Warning: This has nothing to do with hog hunting.

I have to admit that over the past several years, I’ve been a little jaded when it comes to the Christmas holidays.  I can’t help but shake my head and frown at what’s become of this special time of year.  Hell, when it gets to people getting trampled and shot for the sake of a good deal on some consumer crap, things are totally out of hand. 

Even so, I’ve been feeling a little more of the spirit this year.  This keeps running through my head.

And while I’m sitting here decrying the commercialization of the season, I’m also just about to release some reviews of a few video games that might make it on to someone’s wish list.  I’ve had the opportunity to try out the Cabelas Dangerous Hunts, Legendary Hunts, and Atari’s new Deer Hunter Tournament.  I’m pretty much done with Deer Hunter Tournament, so that one will come this week. 

Wow, it slipped right up on me.  The preparations yesterday should have clued me in, but with things going on, including a pretty interesting discussion over at Holly’s NorCal Cazadora blog, the day arrived with little fanfare. 

Yeah, Thanksgiving! 

Not that it’s a huge holiday around these parts.  It’s a day off, and a time to enjoy friends and family and to feast in a way we seldom do during the rest of the year… and to take stock of all the things we’ve got to be thankful for.  Sure, the jaded and cynical may think this has become a trite and abused ritual, but come on!  Life is a blur of pointless experience if we can’t stop and recognize the good things we’ve got. 

That said, I won’t sit here and try to list everything I’m thankful for… mostly because the list would take all day and I’d still leave stuff off.  Life has been good to me, and while I’ve definitely been served my share of downers, there’s an awful lot of good in it too.  Not the least of that good is the blogosphere, and the good people I’ve met through this little vanity press environment.  It’s been a great experience, and I’m looking forward to the continued growth of my circle of friends, virtual and real-time. 

So I wish all of you a happy Thanksgiving, and hope your own lists of “things to be thankful for” are as long as my own. 

Here’s another little tip and tidbit from my list:

Move less, glass more.

This is really directed at still hunters, as well as the western spot and stalk hunter. 

It’s really easy to get caught up in covering ground on a hunt.  I think it’s human nature to wonder what’s just over the rise, or what you can see around that next bend in the ridge.  Out here in the west, you can literally walk all day without ever doubling your trail.  There is a LOT to see.

But the thing is, you’re looking for an animal that only takes up a few cubic feet of space.  He could be right under your feet, or he could be a mile and a half away.  The only way to find him is to stop and look for him.  Sure, you might spot him while you are walking along if you’re really vigilant and alert.  But odds are much better that he’s going to see you first. 

In the wild, the advantage almost always goes to the one who is not moving.  Think about it.  The last time you picked a big boar out on a brushy hillside, what gave him away?  Most likely it was the flick of an ear or tail, or the movement of a leg.  And the last time you got busted by a fat hog, if it wasn’t the wind, what tipped him off?  More often than not, you turned your head, raised your gun, or took a step to get a better position. 

Predator or prey, it’s a game of stealth and patience.  Being still is the key, and the one that moves first is the one that loses.  Most animals’ vision tends to key on movement.  Shapes and colors can be important in some cases, but the first thing we notice is motion… even hogs who rely so little on their eyes for defense can spot the slightest movement at shocking distances.  With this in mind, why would you give up your advantage just to cover more ground? 

I’m fortunate in a way, because I came to the west from a place where we’d sit long hours in a tree stand to hunt.  This makes it a little bit easier for me to find a rock or a stump, get comfy, and sit and glass.  The longer I live and hunt out here, though, the more difficult it is to fight that temptation to try to hike the entire countryside.  But time and again I’ve found that I will always spot more game and have more shot opportunities if I can be still and look around carefully before moving to another place. 

