A female wolverine, first spotted in the Thumb in Feb. 24, 2004, was
found dead by hikers at the Minden Bog in the Minden City State Game
Area Saturday.

Todd Rann of Marysville and Morgan Graham of New Baltimore spotted what
they thought was a dead beaver, partially submerged in the water near a
beaver dam. Rann pulled it from the water and realized it was a
wolverine. The pair called the Report All Poaching hot line. Department
of Natural Resources and Environment Conservation Officers Seth Rhodea
and Bob Hobkirk responded immediately and retrieved the animal.

The officers reported no visible signs of trauma.

DNRE wildlife biologist Arnie Karr, who originally verified the animal
was a wolverine after it was treed by coyote hunters in 2004, said the
carcass will be sent to the DNRE veterinary lab for necropsy. The
department plans to have the specimen mounted and displayed, probably at
the visitor center at nearby Bay City State Recreation Area., Karr
said.

The animal was the first wolverine ever actually verified in Michigan.
Biologists say that if wolverines were ever native to Michigan, they
were extirpated about 200 years ago.

At the time of the wolverine’s sighting, DNRE Director Rebecca
Humphries signed an emergency order protecting the animal from
harassment or harm. The animal, which has been seen, photographed and
videoed by numerous people since it was discovered, was thought to be
alive and well until it was discovered dead Saturday.

Contacts: Steve Schmitt 517-336-5030 or Mary Dettloff 517-335-3014

A total of 31 white-tailed deer tested positive for bovine tuberculosis
in 2009, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment announced
today.

No elk tested positive for the disease.

In Deer Management Unit 452, the core area of concern, 1.9 percent of
deer tested for TB were infected, the same percentage as in 2008.
Elsewhere in the five-county tuberculosis zone, .4 percent of deer
tested a positive a slight, but statistically insignificant, increase
from .3 in 2008.

No TB-positive deer were found in Iosco or Shiawassee counties, where
infected deer have been found in the past.

Although the trend continues to show a statistically decreased
prevalence of infection since TB was discovered in the deer herd 1995,
prevalence is flat over the last five years, said DNRE wildlife
veterinarian Dr. Steve Schmitt.

“We’re kind of in a holding pattern,” Schmitt said. “We
haven’t been able to gain any ground in the last five years. Unless
we change our strategy, we may maintain the current level of
transmission for the foreseeable future.”

In 2009, one captive cervid herd tested positive for TB.

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

Three years ago outdoor legend, Jim Zumbo, bit the hand that had been feeding him. In a moment of carelessness, he wrote on the Outdoor Life web site that he saw no place for “black guns” in the hunting fraternity. And, as quickly as you can say assault weapon, he lost his lofty position at Outdoor Life magazine (which he held for 30 years), he lost his TV show, and thus his means of income. Now, as Jim has rebuilt his iconic status among outdoor enthusiasts, as I predicted in 2007, comes one Paul Barrett opening up old wounds.

In a recent Business Week piece titled Rambo Rifles for Weekend Hunters (the title alone suggests a disconnect with reality), Barrett seeks to sensationalize similarities between U.S. military issue firearms and today’s modern sporting rifles (MSRs) by claiming Zumbo yet maintains a certain disdain for these popular firearms in terms of hunting; nothing can be further from fact. While Barrett may get an “attaboy” from gun grabbers with his attempted cheap shot, his magazine comes up empty.

When Zumbo removed his foot from his mouth three years ago, comrades in arms quickly educated him in the ways of MSRs. First it was friend, Ted Nugent, who had Jim smiling after a workout in Texas with an AR-15 on Nugent’s own TV show.
Then, at a live auction to raise funds for the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) that same year, Jim made a profound statement, when bidding on a MSR seemed to stall at wholesale value around $900. He stood up and everyone paid attention when he added a simple caveat: “I will throw in a personally guided prairie dog hunt to the winning bidder.” That’s all it took to inflate the bids to $3500! Jim was back!

