Four Iraan football players face discipline in deer deaths

This is something that I very much hate hearing about and in my opinion these boys did not get half of what they deserved.

by: Associated Press

IRAAN, Texas — Four members of the Iraan High School football team accused in the beating deaths of two deer trapped on a baseball field will spend 88 days of the spring semester in an off-campus disciplinary program.

The school district’s superintendent says the boys will be allowed to play football in the fall, when they are expected to return to normal student status.

After the deer were found dead on the baseball field earlier this month, each of the students was cited on a charge of hunting deer with illegal means and hunting deer in closed season since the beatings allegedly happened at night.

Two of the students were identified as Call Cade, a first-team all-district quarterback, and Zac Owen, a first-team running back, Capt. Scott Davis of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said. Both are 17.

Cade and Owen could not be reached for comment Saturday and it was unclear if they had attorneys.

Davis and Iraan-Sheffield Superintendent Kevin Allen declined to give the names of the other students because they are minors.

All face up to $500 fines on two Class C misdemeanor counts when they meet with Pecos County Justice of the Peace Cathy Ervine and Davis for a plea hearing Jan. 8, the Odessa American reported for its Saturday editions.

The four will be sent to the Disciplinary Alternative Education Placement, which educates students off-campus. It would be up to coaches to determine whether the players need to complete any additional tasks before rejoining the team, Allen said.

Iraan, a community of about 1,100, is about 115 miles southwest of San Angelo, just west of the Crockett County line.

Antler Color, the debate goes on

Written by Bill Miller

Any hunter no doubt would agree that no two bucks are the same, and the color of their antlers add to their diversity.

Yet camp fire debates swirl over why some antlers are lighter, or darker, than others.

Does it have to do with deer nutrition, or the actual density of the antlers? Maybe it’s both, according to some whitetail deer experts in Texas.
Read more

Chairman of Henry Repeating Arms Passes Away

Written by Henry Repeating Arms, Co.    Friday, 14 December 2007

Louis Imperato – 1933 ~ 2007

Mr. Imperato was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1933, served in the US Army during the Korean War, and spent over 50 years in the firearms industry. Mr Imperato owned John Jovino Company, a worldwide distributor of firearms and police equipment, Iver Johnson Arms and for the past 10 years Henry Repeating Arms. He was known for his incredible work ethic and marketing skills.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years Rita, his son Anthony, who is President of Henry Repeating Arms, his daughters Mariann and Lisa, and six grandchildren. “Mr. Lou” as he was fondly called by Henry Repeating Arms employees will be sorely missed.

Condolences and memories can be placed on a memorial web page at henryrepeating.com/mrlou , or write to Henry Repeating Arms 110 8th Street Brooklyn NY 11215. Donations in Mr. Imperatos’ memory can be made to the American Diabetes Association.

Henry Repeating Arms, Co.
110 8th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215

Telephone 718-499-5600
Fax 718-768-8056

Conservation Department considers deer hunting changes

by Melissa Yeager, KY3 News

SPRINGFIELD — More than a million deer call Missouri’s woods home — more than even before people started to settle in what would become the Show-Me State. The Missouri Department of Conservation now wants public input to help it decide how to control the exploding population.

The department will hold public meetings in a couple weeks, including some at Bass Pro Shops in Springfield.

For a long time, deer were in short supply. Biologists credit Missouri’s hunting laws with helping them manage the population but that success has helped the herds multiply rapidly. So biologists want to know if people think they should change some of the laws in the hunting guide to keep it under control.

When you go to places like the Springfield Conservation Nature Center, you can readily see deer roaming the grounds.

“The deer have come back in Missouri to the point where we have a million, maybe a little more than a million, deer in Missouri and it’s estimated that that is more than even in presettlement times,” said Francis Skalicky, a metro media specialist for the Conservation Department.

While it means we have more beautiful deer to view, it is also a worry for conservationists.

“An unmanaged deer population could get out of control and lead to things like increased deer vehicle accidents and an increase in farm damage. They eat crops and it wouldn’t be good for the deer either. The thicker the deer herd becomes, the easier it is to spread disease from deer to deer,” said Skalicky.

