| TAILS-N-TINES |
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| updated 1 June. 03 |
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| Photo by NYSURESHOT1954 |
| Use Aerial Photos When I'm hunting or scouting a piece of property, my Bible is a recent aerial photo. Aerial photos are available from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for as little as $10. The internet makes it easy to get aerial photos for your hunting area. Just go to the USGS site (http://mapping.usgs.gov/) and you'll find all the information you need to buy them.An aerial photo shows me the relationship between fields, creeks, hardwoods, bottlenecks, clear-cuts, fencelines and ponds. I look for dense cover (where the deer are more likely to bed), food sources, and the transition zones between feeding and bedding areas.The photo also tells me compass directions and lets me mark my stand locations, deer trails, and the best approaches to the stands. There's not a morning that I go hunting that I don't watch the Weather Channel to try to find a forecast for that day. My stand selection is never determined until I see the weather forecast. You have to have the wind in your favor. Wind direction is the single most critical aspect of deer hunting. |
| Know Your Property Once you learn the food sources and have an aerial photo of your hunting spot, then it's time to walk the property. Treat your hunting property like it's your house. You want to know every inch of it. While walking, look for the various food sources that you've studied and learned to identify. If food is available, look for deer tracks, fresh droppings, empty hulls of corn (where applicable), or fresh bite marks where deer have nipped weeds, leaves or other browse. Deer hunting is like taking a course at school. The more you learn about the deer's behavior, the better you'll be as a student of the game. Mentally, try to think that you are that old buck and someone is out to get you. Keep your house in mind. Do you think he's going to be sitting in the wide open living room or hiding in a corner of the attic? |
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| Alex J. Ellis,age 4. With his first fish caught on May 3, 2003. The fish was a 10 inch Brook Trout caught at Allen Lake, Allegnay County, NY. The pole he used was bought by him with his own money. He used a pink power bate to attract the fish. It was the only one caught that afternoon, out doing his father Brian,and grandfather Albert. Photos by: Al Ellis |
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| Once plentiful across the state, New England cottontails are today limited to a handful of sites in Maine, and scientists are recognizing the signs of a species in trouble, says Wally Jakubas, a biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The cottontail's traditional habitat--brushy, shrubby forests north of New York and east of the Appalachian Mountains--has declined by 75 percent since the 1960s. This month, the New England office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will decide whether to begin a year of research to determine whether the New England cottontail should be protected as an endangered species. In 2000 a coalition of environmental groups petitioned the federal government for the New England cottontail to be considered for endangered status, but funds to pursue new listings weren't available because of a backlog of endangered-species lawsuits, said Diane Lynch of the USFWS. But the USFWS is now in the midst of a 90-day review of cottontail data and expects to announce soon whether it will begin the year-long endangered species listing process. The cottontail is believed to be a victim of two major environmental problems: urban sprawl and invasive species. Hunting isn't thought to be a factor in the cottontail population's decline because the rabbits are so few and so elusive that hunters rarely shoot them, Jakubas said. Biologists say they're considering plans to recolonize portions of the Maine coast with New England cottontails in an attempt to boost the breeding population. They say, for instance, that part of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge near Saco could be managed for rabbit habitat. |
| The National Rifle Association (NRA) and Crosman Corporation have announced a joint program to promote the shooting sports and firearms safety. Crosman will offer NRA-affiliated clubs, youth program operators and NRA-certified instructors a selection of Crosman air guns and materials to hold a safety and marksmanship program. The kits can be purchased from Crosman at a substantial discount. Crosman will make a contribution to the NRA Foundation's Air Gun Endowment for each kit sold. For more information contact the NRA Youth Programs Department's Matt Szramoski at youth_programs@nrahq.org; (703) 267-1596. |
| Back to the Basics "If you've been deer hunting for a long time and you've never taken a mature buck, maybe it's time to focus on fundamentals...If you're not successful, you need to get back to the basics. Deer hunting isn't rocket science; it's really very simple. What do the deer eat? Where do the deer bed and where do they travel? When do they move most often? Where do you set up or select a stand to intercept them? How do you defeat the whitetail's sensory defenses -- smell, hearing and sight? How do you read sign to know that you're hunting in a productive area? How do you reach your hunting area without alerting nearby deer? When is the rut?...We all have room for improvement. I learn something new about whitetails every season. There are times when it seems like I learn something new nearly every day of the season. One of my father's favorite sayings is: "When you think you've gotten too good, you'll never get any better."... Drop your ego and concentrate on the fundamentals. |
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| PHOTO BY: TIM CONOVER |
| Ten Commandments of Hunting Safety 1 Treat every firearm with the same respect due a loaded firearm. 2 Control the direction of your firearm's muzzle. 3 Be sure of your target and what is beyond it. 4 Be sure the barrel and action are clear of obstructions. 5 Unload firearms when not in use. 6 Never point a firearm at anything you do not want to shoot. 7 Never climb a fence or tree, or jump a ditch or log, with a loaded firearm 8 Never shoot a bullet at a flat, hard surface or water. 9 Store firearms and ammunition separately. 10 Avoid alcoholic beverages or other mood-altering drugs before or while shooting. |
| Outdoors briefs: Hunters and anglers are big spenders March 21, 2003 Hunters and anglers nationwide spend $70 billion a year on travel and equipment, says a report by the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation and the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The report says Colorado hunters number 280,596. They spend $470.6 million, creating 9,862 jobs and generating $24.7 million in state tax revenues. Colorado has 916,818 anglers, who spend $791 million in the state, creating 15,253 jobs and generating $45.4 million in state tax revenues. |
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