Hunt Lake Manitoba Narrows

I recently talked to an old friend of mine from Ankeny, Iowa, who told me he is teaching his 14-year-old son to trap this year, not because of fur prices, which are very low, but because he wants to see him learn about the outdoors, the ways of the wild, what being a true hunter and outdoorsman is really about. Brad Coulson is an old time taxidermist and he feels, as I do, that deer hunting is the poorest way in the world to make a hunter and outdoorsman out of a youngster. Today though, there are few who trap, or hunt squirrels or rabbits, and the “trophy” idea is running rampant.

To my way of thinking, it is a horrible thing to make a trophy out of any wild creature, but hunters have never before been as they are becoming today, when nothing matters but the antlers.

“I see hunters come in here with a big set of antlers, measuring 160 or so and if they don’t make the Boone and Crockett record book, which requires 170 inches, they are just devastated.” Brad told me. “It is the only reason they have to hunt. I want to tell them how much they are missing. Most hunters 50 years ago would have been tickled to death with a deer like that.”

Today, big antlers are downright common. It takes monster antlers to make the big money now. Coulson gets a constant flow of deer-breeders catalogs in the mail, and he says they list hundreds and hundreds of breeders raising buck deer, trying to sell them to game ranches where “hunters” come in and pay from 15 to 50 thousand dollars to shoot that half-tame, pen-raised deer, fed a diet with meat byproducts to create a set of huge antlers. He says the catalogs increase each year to a point where there are thousands of 250- to 325-inch deer antlers being grown.

*
“Some guy will bring in an Iowa deer to be mounted, and he thinks because it will reach those Boone and Crockett requirements he has a rack worth 10,000 dollars,” Brad says, laughing. “Not anymore, a Boone and Crockett buck is fairly common now when you consider what is being raised in pens.”

Coulson has raised a lot of deer himself, raising one buck to the age of 12 years. He says the idea that letting a smaller buck go to become a big-antlered deer next year works just fine, sometimes. But many times, he will not get any bigger than he is. “I have seen 300-pound bucks with big, wide, forked antlers. If he is fed right, and has the right genetics, he may be an eight or ten-point buck at 1 and 1/2 years old, and at 3 and 1/2 years his antlers might be bigger or they might still be the same. But he might also lose a point or two, even though his antlers become heavier,” he said. “As he ages, his teeth wear down, and as his teeth wear, his antlers will not become any more impressive than they are.”

“Colorado tried the same thing years ago with mule deer that Missouri is doing now.” Coulson says. “They began to find a lot of big mule deer killed and left where they fell, because hunters just couldn’t tell for sure how many points the deer had, and they would shoot first and count later.”

He agreed that few hunters in heavy timber or brush, early or late in the day without good sunlight, can positively tell how many points are on each antler. Hunting conditions make it next to impossible to tell unless you use a good scope on your rifle, or binoculars. Too many hunters like me, who hunt with open sights in heavy woods, cannot count points on a moving buck they get a good look at for only fifteen or twenty seconds. And no matter what else can be said about the four-point restriction, that is the thing which disturbs me most… the fact that some hunter who never had a shot at a nice buck before will find out that the heavy antlers he saw had only three points on each side. And yes, sometimes that set of antlers will have more points next year, and sometimes it will not.

Coulson, an expert on deer antlers if I ever knew one, says that each deer is an individual, and theoretically, the whole plan sounds great, but there are so many exceptions to the rule, and a buck that becomes four or five years old, will seldom have the antlers he had at 2 or 3 years of age. That’s why the deer-growers sell deer at two and a half to three and a half years old, rather than keeping them until they are five or six. An aging buck may have heavier antlers with fewer points, or he may have small antlers his entire life.

The whole thing centers around money, and this tremendous ego which big antlers seem to stoke. Trophy antlers conceivably bring in more out-of-state hunters. Estimates are that this year, 18,000 non-resident hunters will come to hunt deer in Missouri, and the tags sell for 225 dollars each. Multiply that! The MDC has a lot to gain if trophy hunters think they can find bigger antlers in the state each year. If 5000 or so small bucks are killed and left in the woods, it isn’t considered to be a great number. The trophy hunter’s attitude about that is… who cares?

But you can count on this… the money factor is declining. Wild bucks will not produce the big-money-antlers in the future, unless you go to Manitoba to hunt. Once while goose-hunting in Manitoba in the 80’s I found the most unbelievable shed antler I have ever seen. Back in Missouri, a trophy-hunter nut said he would give me a thousand dollars for a set of antlers like that, if only I had found both.

But Bass Pro Shops and Cabelas can only buy so many racks for their walls, and they have about reached the maximum number they have room for. Those they bought ten years ago aren’t much now compared to the ones being raised in pens. Today, there are people making synthetic deer antlers which you cannot tell from real ones. A ten thousand dollar rack ten years ago may not be worth 100 dollars in another ten years.

And someday, that will put the quietus on trophy hunting…mounted deer head saturation. It then might thin out the numbers of the once-a-year hunters who stream out of the cities in their bright orange suits, and judge their worth according to the number and size of the deer heads they have hung on their office walls. Right now, the four-point restriction means money. It was instigated for that reason. But we only have to put up with this nonsense for a couple of weeks in November, and then the circus is over. The woods I walk through in December and January will be empty. And you would be amazed at the deer carcasses I will find.

As a side bar, it is interesting that this year a non-resident youngster under 16 years of age can get a deer tag which his father would have to pay 225 dollars for, at a cost of only 8 dollars and 50 cents. I hope a non-resident trophy hunter doesn’t figure out that he can bring his youngster and hunt bucks in Missouri about 217 dollars less. Of course, that never happens in the youth season, why would it happen in the regular season!

The website, www.larrydablemontoutdoors.blogspot.com. Write to me at Box 22, Bolivar, Mo. 65613 or e-mail lightninridge@windstream.net.

I recently talked to an old friend of mine from Ankeny, Iowa, who told me he is teaching his 14-year-old son to trap this year, not because of fur prices, which are very low, but because he wants to see him learn about the outdoors, the ways of the wild, what being a true hunter and outdoorsman is really about. Brad Coulson is an old time taxidermist and he feels, as I do, that deer hunting is the poorest way in the world to make a hunter and outdoorsman out of a youngster. Today though, there are few who trap, or hunt squirrels or rabbits, and the “trophy” idea is running rampant.

To my way of thinking, it is a horrible thing to make a trophy out of any wild creature, but hunters have never before been as they are becoming today, when nothing matters but the antlers.

“I see hunters come in here with a big set of antlers, measuring 160 or so and if they don’t make the Boone and Crockett record book, which requires 170 inches, they are just devastated.” Brad told me. “It is the only reason they have to hunt. I want to tell them how much they are missing. Most hunters 50 years ago would have been tickled to death with a deer like that.”

Today, big antlers are downright common. It takes monster antlers to make the big money now. Coulson gets a constant flow of deer-breeders catalogs in the mail, and he says they list hundreds and hundreds of breeders raising buck deer, trying to sell them to game ranches where “hunters” come in and pay from 15 to 50 thousand dollars to shoot that half-tame, pen-raised deer, fed a diet with meat byproducts to create a set of huge antlers. He says the catalogs increase each year to a point where there are thousands of 250- to 325-inch deer antlers being grown.

*
“Some guy will bring in an Iowa deer to be mounted, and he thinks because it will reach those Boone and Crockett requirements he has a rack worth 10,000 dollars,” Brad says, laughing. “Not anymore, a Boone and Crockett buck is fairly common now when you consider what is being raised in pens.”

Coulson has raised a lot of deer himself, raising one buck to the age of 12 years. He says the idea that letting a smaller buck go to become a big-antlered deer next year works just fine, sometimes. But many times, he will not get any bigger than he is. “I have seen 300-pound bucks with big, wide, forked antlers. If he is fed right, and has the right genetics, he may be an eight or ten-point buck at 1 and 1/2 years old, and at 3 and 1/2 years his antlers might be bigger or they might still be the same. But he might also lose a point or two, even though his antlers become heavier,” he said. “As he ages, his teeth wear down, and as his teeth wear, his antlers will not become any more impressive than they are.”

“Colorado tried the same thing years ago with mule deer that Missouri is doing now.” Coulson says. “They began to find a lot of big mule deer killed and left where they fell, because hunters just couldn’t tell for sure how many points the deer had, and they would shoot first and count later.”

He agreed that few hunters in heavy timber or brush, early or late in the day without good sunlight, can positively tell how many points are on each antler. Hunting conditions make it next to impossible to tell unless you use a good scope on your rifle, or binoculars. Too many hunters like me, who hunt with open sights in heavy woods, cannot count points on a moving buck they get a good look at for only fifteen or twenty seconds. And no matter what else can be said about the four-point restriction, that is the thing which disturbs me most… the fact that some hunter who never had a shot at a nice buck before will find out that the heavy antlers he saw had only three points on each side. And yes, sometimes that set of antlers will have more points next year, and sometimes it will not.

