The rut is over, but your archery tag isn’t filled yet. Now what? Here’s some worthy advice for late-season bowhunting.

Minus-5 degrees would not have been terribly bad, but the wind-chill factor dropped the count by another 20 degrees.

The end of the season was near, so whatever conditions Mother Nature dished out, it was time for Andy Newton and his 13-year-old son, Adam, to get serious. This particular winter was making up for previous mild ones. The rural landscape was covered with knee-deep snow, and drifts in many farm fields were waist-deep.

For the Newtons, however, the stage was set. Andy had left a couple acres of standing soybeans and plowed tractor-width paths through the snow to field-edge tree stands. These cleared trails looked like deer highways in the soybeans.

More Here

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By Scott Nicholson
Several local and regional waterways faced proposed fishing and designation changes under proposals by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

The public-comment period on dozens of proposed changes to the state’s hunting and fishing rules began Monday and will continue through a series of public hearings in January.

A 1.6-mile section of Winkler’s Creek near Boone could receive a “Wild Trout Waters” designation. The creek serves as the town’s back-up municipal water supply, but the designation wouldn’t affect the town’s ability to draw water from the creek.

Click here for the article from the Watauga Democrat

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Courtesy of the Sedalia Democrat

Randy Goodman, 47, of Sedalia, is seen with the buck that injured him Nov. 16. Goodman shot the deer twice, but it did not go gently into the night. The buck attacked Goodman, cutting his head, before he finished the job.

SEDALIA, Mo. — A Sedalia hunter bagged a big buck on the second day of firearms season, but the kill caused him a lot of pain.

Forty-nine-year-old Randy Goodman said he thought two well-placed shots with his .270-caliber rifle had killed the buck on Nov. 19. Goodman said the deer looked dead to him, but seconds later the nine-point, 240-pound animal came to life.

The buck rose up, knocked Goodman down and attacked him with his antlers in what the veteran hunter called “15 seconds of hell.” The deer ran a short distance and went down, and died after Goodman fired two more shots.

Soon Goodman started feeling dizzy and noticed his vest was soaked in blood.

So he reached his truck and drove to a hospital, where he received seven staples in his scalp and was treated for a slight concussion and bruises.

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What’s it worth environmentally to eat deer instead of beef? Our numbers say: plenty

By Sam Eifling
Kill any green deer lately?

Chances are you have, if you followed the prime directive of ethical hunting — that you eat what you shoot.

A wild deer, with its bulk built from acorns and clover, supplies some of the most environmentally-responsible protein a person can eat. It’s a source that requires less water, fossil fuels or carbon emissions than the meat and even the vegetables Americans typically consume.

Hunters often claim to be the original environmentalists. In the case of their diet, a back-of-the-bar-napkin ESPNOutdoors.com analysis suggests they may have a point.

The short version — if you don’t want to plod through the math below — eating a pound of wild venison instead of a pound of beef may keep roughly a gallon of gas out of industrial food production.

Read More:
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/hunting/news/story?id=3714828

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By James Swan
ESPNOutdoors.com

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by Erick Prather, Missoula

After the great response to my last letter (Nov. 18) I’ve decided to write another.

Although some have labeled me as a “radical righty,” I was determined to fin

d my true political affiliation. So, I took three political party tests online and concluded that I wasn’t a lefty nor a righty; all three tests confirmed I was a centrist.

Therefore, as a centrist, I want to bring to attention H.R. 6257, the Assault Weapons Ban Reauthorization Act of 2008. This has got to be the worst bill yet. Thankfully, it has never made it out of committee to be voted on. However, this is far from over and the battle will continue for at least four more years – more likely, forever.

President-elect Barack Obama stated at a VPC fundraiser in 2007 that his “first priority will be to reinstate the assault weapons ban as soon as I take office,” “work with Congress on a National No Carry law,” “ban all semiautomatic weapons,” ” allow one gun purchase per month” and “within 90 days of taking office will go after all table dealers, Internet sales and gun show loop holes.”

As a gun enthusiast, I believe not all American’s should enjoy our Second Amendment. Those individuals who have elected not to be law-abiding citizens should not be permitted to carry or possess a firearm, and most are forbidden by law. Often, those who commit crimes involving guns are not obtained legally. I believe individuals who commit crimes with firearms should be prosecuted and penalized in a manner which they will reconsider committing another crime. I ask Congress to enforce the laws we have, revisit the penalties for criminals and protect our Constitution.

Good luck, may your god bless you, and stay informed!

Erick Prather, Missoula

http://www.missoulian.com/

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