And, if that wasn’t enough to convince everyone that he learned his lesson, he topped his commitment to the shooting sports industry the following year at POMA’s annual conference. A printed agenda highlighting auction items was being followed in order by the auctioneer. Jim moved to the front of the room and explained how had met a young man at the conference – a college student and aspiring writer, who already had numerous heart operations at his young age. After getting to know this young man, who was struggling against the odds to make it as a writer – and, more importantly against life itself – Jim altered the course of the night’s events again. He briefly explained the youngster’s struggle then stated, “I am offering to take this young man and a high-bidding hunter on a wild turkey hunt.” Out of nowhere, POMA pocketed thousands on the spot for Jim’s benevolence.

Zumbo not only supports the outdoor media and firearms industry, but his new TV show, Jim Zumbo Outdoors, focuses on his dedication to supporting our troops, while others pretend to do it with mere lip service. He spearheads an effort to provide hunting opportunities to our returning wounded military warriors by providing them with accessible means to hunt the great outdoors week after week.

So, when Paul Barrett writes about Zumbo, as though he continues to be some type of wedge between factions of new and old-school hunters, he misses the target. While Barrett’s words may draw attention to the popularity of MSRs, he also displays his ignorance on the cohesiveness that has developed between sporting shooters and hunters like Jim Zumbo.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment is inviting the public
to participate in the deer management planning process. Four public meetings
have been held, and another four are occurring in the next couple weeks. The
DNRE will present and discuss the draft statewide deer management plan.
These meetings will be held 7 to 9 p.m. EST, with the exception of the
Crystal Falls meeting, which will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. CST.

“These open houses are to present the first draft of the Deer Management
Plan to the public and to receive comments on the plan,” said John
Niewoonder, DNRE wildlife habitat biologist.” The citizen-based Deer
Advisory Team, DNRE staff and others involved with the recommendations for
this plan have worked diligently to create this document.”

Local staff will be available after the meeting for other deer questions;
the open house portion will focus solely on the draft plan. The plan is
available for review on the DNRE Web site under www.michigan.gov/dnrhunting.

Public open house locations and dates are as follows:

Tuesday March 9, Comfort Inn, 13954 State Highway M-28, Newberry

Wednesday March 10, Forest Park Elementary School, Multi Purpose Rm., 810
Forest Parkway, Crystal Falls (6 to 8 p.m. CST).

Tuesday March 16, Quality Inn, 3121 East Grand River Ave., Lansing

Thursday March 18, Northwood University, Sloan Building, Rm. 210, 4000
Whiting Dr., Midland

Individuals can also submit written comments via e-mail or U.S. mail. Send
comments to: John Niewoonder, DNRE Wildlife Division, P.O. Box 30444,
Lansing, MI 48909, or via e-mail, at dnr-wld-wild@michigan.gov.

Persons with disabilities needing accommodations for effective participation
in the meeting should contact Alice Stimpson at 517-373-1263, or at
stimpsona@michigan.gov, at least seven days prior to the meeting date to
request mobility, visual, hearing, or other assistance.

GW: This is scary business; ask any Michigan hunter. Conspicuously absent is any mention of what the contingency plan actually involves. Could it be that officials don’t want to be the despicable messengers?

Date: February 25, 2010
Source: Missouri Department of Agriculture

Contacts:
Misti Preston, (573) 751-8596

The Missouri Departments of Agriculture, Conservation and Health and Senior Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today that a captive white-tailed deer in Linn County, Missouri has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). CWD is a neurological disease found in deer, elk and moose.

“There is no evidence that CWD poses a risk to domestic animals or humans,” said State Veterinarian Dr. Taylor Woods. “We have protocols in place to quickly and effectively handle these situations.”

The animal that tested positive for CWD was a white-tailed deer inspected as part of the State’s CWD surveillance and testing program. Preliminary tests were conducted by the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa.

Upon receiving the confirmed CWD positive, Missouri’s departments of Agriculture, Conservation and Health and Senior Services initiated their CWD Contingency Plan. The plan was developed in 2002 by the Cervid Health Committee, a task force comprised of veterinarians, animal health officers and conservation officers from USDA, MDA, MDC and DHSS working together to mitigate challenges associated with CWD.