Coulson, an expert on deer antlers if I ever knew one, says that each deer is an individual, and theoretically, the whole plan sounds great, but there are so many exceptions to the rule, and a buck that becomes four or five years old, will seldom have the antlers he had at 2 or 3 years of age. That’s why the deer-growers sell deer at two and a half to three and a half years old, rather than keeping them until they are five or six. An aging buck may have heavier antlers with fewer points, or he may have small antlers his entire life.

The whole thing centers around money, and this tremendous ego which big antlers seem to stoke. Trophy antlers conceivably bring in more out-of-state hunters. Estimates are that this year, 18,000 non-resident hunters will come to hunt deer in Missouri, and the tags sell for 225 dollars each. Multiply that! The MDC has a lot to gain if trophy hunters think they can find bigger antlers in the state each year. If 5000 or so small bucks are killed and left in the woods, it isn’t considered to be a great number. The trophy hunter’s attitude about that is… who cares?

But you can count on this… the money factor is declining. Wild bucks will not produce the big-money-antlers in the future, unless you go to Manitoba to hunt. Once while goose-hunting in Manitoba in the 80’s I found the most unbelievable shed antler I have ever seen. Back in Missouri, a trophy-hunter nut said he would give me a thousand dollars for a set of antlers like that, if only I had found both.

But Bass Pro Shops and Cabelas can only buy so many racks for their walls, and they have about reached the maximum number they have room for. Those they bought ten years ago aren’t much now compared to the ones being raised in pens. Today, there are people making synthetic deer antlers which you cannot tell from real ones. A ten thousand dollar rack ten years ago may not be worth 100 dollars in another ten years.

And someday, that will put the quietus on trophy hunting…mounted deer head saturation. It then might thin out the numbers of the once-a-year hunters who stream out of the cities in their bright orange suits, and judge their worth according to the number and size of the deer heads they have hung on their office walls. Right now, the four-point restriction means money. It was instigated for that reason. But we only have to put up with this nonsense for a couple of weeks in November, and then the circus is over. The woods I walk through in December and January will be empty. And you would be amazed at the deer carcasses I will find.

As a side bar, it is interesting that this year a non-resident youngster under 16 years of age can get a deer tag which his father would have to pay 225 dollars for, at a cost of only 8 dollars and 50 cents. I hope a non-resident trophy hunter doesn’t figure out that he can bring his youngster and hunt bucks in Missouri about 217 dollars less. Of course, that never happens in the youth season, why would it happen in the regular season!

The website, www.larrydablemontoutdoors.blogspot.com. Write to me at Box 22, Bolivar, Mo. 65613 or e-mail lightninridge@windstream.net.

http://lakeexpo.com/articles/2009/11/03/top_news/04.txtI recently talked to an old friend of mine from Ankeny, Iowa, who told me he is teaching his 14-year-old son to trap this year, not because of fur prices, which are very low, but because he wants to see him learn about the outdoors, the ways of the wild, what being a true hunter and outdoorsman is really about. Brad Coulson is an old time taxidermist and he feels, as I do, that deer hunting is the poorest way in the world to make a hunter and outdoorsman out of a youngster. Today though, there are few who trap, or hunt squirrels or rabbits, and the “trophy” idea is running rampant.

To my way of thinking, it is a horrible thing to make a trophy out of any wild creature, but hunters have never before been as they are becoming today, when nothing matters but the antlers.

“I see hunters come in here with a big set of antlers, measuring 160 or so and if they don’t make the Boone and Crockett record book, which requires 170 inches, they are just devastated.” Brad told me. “It is the only reason they have to hunt. I want to tell them how much they are missing. Most hunters 50 years ago would have been tickled to death with a deer like that.”

Today, big antlers are downright common. It takes monster antlers to make the big money now. Coulson gets a constant flow of deer-breeders catalogs in the mail, and he says they list hundreds and hundreds of breeders raising buck deer, trying to sell them to game ranches where “hunters” come in and pay from 15 to 50 thousand dollars to shoot that half-tame, pen-raised deer, fed a diet with meat byproducts to create a set of huge antlers. He says the catalogs increase each year to a point where there are thousands of 250- to 325-inch deer antlers being grown.

*
“Some guy will bring in an Iowa deer to be mounted, and he thinks because it will reach those Boone and Crockett requirements he has a rack worth 10,000 dollars,” Brad says, laughing. “Not anymore, a Boone and Crockett buck is fairly common now when you consider what is being raised in pens.”

Coulson has raised a lot of deer himself, raising one buck to the age of 12 years. He says the idea that letting a smaller buck go to become a big-antlered deer next year works just fine, sometimes. But many times, he will not get any bigger than he is. “I have seen 300-pound bucks with big, wide, forked antlers. If he is fed right, and has the right genetics, he may be an eight or ten-point buck at 1 and 1/2 years old, and at 3 and 1/2 years his antlers might be bigger or they might still be the same. But he might also lose a point or two, even though his antlers become heavier,” he said. “As he ages, his teeth wear down, and as his teeth wear, his antlers will not become any more impressive than they are.”

“Colorado tried the same thing years ago with mule deer that Missouri is doing now.” Coulson says. “They began to find a lot of big mule deer killed and left where they fell, because hunters just couldn’t tell for sure how many points the deer had, and they would shoot first and count later.”

He agreed that few hunters in heavy timber or brush, early or late in the day without good sunlight, can positively tell how many points are on each antler. Hunting conditions make it next to impossible to tell unless you use a good scope on your rifle, or binoculars. Too many hunters like me, who hunt with open sights in heavy woods, cannot count points on a moving buck they get a good look at for only fifteen or twenty seconds. And no matter what else can be said about the four-point restriction, that is the thing which disturbs me most… the fact that some hunter who never had a shot at a nice buck before will find out that the heavy antlers he saw had only three points on each side. And yes, sometimes that set of antlers will have more points next year, and sometimes it will not.

Coulson, an expert on deer antlers if I ever knew one, says that each deer is an individual, and theoretically, the whole plan sounds great, but there are so many exceptions to the rule, and a buck that becomes four or five years old, will seldom have the antlers he had at 2 or 3 years of age. That’s why the deer-growers sell deer at two and a half to three and a half years old, rather than keeping them until they are five or six. An aging buck may have heavier antlers with fewer points, or he may have small antlers his entire life.

The whole thing centers around money, and this tremendous ego which big antlers seem to stoke. Trophy antlers conceivably bring in more out-of-state hunters. Estimates are that this year, 18,000 non-resident hunters will come to hunt deer in Missouri, and the tags sell for 225 dollars each. Multiply that! The MDC has a lot to gain if trophy hunters think they can find bigger antlers in the state each year. If 5000 or so small bucks are killed and left in the woods, it isn’t considered to be a great number. The trophy hunter’s attitude about that is… who cares?

But you can count on this… the money factor is declining. Wild bucks will not produce the big-money-antlers in the future, unless you go to Manitoba to hunt. Once while goose-hunting in Manitoba in the 80’s I found the most unbelievable shed antler I have ever seen. Back in Missouri, a trophy-hunter nut said he would give me a thousand dollars for a set of antlers like that, if only I had found both.

But Bass Pro Shops and Cabelas can only buy so many racks for their walls, and they have about reached the maximum number they have room for. Those they bought ten years ago aren’t much now compared to the ones being raised in pens. Today, there are people making synthetic deer antlers which you cannot tell from real ones. A ten thousand dollar rack ten years ago may not be worth 100 dollars in another ten years.

And someday, that will put the quietus on trophy hunting…mounted deer head saturation. It then might thin out the numbers of the once-a-year hunters who stream out of the cities in their bright orange suits, and judge their worth according to the number and size of the deer heads they have hung on their office walls. Right now, the four-point restriction means money. It was instigated for that reason. But we only have to put up with this nonsense for a couple of weeks in November, and then the circus is over. The woods I walk through in December and January will be empty. And you would be amazed at the deer carcasses I will find.

As a side bar, it is interesting that this year a non-resident youngster under 16 years of age can get a deer tag which his father would have to pay 225 dollars for, at a cost of only 8 dollars and 50 cents. I hope a non-resident trophy hunter doesn’t figure out that he can bring his youngster and hunt bucks in Missouri about 217 dollars less. Of course, that never happens in the youth season, why would it happen in the regular season!

The website, www.larrydablemontoutdoors.blogspot.com. Write to me at Box 22, Bolivar, Mo. 65613 or e-mail lightninridge@windstream.net.

I recently talked to an old friend of mine from Ankeny, Iowa, who told me he is teaching his 14-year-old son to trap this year, not because of fur prices, which are very low, but because he wants to see him learn about the outdoors, the ways of the wild, what being a true hunter and outdoorsman is really about. Brad Coulson is an old time taxidermist and he feels, as I do, that deer hunting is the poorest way in the world to make a hunter and outdoorsman out of a youngster. Today though, there are few who trap, or hunt squirrels or rabbits, and the “trophy” idea is running rampant.

To my way of thinking, it is a horrible thing to make a trophy out of any wild creature, but hunters have never before been as they are becoming today, when nothing matters but the antlers.

