March 28, 2008 - TOP STORIES
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Deer shining at a crossroads in Minnesota
Fishing closures protect spawning walleye
Public input sought on St. Louis Co. trout stream designation changes
Four men escape injury when truck falls through ice
Researchers study bears hibernating in northwestern Minn.
Deer shining at a crossroads in Minnesota
Recreational deer shining is legal year-round, with some restrictions
By Doug Smith, Star Tribune
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Powerful spotlights illuminate dark fields and woods around Minnesota each fall, searching for deer.
Some of the lights are held by people hoping to spot whitetails just for fun. Others are shined by hunters scouting an area for a future hunt.
But too many, critics say, are shined by poachers looking for a big buck to freeze in the beam of light, then shoot illegally.
“We’ve been losing some really good deer,’’ said Kent Holen, 62, who lives in Houston County in southeastern Minnesota. “We don’t know how good most of the time, because the heads are gone.’’
Poachers cut off the heads or antlers and leave the bodies behind.
“It’s more common than people would like to think,’’ said Tyler Quandt, a Department of Natural Resources conservation officer in Red Wing.
In Minnesota, recreational deer shining is legal year-round, with some restrictions. But some hunters, conservation groups and law enforcement officers say the law is frequently abused by poachers, gives hunters a bad reputation and upsets landowners whose property and livestock is shined.
They say it’s time to tighten the law.
“We just don’t see any merit to shining at all and never have,’’ said Holen, a member of Bluffland Whitetails Association, a deer hunting group in southeastern Minnesota that supports tougher shining laws. “Shining has nothing to do with hunting whatsoever. It’s primarily a poaching technique.’’
Others – including the Minnesota Conservation Federation and Turn In Poachers (TIP) Inc. – support tougher regulations and say the problem is widespread in Minnesota. The Conservation Federation supports a statewide shining ban.
Not so fast, says Mark Johnson, executive director of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association (MDHA).
“We support legal recreational shining,’’ he said. “We understand the concerns of landowners. Our chapters and members in the southeast are dramatically in favor of ramping up regulations. But it’s very much a southeast Minnesota issue. It’s not an issue in the wooded reaches of the state.’’
Johnson said some people enjoy seeing deer, and he doesn’t want a law turning recreational shiners into criminals.
Jim Gordon of Deer River, a deer hunter and member of the MDHA, agrees. He said he’s not a regular recreational deer shiner, but if a buck crosses the road at night, he’d like to be able to aim his headlights into a field to see what it looks like.
“If they’re going to do something that says that’s illegal, I think that’s a real intrusion on our rights,’’ he said.
The state’s current shining regulations allow people to shine until 10 p.m. between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31. They can shine all night the rest of the year. Shiners can possess a cased, unloaded firearm or bow in the trunk or “rear-most’’ portion of their vehicle.
They can’t shine on homes or buildings, or on fenced agricultural land containing livestock or poultry that is posted with signs prohibiting shining. There are some exceptions.
Wisconsin also has a 10 p.m. shining deadline during hunting season but forbids shiners to possess firearms or bows.
Quandt, the DNR conservation officer, said he gets lots of complaints from landowners about shining, especially in the fall when farmers are busy harvesting crops.
“They’re getting woken up by dogs barking or cattle going through the fence,’’ he said, or lights shining in their windows.
And that can mean problems for hunters who later come knocking on doors seeking a place to hunt, said Quandt and Holen.
“It’s definitely hurting hunter access and hunter image,’’ Holen said. “It frustrates and upsets landowners. It’s fodder for people who say hunters are slobs. I don’t know anyone who has a positive image of shining.’’
“We’re supportive of tightening the regulations,’’ said Al Thomas, executive director of TIP, a nonprofit group that fights poaching.
“In November, we had a record number of calls to our TIP hotline – over 500,’’ he said. “It’s shooting from roadway, baiting and also shining. If we can toughen up the regs, it will be easier for the officers to do their jobs.’’
