Hunting, Shooting & Policing

Man Trampled by deer

2012-01-08T07:11:00.000-08:00

A 65-year-old Battle Creek man was seriously injured when he was struck by three deer Friday afternoon.

Article herehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

That is just crazy. I hope he will be o.k.

VA Bear, Deer, Turkey Harvest Data Announced

2011-02-25T07:36:00.000-08:00

FALL WILD TURKEY

In Virginia, 2,687 turkeys were harvested during the 2010-2011 fall turkey season. This harvest was 24% below last year's reported kill of 3,538 birds. The harvest declined 34% in counties west of the Blue Ridge Mountains (1,664 last year versus 1,102 this year). Counties east of the Blue Ridge Mountains decreased 15 percent (1,874 vs. 1,585). Bedford led all counties with a harvest of 92 birds. Most of the harvest was reported on private lands. Thirty-seven birds were harvested on the Youth Fall Day Hunt.

Full Article Here

VA Hunting and fishing license fee might rise

2010-10-06T03:24:00.000-07:00

Until 2006, Virginia hunters and anglers went nearly two decades without an increase in their hunting and fishing license fees.

Now they could be looking at the second fee increase in five years.

Hoping to offset a budget crisis that could become critical by 2014, the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board voted Tuesday to propose adding $5 to the cost of hunting and fishing licenses.

Read Article Here

VDGIF Acquires Short Hills WMA

2010-09-22T22:43:00.000-07:00

VDGIF Acquires Short Hills Wildlife Management Area in Botetourt-Rockbridge

VDGIF announced that it has acquired Short Hills Wildlife Management Area, a 4,232-acre tract in Rockbridge and Botetourt counties. The acquisition involved The Wildlife Foundation of Virginia and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation who combined resources to provide interim funding to assist the VDGIF with the acquisition. VDGIF Executive Director Bob Duncan noted, "Without the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and The Wildlife Foundation of Virginia this acquisition could not have been possible."

The Virginia Outdoors Foundation used a grant from The Virginia Land Conservation Bond Funds to purchase the northern half of the Short Hills tract with the ultimate intention of transferring the property to VDGIF. The Wildlife Foundation of Virginia purchased the southern half of Short Hills using loan funding from The Conservation Fund and held the property until VDGIF had accumulated the necessary funds to purchase the southern tract. VDGIF purchased that parcel for $3 million and closed on the property on July 2, 2010. The remainder of the tract was acquired when the Virginia Outdoors Foundation donated it to the Department in conjunction with the purchase.

The Short Hills WMA consists of an approximately 10-mile long ridgeline, known as Short Hills Mountain, which runs from just south of Lexington, on south to Natural Bridge. The property contains habitat for game and non-game species including black bear, deer, turkey, ruffed grouse, songbirds, raptors, and rattlesnakes. A management plan is being developed for the site. Information about public access will be available once that plan is finalized.

Article Here

Parkway eliminates hunter permit program

2010-09-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

Officials with the Blue Ridge Parkway have announced a decision regarding how hunters will be able to use parkway property to access adjacent hunting grounds.

Hunters will no longer be required to obtain a special access permit in order to pass through Blue Ridge Parkway property to land where hunting is allowed.

Read Full Article

Program reintroduces elk to far Southwest Virginia

2010-08-18T04:24:00.000-07:00

RICHMOND -- Shunned for years, Rocky Mountain elk are finally being welcomed back into the state by Virginia wildlife officials.

At a meeting Tuesday, the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries board directed the agency's staff to undertake a pilot restoration program that calls for stocking 75 elk into Buchanan County, a rugged, economically depressed county where officials have been hoping for years to establish an elk herd.

Read Full Story Here

Possible Pro-Staff Position

2010-08-13T07:33:00.001-07:00

I learned yesterday that I might have a Pro-Staff position come next week with a company inside the hunting industry. I am really excited about this as it will for one keep me blogging on a more regular basis. Two it will let me help people with a product that I am really excited about.

Hopefully this time next week I will know for sure.

Smugglers' barbed wire traps target US agents

2010-03-30T21:47:00.000-07:00

L PASO -- Drug smugglers have apparently set "booby traps" for U.S. Border Patrol agents on roads along the border near Deming, agency officials said Monday.

The devices consist of barbed wire stretched like clotheslines across trails used by agents on all-terrain vehicles. The lines, which are difficult to spot, are about four feet off the ground and appear to be intended to knock a rider off the ATV.