“I see hunters come in here with a big set of antlers, measuring 160 or so and if they don’t make the Boone and Crockett record book, which requires 170 inches, they are just devastated.” Brad told me. “It is the only reason they have to hunt. I want to tell them how much they are missing. Most hunters 50 years ago would have been tickled to death with a deer like that.”

Today, big antlers are downright common. It takes monster antlers to make the big money now. Coulson gets a constant flow of deer-breeders catalogs in the mail, and he says they list hundreds and hundreds of breeders raising buck deer, trying to sell them to game ranches where “hunters” come in and pay from 15 to 50 thousand dollars to shoot that half-tame, pen-raised deer, fed a diet with meat byproducts to create a set of huge antlers. He says the catalogs increase each year to a point where there are thousands of 250- to 325-inch deer antlers being grown.

*
“Some guy will bring in an Iowa deer to be mounted, and he thinks because it will reach those Boone and Crockett requirements he has a rack worth 10,000 dollars,” Brad says, laughing. “Not anymore, a Boone and Crockett buck is fairly common now when you consider what is being raised in pens.”

Coulson has raised a lot of deer himself, raising one buck to the age of 12 years. He says the idea that letting a smaller buck go to become a big-antlered deer next year works just fine, sometimes. But many times, he will not get any bigger than he is. “I have seen 300-pound bucks with big, wide, forked antlers. If he is fed right, and has the right genetics, he may be an eight or ten-point buck at 1 and 1/2 years old, and at 3 and 1/2 years his antlers might be bigger or they might still be the same. But he might also lose a point or two, even though his antlers become heavier,” he said. “As he ages, his teeth wear down, and as his teeth wear, his antlers will not become any more impressive than they are.”

“Colorado tried the same thing years ago with mule deer that Missouri is doing now.” Coulson says. “They began to find a lot of big mule deer killed and left where they fell, because hunters just couldn’t tell for sure how many points the deer had, and they would shoot first and count later.”

He agreed that few hunters in heavy timber or brush, early or late in the day without good sunlight, can positively tell how many points are on each antler. Hunting conditions make it next to impossible to tell unless you use a good scope on your rifle, or binoculars. Too many hunters like me, who hunt with open sights in heavy woods, cannot count points on a moving buck they get a good look at for only fifteen or twenty seconds. And no matter what else can be said about the four-point restriction, that is the thing which disturbs me most… the fact that some hunter who never had a shot at a nice buck before will find out that the heavy antlers he saw had only three points on each side. And yes, sometimes that set of antlers will have more points next year, and sometimes it will not.

Coulson, an expert on deer antlers if I ever knew one, says that each deer is an individual, and theoretically, the whole plan sounds great, but there are so many exceptions to the rule, and a buck that becomes four or five years old, will seldom have the antlers he had at 2 or 3 years of age. That’s why the deer-growers sell deer at two and a half to three and a half years old, rather than keeping them until they are five or six. An aging buck may have heavier antlers with fewer points, or he may have small antlers his entire life.

The whole thing centers around money, and this tremendous ego which big antlers seem to stoke. Trophy antlers conceivably bring in more out-of-state hunters. Estimates are that this year, 18,000 non-resident hunters will come to hunt deer in Missouri, and the tags sell for 225 dollars each. Multiply that! The MDC has a lot to gain if trophy hunters think they can find bigger antlers in the state each year. If 5000 or so small bucks are killed and left in the woods, it isn’t considered to be a great number. The trophy hunter’s attitude about that is… who cares?

But you can count on this… the money factor is declining. Wild bucks will not produce the big-money-antlers in the future, unless you go to Manitoba to hunt. Once while goose-hunting in Manitoba in the 80’s I found the most unbelievable shed antler I have ever seen. Back in Missouri, a trophy-hunter nut said he would give me a thousand dollars for a set of antlers like that, if only I had found both.

But Bass Pro Shops and Cabelas can only buy so many racks for their walls, and they have about reached the maximum number they have room for. Those they bought ten years ago aren’t much now compared to the ones being raised in pens. Today, there are people making synthetic deer antlers which you cannot tell from real ones. A ten thousand dollar rack ten years ago may not be worth 100 dollars in another ten years.

And someday, that will put the quietus on trophy hunting…mounted deer head saturation. It then might thin out the numbers of the once-a-year hunters who stream out of the cities in their bright orange suits, and judge their worth according to the number and size of the deer heads they have hung on their office walls. Right now, the four-point restriction means money. It was instigated for that reason. But we only have to put up with this nonsense for a couple of weeks in November, and then the circus is over. The woods I walk through in December and January will be empty. And you would be amazed at the deer carcasses I will find.

As a side bar, it is interesting that this year a non-resident youngster under 16 years of age can get a deer tag which his father would have to pay 225 dollars for, at a cost of only 8 dollars and 50 cents. I hope a non-resident trophy hunter doesn’t figure out that he can bring his youngster and hunt bucks in Missouri about 217 dollars less. Of course, that never happens in the youth season, why would it happen in the regular season!

The website, www.larrydablemontoutdoors.blogspot.com. Write to me at Box 22, Bolivar, Mo. 65613 or e-mail lightninridge@windstream.net.

http://lakeexpo.com/articles/2009/11/03/top_news/04.txt

Winnipeg Downtown Hotel

Hunt Lake Manitoba Narrows

www.huntlakemanitobanarrows.com

I recently talked to an old friend of mine from Ankeny, Iowa, who told me he is teaching his 14-year-old son to trap this year, not because of fur prices, which are very low, but because he wants to see him learn about the outdoors, the ways of the wild, what being a true hunter and outdoorsman is really about. Brad Coulson is an old time taxidermist and he feels, as I do, that deer hunting is the poorest way in the world to make a hunter and outdoorsman out of a youngster. Today though, there are few who trap, or hunt squirrels or rabbits, and the “trophy” idea is running rampant.

To my way of thinking, it is a horrible thing to make a trophy out of any wild creature, but hunters have never before been as they are becoming today, when nothing matters but the antlers.

“I see hunters come in here with a big set of antlers, measuring 160 or so and if they don’t make the Boone and Crockett record book, which requires 170 inches, they are just devastated.” Brad told me. “It is the only reason they have to hunt. I want to tell them how much they are missing. Most hunters 50 years ago would have been tickled to death with a deer like that.”

Today, big antlers are downright common. It takes monster antlers to make the big money now. Coulson gets a constant flow of deer-breeders catalogs in the mail, and he says they list hundreds and hundreds of breeders raising buck deer, trying to sell them to game ranches where “hunters” come in and pay from 15 to 50 thousand dollars to shoot that half-tame, pen-raised deer, fed a diet with meat byproducts to create a set of huge antlers. He says the catalogs increase each year to a point where there are thousands of 250- to 325-inch deer antlers being grown.

*
“Some guy will bring in an Iowa deer to be mounted, and he thinks because it will reach those Boone and Crockett requirements he has a rack worth 10,000 dollars,” Brad says, laughing. “Not anymore, a Boone and Crockett buck is fairly common now when you consider what is being raised in pens.”

Coulson has raised a lot of deer himself, raising one buck to the age of 12 years. He says the idea that letting a smaller buck go to become a big-antlered deer next year works just fine, sometimes. But many times, he will not get any bigger than he is. “I have seen 300-pound bucks with big, wide, forked antlers. If he is fed right, and has the right genetics, he may be an eight or ten-point buck at 1 and 1/2 years old, and at 3 and 1/2 years his antlers might be bigger or they might still be the same. But he might also lose a point or two, even though his antlers become heavier,” he said. “As he ages, his teeth wear down, and as his teeth wear, his antlers will not become any more impressive than they are.”

“Colorado tried the same thing years ago with mule deer that Missouri is doing now.” Coulson says. “They began to find a lot of big mule deer killed and left where they fell, because hunters just couldn’t tell for sure how many points the deer had, and they would shoot first and count later.”

He agreed that few hunters in heavy timber or brush, early or late in the day without good sunlight, can positively tell how many points are on each antler. Hunting conditions make it next to impossible to tell unless you use a good scope on your rifle, or binoculars. Too many hunters like me, who hunt with open sights in heavy woods, cannot count points on a moving buck they get a good look at for only fifteen or twenty seconds. And no matter what else can be said about the four-point restriction, that is the thing which disturbs me most… the fact that some hunter who never had a shot at a nice buck before will find out that the heavy antlers he saw had only three points on each side. And yes, sometimes that set of antlers will have more points next year, and sometimes it will not.

Coulson, an expert on deer antlers if I ever knew one, says that each deer is an individual, and theoretically, the whole plan sounds great, but there are so many exceptions to the rule, and a buck that becomes four or five years old, will seldom have the antlers he had at 2 or 3 years of age. That’s why the deer-growers sell deer at two and a half to three and a half years old, rather than keeping them until they are five or six. An aging buck may have heavier antlers with fewer points, or he may have small antlers his entire life.

