New Youth Hunting Web Site Launched

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department has launched a new Web site aimed at youngsters.

The "Youth Hunting Scrapbook," showcases the successes and achievements of youth hunters.

In addition to photos, the Web site is seeking notes, essays and stories for publication. The department reserves the right to reject any submission it decides is not appropriate.

To submit your photo, essay or story, send e-mail to Ann Shangraw, or mail your submission to:

Memories
Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department
103 S. Main St.
Bldg 10 South
Waterbury, VT 05671-0501

Include your first name, age, location, town, and date of the hunt.

Permit Numbers and Map for Antlerless Proposal

The Fish and Wildlife Department has posted its antlerless deer hunting plan to the Web site with a map and permit details.

In a news release, the department says the increase in antlerless deer hunting permits is a result of growing deer numbers and is an effort to keep the deer population in balance with available habitat.

Makes sense. Carrying capacity of the land will only allow a certain number of animals before the habitat begins to degrade. It's all about the habitat and if carrying capacity is surpassed, the deer herd could take a serious nose dive.

For more information on the proposal and a map showing the number of permits in each WMU can be found on the Fish & Wildlife Department's Web site. Look in "Law Enforcement" and click on Rules and Proposed Rules.

Fire Burns Outdoor Store to the Ground

Vermont Field Sports, a local outdoor icon, burned to the ground April 26 destroying not only a business, but a way of life for some people in the region.

Owner Dick Phillips opened the Route 7 business in Middlebury for more than two decades before and the store quickly became a home away from home for many outdoor enthusiasts.

The fire, which was reported at about 10:30 p.m., couldn't be slowed by firefighters as gunpowder and ammunition created a dangerous situation forcing the closure of Route 7 for about four hours. Soon, the fire had roared throughout the building and by morning all that was left was a shell.

In news reports, fire officials said the fire was not suspicious but they haven't yet determined its cause. It was believed to have started at the north end of the building in the fishing tackle area, according to a story in the Addison Independent.

Phillips, 67, told the Independent he had not ruled out rebuilding Vermont Field Sports, which he opened 25 years prior.

Some 400 to 500 guns were destroyed in the fire as were dozens of trophy mounts of whitetails and other taxidermied specimens.

Workers and customers lamented the loss of what they referred to as an old-style sporting goods store where the fishing and hunting stories were as important as the gear that was sold.

More on Antlerless Permits

Dennis Jensen covered the antlerless permit situation in great detail in Sunday's outdoor section in the Rutland Herald.

You can find the article here.

Read the article for the particulars of the plan with permit numbers for specific Wildlife Management Units and the logic behind the plan from John Buck, the department's Deer Team leader.

In essence, however, the plan would call for 11,050 permits for 13 of 24 WMUs during the muzzleloader season in December. Jensen points out that antlerless deer will not be legal during the firearm season in November, where only spikehorns or bigger bucks will be legal, except during the youth season when all deer will be legal.

Vermont Antlerless Permits Recommended

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department made its recommendation for antlerless deer harvest to the Fish and Wildlife Board on April 18.

The department is asking for an increase in antlerless permits saying a growing herd requires more population control, which, if passed, would provide lots of opportunities for hunters -- particularly muzzleloader hunters.

The recommendation was passed by the board. There will be two more votes in coming monthly meetings. If approved, the permits would be available in late June or early July with an entry deadline of Aug. 24.

The initial idea, however, is to offer 11,050 muzzleloader permits for antlerless deer with the intention of kill 5,380 deer. That's 1,900 more permits than 2006 when hunters killed 4,877 deer.

More on this as I get a better handle on just what is proposed.

Public Hearing on Use of Fish, Wildlife Resources

Public Hearing Monday, April 23, on Use of Fish and WildlifeFor Immediate Release: April 19, 2007Media Contact: Steve Hill or Ron Regan, 802-241-3700 Public Hearing Monday, April 23, on Use of Fish and Wildlife WATERBURY, VT - A public hearing will be held Monday, April 23, at 7:00 p.m. at the Pavilion Auditorium on State Street in Montpelier by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board on a proposed regulation designed to maximize the proper use of fish and wildlife resources. The proposed regulation has the following provisions:--"No person shall take game or furbearers and intentionally, knowingly, or negligently fail to retain for use a significant portion of the game or furbearers taken.--Sick or diseased animals may be left in place and shall be reported immediately to a Fish and Wildlife Biologist or State Game Warden. --Animals taken under the authority provided by Subchapter 4, Wild Animals Doing Damage, Chapter 113, Game, of Part 4 of Title 10, or under Section 35, Title 10 Appendix, Taking of moose doing damage, or under Fish and Wildlife Regulation #2000 on the Taking of Turkeys Doing Damage shall be governed by those specific provisions." -30-

Turkey Outlook Good

Dennis Jensen in the Rutland Herald had a turkey season preview in the April 15 paper quoting a source saying the February and March storms didn't seem to have a big impact on the big birds.

