The Magic & Myths of Fawns

GW:  This information is from QDMA’s Sam Leatherman and provides some facts we may not have known.

The Magic & Myths of Fawns

Photo by Ralph Hensley.

I always look forward to seeing the first newborn fawn of the year. Without fail, social media will begin to fill with pictures of these beautiful, wobbly-legged creatures, and understandably so. Very few things in nature are as beautiful as a newborn fawn in a lush, green field. But these photos are often accompanied by misinformation and bad advice. Let’s look at the magic and myths of whitetail fawns.

Magic: For the first seven to 10 days of life, a fawn will spend up to 95 percent of its time bedded. While bedded, a fawn has a very rapid heartbeat of around 175 beats per minute. When a fawn senses danger is close, it will lower its head and drop its ears, the heart rate will fall to around 60 beats per minute, and the breathing will become slower and deeper – all to try and avoid detection by predators. The first few days of a fawn’s life are a critical time. Most fawns that fall to predators die in their first 10 days of life.
Myth: “I found a fawn that didn’t run away. Something must be wrong with it.” More than likely you have found a very young deer. The fawn will lie perfectly still, barely even blinking, until you move on. Oftentimes, at this young age the fawn will even let you touch it or pick it up, but it is best not to. More on this in a moment.

Magic: Within a few hours of being born, Read more

Wildlife

New Service Puts Your Dream Hunt Just A Click Away


Travelers have long booked flights, hotels, and rental car reservations through websites that show a variety of available options to help them find the best price. Now this same service is available to hunters with the launch of BookYourHunt.com, the very first online booking platform specifically for hunters. The new site places online booking technology at the fingertips of hunters for the first time, allowing a user to search for hunting trips by country or animal species and compare prices from outfitters around the world.While it’s possible look up outfitters on their individual websites, many of them don’t post prices, making it hard to comparison shop. With BookYourHunt.com, users know immediately how much the hunt will cost, what is included, and what dates are available. It’s easy to ask questions, get more information about the outfitter, compare the hunt with a similar one, or book it immediately. The offers come directly from the outfitter, so users pay no booking fees. BookYourHunt.com offers a “Best Price Guarantee” and will match any lower published rate for the hunt. Read more
Hunting

MI DNR asks anglers to report tagged walleyes


The Michigan Department of Natural Resources recently jaw tagged 3,000 walleyes in a number of Saginaw Bay tributary rivers. Anglers are asked to collect information on tagged fish they catch and to report it to the DNR.The DNR has tagged more than 100,000 walleyes in the Saginaw Bay area since 1981. Jaw tagging is part of a long-term research project to monitor survival and harvest rates and to learn about walleye movement. The program depends on anglers to report when and where they catch a tagged walleye, as well as the fish’s length, weight (if known) and tag identification number. Once reported, anglers will receive a letter back detailing the history of their fish.

About 10 percent of the tags include a $100 reward for reporting the tag. Each tag is stamped with a unique identifying number and a P.O. box address. If anglers prefer, they can report their tagged walleyes online at michigandnr.com/taggedfish/. Anglers can keep the fish, of course, or release it if they prefer. Anglers are reminded that in order to be eligible for a reward, photos are required of the flattened tag. If the fish is released and an angler is not interested in being eligible to receive a reward, the tag should not be removed from the fish’s jaw. Read more

Fishing

Why Virginia Gov Terry McAuliffe can’t give felons right to vote without restoring their right to own guns

Flag_of_Virginia.svg
Governor Terry McAuliffe has given felons in Virginia the right to vote without allowing them the right to own a gun.  His executive order will let murderers and rapists will be able to serve on juries.  Say someone has committed multiple violent crimes.  Is there an argument to be made that we have learned something about that individual’s preferences?  Presumably this is the argument for why McAuliffe doesn’t want to restore their rights to own guns.  But why then Virginians would want to let violent criminals help make public policy and serve on juries?
From the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed an executive order Friday restoring the voting rights of 206,000 ex-felons, a sweeping action the governor said was aimed largely at rectifying Virginia’s “long and sad history” of suppressing African-American voting power. . . .
The action . . .has the potential to expand the state’s voter rolls, currently estimated at about 5.4 million, by as much as 3.8 percent. . . .
In his speech, McAuliffe anticipated a strong response from Republicans, who said the order’s lack of distinction between violent crimes and less serious offenses will give murderers and rapists the right to vote, serve on juries, hold public office and notarize documents. . . .

McAuliffe’s order does not restore firearm rights. The ability to purchase and own a gun still would require court action. . . .

But McAuliffe action faces a significant problem.  From Article II, Section 1 of the Virginia Constitution:

No person who has been convicted of a felony shall be qualified to vote unless his civil rights have been restored by the Governor or other appropriate authority. 

Firearms

Last Defendant in ‘Disturbing’ Colorado Lion Maiming Case Pleads Guilty

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The last member of group of poachers from western Colorado to face trial agreed to plead guilty to eight misdemeanor violations of the federal Lacey Act in U.S. District Court in Grand Junction on April 6. Nathan Simms, 31, of Grand Junction will face sentencing in June for his role in what veteran wildlife officers called one of the most disturbing cases they had ever seen.

In the plea agreement, Simms accepted a recommendation that he serve a six-month prison sentence for his involvement in the crimes. In addition, he faces a possible lifetime suspension of his hunting and fishing privileges, pending an appearance before a Colorado Parks and Wildlife Hearings Officer.

“We want to make it clear to anyone that chooses to ignore our laws that we take wildlife violations very seriously and our officers will do what it takes to bring them to justice,” said CPW Northwest Regional Manager Ron Velarde. “Criminals involved in this activity can face significant penalties from the courts, which is appropriate when you consider how unethical and destructive poaching is to wildlife.”

