OUTDOORSMAN.com Blog

Mexico Hunting

2012-01-23T18:54:00.000-08:00

Ryan Nichols sent in this photo of a beautiful Black Buck he shot while in Mexico recently.

He also sent in this video of a wildebeest herd:

They seem a little jumpy to me. Looks like it was a great trip.

Bear Lake Fishing

2012-01-23T18:47:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Wade Cornia on this beautiful catch.

He writes, "Wind, Rain & Snow. Don't ask me why we keep doing this...ok maybe it is for fish like this."

So true.

Idaho Wolves

2012-01-20T17:20:00.000-08:00

Just a few of the wolves killed this year with the Idaho wolf tag. Wish I could show you a few hundred more pictures. It is just amazing how big they are. Deer, elk, and livestock killing machines. The big question you have to ask yourself is why? These massive wolves are not the native wolf that lived in our area 100 years ago. I doubt if our city dwelling tree hugger society that never has left a city really understands the impact of these killing machines.

p.s. it’s just a matter of time before one of our granola loving, green-peace hikers goes out on a hike and runs into a pack of these killers and becomes part of the food chain. If you are going into the Blues, Tetons, Cascades, or up above Spokane hiking, game scouting, or something else you better start carrying a side arm. Can you even imagine being out by yourself and having 8 to 12 of these monsters surround you! Think about what kind of appetite a dozen of these must have. Remember they are the only predator in our nation that kills for fun along with for food. The amount of animals they take are just a small portion of what they need to eat. When elk are calving they will kill the calves just for fun after they have had all they can eat and leave the rest to rot.

Doctors vs. Gun Owners

2011-12-28T10:17:00.000-08:00

Doctors vs. Gun Owners

Doctors
(A) The number of physicians in the U.S. is 700,000.

(B) Accidental deaths caused by Physicians Per year are 120,000.

(C) Accidental deaths per physician is 0.171
Statistics courtesy of U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.

Now think about this:

Guns
(A) The number of gun owners in the U.S. is 80,000,000. (Yes, that's 80 million)

(B) The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups, is 1,500.

(C) The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is .0000188
Statistics courtesy of FBI

So, statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners.
Remember, 'Guns don't kill people, doctors do.'
FACT: not everyone has a gun, BUT almost everyone has at least one doctor.
This means you are over 9,000 times more likely to be killed by a doctor as by a gun owner!!!

Please alert your friendsto this alarming threat.
We must ban doctors before this gets completely out of hand!!!!!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Out of concern for the public at large, we withheld the statistics on lawyers for fear the shock would cause people to panic and seek medical attention!

35" Nevada Mulie

2011-12-13T16:34:00.000-08:00

Paul Price writes, "I am from Carlin Nevada. This is a buck I took here in Nevada. I shot him on Halloween day, thus naming him the "Halloween Buck". I shot him from about 300 yards with a 270 Weatherby Magnum and 140 grain Accubonds. He was with three other bucks. I did not see him at first, I had spotted the other bucks along with some does and were looking at them. They were all respectful bucks. As I looked closer I spotted his antlers in the grass, he was already bedded and ready to hide for the day. All I could see was the back of his head and antlers. The second I saw him I knew he was a giant. I didn't need my spotting scope to see what he was. I didn't want to shoot him in the head for fear of screwing up his mount and was pretty sure his body was angled right toward me. I held low on the back of his neck and cut loose. I hit him a little farther back, but almost right between both front shoulders. Never got to his feet. The stuff on his antlers is velvet that he hasn't rubbed off. I believe he has been hiding in the grass all summer and fall and hasn't had anything to rub on but grass, dirt and rocks. People hunt a life time looking for something like this. Can't wait to have him hanging on my wall. The drop on his left is my walking stick. He is 7 on the right and 6 on the left. He is 35-5/8 inches wide and has over 40 inches of mass. His busted tine on his left side loses a good honest 7 inches. His green gross score is 222. 11-2/8 inches in deductions, mostly from the broken tine. After deductions he scores 210-6/8."

