March 30, 2007 - TOP STORIES
Subscribe and get the full week of news delivered to your mailbox every week!
DNR announces changes to moose season
Senators try again on dedicated funding for outdoors, water
John House takes the grand slam in Minnesota art
Midwest artchers take aim in Owatonna for one of the Nation's largest archery tournaments
75th Annual Northwest Sportshow is not just for adults
DNR announces changes to moose season
Zones refigured, application deadline has been moved up
DNR News
Allowing Minnesota hunters to harvest only antlered moose this year is among several changes the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has implemented for the 2007 moose season. The application deadline has been moved up to May 4 and some zone boundaries have been changed.
In the past, hunters who drew one of the state’s once-in-a-lifetime moose permits could harvest either a bull or cow moose. The change was a precautionary measure prompted by a DNR research project that has shown above-average moose mortality in northeastern Minnesota.
“While hunter harvest is only a minor part of overall moose mortality, DNR biologists feel that restricting cow harvest is a prudent measure, given the unexplained moose mortality in northeastern Minnesota,” said Lou Cornicelli, DNR big game program coordinator.
A study of radio-collared moose has identified nonhunting moose mortality that ranged from 9 to 34 percent in the past five years. This year’s nonhunting mortality rate in northeast Minnesota was 34 percent. The nonhunting mortality rate for moose is generally between 8 and 12 percent elsewhere in North America.
Details of changes for this year’s moose season include:
• Moose zones have been reconfigured to better reflect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) boundaries. Previously, several moose zones included land both inside and outside the BWCAW, concentrating hunters in more accessible areas. The new zones will allow hunters to more clearly identify their zone of interest before applying for a permit. Hunters are strongly encouraged to consult the moose application guide, available where hunting and fishing licenses are sold in late March.
• The application deadline has been moved up to Friday, May 4. This change, which will allow the DNR to inform successful applicants about six weeks earlier than in past years, will also give hunters more time to prepare.
Applications for moose permits may be made at any of 1,800 businesses where hunting and fishing licenses are sold electronically and from the DNR License Center at 500 Lafayette Road in St. Paul.
This year 233 antlered bull-only permits are available in 30 zones in the northeastern part of the state. There is no hunting season in northwestern Minnesota. The season dates are Sept. 29 through Oct. 14.
Moose hunters must apply in parties from two to four individuals. An application fee of $3 per individual must be included with the application. Only Minnesota residents, at least sixteen years of age, are eligible for the moose hunt.
Permits are issued through a random drawing, except that applicants who have been unsuccessful at least 10 times since 1985 will be placed in a separate drawing for up to 20 percent of the available licenses. A person who is still unsuccessful in this separate selection will also be included in the regular drawing. Because the moose hunt became a once-in-a-lifetime hunt in 1991, hunters who received permits for moose hunts for the 1991 hunt and later are not eligible to apply for the 2007 drawing. The license fee is $310 per party. There will be mandatory orientation sessions required for all hunters chosen for moose licenses.
In 2006, 2,952 parties applied for the 279 available state permits. State licensed hunters killed 133 bulls and 28 cows, for a party success rate of 60 percent.
Moose populations decline in northeast, northwest
Moose populations continue to decline in both northeastern and northwestern Minnesota, according to results of aerial surveys released last Friday by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
In the northeast, wildlife researchers estimate there are 6,500 moose, down 23 percent from last year’s count of 8,400. The northwest moose population numbered just 84 animals, down from the 2003 survey, which estimated 253 animals.
“It’s still too soon to predict the long-term trend for the northeast moose population,” said Mark Lenarz, a DNR wildlife researcher. “We continue to work with scientists from around the world to determine what might be causing mortality in these moose. In the northwest, results of a recent study suggest climate change, in combination with pathogens and malnutrition caused the decline of the moose population.”
Moose in Minnesota are at the southern limits of their North American range
While scientists still consider Minnesota’s northwest and northeast moose populations distinct, Lenarz said the difference is becoming less apparent with so few animals in left the northwest. The northwest population, which numbered about 4,000 animals in the mid-1980s, is now concentrated in a narrow strip from Thief River Falls to the Canadian border.
