Who’s got information on this deer picture? I can’t find anything on Snopes but I didn’t spend a lot of time looking around. Of course we all know there are such things as black deer, I believe they are called melanistic. The email I got with this photo in it says it was in Michigan.

I remember a year or so ago, a good-sized black buck was taken in Pennsylvania.

Tom Remington

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*Update* - March 13, 2008 8:21 a.m.

It seems that since I was sent the photos, these weren’t taken on Lake Huron. Snopes has more on the real story behind this and a lot more photographs too. Check it out here.

I received these photos and a brief explanation yesterday from a reader in Michigan. I found the photos to be remarkable and thought I would take a few minutes to share with you.

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Gee, this global warming thing is really something……

Michigan has had the coldest winter in decades. Water expands to freeze, and at MacinawCity the water in Lake Huron below the surface ice was supercooled. It expanded to break through the surface ice and froze into this incredible wave.

Tom Remington

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Maybe most of you have already heard about the absolutely brilliant poacher in Michigan who killed a 24-point buck while hunting without a license. The next day he decided to go buy a license.

Phillip at the Hog Blog does the best job of covering the story and awarding the dumb poacher his first annual…….well, you go see what the award is.

Tom Remington

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The Wisconsin Conservation Congress seems to be testing the waters a bit by seeking input from residents on the prospects of offering a wolf hunt, partly in efforts to slow down the growth of the animal and keep human encounters and livestock damages to a minimum. Nothing being proposed is binding.

Last year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the wolf fully recovered in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan and removed the wolf there from the list of endangered animals. None of the states currently offer wolf hunts and they still protect them through state mandates.

Grumblings are occurring in areas where wolves are creating problems and in some cases wolves are plentiful enough that people are being impacted to a point they don’t want to go outside out of fear. People want to see something more done to manage wolves and reduce numbers.

But the wolf lovers will have none of that and continue their selfish ways of wanting more rights and privileges for the wolf than the people. Even after the feds removed the wolf from the list, wolf advocate groups and animal rights groups filed suit to get the wolf put back on the endangered list.

A pending lawsuit filed last year by four animal advocacy groups demands that the Fish and Wildlife Service place wolves in Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota back on the endangered species list. Groups involved included the Humane Society of the United States, Help Our Wolves Live, the Animal Protection Institute, now known as Born Free USA, and Friends of Animals and Their Environment.

The highest concentrations of wolves are in the northern part of the state and thusly so are the most problems. One Eagle River resident and grouse hunter put it best when he said:

“There’s a lot of people who love the wolves,” he said, “but they don’t live up here.”

Tom Remington

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Yesterday, I attempted my first ever live broadcast of Open Air With Tom Remington. I didn’t think it was going to happen for most of the morning as it seemed I was having one technical failure after another but I finally pulled it off……as it was.

The show is a bit different than other shows in that there are no breaks for commercials or station IDs during the one-hour plus broadcast. I talked with John Stabley, V.P. of Global Operations for Skinny Moose Media, who is attending the Archery Trade Associations trade show in Indianapolis now through Saturday. He gives us an update on the show and how things are going for him.

Other highlights of the show include discussion of some of the continued budget problems at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and an introduction to Bill Moore’s radio broadcast on a local Upper Peninsula sports radio station.

I also spend some time discussing the economic impact hunting, fishing and recreation has on this country with its millions of participants, yet never any mention of these topics with presidential candidates.

Plus a couple of surprises.

Below is the audio player where you can click and stream audio right now as you read more of the Black Bear Blog or just browsing about the Internet. And for those of you who may not have the time now, visit the Open Air download page and find every show that has been done. You can stream audio of each show now or download it to your media player and listen at your leisure.

Tom Remington

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In what many would deem justice or where I grew up it’s called “cumuppins”, a man attempting to steal hunting knives from a Michigan store falls down and stabs himself. Isn’t that sweet justice?

Well, perhaps not. According to reports, here’s how it went down.

The man had put about $300 worth of hunting knives in his waistband, police told WZZM-TV. Police say he tried to leave the store, but Meijer employees confronted him and a scuffle followed.