There’s no need to walk the entire mountain range if you can find a few good places to sit and examine the area with your binos or spotting scope.  Put your optics to work for you… it’s not lazy, it’s smart.  Save that energy for the stalk and recovery when you find and kill that trophy porker (or deer, elk, moose, or ground squirrel).  You’d be surprised what you’ll see if you move less, and glass more.

One of the guys over at Jesse’s Hunting and Outdoors posted up a link to a pretty intriguing article on the Sports Illustrated Vault site.  One of the key premises of the piece is how the decline of hunting is beginning to impact the natural order, and the animals once kept in check by hunting are now expanding back into human territory. 

The article begins with the story of Kenton Carnegie and his fatal encounter with wolves up in northern Canada.  The event is significant, because until that point in North America, there had only been one human death from a wolf attack in 100 years.  Is this a sign of things to come, or just an anomaly?  It’s a good question.

Anyway, a good part of the article is based on the work and theories of Dr. Valerius Geist, an environmental scientist and a specialist in the behavior of large mammals.  Here’s a bit from the article itself:

Valerius Geist, a professor emeritus of environmental science at the University of Calgary and an expert on the behavior of large mammals, calls what is happening “the recolonization by wildlife.” The first sign, he says, “was when the herbivores returned,” a reference to the overabundance of deer, moose and elk in North America. After the herbivores, Geist says, the carnivores are never far behind. “We are just now beginning to experience that phase,” he says. As recently as 1994 there were about 50 wolves left in the Yellowstone region (Idaho, Montana and Wyoming), but the population there now stands at more than 1,500; in Minnesota wolves climbed from about 500 in the 1950s to more than 3,000 today.

The third phase of animal recolonization, Geist says, is “the parasites and diseases returning in full force.”

The population explosion of white tailed deer over much of the eastern US, and the boom in elk throughout Colorado are good examples of the kind of “recolonization” Geist describes.  With the issues surrounding the return of wolves to Yellowstone and that area, it’s an idea that bears a lot of examination. 

At any rate, it was a really intriguing read.  If you get half a chance, go read the article, and if you’re so inclined drop back in here and let me know what you thought. 

Hey all, just wanted to post a note to let you know that you may be seeing a new feature or two on the HogBlog (and on all SkinnyMoose network sites).  The network is experimenting with a new tool that will create links from selected keywords in the blog posts.  Supposedly, the links will provide targeted browsing for you, the readers. 

Personally, I’m not real thrilled with it so far (if I want links in my post, I’d prefer to put them there myself), but we’re told that the system will take a little time to optimize… sort of like the Google Ads… so I’m hoping you’ll all bear with me as this goes along.  But that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to hear your input.  What do you think about the links?  Are they useful?  A pain in the butt?  Misleading?  Can you tell the difference between the automated links and the ones I’ve created myself (the auto-links are double-underlined… my links are either not underlined, or single-underlined, depending on your browser and setup)? 

It’s not free to run a blog network, and if this helps make the bills then I guess we may be able to live with it.  We’ll see. 

Some of you may have noticed I haven’t been by to post on your sites in a while.  Just wanted to apologize, and lay part of the blame on my three week hiatus to the hills.  I’m still trying to get back into the swing of Net Life, and to be honest, I had no idea how many blogs I’ve favorited over the last couple of years… or of how much time I spent visiting them all and posting comments. 

Now trust me, if your blog is listed in my favorites, it’s not there just to fill space.  Every site in that list is a blog I’ve visited and found valuable, either from the sense of community, the quality of information, the keen writing, or most usually, a combination of all the above.  But that list has grown quite long, and my time, of late, has been quite short.

So if I haven’t dropped in and said, “hi,” recently, it’s nothing personal. 

I don’t know if this will become a regular feature, but while I was up in the hills the past few weeks, I had a lot of time to think of stuff I’d like to include in the HogBlog.  Passing along a few hunting tips seemed like a good idea, and I took the opportunity to jot a few down. 

So here’s the first one…

Look close first, then look far.

