This Bowhunter Scouts for Hunters

My good bowhunting friend, Bob DeLaney, has initiated a creative way to reach and teach youngsters about the values of hunting. Bob's hunting roots and love of the outdoors came to him through Boy Scouts. In fact, Bob believes that scouting played a major developmental role in his career as well as his love for hunting.

Bob's den is similar to many hunters' dens. On the walls hand animal mounts that hold memories from many quality hunts.

"Dave, scouting and bowhunting are so important to me, and since many youngsters today don't get the hunting exposure, I decided to invite local Cub Scouts to visit my wildlife room." (Note: Bob chooses to call this room a "wildlife" room, rather than a "trophy" room because he feels the word "trophy" is not understood by today's society. Good point.)

Two afternoons a week, Bob invites Cub Scout troop leaders to bring 10 or so Scouts to the wildlife room where they learn about bows, arrows, deer, bison, gemsbok, warthogs, caribou, and moose. They also learn about the negatives to wildlife when hunting is stopped; they get a lesson in hunting ethics; they learn biology; they discuss wildlife management problems in Africa; and they handle bows. They even learn about license monies, and how Pittman-Robertson excise taxes are used to manage all wildlife. The Cub Scouts come away knowing that hunting involves honesty, integrity, patience, a love of nature, and conservation. After a visit, one Scout commented, "This is like the natural history museum, except the animals are better, and you can even touch them."

Bob has hit upon an idea that really reaches the hearts of these Scouts. Our hunts are adventures, so why not consider using your wildlife room to educate and excite young minds? You might even create a few young hunters. The Scout leaders in Connecticut have thanked Bob for his efforts by creating an excellent website that provides the basic information needed. Visit www.mrdarcher.homestead.com.

CWD Impacts Wisconsin Hunting

A recent study shows that 19 percent of Wisconsin hunters living in counties with CWD skipped the 2002 gun season. The dropout rate in non-CWD counties was 12 percent for 2002. In most years, about 10 percent of hunters from the previous year do not hunt, so in CWD counties the dropout rate was 9 percent above normal. Was it because of CWD? Surveys show that 32 percent of those dropouts gave CWD as the reason. Other reasons included old age, scheduling conflicts, and lack of hunting companions. CWD had little impact on venison consumption. Sixty-four percent of the hunters from CWD counties were not concerned about eating venison even if the meat was not tested. If the meat was tested and found negative only 11 percent of hunters were concerned. It seems that things are getting back to normal.

Meanwhile, the new ban on baiting is becoming a politically hot topic. The proposed ban did not get overwhelming support from hunters (52 percent supported the ban) in the northern part of the state where CWD has not been found, while 64 percent supported the ban in southern Wisconsin. As of this writing, it appears that the legislature will go against the DNR's wishes to ban baiting statewide and allow some compromise. Not surprising is the fact that the Wisconsin DNR has lost some credibility with its constituency because of CWD. On a scale of 1 to 4, hunters gave the wildlife agency a 2.5 (B/C) for the handling of the CWD problem.

On a related note, the National Shooting Sports Foundation recently reported that 31.8 percent of 69 deer sampled in a Colorado urban community where feeding is common had CWD. This has led some people to suggest that baiting has caused this high prevalence, but there is no solid proof of this.

Is a Lynx a Lynx?

The lynx was recently declared a threatened species, and environmental groups have pushed for its reintroduction into its former native range. A few states, including Colorado and Minnesota, have lynx reintroduction programs, but these have led to court battles and controversy.

Now comes information that further clouds the debate. Nineteen lynx from Minnesota were DNA tested, and three were found to be lynx/bobcat hybrids. So, are lynx that may not really be lynx being introduced into historic lynx range? Nobody seems to know for sure. It's doubtful that these hybrids are half-and-half lynx/bobcat. And there is the possibility that these hybrids will not successfully breed. Besides, lynx may have had such mixed DNA for thousands of years. Thus, at this time nobody can say just what this all means, except that the presence of hybrids implies that the animals being reintroduced may not be 100 percent lynx. Looks like another issue for lawyers to sort out.

Washington Governor Seems Confused

Now, let's see if we have this right. The citizens of Washington have been upset with antitrapping Initiative 713, which was passed in 2000. Urban citizens want to use traps to control moles in their yards and gardens. Rural ranchers and farmers want to kill coyotes to protect calves and lambs -– without going through the paperwork and hassles imposed by Initiative 713.

Thus, the state legislature agreed to help and passed a bill (by a wide majority) that basically repealed Initiative 713. Then, Governor Gary Locke vetoed that bill and followed up with a letter to the game commission stating that the wildlife agency should "place its limited enforcement resources into higher priorities than against homeowners, businesses, and the timber industry that trap for moles, gophers, and mountain beavers." In other words, don't enforce the law. He also indicated he would support allowing farmers to trap coyotes during calving and lambing season.

Okay, we have it now: An antitrapping initiative causes major problems for a lot of citizens, but it appeals to people opposed to trapping and to out-of-state humane groups. The legislature solves the problem by reversing Initiative 713. But the Governor vetoes the reversal to appease animal rightists. Then he decides to appear to also support farmers and mole-haters by asking the wildlife agency to ignore Initiative 713 so that the upset citizens can protect their yards, plants, and livestock. Of course the agency can't ignore a law, but in walking the fence, the Governor looks good to both sides. I think it's called "bio-politics."

Georgia Reports Crossbow Results

In 2002, Georgia legalized the use of crossbows during archery season. Did this change impact bowhunters and deer harvest? The number of hunters in the "archery" season was 97,392, up 0.7 percent from 2001. Deer harvest was 37,800, down 15.2 percent from 2001. The number of hunters using crossbows was 17,332 and their harvest was 4,429, 11.7 percent of the total archery-season harvest. Since these data are only based on only one season, no conclusions can be reached, but it will be interesting to see what happens in coming years.