Wampus Cat Report

Lightning Bugs - What Happened?

On a recent night, Wampus ventured out on our deck overlooking Sleepy Creek Lake. From out of the darkness drifted a small, blinking yellow light.

It was a lightning bug - a.k.a. "firefly."

Big deal? You're durn tootin' it was. I hadn't seen one in years. And this was only one.

What happened to the lightning bugs? When I was a youngster they punctuated  the darkness like the Milky Way decorates ths sky. Young'uns caught them and put them in jars. Or stuck the "lights" on their fingers to simulate diamonds.

Then, perhaps gradually, they were gone.

Where did they go.

When did they go...

And why? 

Want Trophy Deer?

North Carolina has an over-abundance of whitetail deer. But more and more hunters are interested in trophy deer - those with impressive antlers.

Increasingly, hunting clubs are pushing that goal, insisting that members "let the little bucks walk."

An organization founded by North Carolina native Joe Hamilton  is now doing an excellent job of promoting quality deer nationwide.  Hamilton, born in Elizabethtown, was working as a wildlife biologist in South Carolina when he organized the first Quality Whitetails management group.

Today, it has more than 50,000 members dedicated to producing trophy deer on land they manage.

They do it through providing enhanced habitat and selective harvesting, along with promoting wildlife regulations that encourage and protect higher  quality game.

The organizations also produces a six-times a year magazine, Quality Whitetails, that is unsurpassed in providing information in deer management.

Dr. Mike Gooden brought the organization to the attention of Wampus.  He suspects some local hunters might be interested in forming a chapter.  He can be contacted through  mgooden@suddenlink.net. The national organization can be reached  at www.QDMA.com or by telephone (800) 209-3337.

Concerned About Quail?

If you are really concerned about disappearance of the bobwhite quail, you can rub elbows Friday, Sept. 28, with a lot of folks who share your concerns. Quail Point Chapter of Quail Unlimited will meet on that date at Lane Tree Country Club. The reception and mingling will begin at 6 p.m.

These are the people who have had a significant role in efforts statewide to rebuild the bobwhite quail population in our State.

As a result, the Wildlife Commission alone has been spending more than a million dollars a year to encourage habitat enhancement and other activities to increase quail populations.  And there have been some encouraging success stories.

Quail Point Chapter was one of the pioneers in this effort. And Wade Teague, one of its organizers, has been a leader nationally in this effort.

In addition to its success in motivating statewide attention to the problem, the Quail Point Chapter has conducted numerous local projects to benefit quail habitat and populations.

Join these good people by attending the banquet September 28. For information: (919) 920-3790 or: wadequ@earthlink.net. 

Aw, Shucks!

When Clifton Stevens came into Gary Bevell's E Z Tackle shop on US 117 south of Goldsboro, he had two questions:

What kind of fish had he just caught - and how much did it weigh?

The weight question was easily answered. On Gary's certified scales, it went one pound, nine ounces. But what kind of fish was it? Gary scanned his books but couldn't decide. So he called  Wampus - long time Wildlife commissioner and outdoors columnist.

From his description, the big perch with green markings sounded to me to be a flier  perch. And if so a huge one. Wildlife officials in Raleigh were excited. If the fish was, indeed, a flier, it would be a world record. Fisheries Biologist Kirk Rundle - as excited as the rest of us - came down from Rocky Mount.

But careful examination revealed that it was a big red ear sunfish. A flier, he noted, has a dark "tear drop" extending in a "V" from below its eyes. Its anal fins also have seven or eight "spikes" whereas the sunfish has only three or four.

Nice fish, Clifton, but "no cigar."

Incidentally, Bevell was intrigued by the fact that the North Carolina record flier is bigger than the national "record." The state record being one pound, five ounces and the national record a pound and three ounces. Rundle explained that when the biggest state flier was recorded the report to national officials had not included all the required information.

Boating Notes

The boating season is in full swing. And here are some reminders:

Under the law, one can get an operating a boat under the influence ticket just as for driving a motor vehicle. The same alcohol blood level rule applies. And officers are equipped with "breathalyzers." Perhaps we need to start using "BUI"  for  Boating Under the Influence!

A new regulation requires boaters to slow to no wake within 100 feet of  patrol boats with blue lights flashing. The margin is 50 feet in tight channels.

Check all equipment before getting under way and remember, floatation devices can save lives only if they are worn - not while stored. Youngsters under 13 are required by law to wear life jackets.

A Boating Law

You're operating a boat and come upon a law enforcement vessel, blue lights flashing, checking another boat.

What do you do?

If you're within 100 feet of the officer's boat, you must slow to idle - no wake - speed until you have gone beyond where they are stopped.  This not only is to assure safety of all involved, but is also common sense.

(For most of us, curiosity is sufficient motivation.)

Navy: Poison the Waterfowl!

The  N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has taken a "strong position" against a U.S. Navy proposal to poison,  shoot or otherwise destroy or discourage waterfowl using a site it insists upon using as an Outlying landing field  (O.L.F.) to train carrier-based  pilots.

