In the news today....

[biggame]

A former NS bowhunter to boot.......



Former N.S. man kills grizzly with knife

By The Canadian Press | 5:34 AM
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GRANDE PRAIRIE, Alta. — A bow hunter who fought off a mother grizzly bear with only a knife was an avid woodsman with years of experience in the bush, his sister says.

Chris McLellan managed to kill the bear southwest of Grande Prairie last week when he apparently surprised it while she was with her three cubs.

Christa McLellan says her brother, who recently married and moved to Alberta from Nova Scotia on Aug. 12, had to have surgery to insert plates to repair his badly broken arm, but is otherwise fine.

"He’s in the hospital and he’s recuperating," she said, adding that her brother knew what he was doing in the bush.

"He’s been out with my father since he was a kid. He’s not a newbie to this."

One outfitter, who lives on land close to where the attack occurred, said he spotted the sow and her three cubs just days before the attack.

Dave Coleman, an outfitter for 44 years, commended McLellan for keeping his wits about him in such a desperate situation, noting the bear would likely have been fierce.

"She’s an awful good mother because she has three cubs so obviously she’s very protective to raise three of them without them getting picked off by a wolf or a mountain lion, and there’s lots of cougars around now," said Coleman.

After chancing upon the bear and three cubs, McLellan, stabbed the animal three times before getting away.

The bear’s body was found 30 metres from where the attack occurred.

Alberta Fish and Wildlife reported Monday that one cub has been captured and is alive. The remaining two cubs are still on the lam.

Ron Dallaire, owner of a hunting and fishing supply store, said rules should be changed to allow bow hunters to be to carry large-calibre handguns as protection.

Current rules allow bow hunters to carry a small shotgun, called a defender, with them.

"If you’re out in the bush you have to be ready and expecting anything," Dallaire said.

Coleman said he was attacked by a grizzly and getting away wasn’t easy.

"I couldn’t outrun him. I had to shoot him running with my gun behind me. I shot him in the throat and it killed him eventually, but I had to keep running," said Coleman.



’He’s in the hospital and he’s recuperating. He’s been out (as a woodsman) with my father since he was a kid. He’s not a newbie to this.’

CHRISTA McLELLAN Sister of man who won grizzly fight

[archeryman57]

WOW!!!
That is quite a story for Christa to take to the BOW program.
WOW!!!

[POINTY STICKS]

He's one luck man no matter what type of woodsman skills he has. I'd be a goner for sure, but you'd smell me for a couple hundred meters.

[biggame]

Different Christa AM57.

[POINTY STICKS]

NEWS Post a comment |



Last updated at 8:46 AM on 05/12/07

WHAT ABOUT THE WILDLIFE?

SHERRY MARTELL
The Truro Daily News



Officials with the department of Natural Resources feel more research needs to be done to determine the potential impact wind turbines could have on moose populations before a large number of turbines are erected in their prime habitat.


TRURO – Wind generating companies competing to place turbines on mountain tops are also competing with wildlife seeking secure habitat.
Tony Nette, wildlife resources manger with the Department of Natural Resources, said there is a concern about the lack of research on the impact wind turbines may have if erected in areas inhabited by the endangered moose.
“As a society we are caught between a rock and a hard place. We know we need more green energy but we don’t want to lose anything else,” said Nette.
“Moose is an endangered species. That kicks in very powerful things and because of that we need to proceed with caution.”
The Cobequid Mountain range spans from Cape Chignecto in Cumberland County in the west and to Pictou County in the east and is largely uninhabited, making it a prime refuge for the strongest remaining moose population on mainland Nova Scotia.
It is also where some of the strongest winds in the province blow, making it an ideal place to erect wind turbines.
Nette said several things can cause disturbances which could increase the pressure of an already fragile moose population.
Along with construction traffic and noise, new access roads allowing recreational vehicles passage into previously untouched woodlands, rotor noise, and visual noise from the shadows of turbine blades could also have an impact.
“It’s a question that we don’t have all the answers to,” said Nette. “There is a big unknown there. I’m not sure we are giving it adequate consideration.”
Wildlife biologist Bob Bancroft is looking to answer that question by researching studies done in northern areas of the United States to learn about the impact wind turbines there are having on wildlife species, including moose.
“There are a lot of things wind energy generating companies can do to minimalize disturbance,” said Bancroft, adding it is very important for industry, government, and environmental groups to work together to protect wildlife. “The moose population is already in trouble and we don’t want to burden them with more.”
In the past 30 years the mainland herd has decreased by about 20 per cent with only about 1,000 remaining. There are already several significant threats to their survival such as poaching, off-highway vehicle disturbance, and illness.
By the end of December, Nova Scotia Power is expected to complete negotiations with six wind energy developers at eight locations, including properties in Colchester, Cumberland and Pictou counties, to build enough wind turbines to power 58,000 homes by the end of 2009.

