Say Anything Blog

Meanwhile in California a judge has thrown the book at a notorious poacher. Similar to speeding, or selling drugs when a poacher is caught it’s hard to believe it’s the first time or the only illegal hunting that has taken place. With that in mind a small fine is hardly a deterrent, in fact most just factor in the number of years they have operated undetected and consider any fine to be factored in as the cost of doing business and a small hurdle. Not often enough are heavy fines handed out to change the minds of poachers.

  ….incident sparked an investigation that led to the arrest of someone who the Department of Fish and Game called one of California’s most abusive poachers. His conviction this month resulted in a court ordering some of the most severe punishments ever handed out for illegal deer killing.

  …was found guilty and sentenced, according to the DFG report: Rodes received a $10,000 fine, 90 days in county jail, three years probation with no hunting allowed and a requirement to attend a hunter-education class.

full post at www.outdoornewsguy.com

North Dakota opens up the early Canada goose season this year on August 15, should be interesting to see/hear the hunters take on this early season. Granted it’s only 2 weeks earlier than the past Sept 1 season, but you’ll need to spend time scouting family flocks…maybe some skeeters? yeah, probably some skeeters and who knows what else.

http://www.outdoornewsguy.com

I’m personally into Fantasy sports, not a rabid whacko, but I don’t mind it a bit. The worst part is that it takes away from cheering for a specific team. You might love the Vikings and hate the Packers but if Aaron Rogers is your fantasy QB, then you’ll hope he throws for 400+ with 4 TDs.

But what about fantasy fishing? Right now the Fantasy FLW is going to award a million..yes MILLION dollar prize to a fantasy angler. Here’s the hook, when you think about all the people in fantasy main line sports like baseball, football, NASCAR etc. Fantasy fishing is pretty small time so your odds of winning on luck alone are better.

  The FLW Fantasy Fishing season began in February, offering anyone and everyone the chance to win $100,000 prizes for picking a winning fantasy team of anglers - just like fantasy football, but with fish - in any of seven FLW Tour events. Winners from the United States, Canada, Australia, Estonia, South Africa, Japan, Poland and Indonesia have racked up big money and prizes. On Thursday, Aug. 21, the FLW Fantasy Fishing champion will be awarded $1 million - the largest fantasy sports payout ever and a sum equal to the top award for the sport’s real-life world champion. Additional prizes for finalists include a new Ranger fishing boat valued at nearly $60,000, a new Chevy Silverado, and a $20,000 BP gas card.

http://www.outdoornewsguy.com

My wife is a self professed anti-outdoorswoman. That in itself doesn’t bother me. I’ve never really tried to push my wife into taking up hunting. She’ll gladly tag along fishing, and probably would enjoy fishing if her husband/guide could ever put her in a spot to catch something other than a bullhead.

full post at outdoornewsguy.com

Simply put the goal is to manage the population without hunters and non-hunters attaching negative stigma about the season or critters. Snow geese have been called sky carp, white-tailed deer have referred to in derogatory conversations as range rodents. When hunting and management ramp to the (needed) point of stripping historical ethical links the slippery slip is greased and it’s hard to stop.

full post at outdoornewsguy.com

fficials at the park have been debating how to deal with a growing elk herd. The animals have few natural predators and hunting is not allowed in the park. Moving the surplus elk is not an option because of fears they could transmit chronic wasting disease.

Kempthorne said he did not see any elk during Tuesday’s visit but said he is a “proponent of using the talent and skills of local citizenry to help us with the culling of the herds.”

Before you spend the last precious days/weeks of summer moping around, grousing about time slipping through your fingers, here’s a few tips to help people with even the most harried schedules squeeze in a few more casts or other outdoor activities as August rolls on .

Pencil in a day off – This sounds easy, but the reality is it’s easier to say you’ll schedule a day, weekend or even a few hours out, than to actually do it. And until you do it, it’s nothing more than a good idea.

cross post from www.outdoornewsguy.com

North Dakota’s Early Canada Goose Season Opens Aug. 15

An early hunting season intended to reduce local Canada goose numbers in North Dakota opens statewide Aug. 15, two weeks earlier than past years.

Mike Johnson, game management section leader for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said hunting Canada geese in August might not be for everyone, but it will provide an opportunity for some and will help landowners with crop depredation problems.

”Conditions will be different in August than what most waterfowl hunters are accustomed to,” Johnson said. “We will watch what happens this fall, and if needed make adjustments for next year.”

Hunters will likely come across unharvested crops, mosquitoes and summer heat. Immediate care of game will most likely be required, Johnson mentioned.

The earlier opener is permitted under the framework provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which allows states to open what is considered a “management take” season on Canada geese as early as Aug. 1. Game and Fish Department officials decided to open in mid-August as a first step in this new “management take” opportunity.

Any Canada goose hunting days added in August do not count against the 107-day federal framework. Therefore, the two-week earlier opening date does not affect the length of the early Canada goose or regular waterfowl seasons.

There will be a Missouri River Canada goose zone (see map attachment), which will provide additional late season hunting opportunities many waterfowl hunters seek. Within the season dates of the Missouri River zone, eight days will be removed from the early season in September and added to the end of the regular season.

“Since the late ‘90s, an increasing number of Canada geese have been remaining on the Missouri River System in North Dakota later in the year,” Johnson said. “These geese used to winter in South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas, but have stayed north later due to open winters, and less hunting pressure compared to other states.”

