November 13, 2009
Minnesota Researcher Targeted by Animal Rights Activists
Trophy buck illegally shot in Goodhue County
Governor’s Deer Opener: Pawlenty shoots 7-pointer
Camp Ripley’s second bow hunt breaks record
2009 Minnesota firearms deer hunting facts and figures
Minnesota Researcher Targeted by Animal Rights Activists
A University of Minnesota researcher appears to be the target of animal rights activists after his name was posted on an anti website.
The post emerged last week on the website Negotiation Is Over.com criticizing one of the researchers, Dick Bianco. He was the focus of a recent Minneapolis Star Tribune story regarding a national campaign by researchers designed to increase support for scientific tests using animals.
Camille Marino wrote the piece published at Negotiation Is Over.com. Along with publishing Bianco’s photo, Marino stated, "These abusers will eventually understand that their unethical behaviors entail tangible consequences”
Although Marino has indicated that the post was not meant to incite violence, she has been quoted in the media as stating, "I believe there is a moral obligation to prevent violence against innocent beings, whether they are animals or humans. If violence will prevent that, it would be justified."
Bianco has confirmed that police are monitoring his home and that the FBI is examining whether the threat is real.
Trophy buck illegally shot in Goodhue County
Conservation officer Tyler Quant with confiscated deer rack.
State conservation officers recently seized a record-book deer rack and filed poaching charges against a Cannon Falls man.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources investigation stemmed from an incident where three deer, including a trophy 8-point buck were killed by archery in three separate incidents near Cannon Falls in October.
According to the complaint, Troy Alan Reinke, 32, admitted to conservation officers that he had shot a small doe and a small buck on separate dates in early October, and failed to tag or register either of the deer.
Reinke said he shot the large 8-point buck, with a 185 green score, on Halloween evening. A green score is an unofficial score to rate deer antlers (inches of length).
Conservation officers seized a bow, two deer racks, the meat from the three deer, and the hide from the large buck as part of their investigation.
Restitution for the small buck and doe is $500 each. Restitution for the trophy buck is $1,000.
Reinke also faces other fines and court costs, and could have his hunting privileges revoked for three years if convicted. A trial date has not been set.
Anyone witnessing wildlife or fishing code violations is encouraged to contact the nearest conservation officer, law enforcement agency or the toll-free Turn-In-Poacher (TIP) hotline at 800-652-9093. Also, #TIP is available to most cell phone users in Minnesota.
People should contact the Minnesota State Patrol or a DNR regional or area office for the name and phone number of a conservation officer in their area.
Governor’s Deer Opener: Pawlenty shoots 7-pointer
OutdoorsWeekly.com staff reports
THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn. - Gov. Tim Pawlenty and his brother, Dan, were in the stand at 5:30 am on opening morning after a donut and a hot cup of coffee.
Pawlenty took two shots at 150 yards at a 7-point buck on land owned by Wally Sparby and Jerry Cwikla east of Middle River, Minn. The deer ran off, and his brother, Dan, and others were tracking its blood trail as of Saturday afternoon, announced during a press conference at 11 am at the Petro Pumper.
Photos by April Tesch
Governor Pawlenty thanked his hunter hosts Wally Sparby (left) and Jerry Cwikla (right) at a press conference Saturday at the Petro Pumper in Thief River Falls, MN. Sparby, a Democrat, was a longtime legislator in the Minnesota House of Representatives who now serves as an aide to U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, DFL-7th District “Even though we come from different political parties, we realize deer hunting is for everybody,” Pawlenty said. “They couldn’t have been more gracious and kind.”
Pawlenty could not join in tracking the 7-pointer because he had a speaking engagement that Saturday night at a GOP fundraiser in Iowa.
The successful 7th Annual Governor’s Deer Hunt was put on by The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Explore Minnesota Tourism, and the city of Thief River Falls.
Left photo: Governor Pawlenty shares a laugh with Minnesota Deer Hunters Association Executive Director Mark Johnson (left) and Minnesota DNR Commissioner Mark Holsten at a press conference in Thief River Falls, MN. Right photo: Pawlenty was down-to-earth and was very welcomed from the community as he signed blaze orange hats and took photos with local deer hunters.
At a Big Buck Luncheon Friday at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Thief River Falls, Pawlenty stated with almost 500,000 deer hunters in the state, deer season is big business in Minnesota and thanked deer hunters and the people of Thief River Falls for their generosity and hospitality.
A total of 12 hunter hosts in the Thief River Falls area welcomed media and guest into their deer camps on Saturday morning. (Stories to come).
The Governor also stressed that is a time to slow down in our world of technology, sit back and enjoy hunting stories with family and friends, as he showed by hunting with his brother. Wally Sparby’s grandson shot his first buck on opening morning, an 8-pointer.
Youth are an important part of growing hunting numbers in Minnesota.
Friday, at the Ralph Engelstad Arena, there was an outdoors show with outdoors exhibits and seminars, along with a student field day that drew 185 sixth-graders from schools in Thief River Falls and Red Lake, Minn.
Ralph Engelstad Arena: Steve Porter had his bucks on display and new Arctic Cat snowmobiles were on display as well withThief River Falls being the Arctic Cat plant headquarters. Tours of the plant were also offered.