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[ARROW SLINGER]

Kpr has already posted some more detailed pictures of this unique deer on NSH, but heres the story.

novascotiahunting.com/forum/topic.asp?q=get_topic&discussion=44&id_topic=6556

East Texas hunter brings down McCullogh County doe... with antlers
By MATT WILLIAMS
Outdoors Writer
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Cliff Smallwood of White Oak took a business trip to McCullogh County shortly after Thanksgiving. It is a convenient place for Smallwood to work. He has a 550-acre deer lease just outside of Brady and keeps a travel trailer at a nearby RV park.

Small took off work early on the afternoon of Nov. 30 so he could do a little deer hunting. He and Jeff Cox, a Texas Parks and Wildlife game warden, were approaching Cox's box blind when they heard a grunting noise coming from some brush beneath the ridge.


Cliff Smallwood of White Oak was hunting near Brady when he shot a buck that turned out to be a doe with a polished rack.
Initially, the men thought the noise might be a feral hog. They scanned the brush and eventually spotted a buck moving through the mesquites, about 30 yards away. The deer appeared to have a respectable rack with tall tines.

"I actually thought it was the same buck I'd passed on opening morning of the season," said Smallwood. "I killed a real nice buck out there last year and I didn't want to shoot another one unless it was better than that one, especially during the first hour of opening day. So I let it walk."

Not knowing whether he would have another chance to hunt this season, Smallwood elected to shoot the deer if he got the opportunity. He slipped quietly through the brush hoping to see the buck again. He did, this time at 50 yards.

Smallwood said he made a mew call and the buck stopped in a small clearing long enough for him to take the shot. He dropped the deer in its tracks.

Closer evaluation told Smallwood the buck he'd shot was not the same one he had seen earlier in the season. Still, it was respectable. It was a seven-pointer that would have been nine-pointer if not for two broken tines.

Closer inspection told the men the deer was a warrior.

"It's neck was swollen and had cuts on it," Smallwood said. "It also had dried blood and hair on the tips of its antlers. It was pretty obvious the deer had been fighting with another buck and inflicted some injury, probably within the last 24-48 hours."

Then the men noticed something strange that led to an even more bizarre discovery. The tarsal glands located on the inside of the deer's hind legs were snow white, not urine stained as is the case with many rutting bucks.

"We thought that was kind of weird," Smallwood said. "Then I lifted a rear leg and saw it had no male genitals. Instead, it had female genitalia and teats. It was a doe with antlers — the strangest thing I have ever seen."

Unusual, no doubt. Unheard of, no.

Mitch Lockwood, whitetail deer program leader for TPWD, said he hears reports of 1-3 antlered does being shot in Texas each season.

"It's pretty unusual, but we do hear about them from time to time," Lockwood said. "I have actually seen two myself. And what is interesting is that some of them are pretty nice deer — nine or 10 points that will score around 130 B&C."

What causes the anomaly? It is generally believed to be the result of excessive testosterone levels that can be caused by a hormone imbalance, or problems with the ovaries or adrenal glands.

Occasionally, deer have been known to develop both male and female sex organs, Lockwood said.

