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Here’s what’s worth reading today, Tuesday, July 30, 2019:
Fishing guide charged for letting dog kill fawn: ‘This is a disturbing case,’ says wildlife official: A man from New Mexico is facing a possible ban from hunting and fishing after being charged in connection with a “disturbing case” in Colorado. Officers with Colorado Parks and Wildlife say Michael Garcia, 36, who works as a fishing guide in Colorado’s Conejos River, had allowed his dog to chase down and kill a fawn, later posting photos of the dog and its kill to his social media account. The post drew the attention of concerned members of the public, one of whom reported it to CPW’s Operation Game Thief, the division confirmed.
Outdoor Afro group works to get diverse populations to enjoy the great outdoors: On a hot July afternoon at Eno River State Park in Durham, a group of hikers assembled. The day had been unbearably muggy, and a thunderstorm loomed in the distance. Despite the sweat streaming down a few faces, the group was there for a hike, and they weren’t giving up. The hikers were part of the Raleigh-Durham network of “Outdoor Afro,” a national organization aimed at getting African Americans outdoors. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Outdoor Afro’s conception in Oakland, California. Yanira Castro, the nonprofit’s communication director, said that last year Outdoor Afro connected about 35,000 people in the United States with nature through activities such as hiking, camping, rock climbing and cycling.
Getting kids to pay attention to the outdoors: When I take my boys afield, I encourage them to explore. I keep them in range, but I give them a little space. I let them touch the stuff on the ground before I tell them it’s deer poop (that only works once, by the way). Their senses are sharp, but uneducated, so when they experience a different smell, texture, sensation, you can see by the look on their face that they are processing something new. Pleasant or unpleasant, it still makes an impression. As the years pass, these memories remain, and are renewed with the sights and smells of the woods each summer. Getting kids out of the house and into the woods is a stressful situation for parents to put themselves in. The kids come back to you with stained clothes, wet socks and shoes, and legs scratched by blackberry and raspberry plants. You have to tend to insect bites, stings, leeches and ticks. You are watching for porcupines, skunks, bears, wolves, anything that moves can cause concern in a given situation. Plants, too—poison ivy and wild parsnip can turn a fun day into a miserable one. It would be so much easier to keep them in the house.
Oregon doctors are writing prescriptions for people to spend time outdoors: Oregon doctors are among 75 physicians in the Pacific Northwest who have begun writing prescriptions for people to spend time walking in parks. 12 Oregon doctors are partnering with a non-profit called Park Rx America to prescribe time in nature for conditions like anxiety, depression and ADHD. Park Rx America was founded two years ago to advocate for nature therapy. The group cites medical studies that say outdoor activity “increases physical activity and stimulates the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system, hence decreasing the risk of developing chronic disease.”
Cameras capture bobcat hunting prey in backyard of Jacksonville home: Bill and Kristi Hartley never anticipated their bird feeders in the backyard would draw a bobcat closer to their home. The couple sent Action News Jax home surveillance video of the bobcat hunting a squirrel on and around their back deck. They found some of the squirrel’s fur left behind on their back deck, prompting them to check their video system. The video appears to show the animal lunging at the squirrel relentlessly, before eventually grabbing its prey, and trotting back into the woods nearby with the squirrel in its mouth.
Matching youth hunters with the correct firearms: Providing America’s youth with opportunities to shoot and hunt is extremely important. Just imagine how many kids, if given opportunities, would become lifelong target shooters, hunters and advocates thereof if they were exposed to such all-American traditions. As mentors, we can provide those opportunities and create new hunters and shooting-sports enthusiasts—a positive move at a time when the number of American hunters is in decline. Fortunately, in addressing this decline, the national NRA-backed R3 movement to recruit, retain and reactivate new hunters is taking hold throughout the hunting community and efforts continue to expand.
3 easy ways to shore up your bank fishing game: Bank fishing offers several benefits — immediate access, no boat ramp mayhem and minimal startup cost. But don’t mistake this relaxed scenario with its minimal requirements for an easy stroll to instant success. Truth be told, the shoreline game presents a handful of challenges unique to fishing on foot. For starters, realize that standing on the shoreline puts you at a lower angle than anglers in a boat, so your retrieves automatically follow a flatter plane. Using topwater frogs as an example, this means more potential lily pad entanglement/notching. The solution: Use a higher rod posture and more nose lift to bounce your frog through the thick spots and make good use of each little pool your bait encounters.
Summer time is a good time to take hunting inventory: I like hardware stores. Walking the isles and looking at the vast array of different items you can always find something you need, even if you don’t. I see hardware stores as a much needed oasis in the never ending world of projects that we get ourselves into for plumbing, electrical, building, remodeling, repairing, and whatever. One of the things that has always baffled me is how those in the hardware business keep track of the infinite amount of stuff, three million different kinds of bolts, nuts, screws, fittings, wire, tools, pipe, pipe fittings, rope, chain, and who the heck knows what else. I decided to take on another kind of inventory the other evening. We had some terribly hot days this past week and one evening when it began to cool down I took a little tour of the backwoods and see what was on the shelf. I will report on the items I check off the list myself as well as what I hear from different members of my staff as they observe what is on hand in the backwoods larder.
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