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November 13, 2009 by
A Minnesota man with a criminal history is suspected of illegally killing a massive-racked whitetail buck that could be the largest 8-point ever recorded.
Last week, Minnesota conservation officers seized the antlers involved in the case and on Thursday, Nov. 12 filed charges against Troy Reinke, 32, of Cannon Falls, Minn. Reinke was charged by the Goodhue County Attorney’s Office with 13 counts, including exceeding his limit and failure to register a deer.
According to the complaint, Reinke admitted to conservation officers that he shot a small doe and a small buck on separate dates in early October, and failed to tag or register either. Reinke said he shot the large 8-point buck, on Halloween evening.
State conservation officers confirmed that a scoring form utilizing Boone and Crockett measuring indicated the deer had a gross antler score of 190 5/8 and net score of 185. The only deduction was a small “kicker point” on the rack’s right side.
Though there is no specific Boone and Crockett category for 8-point whitetails, the largest 8-point typical on record was taken in Michigan and scored 183.
Rob Drieslein, editor of Minnesota Outdoor News reported that Chuck Corcoran, the Hampton, Minn., taxidermist who handled the deer for Reinke, said the buck field-dressed at 269 pounds.
“And it’s just a rack you’ve got to see to believe,” Corcoran said.
During their investigation, conservation officers seized a bow, two deer racks, the meat from the three deer, and the hide from the large buck.
Related media reports coming out of Minnesota indicate that Reinke has previous convictions for domestic assault, theft and fishing with too many fishing lines. According to court records, he served 120 days in jail recently for his second domestic assault charge.
Officially, Reinke has been charged with:
-Two counts of gross misdemeanor, transport of illegally taken big-game animals;
- One count, gross overlimit of wild animals;
-Two counts, misdemeanor, failure to register deer;
- Two counts, misdemeanor, failure to validate a deer license;
- Two counts, misdemeanor, untagged big-game animal;
- Two counts, misdemeanor, take overlimit of deer, and;
- Two counts, misdemeanor, take or hunt deer without a license.
If convicted on all counts, Reinke could face $19,000 in fines, up to a year in jail and revocation of his hunting license.
Investigating officers said they were initially alerted to the alleged poaching through a tip from a concerned sportsman.
A trial date has not been set.
[ Read Full Post ] November 10, 2009 by
Here’s a story to file under the Newshound’s heading of “be careful who you pick a fight with.”
It’s also a great indicator that the whitetail rut is well underway in the state of Wisconsin.
A 7-point buck point obviously chose the wrong adversary in his testosterone-induced attempt to exhibit male dominance when it challenged a 640-pound concrete elk statue in the yard of Mark Brye in rural Viroqua, Wisc.
Brye told outdoor writer Bob Lamb of the LaCrosse (Wisc.) Tribune that each morning he looks out in his yard at the stately bull elk given to him by his son and daughter because he likes to hunt elk out West. But one morning last week, the bull, well, wasn’t exactly standing upright.
The massive molded ungulate was instead resting on its side, its antlers broken and scattered in pieces on the ground.
And there, some 20 feet away, lay the 180-pound lifeless buck, its skull crushed from its repeated impact with the unforgiving lawn ornament.
Brye snapped a photograph to document the bizarre battle and its aftermath.
“I could tell the buck poked the statue a couple of times by the chipped paint on it,” Brye said, adding that the deer must have rammed it like a mountain goat because of the damage inflicted to its own antlers and body.
A Wisconsin DNR conservation officer investigated the unusual incident and tagged the buck for the family’s personal use. The resulting venison tenderloins will undoubtedly generate plenty of stories as they are savored as table fare at the Brye household in coming months.
And what about the battered bull elk?
Brye says he might attach the buck’s antlers on the bull to mark the fateful November battle, though he’ll need some help to return the heavy statue to its feet.
“I can’t tip it back up until I get a whole bunch of guys to help me,” he said.
[ Read Full Post ] November 10, 2009 by
Investigators in Ohio believe rising unemployment and a tough economy is driving some ginseng diggers in the state to illegally harvest the root on private land and out of season.
For the past month, State Wildlife Officers from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife have been contacting many Ohio ginseng dealers and diggers as part of an ongoing investigation.
To date, Ohio wildlife officers have identified more than 30 individuals and 60 violations of Ohio law relating to ginseng root harvesting. As the investigation continues, authorities say formal charges will likely include digging ginseng without landowner permission, collecting or possession of ginseng during the closed season, failure to maintain accurate records and failure to certify ginseng prior to export.
The perennial herb is one of the most sought-after medicinal plants in the world. American ginseng occurs from Quebec, Canada, west to Minnesota and south to Georgia and Oklahoma.
Ohio certifies about 3,000 pounds of ginseng for export annually. There are 46 licensed ginseng dealers in the state with an estimated two to four thousand diggers. The number of diggers/harvesters varies annually depending on market conditions.
Last year, 3,626 pounds of ginseng were legally harvested in Ohio and sold to dealers at around $400 a pound. The value of the dried wild root fluctuates, and was as high as $1,000 per pound in 2007.