CWD is transmitted by live animal to animal contact or soil to animal contact. The disease was first recognized in 1967 in captive mule deer in the Colorado Division of Wildlife captive wildlife research facility in Fort Collins, Colorado. CWD has been documented in deer and/or elk in Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the Canadian Provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. There has been no evidence that the disease can be transmitted to humans.

“Missouri’s proactive steps to put a testing protocol in place and create a contingency plan years ago is proving beneficial. We are in a solid position to follow pre-established steps to ensure Missouri’s valuable whitetail deer resource remains healthy and strong,” said Jason Sumners Missouri’s Deer Biologist.

For more information regarding CWD, please contact Dr. Taylor Woods at (573) 751-3377.

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

At the recent Deer and Turkey Spectacular in Lansing, I stopped by Ed Spinazzola’s booth to purchase some brassica seed for this year’s food plot. While there, a tall, slender man introduced himself as Leon Hank. I knew the name from information I have received from the Quality Deer Management Association of Michigan and I explained to Leon how much I appreciate the timely, inside news. (Leon is a director of the first Michigan chapter, Mid-Michigan branch.) Leon moved away from me for a minute and returned with a book in his hands that he had written and just signed for me, Proud Hunters, Proud Yoopers. I already liked this proud hunter.

The book is a compilation of 50 of Leon’s hunting stories from the Eastern Upper Peninsula, where he grew up and returns to hunt many times each year from his home in Holt. He explains in great detail how he went from BB gun, to making his first bow in school, to rifle hunting some of the wildest land in our nation for various game. In chapter 37 he recounts how two hunters got lost in the vast Gogemain swamp; one came out alive after four days, and in a separate incident, the other did not.

Although I didn’t grow up there, as Leon did, I spent eight seasons in Iron County hunting whitetails and one session in 1989 was indicative of just how brutal conditions can be in the northern wilderness.

Fast Frank and I had already hunted near the Net River for three seasons and we always prepared for the worst weather, or so we thought. My 1971 Ford pickup with its 10-foot camper in the bed had transported us to the land of the Yooper several times and it was always exciting to finally arrive to our camping area in the commercial forest. After the long 475-mile excursion, it would seem as though we had already been rewarded just by getting there.

The 18-year old truck was new in comparison to the gaudy camper sitting above it. It didn’t have a heater, so we used an infrared unit mounted atop a propane tank inside our home away from home. For safety, we would keep a window open slightly for ventilation.

We awoke on November 15 to one of the most spectacular sights two hunters could imagine: six inches of fresh snow. When I ventured out the first morning of firearms deer season, I marveled at the beauty of the heavy snow. However, the wet, white stuff hung to the branches of the trees and pulled them down to where vision was restricted severely. There would be no long shots with my .30-06 on this day.

I was fortunate to kill a young buck that day and dragged him back to camp in relative ease across the snow-slicked timber floor and hung my prize alongside the camper.

When Fast Frank and I retired to the confining camp for the evening, we fired up the heater and noticed that it wasn’t burning properly. The heating element wasn’t burning completely and to prevent asphyxiation, reluctantly we were forced to shut it down.

I had extra sleeping bags and offered Frank one of them, but for some unknown reason, he declined. It was a terrible mistake. The temperature plummeted under the clear nighttime sky to near zero degrees and the winds howled like a lone wolf. Everything in the camper froze by morning – the water jugs, canned food, everything – including Frank’s feet. As miserable as he was, he was there to hunt, but his frostbitten feet made for one grumpy hunting companion for the next three days.

Even though temperatures moderated to approximately 15 degrees during the daytime hours, Frank was would never get warm on this trip. As a result, we headed back to Shiawassee County a bit earlier than planned, because of his discomfort. Before the next deer season, I installed a forced-air furnace in the camper, but it was too late for Frank. He never went there again with me.

