Nebraska Hunter Apprentice Law Signed by Governor
February 21, 2008
A new law allows Nebraskans more flexibility in sharing their hunting adventures with their children.
Gov. Dave Heineman on Thursday signed into law LB 690, which created the Hunter Apprentice Exemption Certificate. A signing ceremony was held in the governor’s office at the state capitol, with Dr. Mark Pinkerton, a Nebraska Game and Parks Commissioner, in attendance.
The Hunter Apprentice Exemption Certificate may be issued to any nonhunter, ages 12 through 29, who wishes to try hunting in Nebraska and has not yet completed the required Hunter and/or Bow Hunter Education course. The certificate only can be issued once during a person’s lifetime, with one renewal, for a fee of $5. The certificate expires Dec. 31 of the year in which it was issued.
The new law allows hunters ages 12 through 29 more opportunities to try the sport before investing time in the state’s Hunter and or Bow Hunter Education Program. “The Commission feels this new action will help more persons to begin hunting under a qualified mentor, soon finding their way into a Hunter and or Bow Hunter Education class.” said Jeff Rawlinson, assistant administrator in the Commission’s Information and Education Division.
A person hunting with a Hunter Apprentice Exemption Certificate must have the required valid hunting permit or stamp and be accompanied by a licensed hunter who is at least 19 years old. The person accompanying the hunter must be in unaided verbal and visual contact at all times and may not accompany more than two persons at one time.
As in the past, Hunter Education is not required by youth under age 12 as long as the youth is accompanied at all times while hunting, but the new law also allows a person at least age 30 to hunt without taking a Hunter and/or Bow Hunter Education course. A person must be at least 11 to take the Hunter Education course.
With the new law, anyone ages 12 through 29 who is hunting antelope, deer, elk or bighorn sheep with a bow and arrow is required to have either proof of successful completion of a Bow Hunter Education course or an Apprentice Hunter Education Exemption Certificate, along with the appropriate hunting permit and stamp. The requirements are the same under the bow hunter statute as under the firearm statute regarding the person accompanying the apprentice hunter.
LB 690 also:
– allows the hunting of deer by a person at least age 10, and a person age 10 or 11 must be accompanied at all times while hunting, by an experienced licensed hunter age 19 or older, and a person age 12 through 15 must be supervised by a person who is at least 19 and has a valid hunting permit.
– limits the number of individuals ages 12 through 15 hunting deer, antelope, elk or mountain sheep that may be supervised at any one time by a licensed hunter 19 years of age or older to no more than two.
5 Steps for Approaching a New Deer Property
February 21, 2008
I met a guy who knew a guy, and that’s how I secured permission on one of the best properties I know. But then the work began; to hunt it effectively, I had to learn the property and what the deer are doing on it.
Approaching a new property can be a daunting task, particularly if it’s a sizable piece of land. The property I just referred to is three quarter sections large, that’s 480 acres. Roughly half of it is covered in a matrix of old growth aspen and spruce forest. Ideal whitetail habitat, it has slough bottoms surrounded by dense willows and several different topographical variations that create perfect natural funnels.
When I first set foot on this property, my inclination was to walk the field edges and look for heavily used game trails exiting the woods. In my mind, these paths would reveal where concentrations of deer leave the woods to feed or exit the fields to return to bedding cover. True enough, this provided some valuable information. Over the years, I’ve taken several deer hunting those very trails close to field edges. But during my first season on that same property I later learned that I missed out on the finest hunting because I failed to do my research.
On one hand, many of us are afraid to set foot in the woods because we feel that may disrupt the deer and cause them to change their habits if not vacate altogether. Let me say this. As a rule, if you move carefully and methodically through the woods, whitetails will most often shift out of your way and soon after you leave they’ll return. Whitetails have an innate ability to survive and thrive in the heart of intense human development. Don’t get me wrong, pressure is an issue and it can significantly dampen visible daytime movement, but one individual carefully and quietly moving through the woods is something they overcome quickly.
So, back to how I learned about the aforementioned property. As I hunted that first season I see several deer, but what amazed me was the number of deer I’d observe as I walked into my stand before daylight and out at dusk. Realizing that I must be missing something, I dug deeper. I spoke with the farmer, I researched maps and aerial photographs, and most importantly I took the plunge and walked almost every inch of the property. Blown away by what I learned, it became clear that I’d been hunting good spots, but not great spots. Soon thereafter I shifted my stand sites and experienced an entirely new phenomenon. I still had to put my time in, but from each of my stands I was now seeing many different deer and several of them were truly spectacular bucks!
