Getting Ready For Hunting

By 10 a.m. the following day, we were in the saddle and on our way to the camp at the mouth of the Cold River, between Seward and Santononi mountains. The long ride was uneventful, but good living began to take its toll where the soft flab met  the hard leather. At one of the breaks, Joe Keane put the smiles back on our faces. We had just pulled to a halt and were dismounting when Joe’s foot caught in a stirrup and he met mother earth flat on his back. We rushed over to give him a hand, but he waved us off, rose slowly, and while brushing the dirt from his clothes announced, “We Hollywood stunt men need constant practice in order to stay in shape.”

At 2:15 we arrived at camp. It consisted of one eight-man tent, one four-man tent, a large cook tent, and a small two-man tent which was used to protect saddles and bridles. The latrine and horse shelter were covered with plastic sheeting.

Ed Wallace was on hand to greet us, and after showing us around camp he took us to the cook tent for lunch while Bud Wallace and Frank Gearwar, our guides and wranglers, unsaddled and fed the horses.

“You’ve got 25,000 to 30,000 acres to hunt back here, and there are plenty of big bucks on them,” Ed Wallace us as we painfully sat down at the dinner table. This started the usual question-and -answer period in which both guides and hunters feel each other out at the beginning of any trip. After an hour of deer talk, we policemen were fired up with enthusiasm. So we excused ourselves, strolled to out tent, and without a word to one another, loaded our rifles and headed toward a creek a mile from camp which Frank had told us was a favorite drinking place for deer.

At the creek, Bill Kevlin and I decided to try our luck upstream. Bill Halley and Joe headed downstream to try a little sitting and waiting. We stayed the one remaining hour till dark, saw nothing, and returned to camp. The steak dinner that night was fabulous and an indication of the good living we enjoyed for the remainder of the week. Ed proved to be a good cook, and quite the storyteller – a sure-fire combination in any hunting camp.

Everyone was up and raring to go at 4:30 the next morning, though the sound of rain falling on the tent made us a bit apprehensive. Seeing the worried look on our faces, Frank Gearwar drawled, ” If you boys are worried that you’ll have to stay in camp this morning, forget it. They haven’t invented the kind of weather that keeps this crew from hunting.” That remark coupled with a big breakfast of flapjacks, bacon, and eggs had the eight of us straining at the bit by 5 o’clock. We were on the road as soon as it was light enough to see. Ed had decided we would stand along the same creek the four of us had hunted the previous afternoon. Since this spot was only a mile from camp, the horses were given the day off.

When we reached the creek, Ed told Bud Wallace and Frank to continue on the road for another mile before cutting in on the far side of a large cedar swamp. Ed would string the hunters along the creek, putting each of us at a good vantage point. After the last hunter was on his point, Ed would climb a hardwood ridge which bordered the swamp and walk along the crest until he reached the end of the cedars, bringing him in line with Bud and Frank. Ed would then start moving diagonally downhill hoping to push feeding deer off the ridge and into the heavy cover of the cedars. Meanwhile, Frank and Bud would be moving through the swamp toward the line of waiting hunters. One hunter was stationed on the road to cover any deer which might try to elude the trap by crossing it.

Before the drive got under way a shot rang out, and for the next 45 minutes eight watchers sat on their stands like coiled springs. Though Joe, Bill and I had hunted for several years, this was our first deer drive.

 

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Hunting for Grouse

First began hunting, I thrashed through every likely looking bit of cover, scouring the same spots each fall. Some years certain places held birds, other years they didn’t.

One damp little hollow that cut through a pine woods was like that. The reason became apparent only after I discovered an extensive blow-down  nearby that was draped with grapevines. When frost grapes were scarce, the birds were satisfied to feed on wintergreen berries and leaves, arbutus leaves, witch-hazel buds and flowers, and similar fare in the little hollow, but in good grape years they moved into the grapevines. Many converts are similarly affected.

Finding grouse is not necessarily shooting at them, for they are notoriously hard to get in one’s sights. Fortunately, they seldom fly more than a few hundred yards when flushed, and if missed or not shit at, they can often be jumped again. Follow the bird’s line of flight and work out the likely looking spots, fanning out a bit as you go.

Reflushing has several advantages. As a rule, the birds will stick tighter after flushing the first time. In addition, grouse that jump from dense cover will often land in fairly open woods nearby and hide beneath an isolated fallen tree or similar sparse concealment. Reflushing them will usually provide fairly easy shooting.