There have been no known injuries.

It isn't the first time such a tactic has been used by smugglers in the desolate desert south of Deming and west of El Paso.

Read Full Article Here

Knight Rifles Back In Business

2010-03-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

Athens, TN: On March 15, 2010, PI, Inc., acquired the Knight Rifles brand, intellectual properties and real estate in Centerville, Iowa. For the immediate future, Knight Rifles will be relocated to Athens, TN, where PI, Inc., is headquartered.

PI, Inc., President Jeff Beene says, "We hope to make this a seamless transition for all the loyal Knight Rifles customers. It will take us a few days to get all of the Knight Rifles goods moved to our facility, but we hope to be shipping orders next week."

Several members of the PI, Inc., management team have been loyal Knight Rifles owners in the past and that spurred the interest in purchasing the brand when Knight Rifles ceased gun production in July 2009. Beene stated, "I'm very impressed with my personal Knight Rifles and want to breathe new life into this brand that started the muzzle loading world as we know it today."

The immediate plans are to continue the excellent customer service for which Knight has always been known. Warranty for all rifles except the KP1 and Revolution (I and II) will still be handled in the Knight Rifles warranty center in Centerville, Iowa. The KP1 and Revolutions will be serviced from the Pradco Outdoor Brands Decatur, Alabama, Facility.

President Jeff Beene does want muzzle loader hunters to know that the long term plan for Knight Rifles is to return to its roots and once again manufacture the best inline muzzle loaders on the market.

The Outdoor Wire

House Passes Concealed Law

2010-03-03T18:33:00.000-08:00

The Virginia house has passed the concealed carry law that will allow us to carry concealed in restaurants that serve alcohol. In a vote 72-27 and now the bill will be on its way to Gov. McDonnell who will sign it.

For those not in Virginia and wondering what the heck. It has been legal for ever to open carry in a restaurant that serves alcohol but illegal to carry concealed. Makes sense huh?

Hunting License Sales Are Up

2010-03-02T13:51:00.000-08:00

Hunting license sales across the country grew by about 3.5 percent according to a recent study by the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Story Can Be Read Here

Protecting your cheap game cam cheaply

2010-02-03T12:38:00.000-08:00

Recently I purchased two Wild Game Innovations IR4 cameras for scouting game. Since most of my hunting is done on public land I wanted a way to try and secure the cameras as best as I can without putting a lot of money into it. The Wild Game Innovations (WGI) cameras are not top of the line but do work very well for $100.

I bought two 8" X 8" baking pans at my local Wal-Mart. I roughed them up with steel wool and then painted them with some camo paint. I then drilled holes on each side, under the handle on each side that would allow a Master Lock Python cable lock to pass through on the tight side.

I also drilled holes in the bottom of the pan that would accept some hardened lag bolts I keep on hand. I then bolted the pan to a tree, placed the camera inside the pan and then wrapped the python lock through the pan and over the camera.

I know this is only good for honest thieves but I hope it will work. My one camera has been out for a month and I plan on going to check in in the morning. It is about two miles from the road so I hope the only problems it has had is a bear licking on. Guess we will see.

Chronic Wasting Disease Found in White-tailed Deer in Virginia

2010-01-30T09:19:00.000-08:00

For anyone not following the latest news from the VDGIF , Virginia has had it's first case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). The VDGIF has a press release at, CWD in Virginia .

I know it was only a matter of time before Virginia had it's first case but it still worries you. I have also read that West Virginia has had more cases of CWD. That story is at the WV Gazette

New Youth Rifle by Weatherby

2010-01-29T13:09:00.000-08:00

With the SHOT show over new weapons and firearm related items are headed our way. One of the new rifles for 2010 is the Weatherby Vanguard Synthetic Youth . The rifle looks great for a young hunter to grow with weighing in at 6 1/2 pounds and a 20" barrel.

The rifle also offers an adjustable length of pull from 12 1/2" to 13 5/8" to fit the young hunter as they grow. The list of available calibers are, .223 Remington, 22-250 Remington, .243 Winchester, .308 Winchester and 7mm-08 Remington. I would like to see a .260 Remington offered but feel the 7mm-08 is just as good for a young hunter to shoot deer sized game.

It is good to see several companies offering youth rifles these days for our young hunters to join us in the field.

Predator Rifle

2010-01-26T05:07:00.000-08:00

I am trying to decide which bolt action predator rifle I am going to save up for. There are a lot of choices as of late. Even more if you include the AR rifles however I am limited on my budget so my dream predator rifle, Rock River Arms Coyote carbine will not be in the running.