Doug Blodgett, the turkey project leader for Fish & Wildlife, said
that, for the most part, Vermont's turkey population wintered well. He also said
that spring turkey hunters can expect a good season.

"We should have a darn good season," he said. "I don't know if we're going
to set any records but these birds continue to surprise me."

The deep snows of February had Blodgett concerned, but he said that he
believes the birds came through in good condition.

"I think we dodged a bullet late this winter," he said. "I suspect we did
have some mortality but, for the most part, the front part of the winter, well,
there wasn't much to it. That probably aided these birds somewhat. They did face
some winter challenges late in the season but I think things broke reasonably
well, soon enough."

Read the rest of Jensen's article here.

More Problems for Turkey

After the big Valentines Day blizzard, the wild turkeys in the area took another hit recently with another big spring storm.

Another foot or so of snow fell March 16.

How will this affect the turkeys?

Time will tell.

A Safe Year for Vermont Hunters

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department has issued a press release saying that 2006 was one of the safest years ever for hunters.

With more than 80,000 licensed hunters in the state last year, there were four hunting-related shootings reported. This is the fourth year in the past five with four or fewer shootings.

"Vermont's hunters should be very proud," said Christopher Saunders, Hunter Education Coordinator. "Their track record challenges the perception that hunting is dangerous. However, even four are too many. They all could have been prevented."

Hunting is, in fact, safer than football, basketball, baseball, bicycling, waterskiing and swimming, according to statistics from the National Safety Council based on the number of mishaps requiring an emergency room visit per 100,00 participants.

Three of the four shootings were caused by careless hunters. Two shot another hunter thought to be a game animal. The third was a hunter who shot a fellow hunter while shooting at game. The fourth shooting was the result of careless gun handling that resulted in a wound to the hand.

There has been a 75 percent decline in hunting injury rates in the last three decades, largely due to mandatory hunter education classes.

The full news release can be found here.

Deer Meetings Set

White-tailed deer meetings have been scheduled beginning March 13.

This is the time to have your views heard about deer management in the state.

Biologists will share information about the 2006 hunting season and results along with winter severity. Game managers will be seeing input from hunters about recent changes.

There will be five meetings around the state all running from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.:

• March 13 - Lyndonville, Lyndon Institute Auditorium
• March 14 - Bellow Falls, Bellows Falls High School Cafeteria
• March 15 - St Albans, St Albans Education Center Cafeteria
• March 19 - Rutland, Rutland Middle School Cafeteria
• March 20 - East Montpelier, U32 High School Auditorium

Plan on attending one of these meetings to have your voice heard on deer hunting in Vermont.

Congratulations to Stowe Mountain Resort for earning the Green Community Award from the Audubon International for its Spruce Peak base-area development.

"Spruce Peak has shown a strong commitment to embodying the ideals of sustainability – economic vitality, environmental protection, and social responsibility," Peter Bronski, manager of the Sustainable Communities Program said in a news release issued Feb. 27 announcing the honor. "The Stowe valley is a truly special place. With Mount Mansfield, the vibrant tight-knit community below, and Vermont’s iconic pastoral landscape, in many ways Spruce Peak is charged with being the steward of abundant natural and cultural resources, and it’s a charge Spruce Peak’s leaders take seriously.”

The award recognizes environmental achievement. It is also a milestone toward being named a Certified Audubon Sustainable Community.

You can read the full press release about the award here.

But a few of the highlights of why Stowe earned the award include:

• More than 2,000 acres of wildlife habitat have been protected through two conservation easements.
• Spruce Peak's mountain cabins have been built to a 5-star rating and all future buildings will be built to the same high standards.
• Stormwater runoff is collected in a new snowmaking pond to protect the watershed and conserve water.
• Transportation impacts are being addressed with support of a trolly system and a planned municipal bike path and a transfer lift to eliminate the need for buses.
• Employees are rewarded for undertaking environmental projects.
• All paper is 100 percent recycled content.
• Employees participate in ride-sharing and are encouraged to cycle to work.
  

