Newshound

Gas Pains

Here’s some sage advice for anglers and boaters already reeling from the record-high gas prices that have ushered-in this year’s fishing season: When you’re filling your boat with gas, make sure you place the pump nozzle in the gas tank and not in the fishing rod holder.

And, if by chance you happen to mistake the fuel intake hole on your craft, let’s hope you’d recognize your error before you pump 100 gallons of pricey petroleum product overflowing into the water at a marina.

Today’s Palm Beach Post used a fair share of discretion in its article about yesterday’s fueling mishap that required the response of the Martin County Fire Rescue Hazmat team to Finest Kid Marina fuel dock in Port Salerno, Fla.

After all, the news report conveniently failed to mention the name of the male boater who pumped 100 gallons of marina-priced gas into his rod holder, overflowing into the craft’s bilge tank.

It was an editorial decision for which we’re certain the perpetrator is extremely grateful.

It’s bad enough that the poor guy probably is out around $500 or more for his numbskull move. At least he didn’t have to deal with the added embarrassment of having his name in the paper.

According to the report, only about 15 gallons went into the water around the fuel dock. Hazmat crew members towed the boat from the fuel dock to a safe location, where they secured the fuel, said Jeff Alter, Fire Rescue bureau chief.

Colorado Agency: Don’t Put Frogs in Freezer

The Colorado Division of Wildlife has reversed an earlier public statement in which it recommended that unwanted exotic frogs, fish and salamanders should be euthanized by placing them in freezers as an alternative to releasing them into ponds and lakes.

“It might sound cruel, but the best thing to do with unwanted pet frogs, salamanders, baby alligators, goldfish, and the like--is to freeze them,” herptile specialist Tina Jackson said in the agency’s initial release. “As they cool down they enter into a hibernation sleep state and then pass away.”

The idea behind the release was to educate the public about the potential harm that non-native fish, reptiles and amphibians can cause to the environment. It is an increasingly important issue for state game and fish agencies, as they’re faced with mounting problems caused by invasive aquatic species such as Asian carp, Northern snakeheads and zebra mussels.

Unfortunately, not everyone thought the concept of quietly sending frogs to that big lily pad in the sky by placing them in the deep freeze was responsible, humane advice.

Responding to the recommendation, the American Veterinarian Medical Association contacted the Colorado agency and announced it does not consider freezing reptiles and amphibians to be a humane method of euthanasia.

As a result, the agency issued a follow-up press release last week to clarify the situation, and to apologize.

“The DOW sincerely apologizes for any misinformation and suggesting an inappropriate method of euthanasia,” said the press material. “Euthanizing unwanted animals should only be done as a measure of last resort. It is preferable to give them to someone who will responsibly take care of them, return them to where they were purchased, or donate them to a local natural history museum, aquarium, or zoo.”

The release went on to reiterate the threat that non-native species pose to the ecosystem.

So, unless you’re personally experienced with preparing sodium pentobarbital cocktails, or Dr. Jack Kevorkian has started offering his services to the cold-blooded, you probably shouldn’t be trying any in-home amphibian and reptile euthanasia. Or, just don’t tell anyone about it.

Legendary 25-Pound Bass Goes Belly Up

The one-time potential world record largemouth bass that turned Southern California angler Mac Weakley into an overnight international piscatorial celebrity has died.

The legendary Dixon Lake bass, the most famous gilled inhabitant of the Escondido, Calif. municipal impoundment, was found dead Friday. An angler discovered the fish--which apparently died after spawning--floating in the weeds.

At the time of its demise, city rangers say the renowned fish was a mere 19 pounds, a far cry from the hefty 25.1 pounds it was said to have weighed when Weakley caught, photographed and released it two years ago.

The enormous bass sparked interest worldwide as Weakley's now-famous photograph of companion Mike Winn hoisting the fat-bellied fish burned across Internet fishing forums and outdoor blogs.

Positively identified by the telltale black spot located above its gill-line, the fish had been dead about a day when it was found.

