hunters to begin gearing up and getting ready to hit the woods this fall.

Most hunters have their own pre-season rituals but there are a few things that every hunter should do to get ready to avoid surprises, some of which may even be potentially dangerous, and I’ll cover a couple of those now. On the other hand, if you like surprises and danger, then you can stop reading now.

First, honestly ask yourself if you are actually ready to head into the woods or to climb a tree; sedentary lifestyles and poor fitness and dietary habits have a way of interrupting your plans the first time you have to hike into and out of the woods, drag a dead deer, climb a tree, saw limbs or many other physical activities.

Putting up a tree stand is hard work when you consider all the steps that are involved. Fortunately there is still time to get out and do some walking or shed a couple of pounds before hunting season. As always, talk to your doctor before you start any serious fitness program.

One thing you should do is get out in the woods and visually inspect your hunting areas; your favorite tree stand tree may have blown down, or trees may have fallen across your access roads – especially this year after the big derecho. Of course someone may have put in a new logging road or new house right next to your hunting grounds. There may not be much you can do about the new-found situation, but at least you will be spared an opening morning surprise.

Changes can also alter wildlife travel and resting habits; windfalls may allow more light into the understory creating the opportunity for more undergrowth and vegetation. These are mostly natural changes and create a little diversity of habitat.

If you are like most hunters you are probably going to rely on an all-terrain vehicle or utility vehicle to haul you and your hunting equipment into the woods. Most ATVs are very reliable but that doesn’t mean you should neglect basic maintenance like checking or changing your oil, maintaining your tire pressure, checking or replacing your brakes or making other recommended changes and adjustments. The time to find out you have a bad battery is not when you loading or unloading your ride into the back of your pickup truck. A little TLC will help ensure your steed doesn’t let you down when you need it the most.

If your bow or gun hasn’t been out of the closet since last fall you’ll need to get it out and, first, make sure it is in safe working order, properly cleaned and tuned, sighted in or adjusted. Then invest a little time and ammo in making sure it’s still shooting straight. One thing many aging hunters don’t consider is that their eyes may have changed over the past year, or they have a different glasses prescription or new lenses that drastically change the way things appear through a scope or through sights. In any event, you want to make sure you are capable of making a good shot and a swift, humane kill.

Tree stands? Check them out carefully, paying particularly close attention to any weight-bearing straps or cords that may have abraded or rotted during the off season. Practice putting it up, and don’t neglect checking out and adjusting your harness.

Don’t forget to purchase your hunting license and any necessary tags! Familiarize yourself with any changes that may have taken place in the game check or licensing systems in your state. Peruse the updated hunting laws and seasons because there may have been changes during the past year.

The above is by no means an all-inclusive list of pre-hunting season activities, but they should be at least a good starting point to help make sure you and hunting buddy have a safe and enjoyable season!

by Jim Freeman

'Goat man' in Utah mountains identified as hunter

A man spotted dressed in a goat suit among a herd of wild goats in the mountains of northern Utah has been identified as a hunter preparing for a Canadian archery season.

After a hiker spotted the so-called goat man on July 15 in the mountains above Ogden, about 40 miles north of Salt Lake City, wildlife officials said they wanted to talk to the person to be certain he was aware of the dangers as hunting season approaches.

They speculated he might have been an extreme wildlife enthusiast who just wanted to get as close as possible to the goats. A few days after the spotting, state wildlife authorities received an anonymous call from an "agitated man" who simply said, "Leave goat man alone. He's done nothing wrong."

This week, however, the mystery was solved.

Phil Douglass of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said he received a call Monday from a 57-year-old Southern California hunter who explained he was merely trying out his goat suit in preparation for a mountain goat hunt in Canada next year.

"He gave me enough details about the area and the situation that it made me feel confident this was him," Douglass said Tuesday.

"In talking to him, I felt he was very knowledgeable, a very experienced hunter. He's hunted internationally," Douglass added. "My concern all along was that this person needed to understand the risks, and certainly after talking to him, I felt he was doing the best he could to understand and mitigate those risks ... He was simply preparing for a hunt."

The man did not identify himself, Douglass said, noting the hunter was concerned for his safety after widespread media coverage of the sighting, first reported by the Standard-Examiner of Ogden.

Coty Creighton, 33, spotted the goat man July 15 during his hike. He said he came across a herd, but noticed something odd about one goat that was trailing behind the rest.

"I thought maybe it was injured," Creighton said last week. "It just looked odd."

He said he pulled out binoculars to get a closer look at the goats about 200 yards away and was shocked. The man appeared to be acting like a goat while wearing a crudely made costume, which had fake horns and a cloth mask cut-out eye holes, Creighton said.

"We were the only ones around for miles," he said. "It was real creepy."

Douglass said 60 permits will be issued for goat hunting season in that area, which begins in September, and he had worried with the man in the goat suit might be accidentally shot or could be attacked by a real goat.

He said the hunter described the goat costume as merely a hooded painter's uniform and a fleece.

Douglass said wildlife officials encourage archery hunters to practice their skills and to "get themselves in a position where they make a clean and humane shot."

"That's exactly what he was doing," Douglass said. "There are laws that require people to wear hunter orange during rifle hunts, but people do wear camo during archery hunts."

And while it's not illegal to dress up like the animal you're trying to kill, Douglass said it's still dangerous.

"It's unwise," he said. "It's just a bad idea all the way around to do that kind of thing."

by Brian Skoloff 

A Good Hunting Buddy Lost

My friend John Dick died today. I wish you’d have had a chance to meet him. If not him, I at least hope you meet somebody like him someday. You won’t forget them.

