Hat Tip to the Newshound!

I pride myself in not calling people names and addressing issues with facts but I tell you, Chris Matthews, who must be related to screaming Howard Dean, is pushing me to start calling him names.

Rich Noyes, Newsbusters, shares with us Chris Matthews ignorant rant about Mike Huckabee going pheasant hunting in Iowa last week.

“Gunplay! Who made killing small animals the test of Republican manhood? Who created the small game hunters test for the presidency? Who declared war on Bugs Bunny?”

More ignorance!

“It used to be that candidates had to show they liked eating the local food — you know, the blintzes, the Coney Island hot dogs, the Philly cheese steaks. But nowadays they gotta like killing their supper!”

I want to remind readers this guy has a nationwide television show on the Communist News Network some call CNN. It gets worse.

“So do Republican voters really believe that using a big gun to kill small varmints really makes someone more qualified to be President of the United States? It all reminds me of Bugs Bunny and good old Elmer Fudd.”

So here sits a guy with a mouth that’s runs out of control, as he has proven here, who clearly shows that he is an elitist snob who’s probably never left the comfort of his New York office. And if that isn’t enough, let’s allow a fellow new reporter toss in some sexist comment as kind of icing on the cake.

Matthews to Andrea Mitchell: “Are you upset by this Andrea? You must be!”

Mitchell: “Absolutely. You don’t see any women out there with a gun.”

Is there a difference here between these comments by Chris Matthews and Andrea Mitchell and a comment made about some “nappy-headed hos”?

I’ll stop here before I have to resort to something drastic, like citing facts to support real issues.

Tom Remington

It seems everyday I learn of another bunch of unhappy deer hunters griping and complaining about them not getting the same “fair” opportunity as the next guy. Will it ever end? Nah! I don’t think it is something human nature can rise above, at least not on a regular basis.

Remember back to the days of Little League baseball? Having spent many of my earlier years coaching, organizing the local leagues and even a stint as county Little League baseball commissioner, dealing with the kids was a cake walk. The same could not be said for the parents. Sometimes I think the authorities at each state’s fish and game department wake up some mornings and think to themselves, “Ah, Geez! I got to go to work today and listen to another unhappy deer hunter who knows more about how to put all this information together and come up with a deer hunting season that keeps everyone happy – including the deer.”

Figuring out who gets to hunt, for how long, of which sex, by which instrument and dates to pull it all off is a monumental task. Never fear, the game commission has all the help they need.

Don’t get me wrong here. I’m a hunter too and I have offered up a suggestion or two of my own that I thought would make things better. The fish and game departments are far from perfect and in some cases I think they are completely corrupt in some aspects. We as hunters need to keep these people on their toes, after all they are working for us.

So when was the last time a group of hunters actually reached consensus on issues dealing with hunting? Many times satisfaction follows success rates. In other words if I hunt this year and bag a trophy buck, what have I got to complain about? On the same token if this is the fifth year in a row that I have not even seen a buck in the woods, don’t I have plenty to complain about?

But it goes beyond anything so simple. To begin with, for whatever the reasons, and there would be no consensus on this topic either, hunters as a whole have a pretty low opinion of their fish and game departments. In an article I was reading this morning in the Joplin Globe (Missouri) the writer revealed sentiments I have heard more than I care to.

It seems the Missouri Department of Conservation is considering “revamping” the deer hunting season. As part of the process, public meetings are going to take place. Here’s what the writer had to say about this process.

I have a suspicion that what changes will be made are already being planned and that the “public meetings” are being done to win support from hunters for their willingness to listen.

That’s a great attitude. Did this come as the result of past history when it comes to such events or is this just an angry dissatisfied deer hunter sharing frustrations?

Read also what the writer says about what he believes to be the priorities of his own fish and game department.

I have watched the Missouri Department of Conservation become a real bureaucracy over the years. I have seen a great deal of mis-spending and downright corruption, and a trend toward making as much money as possible and putting less and less of it back into true game and fish management.

One thing I know will come of this attempt to revamp the deer season. Nothing will be put in place which does not provide the possibility of the same or greater number of deer tags being sold, and more revenue for the department.

This guy isn’t alone in his thoughts about fish and game. I hear this same lament everyday from both hunters and non-hunters. They believe the only objective of fish and game is to make money – more than they need to manage game animals. I know of very few hunters who think our license fees are being spent wisely. (It’s that Little League parent mentality.)