Ironically, for the past week, a National Geographic Channel-contracted camera crew had been taping attempts by Weakley and his fishing companion Jed Dickerson, as they relentlessly fished Dixon Lake in pursuit of the big female bass.

Dickerson caught and released the same fish in 2003, when it officially weighed 21.7 pounds.

On Friday, Dickerson told The San Diego Union-Tribune that he had fished Dixon for the past 70 straight days.

Controversy and debate swirled around Weakley’s March 23, 2006 catch because the fish was foul-hooked and it was not weighed on a certified scale prior to release. The angler decided not to attempt to enter the fish as an IGFA world record, though he and Dickerson vowed to continue pursuing the Holy Grail of Bass Fishing at the Southern California bass-fishing hotspot.

California Fish and Game officials are expected to take tissue samples of the fish today in an effort to determine its age.

When Weakley was shown the remains of the big fish on Friday, he immediately provided a positive ID.

“That’s it, that’s the fish,” Weakley said. “The fish has lived out its life cycle.”

We’ll take his word on it.

Swiss Law to Ban Catch & Release Fishing

In what appears to be one of the most blatant examples on record of animal rights philosophy run amuck, legislation due to become law in Switzerland next year would ban catch-and-release fishing, requiring anglers to kill every fish they land.

The European Fishing Tackle Trade Association (EFTTA) sent out a press release on Wednesday alerting its membership and the media to animal welfare legislation approved by the Bundesrat--the Swiss Federal Parliament--that includes the provision: “it is not permitted to go fishing with the ‘intention’ to release the fish.”

While the legislation does not use the term “catch and release,” it states that fish caught by anglers should be killed immediately following capture, “with a sharp blow to the head from a blunt instrument.” Under the new regulations, live bait and barbed hooks are also prohibited.

The measure, which is scheduled to become effective in 2009, complements a broad platform of animal welfare issues originally passed by the Swiss Parliament in 2005.

The EFTTA reports that its chief lobbyist, Jan Kappel, has been in contact with leaders of the Swiss Angling Federation, to see if the measure can be derailed in coming months.

“Demanding that people kill the fish they catch gives no thought to the conservation benefits from releasing them,” said Kappel.

The European trade group estimates that the legislation could affect more than a quarter million anglers in Switzerland, who generate around 30 million Euros in annual tackle sales.

“Making the killing of fish obligatory will simply reduce fish population and, at the same time, run the risk of having a negative impact on sport fishing,” said acting EFTTA president, Pierangelo Zanetta.

Oregon Fish Bounty Cheaters Nabbed

I guess when a state game and fish agency offers anglers cash for catching a specific undesirable fish species to help protect a popular sportfish, they have to expect a few scofflaws will come along and try to cheat the system.

This week, officers with the Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division cited two men who were allegedly attempting to defraud the state’s Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery program, in which anglers receive between $4 and $8 to catch a predatory fish that thrives on juvenile salmon in the Columbia River and its tributaries.

Funded by the Bonneville Power Administration to the tune of $3.7 million, since the effort began in 1991 nearly 3 million Northern pikeminnows (commonly known as squawfish) have been removed from the lower Columbia and Snake Rivers.

Anglers are paid $4 each for their first 100 pikeminnows exceeding 9 inches; $5 each for the next 300; and $8 each for every fish after that.

To help prevent cheating, fish must be caught by legal, hook-and-line methods and only fish caught after each day’s registration qualify for payment.

The program usually runs from early May until mid-October. This year it officially began Monday, May 5.

Acting on a tip Saturday (May 3), authorities served a warrant on a boathouse being rented by The Dalles residents Reggie Dawson and John Brown, where they discovered 88 live squawfish in a trap attached to the side of a boat slip.

Outside of trying to claim they simply love to angle for the inedible roughfish, it seems unlikely the men will beat the rap, which includes charges of attempted theft by deception and unlawful holding of fish without a permit.

Too bad the two ne’er-do-wells didn’t follow the example of David Vasilchuk, a Washington state resident, Russian immigrant and part-time cab driver who has fared quite well playing by the program rules. In fact, for the past few years, he’s ranked among the top-five pikeminnow-bounty anglers on the Columbia.

