In this day of photo shopped photos and internet rumors it is often hard to determine what is true an what is made up. The email photos of the doe with the arrow through her nose is a true story. Colorado officials had to euthanize the doe after attempts to capture her failed. Unknown who shot her and the circumstances around how she ended up the way she did. There has been countless posts across the hunting forums about whether it was an ethical shot or not. While the end result is not what any of us would like to see unless we know how it happened we can’t be sure if it was purposeful, negligent, or just a freak accident. I’m glad the authorities were able to find her and end her suffering.

In a story from here in North Carolina there is a buck that has gotten himself entangled in some barb wire. One of the hunting forums I frequent there has been some conversations and a few photos around this buck. It is reported that this buck was seen sporting this additional head gear back around the first of November and now game camera photos shot around Christmas show he is still running around with barbwire fencing. Unlike the doe that was obviously in distress and unable to eat or drink the fencing does not seem to be preventing this buck from doing those activities. Bucks lose their antlers every year in the winter so soon he’ll shed both antler and fence.

Bob Shuller was deer hunting with a group of hunters when he was struck in the neck and leg with buckshot pellets. The group was hunting in an area near the boat ramp at Farrington Point around 10 am when the accidental shooting happened. While the circumstances around how this accident happened have not been released this is an area hunters often to deer drives. A deer drive is where hunters walk through brushy area attempting to force deer past standing hunters. While some states have outlawed this style of hunting deer drives are legal in North Carolina. Driving deer can be dangerous especially if hunters are not sure of where each other are and a deer runs between them. Bob Shuller under went emergency surgery as a result of his injuries his condition is unknown at this time. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Enforcement Division is investigating the shooting and will present the information to Chatham County Prosecutors for a decision on whether or not to bring charges against the shooter.

There is only a few days left in the deer season so lets be careful folks as we bring the season to a close.

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is located in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. In an earlier post I shared some of the photos I took while hiking around the island with my camera in tote. Saturday Morning was very foggy, do I dare say as thick as Pea Soup, with occasional showers passing through. My wife was accompanying me so we decided to try out a photo blind that one of the volunteers at the visitor center had told me about the day before.

I was glad to see there was no one else there when we got there but the truth of the matter is it’s pretty large in 6 to 8 people could fit in there pretty comfortably. A fully enclosed blind with a roof and benches makes for a comfortable morning of shooting photographs. The conditions were less then ideal but even with the fog I think I got some pretty good shots.

I missed the first flock of Canadian Geese that flew in but I was ready when I heard more coming. They just busted through the fog right in front of the blind giving me a great shot. The blind is right on the waters edge so you can get some great shots and it appears to be a spot that a good variety of birds like to feed.

We had a great morning and even though my wife doesn’t run the camera much she had a great time observing the birds. So if your get the chance check out the Outer Banks and don’t forget about Pea Island and all the stuff there is to see. As a reminder for the next little bit Moose’s Wild America will be featuring many of the photos I shot while at Pea Island and the Outer Banks.

Imagine a man being placed in a bear proof cube along a bear trail waiting for a wild bear to happen along to see what happens. Well that is what Discovery Channel wants you to believe in their Documentary “Bear Feeding Frenzy” but what they suggest is not exactly the truth. The “documentary” was filmed inside a fenced in area with captive bears in Alaska. I guess we should be somewhat relieved that these were not wild bears because their actions would have gone a long way in training these bears in seeing humans as food.

State wildlife biologists call the self-proclaimed “documentary” misleading and worse. The bear authority who worked with the filmmakers says he got snookered. And some average citizens — taken in by the show’s appearance of having been filmed in the wild — are outraged that television producers would be teaching grizzlies to attack life-like dummies, tear into tents and break into SUVs.

“I was horrified as I watched this guy sitting in a “predator proof” Plexiglas box ultimately train wild grizzly bears to maul a mannequin, break into a car and tear down tents while he is yelling ‘hey bear … hey bear!’ What do you suppose will happen when one of these ‘conditioned’ bears steps out on a gravel bar with a hiker or fisherman who calmly tries to yield ground while saying, ‘hey bear,’ ” said Alaska angler Jim Hamblet.

Even the bear expert they hired and used was upset about the final production.

“Yeah, what a stupid program,” said Tom Smith, a professor of wildlife at Brigham Young University in Utah, a former bear researcher for the U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska, and the man who served as the bear consultant on Frenzy. Smith appears in the film at times with Douglas in the box.

He regrets it now.

“It seemed innocent enough, and then they put it together,” Smith said. “There is some hokey stuff in there. On the one hand, you want to do some good; on the other hand, you get burned. It was kind of a bad deal.”

Smith said he wrote an angry letter to producers of the show, Gurney Productions in Hollywood, after he got a look at what they had done and told them that if nothing else they needed to let people know “this was filmed at the Wildlife Conservation Center.”

Letting wild bears attack life-like dummies, or serving the animals food choices as Frenzy also does, would be “unethical if not illegal,” Smith said.

Feeding penned bears and offering them dummies is just misleading. Right down to that attack on Billy.

ADN

The photo I’ve posted with this story is one I took at Big Game Alaska Wildlife Center where I believe this documentary was filmed. A wildlife center that cares for injured animals with many of them being held in captivity never to be released because of their injuries. I’m sure that these bears will not be released but at the same time I don’t think you can view the actions of bears being held in captivity and realistically think this will be the same way wild bears will react.

Makes me wonder if Shark Week is filmed at Sea World.

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is located on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and is the winter ground of many species of waterfowl. I had the opportunity to slip down there for a few days and had a wonderful time. The weather here in North Carolina is unseasonable warm but it does make it comfortable for hiking and exploring around Pea Island. Pea Island is just south of the Bonner Bridge, an barrier island about 13 miles long and about only a mile wide at it’s widest point.