[biggame]

My father shot a doe with antlers one year. It was mid November and it still had velvet on it. It was a spike horn. He shot it in Pictou County 20 years ago. Really strange....

[ARROW SLINGER]

Hunter killed after dog steps on gun



BAYTOWN, Texas, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- A Baytown, Texas, man was killed while hunting geese after his dog stepped on his loaded shotgun, firing the weapon.

Sheriff's investigators said Perry Alvin Price III was hunting Saturday near the town of Stowell when he shot a goose, but failed to see where the animal landed, the Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday.

Price placed his loaded shotgun in the tailgate of his pickup truck and his tracking dog stepped on the firearm before the hunter could release him to search for the felled bird. The blast went through the tailgate of the truck and struck Price in the thigh.

He was pronounced dead of severe blood loss from his femoral artery shortly after he arrived at a hospital Saturday evening.

Daniel Groberg, who was hunting with Price -- his former math teacher at Baytown's Robert E. Lee High School -- said he tried to stop the bleeding before rushing Price to the hospital.

Chambers County Sheriff Joe LaRive said the dog's paw prints were found on the shotgun.

"It's the strangest case that I've seen," LaRive said. "We couldn't talk to Perry and Groberg was at the front of the truck when he heard the shotgun blast and didn't see what happened."

[buckknife]

That is sad,enjoying a day of hunting and now he is gone,once that artery is cut ,there isn't much you can do for yourself unless you nare in a O.R,

Wonder how shot went threough a tailgate and still had enough whoomp to damage him that bad?

[huntwisely]

From The Chronical herald today - All I can do is shake my head and wonder about judges like this ...................

Hunter acquitted because no proof bird shot in N.S.

By BRIAN MEDEL
Sun. May 25 - 5:01 AM

BARRINGTON — The trial of Billy Jack lasted less than two hours Thursday in Barrington provincial court.

When it was over, Billy Jack Tom Hatfield was found not guilty of hunting without a licence, possessing uncased guns and bows in a vehicle and possessing guns and bows in wildlife habitat.

Mr. Hatfield, 28, of Shelburne County, was caught in September 2006 with two shotguns and two bows and the carcass of a ruffed grouse in September 2006.

Judge Jim Burrill found Mr. Hatfield not guilty on all counts for lack of evidence that the offences occurred in Nova Scotia. Mr. Hatfield represented himself at trial.

One Crown witness was called by Halifax prosecutor Jim Clarke.

Wildlife enforcement officer Kevin Totten told the court he was on patrol when he encountered a pickup truck at Beaver Lake near Middle Clyde, Shelburne County.

He stopped the truck and noticed a dead ruffed grouse, an empty gun case and a backpack in the bed of the vehicle. "I asked the three occupants to step out of the truck and stand at the back of the truck," he told the court.

The men identified themselves but when Mr. Totten asked for documents with their names, only Mr. Hatfield produced one.

The officer asked if anyone had a hunting licence, and Mr. Hatfield said yes. "He produced a Metis status card," said Mr. Totten said.

The officer told Mr. Hatfield that Nova Scotia does not recognize that card as a valid hunting permit.

He searched the vehicle and found a 12-gauge shotgun, two compound hunting bows, arrows and shotgun shells.

When the men were asked if they had any other weapons, one said another shotgun was under a seat. None of the men had a gun or bow registration or possession licence, but Mr. Hatfield said he owned all four weapons.

It was later revealed in court that one of the shotguns was owned by a Lower Woods Harbour man, but the court did not learn if the gun had been stolen. Mr. Hatfield did not deny any of the Crown evidence and produced no evidence of his own.

Judge Burrill questioned whether there was enough evidence that the offences had occurred in Nova Scotia.

The Crown argued that although the men’s vehicle had an Alberta licence plate, circumstantial evidence showed that the wildlife officer was on duty in Nova Scotia.

But Judge Burrill ruled that there was insufficient evidence that the offences occurred in Nova Scotia and acquitted Mr. Hatfield.