[ Read Full Post ] October 29, 2009 by
In a story from: www.spinner.com
A teenage folk singer was attacked and killed by two coyotes in a national park in eastern Canada.
Taylor Mitchell, 19, was attacked while she was hiking alone in Cape Breton Highlands Park, Nova Scotia, when she was attacked by two of the animals on Tuesday. She died of her wounds on Wednesday.
Nearby walkers heard her screams and alerted park rangers, who arrived on the scene and shot one of the animals. The other has yet to be found.
A police spokesperson said the two coyotes were "extremely aggressive" when rangers arrived on the scene.
"Coyotes are normally afraid of humans. This is a very irregular occurrence," Bridgit Leger, a spokeswoman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, told Reuters news agency.
Mitchell was airlifted to hospital in Halifax but died there. Paul Maynard of Emergency Health Services said she had been admitted with multiple bite wounds on her body.
"Words can't begin to express the sadness and tragedy of losing such a sweet, compassionate, vibrant, and phenomenally talented young woman," Lisa Weitz, Mitchell's manager, said. "She just turned 19 two months ago, and was so excited about the future."
Mitchell's debut album 'For Your Consideration' had been recorded earlier this year and the artist had been on a tour of eastern Canada when the attack occurred.
"She was so young and talented -- her big dreams were a perfect match with her big, kind heart," said Michael Johnston, the album's producer.
Biologists said attacks by coyotes -- also known as prairie wolves -- were extremely rare because the animals were usually very wary of humans. The area of the park where the attack happened has now been blocked of as officials try to find out what caused the attack.
[ Read Full Post ] October 14, 2009 by
There may be some argument among National Football League faithful, but probably no pro football fan base includes more hunters and shooters than the Green Bay Packers. Where else but Lambeau Field can as much camouflage and blaze orange garb be seen in the stadium on a Sunday afternoon?
This week the Packers announced a “Hunting Down Hunger” campaign to raise money, awareness and venison donations for state food pantries and relief efforts.
The Packers are selling a special line of hunter orange and camouflage hats emblazoned with the team’s trademark “G.” Five dollars from the sale of each hat will be contributed to state food pantries and other hunger relief efforts.
In addition, Cheesehead hunters will again giving their excess and unwanted deer to the Wisconsin Deer Donation program, which has provided more than 3.1 million pounds of ground venison for needy state residents.
Packers “Hunting Down Hunger” gear may be seen at: www.packersproshop.com.
[ Read Full Post ] October 2, 2009 by
Supporters of a dangerous ballot initiative aimed at banning the use of traps to manage furbearers on public land in Montana have been cleared to begin acquiring the 24,400 petition signatures necessary to qualify the measure for the 2010 general election.
The Montana Secretary of State’s office concluded last week that Florence-based Footloose Montana has until June 18, 2010 to obtain signatures from 5 percent of the total number of qualified voters in Montana, including 5 percent in each of the 34 legislative house districts. That translates into approximately 24,337 signatures to land the initiative on the November 2010 general election ballot.
The group claims it seeks to ban trapping on public lands in the state for “scientific, public health and safety activities.”
Terri Knapp, communications director for the Secretary of State, said the initiative has been titled I-160 and bears the official name “Montana Trap-Free Public Lands Act.”
“The petition has been approved for signature gathering,” Knapp said. “This is a statutory amendment by initiative.”
[ Read Full Post ] September 11, 2009 by
It was a Tuesday morning, and for the first few hours of it, what distinguished it from all other late-summer Tuesday mornings was the weather. If you hunt, you know what I mean. It was the day when summer turned to fall. The cadence of the cicadas slowed with the falling temperatures on the night prior; the morning skies premiered in clear blue; the slight chill gave way to the warmth of the day—and then Osama bin Laden’s henchman, Mohammed Atta, destroyed it all.
At 8:43 a.m. on September 11, 2001, I was waiting for the traffic light to change on 23rd St. and Madison Ave. when Atta hit the throttles on American Airlines Flight 11 out of Boston and powered it into the north tower of the World Trade Center. I know because I heard and watched it happen. All of it—the sirens, the fire, the second plane, the building disintegrations— everything. My friends perished in the building, one of my buddies from my deer hunting club is a fireman; his sister, another member of my hunting club, worked for the medical examiner’s office. I prayed for them.
Eight years later, the memories remain vivid. The only salve for that horrible Tuesday morning was the Saturday after when I got into the woods and began to heal, albeit just a bit. I have not healed—likely never will. I will also never forget, nor should any of us. Remember where you were on 9/11? Please share your thoughts on this most memorable of all days.
[ Read Full Post ] August 13, 2009 by
As hunters prepare to head to the backcountry for early season big game scouting, authorities in an increasing number of popular hunting locales are warning sportsmen about the likelihood for confrontations with armed and ruthless marijuana growers on public lands.
It’s a disturbing sign of our times, but more and more hunters in virtually every region of rural American may potentially stumble upon clandestine drug-making and marijuana-growing operations these days.
