What Are They Talking About? Predators Have No Effect On Elk Populations!

This can’t be true! If you read or listen to what the lovers of predators have to say, these scavenging, murdering animals we call predators have no real affect on wild ungulate herds, other than what they believe to be selective harvesting of the weak and disabled and making the preyed upon become “more wild”. This is where we would insert the Disney theme song of “When you wish upon a star. Makes no difference who you are.” La, la, la, la…….

Okay, so I’m feeling a bit nasty and cynical this morning. And with that I’m taking a story and making an attempt to spin it into something bigger and more controversial than it really is but I do have a point to make. Read more

EHD Outbreak Widespread And Following Drought

As most hunters are aware, several states are experiencing outbreaks of EHD (Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease). To date, states involved are, Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey and Montana. In those states, some are experiencing widespread outbreaks while others are sporadic. Either way, it appears that this year’s outbreak is one that could be classified as the most widespread in some years.

J.R. Absher, the Newshound, and I sent a couple emails back and forth this morning about what’s happening with EHD. In one of my emails, I asked J.R. if this was what he would consider a large outbreak from his years of experience in the field. What he told me was that in a previous article he mentioned that he had talked with a friend of his, Doug Markham, information officer for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, about this year’s outbreak.

My good friend Doug Markham, information officer for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, dropped me an email over the weekend saying it’s as bad as he’s ever seen it in his 20 years with the agency.

Some especially hard-hit areas of the Volunteer State could lose half their deer to EHD this year, Markham speculated.

One other thing that J.R. mentioned was that it seemed that the EHD outbreak was following a similar path as this summer’s drought. I’ll have to do some investigating to see if I can find out if that is a common occurrence.

In the meantime, we all need to be praying for some frost and freezes to kill this thing off.

Tom Remington

84% Of North Carolinians Approve Of Hunting

There’s a new report out from the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses and the North Carolina State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, that shows that 84% of North Carolina residents approve of hunting - 95% for fishing. That same report says that 83% believe that hunting and fishing are a necessary part of a scientific management program for wildlife.

These figures don’t surprise me any because I have seen similar figures before and have used them in arguments with those who toss in the face of hunters and fishermen that there are more of them than us. In their argument, they are right in that far fewer people buy hunting and fishing licenses than don’t but the bottom line has always been the public support for the activities and this, once again, proves that support is strong.

I believe that this report out of North Carolina is representative of probably every state in the Union.

Read more about this report here.

Tom Remington

Appalachian Houndsmen Association

There’s an enthusiastic group that has formed a brand new organization called the Appalachian Houndsmen Association. Even though they aspire to eventually become a nationwide entity, their focus right now is on Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. The club’s motto pretty much tells what’s on their mind.

Preserving the Houndsmen’s Heritage for the Next Generation in Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina.

If a lot of you are like me, when you read or hear the word hound, a whole array of mental images crop up in your head. I spent some time browsing around their new website in order to get a better idea of what the Houndsmen were all about. I found out it isn’t just coon dogs nor is it rabbit dogs or bear hunting dogs. It’s all about every kind of dog you can imagine that’s used in the varied hunting and outdoor sports including breeding of sporting dogs as well. Read what the website says about what they are all about.

The Appalachian Houndsmen Association is an association that was started on the basis of joining together all of our clubs from all the different hunting areas to be able to unite(sic) as one large voice to stand up and fight to protect our hunting and breeding rights. We want members from all types of dog hunting, coon hunters, big game hunters, beaglers, fox hunters and bird hunters. We need everyone to be able to make our voice heard. As our motto states “Preserving Our Hunting Heritage for the next Generation”, is a large and bold undertaking and this cannot be accomplished by one person or one club or one group of hunters. Together as a united group we can fight and be heard.

The reason for a united front comes because of the increased pressure from anti-hunting and animal rights groups. I see the AHA is taking action to speak up in support of what they do and the long time heritage associated with it. More and more people are learning as have the AHA that the only ones that are going to fight for what you believe in is you, so they are banding together.

One of the issues that AHA is involved in is support of a bill in South Carolina that would permit the use of dogs in hunting and training for bears. That bill is H3258. There has been opposition to this bill by some anti-hunting and animal rights groups and leaders of the AHA are encouraging its members to contact all the South Carolina representatives and Senate Wildlife Committee members.

There’s more to the Appalachian Houndsmen Association than just getting people together to fight for rights. Their website is soliciting much needed membership to help the cause. There’s also a busy schedule of events including a lot of shows and qualifying competitions and they have plans to start a youth moment within the organization called “PUPS“.

It is clear to me that this new group has a firm grasp and understanding of the importance of hunting as part of our American heritage. They want to work hard to guarantee that heritage to the next generation and they need your help. I would suggest that first you visit their website and learn more about them. There you will find contact information and how you can become a member and get involved. Don’t wait until it’s too late and above all else, don’t wait and let someone else do all the work. Get involved.

Tom Remington

Bear Being Transported Out Of North Carolina

Dan at Moose Droppings has a story of how and why the bear in North Carolina are being moved again to protect the slowly growing elk herd. He’s got some great photos as well, as Dan is a decent amateur shutter bug.

Tom Remington