The gunner who continually complains that grouse are flushing wild, busting out while he’s crawling under windfalls or putting brush behind him, is likely to be more at fault than the grouse. I don’t claim you can outwit Old Ruff every time. He’s a smart and unpredictable bird, and no matter how hard we try, he’s going to make a fool of us with embarrassing frequency. But there are ways to get more and better shots at the old boy.

Take wild-flushing birds, for instance. Sometimes no power on earth can keep them on the ground until you’re within shotgun range, particularly when leaves are dry and noisy underfoot, when tangles underbrush makes you fight for every yard, or when you catch them out in the open.

However, some things hunters do make birds flush wild. One is dawdling. Take too much time in approaching a hidden bird and he’ll get so nervous he can’t stay put.

 

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Hunting Season

I wanted a black bear badly, but when I finally had one within bow range, I needed some luck just to stay alive.

The first five days in October, 1964, were too warm for deer hunting. Michigan’s bow season opened on the first of the month, and Frank, my dad, and I hunted in our shirt sleeves in the Millersburg  area between Alpena and Cheboygan, knowing that if we killed a deer we’d have to head for home in a hurry to prevent the venison from spoiling. But on the night of October 5, the temperature tumbled to 18 degrees and enough snow fell to cover the ground.

“This is more like it,” dad said when we rolled out of the sack in our cabin on Lost Lake a couple of the sack in our cabin on Lost Lake a couple of hours before daylight next morning. “We’ll do all right today.”

The morning was clear and crisp, with brilliant stars in a cloudless sky. We knew that until the snow began to melt, the woods would be too noisy for stillhunting. Walking on the frozen leaves would be like stepping on potato chips, and a deer would hear us coming a quarter of a mile off. That meant we’d have to be on our stands before the first hint of daylight. We hurried through breakfast, and in darkness just before dawn we parked the car on a woods road about eight miles from the cabin and walked into the woods.

We knew exactly where we wanted to be at daybreak – on a big oak ridge half a mile wide and bordered by swamp on three sides. Deer feeding at night on acorns would be moving back into the swamp in early morning. We’d had good hunting there before.

We hiked a mile to the foot of the ridge and separated. Dad moved to my right, Frank to the left. We’d be on stands about 400 yards apart, with mine in the center. A light breeze blew into our faces, and conditions couldn’t have been better for a couple of hours or so of runway watching.

I crossed a series of small ridges, all grown thick with oak and jack pine, and chose a stand just short of the crest of the main ridge. From here, I’d have fairly clear shooting on all sides. I stopped behind a big oak to wait for daylight.

Soon I heard a deer snort close by. I couldn’t locate it, and I was wondering whether it had picked up my scent or was snorting for some other reason when I heard frozen leaves crackle and break about 60 yards to my right.

There was enough light by then for me to make out a medium-size deer angling across the ridge at a trot, following a course that would take him in front of me and about 25 yards away. Then I saw small horns. I still don’t know whether he was a spike or a four-pointer.

 

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Who Needs a Grouse Dog?

Any hunter applying the tactics described here will get along all right without one

Look for these

Bunchberry. Grouse in Canada and U.S. like red fruits of this dwarf dogwood. Wintergreen or teaberry. Grouse are fond of both the berries and leaves.

Food Found in Grouse Crops

Acorns, witch-hazel flowers and buds, wintergreen berries and leaves, greenbrier leaves, laurel buds and seed capsules, blueberry buds, a spider

Wild grapes and shield fern

Green clover leaves, alfalfa, wild strawberry, wild carrot, and narrow-leaved plantain

All hawthorn fruits

All black-birch catkins

 

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Inside the minds of two true hunters

The heart of hunting season is months away. The good news is that we have a Manitoba summer head to help pass the time. There’s the dock, the deck, the barbecue and the beverages. And to help you get in the spirit for the fall season, here are two books all about our favorite subject.

Be warned however, that these are not filled with tips on mounting a scope or breasting out mallards. Instead, these books will make you think about the pastime that we all love. They might even help answer that age-old question, Why do we hunt?

Facing the Hunter: Reflections in a Misunderstood Way of Life by David Adams Richards

This Canadian novelist owns a resume that’s the envy of other writers. He has the distinction of grabbing the Governor General’s Award for both fiction – Nights Below Station Street – and non-fiction – Lines on the Water: A Fisherman’s Life on the Miramichi.s

Needless to say, he can aptly throw a few words down on the page. And that’s why this book is such a joy to read. Richards walks us through his stomping grounds – the Miramichi Valley in New Brunswick – and recalls his first hunts with much romanticism. But then he gets down to business, vehemently defending hunting.

“And I realized that hunting, or the terrible reputation it has among ‘civilized’ men and women, is and can be its own worst enemy. And one reason for this is that hunting is now a product of that very civilization that decries discomfort and work, and ingenuity, and in the end bravery.”

Richard pulls no punches in expressing his distaste for everything connected with city living. In fact, he goes on a bit of a rant, even dipping into the way his children are schooled in the big city. But then he gets back into those passages that show off his chops as a writer.

“So he turned up along the slippery brook in the cold, splendid autumn day. He kept looking at the leaves floating down in the current. By this he surmised how fast the deer was moving. Then, just when he thought he’d been mistaken and was about to turn back, he saw something on one of those leaves that floated past him. It was a spot of blood.”

Non-hunters will need to be seriously open minded to get what Richards is poking at in this one – namely, that hunting goes way, way beyond mounds of dead birds and five-pointers mounted on the wall. But for those in the fraternity, it certainly shows us why we feel the way we do about hunting.

The Mindful Carnivore: A Vegetarian’s Hunt for Sustenance by: Tovar Cerulli

This is the story of a vegan turned hunter. Yes, you read that correctly. But before you roll your eyes and dismiss this once-vegetarian, know that he started off as an avid angler, killing and eating plenty of fish. Then, for a long stretch, he didn’t eat anything with parents. By the end of this story, there’s a rifle in his hands. So really, this book is about a journey. And it’s a compelling one.

Cerulli’s book speaks to me because it’s about two of my favorite subjects: hunting and food. Or more specifically, where my food comes from. For me, hunting doesn’t end when I pull the trigger. It’s about closing the circle and that means eating what I kill.

This book will coax you into thinking about things that you may not have considered part of your hunting career: ecology, landscape use, sustainability, nutrition and food safety.

On his journey, Cerulli eventually reintroduces fish and fowl into his diet. But it still doesn’t seem to be cutting it for him. Then, after a long chat with a friendly hunter, a notion dances through his head.

“What about hunting? The thought came quietly, furtively, like an unwelcomed  stranger.” Now things are getting interesting. Cerulli goes on to explore many subjects, both personal and public, including why fishing is more socially acceptable than hunting. He points out that in the U.S., there are more than 30 million anglers compared with 12.5 million hunters.

“Is it because we see fish as  ’other’, but perceive mammals, and to a lesser degree birds, as kin? Or is our greater discomfort with hunting rooted in its violence, so much more sudden and final than that of fishing?

There’s a lot to love about this book including Cerulli’s gift with the pen. “Meal by meal, I began to sense how indebted my life was to other lives, how inextricably intertwined. The blood of deer did run through my veins, and the blood of woodchuck and hare, chicken and trout – the blood of the land itself.”

 

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Gun Safety Tips

Hunting safely should be your main priority on any hunting expedition. There are multiple deaths and injuries each year from firearms. If you are like myself you do not want to lose a vital body part or cut your life short due to a firearms accident. Knowing and abiding by gun safety rules is key in returning home to your family each and every night.

No one knows gun safety like the National Rifle Association. Listed below are some gun safety tips contributed by our friends at the N.R.A. Your decision to practice gun safety just might save your life.

The fundamental NRA rules for safe gun handling are:

  1. ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.
    This is the primary rule of gun safety. A safe direction means that the gun is pointed so that even if it were to go off it would not cause injury or damage. The key to this rule is to control where the muzzle or front end of the barrel is pointed at all times. Common sense dictates the safest direction, depending on different circumstances.
  2. ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
    When holding a gun, rest your finger on the trigger guard or along the side of the gun. Until you are actually ready to fire, do not touch the trigger.
  3. ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.
    Whenever you pick up a gun, immediately engage the safety device if possible, and, if the gun has a magazine, remove it before opening the action and looking into the chamber(s) which should be clear of ammunition. If you do not know how to open the action or inspect the chamber(s), leave the gun alone and get help from someone who does.

