I came across this amazing series of photos involving and injured Bison and a grizzly inside of Yellowstone National Park on the Outdoor Life Website. The bison had multiple burns over a significant amount of his body probably from an encounter with a geyser or one of the many thermal pools in the area. I’m impressed that the photographer was able to stand his ground and get the shots I’d like to think I could do the same. That had to be a sight to see them rumbling down the road towards you. Check out the photos over at OL and I will warn that some are a bit graphic.

Red Wolf or Coyote? Maybe a bit of both

The News and Observer article the other day about red wolf reintroduction into North Carolina had a few people ask me about my thoughts. Well that certainly is a loaded question mainly because I’m not convinced what has been released as a red wolf is really a red wolf. No doubt it has wolf in it but it also has coyote in it as well. Myself I believe they are better described as a supped up coyote. While I know many will disagree with me I’m just not sure the federal government should be stocking in something that is not what they claim it is.
Now am I opposed to restoring wolves or other predators to ranges where they once were? No if it is done reasonably but that never seems how it is done. I do not believe predators should be stocked in to replaces man’s role at the top of the food chain. While there is room for both where the issue comes in that many of the supporters of restoration efforts want to allow these populations to grow unchecked we only have to look at western United States to see that.
Well anyone that knows me knows how much I like to turkey hunt so the main thrust of the article must make me happy;

Wolves’ role in helping these ground-nesting birds is well known, Rabon said. Raccoons eat the birds’ eggs, and red wolves prey on raccoons. More wolves mean fewer raccoons, and fewer raccoons mean more quail and turkey. Connecting the dots, more wolves mean more birds.
Effects like this aren’t unique to Eastern North Carolina. Research from around the globe, compiled in an article in the journal Science last month, shows just how deeply large predators like wolves and cougars are connected to the ecosystems where they live.
If predators vanish or reappear, even plants and soil might feel the effects. Predators play a crucial role in shaping the landscape.

I’m really not surprised the red wolf / coyote help many of the birds including turkeys. Other predators have gone pretty much unchecked with trapping becoming a politically incorrect activity and hunting of coons certainly not as popular as it once was. West Virginia did a five year wild turkey survival study and found that only one study turkey was taken by a coyote suggesting the coyote did not negatively impact the wild turkey population. Given that study the red wolf / coyote in eastern North Carolina most likely has some positive effects on turkey and quail populations.
Of course with anything in nature something has to give especially if the red wolf has federal protection and the population continues to expand. The protection is hard to enforce giving that the red wolf stocked in had coyote in its dna already and they will breed with coyotes making it impossible for anyone to prove if the critter in question is a red wolf or a coyote. That is my opinion and should not be taken as legal advice for sure. I hunt pretty infrequently in the red wolf territory but if you do you better educate yourself on the red wolf.
Red Wolf Id Card

Bottom line whatever you choose to call it the red wolf / coyote is having some positive impacts but a check with local farmers I’m sure they have some negative impacts these critters are causing.

Coyotes can be found in all counties in North Carolina

Coyotes are present in all 100 counties of North Carolina and by all suggestions their population is growing. The expansion of the coyote is a success story of sorts and really the coyote population has exploded across the country. I say of sorts because the coyote is a formidable predator and left unchecked can do significant damage to crops, livestock, pets and wildlife. One only has to look at how fast the coyote claimed habitat in this state to realize how fast it is expanding.

In the early 1980s, coyotes were in only a handful of North Carolina counties. Today they’re in all 100.

“They’re extremely intelligent,” said Thomas Padgett, a Wildlife Resources Commission biologist who oversees nine eastern North Carolina counties, including Brunswick.

Though state coyote population numbers weren’t available, officials agree they are a force to be reckoned with.

“There’s no question in my mind that they’re expanding and that they’re becoming more of a problem,” said David Marshall, the state veterinarian.

Star News

The coyote population is at a point now in the state where they are becoming problematic in some areas. Farmers are experiencing livestock losses and they are resorting to a number of techniques to reduce their losses. One only has to drive through the countryside and see the donkeys mixed in with the cattle in the pastures to realize how popular an option they have become.

Pearly Vereen has kept donkeys in his cattle pastures to protect 200 cattle and calves. He’s up to eight donkeys.

“I try to keep at least two in every pasture the cows are at,” he said.

Before he brought the donkeys in, he lost eight or 10 calves to coyotes. He hasn’t lost a single calf since his donkeys have been on the case, but Vereen has still noticed coyotes at work.