Weatherby has a nice looking Vanguard in Natural Gear camouflage with a 22" barrel and an adjustable trigger.

Savage Arms also has a 22" barrel in Mossy Oak Brush camo in their model 10 series.

Thompson/Center has just announced a new predator rifle, the Venture bolt action with fully adjustable trigger, MOA Guarantee and Max-1 camo.

Remington has their Model 7 in full Mossy Oak Brush camo. I have handled this rifle recently and really love the way it feels.

CZ-USA has a new predator rifle also in the 527 Ultralight with Backlands West camo. Anyone who has shot the CZ rifles know this one is in the running.

There are many more rifles without all the fancy camo and Predator name that will kill coyotes, bobcats and fox just as fast and just as dead. However I have decided to go after one of the marketed rifles so that I will have the full camo already and not have to send the rifle off or have to mar it with my poor painting skills.

I have been debating calibers for the last month or so. I am pretty sure that I will settle on the tried and true .223 Remington. I would like a .17 Remington Fireball for the foxes and bobcats but like the .223 better for the coyotes. Maybe one day I will have both or I might just get a custom .17 Ackely Hornet barrel for my Encore.

Dang it

2010-01-23T10:32:00.000-08:00

I have not wrote anything in too long. I have been without a computer at the house and doing nothing but field training at work for too long. I really hope to start posting more especially since I replaced my lost camera. I lost the last one some where on the New River in late January of 2009 while duck hunting. Oops.

My lovely wife bought me an electronic caller for hunting predators on our recent anniversary. I have been out only on one hunt due to being sick for several months with sinus infections and bronchitis. Hopefully will get some predator hunting in the last couple weeks of the season.

I have been on a couple of duck hunts with my good friend Dale. I shot a very pretty hen mallard on New Years day on a local body of water that was not frozen. Beautiful evening on the water with approximately 70 mallards seen. They were landing everywhere but where we were but it was still a great sight to behold.

What a maroon

2009-03-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

Man Bolts Antlers to Dead Doe, Gets $400 Fine, 10 Days in Jail

BURLINGTON, Vt. — A man who bolted antlers to the head of a dead doe and posed for a photograph with the deer was fined $400 and jailed for game violations.
Marcel Fournier, 19, shot the deer the evening of Nov. 22 and used lag bolts and epoxy to attach a 10-point rack, officials said. He then checked in the kill as lawful game at Barnie's Market.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,509222,00.html

Leave My Brass Alone

2009-03-10T18:47:00.000-07:00

Went to the range today with my friend Matt and his girlfriend. We had an assortment of weapons in different calibers to shoot. Sig P220 .45acp, Sig P229 .357sig, Glock 27 .40S&W, Springfield XD .40S&W, Walther P22 .22lr, S&W 65 .357magnum, A4 .223 & AR-15 .223.

When we arrived at the public range I moved us to the the last three benches so that our brass would land to our right and we could pick it up when were done. As I reload and brass and other ammo components are rather expensive these days I wanted to make sure we could get all the brass.

Toward the end of our shooting session we had a rather large pile of brass building up. I had stopped every now and then to pick up the rifle brass so that it would not be dented. I then noticed an older gentleman walking toward us with a five gallon bucket.

When I observed the gentleman picking up our brass I stopped him and told him nicely that the brass belonged to us and we would police our brass. The man then continued to pick up brass that was coming from our weapons. I again told him that I would police our own brass and that brass today was not cheap! He then decided to call me out by asking if were shooting all the calibers he had found.

The nerve of some people. I had a large five gallon bucket myself full of brass which he saw. I had told him it was our brass as I had been picking it up when he walked over. Brass was flying from Matt's weapon as we talked landing at his feet.

I understand times are hard but people need to still respect others property. This behavior at this range is not new at all though. The same guys come up to grab up brass to sell to the recycle shops for money. They will grab up your brass and run off before you know it assuming that no one wants it. All they have to do is ask and most shooters will let them have it. However there is enough reloaders so that they need to ask!! It only takes two seconds.

200 Wild Turkeys Poisoned

2009-02-07T18:17:00.000-08:00

I could not believe my eyes when I saw the title to the news story; DNR: 200 wild turkeys poisoned in NE Wisconsin. I mean who could actually poison wild turkeys? The story leaves a lot of questions unanswered, just enough information to make a person really mad;

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-poisonedturkeys,0,3336847.story

I will be curious as to the outcome of this case. I will try and follow it and see how it plays out. I know that if the person responsible is found guilty they should serve at least 10 years, of course that will never happen in today's world.

