Sunday, January 30, 2011

Dick Turpin Narrates Mountain Lion Video Going For The Kill



Dick Turpin, legendary Nebraska outdoorsman and 40 year employee of Nebraska Game & Parks, happened upon a mountain lion kill in north central Nebraska. In this video, Dick narrates the video he shot of the lion coming in to it's deer kill site.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Missouri Hunters Shoot Mountain Lion

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has confirmed that a group of hunters killed a young male mountain lion west of La Plata, Mo., on Saturday, Jan. 22. According to conservation agents investigating the incident, the group was hunting coyotes on a landowner's farm when several came within 20 yards of the big cat. None of the hunters had dogs. Members of the group immediately contacted conservation agents to report the incident.
At this time, no charges have been filed since it appears that the cougar presented enough danger to the hunters to warrant the shooting.
Mountain lions are protected under the Wildlife Code of Missouri. The Code does allow the killing of any mountain lion attacking or killing livestock or domestic animals, or threatening human safety. The incident must be reported to the MDC immediately and the intact carcass, including the pelt, must be surrendered to the MDC within 24 hours.
The animal weighed 128 pounds. Members of the MDC Mountain Lion Response Team will examine the animal to gather additional information, including DNA, to help determine where the big cat came from.
This is the second young male mountain lion killed in Missouri this month and the fourth confirmed report of a mountain lion in Missouri since November.
"These four reports bring our total number of confirmed reports over the past 16 years to just 14," said Rex Martensen of MDC's Mountain Lion Response Team.
Martensen added that, like in this situation, it appears that mountain lions seen in Missouri are young males roaming from other states in search of territory.
"Young male mountain lions go in search of new territories at about 18 months of age and during this time of year," he explained. "To date, we have no evidence to suggest that a breeding population of mountain lions exists in Missouri."
He added that mountain lions are nocturnal, secretive and generally avoid contact with humans.
Mountain lions (Puma concolor), also called cougars, panthers and pumas, were present in Missouri before pioneer settlement. The last documented Missouri mountain lion was killed in the Bootheel in 1927. The closest populations of mountain lions to Missouri are in South Dakota and a small population in northwest Nebraska.
Martensen added that MDC has never stocked or released mountain lions in Missouri and has no plans to do so.

Foiles pleads not guilty to U.S. charges; served Canadian summons moments later

Jeff Foiles, a nationally-known duck hunter and caller from Pittsfield, pled not guilty today to a 23-count federal indictment. Charges against him allege that he regularly killed ducks and geese in excess of legal limits for the purpose of creating hunting videos.
Moments after the plea, Foiles, operator of Foiles Migrators, Inc., learned he is also facing charges in Canada.
He was served with a summons to appear in court in Edmonton, Alberta, on April 5, the same day his trial is scheduled to start in Springfield.What the Canadian summons contains is unclear. Stay tuned to Outdoor News for further developments.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Missouri Spring Turkey Harvest Map

Missouri Spring Turkey Harvest Map

Waterfowl Migration Report - Waterfowler.com

Waterfowler.com Reports

If there is one thing you can count on in the world of migration tracking this season it’s change – and what a difference a new year can make. A warming trend during the first week of the year ignited a number of reverse migration events, and birds returned to a number of previously snow-covered states. Duck numbers in southern Illinois, southern Missouri, Kentucky and Arkansas rebounded significantly over the past week, as waterfowl totals on the Illinois Natural History Survey reached number nearly two times the 10-year average for the lower Mississippi survey area.

Hello folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.

With the final month of the General waterfowl season underway in the south, moderate to exceptional drought conditions persist in much of the south. With temperatures rebounding in the central tier of the United States, ducks that were driven south by ice and snow are rebounding northward into areas with better habitat conditions.
While hunters are reporting flights of northbound ducks in a number of states, the bulk of the migration remains in the Deep South. Of course, the areas holding the most birds are those with water – albeit natural or well managed habitat that has been saved by the pump.

For the late season hunter in the southern states, duck numbers are good to excellent in most areas and hunting is, as it always is this time of year, not without its challenges. Birds are educated, wary and pressured. Most of these late-season survivors carry a masters-degree in decoy avoidance strategies and the lazy, lucky hunter can often go home empty-handed despite a volume of birds in their area.