Though the DNR offered input to a citizens committee that discussed changing the law, the department has taken a neutral position. Tightening the laws might make conservation officers’ jobs a bit easier, but Quandt said reducing complaints from landowners – and reducing poaching – are the main goals.
“They’ll still be able to shine, but we think we’ll get fewer complaints,’’ he said.
Johnson said he’s hopeful that some compromise can be reached. He’d like to see deer poaching fines increased.
Meanwhile, Bill Farrell, 52, a deer hunter who lives in rural Houston County, said his two Labs bark and wake him whenever drivers come down his road shining deer.
His solution: “I keep a spotlight upstairs in the bedroom. I shine it right on their windshield. It pretty much blinds them.’’ Still, said Farrell, “I wish they’d just do away with it.’’
Fishing closures protect spawning walleye
DNR News
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will close fishing at several locations in Cook County during the 2008 fishing season to protect concentrations of spawning walleye.
Closures on Minnesota-Ontario waters are made in cooperation with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and affect both sides of the border.
These closures apply to fishing only; travel is permitted through these areas. The closures are intended to protect concentrations of walleye that may be vulnerable to over-harvest. All closed areas will be posted. Questions can be directed to the DNR office in Grand Marais at (218) 387-3056.
The following closures will go in effect beginning April 1:
• Sea Gull River from Sea Gull Lake through Gull Lake to Saganaga Lake approximately 1/3 mile north of the narrows, closed through May 23
• Saganaga Falls on the Minnesota Ontario border where the Granite River enters Saganaga Lake, closed through May 31
• Maligne River (also known as Northern Light Rapids) on the Ontario side of Saganaga Lake, closed through May 31
• Channel between Little Gunflint and Little North Lakes on the Minnesota Ontario Border, closed through May 31
• Cross River (inlet to Gunflint Lake) from the Gunflint Trail to Gunflint Lake, closed through May 23
The following areas will be closed to fishing May 10 through May 16:
• Tait River from White Pine Lake to the Forest Road 339 crossing, including a portion of White Pine Lake
• Junco Creek from the first log dam above County Road 57 downstream to Devil Track Lake, including a portion of Devil Track Lake near the river mouth.
Public input sought on St. Louis Co. trout stream designation changes
DNR News
The public is invited to comment through June 13 on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) proposal to change to the legal descriptions of designated trout streams and lakes in parts of St. Louis County. The proposal specifies some deletions to the list and some additions, in an attempt to manage and protect coldwater resources. Fisheries managers propose trout water designation changes every few years based on findings of ongoing fisheries surveys.
Proposed changes:
ADDITIONS
• Buckingham Creek - T50N R14W Sections 28, 29, 33, 34
• Coffee Creek - T50N R14W Sections 20, 29, 32, 33
•Knowlton Creek - T49N R15W Sections 14, 15, 22, 23
• Merritt Creek - T49N R14W Sections 5, 6; T49N R15W Section 1; T50N R14W Section 31; T50N R15W Section 36.
DELETIONS
• Spider Creek - T52N R18W Sections 19, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 30; T52N R19W Sections 9,10, 13, 14, 15, 24
• Mirror Lake - T52N R14W Sections 19, 30
• Unnamed (Olson) Lake - T52N R15W Section 23
Buckingham, Coffee, Knowlton and Merritt creeks were surveyed between 2003 and 2006. Water temperatures were conducive to supporting trout in all four streams. Naturally reproducing brook trout were captured in all streams but Knowlton Creek. Reports of trout presence in Knowlton in the past were common, and a reintroduction is planned following designation.
Fish assessments in Spider Creek in 1947, 1967 and 2005 found no trout present. Temperature monitoring from 2003 to 2005 found stressful temperatures for trout common, with occasional lethal temperatures, indicating that stream conditions are not conducive to supporting trout populations. Mirror Lake is recommended for removal from stream trout lake designation due to poor success of trout management. Stocking was discontinued in 2007. Olson Lake is a frequent winterkill lake that has difficulty supporting trout, and stocking was discontinued in 1989.
