If all has gone well this week, I’m currently on the road and heading down to the Texas Hill Country (near Leakey, TX) to hunt exotics with my brother and our friend Shane Hearn, of Borderbandit Outfitters.  I’ve got the sights tuned in for a big axis buck, and a couple of does for meat.  My brother has the same idea, only he’s looking for a trophy blackbuck.  Shane also has a new hog hunting property, so if we have time we’ll be bringing some pork home too.

According to the website, the campground where I’ll be staying has wireless Internet, so I’m hoping I can drop in with a note or two… but if not, I’ll be back next wednesday.  See ya’ll then!

In the meantime, here’s a couple of awesome takes on my theme song for this week!

First, the one and only, Jimmy Rogers (credited with writing this song)!

And then Lynyrd Skynyrd rocks it a little harder!

Each year, the CA Department of Fish and Game (DFG) offers a series of wild pig hunting clinics around the state.  These clinics are a great idea for both the new California pig hunters, as well as the experienced hunters, to learn more about these excellent game animals.  Learn tactics, techniques, and get some ideas on where to hunt from the experts and biologists. 

Here’s the press release:

California Department of Fish and Game

News Release

March 24, 2009

Contact: Lieutenant Dan Lehman, DFG Advanced Hunter Education Program Coordinator, (916) 358-4356 DFG Office of Communications, (916) 322-8911

DFG Offers How-to Clinic on Hunting Wild Pigs

The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) will hold a wild pig hunting clinic April 25 at Monterey County’s Fort Hunter Liggett. The clinic is offered through DFG’s Advanced Hunter Education Program in partnership with the Pacific Coast Hunter Education Association and runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The clinic will cover the considerations and requirements for a successful wild pig hunt, techniques of locating the animals and different methods of take. Additionally, participants will learn about the biology of wild pigs and how to handle and care properly for the game. A barbecue lunch will be available for a $10 donation and attendees will also receive recipes for wild pig dishes.

The cost is $40 and space is limited. Participants 16 years and younger can attend free if accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Registration forms are available at www.dfg.ca.gov/huntered/advanced/index.aspx .  After registering each participant will receive an e-mail with a map to the facility, a list of items to bring and a workshop agenda. 

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Subscribe to DFG News via email or RSS feed — go to  www.dfg.ca.gov/news

Well, this didn’t take as long as I might have thought it would. 

Under pressure from various hunting, shooting, and angling organizations, the National Park Service re-traced its steps and offered the following clarification about the recent announcement that lead ammo and fishing tackle would be banned from the parks by 2010.

For Immediate Release:
 March 18, 2009
Contact(s):   David Barna, 202-208-6843 

Clarification Statement

WASHINGTON – On March 10, 2009, the National Park Service distributed a press release entitled “National Park Service Gets the Lead Out.” Due to some confusion over its contents, the agency provides the following clarifying statements:

1. Nothing has changed for the public. We are simply announcing the NPS goal of eliminating lead from NPS activities to protect human and wildlife health.
2. We will work to clean our own house by altering NPS resource management activities. In 2009, we will transition to non-lead ammunition in culling operations and dispatching sick or wounded animals.
3. In the future, we will look at the potential for transitioning to non-lead ammunition and non-lead fishing tackle for recreational use by working with our policy office and appropriate stakeholders/groups. This will require public involvement, comment, and review.

In other words, never mind. 

Really?

I dunno, and maybe I should just applaud and shut up, but does that come across just a shade disingenous?  Why not admit it for what it was, a major policy SNAFU that nearly blew up in the National Park(ing lot) Service’s collective faces? 

One other key point to recognize is that the NPS did not say they will not move to ban lead ammo or tackle later.  They also stated that their intent was to protect the health of humans and wildlife by removing lead, despite the lack of consistent evidence that lead is a risk to either population.  In other words, this will come back, and it will be justified by the same inconsistent data.  Unless conclusive evidence can be found that lead ammo and fishing tackle do not present a risk to humans, wildlife, or the environment, we can count on seeing lead banned in the National Parks in the near future (and in other federally managed lands and waters soon after). 

And if conclusive evidence is found to the contrary… well, what then?

I should actually be out there right now, getting the truck cleaned up and ready to roll… but I’m also deeply embroiled in a desperate search for a new job right now.  It’s not the best timing, but the hell with it!  I’m heading down to Texas to join my brother on our annual Texas exotics hunt!  I can freak out about my budget and employment status later.

Some of you regular readers may recall my last two trips to the Lone Star State.  We’ll be hunting again with Shane Hearn, of  Border Bandit Outfitting.  Shane has become as much friend as guide over the years, and I’m looking forward to spending time with him again.