The man then fell and was stabbed by the knives he had hidden in his clothing, police said

I’m not sure what Meijer Inc.’s policy is for its employees in confronting such activity but when I worked for a major store chain, what they did was considered a huge no-no. In a previous case of store employees attempting to confront a man who they suspected also stole a knife, the person ran from the store believing he was being chased, tripped and stabbed himself. He sued the store and won damages.

It’s a crazy world we live in and maybe this guy is just plain too stupid to lawyer up and reap the rewards.

Tom Remington

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Bah! Humbug! Paint me as a scrooge if you want to. I don’t really care. What’s troubling is that the media, which should be looking for the truth behind Michigan’s budget woes, are now casting the lawmakers as heroes because the year ended with a budget surplus of some $350 million dollars. So why isn’t that good?

Let’s backtrack for a moment. Michigan was in turmoil. The democrats and republicans couldn’t agree on how they were going to handle a projected budget deficit. It wasn’t until a couple of republicans jumped ship and joined the democrats that a deal was reached to raise taxes. We must remember that this tax increase of around $1.35 billion was for the 2007-2008 fiscal year.

The Michigan government was actually shut down for a time but in the end, large budget shortfalls where predicted and even after agreeing to raise taxes by $1.35 billion for next year, some lawmakers were still crying that Michigan was going to see as much as a $34 million or more shortfall.

Instead of having parades to honor the inept Michigan legislature, why aren’t the taxpayers seeking answers and truth? Is it so difficult to carry out a budget? Is it so hard to project revenue? Isn’t a budget complete with expenditures with each having a limit? What is the truth behind all this?

Maybe it’s just total ineptness or perhaps it’s blatant ignorance. Could be it is just slimy politics at its usual best at the expense of the taxpayer. But what if there was more to this than is being talked about? What if it involved intended deception in order to bolster the coffers for pet projects? Isn’t this done everyday in politics? Is that what’s happening here?

If you will recall back just before Christmas, a miracle at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources happened. What was expected to be a near $11 million shortfall, ended up being a $10 million surplus. The head of the MDNR, Rebecca Humphries, gave the following reasons for the windfall.

……an unexpected increase in license sales, operational savings and higher-than-expected returns on investments.

If you will also recall, the DNR was asking for exorbitant increases in hunting, fishing and trapping licenses in order to fill in the hole of a projected large deficit of $11 million dollars. The Michigan United Conservation Clubs went out on a limb they said to support the license fee increases because they didn’t want to see conservation programs cut.

The DNR asked for money from the general fund to pick up the slack. This was all happening at the same time the state was wrangling over the general budget.

Is there any truth to the excuses Humphries gave for the unexpected surplus. As I pointed out in a previous article the state had already reported that there were no extra hunting licenses sold for this year, so I guess we can toss that one out the window. We have no idea on how the department saved money through operational savings and returns on investments. Why should we believe any of the reasons if we know one reason given was a bunch of bull?

Getting back to the general state budget, where did this money come from?

Greg Bird, spokesperson, speaker of the house: “We had a feeling there might be a bit of a surplus, but I think the amount was quite a surprise, it’s good news.”

And there are several reasons for that surprising amount. State officials say the surplus is a result of higher tax revenues than originally projected and spending restraints on state departments and a lower than expected number of caseloads for the Department of Community Health and the Department of human Services.

I wonder if the “feeling” coming from the speaker of the house’s office was also a feeling that the head of the DNR had about their budget?

It is difficult sometimes to predict revenues from taxes because often times that revenue is greatly affected by the economy in general. A theory often used by republicans in seeking tax cuts is they feel a tax cut will put more spending money back into the economy which in turn will result in more taxes paid back the state. Is Michigan’s economy that robust? I thought the auto industry was on the verge of total collapse.

But someone please tell me what “restraints” on spending means?

Public opinion of the Michigan legislature scraped the bottom of the barrel only months ago and now our media wants to lift them up to be heroes. What is going on here?

So where does Michigan go from here? Isn’t it clear? The democrats got their money and now they a salivating over it making plans on how to spend it. When is the last time you saw “extra” tax money returned to the people who paid it? There’s absolutely no talk of doing anything with the surplus money other than spending it.

Michigan Radio News reports:

Budget officials and state legislative leaders will decide how the extra money will be used.

