On Monday of this week I reported that eight states (Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri and Ohio) were going to request grant monies available through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, also known as Pittman-Robertson, in order to conduct studies on tree stand safety. The article I wrote generated some discussion and comments, one coming from reader MadJack.

Yes the P/R Act was to improve hunting & wildlife habitat, NOT to WASTE in an attempt to control hunters & how they hunt! I believe this would be a direct violation of the Pitman Robertson Act as well as very unlawful.

More Government waste!

While I tend to agree with MadJack, I wasn’t aware that revenues generated through PR were used via the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to fund programs for hunter safety and education. According to PR Act Title 16, Chapter 5B, section 669h, $8 million will be apportioned back to each state for certain hunter safety programs.

Of the revenues covered into the fund, $7,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 and 2002, and $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2003 and each fiscal year thereafter, shall be apportioned among the States in the manner specified in section 669c(c) \1\ of this title by the Secretary of the Interior and used to make grants to the States to be used for–

(A) in the case of a State that has not used all of the funds apportioned to the State under section 669c(c) \1\ of this title for the fiscal year in the manner described in section 669g(b) of this title–
(i) the enhancement of hunter education programs, hunter and sporting firearm safety programs, and hunter development programs;
(ii) the enhancement of interstate coordination and development of hunter education and shooting range programs;
(iii) the enhancement of bow hunter and archery education, safety, and development programs; and
(iv) the enhancement of construction or development of firearm shooting ranges and archery ranges, and the updating of safety features of firearm shooting ranges and archery ranges; and

(B) in the case of a State that has used all of the funds apportioned to the State under section 669c(c) \1\ of this title for the fiscal year in the manner described in section 669g(b) of this title, any use authorized by this chapter (including hunter safety programs and the construction, operation, and maintenance of public target ranges).

An act that was originally designed for the protection of wildlife and habitat, it has been amended many times in order that these funds can be used for other programs not directly related to it original purpose. As I understand the Act, monies are apportioned back to each state for the specific purposes described concerning hunter safety and education programs. If that money has been used up, USFWS grants additional monies collected via PR for further hunter education and safety programs.

Tom Remington

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We are at a point where it would be safe to say that this year’s outbreak of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) is quite widespread. Here’s a list of states that have confirmed cases of the virus that is carried to deer by biting midges or no-see-ums: Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey, Montana, Mississippi and Georgia. In addition, some states are waiting for test results to confirm what they already suspect - South Carolina is one such state.

To confirm the presence of the disease, blood and certain tissue has to be analyzed.

According to both the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the Alabama Department of Conservation, dealing with EHD is quite routine. Charles Ruth, Deer/Turkey Project supervisor for the South Carolina DNR says flair-ups in that state seem to run in cycles of 3-5 years and there’s a reasonable explanation.

“This is probably related to the fact that once deer are exposed to the disease they are more resistant to it. Therefore, if you have disease one year the deer become exposed or inoculated to the disease and you do not see much disease activity until there is turnover in the deer population. After several years you are dealing with another cohort of deer and their systems are ‘naïve’ to the disease. The last time there was significant hemorrhagic disease activity in South Carolina was in 2002, therefore, disease activity could be relatively high this year.”

This theory is confirmed by a spokesman for the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

“We have some cases every year,” said Keith Guyse, a whitetail specialist with the Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division in the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. “In the Coastal Plain, the virus is there frequently enough that deer have been exposed to it and have some resistance to it.

Both representatives indicate that EHD in their respective states is pretty much routine only because of the build up of a certain degree of immunity. Therefore, these southern states don’t see wide outbreaks of the disease that often. When EHD hits the more northern climes, EHD seems to grab harder. Ruth explains.

Deer likely die in South Carolina each year from hemorrhagic disease, however, there is no indication that a major outbreak has occurred in the state since the mid 1970s. The disease is part of life for deer in the Southeast and fortunately it appears that Southern deer have acquired some immunity to the disease, said Ruth. Northern deer, on the other hand, are not exposed to the disease as frequently since the insect vector is not as common in cooler climates. For this reason, significant outbreaks and mortality from hemorrhagic disease are more likely in northern deer populations.

