Category: Hunting
Making Good on the First Shot
By Glen Wunderlich
Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)
Picture this: You are deer hunting to feed your desperate family that has been lost in the wild and has not eaten for days, when a mature whitetail is streaking through the tall timber 100 yards from you. To complicate matters, you have only a single round remaining in your possession after firing the rest of your ammo to signal your position to anyone that may have been searching for you. You’ve never attempted such a shot in your life and the pressure to succeed is mounting each hour. Do you take the long odds or wait for a better opportunity?
Although an extreme example, similar shoot-or-don’t-shoot thoughts will creep into the minds of Illinois deer hunters this season because of a newly enacted law allowing only single-shot firearms. Effective Jan. 1, 2023, any rifle chambered in a legal caliber and either manufactured or modified to be a single shot (capable of holding only one round in the magazine and chamber combined) may be used to hunt deer.
There are certain mental aspects of any hunt, but carrying a single-shot firearm afield has a way of revealing its physical properties from the start. Shots that are not a sure thing are not taken; otherwise, one soon discovers the hunt can be spoiled, because of one bad shot. Attempting a shot beyond one’s limitation – one that cannot be made 9 out of 10 times – will, at best, miss completely and scare off anything in the vicinity. Worse, however, is the ill-advised shot that cripples an animal often not recovered.
The most sensible approach is to take only shots that will be cleanly fatal. To accomplish this, one must be thoroughly familiar with the chosen firearm’s function and your personal limitations. Knowing you have no quick follow-up shot is ever present in your mind, and therefore, placing that single round with absolute precision is a must.
I have found that stand hunting fits my style and offers the most favorable opportunity for precision; running and gunning are out!
Preferred tactics involve sitting and the virtue of patience within the confines of a blind, whether permanent, portable, or makeshift. Inside the hideout, a firearm rest can be employed with sandbags on a windowsill, or by use of shooting sticks or bipods. Natural yardage markers can be determined and noted in advance to eliminate guessing distances. The cover of the blind can keep one warm and dry and allows the effective use of quiet, blind heaters.
Just as important as comfort is the cover of a hunting blind that allows movement within to be concealed – an all-important factor, especially for anyone with youngsters. Also, for those that want to record their hunt, tripod-mounted cameras can be manipulated with minimal concern, given adequate operational space.
In summary, successful hunting with a single-shot firearm or a repeater, comes down to reliable, controlled technique when opportunity presents itself. Nothing is more satisfying than the perfect, single shot – all part of an operating system with the most important ingredient positioned between one’s ears.
Thousands of Birds Dead After Suspected Avian Botulism Outbreak; What Waterfowl Hunters Should Know
After a recent suspected avian botulism outbreak killed thousands of birds in northern Utah, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is providing some safety reminders for waterfowl hunters this fall.
DWR biologists first discovered dead and sick birds in mid-September in the Willard Spur and Harold Crane waterfowl management areas. Many birds have been collected and submitted for disease testing. The birds tested negative for highly pathogenic avian influenza. (Cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza have decreased in Utah this year.) While final test results are still pending, biologists suspect the birds died of avian botulism.
Avian botulism is a paralytic, often fatal, disease of birds that results from the ingestion of a toxin produced by a bacteria, Clostridium botulinum. The toxin is produced under certain environmental conditions in the summer and fall when there are low oxygen levels and warm water temperatures. Botulism mainly occurs in stagnant pools where there is no water flowing, and sick and dead birds are most often found along the shoreline.
Waterfowl, gulls and shorebirds are the bird species most often affected by avian botulism. Signs of avian botulism include the inability for a bird to hold its head up and a bird flapping its wings, but not having the strength to take off.
Avian botulism occurs almost yearly in Utah — typically between July and September — particularly during periods when the weather is really hot and after periods of rainfall. Those conditions often create stagnant pools of water that hold and grow the anaerobic bacteria that causes avian botulism. Read more
POMA Announces New Executive Director
GW: Welcome aboard, sir. Sure can’t hold it against you for being a Buckeye
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The Professional Outdoor Media Association is thrilled to announce its new Executive Director, Robert Sexton! He began October 1, 2023.
“Members of the Outdoor Media are the essential ambassadors of our great outdoor heritage, fostering interest in hunting, fishing and the shooting sports, while providing a window to our way of life to the general public. I’m proud to serve them in building a strong POMA to support their important work,” said Rob Sexton.