WLNS TV reports:

And with that leftover money, it’s up to lawmakers to determine how to spend it. It’s a decision yet to come. State lawmakers say they’ll have a better idea of how the surplus will be used after a special conference planned for next week.

WOOD TV also reports on how the state will spend the money.

Budget officials and state legislative leaders will decide how the extra money will be used. The Senate Fiscal Agency has predicted a deficit of $34 million for the state general fund next fiscal year, while others have warned of a larger shortfall, the Detroit Free Press reported Thursday.

We now have the legislators in Michigan looking at $350 million and how they are going to spend it. Was this the plan? The Grand Haven Tribune carried an article on Wednesday about the goals of House Speaker Andy Dillon having been put on hold during this budget crisis. Now with a surplus of money, that appears to have fallen out of the sky, will Dillon be clamoring for a share of that money to carry out his own goals?

In the meantime, the DNR has troubles of their own. We don’t know how much of the budget woes within the DNR are directly related to those of the general budget but we can only surmise. Is it as difficult for the MDNR to plan a budget as it is the Michigan legislature? Evidently it is or there’s wheelings and dealings behind closed doors. But there are angry sportsmen that are demanding answers and rightly they should be.

For years the budgets of the fish and game have been carried on the shoulders of the license-paying sportsmen. When budgets appear to be coming up short, it is always the sportsmen being asked to pick up the slack. Michigan hunters, fishermen and trappers were asked last year to at least double what they had to pay for a license. Some where adamant against such a move, while other said they would pay the price if it meant protecting the wild game and other wildlife and conservation programs run by the state.

This commitment by some sportsmen came from an understanding of honesty and openness between themselves and DNR. There was a certain amount of trust that the sportsmen had that DNR wouldn’t steer them wrong. As shaky as the relationships often are between sportsmen and fish and game departments, this came as a sucker punch hitting below the belt.

There are far too many questions that need to be answered. Sportsmen are feeling used and abused. It sounds like not only should Michigan be looking for new leadership within the DNR but also in the state legislature. Voters can make a change in November when they return to the polls.

In the meantime, there still needs to be some serious discussion. Rumors are flying about that both of these surpluses were known about before hand. The question becomes when was it known and by whom?

I have a feeling we haven’t heard the end of this saga. There are individuals and groups within the hunting and fishing ranks that are demanding answers. They need all of our support, for as license-paying sportsmen, we cannot sit idly by while government departments irresponsibly spend our money. This has gone on far too long.

Get involved. You’ll be glad you did.

Tom Remington

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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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Below is a video you probably ought to watch. Buck LeVasseur talks with two prominent sportsmen from Michigan about what’s going on with the “smoke and mirrors” funding taking place within the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

You can get caught up here by finding out how the MDNR went from a projected shortfall in its budget of $10 million to a surplus of $10 million dollars.

Then come back here and watch this video and listen as Dale McNamee of the Upper Peninsula Sportsmans Alliance and Roy Mattson of the Delta Conservation District tell what they know is going on within the department. It’s sure to make your blood boil.

Tom Remington

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Art Summer at Simply Outdoors sent me an email yesterday asking me if I had been following the story in Michigan about budget shortfalls with the Department of Natural Resources. I admitted I had been remiss in not more closely following up on previous stories I had written about their woes. As a matter of fact, back in July I was contacted by the Cadillac News and asked if I would be interested in presenting what I would consider negative effects of sharply raising license fees.

Art included in his email a link to the article he had written about how the DNR, who begged the Michigan Legislature for money because of a projected budget shortfall of a few million dollars, was now somehow rolling in the dough! In short, the DNR was expecting a deficit of $10.8 million and instead wound up with cash on hand of $10 million. How can that be?

The Michigan United Conservation Clubs, in an article presented at their website, was of course upset as they had actively promoted the need for license fee increases in order to keep the DNR running at a level they believed to be necessary for good conservation.

Michigan United Conservation Clubs took a stand for the DNR and the outdoors we all love so dearly. We encouraged our members to support a license fee increase despite the fact that it wasn’t always a popular position. In fact, at times it was a downright unpopular position and certainly created some ill will.