Bottom line - if you have access to a new property and want to learn as much as possible about it, consider these five things:
STEP 1 - Talk with the Landowner
Whether it’s simply someone who owns the property or an individual that farms the land, take the time to speak with them. Chances are they’ve spent considerable time on the property and have consequently made valuable observations. While they may or may not have set foot in the woods, their observations about deer movement can be invaluable. Farmers in particular can often describe locations where they consistently see deer feeding. The nearby woods are of course great places to begin scouring the woods.
Furthermore, landowners or other custodians can shed light on the type of deer living on the land. More than once I’ve learned of Boone and Crockett class bucks that rarely show themselves, by sitting down with the landowner over coffee.
One deer in particular I’ve been hunting for several years. Two seasons ago, I rattled him in to 26 yards. I estimate he would have scored in the mid-180’s at that time. My arrow hit a branch and I never saw him again that year. To my knowledge he is still alive today. Last year I saw him once only. Thanks to an ongoing dialogue with the farmer, I’ve learned that every once in a while he shows himself during late summer feeding patterns.
Even with information from the landowner, dialogue isn’t enough. Considerably more research is required to thoroughly learn a new property. Studying paper resources like photos and maps is the next step.
STEP 2 - Study Air Photos and Topographic Maps
A bird’s eye view can be invaluable. Aerial photos and even satellite imagery in some instances can reveal an incredible amount of information. Likewise topo maps can supplement what you see in the photos. One of the hottest resources available today is Google Earth (http://earth.google.com). This online resource offers a variety of functions including a 3D option in which the user can modify the angle of view. The downside is that not all remote areas are available in high resolution as of yet.
As you look at each photo and map, take note of the cover i.e., type and density of trees, shrubs, clearings, meadows, ridges, and valleys. By highlighting these features, you’ll be able to pinpoint the most probable bedding cover, staging areas, feeding areas, and access trails to and from bedding and feeding. Pay particular attention to natural funnels, i.e., areas that force deer to travel through specific movement corridors as they travel from one part of the woods to another. Often ridges, valleys or narrow strips of cover will serve this purpose. Likewise, consider lakes and streams that may influence deer movement. Last but not least, take note of less conspicuous bays, coves or clearings in which deer might feed because they feel comfortably hidden from roadways. After looking at photos and maps, its time to wear out some boot leather.
STEP 3 - Go for a Walk
Probably the most important step involves lacing up your boots and going for a hike. Not just any hike, mind you. To truly learn about any new property, it’s important to scour every nook and cranny. This involves stepping off of the manmade trails and into the cover. Whitetails have an incredible ability to elude hunters. If there is a place to hide, they know about it. Only by probing every area of the property can you gain a clear understanding of where the deer are spending their time.
Be methodical as you hike through the woods. Bring the aerial photo and topo map. Keep track of where you are at any given time so that you can thoroughly cover the woods and fields. Be sure to walk the ridges, valleys and any natural funnels.
As you hike around, take note of trails. Some will be more heavily used than others. Trail intersections are worth noting. At the same time, look for scrapes and rub lines. The ones I pay the most attention to are those that have successive rubs on nearby trees, i.e., that were made in previous years. Depending on the time of year that you’re hiking around, scrapes may not be evident.
An added bonus to walking a new property is the prospect of finding shed antlers. Shed hunting, although a different activity itself, can offer up loads of information about the class of deer on the property.
During your hike, also take note of special features like clearings, cut lines, and trees that might be suitable for stands. At the same time remember that does will generally concentrate in proximity to food and bucks will invariably focus on the doe groups, especially in the fall.
STEP 4 - Consider Food Sources
The most nutritional food sources will attract the deer. In most instances, the food sources are in the open agricultural fields. Whether you’re hunting a property that has alfalfa, peas, corn, soybeans, or an intentional food plot like Biologic, resident deer will find the best available food source and that is where you’ll find them at first and last light.
As you approach this new property, consider investing some time glassing these food sources at dawn and dusk. This will reveal at least a portion of the deer that are on the property. Take note of where specific doe groups enter and exit the fields. Depending on whether you’ll be hunting the early, mid-, or late season will help you to determine where to set your stand or blind. In the early season and even in the post-rut, setting stands or blinds near or even on these fields can produce well. If you’re planning to hunt the pre-rut or peak rut, these fields can be decent places to sit, but you may find better success by setting up in the woods some distance (e.g., 50-100 yards) away from these food sources on primary movement corridors with the idea of intersecting bucks searching for does.
STEP 5 - Use a Trail Camera
With the advent of trail cameras, deer hunting has taken on a whole new look in the twenty-first century. By strategically placing these cameras, we can virtually hunt 24/7 year round. As you approach a new property, consider placing trail cameras along game trails that you suspect may be most heavily used. By recording images or even video you can learn what the deer are doing on that property around the clock.
Saving 8,000 starving deer in Colorado
February 21, 2008
Wildlife officials and volunteers are launching the biggest feeding operation in 24 years to save 8,000 mule deer from starving in 4-foot snowdrifts near Gunnison.