The whole thing centers around money, and this tremendous ego which big antlers seem to stoke. Trophy antlers conceivably bring in more out-of-state hunters. Estimates are that this year, 18,000 non-resident hunters will come to hunt deer in Missouri, and the tags sell for 225 dollars each. Multiply that! The MDC has a lot to gain if trophy hunters think they can find bigger antlers in the state each year. If 5000 or so small bucks are killed and left in the woods, it isn’t considered to be a great number. The trophy hunter’s attitude about that is… who cares?

But you can count on this… the money factor is declining. Wild bucks will not produce the big-money-antlers in the future, unless you go to Manitoba to hunt. Once while goose-hunting in Manitoba in the 80’s I found the most unbelievable shed antler I have ever seen. Back in Missouri, a trophy-hunter nut said he would give me a thousand dollars for a set of antlers like that, if only I had found both.

But Bass Pro Shops and Cabelas can only buy so many racks for their walls, and they have about reached the maximum number they have room for. Those they bought ten years ago aren’t much now compared to the ones being raised in pens. Today, there are people making synthetic deer antlers which you cannot tell from real ones. A ten thousand dollar rack ten years ago may not be worth 100 dollars in another ten years.

And someday, that will put the quietus on trophy hunting…mounted deer head saturation. It then might thin out the numbers of the once-a-year hunters who stream out of the cities in their bright orange suits, and judge their worth according to the number and size of the deer heads they have hung on their office walls. Right now, the four-point restriction means money. It was instigated for that reason. But we only have to put up with this nonsense for a couple of weeks in November, and then the circus is over. The woods I walk through in December and January will be empty. And you would be amazed at the deer carcasses I will find.

As a side bar, it is interesting that this year a non-resident youngster under 16 years of age can get a deer tag which his father would have to pay 225 dollars for, at a cost of only 8 dollars and 50 cents. I hope a non-resident trophy hunter doesn’t figure out that he can bring his youngster and hunt bucks in Missouri about 217 dollars less. Of course, that never happens in the youth season, why would it happen in the regular season!

The website, www.larrydablemontoutdoors.blogspot.com. Write to me at Box 22, Bolivar, Mo. 65613 or e-mail lightninridge@windstream.net.

I recently talked to an old friend of mine from Ankeny, Iowa, who told me he is teaching his 14-year-old son to trap this year, not because of fur prices, which are very low, but because he wants to see him learn about the outdoors, the ways of the wild, what being a true hunter and outdoorsman is really about. Brad Coulson is an old time taxidermist and he feels, as I do, that deer hunting is the poorest way in the world to make a hunter and outdoorsman out of a youngster. Today though, there are few who trap, or hunt squirrels or rabbits, and the “trophy” idea is running rampant.

To my way of thinking, it is a horrible thing to make a trophy out of any wild creature, but hunters have never before been as they are becoming today, when nothing matters but the antlers.

“I see hunters come in here with a big set of antlers, measuring 160 or so and if they don’t make the Boone and Crockett record book, which requires 170 inches, they are just devastated.” Brad told me. “It is the only reason they have to hunt. I want to tell them how much they are missing. Most hunters 50 years ago would have been tickled to death with a deer like that.”

Today, big antlers are downright common. It takes monster antlers to make the big money now. Coulson gets a constant flow of deer-breeders catalogs in the mail, and he says they list hundreds and hundreds of breeders raising buck deer, trying to sell them to game ranches where “hunters” come in and pay from 15 to 50 thousand dollars to shoot that half-tame, pen-raised deer, fed a diet with meat byproducts to create a set of huge antlers. He says the catalogs increase each year to a point where there are thousands of 250- to 325-inch deer antlers being grown.

*
“Some guy will bring in an Iowa deer to be mounted, and he thinks because it will reach those Boone and Crockett requirements he has a rack worth 10,000 dollars,” Brad says, laughing. “Not anymore, a Boone and Crockett buck is fairly common now when you consider what is being raised in pens.”

Coulson has raised a lot of deer himself, raising one buck to the age of 12 years. He says the idea that letting a smaller buck go to become a big-antlered deer next year works just fine, sometimes. But many times, he will not get any bigger than he is. “I have seen 300-pound bucks with big, wide, forked antlers. If he is fed right, and has the right genetics, he may be an eight or ten-point buck at 1 and 1/2 years old, and at 3 and 1/2 years his antlers might be bigger or they might still be the same. But he might also lose a point or two, even though his antlers become heavier,” he said. “As he ages, his teeth wear down, and as his teeth wear, his antlers will not become any more impressive than they are.”

“Colorado tried the same thing years ago with mule deer that Missouri is doing now.” Coulson says. “They began to find a lot of big mule deer killed and left where they fell, because hunters just couldn’t tell for sure how many points the deer had, and they would shoot first and count later.”

He agreed that few hunters in heavy timber or brush, early or late in the day without good sunlight, can positively tell how many points are on each antler. Hunting conditions make it next to impossible to tell unless you use a good scope on your rifle, or binoculars. Too many hunters like me, who hunt with open sights in heavy woods, cannot count points on a moving buck they get a good look at for only fifteen or twenty seconds. And no matter what else can be said about the four-point restriction, that is the thing which disturbs me most… the fact that some hunter who never had a shot at a nice buck before will find out that the heavy antlers he saw had only three points on each side. And yes, sometimes that set of antlers will have more points next year, and sometimes it will not.

Coulson, an expert on deer antlers if I ever knew one, says that each deer is an individual, and theoretically, the whole plan sounds great, but there are so many exceptions to the rule, and a buck that becomes four or five years old, will seldom have the antlers he had at 2 or 3 years of age. That’s why the deer-growers sell deer at two and a half to three and a half years old, rather than keeping them until they are five or six. An aging buck may have heavier antlers with fewer points, or he may have small antlers his entire life.

The whole thing centers around money, and this tremendous ego which big antlers seem to stoke. Trophy antlers conceivably bring in more out-of-state hunters. Estimates are that this year, 18,000 non-resident hunters will come to hunt deer in Missouri, and the tags sell for 225 dollars each. Multiply that! The MDC has a lot to gain if trophy hunters think they can find bigger antlers in the state each year. If 5000 or so small bucks are killed and left in the woods, it isn’t considered to be a great number. The trophy hunter’s attitude about that is… who cares?

But you can count on this… the money factor is declining. Wild bucks will not produce the big-money-antlers in the future, unless you go to Manitoba to hunt. Once while goose-hunting in Manitoba in the 80’s I found the most unbelievable shed antler I have ever seen. Back in Missouri, a trophy-hunter nut said he would give me a thousand dollars for a set of antlers like that, if only I had found both.

But Bass Pro Shops and Cabelas can only buy so many racks for their walls, and they have about reached the maximum number they have room for. Those they bought ten years ago aren’t much now compared to the ones being raised in pens. Today, there are people making synthetic deer antlers which you cannot tell from real ones. A ten thousand dollar rack ten years ago may not be worth 100 dollars in another ten years.

And someday, that will put the quietus on trophy hunting…mounted deer head saturation. It then might thin out the numbers of the once-a-year hunters who stream out of the cities in their bright orange suits, and judge their worth according to the number and size of the deer heads they have hung on their office walls. Right now, the four-point restriction means money. It was instigated for that reason. But we only have to put up with this nonsense for a couple of weeks in November, and then the circus is over. The woods I walk through in December and January will be empty. And you would be amazed at the deer carcasses I will find.

As a side bar, it is interesting that this year a non-resident youngster under 16 years of age can get a deer tag which his father would have to pay 225 dollars for, at a cost of only 8 dollars and 50 cents. I hope a non-resident trophy hunter doesn’t figure out that he can bring his youngster and hunt bucks in Missouri about 217 dollars less. Of course, that never happens in the youth season, why would it happen in the regular season!

The website, www.larrydablemontoutdoors.blogspot.com. Write to me at Box 22, Bolivar, Mo. 65613 or e-mail lightninridge@windstream.net.

http://lakeexpo.com/articles/2009/11/03/top_news/04.txt

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A CBC News investigation has found that a plan to reduce the risk of a catastrophic goose-strike accident at Winnipeg’s airport was developed five years ago but never implemented.

The plan was presented to the Urban Goose Working Group (UGWG) in 2004. It proposed 26 measures that could be taken to manage the Canada goose population in Winnipeg.

Geese have caused damage to aircraft measured in the millions of dollars, and threaten the safety of people on board the planes and result in delays at airports.

‘If we should strike them at the wrong point in a flight, the results can be extremely critical to our safety’—Richard Sowden, Air Canada Pilots Association

Key recommendations in the Manitoba Conservation-drafted plan included developing a goose-management system for Winnipeg and drawing down the water in storm-retention ponds near the airport to reduce the lure of the area to birds.

But the working group — which included Manitoba Conservation (MC), the City of Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Airports Authority, Transport Canada and Environment Canada — failed to adopt the plan and stopped meeting after the 2004 plan was tabled.

“We felt we needed more support, that we needed terms of reference — that would lend credence to it,” said Barry Verbiwski, MC’s wildlife manager.

But other agencies were not eager to sign on to the report.

