Field Notes

Discussion Topic: ASA Calls for Action Against Proposed Washington Lead Ban

Online Editors — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:48:41 -0500

From an American Sportfishing Association press release:
Without evidence that lead fishing tackle is posing a threat to loon populations, a proposed ban in Washington State is completely unwarranted!

10-Point Buck Attacks Upstate New York Man

Online Editors — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:22:17 -0500

And when I say upstate, I’m talking way upstate. Namely, Moira, NY—only a handful of miles from the Canadian border and just down the road from North Bangor, where I grew up. I can tell you, there is not a lot for the deer to do up there, so I’m not surprised to read about one getting into trouble, but this was uncalled for. From the Watertown Daily Times:

ICCAT Cuts Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Quota

Online Editors — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:19:33 -0500

From the Environmental News Service:
The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna, ICCAT, reduced the total allowable catch for 2010 to 13,500 metric tonnes down from 22,000 tonnes in 2009. . . .

Forty-eight countries from around the world are contracting parties to ICCAT. . . .

Black Bear Kills Llama In New Jersey

Online Editors — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:17:41 -0500

Yet another reason for a NJ bear hunt, from the New Jersey Herald:
When she heard a different kind of sound coming from the llama pens that night, Lynn Gannon knew something was wrong

"I grabbed the flashlight and went out. It was a kind of scream I had never heard before. Then I saw it. A bear was tearing at Lily[, one of the llamas]," she said. . . .

"The bear. . . ripped her open," Gannon said of the wounds, and the veterinarian euthanized the llama. . . .

Chad Love: Predators Behaving Strangely

Online Editors — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:20:37 -0500

There are wildlife photographers and then there are National Geographic wildlife photographers. Even in today's real-time, caught-on-tape video-dominated culture the photographers of NG just keep capturing still images and stories with the power to awe. Images and stories like this

Besides highlighting the exceptional clankers one needs to be a NG photographer, it shows - in dramatic fashion - how little we really know about animal behavior: how they process information, what they feel, how they think, what emotions they are or aren't capable of.

Discussion Topic: Do You Trust Your State Fish And Game Agency?

Online Editors — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:38:17 -0500

From a Southwick Associates Press Release:
In an October 2009 survey, Southwick Associates asked anglers and hunters which type of organization they trust the most for accurate information regarding fish and wildlife conservation. The results of the monthly AnglerSurvey.com and HunterSurvey.com poll show that state fish and wildlife agencies are considered the most trustworthy source of conservation information among hunters and anglers.

Wildlife Obsession Turns Into Strange Poaching Case in PA

Online Editors — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:36:28 -0500

From a Pennsylvania Game Commision press release:
Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officers today announced that, on Oct. 29, [Andrew Moore, 46, of Tannersville] pled guilty to 30 counts of illegal possession of various species ranging from blue jays to raccoons, from chipping sparrows to gray squirrels, from groundhogs to purple finches. . . .

Fishing Boat Sinks Off New Jersey, 3 Men Missing

Online Editors — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:34:21 -0500

From an AP story via myCentralJersey.com:
Coast Guard boats, planes and helicopters searched the roiling ocean off Cape May on Thursday for three commercial fishermen whose boat sank, and colleagues of the missing men prayed for a miracle. . . .

Chad Love: Trail Cams in the Classroom

Online Editors — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:36:04 -0500

Trail cameras are, for hunters, becoming so ubiquitous that we often don't think about their potential for other uses. I certainly never did until my son said he wanted one for Christmas, not for hunting, but to record all the various wildlife that travels through our rural back yard.

I thought it was a great idea, and in the broader context I thought it had real potential to get kids interested in the outdoors. But as I was perusing the excellent Southern Rockies Nature Blog recently I discovered a link to a teacher who had already figured that out.

Discussion Topic: Tim Pawlenty Under Gun Over Wounded Buck

Online Editors — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:31:58 -0500

From the Minnesota AP News:
Gov. Tim Pawlenty shot a buck during the Governor's Deer Opener [on November 7], but he and his hunting companions were unable to find the wounded animal. . . .

"We gave her the old college try two days in a row," said Mark Johnson, executive director of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association and an organizer of Pawlenty's annual outing. . . .

[T]he governor was unable to keep up the search because he had to leave for Iowa . . . [to speak] at a Republican Party fundraiser. . . Saturday night.

Johnson said the rest of the hunting party — 10 people with close to 200 years of cumulative hunting experience among them — went looking for the governor's deer but determined that it wasn't all that seriously hurt.

This report broke while I was away bowhunting in Iowa—but like the governor’s buck, the story is still kicking, with the potential GOP presidential candidate taking heat from nonhunters and hunters alike. For example, from the Star Tribune: