I came across an article today in the Colorado Springs Gazette online about wolves, wolf puppies, the current plan to remove protection of the wolf from the Endangered Species Act list and efforts to exploit the wolf cubs to stop the delisting.

In the article, the writer visits with a caretaker of a local wolf rehab center. The caretaker described the upcoming decision to delist wolves as creating a “blood bath”. She also said she planned to use two 5 1/2-week old wolf cubs to warm the hearts of people and hope to gain influence to incite people to call Interior Sec. Salazar and tell him to stop the blood bath.

Of course everyone loves a cute cuddly little puppy. Check out this feller preparing himself for bigger things in life.

I got thinking that even though I would be kidding myself if I didn’t think that wolf cub was the cutest darned thing, so is a new born elk calf like this one.

Unfortunately for those interested in seeking the truth, we know that both of these guys grow up……well, not exactly. You see if the little elk guy happens to get born in an area that has too many wolves, his odds of surviving aren’t too good. The chances are real big he’ll get eaten up by one of that cute little wolf cub’s parents.

As a matter of reality, the odds are just as good that the wolf cub’s parents won’t wait long enough for the elk calf to see one day of life in the wild. Wolves like to eat elk calves hot right out of the oven……before they are born.

I don’t want to snatch away anyone’s delight in that wolf cubs are cute and cuddly but so are elk, deer and moose calves. They are the cunningest things. This is real and it is genuine to present the complete picture than only a small part of it.

Tom Remington

Are you following what’s going on with the swine flu? The Swine Flu Report will help you stay up to date. Is this flu real? Is it man-made? Is it being over hyped or under hyped? This site brings you the reports, then you decide.

Go to Swine Flu Report and read or better yet, become a contributor from your state or area.

Tom Remington

Milt Inman Photo

Milt Inman

Many of us cannot understand why Rush Limbaugh would agree to support the Humane Society of the United States, one of the most dishonest, radical organizations in this country. They pose as an animal welfare group in order to play on the emotions of animal loving Americans to weasel them out of their money but they are not what they appear. They do little for animal welfare and I question whether Rush Limbaugh is fully aware of that.

Many outdoor sporting groups have mounted a campaign to call attention to this support by Limbaugh in hopes that he will change his mind once he understands that HSUS’s agenda goes against many of the same principles and values Rush espouses on his radio show.

On Friday’s Rush Limbaugh has “Open Line Friday” in which listeners can call in and talk about anything. The U.S. Sportsman’s Alliance is attempting to get outdoor sportsmen to take this opportunity and call the Rush Limbaugh Show between noon and 3 p.m. this Friday, May 1.

The number you need to call is 1-800-282-2882

Tom Remington

AUGUSTA – The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is strongly encouraging homeowners to not feed birds until July and to take other food odor prevention steps around their properties as ways to deter bears that could become a nuisance or danger.

Bears are coming out of hibernation throughout Maine and are in search of food that is not readily available to them at this time of year. They are drawn to bird feeders, garbage cans, Dumpsters and grills – where food or the odor of food is prevalent – or to areas where people believe it’s OK to leave food for them.

For birds, however, spring offers an abundance of natural food and therefore they don’t need to be fed by people. In addition, some birds this year have been inflicted with salmonella that has grown on rotten bird seed left over in or near feeders from last year.

“The bird feeders need to be cleaned and free of seed to not only protect birds from salmonella, but to keep bears out of backyards so they don’t become reliant on people for food,” according to IF&W Wildlife Biologist Jennifer Vashon. “The best way to keep bears in the wild is to not make it easy for them to make themselves at home in your yard.”

An incident last weekend in Livermore Falls, where a mother bear and her two 80-pound yearlings needed to be trapped and moved from a neighborhood, illustrates how bears become dependent on people for food – and become a nuisance to fearful neighbors. The sow and her two cubs, who had been trapped in New Hampshire neighborhoods and moved to northern New Hampshire woods, found their way to Maine. Last year, she wandered through Livermore Falls area with her young cubs, and people hand-fed them or placed bird seed outside for them. This year, some people continued the same feeding behaviors while others became worried about the bears’ close proximity to homes.

Bears who become reliant on people for food return to the same locations to eat.

“The worst case scenario is that a bear will hurt someone,” according to Vashon. “It’s happened elsewhere and it could happen here. We’d have to destroy the bear if this happened.”

Spring is when the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Maine Warden Service receives hundreds of nuisance animal complaints, and bears near homes and in neighborhoods are among the calls.

The Department strongly encourages people not to feed birds from April 1 to July 1. Birds are able for find food elsewhere. To deter bears, we suggest the following:

· Bring in your bird feeders. If you feel that you have to watch birds during the day, bring in the feeders at night BUT rake up all of the food underneath the bird feeder site so that bears are not drawn to it.

· Store garbage and garbage cans in the garage or basement until trash day, and put out the cans the mornings of pickup.

