Email Update: Migratory Game Bird Seasons Set

RALEIGH, N.C. (July 8) – The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has approved the season dates for dove and other webless migratory The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has approved the season dates for dove and other webless migratory game birds, as well as September seasons for Canada geese and teal.

Each year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides frameworks from which to choose the seasons and the Commission selects the actual dates within these guidelines. The Commission allowed public input on the seasons throughout June on its website, www.ncwildlife.org.

The 2010–11 seasons for webless migratory game birds and waterfowl early seasons are:

• Mourning and white-winged dove: Sept. 4 – Oct 9; Nov. 22 – Nov. 27; and Dec. 18 – Jan. 14; daily bag of 15 and possession limit of 30
• King and clapper rails: Sept. 4 – Nov. 12; daily bag of 15 and possession limit of 30
• Sora and Virginia rails: Sept. 4 – Nov. 12; daily bag of 25 and possession limit of 25
• Gallinule and moorhens: Sept. 4 – Nov. 12; daily bag of 15 and possession limit of 30
• Woodcock: Dec 31 – Jan. 29; daily bag of three and possession limit of six
• Common snipe: Nov. 12 – Feb. 26; daily bag of eight and possession limit of 16
• Canada goose: Sept. 1 – 30 (statewide); daily bag of 15 and possession limit of 30
• September teal season:  Sept. 11 – 29 (East of U.S. 17 only); daily bag of four and possession limit of eight. Species include green-winged, blue-winged and cinnamon teal.

With several exceptions, shooting hours for all species are from a half hour before sunrise until sunset. For doves, shooting hours are from noon until sunset on Sept. 4 only and from a half hour before sunrise until sunset thereafter. For Canada geese, only during the month of September and only in that area west of U.S. Hwy. 17, shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset. In addition to the extended shooting hours for Canada geese, unplugged guns and electronic calls will be allowed for Canada geese in that area west of U.S. Hwy. 17 and only during the month of September.

The Commission also approved 2010–11 extended falconry season dates for webless species, which are:

• Dove: Oct. 16 – Nov. 20
• King, clapper, sora and Virginia rails: Nov. 20 – Dec. 25
• Gallinule and moorhens: Nov. 20 – Dec. 25
• Woodcock: Nov. 13 – Dec. 30 and Jan. 31 – Feb. 26.

Falconry hours for all species are from a half hour before sunrise until sunset, except doves on Sept. 4, when falconry hours run from noon until sunset. Falconers are permitted to take a daily bag of three migratory game birds and may also hunt during the applicable gun seasons.

In late August, the Commission will establish regular waterfowl seasons for ducks, geese and swans.

6.18.2010 Survival

It's been almost a year since I accepted a new career path and we packed up everything and moved overseas. We love our new home but hunting and fishing opportunities are nonexistent and to be honest I am having outdoor withdrawals. It's interesting, sometimes pathetic even, some of the measures I have taken to cope with this malady. Below are some examples:

• We bought an aquarium for our apartment. Some days I will stare at the fish for hours at a time, wondering what lures, tippet sizes, etc. it would take to catch one.
• We visited a local zoo in town. I spent 45 minutes making clucks and purrs trying to entice a couple toms to gobble.  The locals thought I was crazy.  The toms fell in love.
• I took possession of my boys' Wii for a week and spent an hour or so each night chasing prey on their Cabelas hunting game.  My thumbs are still swollen. 
• Our satellite has a channel that shows fishing infomericals 24/7. I have them all memorized...in Italian.
• My Bone Collectors, Realtree Roadtrips, Trout Bum Diaries and Duck Commander DVD's have been watched so many times the grooves on the discs are almost worn smooth.
• I found an outdoor magazine, written in English (real English...from England) only to find out it contained an article on skinny dipping, complete with pictures, once I got it home.  The missus censored it with a pair of sharp scissors.
• We have some doves that hang out around the house.  I have them patterned just in case the government lifts the ban on BB guns and casting nets. 

If you have some tips for surviving long term absences from the outdoors be sure to send an email or post a comment!  In the meantime pray for me to cope!
heel

Email Update: N.C. Wildlife News Brief

2010-11 Regulations Digest and Season Information

Beginning this year, the inland fishing, hunting and trapping regulations digest, as well as season dates, will be effective Aug. 1 to July 31, instead of July 1 to June 30.
The 2009-10 regulations and season dates will remain in effect until July 31.
The 2010-2011 N.C. Inland Fishing, Hunting & Trapping Regulations Digests will be available Aug.1.
These changes are the result of the agency’s adoption of a new rulemaking cycle schedule. For more information, see the New Rulemaking Cycle FAQ.

Boating

Operation Dry Water, a national weekend of boating sobriety detection and enforcement aimed at reducing alcohol-related accidents and fatalities, is June 25-27. In North Carolina, a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher is against the law and carries a maximum penalty of $1,000 and possible jail time.
Operation Dry Water is organized by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and the U.S. Coast Guard. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, assisted by partner law enforcement agencies, leads the North Carolina campaign.
Throughout the summer, wildlife enforcement officers will conduct an ongoing “Boat Safe, Boat Sober” campaign to increase public awareness of the dangers of alcohol consumption on the water and enforce boating sobriety laws.

