Conference vmsnet::hunting$note:hunting

    Great show.  I put it on tape.  I couldn't believe how different
    they are (biologicly) from other mammals, due to the hibernation
    process.
    
    
    Dave

    Yeah, it was a great show(as Nova usually is!) real informative,
    with some great footage!
    
    I also always try to catch Marty Stouffer's Wild America on PBS.
    IN this area, Ma. it's on Friday evenings at 8 or 9, WITH A REPEAT
    showing Sun. mornings at 9:30.
    
    Again he always has great footage, on specifically American wildlife.
    He's done specials on Penn Whitetails, Southern Black bears, Tracking
    Wildlife, Rocky Mountain goats, Wild Turkey, etc.
    
    Catch it if you can, great show!

    yes it was a good show,, but did anyone see the other special on
    bears....?? two researchers from michigan lived with the black bears
    for almost a year.. i mean they actually stayed with them following
    along most times within just a few feet..!! they found that the
    black was not in the least worried about them!!! further when the
    food supply got scarce they of course would take food from the
    researchers and they found out that the growling , snorting, and
    fake charge were just that.. fake or rather for effect.. they studied
    the bear behavior and determined they were just big con artists
    that had no intention of attacking only scaring man away!!!  and
    as for marty stouffer, while his photography is nice you have to
    watch his anti-hunting sentiment and technical info... he tried
    to convince the colorado dept fish and game and the public that
    the coyote was an endangered species..!! hah!! he makes it sound
    like there is only a few left in the wild...!! 
    
    one who knows just how many 'yotes there really is...!
    lds

    
     Somebody mentioned in the 'fantasy' hunt note, that he would like
    to hunt all types of bears, including Polar bears.
    
     I don't know much about Polar bears, but I do know they are an
    awesome beauty. There just doesn't seem to be enough of them to
    warrant a hunt. Don't get me wrong, I love hunting almost anything,
    but I personally would hunt Polar bears with a camera.
    
     Does anybody know if there is a season on Polar bears, where the
    most densly populated polar bear habitant is, etc?
    
    Just curious and thought this would be a good place to ask.
    
    Smitty

    re.3
    
    I find it hard to believe he would encourage anti-ism! In the Penn.
    Whitetail episode that I had mentioned he specifically mentions
    hunting as a way to Manage the whitetail population. He did go on
    to say that he wouldn't promote,or condone hunting as I'm sure he
    was trying not to ruffle any feathers on either side. He did also
    specifically mention the revenues generated by hunters for the study
    and preservation of wildlife, by license, and ammo purchases. This
    leads me to believe that if he were anti-hunting, he definetly would
    have neglected to mention these facts.
    
    I also caught a special that he did on the coyote. Much of the program
    showed how the eastern coyote exists today in great numbers. Also
    how the coyote in general has increased it's range to most of the
    U.S., in recent years. So I'm sure he's aware of its presence in
    the ecology of the u.s.
    
    Are you sure your not confusing coyote with the red wolf, which
    at the moment, biologists are trying to reintroduce into Yellowstone?
    I'm sure this species would be classified as endangered, if the
    proper approvals are given.

    
    
    	re .3 & .5
    
    
    		I was told that Marty is anti-hunting and anti-trapping.
    He does have some good shows though....
    
    
    				~Mike~

    re .5 no i am sure it was the coyote special. i have special interest
    in this animal. marty has had some philosophical changes over the
    years i'm sure... i heard him correctly but think maybe he has grown
    with the times too!!! as for the wolf they have actually re-introduced
    several pairs to an island peninsula off the coast of south carolina.
    it is an ideal habitat because they are safe from hunters and people
    in genral because the land they are on is a wild life refuge.. anyway
    i guess depending what show you watch or when he did it or who is
    watching it he has to step carefully!!!! i guess it would be pretty
    hard not to ruffle someone's feathers..!!!!  by the way on my recent
    trip back to az. last week i called in 22 coyotes in 4 mornings!!!
    3 pairs of 2 and 2 pairs of three!!! i won't excite anyone by telling
    how many i got!!!! or how many a fellow decee missed...!! 
    lds

    Re: Marty S.
    
    	He also did a 2 part special on the wild turkey.  He did a short
    	clip on hunting and discussed how the sportsmen have done great
    	and wonderous things to bring back the populations.
    
    Re: Coyotes
    
    	No shortage of the little buggers 'round here.  Infact, one
    	of our managers was bitten by one while running on the track
    	outside of the plant just a couple days ago.  The track has
    	been closed until further notice and the F&G dept has been
    	contacted.
    
    Dave

    
    RE:4                     
          I'm the Polar Bear dreammer.
    