Vasilchuk’s prowess as a squawfish angler was the subject of a feature story in the Seattle Times in October 2006. That year he earned $40,500 during the five-month bounty season for catching and reporting his 4,786 pikeminnows.

In 2003, Vasilchuk bought a fishing outfit at a second hand store and launched his career as a bounty angler.

That year he earned $14,878 and was No. 8 overall.

His secret?

“People ask me, ‘Where have you caught them?’” Vasilchuk says with a thick Russian accent. “I tell ‘em, ‘At the bottom of the river.’”

Here at the Outdoor Newshound, we think Vasilchuk may have it better than those guys on the professional bass-fishing circuit.

Minimal travel, few expenses, and he sleeps in his own bed every night.

Big Bruin Serves as Prison Security

The sprawling Louisiana State Penitentiary and prison farm is home to lots of tough characters--both inside and outside the maximum-security facility.

The roaming and unconfined residents on the grounds of the 28-square miles of piney woods and farmland include rattlesnakes, wild razorback hogs, alligators and at least 8 black bears, including one estimated to weigh more than 400 pounds.

The Associated Press reports that an inmate spotted the enormous bruin for the first time last week as it was crossing a road. Judging from the size of its tracks and the eyewitness report, the bear was thought to weigh around 450 pounds, according to Warden Burl Cain.

The warden embraced the idea that the big fellow is roaming the backwoods and believes the knowledge of its presence alone may act as a deterrent for any prisoner who may consider an escape attempt.

“I love that bear being right where it is,” said Cain. “I tell you what, none of our inmates are going to try to get out after dark and wander around when they might run into a big old bear. It’s like having another guard at no cost to the taxpayer.”

The last recorded escape at the prison also known as Angola was nearly three years ago, and the inmate was quickly captured before leaving the grounds.

Here at the Newshound, we can only imagine the scene if a Louisiana State Pen inmate on farm work detail attempted to elude guards and found himself face-to-face with a big, mean and hairy fellow three times his size.

With doubt, the inmate and bear could potentially reprise Paul Newman and George Kennedy’s classic fight scene in the ageless prison flick, Cool Hand Luke.

We think it would be a classic example of “a failure to communicate.”

JR's Random Outdoor Quote

“If you spend an appropriate amount of time stomping around in the woods, you’re going to see fungi. They’re all over the place. They seem to spring up like mushrooms. And as you observe all those different sizes, shapes and colors, you will surely become curious about them. Some, according to Mexican Indians and that longhaired creep who lives down the street, are hallucinogenic. And some will cure all of your problems, including that of continued breathing.”
-Galen Winter
“How to Pick Mushrooms”
Backlash, 1993

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

Ah spring! The time when a young man’s fancy turns to…alcoholic beverages and wild critters!!

Those of you who are still lucid enough to recall some of the more colorful details of your early adulthood and the years you spent pursuing a so-called higher education may vaguely remember some misbehavior you’d rather not see chronicled in your life’s memoirs.

Chances are good that your particular shenanigan(s) involved a cohort or two, as well as the consumption of a fermented or brewed beverage.

I’ve got a pretty good hunch that a pair of recent pranks that landed some college-age fellows in the slammer for a night will prompt some of the Outdoor Newshound faithful to remember one or two incidents from their past that they’d just as soon forget.

For example, there are the five students from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University located near Daytona Beach, Fla., who proved beyond doubt that they aren’t rocket scientists--at least not yet. The five 18 and 19-year-olds were arrested a few weeks ago when cops found them trying to steal a young alligator—using a palm frond and duct tape--from a Daytona-area miniature golf course’s “gator pit.”

Oh, yeah, the police report noted it was 3:28 in the morning when the arrests occurred.

The five were booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail on $1,000 bail.

When a cop asked one of the culprits what they planned to do with the reptile, the college sophomore admitted they hadn’t thought that far ahead.