Minutes of the group’s Aug. 4, 2004 meeting say the City of Winnipeg representative “stated that the residents of Winnipeg do not feel the geese in the Greater Winnipeg Area pose any problem, as she has had only a few calls of complaint … Based on this the City of Winnipeg does not consider Canada geese to be a problem.”

The Winnipeg Airports Authority “suggests the poor attendance by UGWG members is indicative of lack of interest by members.” The minutes suggest the WAA was concerned the report would scare the public.

The WAA “advised that air travel is still the safest mode of transportation and did not want the travelling public to become alarmed and cautioned that extreme care be taken with the document.”
Working group told of potential for calamity

At the same meeting, the working group members heard of the problems when geese and airplanes mix. In September 2003, a Canadian Forces Airbus struck a Canada goose while on final approach to Winnipeg’s airport, “causing over $1 million damage alone and the potential loss of crew members had the goose gone into the motor.”

At the time, pilots for major airlines warned the working group that action was needed to reduce the risk of goose strikes at Winnipeg’s airport.

And the concern is growing, especially in light of incidents such as a U.S. incident last January when a plane ingested geese into its engines and was forced to land on the Hudson River in New York.

“We know that if we should strike them at the wrong point in a flight, the results can be extremely critical to our safety,” says Richard Sowden of the Air Canada Pilots Association. Sowden is urging authorities to do more to reduce the hazard.

“Wildlife management, it’s like home insurance,” Sowden said. “We have to keep investing in that insurance so that we can protect ourselves from having one of those serious strike events with a catastrophic result.”
Local airline says problem increasing

The head of a Winnipeg airline shares Sowden’s concern. Mark Wehrle of Perimeter Aviation said geese strikes are happening more often.

“At one time it was a very rare event, now it’s becoming more common,” Wehrle said.

On Oct. 16, 2009, a Perimeter flight carrying nine people from Oxford House, Man., was on final approach to land in Winnipeg when Wehrle said the pilot told him he heard a swoosh and a thud. The cabin then filled with the smell of burning flesh.

A Canada goose had been sucked through the propeller blades and into the engine.

The pilot shut down the affected engine and the plane was able to land safely. But Wehrle said he’s stuck paying a six-figure repair bill — more than $150,000 damage was done to the engine.

Wehrle said his company suffers about 10 bird strikes a year that are not always due to geese. But he said because of the large body size of geese, they can cause more damage than smaller birds when hit by an aircraft.

Conservation’s Verbiwski said some progress has been made on reducing the number of geese in Winnipeg by measures such as introducing a hunting season on the outskirts of the city. But he acknowledged there is still more work to be done.

If you have any tips for the CBC News investigative team, call the confidential tip line at 788-3744.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2009/11/01/f-man-geese-airplanes-iteam.htmlA CBC News investigation has found that a plan to reduce the risk of a catastrophic goose-strike accident at Winnipeg’s airport was developed five years ago but never implemented.

The plan was presented to the Urban Goose Working Group (UGWG) in 2004. It proposed 26 measures that could be taken to manage the Canada goose population in Winnipeg.

Geese have caused damage to aircraft measured in the millions of dollars, and threaten the safety of people on board the planes and result in delays at airports.

‘If we should strike them at the wrong point in a flight, the results can be extremely critical to our safety’—Richard Sowden, Air Canada Pilots Association

Key recommendations in the Manitoba Conservation-drafted plan included developing a goose-management system for Winnipeg and drawing down the water in storm-retention ponds near the airport to reduce the lure of the area to birds.

But the working group — which included Manitoba Conservation (MC), the City of Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Airports Authority, Transport Canada and Environment Canada — failed to adopt the plan and stopped meeting after the 2004 plan was tabled.

“We felt we needed more support, that we needed terms of reference — that would lend credence to it,” said Barry Verbiwski, MC’s wildlife manager.

But other agencies were not eager to sign on to the report.

Minutes of the group’s Aug. 4, 2004 meeting say the City of Winnipeg representative “stated that the residents of Winnipeg do not feel the geese in the Greater Winnipeg Area pose any problem, as she has had only a few calls of complaint … Based on this the City of Winnipeg does not consider Canada geese to be a problem.”

The Winnipeg Airports Authority “suggests the poor attendance by UGWG members is indicative of lack of interest by members.” The minutes suggest the WAA was concerned the report would scare the public.

The WAA “advised that air travel is still the safest mode of transportation and did not want the travelling public to become alarmed and cautioned that extreme care be taken with the document.”
Working group told of potential for calamity

At the same meeting, the working group members heard of the problems when geese and airplanes mix. In September 2003, a Canadian Forces Airbus struck a Canada goose while on final approach to Winnipeg’s airport, “causing over $1 million damage alone and the potential loss of crew members had the goose gone into the motor.”

At the time, pilots for major airlines warned the working group that action was needed to reduce the risk of goose strikes at Winnipeg’s airport.

And the concern is growing, especially in light of incidents such as a U.S. incident last January when a plane ingested geese into its engines and was forced to land on the Hudson River in New York.

“We know that if we should strike them at the wrong point in a flight, the results can be extremely critical to our safety,” says Richard Sowden of the Air Canada Pilots Association. Sowden is urging authorities to do more to reduce the hazard.

“Wildlife management, it’s like home insurance,” Sowden said. “We have to keep investing in that insurance so that we can protect ourselves from having one of those serious strike events with a catastrophic result.”
Local airline says problem increasing

The head of a Winnipeg airline shares Sowden’s concern. Mark Wehrle of Perimeter Aviation said geese strikes are happening more often.

“At one time it was a very rare event, now it’s becoming more common,” Wehrle said.

On Oct. 16, 2009, a Perimeter flight carrying nine people from Oxford House, Man., was on final approach to land in Winnipeg when Wehrle said the pilot told him he heard a swoosh and a thud. The cabin then filled with the smell of burning flesh.

A Canada goose had been sucked through the propeller blades and into the engine.

The pilot shut down the affected engine and the plane was able to land safely. But Wehrle said he’s stuck paying a six-figure repair bill — more than $150,000 damage was done to the engine.

Wehrle said his company suffers about 10 bird strikes a year that are not always due to geese. But he said because of the large body size of geese, they can cause more damage than smaller birds when hit by an aircraft.

Conservation’s Verbiwski said some progress has been made on reducing the number of geese in Winnipeg by measures such as introducing a hunting season on the outskirts of the city. But he acknowledged there is still more work to be done.

If you have any tips for the CBC News investigative team, call the confidential tip line at 788-3744.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2009/11/01/f-man-geese-airplanes-iteam.html

Winnipeg Downtown Hotel

Winnipeg Manitoba Polo Park Hotel

Hunt Lake Manitoba Narrows

www.huntlakemanitobanarrows.com

A CBC News investigation has found that a plan to reduce the risk of a catastrophic goose-strike accident at Winnipeg’s airport was developed five years ago but never implemented.

The plan was presented to the Urban Goose Working Group (UGWG) in 2004. It proposed 26 measures that could be taken to manage the Canada goose population in Winnipeg.

Geese have caused damage to aircraft measured in the millions of dollars, and threaten the safety of people on board the planes and result in delays at airports.

‘If we should strike them at the wrong point in a flight, the results can be extremely critical to our safety’—Richard Sowden, Air Canada Pilots Association

Key recommendations in the Manitoba Conservation-drafted plan included developing a goose-management system for Winnipeg and drawing down the water in storm-retention ponds near the airport to reduce the lure of the area to birds.

But the working group — which included Manitoba Conservation (MC), the City of Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Airports Authority, Transport Canada and Environment Canada — failed to adopt the plan and stopped meeting after the 2004 plan was tabled.

“We felt we needed more support, that we needed terms of reference — that would lend credence to it,” said Barry Verbiwski, MC’s wildlife manager.

But other agencies were not eager to sign on to the report.

Minutes of the group’s Aug. 4, 2004 meeting say the City of Winnipeg representative “stated that the residents of Winnipeg do not feel the geese in the Greater Winnipeg Area pose any problem, as she has had only a few calls of complaint … Based on this the City of Winnipeg does not consider Canada geese to be a problem.”

The Winnipeg Airports Authority “suggests the poor attendance by UGWG members is indicative of lack of interest by members.” The minutes suggest the WAA was concerned the report would scare the public.

The WAA “advised that air travel is still the safest mode of transportation and did not want the travelling public to become alarmed and cautioned that extreme care be taken with the document.”
Working group told of potential for calamity

At the same meeting, the working group members heard of the problems when geese and airplanes mix. In September 2003, a Canadian Forces Airbus struck a Canada goose while on final approach to Winnipeg’s airport, “causing over $1 million damage alone and the potential loss of crew members had the goose gone into the motor.”

At the time, pilots for major airlines warned the working group that action was needed to reduce the risk of goose strikes at Winnipeg’s airport.

And the concern is growing, especially in light of incidents such as a U.S. incident last January when a plane ingested geese into its engines and was forced to land on the Hudson River in New York.

“We know that if we should strike them at the wrong point in a flight, the results can be extremely critical to our safety,” says Richard Sowden of the Air Canada Pilots Association. Sowden is urging authorities to do more to reduce the hazard.