On the menu for this hunt are blackbuck antelope, axis deer, and possibly sika and fallow (if they show up).  Last year was kind of tough, since we had more hunters than the place was really set up to handle, but everyone still went home with a cooler full of delicious meat.  If you’ve never eaten axis deer, you don’t know what you’ve missed… it’s some of the best stuff you’ll ever put in your mouth.  This year it will just be myself and my brother, on the trip.  It should make for a quick and fruitful hunt. 

In addition to the primary goal of filling the freezer, we’ve each got a trophy animal in our plans.  My brother, Scott, will be gunning for a good blackbuck.  Seems that my mom saw a blackbuck mount at a shop in TX last year, and decided she’s got to have one for her new house.  And, just to keep it company, I’ll be shooting for a big axis buck as well. 

Before I go on, I want to address a couple of things regarding the hunting of these exotic animals.  First of all, while there are plenty of high-fenced ranches in TX, several species have managed to establish thriving populations… particularly in the Hill Country.  Axis deer and blackbuck antelope have been particularly successful, to the point where these animals roam wild, all over the area.  I think I saw more axis killed on the roadsides than native whitetails on my last visit… and that says a lot about the density of the population. 

Point to that is that a lot of the hunting for these species is not in high-fence ranches.  Much of it is no different than hunting the native whitetail or feral hogs.  The places we’ll be hunting this coming weekend are low-fenced.  However, they are heavily managed for whitetail and game, so it’s not a major challenge to find animals.  We’ll focus on areas around the feeders and water sources.  Taking does for meat will be almost a gimme… although the trophy bucks will probably be a little tougher. 

The other thing we sometimes do down there is hunt “Texas Safari” style.  This means we’ll roll in the truck to find game, then take our shots as they present themselves… sometimes right at the vehicle.  It’s really not my favorite way to hunt, but it’s how they do things on some of the ranches and it’s productive.  When in Rome, and all that… 

A lot of folks don’t think much of this kind of hunting, and I’m OK with that.  If you don’t like it, don’t do it.  But to me, it’s a lot like shooting pheasants on a preserve… only there’s a lot more meat at the end of the day.  It’s a lot of fun, and a chance to get out and spend some great time in the field with good friends and family, and end up with a pile of delicious and nutritious meat at the same time. 

While on the hunt, feral hogs are bonus animals.  Most ranchers there are happy to have the hunters kill as many as they can get.  We haven’t seen a lot of hogs on the last couple of hunts down there, but the hope is always present.  If all goes well, we may also get a chance to check out a new property that is supposed to be loaded with pigs.  I have a good bit of wild pork in the freezer already, but I’m happy to add to the stockpile.

I’ll try to post up some during the trip.  I’m driving for about two days there and back, and will be hunting mostly on Friday and Saturday.  There’ll be video and photos, of course (although I’m having some issues with my video editing software).  The campground where I’ll be staying reportedly has wireless broadband access, so I’ll be online as much as reasonable.

As a totally unrelated aside…

Congratulations to Hank Shaw for his nomination for a James Beard Foundation Award.  This is a huge deal, both for Hank and for the hunting community.  Not only is he being recognized for his excellent writing and unique perspective; his topic area, wild food cookery, is also getting some of the spotlight.  This means folks will get to see hunting in its true context… a source of tasty and nutritious meat, as opposed to a controversial blood sport.

Make sure you drop by Hank’s blog and give him his well-deserved kudos. 

Wait, don’t turn away. 

I know what it looks like, but honestly, I don’t think I’ve stooped to something so banal as blogging about what I had for dinner.  At leat not in general… but I have to say, Saturday night’s dinner was worthy of comment. 

It was no ordinary meal, and I didn’t cook it.  Heck, I didn’t even lift a finger until the dishes were served… at which point, I did my part by cleaning the plates as fast as they were put in front of me.  It was a joyous job, and one I was pleased to perform.  Heck, I’d do it again right now, and it’s not even dinner time!

I’ve mentioned Hank Shaw, the Hunter Angler Gardener Cook , a time or two.  He’s Holly’s (NorCal Cazadora) boyfriend and partner, and he’s  as talented as a chef as he is a writer.  Every year as the waterfowl season winds on, Hank and Holly throw what they call, “Duck Hunters’ Dinners”.  The guests of honor are various waterfowl the two have taken over the season, served up to a small group of select friends.  Holly had told me about these dinners, and even invited us to one a little while back… postponed, unfortunately, due to her bout with appendicitis.  Saturday night’s dinner was something of a make-up event.

Now I’m not the kind of food writer that Hank is.  I’m a little too inhibited to write in the sensual (and sensuous) tones and evocative language that he comes  up with to describe the play of flavors, smells, and textures.  I don’t know a lot of culinary terminology, and when I pair spices, dishes or wines, it’s usually by the seat of my own pants.  With that in mind, I doubt I could do the meal justice in my descriptions.  In the simplest of terms, it was abso-frickin-lutely awesome! 