More than once I’ve lowered the binoculars just in time to see a critter boogie out of the brush right in front of me.  If I’d started out by looking there, I’d have seen that animal every time.  And it’s not just me.  A lot of folks tend to bring up their binos and scan the distance without ever taking a close look right in front of them… especially when they’re hunting the big, open spaces here in the west.  But this applies everywhere, from the western plateaus and prairies to the eastern treestands. 

Check the area closest to you when you glass or scan for game, and then slowly work out into the distance.  That critter way off on the horizon may see you coming, or he may not, but the one right there at your feet is definitely going to get up and get gone if you don’t see him first. 

Look close, and then look far. 

The DFG has posted the dates and application deadlines for this year’s Joice Island hog hunts.  For those who’ve never hunted Joice Island, it’s a great opportunity to get onto a fairly unique piece of land and a reasonably good chance to take a hog or two in the process. 

The island is pretty small, but there’s a good population of hogs there most years, living and feeding in the tule marshes and nearby farmland.  I haven’t had the privilege of hunting there myself (I always forget to get my apps turned in by the deadline), but from conversations with other hunters, it can be a pretty good hunt. 

Anyway, here’s the info.  Don’t be like me and forget to make the deadline!

Department of Fish and Game News Release Nov. 12, 2008

Contact:   Helayna Pera, Wildlife Biologist (707) 425-3828       

           DFG Office of Communications (916) 322-8911

 

DFG Announces Drawing For 2009 Joice Island Pig Hunt

 

The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) will hold a limited-entry, permit-only pig hunt in Solano County. The hunt will help control a small population of wild pigs on the Joice Island Unit of Grizzly Island Wildlife Area Joice Island is a 2,150-acre wetland area consisting of thick cattails, tules, some brush and standing water. The first weekend of this hunting opportunity has been reserved for apprentice hunters. Two-day pig hunt permits will be issued by drawing only for the following weekends:

 

APPRENTICE HUNTERS (At least 12 years old w/junior license)            

March 7-8, 2009

 

GENERAL (Adults or juniors may apply)          

March 14-15, 2009            

March 21-22, 2009

March 28-29, 2009

April 4-5, 2009

April 11-12, 2009

April 18-19, 2009

April 25-26, 2009

 

Three hunters will be drawn for each of the eight weekends for a total of 24 hunters. The drawing for the 24 two-day permits will be held on Feb. 13, 2009. Deadline to apply is Feb. 12. Permits with maps and additional information will be mailed to successful applicants. A permit holder may bring one non-hunting partner. Hunters may use dogs for this hunt.  NOTE: ONLY SHOTGUNS USING SLUGS AND ARCHERY WILL BE ALLOWED FOR THIS HUNT.

 

HOW TO APPLY FOR A PERMIT:

Send a standard postcard with the following information:

 

Hunter Name (Junior hunters must also provide name of adult chaperone) Valid Hunting License number

Address                

City, State, Zip 

Telephone Number                                     

Hunt Date

 

Mail application card to:  Joice Island Pig Hunt, 2548 Grizzly Island Road, Suisun, CA 94585

 

CHOOSE ONLY ONE HUNT DATE

Application cards must be received by close of business, Feb. 12, 2009. Each hunter may apply only one time and for only one date. Applications will be accepted for parties of up to two hunters, but the card must contain all information for both hunters. Incomplete cards and multiple entries will not be accepted. There is no fee to apply.

 

DFG RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CANCEL THIS HUNT AND CLOSE THE AREA TO ALL PUBLIC USERS WITHOUT PRIOR NOTIFICATION DUE TO UNFORSEEN CIRCUMSTANCES OR EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.

Taking a step away from philosophizing and solving the problems of the world, I wanted to hit on a few relevant things that have come along while I was gone.

