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June 24, 2009 by
An Internet-savvy U.S. Coast Guardsman’s use of the online social-networking site Facebook this weekend helped locate a fisherman thought to be missing and prevented the launch of a search mission that could have cost taxpayers as much as $30,000.
An angler was presumed overdue early Sunday morning after a ranger at Cobscook Park in Eastport, Maine reported a lone vehicle with an empty trailer parked at a launch-site parking lot. Using the vehicle’s license plate, the Coast Guard’s Northern New England sector office located a name, address and phone number, but attempts to contact the tardy owner were unsuccessful.
Before ordering a full-fledged search involving Coast Guard aircraft and cutter vessels, Paul Conner, the officer in charge of the case, opted to do some online searching via the popular networking site, Facebook. He was able to locate an e-mail address belonging to a relative of the missing man, and subsequently discovered the boater/angler had simply opted to moor overnight at a different location than where his vehicle and trailer were parked.
“Sometimes we have to be very creative in our information gathering,” Connor said later. “A simple Internet search can often help us locate a missing person before a boat or aircraft is even on scene.”
We’re guessing that Conner—and perhaps the entire U.S. Coast Guard—now appear prominently on the fisherman’s Facebook “friends” list.
[ Read Full Post ]June 18, 2009 by
Most states have an official flower, song, flag, mammal or even fish. But thanks to the dedication of some devotees of historic firearms, Pennsylvania may soon be the first to have an official state gun.
In late May, State Sen. Pat Browne of Allentown, Pennsylvania introduced legislation designating the historic Pennsylvania Rifle as the official firearm of The Keystone State.
“The Pennsylvania Rifle was the first truly American firearm and, due to its exceptional accuracy and range, was considered the greatest achievement in the development of firearms during the 18th century,” the bill states, in part.
The legislation is the result of several years of hard work by historic firearms lovers in Pennsylvania, in particular those affiliated with the Jacobsburg Historical Society’s Pennsylvania Long Rifle Museum.
“We have been working toward this resolution, actively with Rep. Craig Dally, for the last three years,” said Museum president Dave Ehrig. “It was only after a summit at the museum, followed by a luncheon reception for Sen. Pat Browne, did the good senator become swayed. We are excited about the future!”
Ehrig also serves as director of the Longhunter Society for the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association (NMLRA), which scores and records outstanding big game animals taken exclusively with muzzle-loading firearms.
An early handcrafted Pennsylvania longrifle built in the mid to late 1700s could take 200-300 hours to craft, especially in the days when barrels were hand-forged.
“They are one of the pure forms of American art form,” said firearms historian Tim Lubenesky. “Almost every kind of art was brought from other parts of the world but the Kentucky Rifle or Pennsylvania Longrifle and its four-piece engraved brass patchbox is unique to the Americas. No place else does it exist.”
[ Read Full Post ]June 9, 2009 by
You’ve got to credit to the folks at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department: they have a crystal clear understanding of where their bread is buttered.
Announcing the results of its recent review of activities taking place on wildlife management areas (WMAs) in the state, the agency said it would prohibit paintballing and geocaching on those public lands, beginning immediately.
In paintballing, teams square off and compete in simulated combat games. Geocaching participants utilize GPS units and follow a series of coordinates while attempting to locate a position, or “treasure” before a competitor does.
The lion’s share of the funding used to purchase WMAs across the country comes from federal excise taxes generated by the sale of firearms, ammunition and bowhunting equipment. The funds are distributed to the states by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service each year and are required to be used for hunting land acquisition, hunter safety programs and other specified purposes.
Scott Peterson, Game and Fish Department wildlife resource section supervisor, said the agency determined that paintballing and geocaching activities could potentially interfere with those using the WMAs for their primary purpose, which is hunting and fishing.
“While these types of activities may not always create a significant impact to an individual WMA, they do create a considerable amount of unnecessary disturbance to both wildlife and wildlife habitat,” Peterson said. “They also have the potential to create competition with hunters and anglers who help pay for managing WMAs.”
Here at the Newshound, we say hats off to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department for the respect it has shown for hunters, anglers and wildlife habitat.
Or, in the words of President Theodore Roosevelt, who once called the Dakota Territory his home:
“Bully!”
[ Read Full Post ]June 6, 2009 by
Western Massachusetts turkey hunter Rick Donati sat motionless, in full camo, using his box call to imitate a lovelorn hen.
“I was on the side of a hill. The sun was out; it was an absolutely gorgeous day. I was tucked in next to a stone wall that had some brush along it,” Donati later told the Nashua (NH) Telegraph newspaper.
“So I’m purring and I’m putting away, and all of a sudden, it was like I was hit by a giant sack of grain,” he recalled.
But the “sack of grain” had claws, spotted fur, a short, bobbed tail and weighed about 35 pounds. And it had completely bowled over the stunned 49-year-old hunter who hails from Gardner, Mass.
Within seconds, Donati regained his composure and the two startled creatures stared at each other for a moment, as they tried to figure out what had just occurred.
“He got about 10 feet and he stopped and turned and looked at me,” Donati said. “It was a beautiful bobcat.”
Then it was gone.
Assessing the damage, Donati soon realized the encounter had left him with deep scratches on his arm and head. He used his cell phone to call his longtime hunting buddy, David Peet.
“He goes, ‘I just got attacked by an effing bobcat!’” Peet, 48, told the Nashua paper. “I’m like, OK. I’m waiting for the punch line, and I could hear him breathing really heavy. He said ‘I’m bleeding all over the place!’”
Donati was able to walk out the woods and drive to his physician’s office, where he received antibiotics and vaccines for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. On his doctor’s recommendation, he also began precautionary treatment for rabies.
And even though game and fish biologists officially consider the incident to be an “unprovoked attack,” Donati prefers to believe the wildcat was deceived by his stellar turkey-calling skills.
[ Read Full Post ]June 4, 2009 by
No, it’s not a reprise of Bill Murray’s memorable role as the demented groundskeeper with a manic obsession for destroying golf course gophers.
But, as Caddyshack moments go, it’s darned close.
The Thurston County (Wash.) Sheriff’s Department reports that a county resident shot off part of his finger Monday while setting a homemade mole-killing trap in his yard.
The device consisted of a spring-loaded mechanism that was staked into the ground, along with a trigger apparatus and a loaded shotgun shell.
What could possibly go wrong, you might ask?
Seattle television station KIRO reports the 39-year-old man—who was not identified by name—apparently tripped the device’s trigger while setting it.
He was treated and released by a local hospital for non-life threatening injuries to his finger.
Authorities say in addition to the painful partial loss of a finger, the do-it-yourself exterminator will likely face gross misdemeanor charges for setting an illegal trap. Ouch!
[ Read Full Post ]June 1, 2009 by
The Sunday Times of Perth, Australia reports that this massive feral hog, once written off as a hoax was indeed shot on a cattle ranch after it was spotted eating a dead cow:
"The picture has been circulating on the internet alongside claims the boar was killed at various locations across Australia," The Sunday Times reported.
"The source said the 220kg beast was eating a cow when it was first seen by workers mustering cattle in a helicopter.
"There are estimated to be more than 23million feral pigs roaming the nation, predominantly in New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory.
"They prey on native species and destroy habitats.
"The DEC has culled hundreds in the state's South-West over the past two years."
[ Read Full Post ]
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