When using or storing a gun, always follow these NRA rules:

  • Know your target and what is beyond.
    Be absolutely sure you have identified your target beyond any doubt. Equally important, be aware of the area beyond your target. This means observing your prospective area of fire before you shoot. Never fire in a direction in which there are people or any other potential for mishap. Think first. Shoot second.
  • Know how to use the gun safely.
    Before handling a gun, learn how it operates. Know its basic parts, how to safely open and close the action and remove any ammunition from the gun or magazine. Remember, a gun’s mechanical safety device is never foolproof. Nothing can ever replace safe gun handling.
  • Be sure the gun is safe to operate.
    Just like other tools, guns need regular maintenance to remain operable. Regular cleaning and proper storage are a part of the gun’s general upkeep. If there is any question concerning a gun’s ability to function, a knowledgeable gunsmith should look at it.
  • Use only the correct ammunition for your gun.
    Only BBs, pellets, cartridges or shells designed for a particular gun can be fired safely in that gun. Most guns have the ammunition type stamped on the barrel. Ammunition can be identified by information printed on the box and sometimes stamped on the cartridge. Do not shoot the gun unless you know you have the proper ammunition.
  • Wear eye and ear protection as appropriate.
    Guns are loud and the noise can cause hearing damage. They can also emit debris and hot gas that could cause eye injury. For these reasons, shooting glasses and hearing protectors should be worn by shooters and spectators.
  • Never use alcohol or over-the-counter, prescription or other drugs before or while shooting.
    Alcohol, as well as any other substance likely to impair normal mental or physical bodily functions, must not be used before or while handling or shooting guns.
  • Store guns so they are not accessible to unauthorized persons.
    Many factors must be considered when deciding where and how to store guns. A person’s particular situation will be a major part of the consideration. Dozens of gun storage devices, as well as locking devices that attach directly to the gun, are available. However, mechanical locking devices, like the mechanical safeties built into guns, can fail and should not be used as a substitute for safe gun handling and the observance of all gun safety rules.
  • Be aware that certain types of guns and many shooting activities require additional safety precautions.

Cleaning

Regular cleaning is important in order for your gun to operate correctly and safely. Taking proper care of it will also maintain its value and extend its life. Your gun should be cleaned every time that it is used.

A gun brought out of prolonged storage should also be cleaned before shooting. Accumulated moisture and dirt, or solidified grease and oil, can prevent the gun from operating properly.

Before cleaning your gun, make absolutely sure that it is unloaded. The gun’s action should be open during the cleaning process. Also, be sure that no ammunition is present in the cleaning area.

http://www.deerhuntersclub.com/tips/gun-safety-tips/

 

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Reviving the thrill of the hunt Third annual event at Oak Hammock

When Kadeyn Will first tried his hand at archery last year, the fletching of his arrows kept cutting the corner of his mouth.

But on his second time around this year, with his head tilted a cautious distance away, the arrows left him unscathed.

The 13-year-old cadet was practising his aim at an archery booth at the third annual Provincial Hunting Day at Oak Hammock Marsh on Saturday.

Kadeyn was taking all the extra target practice he could get, since he soon plans to take hunter education classes so he can go hunting with his dad.

“When I was a kid, my dad, every time he went on a hunting trip and brought out his guns, I thought, ‘Oh, this is something I’d like to do,’ ” he said. “It just built from there.”

Kadeyn was one of hundreds of city slickers and rural folk who turned up at Oak Hammock on a warm, windy and cloudless fall afternoon, the air filled with rifle shots, duck calls and a Red River jig.

Blair Will, Kadeyn’s father, has hunted for 20 years. He said he brought his son to show him the responsibility and respect that must go along with hunting.

“You have to respect the animals that are out there,” he said. “The other thing is, when you’re out there, you see what’s available — the environment, the trees, the animals. You want that to stay there for future generations.”

In 2009, the province declared the fourth Saturday in September as Provincial Hunting Day. The day is meant to celebrate the role hunting plays in wildlife management and conservation and to pique the interest in a new generation of hunters.

Manitoba Conservation says the number of hunting licences has remained steady for the last few years. In the 2009-10 season, there were 81,993 licences sold.

“The number of hunters has declined as people become more urbanized and are losing touch with the environment,” said Rick Wishart, director of education with Ducks Unlimited.

“People that hunt generally care about wildlife and the environment and support the conservation of habitat and wildlife. (The day) is just a good way to educate people and give them hands-on activities.”