“The snow is deep and it’s heavy, so it’s taking an extraordinary amount of energy for the deer to get to food,” said Joe Lewandowski, a spokesman for the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
“There’s also been brutally cold temperatures. It was down to 26 degrees below (Wednesday) morning,” he added.
The deer are in good shape because snow didn’t blanket the region until three weeks ago. But wildlife experts fear the long-term impact as the Gunnison Basin reaches 143 percent above the average snowpack.
“This time of year, it just stays cold from now through February with brutal temperatures and lots of snow,” he said.
“You could lose 30 percent to 50 percent of the herd in a really bad winter,” he said. “If that happens, it’s a devastating loss, and it’s really hard for the herd to recover.”
It would also be a hard hit for the Gunnison economy, which is increasingly dependent on hunters coming to stalk the region’s renowned deer herds.
Now, wildlife officials are gearing up for the biggest deer-feeding operation since 1984, Lewandowski said.
They are asking for hundreds of volunteers to help distribute the cookie-size feed wafers for deer, bighorn sheep and pronghorn. Alternately, volunteers will pitch hay to elk, which can be aggressive, to keep them away from deer-feeding sites.
“We had 300 people show up in Gunnison (Tuesday) night at a volunteer meeting,” Lewandowski said. “But this could go on six to eight weeks, so we’re going to need a lot of people.”
DOW officials need volunteers with trailers and an army of snow-worthy vehicles, especially snowmobiles, snowcats and four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Volunteers also are sought who can travel through deep snow on cross-country skis and snowshoes.
Officials started feeding operations in recent days to get deer accustomed to humans. The plan is to crank up volunteer operations this weekend.
Since Saturday, DOW staff have been scouting about 60 potential deer-feeding sites where herds of five to 30 deer are snowbound.
They’re also using snowcat tractors to tamp down snow paths, so snowmobilers pulling feed-laden sleds can access the areas.
People are cautioned against feeding hay to deer because - unlike elk - they can’t digest it.
“They’re browsers that survive on shrubs and sagebrush during the winter. So, people would be better off going out in their backyards and knocking snow off the sagebrush.”
Wildlife managers also are monitoring weather and snow conditions in other areas of western Colorado, including the Eagle Valley, the Aspen area, the Meeker/Craig area and the lower Yampa Valley.
People driving across the Western Slope are cautioned to watch for wildlife along roads as deer and other critters strive to find snow-free areas.
8 Tips for Turkey Decoys
February 21, 2008
8 Tips for Turkey Decoys
I once hunted in Alabama with a guide who called my decoys “rubber chickens.” After a gobbler made a bee-line across an open field toward the jake I’d mounted on top of a hen, he may not have changed his mind, but at least he was more open to the idea of using decoys while turkey hunting.
There’s more to successful use of decoys than simply sticking one out front. Here are eight tips on decoy use to make your turkey season more successful.
- Decoys must be seen to be effective. Open pastures or sparse woods are good spots for decoys.
- Place the decoy at least 15 to 20 yards away from your position. While the gobbler will focus on the decoy, if you’re too close he may pick you off as well.
- Realism matters. You know how well a gobbler’s eyesight is, and you’ll see better success with a decoy with the correct color scheme than a shiny blow-up bath toy.
- Movement is important. Carry-Lite’s decoys feature a stake that allows movement with the slightest breeze. If there’s too much breeze, stick a short limb into the ground on either side of the decoy to keep it from spinning.
- Never use mature gobbler decoys, like the Pretty Boy, on public ground or where you suspect other hunters might be in the area. The Pretty Boy is so realistic, especially with a real fan inserted, that other hunters will mistake it for the real thing.
- Even when hunting private land, place the Pretty Boy and Pretty Girl at least 20 yards from your location, and keep an eye out for other hunters stalking your deke.
- If your “rubberized” or foam decoy has dents and doesn’t look as good as you’d like, take a hair dryer and heat up the dent while pressing it out and back into shape.
- Open areas beg for decoys. If a gobbler continues hearing a hen but doesn’t see one, it’s unlikely to come within range.
The Perfect Set Up
February 21, 2008
The Perfect Set Up
- Basic Guidelines for Setting Up on a Gobbler -
– by Rob Ramsdale –
Many times you will not have the opportunity to really scout an area before hunting there and instead you have to read an area based on what you can see directly around you. For example, you are hunting a new area and it’s late in the morning and you are moving around trying to get a bird to gobble. You finally get a good response and you are now looking for a tree to jump behind since that gobble was close!!
Here are some basic guidelines to keep in mind when setting up on any gobbling bird:
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Think ahead - If you are walking around and stopping to call occasionally, trying to get a gobbler to respond, try to stop in a spot that has a handy place to set up since many times the bird will be close and you need to get ready immediately.