With so few animals in the northwest population, Lenarz said it’s difficult to get an accurate population estimate. Moreover, in recent years of there hasn’t been enough snow on the ground to conduct a survey. Insufficient snow makes spotting moose during aerial surveys difficult. “You need at least eight inches of snow on the ground to effectively see moose from the air,” Lenarz said. “Deeper snow also makes moose tracks more visible, which, in turn makes them easier to spot from the air.”
Warmer weather is also partly to blame for the northwest moose population’s decline, according to a recent study published in Wildlife Monographs, a peer reviewed publication of The Wildlife Society. The study, which began in 1995, documented temperature increases and a longer growing season in northwest Minnesota. It was a cooperative effort between the DNR, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the universities of Massachusetts and Idaho.
Increasing temperatures could contribute to a declining moose population, Lenarz said, as the animals must expend additional energy to stay cool. “Moose expend energy to regulate their temperature in the warmer months by panting,” he said. “If they’re panting, they can’t eat as much and that saps their energy reserves, making them more susceptible to disease and malnutrition.”
NORTHEAST MOOSE
The decline in this year’s survey estimate from northeastern Minnesota was not unexpected. A study of radio-collared moose has identified nonhunting moose mortality that ranged from 9 to 34 percent in the past five years. This year’s nonhunting mortality rate in northeastern Minnesota was 34 percent, Lenarz said. The nonhunting mortality rate for moose is generally between 8 and 12 percent elsewhere in North America.
During the past five years of the study, 80 of the 116 moose that were radio-collared have died. A few have been killed by hunters, wolves, or in collisions with motor vehicles, but the majority appears to have been killed by some unknown diseases or parasites. “We’ve tested for all of the diseases and parasites known to kill moose yet the cause of death in most cases, remains unclear,” Lenarz said.
Aerial surveys have been conducted each year since 1960 in the northeast and are based on flying transects in 36 to 40 randomly selected plots spread across the Arrowhead.
The addition of a helicopter and new survey techniques in 2004 improved the survey’s accuracy. The Fond du Lac band and 1854 Treaty Authority contributed funding and provided personnel for the annual survey.
A copy of the aerial survey report is available online at: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/hunting/moose/index.html
Scientists stumped by dwindling moose population
ST. PAUL (AP) – What’s happening to Minnesota’s moose?
That’s a question that’s stumping state wildlife scientists as they watch the moose, an enduring symbol of the north woods, disappear from the state at what they say is an alarming rate.
In northwestern Minnesota, which as recently as the mid-1980s had a 4,000-animal moose herd, there’s now an estimated 84 moose. Even four years ago there was as many as 253.
The area with the most moose, northeastern Minnesota’s Arrowhead region, saw its own moose numbers decline 23 percent last year – from about 8,400 to about 6,500 in the most recent aerial survey.
“The moose is an icon in northeast Minnesota, and they are declining in huge numbers,” said Mark Lenarz, the chief moose researcher for the state Department of Natural Resources. “Unless we can identify something we can do with habitat management, I’m not sure there is anything we can do.”
Minnesota is on the southern range of North America’s moose population. The animals need cool swamps and forests to survive.
Some scientists have questioned if warmer climate trends are making Minnesota less habitable for the moose. But that doesn’t explain why moose populations in neighboring North Dakota, as well as parts of New England, seem to be doing well.
The decline in northwestern Minnesota is less unexpected, and scientists have been tracking it for more than a decade. The region is more agricultural, and has fewer swamps and forested areas.
A 2006 report noted the warming climate, parasites and disease as factors in killing off the northwestern moose.
But scientists are less sure what’s going on in the Arrowhead.
Lenarz said moose need cool summers to survive, and he thinks there’s a correlation between last year’s hot northeastern Minnesota summer with the sharp population decline. Fewer moose died in the cool summer of 2004.
But Lenarz is not ready to conclude that climate warming is the culprit. “It’s possible, but I wouldn’t draw that conclusion at this time,” he said.
Lenarz is embarking on an in-depth analysis of a five-year moose study that concluded this year in northeastern Minnesota. That study tracked 116 moose with radio transmitters, and 80 of them died. Some were from hunters, wolves and collisions with cars, but most of the deaths were unexplained.
Lenarz said poor nutrition was a factor in many of the deaths. Most of the dead moose lacked sufficient fat on their bodies.
“That makes you sit up in your seat,” said Mike Schrage, wildlife biologist for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, which co-funded the recent study.