While the northern hunter that is used to a half-dozen mallards over the decoys might wish for the massive groups the southern hunter can work over the decoys, there is a huge difference in having a couple of ducks land mindlessly on top of a spinning wing decoy early in the season and having hundreds of eyes looking for an excuse to flyby. Scratching out a limit in either case is never a given, and no less difficult – that’s why they call it hunting, not shooting.

Of course, every duck hunter, at some point in long duck-hunting career, experiences a shoot. It’s the kind of day where everything goes to plan and you found yourself in the right place at the right time. The birds come. Group after group they work like champions and finish like a Terry Redlin painting. You shoot straight, the dogs set the benchmark for breed standard and at the end of the hunt you kick back on the tailgate with full lanyard and soak in the moment. Yep, it’s the kind of day that every duck hunter dreams about for years to come and the tale of “that day” is retold to friends and family over and over – understanding that embellishment is acceptable, earned and actually expected.

As hunters in the south trudge forward in search of the perfect duck day, opportunity for spring hunting adventures are right around the corner for special light goose season. If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to plan and book your Light Goose Adventure and experience a day under the deafening calls and tornado-styled flights of the mid-continental light goose. With a number of affordable guides operating in the Central and Mississippi Flyways, the opportunity to extend your hunting season into the spring months is merely a phone call away. So, what are you waiting for?

PACIFIC FLYWAY:
Duck numbers are good to excellent for this time of year from California to New Mexico. Hunter success in California varies with the weather and winds – as it always does. Goose numbers in northern Californian remain excellent at this time and hunter success above average.

CENTRAL FLYWAY:
Duck numbers remain at peak in along the Gulf Coast of Texas, with mallards scattered throughout the lower portion of the flyway. Hunting in Oklahoma remains good to excellent in most areas with duck numbers and hunter success lower in Kansas over the pat week. Light goose numbers remain near peak in eastern New Mexico and Texas. With dark goose numbers best from the panhandle north.

MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY:
Mallards are scattered throughout the south from Southern Illinois to Louisiana. Numbers have declined slightly in Louisiana and increased in Arkansas over the past week, as ducks slid north on southerly winds. With hunting in Missouri now closed pressure management will become more critical in bordering areas with seasons still open.

ATLANTIC FLYWAY:
Duck numbers remain good to excellent in the Carolinas at this time with hunter success improving greatly over the past week. While drought continues to plague many areas in the southeast, the mobile hunter willing to find water is finding birds. Hunter success in northern Florida is good to excellent at this time, with bird numbers up significantly over previous years.


Waterfowl Migration Report - Waterfowler.com

Waterfowler.com Reports

If there is one thing you can count on in the world of migration tracking this season it’s change – and what a difference a new year can make. A warming trend during the first week of the year ignited a number of reverse migration events, and birds returned to a number of previously snow-covered states. Duck numbers in southern Illinois, southern Missouri, Kentucky and Arkansas rebounded significantly over the past week, as waterfowl totals on the Illinois Natural History Survey reached number nearly two times the 10-year average for the lower Mississippi survey area.

Hello folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.

With the final month of the General waterfowl season underway in the south, moderate to exceptional drought conditions persist in much of the south. With temperatures rebounding in the central tier of the United States, ducks that were driven south by ice and snow are rebounding northward into areas with better habitat conditions.
While hunters are reporting flights of northbound ducks in a number of states, the bulk of the migration remains in the Deep South. Of course, the areas holding the most birds are those with water – albeit natural or well managed habitat that has been saved by the pump.

For the late season hunter in the southern states, duck numbers are good to excellent in most areas and hunting is, as it always is this time of year, not without its challenges. Birds are educated, wary and pressured. Most of these late-season survivors carry a masters-degree in decoy avoidance strategies and the lazy, lucky hunter can often go home empty-handed despite a volume of birds in their area.

While the northern hunter that is used to a half-dozen mallards over the decoys might wish for the massive groups the southern hunter can work over the decoys, there is a huge difference in having a couple of ducks land mindlessly on top of a spinning wing decoy early in the season and having hundreds of eyes looking for an excuse to flyby. Scratching out a limit in either case is never a given, and no less difficult – that’s why they call it hunting, not shooting.