“They’re about to destroy the deer population,” he said. He’s heard how they’ll prey on chicken farms. “If they get started on them, you got to kill them or they’ll clean you out,” he said. “They find food, they’re coming back after it.”

As hunters and trappers we should offer to help landowners especially farmers in controlling coyotes along with other species that are causing damage. Coyotes can be hunted year round in North Carolina and there is a variety of techniques one can use to hunt coyotes. The big thing with coyotes is changing up methods is probably the best advice because they are a pretty smart critter and will catch on quick.

Possums seem to be one of the most adaptable critters probably with the exception of the cockroach. Like most my encounters are usually on the road at night but I do occasionally encounter them around the house or at work. I came across this informative article this morning and thought it worth highlighting out here.

The Virginia opossum, Didelphis virginiana, is one of the more familiar and widespread mammals in the United States, found coast to coast, up into Canada and down into Costa Rica, in fields and sheds, city parks and the urban alleys, and all too often as roadkill on highways. The opossum is generally lumped together in the public mind with raccoons, squirrels, skunks and other workaday wildlife of more or less house-cat dimensions, but scientists emphasize that Didelphis is a fundamentally different animal, as singular in its evolutionary history as it is solitary in its habits.

Charlotte Observer

Check out the rest of the article and learn about our nocturnal neighbor

Wild Mountain Lion Killed in Connecticut

The debate about the presence of wild mountain lions along the east coast has just gotten new life with the confirmation of a wild mountain being killed in Connecticut of all places. Many stories of encounters with cougars or mountain lions have been circulating for years but little physical evidence has been offered to support these stories.

A mountain lion killed on a Connecticut highway last month had apparently walked halfway across the country from South Dakota, according to Connecticut environmental officials who said Tuesday that the journey of roughly 2,000 miles was one of the longest ever recorded for a land mammal.

The animal originated in the Black Hills region of South Dakota and was tracked by DNA from its hair and droppings as it passed through Minnesota and Wisconsin in 2009 and 2010, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Daniel Esty said at a news conference.

Biologists estimate the size of the mountain lion population at about 100,000 in North America, mostly living in western regions and seldom traveling more than 100 miles. It was the first confirmed wild mountain lion in Connecticut in more than 100 years.

Middle Town Press
Most wildlife agencies over the years have blamed sightings on mistaken identity or escaped animals.
The mountain lion killed in Connecticut migrated east from South Dakota making the case that western mountain lions could make it this far east.

Authorities initially believed it was a captive animal that escaped, but tests showed that it was not neutered or declawed and it had no implanted microchips, which are commonly used in domestic animals.

Tests also determined it was likely the same one that had been seen earlier in Greenwich, Conn., a New York City suburb 30 miles away. The death was followed by a flurry of big cat sightings in the suburbs of Connecticut, but experts dismissed most of them as unreliable. Government experts say no native mountain lions are believed to live in Connecticut.

The coyote is believed by many to have expanded east to explain how they have rapidly have taken over every county in the state of NC. I believe there are some more likely explanation but if that is the case will the western mountain lion be that far behind?

Travis Long - tlong@newsobserver.com A red-tailed hawk dries its wings after an afternoon rain on a rooftop perch on McDowell Street in downtown Raleigh. "They're OK as long as we're OK watching them eat a squirrel in front of us," says John Gerwin, curator of birds at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences.

Three species of raptor now thrive on the densest, tallest, most traffic-choked blocks of downtown Raleigh, stalking rodents, birds and bugs in an urban version of Wild Kingdom.

The most successful of these urban birds of prey, red-tailed hawks, can be spotted looming down from three or four of the city’s highest rooftops nearly every afternoon.

This spring, a family successfully nested on the steeple of First Baptist Church, raising three chicks while thousands of pedestrians watched from Salisbury Street below.

N&O

Having raptors in the city is pretty cool and a great opportunity for city dwellers to see some unique wildlife action in the concrete jungle.

Fox that I'm seeing around my home

NCWRC offers some advice on fox encounters after all the recent news stories about people seeing foxes during the day.

* Don’t feed wild animals – they can lose their fear of people.
* Make sure you are not indirectly feeding wildlife – by cleaning up pet food, securing trash in an animal-proof container, keeping barbecue grills clean and removing bird feeders.
* Establish protective barriers to keep wildlife from entering basements, crawl spaces, attics and beneath decks, where they might build nests or dens.
* Secure pets or keep them indoors. Dogs can disturb dens, prompting aggressive behavior from the foxes.
* Clear overhanging tree limbs or other means of access that wildlife can use to enter a structure.
* Clear fallen fruit from around trees.
* Annually inspect property to identify food problems and other areas that need to be fixed before an issue begins.
* Encourage neighbors to follow these same methods.

