January 11, 2008 - TOP STORIES
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TB zone hunt continues through Sunday
Bio-energy could mean new opportunities for sportsmen
After steep declines, Superior water level looks to be on rebound
National Pheasant Fest 2008 announces seminar schedule
Outdoor Life says Minn. man one of the most influential
TB zone hunt continues through Sunday
Forty-eight deer taken during ongoing hunt in TB zone
DNR News
Hunters harvested 48 deer during the first weekend of a special hunt in northwestern Minnesota that aims to reduce deer density and stop the potential spread of bovine tuberculosis (TB), according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
The hunt began Dec. 29 and continues through Jan. 13 in Permit Area 101, which is considered the bovine TB zone in far northwestern Minnesota. It is open to hunters who have a valid, unused permit to harvest deer regardless of the zone in which a hunter was licensed.
“The hunt has gone very smoothly so far,” said Lou Cornicelli, DNR big game program coordinator. “Hunters have one more weekend to take advantage of this opportunity.”
To date, four deer harvested in the TB zone during the regular firearms season in November have tested presumptive positive for bovine TB. Three tested positive prior to the DNR’s Dec. 5 announcement of the late-season hunt. Since then, lab results have indicated that an additional deer taken during the regular firearms season has tested positive.
“Finding one additional deer with the disease is a concern,” said Michael DonCarlos, DNR wildlife research and policy manager. “But the prevalence of the disease remains low and is confined to a small geographic region.” All four of the infected deer from the fall 2007 hunt have been found within a five-mile radius of Skime.
After the late season hunt concludes, the DNR will conduct an aerial survey of the area to determine deer distribution and abundance. Once that information is collected, the DNR will finalize plans on the need for additional deer removal by sharpshooters. DNR also will continue to work with the agricultural community to expand and improve programs and policies to help prevent contact between cattle and deer.
This fall’s testing of deer harvested in Permit Area 101 was part of the DNR’s ongoing TB surveillance program, which began in 2005 when the disease was first discovered in cattle. Since then, DonCarlos said, bovine TB has been detected in eight cattle herds and 17 wild deer in Roseau and Beltrami counties. Officials from the DNR, Minnesota Board of Animal Health and U.S. Department of Agriculture have been aggressively working to manage the disease in deer and livestock so Minnesota can regain its bovine TB-free accreditation.
“This may be a narrow window of opportunity to stop this disease in its tracks,” DonCarlos said. “As long as bovine TB continues to be found in deer, DNR will continue to work with local hunters, landowners, other wildlife and agriculture organizations and agencies to eliminate bovine TB in Minnesota.”
All harvested deer must be registered at Olson Skime store in Skime; Riverfront Station in Wannaska; Thief Lake Wildlife Management Area headquarters during regular business hours; or Red Lake Wildlife Management Area headquarters during regular business hours.
DNR employees will staff the Skime and Wannaska registration stations during each weekend (Saturday - Monday) of the special season to examine harvested deer for clinical signs of bovine TB. If a deer is taken during the week that exhibits signs of bovine TB, such as lesions on the lungs, hunters should contact the Thief Lake Wildlife Management Area at (218) 222-3747 or the Red Lake Wildlife Management Area at (218) 783-6861.
Temporary deer population reductions may create short-term hardships for deer hunters in this particular area of northwestern Minnesota, Cornicelli said. But reducing the long-term risk of bovine TB becoming established and spreading in the deer population is extremely important.
“In the short term that means deer densities in the bovine TB area will need to be kept low,” Cornicelli said. “However, Minnesota’s deer populations are resilient, and while we recognize that dramatic reductions in populations won’t be popular with everyone, history tells us deer rebound very quickly.”
Following two severe winters in the mid-1990s, Minnesota’s wild deer population was very low, he said. But fewer than 10 years later, deer populations had expanded to record levels.
Details of the special late-season hunt being conducted in deer Permit Area 101 only are:
- season dates are Saturday, Dec. 29, to Sunday, Jan. 13, 2008
- deer of either sex may be taken
- hunters can use any 2007 license or permit from any zone
- a hunter must have a license and use the legal weapon for that license; for example, a hunter cannot use a rifle if he or she does not have a valid 2007 firearms license
- new or replacement licenses can be obtained at any Electronic Licensing System agent, and hunters can buy additional disease management permits for $2.50
- deer also can be tagged with any remaining unused tags from the 2007 season; for example, deer can be tagged with an unfilled firearms license, disease management
permits, bonus permits or all-season tags.
Bio-energy could mean new opportunities for sportsmen
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota hunting and fishing interests should be involved as the state tries to develop more economic opportunities from bioenergy, according to participants at a Department of Natural Resources forum this weekend.
