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    New Deer ‘Shining’ Law in Effect in Minnesota

    Published in the Duluth News Tribune
    September 1, 2009

    A new “shining” law has gone into effect in Minnesota, aimed at reducing poaching opportunities and minimizing the disturbance of rural residents.

    Deer shining is “freezing” deer in bright lights to temporarily immobilize them. Recreational shining is legal at times for viewing wildlife. However, previous statutes made it too easy for people to poach wildlife while posing as recreational shiners, according to Department of Natural Resources officials.

    The DNR met with stakeholder groups to determine how to curb abuse.

    “Their collective opinion is that deer shining is a statewide problem,” Capt. Rod Smith, a DNR regional enforcement manager, said. “It’s also one of the most common complaints to law enforcement officers.”

    Practice Life-Sized

    by Moultrie Feeders

    -By Brandon Wikman

    Summer is a time when hunters hone their archery skills and try to outdo their shooting performance from last year. It is an ideal time to tweak, tick, and twiddle with new gear or accessories. The summer drags most archers into their front yard or local shooting range to plunk away on bag, block, or 3D targets. I’ve learned that it is crucial to your practice regimen that you invest efforts into piercing arrows in the correct target at the correct time.

    Whitetail Vocabulary Lesson

    by Moultrie Feeders

    -By Brandon Wikman

    Whitetail deer have a wide assortment of both verbal and nonverbal means of communication. They’re language and lingo has been carefully studied by animal biologists since the early years of the late 1800’s. Deer have a very unique style of engaging in conversation. Many of us have already heard of the basic converse from deer to deer. A whitetail’s vocabulary ranges from bleats, grunt, bellows, and bawls. The list below details the most popular whitetail dialect. You will generate a fresh idea of deer verbalization and a typical time frame of season they communicate.

    seven tips for deer hunting public land

    I guess this should have been written ealier in the year seeing how many States deer hunting season’s are already under way.

    But better late than never!

    I receive quite a bit of email about Deer hunting on public land. Having just came back from a Controlled Hunt on Public Land myself, here are some tips for you that are heading out to hunt Public Land Deer.

    1. Get a map. Preferably a topo map and an aireal photo of the area where you’ll be hunting. You can find good topo maps on the Internet at several areas or contact the USGS for an index. A good map will show you many things. Some of the things you’ll be wanting to look for are: where are other hunters parking, areas that will funnel deer into a tight area such as saddles in ridges, potential feeding and beddeing areas, waterways, old roads, etc.

    buck rubs – the rundown on deer rubs

    With the deer hunting season fast approaching in many areas of the country, many deer hunters are looking for buck sign in their favorite patch of woods. Rubs happen to be one sure sign that a buck has been in the area. Doe deer don’t make rubs.

    Over the years it seems that rubs are one piece of buck sign that most deer hunters mis diagnose when scouting. I’m not sure why, perhaps they haven’t taken the time to really educate their self on the different types of rubs. I’ve even heard old Grizzled deer hunters call deer scraps “rubs” and deer rubs “scrapes”.

    I hope to shed some light on the different types of buck rubs and the timeline you’ll likely see these rubs.

    duck calling

    When most people hear about duck calling, they tend to think that it is literally calling the ducks. This is not the case. It basically means using an appliance specifically built to draw the ducks to the direction it is coming from. It may not sound challenging but the interesting thing is that there are hunters who have never fathomed the art of how to use it.

    The duck calling resonance should be audible and obvious; this is the only way you can be sure that they will be drawn to you the hunter. With all the different noises that a hunter should learn, the most important is the most basic called the quack. The hunter should know when to use each noise if they to catch as many ducks as possible.

    breakin’ out the guns!

    -By Brandon Wikman

    Gun SeasonThe state of Wisconsin is only a mere three days away from turning completely blaze orange. Thousands of diehard deer hunters from across the nation make their way north to participate in the annual nine-day deer firearm season. A time when families gather, jokes are passed and the sweet smell of chili lingers in the kitchen.

    study links lead in blood to wild game consumption

    From the Duluth News Tribune
    published Nov. 6, 2008

    BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakotans who ate wild game killed with lead bullets appeared to have higher lead levels than those who ate little or no wild game, according to a study released Wednesday by the North Dakota Department of Health.

    The study examined the lead levels in the blood of more than 700 state residents. The elevated lead levels were not considered dangerous, but North Dakota officials say pregnant women and children younger than 6 should avoid eating venison killed using lead bullets. Those groups are considered most at risk from lead poisoning, which can cause learning problems and convulsions, and in severe cases can lead to brain damage and death.

    new rules give more youths a shot at hunting

    From the Duluth News Tribune
    published Nov. 2, 2008

    Alex Spencer may get the chance to shoot at a whitetail buck sometime during Minnesota’s firearms deer season, which opens Saturday. Alex is 10 years old.

    Under a change made by the Minnesota Legislature this past spring, hunters ages 10 and 11 are permitted to hunt big game this fall before taking firearms safety classes, although they must be under direct supervision and within immediate reach of a parent or guardian.

    Alex, who lives in Rice Lake Township, already has hunted deer once. During this fall’s early antlerless firearms season Oct. 11 and 12 in areas north of Duluth, he sat beside his dad, Darrell Spencer, in a double tree-stand or in a ground blind. Alex had a chance to shoot at a doe but passed it up because he didn’t have a clear enough shot, Darrell said.

    field reports

    From the Duluth News Tribune
    published Nov. 2, 2008

    About half of Minnesota moose hunters successful

    Minnesota’s moose hunters took 111 bull moose in this fall’s Northeastern Minnesota moose season, which ran Oct. 4 to 19.

    Tags were issued to 237 parties hunting in 30 zones. Hunting success was 47 percent. Last year, moose hunters took 115 moose for a 50 percent success rate. For the second year, the hunt was for bulls only.

    Several thousand parties apply for Minnesota moose licenses each year. Since 1991, the hunt has been a once-in-a-lifetime hunt. This year, 2,706 parties applied for moose hunting permits. Minnesota’s moose population is estimated at 7,600.

    Corn coming out slowly