“Wildlife management, it’s like home insurance,” Sowden said. “We have to keep investing in that insurance so that we can protect ourselves from having one of those serious strike events with a catastrophic result.”
Local airline says problem increasing

The head of a Winnipeg airline shares Sowden’s concern. Mark Wehrle of Perimeter Aviation said geese strikes are happening more often.

“At one time it was a very rare event, now it’s becoming more common,” Wehrle said.

On Oct. 16, 2009, a Perimeter flight carrying nine people from Oxford House, Man., was on final approach to land in Winnipeg when Wehrle said the pilot told him he heard a swoosh and a thud. The cabin then filled with the smell of burning flesh.

A Canada goose had been sucked through the propeller blades and into the engine.

The pilot shut down the affected engine and the plane was able to land safely. But Wehrle said he’s stuck paying a six-figure repair bill — more than $150,000 damage was done to the engine.

Wehrle said his company suffers about 10 bird strikes a year that are not always due to geese. But he said because of the large body size of geese, they can cause more damage than smaller birds when hit by an aircraft.

Conservation’s Verbiwski said some progress has been made on reducing the number of geese in Winnipeg by measures such as introducing a hunting season on the outskirts of the city. But he acknowledged there is still more work to be done.

If you have any tips for the CBC News investigative team, call the confidential tip line at 788-3744.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2009/11/01/f-man-geese-airplanes-iteam.html

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The moose may be our biggest land mammal, and our state mammal, but in Maine and across the country, there is no doubt that the white-tailed deer is king. In terms of time and money spent in their pursuit, whitetails exceed all other species combined. The mere sight of one quickens the pulse and dilates the pupils of hunter and nonhunter alike.

But why? At first glance, it seems something of a mystery. But as you study them and learn just how remarkable they are, it becomes clearer.

They are, arguably, the most adaptable species on earth. No land mammal has as wide a geographical range. Theirs spans from northeastern Quebec, west across Northern Ontario through central Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan into eastern British Columbia, then south through the United States, Mexico and Central America into northern South America.

Within that range, the species occupies an extremely diverse array of habitats. From northern boreal forests to southern bottomland hardwoods, from the foothills of the Rockies to open grassland plains, from Pacific rain forests to southwestern desert, from the Midwestern grain belt to the Northeastern gridlock, the whitetail not only survives but thrives.

In order to do so, it has adapted both behaviorally and physically, in the latter case differentiating into some 30 subspecies. The largest whitetails are from the borealis or dacotensis subspecies, which occur in the extreme northern U.S. and Canada. Some weigh more than 300 pounds – my largest, from Saskatchewan, approached that mark in dressed weight.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are tiny Key deer from Florida and eight or 10 other recognized subspecies in Central and South America that top out at a live weight of about 50 pounds. My smallest, the weight of which I will not divulge, came from southeastern Alabama.

Whitetails also can display a great deal of variation in color. In general, the darker and more humid the habitat, the darker their coat. Meanwhile, deer in drier, more open habitat tend to be paler. Coat color also varies with season, at least for some races. In most areas, deer sport a light, reddish-brown coat in summer and a darker gray-brown coat in winter, the latter of which consist largely of hollow hairs that trap air, providing excellent insulation.

There even can be noticeable variations among individuals within the same herd, some being slightly lighter or darker brown or gray. Then there are the oddballs and the piebalds.

Although rare, all-white true albinos do occur and are distinguished by having light or pink-colored soft parts and eyes. Some deer can be all or mostly white, but are not true albinos if they have brown eyes or any dark patches of fur. More common are deer with a pied or mottled brown-and-white pelage – referred to as piebalds. Much rarer are melanistic deer, the coats of which are nearly black.

One of the whitetail’s most attractive features are its antlers. Lots of critters have horns – cows, sheep, goats, lizards – but only members of the deer family have antlers. Antlers are deciduous, which means that like the falling leaves, each winter they drop to the ground, and each spring, a buck must grow an entirely new set.

The antlers of young bucks are typically small because most of the mineral nutrition they take in goes toward skeletal growth. Once they reach maturity, however – at age 4 – excess nutrients can be redirected to antler growth, and under the right conditions, they can produce some truly magnificent examples.

Recent years have seen a proliferation of whitetails, the likes of which probably never occurred in North America. In some areas, they have reached what some refer to as “nuisance” levels. Yet unlike some other nuisance species – Canada geese, for instance – whitetails remain respected.

And even where they have become overabundant, they remain wary and elusive. When asked what is the most challenging big game animal, hunters who have pursued game around the world invariably give the same answer: white-tailed deer.

Bob Humphrey is a freelance writer and Registered Maine Guide who lives in Pownal. He can be contacted at:

sportventures@juno.com

http://maineoutdoorjournal.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=292802&ac=Outdoors

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* Published: 31/10/2009 at 11:03 AM
* Online news: World

Canada and Greenland agreed on a series of measures aimed at protecting shared populations of polar bears which roam between the Nunavut territory and the huge arctic island, officials said.

File picture shows two Polar Bears in Manitoba, Canada. Canada and Greenland agreed on a series of measures aimed at protecting shared populations of polar bears which roam between the Nunavut territory and the huge arctic island, officials said.

Canada’s Environment Minister Jim Prentice made the announcement during a conference call from Kangerluusuaq, Greenland, where he signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) Friday with Greenland’s Minister of Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture, Ane Hansen and Prentice’s Nunavut territory counterpart Daniel Shewchuk.

The deal proposes the creation of a joint committee that would recommend a total allowable — and sustainable — annual polar bear harvest and a fair division of the harvest.

Hunting polar bears has been banned since 1973 but the Arctic’s indigenous peoples are exempt out of respect for their ancestral traditions, despite scientists’ objections over how the quotas have been divided.

The committee, to include members of remote northern Canada’s aboriginal Inuit organizations, would also coordinate science, traditional knowledge and outreach activities.

“The government of Canada is committed to working collaboratively to protect one of Canada’s true natural, and national, symbols. An iconic animal, whose rare and rugged beauty stands as a stark reminder that Canada is one of the world’s true Nordic nations,” Prentice said.

Hansen stressed it was “important that traditional knowledge is used together with science” in the process, while Shewchuk said the MOU “will help us make the wisest possible management decisions for our polar bear populations.”

Canada has some 15,500 polar bears, divided into thirteen distinct populations. Two of them, living on the ice sheets of Kane Basin and Baffin Bay, are trans-boundary and shared between Nunavut and Greenland.Canada and Greenland agreed on a series of measures aimed at protecting shared populations of polar bears which roam between the Nunavut territory and the huge arctic island, officials said.

File picture shows two Polar Bears in Manitoba, Canada. Canada and Greenland agreed on a series of measures aimed at protecting shared populations of polar bears which roam between the Nunavut territory and the huge arctic island, officials said.

Canada’s Environment Minister Jim Prentice made the announcement during a conference call from Kangerluusuaq, Greenland, where he signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) Friday with Greenland’s Minister of Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture, Ane Hansen and Prentice’s Nunavut territory counterpart Daniel Shewchuk.

The deal proposes the creation of a joint committee that would recommend a total allowable — and sustainable — annual polar bear harvest and a fair division of the harvest.

Hunting polar bears has been banned since 1973 but the Arctic’s indigenous peoples are exempt out of respect for their ancestral traditions, despite scientists’ objections over how the quotas have been divided.

The committee, to include members of remote northern Canada’s aboriginal Inuit organizations, would also coordinate science, traditional knowledge and outreach activities.

“The government of Canada is committed to working collaboratively to protect one of Canada’s true natural, and national, symbols. An iconic animal, whose rare and rugged beauty stands as a stark reminder that Canada is one of the world’s true Nordic nations,” Prentice said.

Hansen stressed it was “important that traditional knowledge is used together with science” in the process, while Shewchuk said the MOU “will help us make the wisest possible management decisions for our polar bear populations.”

Canada has some 15,500 polar bears, divided into thirteen distinct populations. Two of them, living on the ice sheets of Kane Basin and Baffin Bay, are trans-boundary and shared between Nunavut and Greenland.

Winnipeg Downtown Hotel

Winnipeg Manitoba Polo Park Hotel

Hunt Lake Manitoba Narrows

www.huntlakemanitobanarrows.com

* Published: 31/10/2009 at 11:03 AM
* Online news: World

Canada and Greenland agreed on a series of measures aimed at protecting shared populations of polar bears which roam between the Nunavut territory and the huge arctic island, officials said.

File picture shows two Polar Bears in Manitoba, Canada. Canada and Greenland agreed on a series of measures aimed at protecting shared populations of polar bears which roam between the Nunavut territory and the huge arctic island, officials said.

Canada’s Environment Minister Jim Prentice made the announcement during a conference call from Kangerluusuaq, Greenland, where he signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) Friday with Greenland’s Minister of Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture, Ane Hansen and Prentice’s Nunavut territory counterpart Daniel Shewchuk.