It is a shame that so many hunters feel this way toward their fish and game departments. It certainly contributes to an atmosphere conducive to disagreement.

But the writer goes on to offer suggestions he thinks will make the deer hunting in Missouri better. I so doing, we begin to see another growing problem that in some states is festering to a point where we are near gang warfare over it – special interests.

We all have our preferred methods and means in which we take to the woods but is it getting a bit out of hand? It’s one thing to have differences in how we hunt, like still-hunting, driving, tree stand, ground blinds, using dogs, baiting, preserve hunting, quality deer management and the list goes on. We have all had discussions about these methods for decades and I don’t foresee it changing anytime soon. But now the battle lines are being drawn between groups and individuals out to get their way when it comes to the weapon of choice to hunt with.

Forgive me as I know I will miss some weapons but let’s take a look a minute. Once upon a time there was a deer hunting season where in reality you killed a deer during that time with whatever you could put together to accomplish such. Of course some of those weapons have been disqualified from the list of eligible weapons.

But then we needed to make things “fair” – there’s that four-letter word I so despise. So we set aside an archery season for those hunters because they needed undisturbed woods and deer that hadn’t been chased all over the countryside by rifle hunters. This, of course, increased their “opportunities” (another overused term). What’s good for the goose I guess is good for the gander and over time each weapon methodology began requesting special privileges once again to make things “fair” and increase “opportunities”.

Now we have in the archery class, longbows, compounds, crossbows, atlatl (a primitive weapon thrown by hand) and I’m sure I’ve missed one somewhere. Switching over to guns, we have rifles, shotguns and muzzleloaders and the battle rages on about the unending list of kinds of muzzleloaders that are all different and each seeking their own hunting seasons. In some states we now have handgun deer hunting season and of course with that we have primitive handgun seasons.

I think it is wonderful that so many hunters are finding ways in which they can enhance their deer hunting experience. Let’s face it. In some states hunters have taken up different methods or choice of weapons for deer hunting in order to be able to take more deer and that is fine providing that the increased harvesting of those deer isn’t putting the deer herd in jeopardy.

The problems we face come when these individual disciplines begin demanding special privileges at the expense of others or by taking “opportunities” away from others. As I said, I’m all for hunters expanding their horizons. I’m not for them taking away my “opportunities” in order to un”fair”ly increase theirs.

Even the words “special interest” these days carry a negative connotation, usually because the demands being made by special interests are only in consideration of themselves even if it is at the expense of others. When this happens, once again we have contributed to the atmosphere of disagreements.

One of the biggest outcries I hear these days comes within the ranks of muzzleloaders. Some are demanding that certain kinds of muzzleloaders be banned for use during so-called “muzzleloader” deer hunting seasons. After all, there are primitive flintlock weapons, the not so primitive black powder that utilizes a firing cap instead of flint, inline muzzleloaders, etc., etc.

Arguments abound over whether optics should be allowed on “primitive” weapons, including bows.

With increased technology driven by demand from hunters for new gimmicks and gadgets, the disagreements will continue. Along with each new invention will more than likely come the increased demand for more “opportunities”. But at what expense?

When you combine the attitudes of more hunters with more special interests with those that perceive the fish and game departments as only caring about how much money they can make, it all sounds like there’s not much hope for a promising future. I think that if we can find a way to enjoy our new-found hunting method without demanding more attention by taking it away from others, it would go a long way to increase better relations between hunters. With that, more energy and effort can be put toward better game management from our fish and game.

Tom Remington

LIMERICK, Maine – An 18-year-old Limerick man was arrested for aggravated assault at 6:20 p.m. today (Saturday, Dec. 29) in connection with a hit-and-run snowmobile-pedestrian accident that seriously injured a 42-year-old man on Friday night.

Patrick Rosa, 18, of Limerick met Maine Warden Service investigators for questioning at 6 p.m. and was arrested 20 minutes later. He was transported to the York County Jail.

The investigation is not ending with Rosa’s arrest, according to MWS Investigator Phillip Dumas.

“We believe that there are others involved and the investigation is continuing,” Dumas said.

The pedestrian, Darrin Smith, 42, of Limerick, was walking his dog on the Limerick Air Field airstrip, which is behind his residence, at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Friday when he was struck. No aid was administered to Mr. Smith after he was hit, Dumas said.

Mr. Smith received multiple fractures, including two severely broken legs and a broken arm. He is hospitalized at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

Smith’s seven-year-old daughter found her father in the snow. The Maine Warden Service was notified of the accident at 10 p.m.