- Look for obstacles - When you get a bird to respond, quickly determine where the gobbler is located and what lies between you and the bird. If the gobbler has to hop a fence, climb down a hill, bust through some brush and cross a creek to get to you , odds are he’s not going to go to that much trouble. This is not to say it’s impossible, but you may as well increase your odds of success by moving and giving the gobbler a clearer path to your calling location.When possible, try and get on the same elevation as the bird or above him. They will come downhill to your calling but they are much more comfortable coming to a location that is at the same level they are or higher. Turkey experts seem to think this has something to do with their basic survival instincts since it is much easier for them to spring into the air and avoid a predator when they are walking uphill. Or it could be they are like me and walking downhill hurts their knees and ankles more. Who knows.
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Try to set up against a tree that is wider than your back - This will break up your outline better and also has the safety advantage of protecting your back if someone should sneak in behind you and accidentally send a shot in your direction. Many times, finding a big enough tree is not possible due to the fact there may not be any trees that big in the terrain you are hunting. Wide stumps, rocks and bushes or brush can be used if the terrain doesn’t have any large trees. My last resort is setting up against a small tree in the open but I have done this and been successful. Another option when there really is nothing except some grass and weeds (Those of you who hunt Rio’s or Merriam’s especially) is to go prone. Laying prone is often very successful because when you think about where a turkey is looking from, his eyes are only 3 to 4 feet high and he can’t really see that well into that grass patch up ahead of him.
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Remove all sticks and leaves from your sitting area - This not only makes you more comfortable but it also eliminates much of the noise you make while sitting there. I do like to keep some leaves to scratch by my side if I can since this can often bring in a tom when nothing else will.
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Minimize the chances for the gobbler to see you. I try and do several things to maximize my chances when a bird is coming in. First, if possible, I’ll set up in an area where I won’t be able to see the bird until he is in range. Conversely, the gobbler won’t be able to see me either. When I set up on a ridge top and I’m calling a bird below me, I’ll try and sit back from the rim far enough that I won’t see the bird until he is in range. I’ll also take advantage of any low brush around the tree I’m sitting against to break up my outline and sometimes I will move or cut some nearby brush or low branches for extra cover. The low brush or a low-profile blind will hide all of your hand movements when you’re using a slate or box call. Another thing I like to do when I’m using decoys is to set the decoy off to the side of the direction I think the bird is coming from so when he gets close and he’s staring that decoy down, I’m not sitting directly in his line of sight. This is a hunting tactic which is often used while duck hunting also.
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Sit down and get comfortable - Many times you will have to wait an hour or more for a gobbler to come in all of the way. Try and get as comfortable as possible and lay out the various calls you are going to use so you can quickly get yours hands on any of them. This is also a good time to get out the sand paper or Scotch- Brite type scouring pad and condition any friction calls that you will be using.
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Point your left shoulder (if right-handed) in the direction you think the gobbler will approach from - This will give you the maximum possible range of motion in case the gobbler circles and comes in from the side or another bird comes in from behind you. At best you can cover about 180 degrees. There are times when you still can’t turn your body enough to get a shot. That is when you may have to try a left-handed shot (if you’re right-handed). This is something most people never practice but it never hurts to practice moving your shotgun to your opposite shoulder and shooting with your opposite eye. You can be just as effective off both shoulders if you practice a little and if you hunt turkeys long enough, you’ll be glad you did some day.
- Get your gun ready - At this point, you are seated and ready to begin calling the bird in all of the way. This is a good time to check your gun to make sure it is loaded and ready. Some hunters do not even load their gun until they are set up which is ultimately the safest way of hunting. I used to be one of these until I clicked on an empty chamber one day while a huge gobbler stood there looking. I now carry a loaded gun once I leave my vehicle and it stays that way until I stop hunting for the day. I am pretty paranoid about checking the safety often while I’m moving around and as long as you are careful and use good common sense, I don’t see any reason to not keep your gun loaded all of the time.If you plan on using slate or box calls in your calling, place the gun in your lap with the muzzle pointed in the general direction of the gobbler. Hunters who use the mouth call exclusively have the advantage of being able to get their knee up and their shotgun raised and pointed in the general direction of the gobbling turkey well before it is in range.
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Start calling - If you are like me and like using a lot of slate and friction calls, you cannot always keep your gun up and across one knee when you are calling a bird in. That’s OK. Just start calling anyway and when the bird does get in view, you can wait until he crosses behind a tree or some other object and then raise your gun. If all else fails, you can slowly raise your gun on a gobbler in the open. He will sometimes see you and spook but it’s worth a try anyway.
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Shoot and celebrate - If everything else goes according to plans, you now have a gobbler in front of you within range. All you have to do is put your sights on his neck and pull the trigger!