The deal proposes the creation of a joint committee that would recommend a total allowable — and sustainable — annual polar bear harvest and a fair division of the harvest.

Hunting polar bears has been banned since 1973 but the Arctic’s indigenous peoples are exempt out of respect for their ancestral traditions, despite scientists’ objections over how the quotas have been divided.

The committee, to include members of remote northern Canada’s aboriginal Inuit organizations, would also coordinate science, traditional knowledge and outreach activities.

“The government of Canada is committed to working collaboratively to protect one of Canada’s true natural, and national, symbols. An iconic animal, whose rare and rugged beauty stands as a stark reminder that Canada is one of the world’s true Nordic nations,” Prentice said.

Hansen stressed it was “important that traditional knowledge is used together with science” in the process, while Shewchuk said the MOU “will help us make the wisest possible management decisions for our polar bear populations.”

Canada has some 15,500 polar bears, divided into thirteen distinct populations. Two of them, living on the ice sheets of Kane Basin and Baffin Bay, are trans-boundary and shared between Nunavut and Greenland.

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Even if the private member’s bill, introduced by Manitoba Tory MP Candice Hoeppner, manages to survive an open vote next week in the House of Commons, …
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The most dangerous Halloween costume in the world
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I chose drilling for oil and going polar bear hunting in Churchill. There’s a reason you can spit into the ocean, and it doesn’t matter. …
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Professor chosen as chairman of math, statistics program
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The Northwest Territories were originally created in 1870. At that time, they covered a huge area and included parts of the modern provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan and the Territory of Yukon. In 1976, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami were involved in land claim negotiations with the Canadian Government during which the division of the Northwest Territories was discussed. On April 14, 1982, many residents voted for this division in a plebiscite (referendum).

On April 1, 1999, Nunavut officially split from the Northwest Territories and this date and its anniversary in 2000 became known as Nunavut Day. However, April 1 did not have any real meaning for the people of Nunavut. Nunavut Day celebrations were moved to July 9 in 2001 and have remained on that date since then… http://community.livejournal.com/randompictures/7532949.htmlThe Northwest Territories were originally created in 1870. At that time, they covered a huge area and included parts of the modern provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan and the Territory of Yukon. In 1976, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami were involved in land claim negotiations with the Canadian Government during which the division of the Northwest Territories was discussed. On April 14, 1982, many residents voted for this division in a plebiscite (referendum).

On April 1, 1999, Nunavut officially split from the Northwest Territories and this date and its anniversary in 2000 became known as Nunavut Day. However, April 1 did not have any real meaning for the people of Nunavut. Nunavut Day celebrations were moved to July 9 in 2001 and have remained on that date since then… http://community.livejournal.com/randompictures/7532949.html

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Hunt Lake Manitoba NarrowsThe Northwest Territories were originally created in 1870. At that time, they covered a huge area and included parts of the modern provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan and the Territory of Yukon. In 1976, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami were involved in land claim negotiations with the Canadian Government during which the division of the Northwest Territories was discussed. On April 14, 1982, many residents voted for this division in a plebiscite (referendum).

On April 1, 1999, Nunavut officially split from the Northwest Territories and this date and its anniversary in 2000 became known as Nunavut Day. However, April 1 did not have any real meaning for the people of Nunavut. Nunavut Day celebrations were moved to July 9 in 2001 and have remained on that date since then… http://community.livejournal.com/randompictures/7532949.html

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When Ryan Bonin goes to work, he always makes sure he packs his camera and fishing pole.

As a cameraman and editor for Dave Mercer Outdoors, the Frogmore resident has the type of job most anglers dream of. Not only is he traveling to some of the best fishing spots in North America, he is also learning to be a better angler with tips from television angler Dave Mercer.

Bonin came into the job in a roundabout manner. Originally from Sudbury, he followed his brother’s footsteps showing an interest in video.

“It was the only thing I really enjoyed in high school other than fishing, and there’s no courses in fishing,” he joked.

Although he did a co-op placement with a conservation officer and loved it, his mind was made up for a future career when he was told job prospects, as game wardens were thin. He attended Fanshawe College and took television and broadcasting. There, he met his wife Ginny, who was from the Langton area.

After graduating, Bonin was working at Technicolor in Toronto on commercials, when he chatted with Mercer through a message board on

OFN. At the time, Mercer had produced videos and was looking at starting a television show, which launched in June 2007.

“I was in the right place at the right time and was lucky,” he said. “He sent me a message on WFN and the rest is history. We worked well together so he asked me to come work full-time for Dave Mercer Outdoors.”

Mercer’s Facts of Fishing television show aims to be more entertaining then other fishing shows. It’s also unique it is shot in one location in one day.

Bonin is one of two full-time camera operators and the editor of all the footage.

The show has taken him to the west coast of Canada salmon fishing, to northern Manitoba fly-in fishing for pike and walleye, the east coast of Canada shark fishing and to the Bahamas bone fishing. He also fished for bass in Alabama and alligator gar in Texas.

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When the filming is taking place, Bonin is behind the camera and isn’t fishing. But, when the work, is done he can play – or in this case fish.

On Bonin’s first day fishing with Mercer, he caught two six-pound smallmouth.

“I’d never seen a six-pound bass before,” he admitted.

That trend continued, and he has set his personal best in every species fishing with Mercer.

“I learned more with Dave in the first month than in my entire life,” Bonin said. “He’s an endless pit of knowledge. Just when you think he can’t do anymore, he throws out something else.”

Asked if this was his life ambition, Bonin answered, “Always, in the back of mind, thought it would be great. My final project in college was a full half-hour fishing show.”

With today’s technology, the Internet allows Bonin to live wherever he desired. He and Ginny decided to buy a house in Frogmore, near her parents. Bonin does all the editing from his home office

Besides Facts of Fishing, Bonin is also kept busy editing Mercer’s tips and short video clips for the web site. http://www.tillsonburgnews.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1769772

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A look at the Canadian records available to genealogists.

Censuses
A census–an official government enumeration of the people residing in a city, town, village, county, district, or an urban or rural area–can provide a wealth of information about a person. Details in a census may include name, sex, family relationship, marital status, age, birthplace, immigration and naturalization information, ethnic origin, religion, occupation, and education. A census reveals the characteristics of a population or area at a particular period in time, allowing the researcher to discover the historical, social, and genealogical features of people and places.

Censuses were first conducted in what is now Canada in the seventeenth century. These–and subsequent censuses conducted up to the year 1851–were scattered and selective in regard to the time periods in which they were conducted and the areas enumerated. These very early censuses generally listed only the head of the household, his/her age and occupation, the number of family members, and perhaps the person’s birthplace and religion and a few other facts.

The first comprehensive censuses conducted in Canada were the 1851 and 1861 censuses of Upper Canada (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec). These censuses provide a listing and information for each person in a household. They consist of an agricultural and a personal schedule. The agricultural schedule presents information on crops an d land. The personal schedule includes genealogical information such as name, age, sex, marital status, relationship of occupants, occupation, education, and information on ownership of property, land, and livestock.

The 1871 census was the first nationwide census to occur after provincial confederation in 1867, when Canada became a unified nation of provinces. This census is much larger, consisting of nine schedules. The first schedule, the personal schedule, provides information on name, age, sex, marital status, place of birth, ethnic origin, religion, occupation, and education. The other schedules provide information on property, land, livestock, manufacturing, forestry, shipping and fishing, and mining.

The 1881 and 1891 censuses consist of only one schedule. They provide information on name, age, sex, marital status, place of birth, ethnic origin (1881 census), place of birth of father and mother (1891 census), religion, occupation, and education.

The 1901 census is the most comprehensive census available and consists of two schedules. Schedule 2, property, precedes schedule 1, population. Schedule 2 provides the following information: reference to schedule 1, which in this census indicates exact street address of the population enumerated in schedule 1, as well as building information. Schedule 1 provides the following genealogical information: name, age, sex, year and date of birth, age, year of immigration to Canada, year of naturalization, ethnic origin, nationality, religion, occupation, and employment and education information.

The 1901 census is the last federal Canadian census available to researchers. (The only exceptions are the 1921, 1935, and 1945 censuses of Newfoundland, which did not join confederation until 1949.) There are no national census indexes similar to the U.S. Soundex indexes. However, many individuals and genealogical societies have published indexes for some census years and locations.

Canadian census records are available t o U.S. researchers on interlibrary loan through the family history centers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In Canada they are available on interlibrary loan from the National Archives of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. Visitors to Toronto will find a complete set of Canadian census records, as well as many census indexes, in the Canadiana Room of North York Central Library and at Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library.

Naturalization Records
Canadian censuses can provide much valuable genealogical information to the researcher. But while they will provide the country or possibly province or state of a person’s birth, only in rare cases will they provide the exact city, town, or village where a person was born. There is only one Canadian source that will almost universally provide this. Canadian naturalization records provide this and much more, although they include somewhat less information than the average U.S. naturalization record. There is no master index available to the public for Canadian naturalization records from the period of Canadian confederation in 1867 to the present. There is, however, a partial index available in selected issues of a government newspaper called the Canada Gazette. Issues between 1918 and 1938 offer, at various intervals, lists of aliens who have been naturalized by the Secretary of State. The newspaper is available at the National Archives of Canada in Ottawa and at some Canadian university libraries.

