Field Notes

Think chewing gum is only able to cover up your stinky breath? Well, a new type from Japan promises to mask your BO, too.

According to this BoingBoing link, the gum changes your body chemistry so that special aromas are emitted through your skin. Right now, the only flavors are Fuwarinka fresh citrus, Fuwarinka fruity rose, and Otokokaoru rose menthol, but think of the deer hunting applications once they come out with pine, acorn, and fresh apple.

From a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service press release:

After nearly disappearing three decades ago, grizzly bears are thriving in the Yellowstone ecosystem and no longer need the protection of the Endangered Species Act, Deputy Interior Secretary Lynn Scarlett announced today.

"The grizzly's remarkable comeback is the result of years of intensive cooperative recovery efforts between federal and state agencies, conservation groups, and individuals," Scarlett said. "There is simply no way to overstate what an amazing accomplishment this is. The grizzly is a large predator that requires a great deal of space, and conserving such animals is a challenge in today's world. I believe all Americans should be proud that, as a nation, we had the will and the ability to protect and restore this symbol of the wild. . . .”

With management shifting primarily to the states, and with the Montana Senate having already passed a measure to allow hunting, this move could eventually lead to a limited sport harvest of grizzly bears.

From a National Wildlife Federation press release:

“Yellowstone grizzly bear recovery is the best kind of proof that the Endangered Species Act is effective in protecting wildlife for our children’s future,” said Larry Schweiger, president and CEO, National Wildlife Federation. “The nation’s safety net for imperiled wildlife works, and the American people want it to stay that way.”

Do you agree?

Remember Kevin Kelly? He shot a deer out of season that he said was damaging his Iowa tree-farm property. Then he called the state DNR and asked to be charged. He eventually was and promised to argue at his court case that a 1915 Iowa Supreme Court ruling allows property owners to take deer management into their own hands.

In December, we asked you if he had the right to shoot that deer. Many of you responded and were largely split in your comments. Well, the jury wasn’t split when they convicted him on Wednesday of “shooting a female deer out of hunting season and killing a white-tailed deer with a rifle,” according to this Des Moines Register story. He’ll be slapped with about $1,700 in total fines.

What do you think? Was this the right decision?

Check out the other March Madness, from The Chicago Sun-Times:

At least one Illinois team had a buzzer-beating week, even if it came down to the final boat of the weigh-in Sunday at Newton Lake.

It's another sign of the push bass fishing is making on campus. Fishermen even have been making noise about having tournament fishing recognized as an NCAA sport.

What do you think? Would you rather watch college basketball or college fishing this time of year?

In 1949 Jack Sampson sold his first story to Field & Stream for $75. Four years ago, he finished his 23rd book, Fly Fishing for Permit. And in the 50-odd years in between, he accomplished about everything a hunter, fisherman, and outdoor writer could hope to, including a 13-year run as F&S editor-in-chief. “He was an icon,” says fellow writer and friend Craig Springer in this obituary from The Santa Fe New Mexican. “Legend is often overused, but in this case it's entirely appropriate.''

Man, it’s tough being a New Jersey bear hunter (or should I say a would-be NJ bear hunter?). First you have to fight tooth and nail to get a season. Then protestors show up illegally to scream at you during the hunt. Then the new-blood (or should I say anti-blood?) politicians yank your season. And now a judge vastly reduces the sentences of those same illegal protestors. Ouch! Read about it here.

From Nashville, Tennessee’s NewsChannel5.com:

Some people in a Nashville neighborhood are furious over a new rule that makes it illegal to own a gun.

"I think it's unconstitutional," Salajanu said. "They can't tell you what to own or not to own in your own house."

Check out the full article linked above then tell us what you think?

Twelve-year-old boy scout Michael Auberry had had enough of camping. He wandered into the deep woods surrounding North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Parkway, hoping to find a road and to hitchhike home. Four days later, rescue workers, searchers, and heat-sensing helicopters were still scouring the area for the lost boy when—at noon on Tuesday—a Shiloh shepherd named Gandalf caught Michael's scent. Having slept on under rocks and survived on stream water, the scout was tired, hungry, and homesick—but otherwise okay. Read the full story here.

An elaborate new haircut debuted as part of an ad campaign for a Brazilian coffee company has caught on with students looking for an easy way to get through 8- to 10-hour hunter-education classes. “It’s lucky for us,” says hunter-ed teacher Yanni Snorevist, “that it’s only convincing on post-pubescent men.” Read more here.