· Frequently disinfect trash containers. Odors can be reduced by rinsing meat packages before putting them in the trash. Freeze or refrigerate meat scraps, grease or other refuse with strong odor, and put them out with the trash the morning of pickup. A rag soaked with ammonia and placed in the garbage may discourage a repeat visitor.

· Nothing with a strong food odor should be composted in the back yard.

· For grills, burn off as much of the meat and grease as possible and then brush or scrape grills clean. Grills should be stored in a closed garage or shed.

· Dumpsters with heavy metal lids that latch shut should be used. Keep the lids and self-closing doors shut. If garbage is overflowing, contact the trash hauler to pick it up.

· If you have pets and feed them outdoors, bring their food dishes inside at night.

· Encourage your neighbors to take the same steps that you are to deter bears.

· When camping, put food and other items with an odor, including candy, toothpaste, suntan lotion and soap, in sealed containers. If camping near your vehicle, keep the sealed containers in it. Never store food or candy in your tent or sleeping quarters. If food or other odorous items cannot be stored, place them in a “bear bag” that is at least 12 feet above the ground and 10 feet from the nearest tree trunk. After meals, store all wanted leftovers and immediately wash dishes. Dump the dishwater away from the camp or use a sump hole to filter the water, and then burn the food scraps. Carefully burn all leftover food, wrappers and grease. Don’t bury them or throw them in a latrine.

· If a bear shows up in your backyard, stay calm. Shout at it like you would to chase an unwanted dog. Most bears are timid enough to be scared away by yelling, waving or banging pots. Check first before going outside. Black bears blend into night skies, thus providing the chance of an encounter. Use outside lights to full advantage and look outside from a safe position, such as a porch or upstairs window.

· Never Approach a Bear

Posted by Tom Remington

You might think this was New Jersey or something the way people carried on so about giving bears more rights than people, but nope, this was Colorado Springs, Colorado. A 6-month pregnant woman out for a walk finds herself being followed by a bear. As fear builds, she ends up running to get away and gets hit by a passing motorist who leaves the scene of the accident.

The woman makes it home safely and notifies police of the incident and within hours the woman is made into a victim by nasty, animal loving fools only concerned on blaming the woman for the unnecessary death of the bear. The bear was subsequently put down.

We live in a perverse society that would fault a woman for doing nothing except escaping danger and doing what she deemed the right thing to do in calling police.

Tom Remington

Seriously though, Janet Napolitano and other officials want the name “swine” taken out of the name for the recent viral infection threatening to send the world into pandemic pandemonium. Evidently it’s not the pigs directly that the Obama administration fears offending, although I’m sure it has been discussed, it is the dangers that might result to the pork industry.

I have just one question and I’m going to attempt to keep it clean. If Obama is so concerned about hurting the pork industry, why are we allowed to call pointless spending pork? Certainly people must be repulsed by the use of the word pork to describe Congress. I mean, can you imagine being associated with politicians? Ewwwwww! Gross! Remember this past campaign season? How many times did Obama put lipstick on a pig? So insensitive! I bet he got no votes from the pork industry.

Why now all of a sudden do we seem all concerned about offending a pig or damaging a connected industry or whatever? Never stopped anyone from coming up with names for diseases in the past.

Did the African Sleeping Sickness destroy tourism in Africa? Or what about Athlete’s Foot? My god there are millions of athletes all over the world that are being associated with a crusty, nasty and itchy foot. Did that prevent people from going to games? Just think of all the new world records that could have been achieved if it wasn’t for the association of itchy feet with athletes. Shame, really a shame.

There’s Beaver Fever………..I think I’ll just leave that one alone. I don’t think naming a disease Cat Scratch Fever did away with the feline industry. Did it? Let’s also consider Cowpox, Chickenpox, Crabs and Deer Fly Fever. Farmers seem to be able to sell cow products, eggs and Buffalo wings just fine. Last time I checked the line at restaurants were pretty long this year when king crab season was in.

Granted I’m not sure that any of these diseases have every reached pandemic proportions but let’s be fair, neither has swine flu. In the 1970s we had a bout with swine flu. Did our pork industry suffer? Now, Mad Cow disease is another story. Don’t eat a mad cow or a happy one either if it’s infected with the disease we call Mad Cow.

And we can’t forget Legionaires Disease. I suppose since we named a disease after them this group has since become extinct. They really did get a bad rap. I thought I had Legionaires Disease once and on the ride to the hospital a cop pulled us over and he thought I was a woman having a baby. As soon as I got back home I ran to the barber shop and had my hair cut off.

Israeli Spotted Fever didn’t stop the millions of Jews all over the world from migrating back to the Promised Land. And hey, those dumb athletes get another bad rap with Jock Itch. What’s up with that?

Monkey Pox, Parrot Fever, Rabbit Fever and Raccoon Round Worm all have their place in history without too many known negative side affects.