“That indicates there is a real issue out there with our survival,” Schrage said. “We can’t sustain a mortality rate like that for very long.”
A typical moose death rate in North America is 8 percent to 12 percent for both males and females.
Last Friday, the DNR announced this year’s moose hunt will be for bulls only, because female moose are the productivity engine for the herd. Lenarz said hunting is not contributing to the decline, and the new rule is only precautionary.
Chippewa officials are worried about the future of an animal that has cultural importance to their tribe.
“Moose have been a part of Fond du Lac culture prior to European settlement,” Schrage said.
Senators try again on dedicated funding for outdoors, water
By Patrick Condon
ST. PAUL (AP) – A Senate committee on Saturday backed a new plan to raise money for preservation of natural resources, cleanup of lakes and rivers, and arts programs – just the latest attempt in a goal that has eluded lawmakers for nearly a decade.
The newest plan would ask voters to approve a statewide sales tax increase of three-eighths of 1 percent that would go into three pots of money: 33 percent to preserve and enhance fish and wildlife habitats and land resources; 43 percent for protection and restoration of bodies of water, parks, trails and natural areas; and 24 percent for grants to nonprofit arts organizations and to increase access to arts education.
Outdoor enthusiasts have complained to the Legislature for years that state money is falling short of the need to protect the state’s vast natural resources. They’ve pursued a constitutional amendment for dedicated funding for years, and more recently some lawmakers have tied in the water and arts provision in what they say is an attempt to generate wider support for a sales tax increase.
“It’s not easy to put this together,” said Sen. Ellen Anderson, DFL-St. Paul. “But the issues we’re talking about are so fundamental to who we are as Minnesotans and our quality of life.”
A few senators criticized the latest effort, some arguing that the arts and water provisions distract from the greater need for natural resources funding.
“I’m disappointed that what was started by one group here has been piggybacked by everyone else who wants dedicated funding,” said Sen. Pat Pariseau, R-Farmington.
Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, said it was a cop-out for lawmakers to put the tax increase to voters.
“This lets a lot of people off the hook,” Murphy said. “If this stuff is so important, we should have the courage to raise the taxes ourselves and be done with it.”
The Senate Finance Committee approved the measure on a voice vote, moving it one step closer to a vote by the full Senate.
John House takes the grand slam in Minnesota art
Waterfowl has been John’s passion for much of his art
See photos in the March 30 issue of Outdoors Weekly on newsstands!
By Mike Yurk
Staff Columnist
The hard work and dedication of one Minnesota artist has paid off. An oil painting by John House of three turkeys in a cornfield was selected by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for the 2008 Wild Turkey Stamp. For John this completes a “Grand Slam” of state DNR outdoor stamps.
In 1999 he won the Minnesota Duck Stamp contest, in 2004 he won the Minnesota Pheasant Stamp competition and in 2006 he was awarded the Minnesota Trout and Salmon stamp design. With his recent win in February of the 2008 Turkey Stamp design, John is the first artist to have won all four of the prestigious state stamp designs.
John has been a professional full-time artist for almost 30 years. John’s passion for duck hunting was what initially led him into art work. He had been duck hunting since he was ten years old when his father first took him hunting. Now, he and his wife Barbara and four children live on 80 acres of wetlands and woods at Melby where he can see Lake Christina.
“It is the best canvasback lake in the state, hands down,” John stated.
In the mid 1970s John was in college. “I hated it,” he said. “My heart was in the outdoors.”
“When I found out that I could get paid to carve decoys an escape route was born,” he said when he decided to go into art work.
“I had carved only one decoy when the day after I got married I announced that I was going to be a full-time artist,” he said. It was a big gamble but paid off. He has carved over 500 decorative decoys and won four international contest including being awarded the blue ribbon at the Ward World Championships.
“I have never lost with a canvasback decoy,” he noted.
“My passion has always been duck hunting,” John said and it was this passion that led him into expanding his artwork. “I wanted to portray the drama and excitement that I saw in the duck blind.”
In the mid 1980s he moved from decoy carving to oil painting.
“I had no background in it and it plunged us into financial chaos,” he remembered. “But we stuck with it and worked to do what it takes to do it right.”