What an amazing trophy, Paul. Congratulations

One Tough Elk

2011-12-09T15:40:00.000-08:00

Tough animal!
2011 South Dakota bull elk taken during the current rifle season. The additional pictures show evidence of this bull previously being in a fight with another bull elk. The other elk broke his antler off in this elk's head. The taxidermist is guessing that the broken antler had been imbedded at least one, if not two, years. The "extra" antler was found to be piercing the skull just behind the left eye of this elk but the surface had healed to the point of not being noticeable.

Moose Driving

2011-12-06T16:41:00.000-08:00

Supposedly this actually happened with some guys from Maine .

They dressed the truck up with the guy dummy spread eagle on the roof of the truck.

The driver and passengers put on Moose Heads.

Down the Maine Toll interstate they went causing about 16 accidents.

They went to jail.

(some cops have no sense of humor)

"How Deer Think" - Ted Nugent

2011-11-23T09:40:00.000-08:00

Ted Nugent, rock star and avid bow hunter from Michigan , was being interviewed by a liberal journalist, an animal rights activist. The discussion came around to deer hunting. The journalist asked, 'What do you think is the last thought in the head of a deer before you shoot him? Is it, 'Are you my friend?' or is it 'Are you the one who killed my brother?

Nugent replied, 'Deer aren't capable of that kind of thinking. All they care about is, what am I going to eat next, who am I going to screw next, and can I run fast enough to get away. They are very much like the Democrats in Congress.'

The interview ended.

Weippe Wolf Pack Spotted!

2011-11-18T10:13:00.000-08:00

This pack of wolves was spotted in the Weippe area. We only hope the "wolf issue" has gotten under some kind of control before the Panhandle ends up like the Clearwater . It is estimated that each one of these eats 24 Elk per year. This group alone will consume 600 Elk this year. That doesn't even factor in the sport kills.

Elk in Estes Park Colorado

2011-11-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

--Happy Hunts!

2011 Utah buck, Sardine Canyon (Black Timber Outfitters)

2011-11-02T09:59:00.000-07:00

Congrats Troy Martin --Happy Hunts

Kim Ropelato With 32" Northern Utah Buck

2011-10-31T11:38:00.000-07:00

Congratulations: Scott Watkins

2011-10-26T13:28:00.000-07:00

Congratulations on your trophy Scott Watkins! This deer was shot during general season rifle, central Utah tag, on public land. See more hunt pictures on our Facebook page! OUTDOORSMAN

Over 40" wide, heavy, stickers on stickers.

2011-10-19T11:09:00.000-07:00

Rob Wiley of Non-Typical outfitters called me a few weeks ago to help guide
some hunters (clients) in Wyoming. He explained and swore me to secrecy of
his plans of chasing possibly the biggest buck he'd had the privilege to
chase. I got to see footage on video of this buck in the velvet. All I can
say is wow and the pictures don't do it justice(Rob is the best picture
taker I know). If you tried to explain this buck to anyone you would have
to say it's over 40" wide, heavy, stickers on stickers, cheaters on
cheaters, and a big drop tine. Any one of those points would be enough to
make most deer fanatics happy. I have to honestly say in my opinion that of
all the attributes except "HEAVY" mean very little COMPARITIVELY! Rob Wiley
has truly proven himself if there were any doubts of his being the Guide for
mule deer of our Time. Congratulations Rob and Brenda of Non-Typical
Outfitters.

--Guest Blogger, Wade Cornia

Venison v Beef

2011-10-12T12:32:00.001-07:00

The Controversy Ends

FROM THE UNITED STATES VENISON COUNCIL

Controversy has long raged about the relative quality and taste of venison and beef as gourmet foods. Some people say venison is tough, with a strong "wild" taste, others insist venison's flavor is delicate. An independent food research group was retained by the Venison Council to conduct a taste test to determine the truth of these conflicting assertions once and for all.

first, a Grade A Choice Holstein steer was chased into a swamp a mile and a half from a road and shot several times. After some of the entrails were removed, the carcass was dragged back over rocks and logs and through mud and dust to the road. It was then thrown into the back of a pickup truck and driven through rain and snow for 100 miles before being hung out in the sun for a day.