With the California Zone A deer season set to open Saturday, August 15, hunters there are being warned to be especially vigilant when in remote areas of the Mendocino National Forest, a region notorious for illegal pot-growing plantations. It is also an area where armed confrontations have occurred between growers and unsuspecting deer hunters in the past.
Just last week, deputies with the Glenn County Sheriff’s Department and U.S. Forest Service personnel removed 15,521 marijuana plants with an estimated street value of $62 million from the Elk Creek area of the Mendocino NF.
No one was apprehended, but authorities also dismantled two separate camps and an extensive irrigation system.
In recent years, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has stressed that illegal cultivation on public land has grown to highly problematic levels in many areas. The operations are often run by Mexican drug cartels and guarded by heavily armed members of U.S.-based street gangs and illegal Mexican nationals.
An ONDCP spokesman said violent Mexican drug cartels construct, operate and manage 80 to 90 percent of all U.S.-based marijuana plantations—most of which are located in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Kentucky, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia.
Simply, there are some real bad guys out in the mountains and woods these days.
Authorities agree that hunters should avoid contact with the individuals at these remote camps at all costs. Instead, they should obtain a GPS reading of the location, if possible, then immediately retrace their route away from the area and contact law enforcement to make a report.
Additionally, hunters should also report anything they see that might be associated with marijuana growing operations; like PVC drip lines, brush piles placed in long rows, empty fertilizer bags or garbage.
Now, let’s go hunting. But be careful out there.
[ Read Full Post ]July 13, 2009 by
If Mark Twain were still with us, he might contend that the rumors of the firearms industry’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Selected Wall Street investment analysts announced downgrades to some firearms manufacturer’s stocks last week, based on the premise that the unprecedented spike in the sales of certain guns and ammunition since the November General Election is nearing the end of its historic run.
“THE OBAMA GUN RUN IS SLOWING,” shouted the lead line in Barron's Senior Editor Bill Alpert’s feature, “Shooting a Hole in the Outlook for Gun Stocks.”
“When the Democrats swept into Washington in November, gun fanciers scrambled for 15-round pistols and tactical rifles equipped with grenade launchers, flash suppressors and bayonets—in fear the new administration would reinstate a ban on the sale of such weapons,” Alpert wrote.
Grenade launchers, flash suppressors and bayonets?
Based on the arrogant and sarcastic tone of the article, one wonders whether the author’s contention that the increase in firearms sales and related jump in concealed-carry permit applications may be waning is based more on wishful thinking than facts and accurate data.
Ironically, the same day Barron’s announced what appeared to be the death knell to the present booming firearms market, gunmaker Smith & Wesson announced a 20 percent increase in sales for the company’s fiscal 2009 ending on May 31. The Springfield, Mass. manufacturer reported a net profit of $7.4 million, or 14 cents per share, more than doubling earnings from the same quarter last year and beating analyst estimates.
(In the interest of full disclosure, the writer is an investor and has owned Smith & Wesson stock for nearly 10 years.)
And last week, data released by the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) indicated a 15.4 percent leap in background checks on the sale of firearms in May when compared to the same month a year ago. Background checks totaled 1,023,102 in May 2009, up from 886,183 reported in May 2008.
The May increase came on the heels of a 30.3 percent increase in April, a 29.2 percent gain in March and rises of 23 percent in February, 28 percent in January, 24 percent in December and 42 percent in November—when a record 1,529,635 background checks were performed.
Granted, the May 2009 NICS numbers fall somewhat short when compared to those from preceding months. But it’s hardly a cause for alarm for anyone but those naysayers who contend the current high interest in firearms ownership for personal protection is fabricated and lacks legitimacy.
[ Read Full Post ]May 26, 2009 by
It’s probably been at least 40 years or longer since the recommended treatment for poisonous snakebites in the Official Boy Scout Handbook included instructions on sucking the venom from the victim’s wound. These days the general medical advice for snakebite is to transport the victim to the nearest medical facility for professional treatment.
But Bobby Jenkins, 50, who lives on a ranch in rural Goshen County, Wyoming, was faced with a serious dilemma May 15 when his 11-month-old black Labrador retriever, Tank, was hammered squarely on the nose by a prairie rattlesnake.
“It was 20 minutes to town and I knew he would not make it. So I grabbed his nose and started sucking the rattlesnake poison out of the top of his nose and spit it on the ground,” Jenkins told the Casper Tribune newspaper.
By the time Jenkins transported his dog to the nearest animal doctor in Torrington, the Lab’s head had ballooned to grotesque proportions. Rattlesnake antivenin was immediately applied to the ailing canine and he soon exhibited a favorable reaction to the treatment.
But by that time, Jenkins began feeling woozy and faint, an apparent reaction to the snake venom he’d accidentally ingested in his attempt to save Tank. At the local hospital emergency room he was treated with multiple injections of anti-venom medication before his vital signs returned to normal.
In the end, the Snakes-on-the-Plains incident ended well for both rattler-poisoned victims, and Jenkins is confident his actions saved his Lab’s life.
“It was just instinct,” he said. “I saved the dog and I saved myself.”
[ Read Full Post ]
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