I’ve eaten a lot of great food over the years, including some cooked by chefs you read about in gourmet magazines, or hear about on TV… but plenty of them prepared in a simple kitchen by folks whose culinary training came primarily from putting a couple of ingredients together in a way that seemed like a good mix.  Hank’s style seems to be a combination of the above, and it works very well!

Here’s what we ate:

• Snow goose rillettes on toast
• Goose prosciutto over green salad
• Deep-fried duck tenders with herb mustard
• Asparagus soup with duck fat and duck broth
• Sous vide duck breast with crispy skin chip and pomegranate sauce
• Braised duck Niederwald (duck legs and duck hunter sausage)
• Strawberries, mint and fresh cheese

I can’t remember the wines we had at each course, but it was a generally good match-up. 

Beyond that, I really don’t want to get into reviewing the meal.  That’s not what this dinner was about anyway.  It was about sharing the bounty of the field with friends, old and new, and enjoying an evening of telling tales, swapping stories, and discussing hot issues.  And really… that was all every bit as fabulous as the food!

A huge thanks to our hosts, Hank and Holly!

I don’t get out to read and comment on my blog roll friends as much as I’d like, but I do as much as I can… here’s some of the stuff that’s going on out there.

First of all, over at Simply Outdoors, Arthur is writing a little about the feral pig invasion.  I’ve commented from time to time about the pig populations in Michigan (Arthur’s home state), and the approach the state has taken by permitting licensed hunters to shoot hogs on site.  I think it’s a great idea, but if eradication is the goal, I have my doubts.  Well, apparently Arthur has some questions of his own.  Go check it out, and add your two-cents’ worth.

Meanwhile, at the NorCal Cazadora blog, Holly’s had a little back and forth with an anti-hunter.  As always, it’s an educational opportunity to see what the “other side” thinks about hunters, as well as a chance to read a reasonable and level-headed response.  If you haven’t already, you should give it a look.

Kristine is still cranking it out at Hunt Smart, Think Safety with her “Safety Friday” posts and community round-ups.  If you’re ever looking for more great stuff to read, check out her updates in the Community Calvalcade. 

And our friend across “The Pond”, the Suburban Bushwacker has a recent post that is just the kind of random strangeness that makes me love his blog.  The image he’s posted is, alone, worth the page view.  There’s more great stuff on his recent pages as well. 

The Western Wanderer has a write-up about the latest offer from the folks who make the SPOT rescue beacon.  In my opinion, anyone who spends much time in the backcountry should have a personal locator device like this.  The original PLBs were fairly expensive, but the SPOT is priced more modestly, and offers some features that the others don’t have, such as an update message and non-emergency transmission capabilities.  Anyway, Jon writes about the new offer in which you can receive a free SPOT simply by signing up for their coverage package.  That’s a pretty sweet deal, especially for such a powerful piece of safety equipment.

I could go on, as all of my blogroll friends are turning out some great stuff.  With wild turkey season (the bird, not the bourbon) just around the bend, you cacn bet that activity will be picking up for a bunch of them too!

I know, everyone is probably sick and tired of this lead ban discussion.  The thing is, it’s a pretty important topic right now, and it bears our constant attention.  With the recent action by the National Park Service to work toward an all-out lead ban for sportsmen by 2010, we’re poised at a teetering point for both hunters and fishermen.  If this ban goes through, you can count on similar actions by other federal agencies, including BLM and National Forest Service.

But we also need to keep a perspective.  This isn’t just about hunting or gun-bans, because the biggest victims in the NPS action will be fishermen.  Sportsmen need to be a united community, hunters and fishermen, and we need to approach this kind of action as a whole… not as disparate voices who don’t appear to care about the “others”. 

With that in mind, until today, I haven’t heard a lot about the fishing tackle aspect of this ban.  Most of the discussions in the hunting community have been the same accusations of a “backdoor gun ban”, and little else.  However, it now looks like the American Sportfishing Association and others are getting it together:

Alexandria, VA – March 13, 2009 – The American Sportfishing Association (ASA), along with a number of fish and wildlife management conservation groups, is asking the National Park Service (NPS) to reconsider its ban on the use of fishing tackle made with lead components in national parks by 2010.

“The sportfishing industry is surprised and dismayed by the March 10 announcement made by the National Park Service,” said ASA Vice President Gordon Robertson. “Their intention to eliminate the use of lead in fishing tackle in national parks was made without prior consultation of the sportfishing industry or the millions of recreational anglers who fish within the national park system.” 

The ASA press release says the key issue that organization has with the ruling is that there was no collaboration with sporting organizations prior to announcing the decision.  This conflicts with the Obama administration’s recent order that the federal government must be transparent and collaborative in policy-making decisions. 