It was then lugged into a garage where it was skinned and rolled around on the floor for a while. Strict sanitary precautions were observed throughout the test, with in the limitations of the butchering environment. For instance, dogs and cats were allowed to sniff and lick the steer carcass, but most of the time they were chased away when they attempted to bite chunks out of it.

next, a sheet of plywood left from last year's butchering was set up in the basement on two saw horses. The pieces of dried blood, hair and fat left from last year were scraped off with a wire brush last used to clean out the grass stuck under the lawn mover.

The skinned carcass was then dragged down the steps into the basement where a half dozen inexperienced but enthusiastic and intoxicated men worked on it with meat saws, cleavers, hammers and dull knives. The result was 375 pounds of soup bones, four bushel baskets of meat scraps, and a couple of steaks that were an eighth of an inch thick on one edge and an inch and a half thick on the other edge.

The steaks were seared on a glowing red hot cast iron skillet to lock in the flavor. When the smoke cleared, rancid bacon grease was added, along with three pounds of onions, and the whole conglomeration was fried for two hours.

The meat was gently teased from the frying pan and served to three intoxicated and blind-folded taste panel volunteers. Every member of the panel thought it was venison. One volunteer even said it tasted exactly like the venison he has eaten in hunting camps for the past 27 years.

The results of the scientific test conclusively show that there is absolutely no discernible difference between the taste of beef and venison according to the findings of the expert panel, the U.S. Venison Council reports.

Woman Attacked by Wolf and Wins

2011-10-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

On Sunday while bow hunting a Northern Idaho woman was attacked by a wolf. She is not your typical mother or grandmother. She has worked as a professional hunting guide for many years, so she has spent
many hours in the woods. She has seen wolfs on many occasions and this
is the first time one came at her. She said as soon as the wolf saw her
it charged. She was able to drop her bow, draw her 44 mag out of its
holster, and put 1 round in the wolfs head at a range of a few feet.

14-yr-old Barely Survives Mountain Lion Attack

2011-10-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

Illinois 10/03/11 connecttristates.com: by Brooke Hasch

– A 14-year-old hunter says he (barely) escaped an attack from a mountain lion this weekend. Jeremiah Dice was bow-hunting on his family’s property in Baylis, Illinois in Pike County Saturday night when he says a mountain lion crossed his path. He says the lion attacked him not once but three separate times before Dice was able to injure it with a knife from his pocket.

Dice was able to escape and run home with minor injuries thanks to his jacket and hat that protected him from most of the lion’s blows. “As he landed on me, my head hit the ground and I grabbed him by the throat. His mouth was open. He was trying to bite me. He used his paw to tear at my jacket and the other at my face,” said Dice. Dice says there was no mistaking his attacker for any other cat.

He was treated and released from an area hospital. “I can’t sleep well at nights now. I have flashbacks. I’m just a different person,” said Dice. Officials with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources are investigating the incident.

Farr West Kill

2011-10-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

Good kill Mark Nichols!

Feral Hog Control

2011-10-03T00:02:00.000-07:00

From Jefferson County, Tex. to Culpeper, Va., farmers, ranchers and landowners are counting on a new breed of hunter to face the challenge of winnowing down the feral hog population plaguing giant swathes of the Southwest, Southeast with recently reported sightings as far north as Wisconsin and as far west as California.

Those hunters are now heading to Texas after the state declared October "Get the Hogs Outta Texas" month.

After last year’s Hog Outta Texas Challenge, where the local government offered grants and other incentives to informal local militias of hunters to track down the pigs through traditional on-the-ground methods, Lone Star State politicians decided to step it up and lift a ban from shooting animals from helicopters.