Guyse from Alabama makes reference to the same theory.

“Typically in North Alabama and above the fall line, they’re not exposed to it as often. So over a period of time you have a population that doesn’t have much resistance. When you have (outbreaks) up there, it tends to be more noticeable.”

This helps us understand why some states may have more severe outbreaks, killing larger numbers of deer, than others but why this year are outbreaks so widespread across the landscape of the country? Some have related it to the summer heat and drought. That may be true, I don’t know. It would be logical to assume that being that the virus is carried and spread by tiny midges or gnats, a larger than normal population of that insect would be directly proportional to the spread of the disease. Of course science isn’t that simplistic and we know that there are probably many more factors to consider or it could be just merely a coincidence.

However, Guyse from Alabama eludes to the theory of increased numbers of midges, somewhat.

“Auburn (researchers) had traps out to catch the flies and they might catch a few every once in a while, and then all of a sudden they catch hundreds,” Guyse said. “Much of that still is a mystery.”

Obviously, they don’t have a good handle on it either.

Hunters and others should be aware of the symptoms they may find on deer suffering from the disease.

Symptoms of hemorrhagic disease include poor physical condition, sloughing hooves, abrasions or sores on the brisket and legs, and ulcerations on the mouth, tongue, and rumen (stomach).

As I said earlier, verification of the disease has to be done in the lab.

If you see sick or dead deer in your travels, please report it to the appropriate authorities. It is highly recommended that nobody eats any of the meat from deer sickened by EHD.

Tom Remington

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As most hunters are aware, several states are experiencing outbreaks of EHD (Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease). To date, states involved are, Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey and Montana. In those states, some are experiencing widespread outbreaks while others are sporadic. Either way, it appears that this year’s outbreak is one that could be classified as the most widespread in some years.

J.R. Absher, the Newshound, and I sent a couple emails back and forth this morning about what’s happening with EHD. In one of my emails, I asked J.R. if this was what he would consider a large outbreak from his years of experience in the field. What he told me was that in a previous article he mentioned that he had talked with a friend of his, Doug Markham, information officer for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, about this year’s outbreak.

My good friend Doug Markham, information officer for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, dropped me an email over the weekend saying it’s as bad as he’s ever seen it in his 20 years with the agency.

Some especially hard-hit areas of the Volunteer State could lose half their deer to EHD this year, Markham speculated.

One other thing that J.R. mentioned was that it seemed that the EHD outbreak was following a similar path as this summer’s drought. I’ll have to do some investigating to see if I can find out if that is a common occurrence.

In the meantime, we all need to be praying for some frost and freezes to kill this thing off.

Tom Remington

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We can now add Montana to the growing list of states confirming outbreaks of epizootic hemorrhagic disease, EHD, or blue tongue. EHD is contracted by the bite of insects called “biting midges.” The virus usually kills the animals within five to 10 days. It is not spread by deer-to-deer contact and is rare in domestic cattle. States already having confirmed cases of EHD are: Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and New Jersey.

Montana officials have confirmed the presence of EHD in the southeastern part of the state.

So far “hundreds” of antelope and deer carcasses have been reported.

The heaviest concentration of the disease appears to be in the Melstone area east to Ingomar and Sumatra.

There really is not much that can be done about the disease. We just wait until the first good frost or freeze that will kill the midges that carry the virus.

In the meantime, troubles from dying deer in Pennsylvania are raising concerns about the possible contamination of drinking water supplies. In Beaver, Greene and Washington counties estimates are that over 1,000 deer carcasses are lying about rotting and stinking up the air. For some, there is concern that the decaying carcasses, many of which are lying in water, are contaminating the water supplies.

Russell Morgan is a Greene Township Supervisor and a farmer. He’s concerned about the water problems but is getting no help from the Pennsylvania Game Commission to get the carcasses cleaned up.