Another call that is resounding loudly is for the NPS to offer a scientifically supported justification for the ban. 

I believe this is a reasonable approach, and it’s one that we should echo.  We should challenge regulations on their scientific merit.  Let’s not get too wrapped up in finger-pointing and name-calling, or stuck in the rut of blaming the anti-hunters and “gun-grabbers”.   Of course they are involved, but pointing out the obvious doesn’t get us any closer to resolution.

Hey, ya’ll may remember me mentioning Bryson Hesperia Resort.  Owned and operated by Deedy Loftus and her daughter, Karin, it’s a great little place down in the central coast for hogs and turkeys (I guided there a little last year).  There are a lot of birds, and a good number of hogs. 

Anyway, beginning this year, Deedy has been running her hunts semi-guided, and they seem to be doing pretty well.  I’m hoping to get down in April to chase a turkey, but in the meantime, one of my friends from Jesse’s Hunting and Outdoors had a chance to get after the hogs, along with several members of his family.    Lucky for us, they made a little video of the event too. 

So here, for your enjoyment…

Pig Hunting – Bryson Hesperia Resort – March 2009 from Bobby N. on Vimeo.

I wasn’t even going to run this post, but the more I read this release from the Ventana Wilderness Society, and the various responses to it in other places, the angrier I get.  

Although they are one of the most endangered birds on the planet, California condors are still facing avoidable threats to their survival.  As a case in point, as one California condor began emergency treatment for lead poisoning, it was discovered the bird also had shotgun pellets embedded in his body from a gunshot wound.  Currently, the bird is fighting for his life at the Los Angeles Zoo.

Yeah, you read it right… not only was the bird suffering from lead poisoning, some idiotic jerkwad shot him with a shotgun!  Crap like this makes it harder for me to keep justifying our sport and defending hunters. 

While at the L.A. Zoo, 286 was radiographed and the shotgun pellets were discovered.  Once lead treatment has been completed, Zoo veterinarians plan to extract the pellets to determine the type of ammunition.  “We are extremely grateful the bird is still alive, but dismayed this innocent condor was both lead poisoned and gunshot,” said Kelly Sorenson, Executive Director of the Ventana Wildlife Society.

Now, just to head off some discussion…

Lead projectiles in the flesh are not considered a source of lead poisoning (as many wounded veterans can attest).  That had to have come from something the bird ingested.  Odds that it was from a legally killed game animal are slim, since lead ammo has been banned in the area for over a year.  There is a good bit of depredation and poaching in the area that this bird was living, but there is also a lot of lead-based garbage from which to scrounge, both along roadsides and in old farmsteads.  There’s also a lot of very toxic mining waste in the nearby hills.

So even though someone could have made the argument that the lead poisoning could have come from other sources, it’s pretty hard to tell someone that the shot pellets didn’t come from a gun. 

I can hear it now, of course.  “Whoever did this wasn’t a hunter!”

But that’s a pretty weak argument to anyone outside of the hunting community.  As far as they care, the only folks carrying guns in the woods are hunters, and it doesn’t matter whether they’re paragons of virtue or lawless poachers.  Add to that the number of hunters who’ve suggested just killing all the condors (in jest and otherwise), and the case gets weaker. 

I really don’t have a solution for any of this.  It sucks, because this kind of damage is pretty much irreversible.  I’d hope that if a hunter witnesses someone doing crap like this, they’ll get the authorities on them ASAP. 

But beyond that… what do we do?  What can we do?  I’m open to ideas.

Well, I don’t know about ya’ll, but I’m ready for a break from the discussion about the lead ammunition ban.  Not that this isn’t an important topic, and a discussion that needs to be carried on… but if we let ourselves get bogged down in political issues, we start to lose sight of why we’re here… and that is, to HUNT! 

I’m fortunate in CA, because I can hog hunt all year long.  I break up the hog hunts with deer hunting, a little waterfowl, and, come springtime, turkey hunting!  And that time is almost on us! 

The hills are alive with the sounds of locator calls, as hopeful and eager hunters hit the field in search of roost trees, dusting grounds and strut zones.  The greening countryside is starting to wake up with gobbling, and the big toms are starting to bully the jakes. 

Soon, the show will begin in earnest (especially if this weather holds), and the fighting and gobbling will intensify.  Camo-clad nimrods will filter through the oaks and field edges in search of the horny long-beard, hoping to lure them to a sudden demise with the lusty calls of lovelorn hens. 

OK, enough of the attempt at artistry… 

Holly, the NorCal Cazadora put it into words a lot better in a great piece she just did for the Sacramento Bee newspaper.  Get yourselves on over there and give it a read. 

And, when you’re done, make sure you post up a supportive comment or two… let the editors know that hunters read the Bee, and appreciate positive stories about our sport.