This year they've given the green light for helicopters or “pork-choppers,” to enhance the effort -- adding a definite élan to this year's challenge running officially from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31. And hunters are ponying up big bucks -- about $500 an hour -- for the privilege of participating.

The pigs are prolific -- reproducing every 115 days with up to 12 in a litter. Experts say shooting even 60 percent of them will only maintain the current population in Texas where they range from 2.6 to 3.9 million.

Part of the switch up to “pork choppers” is that the effort is much more efficient in cutting down the population of feral hogs that seem to be cropping up with alarming frequency.

But it’s not cheap.

Federal, state and local governments have contracted professional helicopter operators to swoop in when the budget allows. Private landowners have also tried to use helicopters, but none have the resources to support consistent efforts to rid them of the pest.

Now some of the cost is being picked up by volunteer hunters who purchase heli seats to the tune of $475 per hour to track down millions of feral hogs prancing around Texas’ plains and farms. The

Texas Department of Agriculture will sweeten the pot by awarding grants to the five Texas counties with the most hogs removed and most participation in the in feral hog abatement programs.

Mike Morgan, president of Houston-based Vertex, treats the issue seriously, and doesn’t call it a sport. He says the correct phrase is “aerial deprivation” and the technique has been implemented and legal for nearly 10 years under the strictest state regulations. His company regularly performs aerial deprivation programs of coyotes, bobcats and feral hogs.

He says not just anyone can hop into a helicopter and start shooting. Vertex requires shooters to take a $350 hunting safety course before they book a hunt, Morgan, a former Army helicopter pilot said, “You don’t want just any yahoo shooting from the helicopter – we’ve seen inexperienced people accidentally shoot the rotors crashing copters or flying into power lines.”

So far, Morgan reports 100 hunters have taken the course, and more 15-person classes are already filled. "These are people who are really, really serious about shooting things," Morgan said, noting that hunters from New York City, Missouri and Kansas have taken the course, which includes a four-hour class and 30 minutes of learning airborne target practice.

Vertex allows one shooter at a time or one weapon per aircraft aboard his fleet of two dedicated helicopters. “More than that and you are risking an accident, possibly fatal,” he says.

Morgan’s Vertex is not alone. At last count 178 companies applied for permits to conduct shoots, but Vertex is currently the only company in the U.S. that requires hunters to take a safety course before heading out in a helicopter to track down the hogs.

City slickers may never set eyes on them, but feral hogs devastate farms, forests, wildlife habitats, not to mention beaches causing about $500 million in damages annually, including $52 million in agricultural damages, vehicle collisions with feral hogs cost about $1,200 per accident and control efforts have consistently cost about $7 million.

Listed as an invasive species, the hogs have been spotted roaming through the dense vegetation of Florida, the farms of Texas, West Virginia, with new reports of their arrival in Wisconsin, while officials in Maryland are being extra vigilant and taking precautions.

Morgan was recently called by the State of Kentucky to implement an “aerial deprivation” program there.

"Not only are feral hogs a costly nuisance to agricultural operations and wildlife habitats, but they are increasingly finding their way into urban areas and destroying residents' yards, public parks, golf courses and more," says Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples.

What about all that good hog meat going to waste?

Says Morgan, given the size of the creatures – 400-500 lbs – hunters are not likely to be taking any trophies home, but the feral hogs are a delicacy in Europe. If the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in the heart of Texas, this could be the next biggest industry in the country – doing good while dining well.

Outdoorsman T-shirt Winner: Jacob Nelson

2011-09-20T11:10:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to Jacob Nelson for submitting these amazing photos of his bear hunt! OUTDOORSMAN t-shirt and all!