By 1999 he had won the state duck stamp and two years later he tied for 11th place in the Federal Duck stamp contest competing against 250 other artists. In 2004 he had won the state pheasant stamp contest. He admitted that his hunting experience with both duck hunting and pheasant hunting had been invaluable to him with that type of art.
However, John embarked in a new direction when he competed for the Minnesota Trout and Salmon Stamp. “Trout was a new game for me,” he said. He did not have a lot of experience with painting fish so he and his wife went to the aquarium in Duluth.
“They (the people at the aquarium) were wonderful to me,” he said. “They let me film the fish and even let me paint right in public.” A couple of other friends, who were fishermen, helped John by providing photos and magazine clippings and mounts.
Painting turkeys was another departure from his previous art work. From his back yard he began to take movies of turkeys and then he received an old mount of a turkey from the wife of a friend of his.
“It was a poor mount and was old and had been relegated to the garage when she gave it me,” John recalled. “The husband was a bit upset about it so I promised him that if I won the stamp contest that I would give him a print and that would look a lot better then his mount.”
His hard work and attention to detail in his submission helped him to win the competition. “I familiarized myself with the subject matter and came out on top,” he said.
Artists who win the state fish or wildlife stamps do not receive any payments or prizes for the winning art work but they do keep the reproduction and marketing rights. As well, it is hard to put a value on the prestige that winning these contest brings to the artist.
John is still continuing to grow with his artwork and has started to incorporate people in his wildlife art.
“Painting people is the most difficult aspect of art,” John said. “I like the new challenge. I want to bring people to the forefront of the painting and put the birds in the background.”
“I am officially done with the state contests,” he announced. “But I will be still trying for the big prize; the Federal Duck Stamp.”
“With the Minnesota stamps you are competing against Minnesota’s best,” he explained. “But when you compete for the Federal Duck Stamp it is multiplied by fifty.”
Those who are interested in viewing John House’s artwork or who would like to contact him can do so through his website at www.johnhouseart.com.
Midwest archers take aim in Owatonna for one of the Nation's largest archery tournaments
On March 31st and April 1st over 800 archers will descend upon Owatonna’s Four Seasons Centre in southern Minnesota for what has become one of the largest indoor Archery Competitions in the nation. This is an annual event conducted by the Minnesota State Archery Association (MSAA).
The MSAA has a long history of supporting and nurturing archery throughout the state of Minnesota since 1939. With growing interest in competitive archery as a safe and family oriented activity archery has begun to gain significant traction within schools, clubs and pro shops throughout the state. Schools have begun to recognize the contribution archery adds to their curriculum by combining the physical skills required to shoot a bow with the discipline required to make an accurate shot and the math skills needed to keep score. Clubs and pro shops offer competitive archery leagues and open shooting time creating opportunities for archers to refine their skills all year long.
Archers and clubs affiliate themselves with the MSAA through a membership to take advantage of the various benefits and shooting competitions offered by the MSAA throughout the year. With over 800 archers expected at this year’s indoor the tournament is by far the largest of the MSAA events held each year and ranks in the top five at a nation level in terms of participation.
Event participants include male and female archers ranging in ages from very young beginners in midget and cub divisions to the most seasoned veterans in the senior and pro divisions. Divisions are also categorized by the type of shooting equipment ranging from primitive bare bows to sophisticated compound bows. For some of the larger divisions archers are grouped (the groups are called flights) to be matched with archers of similar shooting ability based on previously submitted regional scores.
To qualify for the event over 1,000 archers participated in a regional qualifying event held at 29 different regional sites through the state during the first two weekends in February. Archers compete in what’s called a 300 round. The MSAA 300 Round uses the target faces shown below:
Participants have the choice of shooting either the single-spot or the five-spot target face. Each archer chooses between the two target faces based upon their skill level. Those who are less accurate generally choose the single-spot target face because all of the scoring rings are present while with the five-spot target face the 3, 2 and 1 scoring rings are eliminated. The advantage of choosing the five-spot target face over the single-spot is that you are less likely to damage arrows as proficient archers are very capable of shooting most of their arrows into the “x” ring.
The single-spot target face is scored starting with the center x-ring, then the white 5 ring, then the blue rings moving outwardly 4, 3, 2, 1. Scoring is the same with the five-spot target face with the exception that the 3, 2 and 1 scoring rings are removed. For a complete 300 round archers shoot 12 sets of 5 arrows for a total of 60 arrows. A perfect 300 Round is a score of 300 with 60 x-rings. Only elite archers are capable of a perfect score however it is quite common to see scores of 300 with 55 or greater X rings among the pro and some of the more sophisticated compound divisions.