Already, Morgan said, he has confirmed 17 dead deer on and around his property. Township secretary Sandy Wright said one resident found 50 dead deer within a short distance of each other. Another resident reported finding 35 dead deer, Wright said.

Morgan said the game commission should at least help remove the remains from water sources. Instead, he was told removal of the deer is the responsibility of the homeowner,

“No one wants to take responsibility for what’s going on,” he said.

One of the side effects of the disease in deer causes the body temperature to rise, thus sending the deer to water to cool off. This is often where they expire.

Game Commission Supervisor Barry Zaffuto says it isn’t the responsibility of the PGC to take care of the dead animals and that the rotting deer are not contaminating the water.

“A deer is 100 percent natural,” he said. “This virus is not transferable, so it would be just like a deer that dies in the water naturally, because it does happen.”

The commission, he said, does not have the resources to search across a three-county area for deer and then remove them, especially when nature is taking care of that for them.

“That would just be totally impossible. What would we do with them?’ he said. “Deer decompose naturally and rapidly.”

Morgan isn’t buying Zaffuto’s explanation about deer being all natural and wouldn’t ruin the water. As a farmer, he is required by law to remove any of his livestock if it should dye in or near water. Under the watchful eye of the Department of Environmental Protection, he is made to clean up the carcass immediately because it will contaminate the water. Morgan wants to know what the difference is between a cow and a deer?

Morgan isn’t the only one concerned about the dying deer and how to clean up the mess. According to the PGC, it’s the landowners’ responsibility but this is angering citizens because of the double standards being exemplified in this video.

Tom Remington

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Epizootic hemorrhagic disease or blue tongue is affecting whitetail deer herds in several states now. On the list are Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and now New Jersey. There may be more.

Fred J. Aun of the Star-Ledger, in reporting about the discovery of the disease in New Jersey, describes EHD this way.

EHD is not uncommon and it’s not dangerous to humans. It is caused by the bite of certain midges and results in high fevers and hemorrhages in the mouths, noses and eyes of deer prior to death. Fish and Wildlife said deer usually expire within 10 days of getting EHD.

Vice President of Global Operations for Skinny Moose Media and U.S. Hunting Today, John Stabley, called Dr. Colleen O’Keefe, IDOA division manager of Food Safety and Animal Protection, in Illinois to ask her specific questions about the disease, its affect on deer and other animals as well as humans. You can read the entire interview at Stabley’s blog, Stabley Outdoors.

J.R. Absher, the Newshound, has been keeping his readers abreast of the locations and severity of the disease.

In the meantime, as we hunters head into the woods to do our scouting or for the start of any of hunting seasons, keep an eye open for the possibility of EHD being present in deer. If you encounter any cases you are encouraged to contact your fish and game department with the information.

Tom Remington

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A bill to extend the hunting day to one half hour after sunset is headed for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s office for signing. Sen. Gary Forby sponsored the bill and says it will give hunters a bit more opportunity to hunt and will help also with the reduction of a deer population that has been described as out of control. Read more here.

Tom Remington

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Coyote populations are on the rise all across this country and more and more each day we hear of increased human/coyote/pet encounters sometimes not ending in a happy way. In Ohio, a woman was attempting to move what she thought was a dead coyote that had been hit by another car. When she went to move the animal, it bit her.

In Illinois, Claudia Daigle took her award winning poodle out into here own backyard around 11 p.m. when I coyote came running out of the woods and grabbed the poodle by the neck and ran off. The coyote dropped the dog just into the woods but the dog died on the way to the emergency room.

Meanwhile in Massachusetts, residence there are discussing increasing a hunting season on the coyote. The Division of Fisheries and Wildlife is proposing a lengthening of the season to hunt coyotes because of the effects a growing population is having on other wildlife species and increased human encounters.

As one would expect there is opposition to any kind of hunting from animal protectionists.

“The coyote does not necessarily pose a public safety threat,” Scott M. Giacoppo, deputy director of advocacy for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said in speaking against lengthening the hunting season.