Rob is one of the most seasoned non-profit consultants and issues management professionals in the country. Following early training working for the Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives and a key committee chairman, Rob joined the staff of the Sportsmen’s Alliance in 1995. Over the next 17 years he rose through the ranks to Senior Vice President, responsible for federal and state legislation, litigation and ballot issues as well as forging strategic partnerships for the organization.
In 2012 Rob launched RTS Strategies, and works as a consultant for non-profit organizations, with a specific focus on executive management and public policy on behalf of organizations related to hunting, fishing, firearms, and the shooting sports. Clients of RTS Strategies have included the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Sportsmen’s Alliance, Union Sportsmen’s Alliance, American Kennel Club, and more.
Rob is a 1990 graduate of The Ohio State University. He and his wife Beth have been married for 30 years and have four grown children and two grandchildren. An avid hunter and angler, Rob enjoys fishing on Lake Erie and hunting wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, pheasant, quail and doves, along with shooting sporting clays when time permits.
Women’s Duck Hunt in Central Michigan
Saturday, Oct. 28
6-11 a.m.
Near Flint
The Safari Club International Flint Chapter will present this event, for women only.
The hunt will be within approximately a one-hour drive of Flint, with the location announced the week of the event. Phone number for communication is required for registration.
Cost is $200. Hunters need to bring their own guns and shells and have proper hunting licenses and gear prior to arriving at the event.
For questions, contact Karly B. at 810-869-9412 or safariclub.flint@gmail.com.
Michigan’s Natural Resources Commission
From Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC)
The October NRC meeting is at Bay College in Escanaba next week. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on . On the agenda are steelhead regulations and an update on the status of wolves.
A wolf management decision tree is also expected to be unveiled. To read the full MUCC preview, please click here.
New Waterfowl Research Project Needs Volunteer Hunter-Scientists
duckDNA project launching to study duck hybridization across North America
Ducks Unlimited and the University of Texas at El Paso are looking for waterfowl hunters to actively participate in a duck research effort to help conservation groups better understand the genetic makeup of birds across the country.
The new duckDNA project is kicking off its first year and needs up to 300 hunter-scientists. Hunters selected will have the rare chance to be part of ground-breaking waterfowl research and also obtain scientifically vetted genetic information about the ducks they harvest. Read more
FWP Issues Statement on Montana Stream Access Law
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has recently received questions on Montana’s Stream Access Law and how it is applied across the state. For landowners and recreationists alike, it’s important to know about the law and understand how it applies to private land and water-based recreation.
“The public has a right to enjoy water-based recreation on rivers and streams in Montana below the high-water mark,” said FWP Director Dustin Temple. “The public also has the right to access rivers and streams from public road right of ways and easements, including bridges. This is settled law and we will continue do our part to ensure these rights are maintained on behalf of the recreating public.”
To learn more about Montana’s Stream Access Law, click here.
Sportsmen’s Alliance Granted Intervention in Refuge Lawsuit
The Sportsmen’s Alliance, together with Safari Club International and National Rifle Association, was granted intervenor status in a lawsuit brought against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to phase out lead ammunition in the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge in West Virginia.
Suit was brought against FWS by anti-hunting organizations for removing Canaan Valley Refuge from a list of refuges where a phase-in of a lead ban had been scheduled in a previous rulemaking by the Service. FWS removed Canaan Valley from the list after the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources opposed including the refuge in the proposal, citing lack of scientific evidence and the expense of nonlead alternatives for hunters.
“This is a great day for the hunting community because we now have a place at the table as this baseless lawsuit moves forward,” said Todd Adkins, vice president of government affairs at the Sportsmen’s Alliance. “We can help show our support for the decision to remove this refuge from the list as we continue to fight for maintaining full access to our public lands for every hunter and angler in America.” Read more
Michigan Hunters: Report Your Deer Harvest Online
Just like last year, all harvested deer are required to be reported. The easiest way to report a harvest is by downloading the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app.
Once the app is downloaded and you’ve signed in or created an account, you can enter the harvest report information.
You can also report a harvest online. Visit Michigan.gov/DNRHarvestReport on a computer or mobile device to go directly to the reporting page. Enter your kill tag license number and date of birth to begin the report.
If you don’t have your hunting license/kill tag number, you can log in to eLicense (using your driver’s license and birthdate, or user ID and password), then click on the Harvest Report tab to see the tags available to report. If you don’t already have an account, you will have the chance to create one to enter your report.
Find more information on harvest reporting on the harvest reporting webpage. If you need assistance, you can call your local DNR customer service center or the main Wildlife Division line at 517-284-WILD (9453) during normal business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.