Many people believe seeing a fox of a raccoon during the day is a sure sign they are sick which is not always the case. Many of them have babies to feed so they hunt longer plus with longer days and shorter nights of summer they have a time crunch to hunt only in the dark. I’m seeing both foxes and coons in the middle of the day around the house right now and none of them appear to be ill. Of course they are wild animals so people should give them space and avoid getting close to them.

Momma coon with babies at game feeder in woods behind my house.

Black bear I encountered in NH

On Wednesday school officials put two schools in Garner on lock down because a bear was seen in the neighborhoods around the schools. I guess the threat of a bear pulling a Columbine is one that I had not considered. I guess I should give the officials a break because like snow falling from the sky bears wandering through the area is an event that will bring all other activities to a halt.

“I was surprised, because you don’t usually hear tell of bears around here,” said Lenwood Hunt, who lives near Garner Magnet High School where the bear was spotted.
Police who saw the animal said it appeared to be an adult black bear, about 4 feet tall when walking on all four legs. They said it didn’t appear to be aggressive but urged people to leave it alone.
“I’m guessing (it weighed) about 200 pounds. It wasn’t no Boo-Boo Bear, by any means,” said Clint Ferrell, referring to the animated Yogi Bear’s smaller friend.
Police said they believe the bear lives in a wooded area along Old Stage Road, near Hall Boulevard, and was trying to head back there after wandering away.
Animal Control, wildlife and police officers were keeping tabs on the bear but weren’t planning on chasing or capturing it.

WRAL
I guess it shouldn’t surprise me but a number of folks have asked me about the recent bear sightings and what they should do. I guess they figure I’m some type of an expert because I’ll grab my camera and wander into the brush after a bear about every chance I get. For the most part if you leave them alone they’ll just move on. A number of people I’ve talked to feel the bear should be captured and moved and a few feel the authorities should shoot it. Neither of these are very good ideas the days of moving bears are for the most part over because no matter how far you move them they’ll find their way back. If they don’t make it back whatever attracted them to an area will just attract others.
If you don’t want bears around remove as much food sources you can from around your home. Granted our burgeoning deer population and the fact the does are dropping fawns right now is a ready food source for the bears. The majority of the bears we see around here are young males forced out of their home range looking for a new home.
They have little desire to live in our suburbia and are just passing through.
Today brought additional sightings in Raleigh of a bear. Officials believe it is a different bear then the one seen yesterday that was less than 5 miles from where this bear turned up. I think it is more likely the same bear trying to figure how the heck to get out of here.
All of these sightings are near my house so trust me I got my camera ready and I’m ready to get some photos. I’m not afraid of snow nor am I afraid of bears but maybe I better stock up on milk and bread in case I get beared in this weekend.

Check out this amazing video from BBC showing the flight abilities of a Goshawk. I’ve seen hawks hunting squirrels in the woods and wondered how the heck they flew through the cover to even get a crack at the squirrel. Now I have a better understanding thanks to this video and Field & Stream for posting it up.

Sports fishermen off the coast of North Carolina have been witness to an unusual event with a pod of killer whales working the waters. A specie that is more often seen in the Pacific ocean they can be found in just about every ocean in the world. Epic Blitz has the entire story and videos that is worth checking out.

so I grab my popping rod and work the popper about two pops and bam I get nailed by another large tuna. The fish takes off and I start working on it. It didn’t seem as big as the first fish I hooked and I got her under control. I almost had her at color when we saw to the left the pod of Orca’s coming towards us and the fish. Greg said ugh ohh and next thing I know the Orcas took a big breath and dove. As soon as they dove my Tuna took off for the the horizon. These Orcas were after my Tuna WTF do I do? Well about 150 yards out we see a huge explosion and the largest of the group of Orca’s nails the Tuna. I didn’t see all of it as I was kinda working on fighting the fish but everyone else did. Unfortunately we don’t have video of all of this but Greg wasnt sure the Orca had the Tuna so I handed him the rod and I started taking video. He realized once he got tight and the Orca came to the surface again that she had the Tuna. Captain Jaime saw it even better than we did.

Wow this is an amazing story and to think it happened off our coast is even more amazing. North Carolina has some spectacular fishing opportunities just can’t promise you’ll see anything like this.