First of all, the North Dakota Department of Health released more of their preliminary findings from the blood-lead study (they took blood samples from 738 individuals to see if eating wild game harvested with lead ammo impacted the amount of lead in their bloodstreams).  In short, the study did, indeed, indicate that people who ate wild game that was killed with lead ammo had a higher blood-lead level than people who did not.  The lead level appeared to be elevated more in people who had recently eaten “tainted” game than in those who had not eaten it in a while… which may suggest that we may be able to process some of the lead out of our systems. 

It is relevant to note that in no case did the lead level exceed the minimum “dangerous” level as defined by the Centers for Disease Control.  It should also be noted that some of the people who ate “tainted” venison had lower blood-lead levels than those who ate none at all, since findings are adjusted for other potential sources of lead exposure. 

At any rate, the State is using the results to make some basic recommendations, including the suggestion that pregnant women and children under six should not eat venison taken with lead bullets.  And of course the HSUS is stepping up their call now for a total, nationwide lead ammo ban.  The US Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) responded to the HSUS call with their own statement.

USSA Senior Vice President Rick Story states, “HSUS should stop hyperventilating and actually read the report since it makes clear that the average level of lead in the people tested is actually lower than the level of the average American. That fact completely undermines its call for banning traditional ammo.

Story continued, “It should come as no surprise that America’s leading opponent of hunting, fishing and trapping has mischaracterized the findings of the CDC report. It will resort to any means necessary to deny the rights of sportsmen.” 

Read the ND Department of Health findings and summaries in their report, Lead and Venison Update.  Regardless of how you feel about the lead ammo issue, this report does have a lot of great information. 

Next up, kind of a quickie… 

I know I write a lot about the future of hunting, and it’s definitely a concern I think all of us share.  We all theorize on why hunting seems to be a diminishing practice, and I think that we’ve hit on a lot of pretty valid reasons.  Dave Hurteau, in his Field Notes blog, has queried several people of influence in both government and the hunting industry, asking what they think is the reason for the decline.  Check out the responses he got.  It’s some pretty interesting stuff, but it also validates what most of us already thought.

Finally, just paging through my latest edition of Boar Hunter magazine, and wanted to mention to all of you that this magazine has been running some really great articles on the spread of feral hogs throughout the country, and how the states and federal government are looking at controlling it.  It’s pretty important reading, because one big aspect of it all is the fact that, as of right now, sport hunters aren’t doing enough to make a difference.  In fact, in some cases, sport hunters are hurting control efforts.  If we don’t step up and do more, we’re likely to see more state and federal intervention, as they did in Kansas, by shutting down all sport hunting, and paying government contractors to perform eradication and control measures.   

Anyway, if you don’t already subscribe to this magazine and you love hunting wild hogs, I’d strongly recommend taking a look… if for no other reason than the great coverage of the issues surrounding the spread of these animals.  And no, I don’t get kickbacks or any other renumeration for plugging this magazine… just they’re doing a great job on the topic. 

Endangered species, caged in fright,
Shot in cold blood, no chance to fight.
The stage is set, now pay the price.
An ego boost, dont think twice.
Technology, the battles unfair,
You pull the hammer without a care.
Squeeze the trigger that makes you man,
Pseudo-safari, the hunt is canned…
The hunt is canned.

Thanks, Megadeth… 

That’s the view I think a lot of folks, including PETA and the HSUS would like to push on the uneducated public, regarding both “canned hunting” and “fair chase”.  This lyric runs through my mind whenever I enter a discussion like the Food For Thought post I put up a couple of weeks ago. 

It paints an extreme picture, but I feel like a lot of hunters are dabbling in the opposite extreme… trying to paint sportsmen (and women) as flawless, ethical paragons.  We’re not, and I guess that’s what I’m trying to get at when I raise a question like this.  And as I’d hoped, it drew some great discussion.

So “Fair Chase”… what is it?     