There are a number of hiking trails with great observation points, observation towers, photo blinds, and places to stop and view wildlife. I was able to observe and photography a wide variety of birds. Friday was the better day by far Saturday. Friday afternoon we saw lots of birds as we hiked around the island.

Pea Island is a great place for anyone that loves the outdoors while I was focused on photography there are a variety of other activities for people to including surf fishing which seemed to be a popular activity.

Friday evening the rain rolled in so Saturday we awoke to light showers and heavy fog. That helped make the decision as to where we should go easy so we headed for the photography blind. Tomorrow I’ll share the blind experience with you and some of the photos I took. Many of the photos I took will end up on my wildlife photography blog Moose’s Wild America so be sure to stop by and check it out.

Once again Rex over at the Deer Camp Blog has put together a Christmas Card with a bunch of outdoor blogger’s photos. It brings back memories of the “Where’s Waldo Puzzles” so in that light can ya find my photo? I’ll give you a clue I’m not wearing a ball cap. So check it out and see if you can find my ugly mug in his card.

This month is the third year anniversary of the launching of my blog. When I started blogging there was very few blogs dedicated to the outdoors. Initially Moose Droppings was on another network and I moved over to Skinny Moose about 5 months latter. I started Moose Droppings initially to collect the stories I told and posted over a number of message forums. The turn over on the forums was so quick that often times these stories were lost or at least difficult to find. Currently any story I have posted over the years is still available in the achieves. I often look back to see what was going on a year or two ago and often is a reference for planning out hunting trips. A new feature that was added this year often pulls up previous stories and posts links at the end of the story so readers can look back. I hope you try those links from time to time I know I find it entertaining to look back at some of the older stories.
The blog has evolved over the years with more outdoor news, trophy animals taken in North Carolina, and major outdoor news events especially those in the Southeast. We have been involvled in educating people on important issues, politics, and those things that may or could effect the outdoors we love. In the early days there was a small amount of traffic but things have picked up and I’m grateful for my faithful readers.
I hope you enjoy Moose Droppings as much as I like writing it.

As we start the 4th year if your a regular you noticed this month the blog got a bit of a face lift. Additionally I plan to add some regular features after the first of the year that I think will be exciting. As always I enjoy the feedback and the comments I get from my readers so keep sending them. You can always email me with any story ideas, comments or questions at Moosesign@aol.com

Don’t forget that I also have another blog Moose’s Wild America that is dedicated to my love of photography and the outdoors.

Thanks to all my outdoor blogging friends I won’t try to list them all because I’m sure I would leave someone out. Rest assured if you visit Skinny Moose or Outdoor Bloggers Summit you’ve met many of them. You inspire and encourage me and I hope I do the same for you as well.
-Moose-

I hope everyone has a nice Christmas and takes out some time today to reflect on the true meaning of the celebration.

Luke 2

1Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.

2This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

3And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.

4Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,

5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.

6While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.

7And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.

9And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.

10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;

11for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

12″This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14″Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

15When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”

16So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.

17When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.

18And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.

19But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.

20The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Lets not forget to say a prayer for those who are in harms way defending our freedoms and certainly not forget the sacrifices many have made to defend freedom.

Merry Christmas
-Moose-

Osprey I Photographed In Yellowstone

The Osprey, or the fish hawk is an interesting creature to watch as it snatches fish out of the water. North Carolinian’s may have some added places to observe Osprey’s if the nesting platforms work.

four osprey nesting platforms were erected on Lake James as part of an ongoing effort by the North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF) to help conserve and improve the osprey populations within the Catawba River basin.

The current population of osprey has migrated to South America for the winter but when they return, they will have their pick of the newest lake front property built just for them. The platforms are made of metal and attached to 45- foot poles that Lancaster Dock (www.lancasterdock.com) erected with their barge.

The initial four osprey nest sites are adjacent to islands and state park lands offering good observation vantage points for lake users while providing the osprey safe refuge from predators such as raccoons and black snakes.

Citizens Times

My first encounter with an Osprey was while I was in College in Massachusetts, a buddy and I were fishing in a remote pond where unknown to us a pair had taken up nesting in the area. The first time one of those Osprey’s dove in to grab a fish it startled both Brian and I and we are lucky that we didn’t flip the canoe. I don’t remember if we caught much but we had a lot of fun watching those birds fish.

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has an interesting fact sheet on the Osprey.

In what seems to me to be an unbelievable feat, Todd Carmichael solo hiked to the South Pole. I stumbled across this story in the Philly Inquirer but of course my fellow blogger Jason Hendricks over at The Adventurist is all over this story.

In his journey of 39 days, Carmichael, 45, also became one of only a handful of people to complete the more than 700-mile trek solo, slogging more than 18 miles a day across the Earth’s most unforgiving terrain, climbing from sea level to nearly 10,000 feet.

He arrived at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station at 4:10 p.m. EST yesterday 97 years and one week after polar explorer Roald Amundsen first claimed the achievement.

While I don’t have much of a desire to make such a trip I’m amazed at those who can brave these conditions and make the trek. I hope he set the land speed record I guess it will be a few days before we know if he succeeded in breaking the speed record.

On Nov. 12, Carmichael pushed off from Hercules Inlet at 80 degrees south latitude, the usual starting point for such Antarctic expeditions. Carmichael is challenging the record of 39 days, 9 hours and 33 minutes set by Hannah McKeand of Britain in 2006. Yesterday, Carmichael’s support team was unsure of his start time; he appeared to have finished within an hour of McKeand’s time.