The day’s events included watching pointer dogs in action, traditional Métis music, air rifle and archery games, a skinning demonstration and a workshop on game-calling.

“I think people these days are losing touch with their food source,” said Wishart. “That’s one great benefit of hunting. Within close proximity of your own home, you can collect your own food and learn where it comes from.”

Arborg resident Marvin Olson took in the day with his young sons, noting their interest in hunting has motivated him to get back into the sport.

“They’re starting to get a little bit older, so I wouldn’t mind start getting into it again,” he said. “It’s good bonding time between parents and the kids. It’s just fun.”

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/reviving-the-thrill-of-the-hunt-130520708.html

 

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HUNTING: Nesting duck numbers bode well for 2011 hunts

With an upswing in the 2011 numbers of some nesting duck species in the center of the North American continent, hunters in several of the four flyway management zones could see some increases in hunting opportunity.

Waterfowl specialists from Canadian Wildlife Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and non-profit cooperators including Ducks Unlimited found an estimated 45.6 million ducks in the traditional continental waterfowl survey area that stretches from the north central U.S. through the Canadian prairie potholes region into interior river valleys in Alaska during May nesting ground surveys.

The 2011 breeding duck numbers are a 4.8 million bird increase over 2010 estimates and represent a 35 percent gain over the long-term combined nesting duck average.

Waterfowl specialists say the 2011 nesting population is certainly taking advantage of a 22 percent increase in the number of ponds (8.1 million individual waters) found this spring. By comparison, in the same sampling areas in 2010 observers counted a total of 6.7 million ponds.But just how far nature’s largesse might spread, insofar as hunting is concerned, is yet to be determined.NESTING GROUND CONDITIONS

Northing ducks and geese this spring found conditions on their North American nesting

grounds, with a few exceptions, mostly good to excellent with potholes and marshlands generally well-hydrated.

Though this spring started cooler than normal with later than usual ice-outs, as an accelerated warm-up began breeding activity was said to be well underway by early June.

The very best conditions for duck nesting were seen in the north central United States (Montana and the Dakotas together with the prairie potholes region encompassing southern , south and central Saskatchewan and southwest Manitoba). The numbers of ponds and volume of moisture found this spring there were in stark contrast to the drought conditions seen in 2010.

Even as the region’s human residents were coping with significant flooding, Canadian and U.S. waterfowl observers reported seeing larger than usual numbers of dabbling ducks stopping over and nesting in the expansive wetlands.

One downside, potentially for some Pacific Flyway hunters, were wetland conditions in several areas of interior British , where a large segment of the passage birds that transit Puget Sound often nest.

Ducks Unlimited observers reported that wetland habitat conditions in mountainous southeast B.C. were categorized as being only fair, while the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s June report indicated the area of relatively poor conditions extended into the forested region of west central . A higher-than-usual forest fire count was also seen in this area during spring surveys.

These areas are used by a portion of the Pacific Flyway’s dabblers including mallards and the nesting areas selected by this sub-population often dictate where this mass of birds migrates south in the fall.

The further west into B.C. the ducks nest, the more likely it is they will come down through Puget Sound. If they nest to the east into , the bulk of those ducks will migrate south through the Washington’s Basin.

Good to very good conditions also were found in the coastal and northern interior regions of B.C. and Alaska, according to DU waterfowl specialists surveying those duck and goose production areas.

The upside of the late, wet spring in northwest B.C. forests is that northern pintail nesters were found in much greater abundance this year underscoring what may be a significant rebound of this duck species.

DUCK POPULATION TRENDS

Several dabbler species scored well in the 2011 spring waterfowl nesting survey conducted in the Canadian plains provinces and the North Central U.S.

However, waterfowl numbers were not found to be uniformly up in all areas such as interior B.C., northern and east central Alaska where breeding duck numbers actually fell.

Scoring at the top of the waterfowl hit parade this spring were nesting blue-winged teal, which were found in record abundance totaling an estimated 8.9 million birds. That’s 41 percent above their 2010 number and 91 percent above the blue-winged teal long-term average.

Blue-winged teal are among the first of the webfoot migrants to appear in Puget Sound often in mid- to late-September.

Overall, nesting mallard numbers this spring jumped nine percent above 2010 estimates to 9.2 million birds continuing in a rosy trend now 22 percent above their long-term average yearly abundance.