Investigator Dugas said Rosa was driving a Ski-Doo Mach Z, a 1000cc machine, at an alleged high rate of speed.

“It’s a big machine,” Dugas said. “And powerful.”

Earlier on Friday, Mr. Smith had filed a complaint with the York County Sheriff’s Office because snowmobilers were using the airstrip – a piece of property that historically was available to snowmobilers but recently was posted as off limits to sledding. Investigator Dumas said it appears that Rosa was not one of the snowmobilers that Smith complained about earlier in the day.

The Maine Warden Service and its Criminal Investigation Unit are working with the York County District Attorney’s Office, the York County Sheriff’s Office and the Maine State Police to investigate the accident. The Limerick Fire Department was used as the investigation headquarters.

Anyone with information on the accident is asked to call the Maine State Police at 1-800-482-0730.

Posted by Tom Remington

AUGUSTA, Maine – The Maine Warden Service is asking the public for any information it may have regarding a hit-and-run snowmobile-pedestrian accident Friday night that seriously injured a 42-year-old Limerick man.

Darren Smith, of Limerick, born in 1965, was walking his dog at approximately 9:30 p.m. Friday behind his residence on the Limerick Air Field airstrip when he was struck. He suffered multiple injuries, including two broken legs and a broken arm, according to Sgt. Tim Spahr of the Maine Warden Service.

Mr. Smith was transported to Maine Medical Center in Portland.

Spahr said the wardens are seeking any information about the snowmobiler and why this may have happened. The current snowfall has covered the scene, and an extensive investigation is under way, he said.

“He took off,” Spahr said of the snowmobiler. “That’s all we know. It’s a hit and run.”

Anyone with information on the accident may call the Maine State Police at 1-800-482-0730.

Posted by Tom Remington

Hunting safety records in Maine have been kept since 1940. In 1986 mandatory hunter education classes took effect and since that time, Maine has experienced its safest hunting seasons.

The safest hunting season on record occurred in 1998 when there were only 3 reported injuries resulting from hunting activities. In 2003 and 2005, only 5 people were hurt. This year, so far with a few days left in the calendar year, there have been 11 reported injuries and no deaths.

The majority of injuries that occurred were the result of self-inflicted gunshot wounds. All but one were hunters as a person in a boat was injured when a bird shot pellet ricocheted off the water and struck him. No medical attention was required.

Over the past few years, Maine has sold on average around 210,000 resident and non-resident hunting licenses. This number has held relatively steady during this time.

The preliminary figures indicate around 29,400 deer were tagged this season, about what was expected. Final figures will be available at a later date.

Tom Remington

* Edited 12/28/2007, 12:51 P.M.

Animal rights groups, which have shown in past history to have very little interest in saving animals and more interest in trampling on the rights of individuals, sued the state of Pennsylvania in order to force the Pennsylvania Game Commission to implement its regulations on game hunting preserves – specifically the Tioga Hunting Preserve which provides opportunities to hunt boar.

The PGC claims it has no jurisdiction over the boars at Tioga as they are non-native but the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, in a 4-1 decision said, “wild boar are protected wild mammals that are subject to the commission’s regulations.”

The intent of Fund for Animals is to stop any and all forms of hunting. They will chip away at U.S. citizen’s rights until they have achieved their sought after goals – forcing their ideals on the general public.

In an earlier statement made by Jerry Feaser (*edit – Jerry Feaser is not a representative of Tioga Hunting Preserve but of PGC) of the Tioga Hunting Preserve, he said that the rights of a property owner allows him to decide who harvests his animals.

Let’s put it to you this way, for comparison. If I’m a farmer and I have some dairy cows, and I decide for some reason to allow some people to come in and shoot them, there’s nothing the Game Commission can do.

The Court’s ruling stated that the boar were “protected wild mammals”. I assume as far as protected, they are using this term to describe that the PGC would regulate or manage the animal as part of its game management programs? Wild pigs are far from a federally protected species. As a matter of fact, many states are trying to figure out how to get rid of their wild pigs.

Part of the argument seems to be that the boars that are present at the Tioga Hunting Preserve are imported Russian and European boars. The PGC has said that because of that, they cannot control the pigs there.

What is questionable is the double standard being used by the animal rights groups. When their argument fits the mold, they will argue against the mere existence of game preserves claiming that none of the animals inside the fences are “wild” and fight to stop the slaughter of what they called tame or domesticated animals. If the moment is right, such as seems to be the case here, they will argue that pigs are wild animals and therefore need to be under the jurisdiction of the PGC.