The commission has  instructed its director to send its opposition to the state's Congressional delegation.

 Over objections of local citizens and their elected officials, state and federal wildlife and environmental groups - and the courts -  the Navy has insisted on acquiring thousands of acres in Washington and Beaufort counties for the O.L.F.

The facility would accommodate operations of aircraft, the vast majority of will be stationed in Oceana, Va.,  Residents of that area have complained about noise from the new, high performance Navy aircraft.

Chris Canfield, executive director of the Audubon Society in North Carolina, was quoted by The AP, that in disputes "between pilots and birds, the pilots should and will win."

If the gentleman was quoted  correctly by The AP, his comment begs the question. The real issue is whether the Navy should be allowed to conduct its flights adjacent to a national wildfowl refuge that attracts thousands of birds.

The Navy has proceeded from the outset with arrogance, indifference to public and wildlife concerns - and with the audacious attitude that it will get what it wants.

The Wildlife Resources Commission joins others in asking that Congress forbid funds the Navy plans to use for locating an O.L.F in the site it has insisted upon.

Sunday Hunting?

Is the issue of Sunday hunting dead? The Wildlife Resources Commission has passed on to the governor and the General Assembly findings of an extensive study showing the vast majority of citizens opposed hunting on Sunday. Even a slight majority of hunters disapproved of the idea.

The Wildlife Commission had been asked for a study and a report - not a recommendation.

Scuttlebutt around Raleigh now is that  the issue might be approached from a new angle. Sunday hunting is prohibited by State law - not Wildlife Commission regulation.

But what if the issue were to be sent over to the Wildlife Commission in the form of authority to allow Sunday hunting in certain areas and under specified conditions?  For example, might Sunday hunting be permitted on private properties or certain game lands? (It already is conducted on some federal properties occupied by military bases.) 

At this juncture the notion appears to be scuttlebutt. Perhaps just wishful thinking on the part of some advocates of Sunday hunting.  And some question whether  members of the General Assembly, in light of the recent findings of the study, care to venture into such predictably turbulent political waters.

Bear Baiting - A New Approach

In public hearings across the state, strong opposition was voiced against Wildlife Commission proposals to curb baiting for bear.

Ironically, the proposals had been an attempt to clarify what constituted hunting bear with the use of bait such as sugar, peanut butter and other processed foodstuffs.

But bear hunters contended the proposal complicated the issue and could lead to stringent punishment of innocent hunters who neither placed the bait nor were aware of its presence.

It was a legitimate concern and Wildlife Commissioners and game management staff got the message.

Envisioned now is a new approach: Go after those who place the bait.

Legislative action likely will be sought to make it illegal to place certain processed food items in certain areas in counties where there are bear seasons. The law would be crafted to exempt such things as landfills, domestic livestock feeding practices etc. It also would not include grain, such as corn, widely used to attract deer.

Of particular concern to wildlife officials have been property owners who bait for bear and offer high-dollar hunts to "sportsmen" who are virtually assured of taking a trophy.

Biologists say the practice of baiting has posed serious threats to the health of bears - and not just from hunters. Bears have been known to become addictive to sweets, suffered tooth decay and other maladies.

Who Pays?

It came up during a Wildlife Commission hearing in New Bern. One question related to allowing Sunday hunting on Game Lands. There are thousands of acres of them owned or leased by the Commission and are popular and productive areas for hunting and fishing.

They also are popular among hikers and horse-back riders and bird watchers.

An in-depth survey of Sunday hunting state-wide showed the vast majority of citizens were opposed - including more than half of the state's hunters.

Among the reasons was that Sunday provided a day in which hikers and horse-back riders and birders could enjoy their pastimes in safety.

But on Game Lands?

One fellow at the New Bern hearing rose to offer an observation and a question:

The hundreds of thousands of acres of Game Lands are provided  by the license fees and special taxes paid by the men and women who hunt and fish in North Carolina.

Why, the fellow wanted to know, did not the hikers and birders and trail rides not share in paying the cost.

It was a good question. And it might apply far beyond the Game Lands.

The Wildlife Commission provides hundreds of boating access areas across the state. It offers boating safety courses and enforces laws that protect those who enjoy our waters.

Licensed boaters  pay for this.

But also among those enjoying the boating access areas, launching ramps and parking facilities,  are kayakers, row boaters and canoers. Their boats are not required to be licensed and they don't have to contribute to the cost of providing and maintaining the access areas they use.

When the Wildlife Commission a few years ago moved to require these craft to be licensed it was met by a chorus of protests from lobbyists for the kayakers and canoers.

Now these good folks are pushing to have the state Department of Transportation provide them access areas at bridges across streams around the state.

The citizen at the public hearing at New Bern raised a good point about those who use our Game Lands and who pays.

And he was greeted by applause.

The ripple effect covers far more than Game Lands...