Too many coyotes necessarily can pose a public safety threat. People are getting bitten, dogs attacked, etc. The truth is the coyote needs better management and history has shown that doing such is a difficult task. The last thing the animal needs right now if further protection.

Tom Remington

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I’ve been in the business world for a long time in many different areas, from construction to tourism and stops in between. I understand the need, if you will, for a business to offer “freebies” as a way of promoting its business. But is it right to give away hunting permits to professional athletes and politicians when those permits are issued in a lottery format?

Such is the case in Illinois following an audit that involved the Department of Natural Resources. Yesterday I introduced you to the story that had limited available information and told you how more than 1,200 permits had been given away. Now, more information is trickling in as to who were the recipients of free hunting permits. In addition to Colorado Rockies first baseman, John Mabry, a host of others got some free passes.

According to the documents, other players who received the permits include pitchers Jake Peavy and Cal Eldred, former catcher Mike Matheny and former utilityman Eli Marrero. Chicago White Sox slugger Jim Thome, a Peoria-area native, also received one of the special permits.

In addition to ballplayers, the list included a number of current and former state lawmakers, including state Sen. Gary Forby, D-Benton, state Rep. Brandon Phelps, D-Harrisburg, and state Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro

If you are one of those who think politicians are just like you and me and think the same way, read this.

When asked if he thought it was wrong that extra permits were given out - some to prominent, well-connected people - Forby said he wouldn’t mind if twice as many licenses were distributed.

“We have too many damn deers in my district,” Forby said.

Not convinced yet? Try this.

While the agency defended its practice, Holland said the program allowed the state to give preferential treatment to certain people.

Bost, too, said he didn’t see a problem with his receiving a turkey hunting permit through the special process. He said he’d do the same thing for one of his constituents if asked.

So my suggestion to all of you who are in Mr. Bost’s district, to get on the phone and call him up and ask for a special permit for turkey or deer. Oh, heck! You might as well ask him for both. It would be fitting for him to become inundated with telephone calls. Here’s his contact information.

Springfield Office:
202-N Stratton Office Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-0387
(217) 557-0571 FAX
District Office:
300 E. Main
Carbondale, IL 62951
(618) 457-5787
(618) 457-2990 FAX
Jackson County

If this is the case, then why does Illinois even bother with permits in the first place?

Tom Remington

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A recent audit of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources showed that over 1,200 hunting permits were given away. Who they were given to remains unclear as the audit showed 15 permits went to ammunition company officials but no accounting of the others. What is also disturbing about this report is that it appears some of those permits were given away resulting in some applicants for lottery-style hunting permits not getting a chance.

Whether it will come out as to who received these free hunting permits remains to be seen but this audit brings to the forefront that IDNR needs to answer some questions and resolve this issue.

Tom Remington

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Officials in West Virginia continued to collect sample from harvested deer in search of the presence of chronic wasting disease. One more sample was found in Hampshire Country bringing to total 10 found this year in that county.

Officials in the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources say preliminary test results have detected the disease in one hunter-harvested deer collected during this year’s hunting season.

Another deer with the disease was killed on the road and eight others were collected by D-N-R officials.

D-N-R spokesman Frank Jezioro says samples were collected from more than 13-hundred deer in the area.

He says based upon the findings, the disease seems to be in a relatively small geographical area.

In Illinois testing there is showing that the disease may be spreading further south as authorities confirmed 16 more cases.

The positive tests came from deer killed by firearm and archery hunters and a few suspicious deer taken by DNR staff.
Winnebago and DeKalb counties each had six; Boone County four.

All but one case was from deer in previously infected areas. The exception was a deer killed in southern DeKalb County, about seven miles from the LaSalle County line.

The state has included southern DeKalb in next month’s special CWD hunt because of the new discovery.

The latest positives came from about 2,500 deer. Tests have not been completed on all deer sampled during the firearm seasons.