Included in that double standard is that of the use of the term hunting. In some cases, animal rightists will attempt to use to their advantage that shooting animals on a fenced-in preserve isn’t hunting. They will refer to it as inhumane slaughter. In this case, they clearly refer to the events taking place at Tioga as hunting and are demanding that the PGC have jurisdiction because of that. So which is it? We can’t have it both ways, or can we?

With this ruling, it becomes clear to me that the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has set precedence that shooting boars on game preserves is hunting and therefore needs to be regulated by the PGC. Will that stop the future arguments as to whether or not shooting game inside fences is hunting? Probably not but maybe some smart lawyer will use this ruling by the PSC in its fight to protect property rights.

But don’t get confused here. The goal of Fund for Animals and all the animal rights groups is to take away everyone’s opportunities to hunt. This is just one step in that direction.

Now that it appears the PGC has jurisdiction over Tioga’s boars and of course all other game preserves in Pennsylvania, it will be interesting to see how this actually changes things. You can bet that if this ruling doesn’t force the closure of Tioga and other preserves statewide, the animal rights groups will be back with more ridiculous lawsuits stripping away our rights as American citizens.

Weren’t cows wild mammals once also?

Tom Remington

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

Presidential candidates get raked over the coals no matter what they do and when they put on some hunting clothes, pick up a shotgun or a rifle and head afield, the cameras come out. What makes it even worse is that photos depicting the moment are hand picked in hopes to reveal whatever the person’s agenda might be.

Mike Huckabee, governor of Arkansas and republican presidential hopeful, went hunting in Iowa the day after Christmas. To the right is one photo taken of him during part of the trip. This one happens to contain a Reuters branding on it.

Take notice of his clothing and what appears to be inclement weather. When you put all the photos together, along with available videos – one of him actually shooting at a pheasant that was flushed by a real hunting dog – whether this was nothing more than a photo opportunity or not, I think it safe to say that Huckabee actually has hunted and didn’t make a complete fool of himself.

Moving about the Internet, we find all kinds of jabs being taken at Huckabee for a number of reasons. One in particular I read declared that one of Huckabee’s aides hid in the bushes and released tame pheasants on cue. I don’t see too many bushes behind the governor in this shot. Another referred to the hunt as a “Elmer Fudd” moment.

In a video played across most major television networks, Huckabee is seen actually taking a shot at a pheasant that flushes to his left. In that video, the hunting dog actually seems to be doing his job and once the pheasant is down, the dog heads out to retrieve it.

It is one thing to take up arms and head outside so that those members of the press so invited could take photos and have them approved by the campaign manager and yet another to actually plan a hunt, even if it is the lousiest of weather, and stalk game, in this case pheasant.

Nearly every political candidate has at some point during a campaign posed for cameras and come away looking really stupid. In this case, I don’t think Mike Huckabee has come away looking dumb at all. Most would have canceled the event due to the cold and blustery weather conditions. He pulled it off and didn’t embarrass himself by revealing his ineptness with a shotgun and actually showed us he can hunt, at least to some degree.

We are reminded of previous attempts at showing Americans that a candidate is a hunter as the photo to the left shows us how ridiculous a candidate can really come across when attempting to pose at hunting when EVERYTHING is wrong.

Kerry further went on to exclaim to anyone willing to listen that he had crawled on his belly through a lot of mud and poor conditions to sneak up on deer. Yeah, right!

One could say that the lesson here to politicians would be to avoid photo opportunities that involve such things that you are totally a moron over and stick to stuff you know. But, the candidates will continue with this foolishness because they know there are thousands of people as dumb or dumber than they are that will lap this stuff up.

People believe what they want to believe and see what they want to see.

Who’s next?

Tom Remington

Over 60,000 deer hunters took to the woods in New Hampshire this fall spending over $80 million dollars in pursuit of the illusive whitetail deer. Officials say because of recent mild winters resulting in more deer and late season snows, 13,416 deer were taken. That compares to 11,766 last year and is projected to be the highest harvest since 1967 when hunters took 14,204.

The harvest rate falls well within goals established by the state’s deer management plans according to Kent Gustafson, Deer Project Leader at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.

Follow this link to the New Hampshire Fish and Game website for more statistics on harvest numbers by county.

Tom Remington

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