     Polar bears can be taken in the Artic- Thou most of them can be
    found in Russia. Very very few are hunted as the permit system is
    somewhat like our Moose--very controlled. The last I heard it would
    cost you about $10,000. for an Outfitter after you paid and were
    lucky enough to get a tag from Alaska F&G.
    
    I respect your view of hunting them but remember this...
    
    "No wild game animal managed by biologists under scientific study
     and methods  using hunters as a tool to manage the animal has
     ever become endangered or extinct only enhanced."
    
     This is something non-hunters are aware of and of which I use to
     put them in there place. Thou most of them don't want to listen.
     As the indians say:: People only understand what they want to
     understand"                                      
    
      Rick

A caution about Polar Bears if you ever do get to hunt them.  They have been 
known to stalk the stalker at times.  Make sure you don't wind up on THEIR 
dinner plate!  :-)

Rich

    Heres an interesting article on Bears:
    
    TWO GRIZZLIES KILLED
     Hunters killed two grizzly bears south of Glacier National Park
    in separate incidents recently, one of them in self-defense, state
    wildlife officials say.
     A 16 year old boy from Cut Bank hunting black bear shot at close
    range a 250 pound female grizzly southeast of Essex after being
    threatened by one of a trio of bears he accidentally surprised.
     Grizzly bears are protected under the Endangered Species Act, but
    state officials evidence supports the hunters story and no charges
    have been filed.
     The incident occurred two miles west of an area where workers are
    cleaning up 10 million pounds of corn spilled over a 2.5 mile area
    during winter train derailments. Officials now have closed hunting
    in a 50,000 acre area around the spill.
     Officials are still investigating an incident in which another
    grizzly was killed on the Middle Fork of the Flathead river when
    a hunter mistook it for a black bear.
    
    -end
    
     10 million pounds of corn !!!!!!  Thats one hell of a bait.  I
    wonder what "evidence" supported the boys story?
    
    Dave

    Re:.11
    
      Mayby his soiled undies??

    There was a artical recently in the Colorado paper about a guy and his
    son bear hunting in the southwest part of the state. The father had
    shot a bear and watched it run off a fall down about 100 yards out.
    Both of them went to check out the bear when it got up and charged
    them. The father shot the bear 2 more times before the bear was
    close to being on top of him. Then the 15 year old son shot, hitting
    his father it the chest, killing him.
    
    Wish I had the artical to print the complete details.
    
    The Game Warden said the the father missed a killing shot by 1".
    
    Never trust a bear until it's gutted out and on the meat poll.

    RE:.12
    
        8^)...........
    

     Well since it is pretty slow this time of year (fishing is something
    I only do when I can't go hunting) I thought I'd enter one of my
    bear stories.  The following is an actual account as seen through
    the eyes of a young hunter (me, a long time ago):
    
     The four of us had split up to take evening deer stands.  We were
    covering a valley, two hunters on each side.  With shooting light
    beginning to fade I heard 7 rather quick shots fired across the
    brook on the other side of the valley.  I knew it had to be one
    of two people.  I can remember feeling inadequate because I knew
    that there was no way in the world that I could ever shoot a gun
    that quickly and with accuracy.  All of a sudden I hear George
    screaming, "AHHHHH... AHHHHH.... AHHHHHHH .... GET OUTA HERE...
    AHHHH".  Then silence.  I was terrified.  About 10 minutes go by
    and I hear Ted asking for George.  I then hear George tell Ted to
    watch out cause he had a bear down.  So Ted apparently backs off
    and George tells him not to go that way cause there were 3 bears
    and two of them went in the direction that Ted was heading in. 
    So the next thing I hear is Ted yelling for me.  (Its now dark and
    you can hear a pin drop in the woods).  So I walk up to Ted with
    my flashlight, I'm the only one with a light.  We approach the bear
    and it is dead.  George is up a tree, afraid to come down.   Well
    heres what happened.
      George had climbed an apple tree to take his stand in.  Along
    came 3 bears.  George shot the first bear.  The bullet hit the bear
    in the shoulder and the bear just kept spinning around in a circle
    like a top.  George emptied his scoped lever action at the bear
    missing all but his last shot which killed it.  The other two bears
    were scared by all this and climbed the same tree George was in
    to escape the danger.  Now George is out of bullets and he thinks
    the bears are out to kill him.  So he starts screaming at them but
    the bottom bear just kept pushing the lead bear up the tree til
    it was climbing up Georges leg.  George reached for his .357 pistol
    but dropped it to the ground.  He thought he was going to die, but
    the bears realized what was happening and climbed down and ran off.
    
      So we dressed out the bear and the 4 of us dragged it out of the
    woods.  A happy ending.  And a great story that gets retold every
    year up at the hunting camp.
    
    8^)
    
    Dave