And early yesterday morning, two University of Colorado students were arrested on suspicion of possession of a deadly weapon after university police found them on campus while carrying a camouflage case containing a compound bow and six broadhead-tipped hunting arrows.

The Boulder Daily Camera reports that Wesley Ashwood, 24, and Jared Leidich, 22, told CU police Lt. Tim McGraw they were hunting raccoons.

Time: 2:50 a.m., Mountain Standard Time.

The officer said the two students could not articulate why they were targeting coons with a bow in the wee morning hours.

“It might have had something do to with their level of apparent intoxication,” reasoned McGraw.

New Online Record Book For Road-Killed Trophies

Sure, the 12-point whitetail deer or 300-pound black bear you bagged while using a firearm or bow may qualify for Boone & Crockett, Pope & Young or Safari Club International’s record books, but what if you accidentally took it with your F-150 on Interstate 64?

Well, for one thing, you could forget about honoring the exceptional beast by recording its dimensions, weight or other vital statistics in a place where others could view and enjoy the information.

Until now, that is.

That’s because now there’s The Road Kill Record Book Club, the brainchild of a Wisconsin man who is quite serious about his venture.

“It is not their fault they were hit by a car or truck,” Web site creator Richard Sanders told Kevin Harter of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “They shouldn’t go unnoticed.”

Sanders said he came up with the idea after he discovered a huge road-killed black bear along the highway near Hudson, Wisc. He said it was larger than anything he or his hunting companions had ever taken, and he thought it deserved more than a trip to the landfill from the state road crew.

So Sanders, 60, created the Road Kill Record Book Club Web site, where, for a $10 registration fee, folks may enter animals ranging from big game to songbirds, and (literally) everything in between.

Now don’t think for even a minute that a record book dedicated to roadside carnage is lacking in scruples and ethics—not on your life!

Just take a gander at Road Kill Record Book Bylaw 101-B:

Only animals that have accidentally and legitimately been hit by motor vehicles, (cars, trucks, ATVs, SUVs, snowmobiles, motorhomes), that have passed before you are eligible for entry into the Road Kill Record Book. Intentional harvest of creatures by vehicle is strictly forbidden. Any violation of bylaw 101-B will result in the denial of all rights. All entries by the guilty party will be permanently withdrawn and all fees forfeited. Further, the guilty party will be banned for life from membership in the Road Kill Record Book Club.

As you might expect, Sanders’ idea is not being enthusiastically embraced by everyone in the hunting and outdoors community.

“I thought I had seen everything, but I hadn’t until now,” Lou Cornicelli, big-game program coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources told the Pioneer-Press.

“I don’t see it serving a purpose, but if he wants to have a Web site for animals smacked by Buicks, more power to him,” Cornicelli said.

Survivor Takes Multi-Bearded Bird

A Mississippi outdoorsman who was sidelined from enjoying his springtime passion--turkey hunting---by a severe heart attack three years ago, was back in the woods this year with renewed enthusiasm.

And his season turned out to be one for the books. The record books, that is.

Jerrell Keele, a 67-year old hunter from Burnsville, Miss., shot a 17.28-pound, seven-bearded turkey late in March. Its multiple beards qualified it as the non-typical record for the state of Mississippi.

An ardent turkey hunter, Keele says he nearly died of a heart attack three years ago.

“That heart attack liked to killed me because I didn’t get to hunt turkeys that year,” he told outdoor writer Buster Wolfe of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. “But I believe the Lord will help a fellow who wants to help himself. So I kept trying.”

Armed with a Remington Super Mag 12-gauge pump shotgun—and fitted with a defibrillator and a pacemaker--Keele bagged his record bird early March 17.

“I let out a flydown cackle, and I heard a bird gobble on a ridge about 15 minutes to 7:00,” he said. “I did four or five more yelps and he jumped on that. So I put out the decoy. He saw that and had to come on.”

Keele’s tom had so many beards that the National Wild Turkey Federation registration form had to be altered to hold all the necessary information.

“The form only has room to write in (the measurements for) six beards for each turkey,” said Keele, whose turkey scored a total of 151.155 points non-typical.