So the Department of Conservation is considering changing deer hunting season. First, it wants to expand the modern firearms deer hunting season to include Thanksgiving break, instead of ending on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Second, it wants to have the antlerless portion of firearms season back to October. Finally, it’s considering extending the four-point antler restriction, and expanding it from the 29 counties it currently includes.

They hope to get feedback from the public on these ideas.

“The more input we can get, the better decision we’ll be able to make based on what people want,” said Skalicky.

The Department of Conservation will hold a meeting at Bass Pro on Jan. 8 and another in Joplin on Jan. 9.

If you can’t attend one of them, you can go to the DOC Web site, watch a video presentation and then give your feedback.

For more information, visit read and comment on proposals for the 2008 and 2009 Missouri deer seasons.

Sharpshooters brought in to Cull the Herd

Sharpshooters kill 465 deer in 6 months

By RILEY YATES

The Intelligencer
Over six months sharpshooters have killed 465 deer in Solebury in a program that farmers and hunters say has led to a noticeable drop in the whitetail population — though they disagree on whether that is a good thing.
Read more

Connecticut DEP is Aiming to restore Housatonic River Basin

December 18, 2007

DEP Announces Short List of Projects
Aimed at Restoring Natural Resources
in the Housatonic River Basin

31 Proposals to Undergo Further Detailed Analysis by Consultant

The selection of projects to be funded under a program to restore natural resources in the Housatonic River Basin in Connecticut is one step closer to completion with the publishing of a recommended “short list” of proposals.

At its public meeting tonight at 7:00 p.m. at Kent Town Hall, the Connecticut SubCouncil will present this list of 31 proposals and describe the next steps in proposal evaluation and final selection. The total cost of this “short list” of proposals is estimated at around $12.5 million – which is $3.5 million more than the approximately $9 million in grant money that is available.

The public will have until January 4, 2008 to submit written comments regarding the recommended short list. Comments should be sent to: Laura Fontanella, DEP/IFD, 79 Elm St., Hartford, CT 06106. Verbal comments on the report will be accepted at the January 22, 2008 public meeting at 7:00 p.m. at Kent Town Hall.

Funding for these proposed projects comes from a settlement with GE in 1999 that included $7.5 million for restoration projects in Connecticut aimed at restoring, rehabilitating or acquiring the equivalent of the natural resources and recreational uses of the Housatonic River that were injured by the release of PCBs from the General Electric (GE) facility in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. That fund has now grown to just over $9 million.

DEP’s Bureau Chief of Natural Resources, Edward Parker said, “The publishing of this short list of proposals is a major step towards finalizing the Restoration Plan. These 31 proposals represent a wide range of projects in the three restoration categories. The trustees look forward to making final selections over the next several months.”

Earlier this year 92 proposals were submitted for projects. Of these 92 proposals, 76 were deemed eligible under criteria established by the Connecticut SubCouncil. The sponsors of these 76 proposals were invited to submit Supplemental Information concerning: the relevance and applicability of the project, technical and socioeconomic merit of the project; budget; and information regarding the capacity of the sponsor to implement the project. The Connecticut SubCouncil received a response from 53 sponsors by the June deadline.

The Connecticut SubCouncil then further evaluated the 53 proposals against the previously adopted Evaluation Criteria to develop a short list of projects. Of these 31 proposals on the short list, eight are listed under the category of Aquatic Natural Resources, nine as Riparian and Floodplain Resources, and fifteen as Recreational Services.

The use of these funds is the responsibility of the Natural Resource Trustee SubCouncil for Connecticut (the “Connecticut SubCouncil”), which is comprised of the Natural Resource Trustees from the State of Connecticut and the Federal Departments of the Interior (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) and Commerce (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). In addition, the Commissioner of Environmental Protection formed the Connecticut Trustee’s Advisory Group (CTAG) to provide the DEP with input from specific regional interest groups including recreational, environmental, planning and governmental organizations.