From Pope and Young:

The Rules of Fair Chase

The term “Fair Chase” shall not include the taking of animals under the following conditions:

• Helpless in a trap, deep snow or water, or on ice.
• From any power vehicle or power boat.
• By “jacklighting” or shining at night.
• By the use of any tranquilizers or poisons.
• While inside escape-proof fenced enclosures.
• By the use of any power vehicle or power boats for herding or driving animals, including use of aircraft to land alongside or to communicate with or direct a hunter on the ground.
• By the use of electronic devices for attracting, locating or pursuing game or guiding the hunter to such game, or by the use of a bow or arrow to which any electronic device is attached.
• Any other condition considered by the Board of Directors as unacceptable.

The fair chase concept does, however, extend beyond the hunt itself; it is an attitude and a way of life based in a deep-seated respect for wildlife, for the environment, and for other individuals who share the bounty of this vast continent’s natural resources.

Boone and Crockett is pretty similar:

FAIR CHASE, as defined by the Boone and Crockett Club, is the ethical, sportsmanlike, and lawful pursuit and taking of any free-ranging wild, native North American big game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper advantage over such animals.

Now it’s important to keep in mind that both of these organizations define “Fair Chase” as a criteria to be included in their Big Game Records books.  I can understand having a defined set of rules for a competition (getting in the record books), but how relevant are those rules to the average hunter? 

I can pretty much get behind most of what Pope and Young have to say.  Shooting an animal in a trap, stuck in snow or water, etc. is generally more akin to slaughter than hunting (and in many states these practices are illegal anyway).  It’s like hitting a steer between the eyes with an air hammer while he’s confined in a chute, or slitting the throat of chickens as they’re swung by hooks into the processing plant. 

But think about that for a second.  To many hunters in the US, hunting for meat is really about nothing more than the harvest of the resource.  We’re not trying to make the record books.  A lot of us hunt to put some meat on our own tables, by our own hand.  The wild resource is, essentially, nature’s farm, and we’re out there to take part in the harvest.  In essence, is that really any different than the abattoir?  It has nothing to do with “fair play” or “sportsmanship”… both of which are solely human conceits.  Nature didn’t come up with those ideals, humans did.

Look at the last part of the Boone and Crockett definition of Fair Chase, and consider.  Fair Chase is taking animals “…in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper advantage over such animals.”

The predator/prey relationship is inherently unfair.  Otherwise, there would be no predators.  They would have starved long ago.  But predators are endowed with heightened senses, strength, speed, stealth, camouflage, and “weapons” that enable them to overcome the defenses of their prey.  No rabbit is a match for a coyote or bobcat.  No deer can defeat a lion. 

That’s extremely so in the case of human predator vs wild animal.  What’s “fair” about weapons that can kill beyond the range of an animal’s natural defenses (scent, vision, etc.)?  For that matter, what’s fair about an ability to kill prey without ever actually putting our hands (claws) or teeth in it?  No animal can outrun an arrow at 280 fps, much less a bullet travelling ten times that speed. 

What’s fair about using hounds to sniff out and chase down big mammals, or for that matter, about using bird dogs to point or flush game birds to our waiting shotguns?  Is hunting a river island, or an isolated woodlot really much different from hunting inside a high-fenced preserve? 

There’s an old bit by the late Jerry Clower about a coon hunter he called, “John Eubanks”. 

In Mr. Eubanks’s opinion, it wasn’t sporting just to tree a coon and shoot him out of the tree.  “Give everything a sportin’ chance,” he said.  “When you tree a coon, climb up in a tree and make that coon jump in amongst the dogs.  Give him a sportin’ chance!” 

Clower went on about how they’d sometimes climb a tree and make a coon jump in amongst 20 dogs, but at least he (the coon) had the option then of whuppin’ all 20 of them and walking off if he wanted to.  It was strictly left up to the coon.

Point is, that’s how subjective the idea of ”fair chase” can be. 

So what am I doing here?  Am I attacking hunting?  Have I joined up with the anti-hunters? 

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