Christopher Loncarich of Mack was the owner of the now defunct outfitting business that employed Simms and his wife Caitlin Simms – daughter of Loncarich – her sister Andie Loncarich of Crawford, Nicholaus Rodgers of Medford, Oregon and Marvin Ellis of Grand Junction. The co-conspirators developed a scheme to capture and maim lions and bobcats in western Colorado and eastern Utah, making it easy for their customers to kill. The investigation revealed that most of the clients, many that came from out-of-state and paid up to $7,500 for the opportunity, were unaware of their illegal methods.

Officials apprehended the group after a lengthy investigation beginning in 2007 and continuing through 2010, involving law enforcement officials from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Read more

Poachers

Kirtland’s Warbler Alliance and Huron Pines seek volunteers for Jack Pine Planting Day


Volunteers are needed to plant jack pine trees to help the Kirtland’s warbler on the third annual Jack Pine Planting Day sponsored by the Kirtland’s Warbler Alliance and Huron Pines in partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fairmont Santrol and Saving Birds Thru Habitat.This year’s event will be held Saturday, May 7. Volunteers will gather at the northeast corner of Crawford County Road 612 and Manistee River Road at 9 a.m. with the goal of planting about 2,300 trees over a 2-acre site in about three hours. The site is about approximately 4 miles west of Frederic, Michigan.

Read more

Wildlife

Meopta Introduces New MeoRed Reflex Sight


HAUPPAUGE, NY – – Meopta is pleased to introduce the MeoRed, its newest and most compact reflex sight. The MeoRed features high-quality optics and a lower profile than its predecessor, the MeoSight III, allowing users to co-witness with most iron sights. Parallax free and weighing just over an ounce, this sight is ideal for fast, close-quarter target acquisition with both eyes open and accurate shooting on the move.Designed for use on handguns with cutout slides, AR platforms or shotguns, the MeoRed is well suited for tactical use as well as three-gun competitions, target shooting and hunting close-range moving game such as hogs. It is made from aircraft-grade aluminum alloy and is fully waterproof and shockproof. The MeoRed comes with an integrated MIL-STD 1913 mount in addition to an interface plate for a Docter mount and features easy to use windage (180 MOA) and elevation (120 MOA) adjustments. Illumination of the 3 MOA red dot is activated by pushing the control button located on the left side of the sight and the brightness level of the red dot is continuous and easily adjustable. To turn the unit off, press the button and hold. Read more
Optics

Multiple openers kick fishing season into high gear


The Michigan Department of Natural Resources would like to remind anglers to dust off their fishing gear and get ready for the opening of two fishing seasons Saturday, April 30. The statewide trout season and the Lower Peninsula inland walleye, northern pike and muskellunge seasons all open that day.In Upper Peninsula waters, the walleye, northern pike and muskellunge seasons open Sunday, May 15.

Don’t forget the catch-and-immediate-release season for largemouth and smallmouth bass is open all year on nearly all waters (unless otherwise closed to fishing – check the Michigan Fishing Guide for specifics). The possession season for bass opens statewide Saturday, May 28, except for Lake St. Clair, the St. Clair River and the Detroit River, which open Saturday, June 18.

Fishing is a major economic driver in many parts of the state. In Michigan, anglers typically spend 28 million days on the water and generate $4.4 billion in economic activity, which produces $623 million in local, state and federal tax revenue. On top of that, sportfishing in Michigan is estimated to support nearly 38,000 jobs. Read more

Fishing

Natural Resources Commission approves year-round coyote hunting season in Michigan

The Natural Resources Commission, at its monthly meeting in Lansing, Michigan, earlier this month, approved new coyote and nighttime furbearer hunting regulations.

Effective immediately, coyote hunting season is open year-round in Michigan. Please note that dogs may not be used to hunt coyotes April 16 through July 7.

Nighttime hunting season dates now match the daytime hunting season dates by species. Coyote and opossum hunting are open year-round. Raccoon hunting is Oct. 1 through Jan. 31, and fox hunting runs Oct. 15 through March 1.

Raccoons, opossums, foxes and coyotes now may be taken at night with 3 and 4 buckshot. Nighttime furbearers can be taken with a bow and arrow, crossbow, a rimfire firearm .22 caliber or smaller, or a shotgun with loads other than buckshot larger than number 3, slug or cut shell. Centerfire rifles may not be used to take furbearers at night. Read more

Hunting

Voters Do Not Support Lawsuits Against Firearms Manufacturers, Retailers, Poll Finds

 


NEWTOWN, Conn. – Seven of 10 American voters do not support allowing crime victims to sue firearm manufacturers and retailers when firearms they made or sold lawfully after background checks are used illegally in crime. Instead, voters from across political parties and geographic regions back the defense that the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) provides the firearms industry.More than 70 percent of voters disagree with a position one presidential candidate has made a centerpiece of her campaign. Like that candidate, others running for federal office have chosen to run against and misrepresent this decade-old law that prevents crime victims from suing firearm manufacturers and retailers who have not broken any laws.

These findings were among the results of a national scientific poll of 1,000 registered voters conducted in mid-April by Harper Polling and released today by the National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®), the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry.

Some 72 percent of those surveyed agree that the PLCAA “should be kept and we should punish the criminals who commit these acts not the law-abiding manufacturers and retailers of lawful products which get misused” instead of “this law should be repealed because the current protection enables manufacturers and retailers to sell guns to people who shouldn’t have them, because they know they cannot be sued and don’t face any consequences” (26 percent). Only 4 percent were not sure. Read more

Gun Control
1 … 1,409 1,410 1,411 1,412 1,413 … 2,073