The MSAA uses a division and class system to separate competitors by gender, age and equipment styles. Adult, young adult, and youth archers shoot from a distance of 20 yards while cub and midget archers (12 and under) shoot at a distance of 10 yards.
Each year MSAA affiliated clubs bid to host the all MSAA sponsored tournaments. The Indoor Tournament for 2007 was awarded to the Faribault Archery Club. Host clubs provide the majority of the resources needed to operate the event and in return, the host club has the opportunity to generate significant financial resources in support of their club’s operation. Host clubs have the option to add supporting activities. For example the Faribault Archery club has organized an Archery Trade show, an indoor 3D archery shoot and an archer’s banquet in addition to the indoor tournament itself.
The Four Seasons Centre is an ideal venue for the event because of its two large arenas. One arena will support the tournament itself with a side benefit of a large set of spectator bleachers. The other arena will be used for the supporting activities. The indoor tournament itself is open to spectators while all other supporting events are fully open for public participation. Event hours are 8am to 4pm on Saturday, March 31st and 9am to 4pm on Sunday, April 1st.
ARCHERY TRADE SHOW
Saturday, March 31 - Sunday, April 1
Four Season’s Centre, Owatonna
Open to the public No admission fee! An area will be available to try out archery equipment
An Archer’s Banquet will be held on Saturday Mar. 31st at the Four Season’s Centre
in Owatonna, MN. Go to www.faribaultarchery.org for banquet & ticket information
This outstanding tournament is an annual event of the Minnesota State Archery Association
Hosted by the Faribault Archery Club www.faribaultarchery.org
75th Annual Northwest Sportshow is not just for adults
The Adventure Trail Pass Program introduces kids to the outdoors
Minneapolis, MN – Organizers and exhibitors are pleased to bring the Adventure Trail Pass program back to the 75th Annual Northwest Sportshow being held March 27 through April 1, 2007 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The Adventure Trail Pass Program was created to introduce children to all of the adventure the outdoors has to offer. It will make each child’s trip to the Northwest Sportshow educational and entertaining.
Participants will pick up their activity maps leading them on a journey to several different stations where they will learn about different aspects of the outdoors and important safety tips. After completing each station, each child will receive a stamp on their map. All children completing the program will receive a special gift while supplies last. Stations on the Adventure Trail Pass include:
UNDERWATER ADVENTURES AQUARIUM
Underwater Adventures Aquarium under the Mall of America is the world’s largest underground aquarium, home to more than 4,500 living sea creatures. An education team will be on hand with live animal touch tanks, shark artifacts and other interactive displays.
DISCOVER FLY-FISHING
Experts will provide instruction on tying both knots and flies, and teach each child how to throw their line. There will be discussions on rod building, spooling and repair. To find the best places in Minnesota to fly fish, don’t forget to stop by the Minnesota Department of Tourism information booth.
LASER SHOT HUNTING GALLERY
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Firearms Safety Program will have FREE laser hunting games to teach kids both the fun and importance of safety in hunting.
MOBILE ARCHERY RANGE
Learn the basic skills of archery at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources mobile archery range. Information on bow hunting ethics, safety and lessons will be available.
MELANOMA AWARENESS
No matter what outdoor activity, it’s always important to be protected from the sun. Stop at the Melanoma Awareness booth to learn more about the sun and its effects. Everyone leaves with a sunscreen sample. (While supplies last.)
“The Adventure Trail Pass program is a great way to introduce children to the outdoors,” said Jennifer Thompson, Show Manager for the Northwest Sportshow. “Last year more than 800 children completed the entertaining and educational program learning skills that will last them a lifetime.”
Weekend show hours:
Friday • 1-9 pm
Saturday • 10 am to 9 pm
Sunday • 10 am to 6 pm
Admission prices
$10 for adults
$5 for youth ages 13-15
Children 12 and under receive free admission making it an affordable outing for the entire family.
For more info and to purchase tickets online visit www.NorthwestSportshow.com
The 2007 Northwest Sportshow is produced by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA). www.NMMA.org
© 2007 Outdoors Weekly Corporation