If this story gives you an idea about the unique nature of hunting in the U.P., Leon’s book is more of the same but from a perspective that only a Yooper can have. It’s an unapologetic description of one man’s life as a hunter and the special bond created with his mentor and father – another proud Yooper – and five generations of the Hank family.

You can get a copy of Proud Hunters Proud Yoopers by sending a check or money order for $16.73 (includes taxes and shipping) to the following:

Big Buck Ranch, Inc.
P.O. Box 285
Holt, MI 48842

Or, you can order online at www.proudyooper.com.

SOUTHPORT, Conn., Feb 24, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE-RGR), announced today that for 2009, the Company reported net sales of $271.0 million and earnings of $1.44 per share, compared with sales of $181.5 million and earnings of 43c per share in 2008.

For the fourth quarter of 2009, the Company reported net sales of $63.9 million and earnings of 31c per share, compared with sales of $58.5 million and earnings of 28c per share in the fourth quarter of 2008.

The Company also announced today that its Board of Directors declared a dividend of 6c per share for the fourth quarter, for shareholders of record as of March 12, 2010, payable on March 26, 2010.

Chief Executive Officer Michael O. Fifer made the following comments related to 2009:

— Our firearms sales grew from $174 million in 2008 to $267 million in 2009 on the strength of new product shipments and overall robust firearms demand, particularly in the first half of the year.

— Estimated sell-through of our products from independent distributors to retail in 2009 increased by approximately 40% from 2008, and 86% from 2007. This annual growth substantially exceeds the 10% and 25% growth in National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) background checks over the same periods. Comparisons of NICS checks from period to period are often used as a proxy for consumer demand for firearms.

— In response to the significant increase in demand in 2009, the Company increased production in 2009 by 56% from 2008, and 101% from 2007. This increased production was facilitated by the Company’s implementation of lean manufacturing, an ongoing process that started in 2006.

— Cash generated from operations during 2009 was $46.7 million. At December 31, 2009, our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments totaled $55.7 million. Our pre-LIFO working capital of $104.0 million, less the LIFO reserve of $38.7 million, resulted in working capital of $65.3 million and a current ratio of 3.0 to 1. The Company has no debt.

— In 2009, capital expenditures totaled $13.8 million. We expect to invest approximately $10 to $15 million for capital expenditures during 2010.

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

Hunting coyotes by conventional means has provided me with hours of satisfaction over the years, most of which have been quite humbling, however. I understand that trapping can be effective but it’s never been my thing. Hunting them with hounds is another means many hunters employ. But doing so requires plenty of land to be legal, because dogs don’t pay attention to private property rights. My experiences usually revolve around calling and marksmanship, but not always.

Years ago, on a warm and sunny afternoon in Shiawassee County, I set up for some woodchuck action in an alfalfa field not far from home, when I noticed a peculiar sight. Beyond the recently cut hay field several hundred yards from my position, a red-tailed hawk dived repeatedly over the fallow portion of the field. I couldn’t see what the object of its attention was because the weeds concealed its target. Moments later a coyote appeared in the open and I decided to dispatch it with my Ruger .300 Winchester magnum stoked with 110-grain Hornady spire points. Suffice it to say it did the job.

When I shared the experience with neighbor, Bob Bott, he didn’t believe me. “There’s no coyotes around here,” was his response. So, I took the Canis latrans to him for a first-hand look. He still didn’t believe me and said it was a fox. Bob, rest his soul, was wrong.

Coyotes are found in all parts of the continental United States and in all 83 counties of Michigan. Since then, I have taken a number of them, although several were killed while hunting deer. Even though punching out a coyote, while on stand for deer, is sure to put a temporary end to any whitetail chances, most hunters I know will do it anyway because of its carnivorous nature, which knows no bounds.

In January 1997 I had an opportunity to hunt with Bob Patrick in the remote wilderness of the Eastern Upper Peninsula. Bob was coyote crazy and a master caller. He made his own mouth-blown calls from exotic woods and brought them to life like an accomplished musician would. He wore a coyote hat, sewn together from parts of two coyotes by his friend, Tom Osborne of Pickford. His clothing was camouflage from head to toe. His face was painted like an Indian chief and he stunk from of a blend of animal lure he concocted himself and took great pleasure from folks at the bank, who never made him wait in line.