MUCC, along with our dedicated coalition partners, took this position because we felt it was the right thing to do and, according to the information that we were provided by the DNR, was the only viable option to prevent devastating cuts in DNR staff and programs – cuts that would directly impact hunters, anglers and those that love the outdoors.

The facts are now clear that the entire picture wasn’t being presented.

Although upset about the turn of events, MUCC’s approach in how to deal with this solution is admirable but I’m not sure completely in everyone’s best interest. On one hand they have decided to have an independent audit find out what went wrong. On the other hand they don’t want to point any fingers.

In situations such as this, anyone would be compelled to point the finger and lay blame. But that’s simply not productive and it’s not how MUCC – or any credible leader or organization — operates. Instead, we must learn from this experience and apply those lessons in the future.

Well, you’ll have to put me into that category as being a leader lacking credibility because I think there first has to be some serious finger pointing and accountablity. These are no small potatoes! Someone made a $21 million booboo and now few people can put much trust in the MDNR when it comes to future budget requests. MUCC is quite responsible and sensible in requesting an audit but audits will do little if it is shown that those responsible cannot do their job. Perhaps the audit will show the problem and that problem can be remedied.

In an article published at MLive by the Associated Press, the director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Rebecca Humphries, gave reasons why she all of a sudden had nearly $21 million more than she expected.

DNR Director Rebecca Humphries told lawmakers this week that the Game and Fish Fund will have a $10 million fund balance because of an unexpected increase in license sales, operational savings and higher-than-expected returns on investments.

Perhaps the first excuse will bear out that we probably can’t believe the second two excuses. She claims there was an “unexpected” increase in license sales. Oh, really? If there was, it must have come all from fishing licenses but at $13.00 a pop Michigan would have had to sell a lot of licenses to begin to put a dent in $20 million. I would sooner think that any organization that couldn’t project a $21 million surplus surely has no clue as to why.

Just late last week, Eric Sharp, outdoor writer for the Detroit Free Press, talked with Rod Clute, big game specialist for the MDNR. His concerns were that deer hunters hadn’t taken enough deer because it appear fewer hunters were out in the woods. But Clute in this article claims there were no more deer hunting licenses sold than the previous year.

“It’s a real puzzle,” Clute said. “We don’t know why the hunters weren’t out there, but the reports we’re getting are all about the same — fewer people in the field. What really makes it so strange is that we sold just as many licenses as last year. Did a lot of people buy licenses and just not use them?”

So if we can’t wholly believe that an “unexpected” surge in license sales contributed to this “windfall” then how can we believe that $20 million was saved by operational cuts and returns on investments? What investments? Show me the money!

This now becomes a huge trust issue. Sportsmen contribute millions of dollars through license fees and they expect better than this. We are always the ones being asked to pay more in fees. Most sportsmen are willing to pay the money provided they can account for where the money is going. Isn’t that just smart? A certain amount of that trust is now in shambles and the MDNR needs to begin repairing that.

Hopefully, MUCC’s efforts in conducting an audit will begin to mend the bridge. If the MDNR intends to find funds to carry on its programs, this is going to be impossible if they don’t have the trust of those who pay the license fees. If returning that trust means that a new director is needed, then so be it. If nothing else, sportsmen across Michigan should be very angry and disappointed and they should let their representatives know just how they feel. This is your investment and it needs protecting. Don’t depend on government to look out for it.

Tom Remington

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If you’ve recently moved to a new area then an online dating site may be useful to you, such as one with Michigan singles that you could get in contact with. Not everyone wants to start off dating through the web, but many people have found that an online dating service can help you meet new people.

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During the deer hunting seasons nationwide, it is normal to hear of states struggling to get harvest numbers where they want to due mainly to bad weather. But Michigan is scratching their heads at the moment trying to figure out where all the deer hunters went.

There are no official reports out yet but the Michigan DNR is saying that Michigan sold about the same number of hunting licenses as in the past. They also are reporting that deer harvest rates were up by about 6% in the Upper Peninsula, down 6% in the upper lower peninsula and down 7% in the lower lower peninsula.

Other unofficial reports statewide seems to indicate that hunter participation was low everywhere. A couple weeks ago, Eric Sharp, outdoor writer for the Detroit Free Press, asked where all the hunters were. DNR officials are perplexed and don’t seem to have any rational explanation for that.

