Field Notes

Many sportsmen were not unhappy to see former Interior Secretary Gale Norton go. Some even hoped her replacement might be a little less eager to drill, mine, develop, and sell Federal lands. But with senate confirmation hearings for President Bush’s nominee (Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne) fast approaching, any such hopes may be mere wishful thinking.

According to this Florida Herald Tribune story, “As a US senator, Kempthorne twice voted for measures that would have opened the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling and voted against increasing funding for renewable energy research in 1994. On at least three occasions, he was a proponent of plans to sell off some of the same federal lands he will be entrusted with managing if confirmed as head of Interior.” 

Floridians are especially concerned that Kempthorne will expand off-shore drilling in the once-off-limits eastern Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060425/NEWS/604250431

Most sportsmen understand that when it comes to getting a dog it’s critical to research the matter thoroughly and choose very carefully, otherwise you could end up with an incorrigible digger, for example, that might one day unearth a World War II-era explosive device, causing the bomb squad to come to your house with all the neighbors watching, which would all be very embarrassing. Just ask Vivian Rogers of Orlando, Florida.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/orl-grenade2706apr27,0,1982037.story?coll=orl-news-headlines

Authorities have asked residents of Bellevue, Oregon, just east of Seattle, to secure their garbage and keep their pets and pet foot indoors, but they don’t need to tell anyone to keep a close eye on their young children.  No doubt, folks are already doing that since Jacob Town, 4, and Tristan Bec, 18 months, were nipped by a coyote in separate incidents. Authorities believe both cases involved the same animal, and they have set traps to catch it.
http://komonews.com/news/story.asp?ID=43142

Rufus is dead, but his legend grows. The now apparently internationally beloved wild turkey killed on opening day of Idaho’s spring gobbler season near the Jacques Spur Junction Cafe is approaching folk hero status (I’m writing a song about him right now). Problem is, Rufus’ story is another black eye for hunters. Among the many letters sent to the cafe, from as far away as Norway, is a poem to the hunter that reads: “Hope you can sleep at nite (sic), hope you choke on every bite.”  What many of Rufus’ mourners may not realize is that many hunters probably share this sentiment.  So post a comment below. Tell us (and the world) what you think about anonymous “hunters” who shoot half-tame gobblers from diner parking lots and run.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_ID_Rufus_the_Turkey.html

New research at the University of California at San Diego suggests that 9 out of 11 starlings can learn grammar, which is incredible when you consider all the anecdotal evidence suggesting that less than half of American humans can. Nonetheless, after a month and some 15,000 training sessions, psychology researcher Tim Gentner has accomplished what countless elementary school teachers have not by teaching basic grammar to a bunch of birdbrains. The University could have saved a lot of time and money by simply asking us about the language of birds. We’ve been talking to ducks, geese, and turkeys for years.
http://channels.netscape.com/news/story.jsp?floc=FF-APO-1501&idq=/ff/story/0001%2F20060426%2F1302271602.htm&sc=1501

According to this Associated Press article, Gopher State sportsmen moved one step closer to bagging landmark legislation they’ve been stalking for decades when the Minnesota House approved a constitutional amendment Tuesday to create a permanent kitty of state funds to protect habitats for hunting and fishing. Yet to be ironed out between the House and Senate is whether the funds will come from existing or new taxes.
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/14426784.htm

While outdoors enjoying a nice boat ride, let’s say, or a spin through the countryside on an ATV, it’s easy to forget how important it is to watch out for jumping fish and wildlife. But the second you let your guard down you could be smashed in the face by a 3-foot-long Gulf sturgeon, like Florida woman Dawn Poirier recently was while cruising the Suwannee River. Or you may bushwhacked by a leaping deer, like Pennsylvania’s John Kowal was on Sunday while on a benefit ATV ride. As a witness to the sturgeon incident told reporters, “people. . . need to be aware . . . that these fish [and most wildlife] can and will jump.”   
http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060425/LOCAL/204250344/1078/news
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/strange/news-article.aspx?storyid=56386
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/leadertimes/s_447206.html

Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park is among the country’s top destinations for tourists hoping to view big-game animals in their natural environment. This year, families who time their trip just right may even glimpse some of the area’s elk being put down in their natural environment, as the park’s draft elk management plan released Monday includes a recommendation to cull hundreds of the overpopulated animals by unspecified lethal means. There is also talk of reintroducing wolves into the area—an idea certain to ignite controversy.
http://www.jacksonholestartrib.com/articles/2006/04/24/news/regional/15f9104fc5eb6a3f8725715a005fdbe9.txt

Anyone can understand wanting to slaughter four mule deer bucks to vent pent-up rage. I mean, we’ve all been there, right, especially after a few drinks? So, it’s a little shocking that a judge has sentenced Montana’s Michael Benjamin Acuna to two to three years in prison. With such a sympathetic defense, you would think some sort of anger-management course focusing on psychopathic tendencies toward wonton wildlife murder would suffice.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/04/25/news/wyoming/50-poaching.txt

Yesterday, we noted that the details surrounding reports of a black bear attacking a Washington hunter were still sketchy. Now, although the names of the people involved have not been released, at least one important fact has come to light: The man was hunting the bear that attacked him. After pursuing the animal over a long distance, the hunter stepped into some thick brush where the bear turned the tables, grabbing the man’s arm and dragging him down an embankment.  A second hunter shot the bear, and the first has had surgery to repair a broken arm.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_Bear_Attack.html?source=mypi