Students from Thief River Falls and Red Lake enjoyed the animal displays.
A father and son taking advantage of the archery shoot. Kraig Kiger, Shooting Sports Program Administrator of the Minnesota DN, held an archery match between the two schools.
See exclusive stories and photos on the Governor’s Opening Weekend in the upcoming December 2009 issue of OutdoorsWeekly.com.
Media: email us if you would like high resolution photos of the event
Camp Ripley’s second bow hunt breaks record
Cory Williams of Pierz, Minn., bagged this 265-pound, 15-point buck at the Camp Ripley Archery Hunt on Oct. 31. This was the largest buck taken during this year’s hunt. The hunt is administered by the DNR with cooperation from the Minnesota Department of Military Affairs - photo taken by Tod Tonsager, DNR.
A 265-pound buck taken by an area bow hunter was one of seven bucks weighing more than 200 pounds that were harvested during Camp Ripley’s second archery hunt, Oct. 31-Nov. 1.
Archers harvested 305 deer during the second hunt, a record take for the second hunt and only 20 deer below the record two-day total harvest of 325 deer set in 2008 during the first hunt. In 2008, hunters harvested 191 deer during the second hunt.
“Despite very poor weather conditions and lower harvest during the first hunt, this represents one of our best annual harvests at camp, and is only 7 percent below the record take of 516 deer set last year,”
said Beau Liddell, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Little Falls area wildlife manager.
Cory Williams of Pierz took the 265-pound buck, which was the largest deer harvested during both weekend hunts. Other hunters who harvested large bucks were: Chad Kloss, Royalton, 222 pounds; Rand Kramer, Holmen, Wis., 221 pounds; and Ryan Orrock, Elk River, 218 pounds. Michael Hake of Browerville harvested the largest doe, which weighed in at 117 pounds.
Poor weather for the first hunt resulted in only 172 being harvested. But deer taken during the second weekend brought this year’s total to 477 deer harvested during both hunts, about 57 percent above the long-term average harvest of 304 deer.
A combined total of 5,005 permits were issued for both two-day hunts, with 4,126 hunters participating. Hunter success during the first hunt was 8 percent but increased significantly to 14 percent for the second hunt. This year’s success rated was similar to last year and about 4 percent higher than the long-term average of 8 percent.
For the sixth consecutive year, hunters were allowed to take up to two deer and to use bonus permits to increase harvest on antlerless deer.
“We’re very pleased with the results the past few years,” Liddell said. “Although Ripley bow hunters are known to be selective for bucks, we have seen increasing proportions of does and fawns taken in recent years to help control the population.”
The proportion of antlerless deer taken was slightly lower than the last few years but much higher than the long-term average pf 53 percent, with about 60 percent of this year’s harvest comprised of does or fawns.
The archery hunt at Camp Ripley is an annual event. The DNR coordinates the hunt with the Department of Military Affairs, which manages the 53,000-acre reservation.
2009 Minnesota firearms deer hunting facts and figures
Deer: The animal
● Adult female white-tailed deer weigh about 145 lbs., males 170 lbs. - the average weight of female and male humans.
● The biggest white-tailed deer ever recorded was a 500-pound Minnesota buck.
● A whitetail’s home range is about one square mile.
● Minnesota’s deer population is about 1 million deer. Texas is No. 1 with 4.7 million deer
Deer: Hunting
● Last year, 38 percent of Minnesota firearm hunters successfully harvested a deer. About 43 percent were antlered bucks.
● 70 percent of Minnesota’s firearms deer harvest typically occurs during the first three or four days of the season.
● The average hunter spends five days afield during Minnesota’s firearms deer season.
● Last year’s total deer harvest was 222,000, the eighth highest on record. 2003 was the record (290,525).
● License options allow hunters to buy individual licenses for all the seasons now give hunters
more choices in where and when they can hunt deer, and hunters can take as many as five
deer in many parts of the state.
● Minnesota has averaged deer harvested 254,000 deer over the last five years. Wisconsin is No. 1 with an average harvest over 450,000.
● The largest typical whitetail buck ever taken in Minnesota had a Boone & Crockett score of 202; shot by John Breen in 1918 near Funkley.
● Minnesota’s No. 1 non-typical whitetail buck had 43 points; shot by 17-year-old Mitch Vakoch in 1974. A deer recently taken on the Camp Ripley archery hunt may exceed the record.
Deer: Licenses
● In total, 832,860 deer hunting licenses and permits (all types) were sold in 2008.
● 98 percent of deer licenses are sold to Minnesota residents.
● The DNR information center remained open two hours later on the day before last year’s deer opener to answer more than 2,000 telephone inquiries, most of them related to the firearms opener.
Deer: Economics
● 475,000 deer hunters in Minnesota
● Retail sales -$263 million *
● Overall economic impact - $455 million *
● Salaries, Wages, Business owner income - $151 million *
● State and local tax revenue - $33 million *
● Number of directly supported jobs - 5,100 *
● Economic impact is greatest in Greater Minnesota *
* Based on a report for the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies using data from the 2006 national survey on fishing, hunting and wildlife-associated recreation.
© 2009 Outdoors Weekly