And another dabbler making a strong showing on the nesting grounds relative to the recent past is the northern pintail, which, at 4.4 million birds, bested last year’s count by 26 percent and the specie’s long-term average by 3.5 percent.

Trending downward as evidenced by this spring’s May nesting counts were American widgeon down 14 and 20 percent from their 2010 spring count and long-term average, respectively.

Lesser and greater scaup, a noteworthy winter resident in Puget Sound, whose hunting harvests have been curbed in recent years also were found in smaller numbers in spring nesting areas. At 4.3 million birds this spring, scaup lag by 15 percent their long-term nesting count average of just over five million birds per year.

PREPARATIONS FOR FALL

With fall duck and geese flight forecasts in the offing and rules for the upcoming 2011-12 water hunting seasons to be decided in early August, federal, provincial and state waterfowl managers are meeting this week to look over the data and set federal frameworks for season lengths and bag limits in the four continental flyways.

The Pacific Flyway’s technical meeting is at Bozeman, Mont., where specialists will be looking at numbers indicating a decline in overall dabbling duck productivity in north central B.C. and northern .

However, potentially countering those indications are information and estimates generated by a new relatively survey system done in other areas that Washington and other states have been developing.

Though each jurisdiction (state and provincial) enacts their own regulations and seasons for migratory birds each year, all duck, goose, mourning dove and band-tailed pigeon season durations, bag limits and species restrictions must conform to the limitations in the federal framework set by each flyway’s duly authorized committee.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service supervises these committees.

States are free to lower bag limits and reduce the number of open hunting days below the federal standard and may even ban hunting for certain species locally, but they may not exceed any of the terms in the flyway guidelines.

Pending the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission’s adoption of the 2011-12 migratory waterfowl hunting package Saturday morning, Aug. 6, there are some things bird hunters can do to begin preparing for fall hunts.

In addition to breaking out and refurbishing decoys, camo material for portable blinds and other gear, now is the time to do some on-line homework. Here are some suggestions:

Quality Waterfowl Hunts – check out the fish and wildlife department’s website for duck and goose hunting at wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/waterfowl/index.html.

While a portion of the links open to what is now out-of-date material on regulations and seasons, some links will give you valuable insights into programs such as the Waterfowl Quality Hunt and the Snow Goose Quality Hunt programs that are providing significant opportunities to access private farm lands heretofore off-limits to most hunters.

Most of the links on this webpage will be updated in mid- to late- August or in September after new rules are set.

State Wildlife Areas – to learn more about publicly owned lands available for hunting throughout the state, log on to the fish and wildlife department’s website for its wildlife areas at wdfw.wa.gov/lands/wildlife_areas/.

The two complexes in Northwest Washington of key interest to would-be waterfowlers residing here are the Whatcom Wildlife Area and the Skagit-Snoqualmie Wildlife Area.

This portal allows a search by installation name or you can call up all the fish and wildlife department owned and managed lands by individual county.

Registering for authorizations – to harvest some migratory bird species, hunters, in addition to some version of a basic hunting license together with federal and state migratory bird stamp equivalents, must have special written authorizations issued by the state of Washington.

These documents must be in hand to hunt for and possess band-tailed pigeons, sea ducks (scoters, long-tails and harlequins), brant (Skagit County) and snow geese (Skagit, Island and Snohomish counties).

Hunters holding these documents are required to report their effort and harvest at the end of individual hunting seasons for each species. If that is done promptly and completely, each registered hunter remains in good standing and will be automatically in line for the coming year’s document. But, by rule, if you fail to report you could be ineligible to receive the coming year’s authorization.

Though the system suffered some glitches last year, if you were in good standing as of February 2011 you should be in line for the appropriate documents this fall.

First-timers can register to receive their initial authorizations at wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/permits/migratory/index.html.

Hunter education classes – any person born after January 1972 seeking their first-ever hunting license here in Washington must take and successfully pass a sanctioned hunter education class and present a certificate of completion to a license dealer when buying their initial documents.

Qualifying instruction in other states is acceptable in lieu of taking a class here as long as there is a certifiable document presented.

Washington’s hunter education courses include about 10 to 12 hours of instruction and some offer actual supervised firearms handing and shooting if they are taught at or near a shooting range.

Though available in some areas year-round, many classes are scheduled for late summer and fall just before general hunting seasons open.

Taught by a cadre of well-trained volunteers supervised by WDFW, seating and enrollment may be limited so finding and signing up early for a class can save considerable turmoil in September and October.