In the Missouri River zone, the early Canada goose season will conclude Sept. 7, and will have a proposed regular season closing date of Jan. 2. The rest of the state will have an early season ending date of Sept. 15, with a proposed end to the regular Canada goose season of Dec. 25.

Despite liberalized Canada goose seasons the past several years, the statewide population remains high, with numbers well-above population goals. The growing population has resulted in increased reports from landowners concerning depredation on crops and nuisance problems.

During the past decade, hunters have been able to take advantage of longer Canada goose hunting seasons, maximum bag limits and expanded shooting hours. While these strategies have resulted in considerable increases in harvest, the population remains above objective levels.

This year’s early season will have a daily limit of five Canada geese and a possession limit of 10. Shooting hours will be one-half hour before sunrise to sunset daily. Limits and shooting hours are different from the regular season, as the proposed regular season bag limit is three daily and six in possession.

All migratory bird hunters must register with the Harvest Information Program prior to hunting. Hunters who purchase a license through the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s website (gf.nd.gov) or instant licensing telephone number (800-406-6409) can easily get HIP certified. Otherwise, hunters can call 888-634-4798 and record the HIP number on their fishing, hunting and furbearer certificate. Those who registered to hunt the spring light goose season in North Dakota do not have to register with HIP again, as it is required only once per year.

Normal licensing requirements for the regular season, including a federal duck stamp, apply to the early season. Nonresidents who hunt in Sargent and Richland counties during the early season may do so without counting against their 14-day regular season license.

Waterfowl rest areas, closed to hunting during the regular season, will be open during the early season. Most land in these rest areas is private, so hunters may need permission to hunt.

Hunters should refer to the North Dakota 2008-09 Small Game Guide for additional information and regulations.

http://www.outdoornewsguy.com

At first glance hunters rightfully are guided into thinking our waterfowl populations, evidenced by liberal vs restrictive (conservative) hunting seasons are being implemented across the nation. But within these liberal seasons and bag limit framework are more of a mixed bag of species within a total waterfowl population that are not strong enough and need subsequent species protection.

  However, in three flyways, the Service Regulations Committee recommends closing the canvasback season due to low populations and restricting scaup harvest due to long-term population declines

full post at www.outdoornewsguy.com

I saw an email a few weeks ago that a noted North Dakota birder had observed what appeared to be a nesting family of sandhill cranes in ND. Most will shrug their shoulders and say so what. So what? It’s been decades and maybe a century since this has been documented. Brad Dokken from the Grand Forks Herald has the full rundown…click here

http://www.outdoornewsguy.com

Keith Norman from the Jamestown Sun has a good story on the concerns with baiting…

“We have a whole bunch of concerns about hunting over bait,” said Mike McKenna, chief of conservation and communications for Game and Fish. “Obviously an outbreak of bovine tuberculosis would be catastrophic but all these things concern us.”

full story here in the Jamestown Sun

I took my morning jog and for some reason I started thinking about my favorite summer/outdoors songs. Top of my list is Little River Band, Cool Change. Just the opening is enough to put that on the list. “if there’s one thing in my life that’s missing, it’s the time i spend alone, sailing on the clear and bright clear water, it’s kind of a special feeling…okay..i’ll stop..but it has been a favorite for decades even if I was about 4 when it came out.

I’ve always hummed along to Waylon Jennings Lukenback Texas..probably because the only Waylon concert I went to was an outdoor one Valentine, Nebraska with a perfect sunset…..and Eric Carmen Turn the Radio Up from around 1988….post up or pass along your outdoors/summer pick.
http://www.outdoornewsguy.com

This weekend on Outdoors Live Nick Simonson takes us muskie fishing on big Detroit Lake and Jon Mitzel from Dakota County magazine helps us put more fish on the hook in the dog days of summer plus Bruce Stillings upland game biologist takes us through the antelope numbers on AM 790 KFGO Saturday from 4-5PM and again Sunday morning at 8AM.

List live on AM 790 http://www.kfgo.com
podcast at http://www.outdoorslive.podcastpeople.com
more at http://www.outdoornewsguy.com

Prairie Chicken Applications Due Aug. 13

Hunters interested in chasing prairie chickens in October will need to have their applications in the mail and postmarked no later than Aug. 13.

The prairie grouse hunting season will be held Oct. 11-19 in portions of Grand Forks County (north unit) and in southeastern North Dakota (south unit). A total of 100 licenses – 50 in each unit – will be awarded to resident hunters again this year. Successful applicants will be able to take a total of two prairie chickens and a daily limit of three sharp-tailed grouse.

Only hunters with prairie chicken permits can hunt sharptails in the two zones, and sharptail hunting is not open outside the prairie chicken season.

To apply, hunters need to send a postcard containing their name, address, phone number and choice of hunting unit (north or south) to Prairie Chicken Application, North Dakota Game and Fish Department, 100 N. Bismarck Expressway, Bismarck, N.D. 58501.

Only one application per postcard and one application per hunter is permitted. Successful applicants will be notified through the mail.

http://www.outdoornewsguy.com

Let’s face reality, graduation is nothing more than a short ceremony marking the beginning like a cold shot of water coming out of the first blast from the shower. You know it’s coming, but not really sure if your ready for it. And so it goes for the next months of a new game warden or conservation officer. Most agencies after the law enforcement academy will then begin a series of field training assignments, not really a ride along. But more like gradually turn the water from cold to warmer and then down right hot.

full post at outdoornewsguy.com