Whitetail Tips: How Cloud Cover Affects Deer Movement

2011-09-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

Low Clouds
Let’s start with low, which run from ground level to around 6000’. Stratus and Nimbostratus my personal favorites, both resemble fog and are sometimes accompanied by drizzle or light rain! With an east quadrant wind it will rain, with a west quadrant it will be overcast. Both are excellent for whitetail hunting. The common middle clouds, lets say 6000 feet to more than 12,000 feet above ground are altocumulus and altostratus again wind direction affects the incoming weather.

With altocumulus you can expect overcast conditions unless the wind shifts to a south to NE direction. If it does it will almost always rain in 24 hours. Deer know this too, and the pm or am hunting period coming up is going to be very good if you have the correct stand placement for the wind. Altostratus usually will bring continuous rain, if it’s blowing from an easterly direction you have about 10-15 hours. Movement will be good before and after this cloud type.

High Clouds
Now let’s get a look at two common high cloud types, cirrus and cumulous. The first is considered a fair weather cloud and is associated with high pressure systems. Cumulous clouds are also considered a fair weather cloud unless they contain or build vertically then you have a chance of thunderstorms. Both of these clouds types can and will produce rain if the wind shifts to NE to south, usually within 24 hours! By knowing this we can predict deer activity. Here’s an example: Let’s say you see alto cumulous clouds and you have an east wind. I would try and get out within the next 12 hours and hunt because deer will be moving. Now it clears out, the wind shifts clockwise to a westerly direction and you have cirrus clouds. I know the barometer is rising and I would hunt this window also, especially during morning hours after an evening storm.

There are many more cloud types and wind direction combinations and I’m just scratching the surface, but this is the basis in which cloud forecasting was built around on Outdoor Life weather. To find the weather forecast and deer movement predictions where you hunt go to OL Weather.

Coyotes Kill Buffalo!

2011-09-16T09:06:00.001-07:00

September 16, 2011

HAVERHILL — A pack of as many as 10 coyotes is believed responsible for killing a 400-pound buffalo at Kimball Farm.

Farmer Tyler Kimball said the only thing the coyotes left were bones and some skin.

"I thought my buffalo were going to be protecting my chickens, and never thought one of them would be taken out by coyotes," Kimball said. "I guess there are a lot more around that I thought there were."

Had the young female buffalo lived, she would likely have given birth to a calf in two years, Kimball said, noting he raises buffalo at his farm on East Broadway to sell their meat when they reach about 1,000 pounds.

"The loss is about $4,000 when they are full grown," he said of the cost to him of the incident that happened last weekend.

Kimball has dealt with coyotes on his farm before.

Seven years ago coyotes killed two of his cows that were ready to give birth, as well as three calfs. The five animals were in his 9-acre pasture when they were attacked — resulting in a $5,000 loss.

Kimball got permission from police to hunt coyotes on his property. He shot 17 that year.

"We had not lost any livestock since that time, but we did lose a calf about a month ago," Kimball said. "They just picked it off in the pasture and nothing was left, just bones. That's about a $500 loss."

Kimball has more than 70 cows on his farm. He milks some of them and others he raises for meat, along with a dozen buffalo.

"As soon as I found one missing on Sunday morning, I went looking," Kimball said.

Friends, family members and employees helped in the search. Hours later, Kimball found the remains in a swampy area, about 30 feet from solid ground.

He said his buffalo were in a pasture on Saturday night when coyotes singled out the 1 1/2-year-old female named Scruffy and drove her into a swampy area, then pounced on her.

"It's a hunting technique," he said. "Coyotes are not dumb."

"It really aggravates me," Kimball said about the loss. "Everybody knows the buffalo, and they even have names."

East Broadway is a rural section of Haverhill, with homes far distances apart. Elsewhere in the city where heavier development has pushed into rural areas, coyotes have been seen regularly near homes.

Kimball called in an environmental police officer and on Wednesday showed him the remains of the buffalo.

He said the officer estimated that as many as 10 coyotes took part in the attack.

"He said I can use spotlights and hunt them day or night... Whatever I need to do," Kimball said. "All we can do is try to take the coyotes out."