Practice Makes Perfect

2009-02-04T12:39:00.001-08:00

I hear too many hunters today say they can not afford to plink, shoot or practice with their hunting ammo. So instead of practice they go hunt and hope the one or two shots they fired to make sure they are on will suffice.

This is not fair to the game we hunt. We need to make sure that our shots are clean the kill is quick and as humane as possible. Now before anyone gets all tore up hear me out. I'm not suggesting you go shoot your $5.00 Nitro turkey load 20 times or your $3.00 Nosler Custom rifle load 30 times. You do need to know how those loads will shoot though in all kind of circumstances, i.e., windy, cold, hot, 20 yards or 40 yards.

For practice you can substitute loads to build on the fundamentals and the muscle memory. Instead of shooting a $5.00 Nitro Ray load buy a .75 Remington Nitro load. This will allow you to get used to your gun, it's recoil and it's action. This will build confidence and muscle memory.

Some may ask if muscle memory is important. In my opinion it is extremely important. It will allow you to handle or mishandle recoil, safety operation and action operation. You may hold to the old saying that you never felt the recoil on a turkey or deer you have shot but I will bet you that your muscle memory knows its coming. If you are using a load that is too powerful for you it can cause you to flinch and miss or injure the game you are hunting.

If you have been shooting the same gun for years then you know what I am talking about. You can hit the action release without looking or thinking about it. You can load your gun without looking or thinking about it. If someone hands you a new gun you will catch yourself fumbling on those same easy tasks.

So before the season starts this year get out there and practice. Set up some reactionary targets for fun. Sitting on the bench shooting paper is not always fun, especially with a 2 ounce turkey load.

Cyber Scouting

2009-01-25T07:18:00.000-08:00

In my first blog post I mentioned wanting to cyber scout more. You may be asking yourself what the heck he is talking about!?!? Cyber scouting is just that, finding land and game to hunt via the internet. It is not better then getting out into the woods but it can be extremely helpful.

How you may ask? Well say you have seen a piece of land that looks like something you may want to hunt. You have no idea how big the property is or who even owns it. One tool you can use to answer both questions is GIS; Geographic Information Systems. Not all counties have this at this time however many do. Usually all you have to do is Google your county name along with GIS. This works very well in the Roanoke Valley area of Virginia.

If you are looking for government owned land see if your state has a web page to help. Virginia has one called Find Game… http://www.findgame.org/

Another way to scout the land once you gain access to it is through topographic, satellite and aerial photos. There are several excellent web pages that allow you to scout from the sky with some outstanding views. Here are some of my favorites….

http://terraserver-usa.com/

http://maps.live.com/

http://www.flashearth.com/

http://earth.google.com/

Being able to look at a piece of property from a birds eye view can be of great help. You can see how the land lays with ridges, draws and natural funnels. There might be clearings or saddles that you have not seen or noticed from the ground. It is also a great help for marking your stands, blinds and game cameras.

So before you get out and tromp all over new pieces of property get online and do some cyber scouting before hand.

Late Season Duck Hunt

2009-01-22T09:54:00.001-08:00

Alarm clock rang at 4:00a.m. and I was up and at it. I gave myself plenty of time to eat and dress before going to pick Rudy up at his son's house. Rudy is a friend from South Carolina that met through Dale. We spoke twice yesterday arranging this late season duck hunt. This would be my last chance to get out and only my second time hunting ducks this hunting season.

I pulled into Rudy's at exactly 0515 and we were on our way to the New River. The weather report said we would be looking at 11* and a slight breeze on the river today. Should be a good day to enjoy mother nature and hopefully some duck hunting.

Rudy and I packed the canoe and paddled across the river to an island I have hunted several times in the past. We expected to see geese, some divers and hopefully a wigeon or four. After setting the decoys out and waiting for the sun to rise over the mountains Rudy and I catch the sound of a wigeon to our right. Not long after a mallard started to sound off behind us. Right after that two geese got up off the water and flew by us. This had all the makings of a good day.

Before daylight when shadows turn into their true form Rudy and I started to make out several groups of ducks. We, or at least I, was certain that there were three groups of wigeon 100 yards in front of us. The three groups began to merge into one and started to swim directly toward Rudy. As I waited for the flush and the shot from Rudy I caught a glimpse of cupped wings and watched as a mallard drake decoyed into our setup. I did not have a chance to even think about raising my shotgun. I turned back to Rudy to only find out that the ducks swimming toward him were mergansers and he had chosen not to shoot.