Of course, Stowe is excited about the reward.

"The Spruce Peak at Stowe project is the result of many years of collaborative planning and coordination with many varied interests, including all of Vermont’s major environmental organizations," Robert Apple, the resort’s Planning Director said in the news release. "Now as the vision turns into reality we are proud to receive this award from Audubon International and look forward to a continued focus on sustainable development principles throughout the resort."

Big Snow Could Hurt Turkeys

The big snowfall February 14 may be bad news for turkeys.

According to one turkey hunter who has chased the wiley birds around the state for several decades, the snow could be bad for the wild turkey for several reasons.

One possibilities is the fluffy snow may be too deep and too soft for the birds to move around, keeping them stationary and unable to feed or escape predators. Conversely, it could keep the coyotes, bobcats and similar predators away. Another problem could result if the deep snow keeps the birds from being able to get to the bugs and shoots on the ground for an extended period of time.

Only time will tell.

Two Feet of White Stuff

Actually, the official tallies are a little less than 2 feet, but at my house there is pretty close to 24 inches of new snow on the ground.

It was enough to keep me in my driveway yesterday and took several hours of shoveling to get out today.

Anybody who can make it to the mountain today might find an enormous amount of fresh powder to ski on. Killington Resort is reporting 30 inches of snow.

It's snowing -- Hard!

It is snowing like nobody's business.

Weather guessers are saying a foot to two feet from this storm.

Looks like there's going to be great skiing for a while ... that is if anybody can actually get to the ski areas. The roads are already covered with at least 10-12 inches and it's snowing extremely hard. This could be a big storm.

Get those boards waxed.

Adventure Presentation

Brian Mohr and Emily Johnson just can't seem to stay home. These two are constantly exploring the wilds of South America it seems. At least when they're not home showing off their slides of their adventures.

The duo presents another of their Wild People, Wild Places events featuring slides and lecture of their adventures around the world.

The first show is at 7:30 p.m. at the Big Picture Theatre in Waitsfield. There is a $5 fee.
The next show is at 7 p.m. at the Vermont Ski Museum in Stowe. There is a $5 fee.

Both events have Brian and Emily talking about their bicycle trip through the southern Andes in 2000 when they stumbled upon Chile's Rio Baker Valley. The area is home to the largest and wildest river in Patagonia with countless glaciers and vast reserves of unexplored mountains. The pair returned last fall and spent a month camping and skiing while documenting the regions endangered culture and wild nature. A percentage of all proceeds will be donated to conservation efforts in Patagonia.

More shows are slated in the future including:
March 17, 7 p.m., Montpelier
April 5, TBA, UVM campus
Early April, Vt. Ski Museum

For more information: www.EmberPhoto.com or (802) 496-5434.

Ski Deals in Vermont

Vermont Ski Areas Association has a good roundup of lift ticket deals at ski areas throughout the state.

See the full list of deals here.

With the weekend upon us and some snow finally starting to cover some of the mountains, this weekend could be a good chance to hit the slopes -- whether it's for the first time of the year, or just a chance to try something new and save a few bucks along the way.

Batten Kill Management to Focus on Habitat

After a public outcry against the idea of stocking sterile trout in the Batten Kill, it looks like the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife is dropping the idea.

In a press release, the department says the new six-year Batten Kill Trout Management Plan calls for an emphasis on habitat restoration and managing wild trout populations without stocking.

The nationally known river has seen a decline in habitat quality for brown trout in particular. Last June the department wrote a draft management plan that called for habitat improvement and limited stocking of sterile trout as a "put-and-take" fishing opportunity.

But the public overwhelmingly rejected the stocking idea while supporting the habitat restoration plans. The final management plan approved by Fish & Wildlife Commissioner Wayne Laroche dropped the stocking plan during the six-year plan.

"Over the past half dozen years, the department and other agencies have conducted numerous studies to identify likely causes for the reduced abundance of wild brown in the Batten Kill," said department fisheries biologist, Ken Cox in a news release. "Results from these investigations point to habitat deficiencies that have been in the making for many years and more recently reached a critical tipping point."

Studies show the river habitat quality, water temperature, refuge habitat and other physical changes in the river have reduced the Batten Kill's capacity to maintain the quantitites of fish the river once supported, according to the release. Efforts to restore trout cover habitat began last year and will continue.