Of course, every duck hunter, at some point in long duck-hunting career, experiences a shoot. It’s the kind of day where everything goes to plan and you found yourself in the right place at the right time. The birds come. Group after group they work like champions and finish like a Terry Redlin painting. You shoot straight, the dogs set the benchmark for breed standard and at the end of the hunt you kick back on the tailgate with full lanyard and soak in the moment. Yep, it’s the kind of day that every duck hunter dreams about for years to come and the tale of “that day” is retold to friends and family over and over – understanding that embellishment is acceptable, earned and actually expected.

As hunters in the south trudge forward in search of the perfect duck day, opportunity for spring hunting adventures are right around the corner for special light goose season. If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to plan and book your Light Goose Adventure and experience a day under the deafening calls and tornado-styled flights of the mid-continental light goose. With a number of affordable guides operating in the Central and Mississippi Flyways, the opportunity to extend your hunting season into the spring months is merely a phone call away. So, what are you waiting for?

PACIFIC FLYWAY:
Duck numbers are good to excellent for this time of year from California to New Mexico. Hunter success in California varies with the weather and winds – as it always does. Goose numbers in northern Californian remain excellent at this time and hunter success above average.

CENTRAL FLYWAY:
Duck numbers remain at peak in along the Gulf Coast of Texas, with mallards scattered throughout the lower portion of the flyway. Hunting in Oklahoma remains good to excellent in most areas with duck numbers and hunter success lower in Kansas over the pat week. Light goose numbers remain near peak in eastern New Mexico and Texas. With dark goose numbers best from the panhandle north.

MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY:
Mallards are scattered throughout the south from Southern Illinois to Louisiana. Numbers have declined slightly in Louisiana and increased in Arkansas over the past week, as ducks slid north on southerly winds. With hunting in Missouri now closed pressure management will become more critical in bordering areas with seasons still open.

ATLANTIC FLYWAY:
Duck numbers remain good to excellent in the Carolinas at this time with hunter success improving greatly over the past week. While drought continues to plague many areas in the southeast, the mobile hunter willing to find water is finding birds. Hunter success in northern Florida is good to excellent at this time, with bird numbers up significantly over previous years.


Thursday, January 20, 2011

Over 400 Inches Of Antlers - How Would You Tag And Score Them?


Ohio DNR found these 3 deer stuck together from fighting, over 400 inches of antler the biggest was 165 inches. So lets say you come up on these deer while you are hunting here are some questions you might ask yourself. Which one do I Shoot? How will they score IT or Them? Do I get to keep them all?

Over 400 Inches Of Antlers - How Would You Tag And Score Them?


Ohio DNR found these 3 deer stuck together from fighting, over 400 inches of antler the biggest was 165 inches. So lets say you come up on these deer while you are hunting here are some questions you might ask yourself. Which one do I Shoot? How will they score IT or Them? Do I get to keep them all?

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Waterfowl Report - Baldwin, IL


Slow day today but not skunked.

John E. & Remington

Waterfowl Report - Baldwin, IL


Slow day today but not skunked.

John E. & Remington

Varmint Hunting - Ohio


My cousins first kill. Notice the shotgun. We don't mess around with theem here. He shot the poor thing 5 times at 45yds with 00 buck shot, making sure it's beyond dead.

Luke S.

Varmint Hunting - Ohio


My cousins first kill. Notice the shotgun. We don't mess around with theem here. He shot the poor thing 5 times at 45yds with 00 buck shot, making sure it's beyond dead.

Luke S.

Waterfowl Report - Baldwin, IL


Remington holding a mallard in mid December. Shot 2 limits of greenheads. Were getting divbombed my hundreds at a time.

John E.

Waterfowl Report - Baldwin, IL


Remington holding a mallard in mid December. Shot 2 limits of greenheads. Were getting divbombed my hundreds at a time.

John E.

Merriam's Turkey Hunting - Nebraska Hunting Company Headline Animator

Merriam's Turkey Hunting - Nebraska Hunting Company