The designation of a stream or lake as a trout water means anglers who fish there must possess a trout stamp in addition to a regular fishing license, and can fish only during the stream trout season. Designation of a stream or lake can also result in a higher level of environmental protection. There may be additional restrictions on development on or near the waters, depending on local land-use ordinances.
Send comments on the proposed changes by June 13, to DNR Duluth Area Fisheries, 5351 North Shore Drive, Duluth MN 55804; or by e-mail at deserae.hendrickson@dnr.state.mn.us
Four men escape injury when truck falls through ice
PERHAM, Minn. (AP) – The Department of Natural Resources is reminding people to be careful when driving on ice after a pickup truck plunged through a lake near Perham.
Authorities say four men were able to escape injury when their truck fell through Little Pine Lake early Friday. They were going fishing.
Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Mike Boen says the ice was only 3 to 4 inches where the truck fell.
DNR Conservation officer Chris Vinton says the men got out while the pickup was sinking and made it to thick ice. Vinton says he doesn’t think they even got wet.
The truck, on the other hand, remains at the bottom of Little Pine Lake in more than 50 feet of water.
Vinton says the incident should remind people that ice is never completely safe.
Perham is about 30 miles northeast of Fergus Falls in west-central Minnesota.
Researchers study bears hibernating in northwestern Minn.
The study focuses on the so-called “no-quota’’ hunting zone, the part of the state outside traditional bear range where hunters can buy licenses over the counter instead of having to go through the lottery.
By Brad Dokken
Grand Forks Herald
KITTSON COUNTY, Minn. (AP) – The faint kitten-like noises rising from the hollow near a fallen tree were the only giveaways to the life curled up inside on this spring-like March morning.
Anyone simply out for a stroll in the woods would have walked right by the hole in the snow without noticing.
Most of the crew had heard the noise before, but that didn’t make it any less amazing. Inside the hole, bear cubs were nursing and snuggling in the warm fur of their mother, who was curled up in a tight ball near the wide-open entrance to the den.
Dave Garshelis knelt down for a closer look.
“She’s in the classic hibernating position,’’ he said.
A bear biologist for the Department of Natural Resources in Grand Rapids Garshelis was leading a crew visiting the den as part of a project to learn more about the habitat bears use in far northwestern Minnesota, a part of the state that’s on the fringe of traditional black bear range.
The study also has a medical component. Researchers from the University of Minnesota and Medtronic, a leader in medical technology and research, for the past several years have collaborated with the DNR to learn how bears can spend six months inactive without losing muscle mass or cardiac function.
Paul Iaizzo, of the University of Minnesota Medical School and a Medtronic professor of visible heart research, was at the Kittson County den to wire up the bear for EKG and ultrasound tests to look at her heart.
“We’re trying to understand more about the physiology of hibernation, see if we can learn about bears to help patients with muscle wasting,’’ Iaizzo said. “We’ve seen there’s no change at all (in hibernating bears), even though they’re immobilized and starved. Patients who are immobilized show loss of cardiac function, which is detrimental, so we’re trying to help patients.’’
They knew the bear would be here. Last summer, student interns working for the DNR had trapped the bear about five miles away and fitted her with a GPS satellite collar. The high-tech collar recorded her location – in the form of latitude and longitude coordinates –every two hours.
A total of 16 bears received the collars, which cost $3,000 each, last summer; 13 of those bears are still alive.
Then, in December, Garshelis and DNR biologist Karen Noyce had traced the bear to this inconspicuous hollow in a tangled mass of brush. They gave her a sedative and switched out the GPS collar so they could take it back to the office to replace the battery and download the data.
They subbed the collar with a temporary VHF unit that would last through the winter.
