Field Notes

You wouldn’t believe how often deer break into people’s homes. I used to post these sort of stories as a matter of course, but I’ve stopped because I come across so many of them.  This one, however, is interesting in that this poor buck seemed to know his way around people habitat.  If a person’s not feeling so well, for example, he’s apt to lay down on the bed. And someone who’s scared and doesn’t want to deal with the people around is bound to lock himself in the bathroom. This buck did both.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,196945,00.html

Noting that there would probably be a market among fishermen for harder-fighting fish, researchers at the University of Missouri are, as this Kansas City Star article puts it, “building fish that are lean, mean fighting machines--thanks to a little boost from creatine,” the same performance-enhancing supplement once used by Mark McGwire. It may be a while, though, before your local stream get a shot of super trout, as the federal government so far does not approve creatine in fish that are to be consumed by humans.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/14695407.htm

As we have reported here, Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park plans to use sharpshooters to thin its elk herd from roughly 3,000 to about 1,200 animals. Marksmen will work mostly at night and use silencers. But even so, citizens of nearby Estes Park—which is already an elk playground--fear park animals won’t stick around to be shot, but will instead move out of the park and inundate their little town. Check out this New York Times story on the growing controversy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/28/us/28elk.html?_r=1&ex=1148961600&en=0c4d7ca6253761b0&ei=5087%0A&oref=slogin

For today’s Florida alligator attack, we have Michael Rubin of Coral Springs and Jasmine, his 6-month-old golden retriever. Hearing a yelp after Jasmine ran ahead during a morning walk, Rubin hurried to find his dog’s head inside the mouth of a 7-foot alligator. He jumped into water up to his neck, pried his pooch from the reptile’s mouth, and took it to Coral Springs Animal Hospital, where it was said to be in good condition.  Tune in tomorrow.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/sfl-cgatorpup30may30%2C0%2C698204.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

While you were out fishing and grilling this holiday weekend, bears--along with certain people who shot them, ran into them, hunted them, and captured them--were busy making outdoor headlines. Here’s a rundown:
--“DNR rules bear shooting justified”
http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060527/News01/605270405/-1/NEWS01/CAT=News01
--“Teen's first car is hit by a bear”
http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006105260042
--“Pair of bears make most-wanted list”
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/bears/story/7772673p-7685328c.html
--“Young black bear causes stir in S.W. Roanoke”
http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/67227

Here’s some irony: Some 65 swans on Gainesville, Florida’s Lake Morton have been relocated. Officials needed to move the birds because a shoreline restoration project threatened their safety. So they put them in with a bunch of alligators, which have now eaten at least 9 of them. Maybe the idea is that if you feed swans to Florida gators, they’ll stop eating people.
http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060524/LOCAL/205240350/1078/news

Obviously you’re having trouble getting back to work after the long weekend, otherwise you probably wouldn’t be reading this. So in an effort to keep things light, here’s a less than newsy item from the Financial News & Daily Record, listing some of the country’s strangest laws, including:
--In Norco, Calif., it is not permissible to carry a fish into a bar.
--In Wyoming, you may not take a picture of a rabbit from January to April without an official permit.
http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=45235

It may sound like an especially bad B-movie plot, but it’s for real: Students and faculty at the  Southern Illinois University Carbondale are being terrorized by fawning doe deer protecting their young. On Tuesday, three people were attacked, one needing stitches for a gash on her forehead, another suffering a sprained wrist. This incident makes a total of 12 attacks since last spring.
http://www.thesouthern.com/articles/2006/05/24/local/16421841.tx

Bison Hunt Sequel: Montana plans another, perhaps expanded, bison hunt
Last November marked the first Montana bison hunt in 15 years. Now, after gathering positive feedback from hunters and others, state officials plan to recommend another hunter for next year, and will likely request that more permits be made available, according to this Billings Gazette story.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/05/23/news/state/25-bison-hunt.txt

We have linked several less-than-hopeful news stories about the Klamath River of late, detailing in particular the recent sportfishing restrictions and commercial-season closure along 700 miles of the Pacific coast. But, writes John Driscoll of the Times-Standard, things may have gotten just bad enough for there to be some new hope. Check out this fine story for both a overview of the Klamath’s woes and to see perhaps the seeds of a brighter future for the fishery.
http://www.times-standard.com/local/ci_3851678