Friday, June 27, 2008

OutdoorsVT 6-27-08

Taking your kids into the outdoors can instill a life-long love of wild places. It's something that is critical as fewer and fewer people are active in the outdoors.

Read the column.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

N.M. Lion Trapped, Killed

The lion believed to have killed a New Mexico man was trapped and killed, according to the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

The lion's body will be sent for a necropsy to confirm if it is the lion that killed Robert Nawojski, 55, who was killed June 17 or 18.

The cat killed June 25 was an average-sized male that weighed about 125. It had four bullet holes in it, consistent with buckshot. A New Mexico Department of Game and Fish conservation officer had shot at the cat with a shotgun June 19 at the scene after the cat wouldn't leave

The lion was caught in a USDA Wildlife Services snare about a half mile from the site where Nawojski was killed. Officers with lion hounds are still searching for a second lion reported to be in the area.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Officials Confirm Lion Killed Man

The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish has issued a press release confirming that a lion killed the New Mexico man found partially eaten in southwest New Mexico. Read the release here.

An autopsy confirmed that the man died from injuries suffered in a mountain lion attack north of Silver City.

Conservation officers and USDA Wildlife Services agents are using dogs and snares to catch the lion.

Officers found the body of Robert Nawojski, 55, June 20, but believe he was killed late June 17 or early June 18.

Family members said the man liked to shave and bath on a rock ledge about 60 yards from his small trailer. It is believe he was killed just below the ledge, then dragged a short distance, partially eaten and then covered.

State wildlife officials say such attacks are very rare, but could become more common.

"Attacks by wildlife may become more frequent as our growing population expands into the urban-wildland interface," said Rick Winslow, the state's large carnivore biologist. "New Mexico has a healthy population of mountain lions and people who live around them must learn to take precautions and avoid dangerous encounters."

The death is the second in the state's history. An 8-year-old boy was killed while playing in Arroyo Seco in north-central New Mexico in 1974. In that case, the lion was an emaciated female that weighed only 47 pounds when it was later killed by a neighbor.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Cougar Suspected in N.M. Man's Death

The Silver City Sun News is reporting that a N.M. man found partially eaten and buried may have been the victim of a mountain lion.

Robert Nowojski, 55, was found 80 yards from his small trailer home near Silver City in southwest New Mexico.

An autopsy is pending to confirm cause of death.

While police couldn't determine cause of death due to the condition of the body, a state police spokesman said it appears the body had been fed on.

Officers who arrived at the home to check on Nowojski after he was reported missing saw a mountain lion that wouldn't leave. Officers contacted the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and a conservation officer took a shot at the lion with a shotgun. The lion is being tracked by hunters with hounds.

Neighbors in the area reported a problem lion in the area with many dangerous encounters including a bold lion and an encounter during which a lion stalked a couple up their driveway. Other encounters report a lion in backyards and looking in windows of homes.

Read the full story here.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Montana Fishing Guide Killed

A fishing guide was killed in a rafting incident on the East Fork of the Bitterroot River in Montana.

Dave Dedmon, 53, of Corvallis, a former sheriff's deputy, police officer, was apparently scouting the river for an upcoming fishing trip. He owned and operated Montana Flywater Co.

Dedmon and his wife were floating down the river when their raft was sucked into a snag, which unseated the pair and flipped the raft. The couple hung onto the raft before it hit another log. His wife was pulled from the river by some kids, but Dedmon wasn't retrieved from the river until farther downstream.

Despite CPR at the scene and en route to the hospital, Dedmon was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Read the full story here.

OutdoorsVT 6-20-08

Staying hydrated in the outdoors is a matter of planning.

Read the column.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Outdoors 6-13-08

If you find wildlife babies alone, walk away. Here's why.

Read the column.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Boy Lands New KS Record Bass

A 14-year-old Kansas boy has laid claim to the states new largemouth bass record after landing a 11 pounds, 12.8 ounce bucketmouth from a private strip pit in Cherokee County.

Tyson Hallam took the fish during the West Mineral Eagles fishing tournament with a jig and pig combo May 3.

The bass barely topped the old record of 11 pounds, 12 ounces, a fish caught by Kenneth Bingham in 1977

Hallam's bass measured 28 inches in length and had a girth of 19 1/8 inches.

Friday, June 6, 2008

OutdoorsVT 6-6-08

Vermont is offering a weekend of free fun during Vermont Days. See what you and your family can do at state parks, historic sites and more.

Read the column.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

NWTF Has Its Leader

The National Wild Turkey Federation named George C. Thornton its chief executive officer June 2.

He will begin his duties immediately.

Thornton is well known throughout the agribusiness community, according to a news release issued by the NWTF. Most recently he was president and CEO of Agriliance, LLC., before retiring in 2007.

Also according to the release, "He is a past director of the Minnesota Zoo, and has served on many civic, industry and company boards including chair of the Chemical Producers and Distributors Association, Crop Life America, The Fertilizer Institute, local Boy Scout councils and church groups. In 2006, George was named Agribusiness leader of the year by the National Agricultural Marketing Association."

"We are thrilled to have George leading this organization," said Jere Peak, NWTF chairman of the board. "His background heading up Agriliance, which became the largest Agricultural products distributor in North America under his leadership, and his commitment to the same conservation principles and hunting heritage values that the NWTF family holds dear, makes him a perfect fit to take us to the next level."

Thornton is a lifelong hunter with a passion for restoring and maintaining wildlife habitat, according to the release.

"As a conservationist and hunter, the NWTF's mission really resonates with me, and I'm committed to working with this team of staff, volunteers and partners to fulfill the organization's goals," Thornton said. "The track record of the NWTF is very impressive. We can build from this foundation of success to find new and exciting ways to enrich the experience of our membership."

Thornton replaces Rob Keck who served as CEO of the NWTF for 27 years before resigning recently following the dismissal of COO Carl Brown who had 28 years with the NWTF, and Dick Rosenlieb who had been with the group for 19 years.

Brown and Rosenlieb have sued the organization claiming they were the victims of an organized smear campaign by members of the board that used lies and defamation to sully their reputations.
Read the news release here.