"Habitat restoration will be directed at making in-stream improvements, reforesting stream banks, reducing erosion, restoring overall river channel and riparian functions, and informing the public of the importance of wise river corridor stewardship to habitat and trout," Cox said. "In order to be successful, this effort must be long term and involve the combined energies and resources of stakeholders and interest groups."

The plan will keep the river under a no-kill regulation from the base of Dufresne Pond dam in Manchester downstream to the New York state line. All trout caught must be immediately released.

The plan also recommends the closure of two important spawning tributaries -- the Green River in Arlington and Sandgate, and the Roaring Branch in Arlington and Sunderland -- from Oct. 1 to Oct. 31.

The new regulations will go into effect April 14

The Batten Kill Trout Management Plan can be found on the Fish & Wildlife Department's Web site at: www.vtfishandwildlife.com.

How To Increase Fish and Wildlife Funding?

A task force will be seeking comment from the public on a list of proposed recommendations on how to increase revenues for the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.

It's no secret that wildlife management agencies are under increasing pressure to carry out their missions as funding sources shrink and departments are asked to do more. Two or three decades ago, wildlife management agencies focused primarily on hunting and fishing. But with increased nongame responsibilities, not to mention law enforcement, search and rescue and education chores being added to their plates, money flowing simply doesn't go as far as it used to.

Almost every state wildlife management agency is looking for ways to increase revenue without simply raising hunting and fishing license fees since hunters and anglers are already carrying more than their share of the cost of wildlife management.

Toward that end, the Vermont Legislature created the Wildlife Funding Task Force with the job of finding alternative ways of increasing funding for the department. The task force must submit a report to the Legislature by mid-January.

With a list of eight funding ideas, the task force wants to know what the public thinks of their ideas to improve their final report to the Legislature and the governor. The "listening session" is scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 18 in the Pavilion Theater in Montpelier.

According to the legislation establishing the task force, the group has been told to "develop recommendations for comprehensive, sustainable funding mechanisms for the operations of the department of fish and wildlife which complement existing funding sources."

The legislation further states "the task force shall, among other things, consider whether costs of work carried out by fish and wildlife department personnel in providing technical services to permitting bodies and in enforcing laws and regulations other than fish and wildlife laws and regulations, should be paid for from other agency and department funds, as appropriate."

The eight recommendations the task force has come up with are:

1. Dedicate 1/8 of one percent of Sales Tax. Should be a $6 million revenue source.
2. Dedicate 1/8 of one percent of Rooms and Meals Tax. A $1.5 million revenue source.
3. Create a five-year fishing license. That is expected to be a $224,000 revenue source per year.
4. Create a five-year trapping license. Revenue amount unknown.
5. Explore a five-year hunting license. Logistical hurdles remain with this idea.
6. Create a lottery ticket. This has an anticipated revenue of $300,000.
7. Dedicate General Fund money specifically to offset law enforcement expenses. Current law enforcement budget is $4.2 million. This source could be relieved if Rooms and Meals Tax revenue exceeds expectations.
8. Create a user-fee permit for Fish & Wildlife Access Areas. Require that nonmotorized vessels have a permit to utilize access. Projected revenues of $1 million based on a $10 fee spread over 100,00 canoes, kayaks and sailboats.

Each of these ideas has potential, although many also have a downside. Several of these ideas would likely see opposition as nobody is going to want to give up tax revenue and user groups will likely balk at any additional tax or fees levied.

In my opinion, that's just tough. It's time nonconsumptive outdoor enthusiasts help foot the bill for the wildlife we all enjoy.

I would love to see several, if not most, of these suggested implemented.

Youth Conservation Camps Slated

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is looking for kids 12 to 14 years of age for this coming summer's Green Mountain Conservation Camps to be held June 17 to Aug. 17.

What an opportunity these camps provide for youth who are interested in the outdoors.

Kids who want to learn about wildlife and learn outdoor skills might want to consider these camps, which are located at Lake Bomoseen in Castleton and Buck Lake in Woodbury.

Kids can learn about wildlife conservation, fishing, canoeing, gun safety, map and compass usage and forestry among other skills. Classes are taught by natural resource professionals in an outdoor setting and take campers for field activities.

Cost for the week-long camps is $175 and includes food, lodging and equipment.

Anyone interested in attending can download an application from the department's Web site at www.vtfishandwildlife.com.

For more information about the camps contact: Jessica Plouffe at (802) 241-3768 or jessica.plouffe@state.vt.us.