HUNT RAFFLES SALES WIND UP

Today is the last day hunters can buy raffle tickets for Washington’s special big-game hunt permit giveaways.

Because of Washington State gambling restrictions, it’s no longer possible to buy these lottery tickets online or by phone.

You can only buy them over-the-counter at fishing and hunting license dealers, the names and locations of which can be found at wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/vendors.

An extensive list of these big game permit opportunities and combos can be found on pages 75-77 of Washington’s 2011 Big Game Hunting Seasons and Regulations pamphlet.

This set of drawings will award permits for some highly coveted hunts both by big game species as well as region of the state.

There is no limit to the number of tickets you can buy for each named raffle drawing.

The cost per drawing ticket are as follows:

? Individual deer, elk, moose and mountain goat permits: $5.90

? Bighorn sheep permits: $11.90

? Multi-hunt (three species) permits: $16.70

? Multi-hunt (four species) permits: $22.10

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/07/21/2111541/hunting-nesting-duck-numbers-bode.html

Moose hunting suspended in part of Manitoba Ban is to ensure sustainable populations in the future

Manitoba has put a temporary ban on moose hunting in some parts of the province.

The halt is limited to defined areas north of Pine Falls and south of Bissett.

The no-hunt zone stretches from Lake Winnipeg to the border with Ontario and includes Nopiming Provincial Park.

According to official, moose populations have declined by almost 50 per cent in that part of the province since 2006.

The aim of the temporary ban is to ensure sustainable populations in the future.

The limitation applies to all hunters, including treaty and aboriginal hunters.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2012/01/21/mb-moose-ban-120121.html

 

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Hunting season approaches

It may not be cool enough yet for people to start thinking about hunting season, but it is quickly approaching and there are a few new developments hunters need to be aware of before they head out.

Brian Hagglund, wildlife allocations manager with Manitoba Conservation, said there have been some minor changes in regulations that hunters should be aware of.

“We’ve dropped the second deer licence in some game hunting areas, mostly in the Interlake,” he said. “We’ve increased the muzzleloading deer season in the game hunting areas 26 and 36, and of course we’ve closed some more moose seasons up in the Porcupine Mountain and Swan Falcon area there the game hunting areas 13, 13A, 14, and 14A and some others we’ve closed archery seasons in 12, 34, and 34C.”

But that’s not it, Hagglund said. Manitoba Conservation has increased opportunities for drawn seasons in the Turtle Mountain areas.

“We’ve kind of divided it into two separate areas now,” he said. “It used to be a combination of five game hunting areas 27, 28, 29, 29A, and 31A and we’ve split it to have the Turtle Mountains 29, 29A is one draw, and 27, 28, and 31A the ag kind of country as another draw. We’re finding that there’s more and more moose in the ag country, so we’ve had numerous complaints about that. The land owners would like to see the moose population go down there.”

When it comes to hunting waterfowl, hunters should be aware that some regulations have changed. Sand hill crane can now be hunted across the province, and start dates on upland bird seasons have been moved to match up with the waterfowl hunting that begins Sept. 1 and Sept. 8. In Portage la Prairie specifically, the upland game bird season has been changed to open Sept. 8 and close on Dec. 18.

Hagglund also wanted hunters to know as of Jan. 1, 2012, it will be mandatory to have passed a hunter safety course.

“We always recommend that hunters go out and do some shooting beforehand to get their shooting skills in shape and brush up on their hunter safety,” said Hagglund. “We do encourage every hunter to have a safe and successful hunt. The big thing is safety, always being sure of your targets and that kind of thing.”

Wade Duncan, manager of MacDonald’s Sporting Goods in Portage, said warm temperatures have been keeping people away from the hunt.

“With the hot weather that kind of slowed everything up a bit. Today is the first day that’s it really looked and felt like fall. I would expect that now it’s going to sort of turn the tap on a little bit and people are going to start getting out and getting at ‘er,” said Duncan.

Duncan said there are already a lot of ducks and geese around and big game like deer will not be too far behind. This has got some people stocking up, with a lot of electronics being popular this year, such as trail cameras.

“In terms of waterfowl hunting, they always come out with a different kind of shot shell. Shoots farther or stronger … advancements of what we’ve had in the past,” said Duncan.

http://www.portagedailygraphic.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3302146

 

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