Idaho Elk Hunt

2011-09-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

Idaho elk hunt.... Pretty unbelievable.

Well folks I did not have time to tell about the surprise I found in this years Idahobull at the time of my Idahoreport. I have the time today to post a report with photos. This years Idahobull was a gift as I was not in the shape I normally would be in. Also the bull dropped in his tracks on the top of a very steep ridge, thanks to the .416 Taylor. If the bull would have gone down either side of the ridge it would have been hell packing him out because bringing him back up too the top was not an option.

I am very happy with my bull and everything seemed normal. Once the bull was back at camp the head went on the altar. After a few days I figured it was time to boil the head out for transportation. Now if I were to just cut the antlers off I would have never found the surprise. I skinned out the head and every thing wasnormal and after boiling for about 8 hours in water and Borax the head was about done. I took a stick to clean off some of the sticky tissue and when I was cleaning the left eye socket out I kept hitting something. I was shocked to see a broad head arrow in his head. I could not imagine what it would be like to go on living with an arrow in your head. It just goes to show you how tough these animals are.

He is now known as my Broad Head Bull. Enjoy the photos.

Captain Steve Talmadge Flash Sport Fishing

Minnesota's Pheasent Index Falls Drastically

2011-09-09T10:17:00.000-07:00

Minnesota’s pheasant index falls 64 percent from 2010

A severe winter followed by a wet spring contributed to a significant decline in Minnesota’s pheasant counts. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the pheasant population index declined 64 percent from 2010 and is 71 percent below the 10-year average.

Contributing factors include:

·         A second consecutive severe winter, resulting in hen counts 72 percent below the 10-year average.
·         Cold, wet weather during the April through June nesting period, resulting in brood counts 75 percent below the 10-year average.
·         Loss of nearly 120,000 acres of grass habitat enrolled in farm programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) since 2007.
Severe winters combined with cold, wet springs are doubly hard on pheasant populations. That’s because fewer hens survive the winter and those that do are less successful in producing broods.

Pheasant hunters are expected to harvest about 250,000 roosters this fall, the lowest harvest since 1997. This compares to harvests that have exceeded 500,000 roosters five of the past eight years. The 500,000 bird harvests correspond with a string of mild winters and high CRP enrollment.

“We expect hunters to harvest a similar number of birds in 2011 as they did in 2001, which was another year with a severe winter followed by a cold, wet spring” said Kurt Haroldson, a wildlife biologist for the DNR’s Farmland Wildlife Population and Research Group in Madelia. Haroldson noted survey results indicated an unusually low ratio of hens to roosters. This suggests hen mortality was high or hens were nesting or caring for young broods during the survey. If the late nesting effort was greater than normal, the 2011 pheasant population and the fall harvest may be higher than forecast. Pheasant populations can rebound quickly given good habitat, mild winter weather and favorable spring nesting conditions.

Minnesota is not the only state to see pheasant index declines. Wildlife officials in South Dakota reported a 46 percent population index decline. North Dakota’s spring population survey showed a decline, too.

The pheasant population estimate is part of the DNR’s annual roadside wildlife survey. The survey summarizes roadside counts of pheasants, gray (Hungarian) partridge, cottontail rabbits, white-tailed jackrabbits and other wildlife observed in the early morning hours during the first half of August throughout the farmland region of Minnesota.

The highest pheasant counts were in the east central region, where observers reported 51 birds per 100 miles of survey driven. Hunters will find fair harvest opportunities in pockets of south central and southwest Minnesota, but harvest opportunities in most of Minnesota’s pheasant range are rated poor to very poor. This year’s statewide pheasant index was 23 birds per 100 miles driven, the lowest index since 1986. The pheasant index in southwest Minnesota, typically the state’s best pheasant range, fell 82 percent from last year to 19 birds per 100 miles driven.