Tom Remington

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What? No, I’m not kidding. This is all I read and hear about these days. I read newspaper accounts and hear from hunters everywhere that they are running into out-of-the-way, home made methamphetamine labs. Meth, for short, is a highly addictive drug that is usually made on home concocted apparatus. Because of police trying to crackdown on the manufacture, use and sale of it, makers have moved operations into the woods so they won’t so easily be found. Because of this, hunters roaming the woods during hunting season are finding them.

It has gotten so bad that states like South Dakota have issued warnings in their Hunting Handbook(pdf.file) about what to do if you come upon a meth lab.

Because of the illegal nature of their activity and the extreme paranoia these ‘cooks’ may be experiencing, approaching them in camouflage clothing and carrying a firearm can be a recipe for disaster.

The Handbook goes on to explain what to do if you come across a user, also known as a “tweaker”.

Keep your distance. Coming too close can be perceived as threatening.

􀂄 No bright lights. The tweaker is paranoid and bright lights may cause them to react violently.
􀂄 Slow your speech, lower your voice.
􀂄 Slow your movements. The tweaker may be paranoid and may misunderstand your actions.
􀂄 Keep your hands visible, or they may feel threatened and become violent.
􀂄 Keep the tweaker talking. A tweaker who falls silent can be extremely dangerous. Silence often means that his paranoid thoughts have taken over reality, and anyone present can become part of the tweaker’s paranoid delusions.

USA Today has a story today about the widespread problems of hunters and outdoor enthusiasts coming upon meth users and labs in the woods. The article states that some hunting organizations are actually spending their money to warn hunters.

The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association sponsors public-service announcements on radio stations each fall to warn hunters to be on the lookout for meth labs. “How can people abuse our natural resources like this?” asks Mark Johnson, the group’s executive director.

Lt. Carl Lamb of the Seymour, Ind., police department has conducted seminars for hundreds of area hunters and farmers. After the training sessions, he says, “They recognize what to look for and know not to mess with it.”

Larry Dale, a hunter and hunting safety instructor in Petersburg, Ill., says hunters can be “useful eyes and ears” for law enforcement when they know how to identify meth-related equipment. The drug and its makers, he says, are “a general menace to society.”

What has become of our society? Is this it? Is this what we have to look forward to? I can see it now as I sit down with my now 5-year old grandson when it’s time to take him into the woods for a hike, or to fish or to hunt. I’ll not only have to begin telling him of the respect we as outdoor users need to have toward nature, wildlife and the land and landowners but now I must warn them that their life might be in danger because some sorry loser is out in the woods cooking up meth.

The warning issued in the South Dakota Hunting Handbook also tells those who come across a meth lab, not to touch anything.

Most of these chemicals are hazardous by themselves, but when mixed in the cooking process and disposed of they become toxic waste, which is harmful to humans, animals and the environment. These mixtures are also highly flammable and even explosive. Manufacturing of one pound of Meth produces 5-6 pounds of hazardous waste. These chemicals can cause severe health problems, even death if handled improperly. Exposure may cause respiratory problems, skin and eye irritation, headaches, nausea and dizziness. If you believe you inadvertently came into contact with a lab or dumpsite and experience any of these symptoms, first seek immediate health care

This is a sad commentary on what has become of people in this country that they have to resort to such self-destructive behavior. Maybe if these people had grown up with their dads or moms taking them out hunting and fishing and just enjoying the outdoors, they wouldn’t be doing what they are today.

With this many toxins now being dumped in the woods, think of the number of animals that are probably dying from this. Where are the so-called animal rights activists? Maybe if they spent their time and money on important projects like this and began viewing hunters as not the enemy, their work would be better recognized and appreciated.

Tom Remington

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It all began so innocently. Little did I know that all of cyberspace would be enthralled with a bear in a corn field story!

I had just returned from my annual Maine deer hunting trip and as one would expect, I was swamped with work. A friend had forwarded me an email with some pictures and a brief description of a bear that had become trapped under the wheel of a combine tractor. The email didn’t say where it happened, the story looked intriguing enough to pass on to readers and I didn’t have the time to investigate the story. I posted it asking readers to enlighten us all.