Meanwhile, over in Iowa, the Department of Natural Resources is considering an emergency statewide deer hunt because harvest numbers have been so low. To this point in the season, hunters have taken 34,000 fewer deer than was projected. If the commission approves the emergency hunt, it will be statewide and any hunters with unfilled tags will be able to fill them with antlerless deer only.

Iowa officials blame poor weather for the lousy success rate.

Tom Remington

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A Michigan man, Richard Buckner, who supposedly mistook a 1,400-pound pregnant cow for a coyote, has been charged with a misdemeanor and that’s all. Get this! This guy says he thought he was shooting at a coyote. Okay, so the guy screws up, not that there is any excuse for not identifying your target, and kills a woman’s cow and unborn calf. They are trying to determine value, I assume so Buckner can pay restitution.

End of story right? Not quite. Some may think this guy was an idiot to mistake a cow for a coyote and I would agree. But now you have to ask who’s the bigger idiot? The guy who shot the cow or the people who can’t see this guys got a problem?

According to the Traverse City Record-Eagle, the woman who owned the cow said it’s time to accept what happened and move on.

“I certainly thought there would have been additional charges … but that is up to the prosecutor to decide what’s most offensive and what’s most appropriate,” Mosher said. “We don’t hold any grudges against (Buckner). We live in a small community and I guess we just have to accept some of the things that happen in a small community and move on.”

Has anyone thought that maybe Buckner has a few loose screws? Look, people. This guy didn’t just screw up and mistake a cow for a coyote. Read what this same article says about what actually happened.

The cream-and-white cow had wandered away from a neighboring farm when Buckner allegedly fired on the animal, but the cow didn’t die with the initial shot.

Buckner allegedly shot the animal twice more and chained it to his vehicle.

Mosher’s father witnessed Buckner dragging the cow behind his truck and alerted authorities.

This guy must have been so surprised when he found out he had shot a cow instead of a coyote, that he finished the cow off with two more shots, chained it to his truck and headed for home. I wonder if he gutted it out? Is this the actions of a person who screwed up and didn’t identify the target? For God’s sake! It wasn’t even coyote hunting season!

Then the sheriff says this.

“I think they probably should have looked at a (Department of Natural Resources) charge, also. This guy wasn’t being a responsible hunter,” Heckman said.

This guy is no hunter. He wasn’t hunting. He was out to kill something and shouldn’t be looked at as a hunter. Can’t anybody see this guy is probably a danger to others?

The county prosecutor says the charge is sufficient.

“I am not in the habit of justifying my decisions to the newspaper when the police want additional charges,” he said. “The charge is enough to address the situation.”

Wow! I just hope next month we don’t hear about this guy shooting a person thinking it was groundhog.

Tom Remington

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That seems to be what Eric Sharp, outdoor writer for the Detroit Free Press, is trying to find out. In Michigan reports are that there are a lot of deer and hunters had great success. The question being asked is, where are all the hunters?

Tom Remington

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Stupidity reigns!! Here’s a very difficult test for readers. Take your time. There is no need to rush your answer as doing so could result in a wrong answer and well, similar troubles for one dumb “hunter”. NO CHEATING!! This is serious stuff here.

Below are two pictures. One is a cow and one is a coyote. Pick the one you think is a coyote.

It seems there was a man in Michigan who claims he went out to shoot coyotes, which is illegal to do during deer season in Michigan, and mistook a coyote for a 1,400-pound pregnant cow. That in itself is unbelievable but the moron then tried to drag the cow home.

Tom Remington

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It is estimated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources that 735,000 deer hunting licenses will be sold resulting in the harvesting of approximately 450,000 deer. During the deer season the state will reap the rewards of an estimated $500 million that will be spent by hunters looking to bag a deer.

The southern and central parts of the state have more deer and in some cases too many and DNR officials are encouraging hunters to take more female deer this year in specified areas in an effort to cut down on numbers. Participation is also being requested for hunters to bring their deer to check stations where biologists will collect valuable information used to create better methods of managing the herd.

Read more about this at MLive.

Tom Remington

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