Haroldson said the most important habitat for pheasants is grassland that remains undisturbed during the nesting season. Protected grasslands account for about six percent of the state’s pheasant range. Farmland retirement programs such as CRP, Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, Reinvest in Minnesota and Wetlands Reserve Program make up the largest portion of protected grasslands in the state.

High land rental rates and competing uses for farmland diminish the economic attractiveness of farmland conservation programs. During the next three years, contracts for 550,000 acres of CRP lands are scheduled to expire. If not re-enrolled, this would reduce CRP acres in Minnesota by 36 percent.

To help offset continued habitat losses caused by reductions in conservation set-aside acreage, DNR has accelerated acquisition of Wildlife Management Areas in the farmland region of Minnesota. DNR also supports habitat conservation on private lands by working with a variety of partners in the Farm Bill Assistance Partnership and Working Lands Initiative. Also, nearly 10,000 acres of private property will be open to public hunting through the state’s new Walk-In Access program.

The August roadside survey, which began in the late 1940s, was standardized in 1955. DNR conservation officers and wildlife managers in the farmland region of Minnesota conduct the survey during the first half of August. This year's survey consisted of 166 routes, each 25 miles long, with 148 routes located in the ring-necked pheasant range.

Observers drive each route in early morning and record the number and species of wildlife they see. The data provide an index of relative abundance and are used to monitor annual changes and long term trends in populations of ring-necked pheasants, gray partridge, eastern cottontail rabbits, white tailed jackrabbits and other select wildlife species.

The gray partridge index was similar to last year but 75 percent below the 10-year average. The cottontail rabbit index was also below the 10-year and long-term average. The jackrabbit index was 96 percent below the long-term average. Finally, the mourning dove index was 26 percent below last year and 29 percent below the 10-year average.

The 2011 August Roadside Report and pheasant hunting prospects map can be viewed and downloaded from http://mndnr.gov/hunting/pheasant.

Open Discussion Experimental Fishing

2011-09-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

Reviews of existing or newly proposed experimental fishing regulations on Minnesota waters will be the subject of 11 open house public meetings being conducted across the state in the coming weeks by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The meetings will focus on special regulations for sunfish, crappie, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye and trout in 20 lakes and connecting waters, as well as one stream. Notable among the meetings are reviews of walleye regulations on Lake Vermilion and the Kabetogama/Namakan Reservoir.

The goal of experimental regulations on individual waters is to produce a quality fish population that can sustain increasing angling pressure and improved angler efficiency. During the past 25 years, fisheries managers have monitored a variety of regulations across Minnesota.

“Much has been learned from our efforts to improve fish populations with length and bag limits,” said Al Stevens, DNR fisheries program consultant. “If experimental regulations are successful, then regulations can be replicated on similar waters where fisheries managers and anglers agree they would help improve or maintain quality fishing.”

Experimental regulations are in effect for a specific period of time, typically 10 years. Before the regulation ends, fish managers must evaluate the regulation and then gather input from public meetings to help determine whether to extend, modify or drop the existing experimental regulations.

“Fisheries managers welcome the opportunity to hear opinions from anglers,” Stevens said. “Public participation is critical in determining whether proposed and existing regulations are meeting angler expectations.”

Waters that will be evaluated this year were posted at public access points this spring. Public notices for each meeting will be published in local newspapers. For more information about a specific meeting, contact your local DNR fisheries offices. An online directory of offices and contact information is available at mndnr.gov/areas/fisheries and are referenced on page 78 of the 2011 Fishing Regulations handbook. Offices are mapped online at mndnr.gov/contact/locator.html.

Written or verbal comments also will be accepted at local fisheries offices up to 10 days following a local meeting.

For those unable to attend a local meeting, there will be an open house at DNR headquarters, 500 Lafayette Road in St. Paul, on Thursday, Sept. 28, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Staff will be available to take comments on any proposal. Comments also will be accepted via email to al.stevens@state.mn.us or by telephone at 651-259-5239.