Now, with spring approaching and bears about to move again, it was time to put the GPS collar back on and find out how many cubs were hidden inside the den.
Garshelis and Noyce have spent the past couple of weeks visiting dens and replacing collars.
“That’s the nice thing about these GPS collars,’’ Garshelis said. “We’ll get 1,500 data points in a six-month period.’’
Despite the ruckus seven humans can make when they’re traipsing through the woods, mama bear pays no heed to the crowd gathered outside her door.
But when Iaizzo sticks an infra-red camera mounted on a pole inside the den for a closer look, the cubs kick up the volume a notch. The piercing sounds of unhappy cubs fill the woods.
As for mama, she remains in the “mellow’’ category, and that’s just fine by the researchers.
“We had one a couple of days ago that lunged out of the hole a little bit, but we haven’t had many overly aggressive ones,’’ Noyce said.
Garshelis uses a syringe mounted to a jab stick to tranquilize the mama bear. It takes about 10 minutes for the sedative to kick in, and the crew goes to work removing her and the cubs from the den.
Based on an ultrasound taken in December, the researchers thought they might find three cubs; they’re pleasantly surprised to find four huddled under their mother’s warm body.
That many cubs in a litter used to be unusual, but it’s becoming more common for some reason, Garshelis says.
Garshelis and Liu Fang, a graduate student from China’s Peking University now in Minnesota on a fellowship, begin examining the mama bear, taking several measurements and drawing blood; they also sub out the VHF collar with the GPS unit.
Despite giving birth to four cubs and her winter of inactivity, the bear’s in good shape. She weighs 168 pounds, down from 225 pounds in December, a weight loss that largely results from the cubs.
“She’s small, but she’s not thin,’’ Fang said.
Meanwhile, others in the crew serve as unofficial babysitters, keeping the cubs warm and entertained. Watching the little balls of fur, which each weigh between 4 and 5 pounds, it’s easy to see why teddy bears are among the most popular toys of all time.
The cubs’ occasional screeches of discontent make everyone smile.
Noyce weighs the cubs and measures the hair on the backs of their necks.
This, she admits with a smile, is the fun part of the job.
While the three-year project is still in its first year, Garshelis says the research already is providing useful information on northwest Minnesota’s bear population. One adult female, for example, had a home range of about 25 miles, he said, not significantly larger than bears in traditional bear country.
In another case, data from the collars of a male and female shot last fall suggested the bears probably mated.
“Based on the GPS data, they were right on top of each other,’’ he said.
The study focuses on the so-called “no-quota’’ hunting zone, the part of the state outside traditional bear range where hunters can buy licenses over the counter instead of having to go through the lottery.
“We want to see what kinds of patches of habitat they use,’’ Garshelis said. “How much they jump from patch to patch, how close they come to houses. We’re trying to predict where the bears will eventually get to, how big their range will eventually be.’’
No doubt, northwestern Minnesota’s bear population is rising. That’s reflected in the no-quota harvest, which set a record in 2006; last year’s take of 328 bears was the second-highest ever.
That could have implications for management.
“Right now, this is a no-quota zone,’’ Garshelis said. “Whether it will stay, I don’t know. We’ve actually had some high harvests out there.’’
The morning’s work complete, the crew returns the bear and her cubs to the den. Mama begins to wake up, but shows no signs of aggressiveness.
“This one today was really calm,’’ Garshelis said. “She was looking right at us going, ‘yeah, whatever.’’’
Garshelis says the bear and her cubs likely will emerge from their den in early April.
“With the GPS collar, we’ll know the exact day, the exact time,’’ he said.
Garshelis says the DNR plans to trap and collar another half-dozen bears this summer. Next year, he’d like to collar some of this spring’s cubs as yearlings to see how they disperse.
Everyone might think they know what bears do in the woods. But as Garshelis and crew are finding out, there’s always more to learn.
© 2008 Outdoors Weekly (PK Outdoors, Inc.)