You would think when diseases were named after the places they occur it would have devastating affects on those places. Like Norwegian Itch. I wonder what that one is. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever? Did Colorado and other Rocky Mountain states whine and complain because people would stop coming to the Rockies and spend money? John Denver didn’t sing, “Rocky Mountain high on spotted fever.” Maybe back in the day we didn’t have a radical left administration more intent on being politically correct than saving lives.

So what is up with Obama and his difficulty with names? He says we can’t use the word terrorist anymore because it might insight a person intent on human destruction to terrorize someone. I think that’s kind of like refusing to call a black fly a black fly because if it knew I was calling it a black fly it would land on someone and suck their blood. And I’m sure I was being racists calling a black fly what it is.

We call the new influenza virus the swine flu because that’s where the virus originated. It’s some weird mixture of pig virus and bird virus that has mutated, they say, so that now humans can contract it. In all seriousness, does Obama and his children really think opting to not call this thing the swine flu is going to matter to anyone? I had bacon for breakfast and never thought once about if I might be eating a virus. It all kind of reminds me of little children when they take their hands and cover their eyes, they someone reason that because they can’t see, they can’t be seen.

What’s next on the list of censorship items this cute little administration has? Bring it on. We can handle it.

Tom Remington

CONCORD, N.H. — If you want a chance to hunt moose in New Hampshire this fall, then get your application in for the 2009 New Hampshire Moose Hunt Lottery by the Friday, May 29, 2009 deadline! Enter to win one of 515 New Hampshire moose hunting permits at http://www.HuntNH.com, (you can apply online or print out a mail-in application) or pick up an application from any license agent.

Applicants are encouraged to apply online, since there is less chance of submitting an incomplete application. The entry fee is $15 for New Hampshire residents and $25 for nonresidents (nonrefundable).

Each applicant can enter the moose hunt lottery once each year. A bonus point system improves the chances for unsuccessful applicants who apply each consecutive year. New Hampshire still has some of the best odds in the nation for drawing a moose hunt permit. It is not necessary to have a current hunting license to enter the lottery. Don’t miss a year, or you’ll lose your points! If the economy has you down, you can choose to apply for a point only on the application. You will not be entered into the lottery, but you will accrue this year’s bonus point and will not lose any points you may have already accrued.

Don’t wait until the last minute to apply. If paper applications are incomplete or not filled out properly prior to the deadline, they are returned and, if there’s time, you will have an opportunity to correct and resubmit the application before the deadline. Every year we get a few last-minute paper applications that can’t be corrected in time. Don’t let that disappointed person be you!

Applications submitted by mail must be postmarked no later than midnight, May 29, 2009, to be eligible for the lottery. Each year, some applications are turned away because they miss the postmark deadline date. If submitting a paper application by mail on May 29th, deliver it to the post office and see if it can be postmarked while you are there; just dropping it in a mailbox does not ensure that it will be postmarked by the May 29 deadline.

New Hampshire’s moose hunt runs from October 17 to 25, 2009. For more information on moose hunting in the Granite State, visit http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_moose.htm.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the state’s fish, wildlife and marine resources. Visit http://www.huntnh.com.

Posted by Tom Remington

Milt Inman Photo

Milt Inman

AUGUSTA, Maine – Maine’s spring Wild Turkey hunting season opens Saturday (May 2) with a Youth Only Day to encourage young people to learn about the sport, and for adults it opens on Monday (May 4).

Hunters must have a valid Spring Wild Turkey Permit and a valid Maine resident hunting license, or a valid nonresident or alien big game hunting license in order to hunt turkey. A valid archery license also permits hunting of wild turkey with bow and arrow in Maine.

Hunters can purchase their permit to harvest online using MOSES at www.mefishwildlife.com, at any of the more than 280 MOSES or licensing agents statewide, or at IF&W headquarters in Augusta.

Maine’s wild turkey season is from May 4 to June 6, 2009.

· Spring Legal Hours: One-half hour before sunrise until noon (12 p.m.) local time.

· Spring Areas Open to Hunting: Wildlife Management Districts 7, 10-18, and 20-26.

· Spring Bag Limit: One bearded wild turkey per permit holder per season.

· Spring Legal Method for Taking: Only shotgun gauges 10 through 20 using shot sizes 4 through 6, or bow and arrow may be used.

· Calling devices: Electronic calling devices are legal.

Youth Day: Once again this year, junior hunters who are interested in wild turkey hunting will have their own day this Saturday, May 2, before the regular season starts. The rules are:

· Age: Youth hunters who are 10 years of age or older and under 16 years of age;

· Permit and License Needed: Eligible youth hunters must possess a junior hunting license and a Spring Wild Turkey Permit;

· Adult Supervision is Required and Rules: The qualified adult must be a person 18 or older who has been approved by the youth’s parent or guardian and must hold a valid Maine hunting license or have completed a hunter safety course. The accompanying adult cannot possess a firearm or bow and arrow during Youth Hunting Day.

· Bag Limit: Junior hunters may bag one bearded wild turkey with a firearm or a bow and arrow.

Posted by Tom Remington