Every year the DNR brings together sportsmen to talk about issues of concern. This year’s meeting took place Friday and Saturday in St. Cloud, where officials said the growth of bioenergy could be a “win-win” for environmentalists, communities and sportsmen.
One push from the conservation-minded is to invest more money in researching the use of grasses, like switch grass and prairie grass, to replace corn as the main ingredient in ethanol. Such prairie grasses would provide a continued home for wildlife and a filter for run off, and don’t need fertilization to keep growing, as corn does.
“We know how to grow grass, we know how to turn it into energy, and we know it also sequesters carbon underground and it creates habitat, and cleans up water quality,” said Jim Kleinschmidt, with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy in Minneapolis. “Now we’re talking about taking that plant material and growing it commercially on farms. It’s a great win-win if we take into account those multiple benefits.”
If society were to put a dollar figure on the conservation of wildlife habitat and clean water, then it makes sense to use prairie grass for energy production instead of corn, Kleinschmidt said. But he acknowledged it will take years for farmers to make such a transition.
Paul Stark, an official with the Minnesota Farm Bureau, said farmers won’t make the switch unless it’s profitable. He predicted that it would take another generation of farmers before such a move is fully embraced.
After steep declines, Superior water level looks to be on rebound
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) – Even as other great lakes appear headed to an all-time low level this month, Lake Superior is holding its own and seems to be recovering from a drought that dropped the lake to alarming levels.
Lake Superior’s water level dropped by 2 inches in December, less than the usual 3-inch decline for the last month of the year. It now sits 11 inches below the long-term average, but is 6 inches above the level of one year ago, according to the International Lake Superior Board of Control.
The amount of rain and snow that fell on the Lake Superior basin in December was well above normal, with Duluth recording its sixth-snowiest December of all time. That came on the heels of a near-record wet October.
Since September, Lake Superior has mostly been climbing away from the all-time monthly lows set in August and September. That rise has seemed to coincide with a 14-month-long drought in the region, though it’s too early to determine if a nearly three-year drier-than-average spell has ended.
Lake Superior is expected to continue to drop throughout the winter, which is normal, before beginning its annual rise sometime in April. But it’s looking less likely that the lake will fall below the all-time record low level set in April 1926, said Cynthia Sellinger, deputy director of the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“It’s higher than it was last year,” Sellinger said. “But it is also warmer, which means less ice” – and probably more evaporation in the winter, which could result in yet greater declines if winter storm systems from the west, instead of precipitation driven by the lake effect, don’t keep up.
Lakes Michigan and Huron declined by their usual 2 inches in December and now sit a whopping 26 and 13 inches, respectively, below the Jan. 1 level of last year. Experts think it’s possible both lakes could beat their all-time record lows, set in March 1964, when the January monthly average level is figured at month’s end.
A U.S.-Canadian panel is studying why the Great Lakes have been lower in recent years, looking at factors including climate change, natural drought cycles, man-made channels, dam regulation and other factors.
Whatever the cause, low lake levels have hampered recreational boating and the maritime industry, which has been forced to reduce loads and avoid areas at some ports.
National Pheasant Fest 2008 announces seminar schedule
ST. PAUL – Pheasants Forever (PF) announces the schedule of seminars slated for National Pheasant Fest 2008 presented by Cabela's. The Fest will be taking place January 18th, 19th and 20th, 2008, at the Saint Paul RiverCentre in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota. The 3-day event will feature four seminar stages and 10 seminar rooms.
The Bird Dog Bonanza Stage - Immensely popular, the Bird Dog Bonanza Stage is presented by Nestle Purina Pet Car and SportDOG brand electronic dog training systems. Dog training seminars and sport dog demonstrations will take place throughout the weekend on the hour. Speakers will include Purina/SportDOG consultant Rick Smith, Tom Dokken, Purina consultant Jerry Cacchio, and SportDOG’s Charley Jurney. These experts will demonstrate everything from how to turn your pup into a successful hunting partner to discussions on proper exercise and nutrition. They’ll also give advice on picking a puppy appropriate for your family. Each day, the presenters will join a panel discussion, taking questions from Pheasant Fest attendees.
Habitat Stages – Two Habitat Stages will feature a variety of presentations on all things habitat. PF's Habitat Forever will present "Creating Effective Food Plots for Upland Wildlife." You'll also be able to enjoy some of the great habitat building and hunting moments from Pheasants Forever Television with “The Man Afield,” Bill Sherck. And a full slate of presentations and speakers throughout the weekend fill seminar rooms on topics including pheasants, bobwhite quail, predators, deer management and more.