The short list of proposals can be found on the project website at www.housatonicrestoration.org/

Clearing Trails and Shooting Lanes before your Season

I realized I hadn’t posted a tip in awhile so here is one for you to think about although it might be a little late for some because your season has started already but, for like me I still have two weeks to go.

Clearing your trail in and out is important so as not to spook deer while you are heading to your stand, and while leaving your stand. I will be going out in a few days to mark sections of trails that I will be using because in the dark these trails in certain places are not easy to see, even with a flashlight. I will trim certain spots which will help keep the noise to a minimum hopefully. Once I get my trails trimmed and marked than I will concentrate on my stand location. One other thing to keep in mind when you are making trails is you need to have at least two different trails to the same location because of the wind. If you can’t use one trail maybe you can use the other.

After you have pick a tree to use you need to clear yourself a couple of shooting lanes that you think the deer will be going through. Don’t cut to much, the more you cut and trim the more the deer will notice. I will usually try to trim at least three different shooting lanes but two will work nicely if placed in the right spots.

If you are using a fixed position stand than limbs are not really going to be a problem for you. They will act as steps and also breakup your outline. You will need to maybe trim a couple around where you sit, especially if you are bow hunting. If you are using a climber like I am you need to pick a straight tree without limbs. You will also need to have some sort of cover near you to break up your outline. The particular tree I am using is actually in a small group of trees on the edge of a dried up pond. I will be on the opposite side of the tree facing out so I should be hidden from the pond side and outside the pond I will have the other tree’s in that group to hide me. I should still be able to look all around and pick my lanes.

All this trimming and stuff should be done as early as possible before you even start to hunt but we all know things happen and sometimes you do not have that choice. To minimize noise and your scent while trimming and setting up so close to your season I would recommend doing it on a rainy day. Any movement is very quiet do to everything being wet and as far as your scent, any you leave will wash away with rain and air currents will not move them they will generally fall to the ground.

Trim and setup what you have to and quietly leave for awhile to give the area a chance to calm down. For me it will have a week and a half before I go back to hunt.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting! ” remember to respect the environment and it’s wildlife “

Right Place at the Right Time

This story is dedicated to my Dad who passed away in March 2006 who always told me Rick it’s all about being in the “Right Place at the Right Time”.

One of my most memorable hunting experiences was the day after Thanksgiving. After going out on a traditional Thanksgiving morning hunt during Connecticut’s shotgun private land season I noticed on my way out to go have dinner that there was a lot of active deer sign around one of my other favorite places to sit. Thanksgiving morning was a bust but, I had a feeling about this spot.
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DEP EnCon Police Make Arrest for Illegal Moose Hunting

December 5, 2007

Officers from the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Division of State Environmental Conservation (EnCon) Police recently arrested a Hartland resident for illegal moose hunting.

Michael Lewis of Mill Street, Hartland, was charged with illegal taking of a wild quadruped.

EnCon Police had received a complaint that Lewis had illegally shot and killed a moose behind his home. Upon investigation the remains of a moose carcass in a wooded area behind Lewis’ home were found. When questioned by EnCon Police Officers, Lewis admitted to shooting the moose for its meat.

Officers recovered 35 pounds of moose meat in individually wrapped packages as well as a twelve-point set of moose antlers that were taken from the animal.

Lewis was released on a written promise to appear in court at GA18 in Bantam on December 17, 2007.

Currently, in Connecticut, there is no legal hunting season for moose.

Printable Version  

Lost Hunter’s Ordeal. Is It Too Unbelievable?

I may get ridiculed for some of what I am about to write but I have to at least ask the questions that I’m sure many of us have asked. First, let me say that I am extremely happy that 53-year old Steven Wright of Woodford, Vermont, who was lost in the Maine woods near Tumbledown Mountain during a recent hunting triop, was found safe and has since recovered.

Wright was hunting this area with two other buddies during a snowstorm. When Wright decided it was time to head back to the truck and meet up with his companions, a series of events caused him to spend three days and two nights in the woods. Read more

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