John Dick and his favorite things - his family, represented by grandson, Harrison, right, his Lab, Molly and a good batch of ducks.

He wasn’t the very best goose hunter or the best deer hunter, but everything he did outdoors, he did danged well.

When he blew a duck call it sounded like there was a hen mallard beside you. If he said a distant flock had five pintails and three wigeon, it did.

If he handed you his knife it would be clean and scalpel-sharp.

But John was an even better hunting buddy than a hunter. When he asked how you were doing he really wanted to know, and he’d asked about your kids and wife by names, and wanted full details on how your dog was hunting.

He never hogged a conversation, but what he said was worth hearing…and often funny.

If  you shot at the same bird and it fell, he’d be quick to congratulate you, swear you hit it when chances were he downed the bird.

When he bought and furnished a small house near our duck spots it was instantly open to all of his friends, and he expected you to hit the ‘fridge and bring your dog inside “John’s Quack Shack.”

We were at his Quack Shack a few winters ago and whipping up a monster bunch of gumbo for the crew. John was petting his beloved Lab, Molly, while talking about family and friends. I noticed he repeated himself  and couldn’t remember things he had known well.

John knew something was wrong, probably seriously wrong. A brain tumor was diagnosed within a few days.

Rather than self-pity, John wasted no time getting his affairs in order and spending quality time with his family. He called me out of the blue, just to say how much he appreciated our friendship. It was a classy thing to do.

Brain surgery is never easy, and sometimes the surgery ends up being threatening, too. So it was for John, unfortunately.

As time went on, John became more and more the illness and less and less of the true John. I’m sure it was hell on his family, though they stuck by him admirably, and it was certainly hell on John, too.

But this afternoon he again became the old John, which is how he’ll be remembered.

He’s in a place where the mornings are cold but not brutal, the wind’s steady at about 15 mph out of the north and every day is opening day. If he gets his just rewards every passing flock will turn to his calls and his beloved pintails will be as thick as bees around a shaken hive.

I’m not sure who he’ll be hunting with in Heaven, but they’ve just gained a heck of a hunting buddy.

I hope I live a good enough life to hunt with John Dick again, someday.

by Michael Pearce

Read more here: http://blogs.kansas.com/outdoors/2012/07/08/a-good-hunting-buddy-lost/#storylink=cpy

Why hunting your own dinner is an ethical way to eat

Growing up, I didn’t know anyone who hunted. Hunters, I figured, were probably just barbaric gun nuts. Then, eight years ago, I moved from Manhattan to rural Oregon, to write for a small newspaper. My perspective shifted when I began interviewing hunters for my articles and realized that although I had long considered myself an environmentalist, these hunters – most of whom scoffed at the “E” word – were more knowledgeable and thoughtful about animals and nature than I was.
Eventually, I decided to buy a gun and join them. But don’t worry, I’m still an environmentalist, loud and proud.

Five Reasons Why Hunting a Wild Animal Makes an Ethical Dinner: 


1. Hunting has a light environmental footprint
No antibiotics, artificial hormones, pesticides, herbicides, or unnatural feeds were used in raising this meat. Unlike farmed animals, a wild one doesn't contribute to soil erosion, water pollution, or the displacement of native plants in favor of a monoculture. No land is tilled to feed a wild animal, so additional carbon isn’t released into the atmosphere.

2. Wild animals aren’t subject to the misery of factory farming
My venison was never confined, castrated, or branded the way most farmed steers are. My duck was never caged, de-beaked, or toe-clipped the way most domesticated poultry is. Wild animals, unlike many domesticated ones, aren’t bred, fed and medicated to achieve rapid weight gain so that they can be killed at just a few weeks of age.

3. None of the meat is wasted
After I shoot an animal, I gut it and butcher it myself (or, in the case of an 800-pounds bull elk, with some help from friends). This way, I know the meat was handled safely. I don’t have to worry about listeria or trichinosis. And I’m confident that as much of the animal as possible is used. To hunt and butcher an animal is to recognize that meat is not some abstract form of protein that springs into existence tightly wrapped in cellophane and styrofoam. Meat is life. So I seek out recipes that make the most of it. I cook it with care. I share with friends and family. I make sure eat every bite gets enjoyed.

4. Hunting pays for conservation
To hunt for elk this fall, for example, I’ve already bought an Oregon hunting license for $29.50, paid $8 to enter a lottery for the right to hunt in a particular spot, and purchased a $42.50 tag. That means I’ve already paid $80 toward wildlife research and habitat protection in my home state. Bird-watchers and hikers haven’t paid anywhere near that much.
With approximately 12.5 million hunters nationwide, we’re talking about real money. Proceeds from the Federal Duck Stamp – a required $15 annual purchase for migratory waterfowl hunters – have added more than five million acres to the national wildlife refuge system. And federal excise taxes on hunting equipment and ammunition garner more than $200 million a year for wildlife management and the purchase of public lands.

5. Hunting promotes conservation
To hunt is to participate in the ecosystem rather than just watch from the sidelines. When I track an animal, I use all of my senses to take in my surroundings, as if I were a wild animal myself. So by the time I actually shoot something, I’ve developed a deep connection to the species and to the land. I considered myself an environmentalist before I started hunting. But back then, all of my reasons for conservation were theoretical. Now that I hunt, I have a real-life, vested interest in seeing places – and wildlife populations – preserved in the long-term. Someday, I want take my son hunting in all of my favorite spots.


Lily Raff McCaulou