( [e-mail])

[ARROW SLINGER]

ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/080612/koddities/italy_unicorn


ROME - The shy, young deer nicknamed "Unicorn" because of the rare, single horn in the centre of his head is drawing hundreds of curious visitors to an Italian nature preserve, officials said Thursday.


People are flocking to the park in Tuscany where the deer lives, hoping to see him and take his picture.


"We have received so many calls from people and many are coming to see it," said Gilberto Tozzi, director of the Centre of Natural Sciences in Prato, near Florence. "Sometimes he comes close to the fence, even if he is very shy."


In just the past few days, some 200 visitors have made the pilgrimage to the Prato preserve to see "Unicorn," Tozzi said.


The shy but budding media star wanders freely around the park, he said.


"He is tranquil and leads his normal life," he said. "He doesn't feel like a star."


The year-old Roe Deer was born in captivity with an apparent genetic flaw, Tozzi said. His twin, in contrast, has two horns.


Single-horned deer are rare but not unheard of but experts say the central positioning of Unicorn's horn is unusual. Tozzi speculated that similar anomalies might have inspired the myth of the unicorn.

[ARROW SLINGER]

SASKATOON - What began as a routine trip to check his bee farm ended with a Saskatoon man performing a roadside caesarean section on a white-tailed deer.


John Polson, a freelance wildlife biologist, now has two baby deer following him around his Saskatoon home - when they're not playing with his cats.


Polson was on his way home from his bee farm south of Saskatoon when he noticed that a deer he'd seen four hours earlier hadn't moved.


He found the deer alive but badly injured by a vehicle, so he made the decision to end its suffering.


He says he then remembered it's the season for female deer to be giving birth so he cut open its womb, found two live fawns, and took them to his house.


Polson has been feeding them deer formula picked up from a nearby deer farm, but says the pair will be returned to the wild after spending some time in a government-approved wildlife rehabilitation facility.

[ARROW SLINGER]

These guys need to take a rigging course

Pictou County moose fell from chopper
Department of Natural Resources now reviewing rescue procedures
Last Updated: Friday, October 3, 2008 | 5:28 PM AT Comments87Recommend69CBC News
It turns out the moose that died Thursday was dropped from a helicopter.

The Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources initially said the endangered moose likely died of a combination of drugs and stress.

But on Friday,a spokesman for the department admitted the net that held the moose came loose from the cable as the helicopter took off.

"When the moose was first put into a sling for transport, it fell approximately 12 or 15 feet when being lifted by the helicopter," said Dan Davis.

"We wanted to let people know that," he said. "We don't know at this point, but it may have contributed to its death."

Wildlife officers moved in Thursday to relocate the young bull moose after it was spotted roaming near the town of Pictou. They feared the animal might cause a traffic accident.

A spokesman said officers shot the animal with a tranquillizer dart, then hoisted it by helicopter. By the time it was lowered to a waiting trailer, the moose was dead.

Information about the fall wasn't available Thursday afternoon, Davis said, adding the department is now reviewing its procedures.

A veterinarian is examining the moose to determine the cause of death.

The mainland Nova Scotia moose was declared an endangered species in 2003. There are only an estimated 1,000 animals left in isolated areas, a decline of 20 per cent over the past three decades.

[litekpr]

Caught a deer on the trailcam once here by the house.
It had a snare around it's neck.
Dead of winter and like -15C temps.
Contacted DNR, they had the Tranq Team on standby but,
They had probs due to temps and the gun is CO 2 powered and won't fire after getting cold plus they said that guessing the wieght of the animal is critical...
Too little and it will run off and probably injure itself worse in the process cause it will be stoned out of it's gourd.
Too much and it won't wake up.

MR, I wouldn't want their job on a good day
d**ned if ya do and d**ned if ya don't kinda thing.

Not sure about the helo and cargo net.
Any I have dealt with have metal rings on the corners and one hook on the helo.
Pretty straight fwd. if deckhands can figure it out...lol

[huntwisely]

Just a note to clarify what the paper stated - - the "wildlife officers" were DNR staff (mostly from Shubie), not Conservation Officers.