As the morning moved on we watched our one mallard swim to a group of mallards down the island from us. We also watched as 40 -50 geese got off the water and started to fly north west. They knew where they were headed and Rudy and I found we didn't have a goose call between us. We also observed two more groups of mergansers that would work past us, get off the water to go up river, then float back down.

I finally had to move to being cold so decided that a stalk on the mallards down river would be the correct thing for me to do and flush them toward Rudy. I jumped off the island and stalked down river until I was even with the group of mallards on the opposite side. I started to sneak toward them when the gun shy mallards jumped off the water and hit the afterburners. I knew right away Rudy would not be shooting as these mallards had played this game before and were going almost vertical.

Rudy and I called it a day around 10:00 as the puddle ducks were just not moving. We paddled back to the opposite side of the river and started to pack the truck when the air filled with a chorus of Canadian geese. Rudy and and I watched for the next fifteen minutes as approximately 70 geese flew past us and landed on the island we had just left. The geese were flying in groups from 2 to 24. It was a beautiful sight and good note to keep in mind for the late goose season.

The only bad thing about this whole trip was the packing up. I stopped in the gravel parking area and picked up over three dozen nails. Some person had dumped nails all over the parking area. If this was done with malice or stupidity I do not know, though this person still deserves a kick in the shin either way.

I had a wonderful morning and enjoyed myself. I do wish I had remembered my camera to take pictures of the sunrise, the river and the geese. I guess my memories will just have to do.

Just Kill'n Time

2009-01-21T03:45:00.000-08:00

As of today you can catch the Sportsman Channel on channel 605 of Direct T.V. I have been asking Direct T.V. to add this channel for several years now. The main reason is because a group of my friends have a t.v. show on that channel. The show is called, Just Kill'n Time and it airs today at 3:30 p.m. If you get a chance set your TIVO or DVR or just sit down and watch.

http://www.justkillntime.com/

If you want to see them via the internet check the gang out on Youtube; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqIlE58dXwQ

Smith & Wesson M&P pistols with thumb safety

2009-01-20T05:23:00.000-08:00

As most know, S&W has a manual thumb safety as an option on their M&P .45acp. They have now started to ship the full size and compact M&Ps in 9mm, 40S&W and 357sig with an optional thumb safety also. This is great news for the 1911 fans who want a thumb safety on their polymer pistol or for those who feel unsafe without a thumb safety on a polymer pistol.

http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/tow_release.php?ID=140497

Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009 (H.R. 45)

2009-01-19T12:54:00.000-08:00

Seems the Brady gang and all it's pocketed politicans are headed to try and outlaw all the guns they can. Keep up to date and write, call, yell and fight for your rights!!!

Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009 (H.R. 45)

On January 6th, Congressman Rush (D) of Illinois introduced the Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009 (H.R. 45). The introduction to this bill states the intent of the legislations is "to provide for the implementation of a system of licensing for purchasers of certain firearms and for a record of sale system for those firearms, and for other purposes." As of the writing of this article, this bill has been referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. This article reviews the content of the Act and provides commentary on various portions of the act, which violate logic, individual rights, State's rights, and the separation of powers. This article also speaks to some areas of HR 45 that fall within the purview of the Federal government.

http://www.nolanchart.com/article5821.html

Upcoming Spring Gobbler

2009-01-19T11:39:00.000-08:00

2009 is upon us and the spring turkey season is on my mind. I am lucky that I will have a whole two weeks off for this upcoming season. This has me thinking ahead about hunts I want to go on and what I want done before then.

My main goal is to get in shape. I have been field training for the better part of 18 months and my bike riding has suffered. First step will be bike riding on my days off. I plan on taking the Trek mountain bike out in the national forest for exercise and scouting as soon as the weather breaks.

My second goal is to do some cyber scouting via http://earth.google.com/ and http://www.terraserver.com/ which I then will follow up with foot and bike scouting trips. The last couple of years I have slacked off when it came to scouting and my seasons have shown this.

My third goal is to do some patterning with my Stoeger 2000. I am thinking about trying a new choke for this shotgun to extend my range a few yards. I am a 25 yard or closer shooter but would like to feel confident in 40 yards if I had to.

I hope to keep this blog up and running on my season along with shooting and policing that I am involved in.