Slowly, the comments began coming in from readers everywhere of where they believed it happened. I was amazed at the interest as well as the diverse opinions and what was presented as “fact” of where and when it all happened. When I got comments from readers with links to the actual story of Troy DeRosier in Wisconsin, I thought that would put an end to the story. It didn’t. Readers were still submitting comments of where they thought the story happened. (If you click on this link to the original story, you can read all the comments.)

The talk began expanding until finally, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources issued a statement saying it didn’t happen in that state - Illinois being one of the front runners as to where readers thought it happened. As a matter of fact, they said it was a hoax.

Yesterday I got an email from J.R. Absher, The News Hound at ESPN Outdoors, with a link to another news story about the bear. It seems that the owner of the DeRosier farm, Troy, couldn’t believe all the hoopla over this bear story.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press ran with the story, again only this time with what has transpired with the DeRosiers since the event took place back at the end of October. The DeRosiers became inundated with phone calls and attention. Here’s what happened according to Troy DeRosier and his wife, Nancy.

“To me, it was kind of a big deal, but not that big a deal, I don’t think,” DeRosier said.

While combining 40 acres of corn Oct. 26, DeRosier’s machine tipped into a deep hole.

“Right up to the axle,” he said. “It couldn’t move at all.”

He assumed it was an empty badger hole — he’d come across them before — but then he heard breathing and pawing.

“I didn’t want to be anywhere on the ground when that badger came flying out of the hole,” he said.

DeRosier called his father, Don DeRosier, to come pull him out. He told his dad to bring a gun, just in case. His mom came, too, thinking it would be funny to take pictures of their son, cowering from the animal.

But it wasn’t a badger that started climbing out of the hole.

A wheel on the combine had driven into the 5-foot-deep den of a black bear, and the nearly 300-pound animal wanted out.

“We didn’t know what kind of mood he was going to be in,” DeRosier said, “so we did shoot him there.” They called the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for permission first.

Camera in hand, Nancy DeRosier started snapping photos.

“I just sent them to friends of ours down in Mesa (Ariz.) and a few of my brothers and sisters up here,” Nancy DeRosier said. “But as it went along, the stories got changed.”

What surprised me was to see the the Black Bear Blog was mentioned in the story as being the one place on the Internet looking for answers.

The author of the Black Bear Blog, part of the Maine Hunting Today Web site, asked readers in mid-November to identify the source of the photos. Bloggers guessed anywhere from Rushford, Minn., to Macon, Christian or Woodford counties of Illinois.

One poster was so sure it was none of those places, he wrote: “THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN ROLLINGSTONE MN. GOT AN E-MAIL FROM A CUSTOMER WHO LIVES NEAR WHERE THIS TOOK PLACE.”

It appears that the Internet, including the power of email, news, blogs, readers and the instant access to information, has created quite a stir that I’m sure the DeRosier family never would have dreamed would come out of getting stuck in a hole in the middle of a cornfield in smalltown USA.

As an end note to this story - I think it’s the end - I want to thank all the readers who took part in this interesting journey. I’m not exactly sure the DeRosiers would be so eager to thank you but it was enjoyable and it has expanded all our worlds just a bit more.

Tom Remington

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Yesterday I told you about J.R. Absher, the Newshound’s, story about the guy in Illinois that bagged a five-legged deer. Out of sheer courtesy, J.R. sent me over a couple of photos if I wanted to put them up for readers to see. Thanks J.R.

Tom Remington

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J.R. Absher, blogger for ESPN Outdoors and the News Hound, has the story about a first-time deer tagger finding an extra leg to stand on.

Tom Remington

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For the first time ever, hunters who don’t use up their deer permits during the regular gun and muzzleloader hunting season can use it during the late-winter antlerless deer hunt. Normally those interested in hunting during the late season would have to purchase another permit. Now they can use a permit that didn’t get filled in the regular season.

More details here.

Tom Remington

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