Our first set overlooked a frozen lake and when the unsuspecting coyote came looking for a meal, he died of lead poisoning on the ice. Conditions worsened after that and a half inch of ice over two feet of snow made stealth impossible. Nonetheless, I learned a lot from Bob.

Later I used the beautifully crafted, Birdseye maple rabbit distress call from Bob to call in a Shiawassee County coyote for my friend, Doug Schaberg on a nearby farm. Although Doug muffed the opportunity, I was proud to have used my cherished call so effectively.

The coyote mates from mid-January to as late as April and that puts them in season right now. Mating season makes them vulnerable to calls such as challenges this time of year, but the rabbit distress is always a good choice, too.

While the mouth-blown calls can still bring ’em in, I prefer my electronic FoxPro caller for a number of reasons: 1) It doesn’t make mistakes, 2) Calls can be changed with the push of the transmitter’s buttons, 3) It focuses attention away from me and onto the caller and/or decoy.

Electronic callers don’t necessarily make hunting more effective, because there’s still plenty of ways to goof up. But early mornings or late evenings, there is no better way to test one’s skill matching wits with the crafty coyote.

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

No matter how good any hunting show is, getting outdoors and making memories afield beats them all – even if the harvest is down or non-existent. This year’s annual crow hunt held plenty of promise, as Matt, Shawn, and I piled into the front seat of the pickup to play tricks on the wariest critters alive. With our new custom-grade, magnum 9-shot loads, we were ready for action. And, the black beasts never disappoint in that regard.

Beyond the 3-inch magnum shotshells, I had experimented with a new Undertaker choke tube in my Browning BPS and found some improvement in pattern density over my Mossberg turkey gun. The Mossberg is completely camouflaged and sports an extra-full choke and had done a fair job of dropping the crafty crows from the clouds. But, its 2-shot magazine was nearly impossible to reload in the heat of action. The Browning would give me a little more firepower capacity, but I wasn’t going to tote it afield without first checking the new choke’s pattern.

At 40 yards it peppered 743 pellets in a 30-inch circle or about 67 percent of the total payload. The catalog description for the Undertaker choke said it would produce “up to” 90-percent patterns but in my short-barreled rig, it fell substantially short. Still it was an improvement over the 676 pellets from the same load in my Mossberg. I then field-tested the firearm on some local black marauders, and although I dropped a couple, I missed many more. That got me thinking.

I read online that a common mistake is that some crow hunters are over-choked. So, before the annual hunt with the boys, I inserted a modified choke tube. Who knows? Certainly not I.

Off the three of us went to a picked cornfield, where the crows were already buzzing atop mature conifers in the distance. We set out a battery-powered Crowbusters flapping-wing decoy just above the snow and snuck into the fence row. The FoxPro caller screamed its fight song and I quickly switched the remote transmitter to the crow distress call. The shotguns sprayed lead east and west and our first victim plummeted unceremoniously to earth. Then another and another. Matt and Shawn were warming up their barrels, as I remained maybe a bit too concealed, while never firing a shot. I followed another potential target along the ventilated rib of the Browning, when it took a hit from Shawn. The crow quickly regained momentum and turned my way. The maneuver became its last mistake.

Shawn had gone 3 for 3 with his venerable Browning Auto 5, while I added one for good measure. Matt struggled to get on the board but he was not to be denied a bit later. We were all hiding amid some relatively short white pines between two stands of hardwoods when Matt punched one out of the cold, gray sky.

I’d rather not say how many shots we took during the hunt; heck, nobody really wanted to know anyway.

Suffice it to say that the furious action cured our collective case of cabin fever – even if there’s enormous room for improvement.

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

I have learned that several hundreds of thousands of non-essential Washington government employees were ordered to stay home, as a result of recent record snowfalls. In addition, congress was shut down.

Since no government is better than the current administration, where can we order more snow?