Pheasants Forever's 2008 Farm Bill Forum - PF has grown into a leader in conservation policy at the highest levels of government. In that vein, PF will host the second-ever Farm Bill Forum at National Pheasant Fest 2008. Last year’s Forum featured the first joint public appearance of brand new U.S. House Ag Chair Collin Peterson and U.S. Senate Ag Chair Tom Harkin. This year’s participants are yet to be announced, but attendees can expect a similar caliber of participants to discuss Farm Bill topics ranging from the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), wetlands, public hunting access, ethanol and biofuels, as well as soil rental rates, The event will take place on Saturday, January 19th at 10:30 AM in Rooms 10 and 11 at the Saint Paul RiverCentre.
For the special price of $30, a National Pheasant Fest advance ticket includes floor admission for the entire three-day weekend, as well as a one-year membership to Pheasants Forever. The PF membership includes a free PF hat (a $17 value), a subscription to the Pheasants Forever Journal of Upland Conservation (5 issues) and PF member card and decal. Purchasing advance tickets to National Pheasant Fest is a $77 value at less than half the price, a savings of over 60 percent! Tickets are available at any Ticketmaster outlet (find links at www.NationalPheasantFest.org) or by calling (651)989-5151. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Saint Paul RiverCentre Box Office (located in the southeast lobby of Xcel Energy Center). Adult daily tickets are $10 and youth ages 6-16 are $5.Youth under 5 are free.
A complete list of seminars can be seen at www.nationalpheasantfest.org/page/1/pfestSeminarList
Outdoor Life says Minn. man one of the most influential
By Amber Dulek
Winona Daily News
LA CRESCENT, Minn. (AP) – Ray Howell knows what it’s like to be on the wrong side of the law and have nobody to look up to.
His dad left at 5. Howell and his brothers went to different foster homes at 12. He started drinking by 13.
Several jail visits, four hunting trips and four years later, a social worker turned Howell’s life around.
For the past seven years, the 53-year-old La Crescent resident had dedicated his life to helping at-risk youth. He formed a nonprofit youth mentoring organization called Kicking Bear One-on-One that pairs youth with mentors to go hunting and camping.
Now, Outdoor Life magazine has recognized Howell as an “unsung” hero for its first annual Top 25 list of most influential hunters and fishers.
Howell also won 42 percent of the magazine readers’ votes for a people’s choice award. He ousted retail giants Dick and Jim Cabela, rock ‘n’ roll sportsman Ted Nugent, Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Howell says the award is one thing, but the real reward is about the kids he and other mentors develop relationships with.
“It’s all about helping kids and doing the Lord’s work,” he said.
Many children who attend the Kicking Bear programs have both parents, Howell said, but often parents don’t have the time or resources to take them hunting. Others have been abused or have been in trouble with the law.
Through bonfires, hay rides, sack races, camping, hunting trips, archery competitions and kickball games that go well into the night, Howell said kids gain confidence and lifelong mentors.
Howell’s mentor, Tom Poukey, died two years ago, but he will never forget him – much like Poukey never forgot about him the several times he bailed him out of jail as a teen.
“That guy put dreams in my heart, and I changed myself,” Howell said.
Howell became a professional bow hunter and opened his own steel fabricating business at 23, which he stopped doing four years ago to focus on Kicking Bear. He calls his wife Karen the “the cornerstone” of his life and organization. He has nine children and 25 grandchildren.
In April, a bow hunting and conservation organization called the Pope and Young Club gave Howell a stewardship award. He learned at the award’s ceremony the organization nominated him for Outdoor Life’s Top 25 list.
Howell told his wife he didn’t have a chance at winning. Karen told him God had different plans. “This is something that overwhelmed me – of how people thought of me,” he said.
Howell and his wife will head to Las Vegas in February for the Outdoor Life’s awards banquet.
Kicking Bear One-on-One grew with the help of hunting clubs such as the Lewiston Sportsmen’s Club, Howell said. Kicking Bear offered free programs in 16 different states, and Howell plans to expand from 15 events to 45 next year.
Vice president Corey Schell said he met Howell when he was 17 or 18, went up to him and talked to him into bringing Kicking Bear programs to Lewiston six years ago.
By the third year of sponsoring Kicking Bear events, Schell said membership at the Lewiston Sportsmen’s Club increased 13 percent and has risen every year after. Eighty percent of local kids taking gun safety have attended Kicking Bear events, Howell said.
Howell remembered meeting “one rowdy kid” the first year of a Kicking Bear camp in Lewiston. The boy won an archery competition the next day – topping Howell’s wife – and was so excited he ran around “hooting and hollering.”
At last year’s program, Howell ran into a tall man that reached out to shake his hand. It was the same kid, and he asked to be a mentor.
“In your lifetime when you get to see something come ‘round in full circle that’s great, and I’ve seen that many times,” Howell said.
And he lives for having that happen with another kid.
© 2008 Outdoors Weekly Corporation