There are basically two types of naturalization records available: those completed prior to 1918, and those processed after this date. Prior to 1918, naturalization was handled locally in Canada by provincial courts. The basic information in these early records was forwarded to the Secretary of State and placed on index cards which have been microfilmed. (The original records held by provincial courts have been destroyed in most cases.) These index cards contain the name of the person natural ized, residence at time of naturalization, occupation, former residence, date and place of naturalization, number of naturalization, and name of court. These entries provide only basic genealogical information, but they are valuable if the country of birth and place of residence in Canada are not known. Many people who were naturalized prior to 1918 often had further correspondence with the Secretary of State for reasons such as applying for a new naturalization certificate. In these instances, full records are available.

Naturalization records issued after 1918 are usually complete and contain much genealogical information. A typical record may consist of an Application for a Decision, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police Report, a Petition for Naturalization, an Affidavit Proving Petition, an Oath of Allegiance, and other documents and correspondence. Information provided on these documents may include name, date and exact place of birth, address, occupation, details of entry into Canada, marital status, physical description, information on relatives (limited), reasons for wanting naturalization, and names and addresses of persons who can vouch for the character and reputation of the applicant. Naturalization records can be obtained by writing to: Steven M. Clemenhagen, Public Rights Assistant, Public Rights Administration, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Journal Towers North, Third Floor, 300 Slater Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 1L1.

The cost is five Canadian dollars for each naturalization record requested; check or money order should be made out to the Receiver-General of Canada. It should be stated that the request is being made through the Freedom of Information Act. The following information should be provided to aid in the search: name at time of naturalization (include all known forms of name used); approximate year of birth within five to ten years; approximate year or place of naturalization, if known; and proof that the person has been dead twenty years (for those individuals born fewer than one hundred years ago). Any other known identifying information about the individual may also be provided.

The information provided in the documents sent should allow the researcher to determine the individual’s exact place of birth, as well as his or her method of entry into Canada. This will allow for the search of other records, such as ship passenger manifests.

Glen Eker has master’s degrees in sociology, political science, recreation and leisure, and library science. His articles on genealogy and census indexes have appeared in publications of the Manitoba Genealogical Society and the Jewish Genealogical Society of Canada. His census indexes are available through LDS family history centers, and have been published on microfiche by Avotaynu and in print and CD-ROM format by the Ontario Genealogical Society. He is a genealogical researcher with the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee in Toronto. Glen’s article on Canadian passenger ship manifests appeared in the March/April 1996 issue of Ancestry Magazine.

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WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Canadian media giant Canwest Global Communications Corp. has agreed to sell its majority stake in Australian broadcaster Ten Network Holdings Ltd. in a deal worth 634 million Canadian dollars ($588 million).

Shares in Canwest gained 68 percent in midday trading Thursday on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Canwest said late Wednesday it has signed a deal to sell its entire 50.1 percent stake in Ten Holdings to Macquarie Capital Advisers Ltd.

It said the sale is expected to be completed by Oct. 1.

Canwest owns the Global television network in Canada and an array of big-city Canadian daily newspapers. It has been struggling to repay debt of 4 billion Canadian dollars ($3.7 billion).

Ten Holdings completed an equity offering earlier this year that cut Canwest’s ownership stake in the broadcaster from 57 percent to just over 50 percent.

Canwest initially put the commercial television channel operator up for sale in October 2006, when Australian foreign ownership rules were relaxed.

After a failed search for an attractive offer, Canwest yanked the broadcaster off the market and completed a share exchange plan that gave it a majority ownership of the network.

Since then, Canwest has sold numerous other assets including indirect interests in four Turkish radio stations and American political magazine the New Republic.

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At first glance, the results of the 2009 duck breeding population and habitat survey are eye-popping: May ponds across the prairie breeding grounds increased 45 percent from a year ago, the total duck population was up 25 percent and mallard numbers climbed 10 percent.

Look closer, however, and some of the survey’s findings explode from the pages like a Fourth of July fireworks display.

“If you would have told me 10 years ago we’d have twice as many pintails nesting on the U.S. side of the breeding grounds as Canadian prairie, I would have laughed in your face,” said Dr. Frank Rohwer, Delta Waterfowl’s scientific director.

Yet that’s exactly what happened this year, as 1.4 million pintails nested in the Dakotas and eastern Montana while only 664,000 set up housekeeping in prairie Canada. The US side of the region also attracted 78 percent more blue-winged teal (4.5 million) than prairie Canada (2.5 million) and a higher percentage of mallards than any other year since the survey began in 1955.

The results of the breeding-population and habitat survey were released Thursday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service. The B-pop, as it’s called, is the most extensive wildlife inventory on the continent.

The total duck breeding population rose 13 percent from 37.3 million to 42 million, and for the first time ever more ducks (14 million) settled on the US side of the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) than the Canadian side (12.7 million)- .sobering news for prairie Canada, which continues to experience sub-par duck production, but exciting news for the US, where nest success has been excellent because of an abundance of grass and a scarcity of red fox,” says Dr. Rohwer,

“Ducks track ponds and the Dakotas and eastern Montana are wet,” says Senior Vice President John Devney. “Not only that, but thanks to heavy rains in June, our grass cover is in excellent shape and we’ve maintained good wetlands, which bodes well for re-nesting and brood survival.

“We ought to be making a bunch of baby ducks this year,” echoed John Solberg, the USFWS pilot-biologist who flies the eastern Dakotas survey each spring. “We’re very wet, and the cover response to recent rains has been incredible.”

A breakdown of the numbers shows the PPR had a 45-percent year-over-year increase in May ponds to 6.4 million. Prairie Canada was 17 percent wetter than a year ago and 5 percent wetter than the long-term average while the U.S. side had a whopping 108 percent increase in wetlands and was 87 percent wetter than the LTA.

The mallard population climbed from 7.7 million to 8.5 million. The United States attracted a 2.96 million mallards while 3.04 million settled in prairie Canada.

Among the other most popular species, gadwall numbers were up 12 percent to 3.1 million; green-winged teal rose to an all-time record of 3.4 million; blue-winged teal rose 11 percent to 7.4 million; northern shovelers climbed 25 percent to 4.4 million; northern pintails were up 23 percent to 3.2 million; canvasbacks were up 35 percent to 662,000, and scaup rose for the third straight year, up 12 percent to 4.2 million, the highest level since 1999.

The only species to show a drop in breeding numbers were redheads, which were down one percent to 1.0 million, and wigeon, down one percent to 2.5 million.

The PPR constitutes only 10 percent of North America’s breeding habitat but annually attracts two-thirds or more of all nesting ducks. The surveyed portion of the region includes North and South Dakota and a sliver of eastern Montana in the United States, and prairie Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada. About 75 percent of the PPR exists in Canada, which historically attracted 75 percent of the ducks that nest there.

During the wet cycle of the 1990s, duck production on the U.S. side of the border increased dramatically thanks to 5 million acres of grass nesting cover provided by the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

The Duck’s Nest: Custer State Park – South Dakota – Our first stop for camping was Custer State Park in South Dakota. This park is located in the hart of the Black Hills. It had wonderful campgrounds and was located near Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and the Badlands. …

Breeding Population Survey Released; Wet Conditions Attract Ducks … – The PPR constitutes only 10 percent of North America’s breeding habitat but annually attracts two-thirds or more of all nesting ducks. The surveyed portion of the region includes North and South Dakota and a sliver of eastern Montana in …

TuzigootJournal: South Dakota Flashback: Terry Redlin – Lots of rural scenes, often with birds streaking across them (he has won multiple competitions done by Ducks Unlimited for the art displayed on duck stamps), typically illuminated with light from various sources: sunrise, sunset, …

Year of the Bird: South Dakota – He was recently invited to go to the Badlands of South Dakota to help the Nature Conservany with a new property they had purchased, and asked me to join. I leapt at an opportunity to both explore a new habitat and at the same time contribute (a little! ….. Wood Duck 1/21 Bayville; 131. Slaty Backed Gull 1/23 Ithaca; 132. Scott’s Oriole 1/24 Union Square Park; 133. Yellow Bellied Sapsucker 1/24 Prospect Park; 134. Red Bellied Woodpecker 1/26 Croton Point; 135. …

Picable – Photo Page: Dawn Over South Dakota Lake – Photo about Dawn Over South Dakota Lake. … Dawn Over South Dakota Lake. by carolina girl. published on Jun 4, 2009. Dawn spreads over a lake in South Dakota illuminating decoys in wait for ducks. …

Federal Duck Stamp Marks Its 75th Anniversary – Federal Duck Stamp Marks Its 75th Anniversary. 2009-2010 Federal Duck Stamp. Designed by South Dakota artist Joshua Spies, the 2009-2010 Federal Duck Stamp features a long-tailed duck and decoy. USFWS

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