Fishing
Purchase Fishing License
If you’re headed to the coast, particularly for the popular and busy July 4 week, you should purchase your saltwater fishing license before you leave home to avoid potential long lines at tackle and bait shops, sporting good stores and other wildlife service agent locations along the coast.
You can purchase a license by:
Calling the Wildlife Resources Commission at (888) 248-6834. Hours of operation are 8 a.m.-5 p.m., 7 days a week.
Going to the Wildlife Resources Commission’s website, www.ncwildlife.org, and clicking on the yellow “Purchase License” button at the top left side of the page.
Visiting a local Wildlife Service Agent. Most are located in bait-and-tackle shops, hunting and sporting good stores and larger chain stores.
Free Fishing Day
July 4 is designated as a free fishing day in North Carolina, meaning anyone —resident or non-resident — can fish for free in any public water, including coastal waters, without a license. All other fishing regulations, including length and daily possession limits, as well as bait and tackle restrictions, apply.
To find a fishing spot near you, visit the Commission's website for a list of more than 500 free fishing-access areas across the state.

Hunting
Small Game Awards
Do you know a person or organization whose actions have positively impacted North Carolina’s small game population? Nominate them for the annual Diedrick Small Game award.
In the individual category, previous award winners were landowners who improved and integrated small game habitat into their forestry or farming operations. In the organization category, award winners have included corporations, government agencies, and non-government organizations whose actions improved small game habitat.
For more information on how to nominate someone, see the press release on our website.
Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
The Commission has completed work on the Chowan River Bridge Public Fishing and Boating Access Area, and scheduled a ribbon-cutting ceremony for 10:30 a.m. June 18 at the bridge. The media and public are invited to attend.

3.12.10 All About the Groceries

I was thinking the other day about how important food is to a culture.  It seems each community celebrates its own recipes and dishes.  So it is with the outdoor community.  Much of the outdoor experience revolves around the breaking of bread.
Breakfast
Ahhhh, the most important meal of the day and probably even more so for the outdoorsmen.  If you don't start the day off with a good meal you're gonna hit the wall pretty quick.  Although there are much healthier choices, many of my mornings afield have started with a biscuit from either Hardees, Bojangles or Biscuitville (yes "Biscutville").  More often than not its a breakfast bar and a banana. When there's time or opportunity, the full-blown country affair with grits and gravy and eggs and some type of meat that originated from a pig is always good.  Me and the kids love Neese's Liverpudding but my wife won't touch the stuff. 
Snack Foods
If you don't have snacks crammed in your tackle box or in you hunting jacket I question your sanity!  Here are some my favorites:
Lance Crackers, Toast Chee to be more specific.  My dad called 'em "nabs" and always had them, Vienna sausages and something with Little Debbie on the label, either Oatmeal Creme Pies or Swiss Cake Rolls, or something along those lines.  I tried the sausages a couple times but preferred those bright orange crackers. 
Crisp Braeburn Apples - I can eat a Roma, Granny Smith or just about any type apple but if you want to know my favorite it's gotta be Braeburns. 
Trail Mix - Composed o the usual suspects; Raisins, almonds, peanuts, m&m's, dried apricots or bananas, etc. 
Lunch
The mid-day meal is usually something from a local, preferably hole-in-the-wall type, restaurant.  The Burger Shack in Mt.Gilead for burgers or fried chicken, BBQ from Lexington #1 and El's Drive-In in Morehead City for a shrimp burger are a couple great examples. 
Supper
This is the meal where you get to cook what you caught or killed.  Some of my favorites are:
Bluefish, drum, speckled trout, flounder, etc lightly coated w/House Autry, fried and served with homemade hushpuppies, a fresh salad and whatever fresh fruit is in season.
Grilled dove breasts (wrapped in bacon) w/grilled squash and garlic mashed potatoes.
Venison chili w/blocks of sharp cheddar and slices of apple.
Crappie fillets w/cheese grits, french cut green beans w/sliced almonds.
Basically anything cooked over an open fire, in a dutch oven or iron skillet.
Would love to continue this post but have worked up quite a hunger and need to go raid the refrigerator.  Bon appetit!

11.14.09 Daddy's Outdoor Education Academy

At least once per year I knock the dust off my well-worn copy of The Old Man and the Boy and read Robert Ruark's wonderful novel centered around the life of a young boy growing up in rural North Carolina. In Ruark's work, the boy's grandfather, or "old man," takes him under his wing, teaching him everything from marksmanship to ethics.
Just four pages into the book is this great quote. "The thing I like best about the Old Man is that he's willing to talk about what he knows, and he never talks down to a kid, which is me, who wants to know things. When you are as old as the Old Man, you know a lot of things that you forget you ever know, because they've been a part of you for so long. You forget that a young'un hasn't had a start on the world as you did, and you don't bother to spread information around. You forget that other people might be curious about what you already knew and forgot." With impeccable insight Ruark points out what's lacking in modern society...mentorship.
Last month as I was reading The Old Man for what was probably the tenth time, it occurred to me that without his grandfather's "investment" in his life, the young man would have been clueless in many ways, including but not limited to his prowess afield.
I also got to thinking about the things I want my boys, and girl, to learn as they progress through Daddy's Outdoor Education Academy. Here are ten of those things:

1. Sporting etiquette & safety.
2. The proper way to sharpen a knife or broadheads.
3. Sighting in a rifle or bow.
4. Field dressing game and cleaning fish.
5. Starting and subsequently cooking over a fire.
6. Reloading ammo and fletching arrows.
7. Casting with a fly rod, tying simple flies.
8. Cleaning a firearm.
9. Throwing a casting net.
10. Truck, ATV, boat, etc. maintenance.

Of course these things are merely a portion of the vast array of necessary knowledge and they pale in comparison to the most important thing I can teach them...about God. Here are some great Scriptures that point to the necessity of this type of training:

• Deuteronomy 6:5-7 "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children."
• Psalm 71:18 "Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come."
• Psalm 78:4 "We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, His power, and the wonders he has done."
• Proverbs 22:6 "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."
• Ephesians 6:4 "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."