Whitetales Spring 2015

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3D Off-Season Archery

By Gord Nuttall

Understanding and Preventing Lyme Disease

By Elizabeth Mahoney, MD

ON TRAILS IT TRAILS NO ONE.

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WILDCAT TRAIL

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About this

Issue

All Living Things Need Caretakers...

Raise your hands if you remember Paul Harvey. If you didn’t lift a pinkie, ask your elders.

They will tell you how many of us grew up not only listening to his resonant voice, but also feeling deeply moved by how he seemed to be talking directly to us as we did our chores or had breakfast, etc. Paul was like family. He made us feel he genuinely cared about making our days better.

One of Paul’s most famous deliveries was a 1978 speech to the national “Future Farmers of America” (FFA) convention in 1978 called “So God Made a Farmer.” Even though Paul passed on in 2009, in 2014 Dodge redid his speech (with his voice) for arguably the best Super Bowl commercial of all time. Even the crustiest of football fans were moved when that heavenly voice said, “And on the 8th day God looked down on his planned paradise and said, ‘I need a caretaker!’ So God made a farmer.”

We here at MDHA agree. All living things need caretakers. Our current great state president Denis Quarberg (who very generously and excellently stepped in as interim Executive Director when Mark Johnson left) has always preached to “plant a seed, get a new member,” and that’s the way he kicks off this issue in his “From the President’s Stand.”

This issue also excitedly welcomes our new Executive Director Craig Engwall. Since he took over the MDHA helm on January 2, 2015, Craig has not only created a gigantic media buzz for MDHA featuring Minnesota major media coverage, but at a crucial time he has already taken the voice of MDHA and its Minnesota deer hunters and trappers to Washington D.C. There he met with our Minnesota delegation regarding the relisting of the timber wolf to “endangered” and reminded Congress we Minnesotans are longtime “caretakers” who are dedicated to our fish and wildlife and environmental heritage.

This issue is especially dedicated to how MDHA has for 35 years “cared” about our outdoor world. To kick it off, “founder” Ed Schmidt adroitly delves into the “what ifs,” in, “What if MDHA had not been created?” He then cites the “Dirty Dozen,” the well financed, but misguided groups bent on destroying our “harvesting” heritage. Ed then counters with the “Friendly Fourteen,” the groups who defend hunting.

To also display our “caretaker” dedication regarding deer and deer hunting, this issue highlights our “Forkhorn Camps,” citing the thousands of youngsters MDHA has mentored.

We also inform our readers about land management from longtime habitat advocate Blandin Paper Company (UPM) and then learn from Tom Today’s “Camp Hilton Deer Camp” how food plots can be achieved on a modest budget. Health-wise, we objectively and with great concern look at the effects of lead in our shells and bullets and the dreaded effects of tick-borne diseases.

For sure, this issue treads ancient pathways, exploring the future of northeastern Minnesota moose and highlighting “maple-sugaring” then and now. We are also taken back to the “if it’s brown, it’s down” days of yesterday deer hunting and the deadly days of red clothing in a story of a father shot (who survived) and how his family hunted in the future.

As you read this issue, please consider Denis Quarberg’s words: “The beauty of the hunt is not in the taking, but in the next day.” Wow. Read on. And when you do, remember to secure a new member so we all can hunt on.

Whitetails Forever, Co-Editors and Founders, Rod Dimich and Ed Schmidt

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Whitetales is the official magazine of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, a tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated to improving Minnesota’s whitetail deer population. The MDHA is exempt under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Whitetales effectively communicates MDHA’s chief purpose “working for tomorrow’s wildlife and hunters today.” Articles and photographs portray the beauty, value and importance of whitetail deer while relating to the thrill of hunting the species. If you have a service or a product that appeals to deer hunters and enthusiasts, Whitetales is the best advertising medium available.

The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association is pleased to present a variety of views in Whitetales magazine. The intent is to inform readers and encourage healthy discussions of important wildlife and conservation issues. The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the view of Whitetales or MDHA. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers or their identification as members of MDHA does not constitute an endorsement.

The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association welcomes suggestions and contributions from readers. All materials: manuscripts, artwork and photographs must be electronically sent. Send all articles and letters to bri@mndeerhunters.com. Letters should be a maximum of 150 words, articles a maximum of 500-800 words. If a reprint from a newspaper is submitted, permission must be obtained and an electronic copy must be sent. The publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials.

Whitetales | SPRING 2015

MNDEERHUNTERS.COM EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

PRESIDENT Denis Quarberg > denisquarberg@mndeerhunters.com

VICE PRESIDENT Doug Appelgren > dougappelgren@mndeerhunters.com SECRETARY Mark Strege > markstrege@mndeerhunters.com TREASURER Wayne Johnson > superior@frontiernet.net

AT-LARGE DIRECTOR John Erlandson, Sr. > johnsr@ciacambridge.com REGIONAL DIRECTORS REGION ONE Kim Murphy >

chief_murphy@hotmail.com

REGION TWO OPEN

REGION THREE Brad Trevena >

btrevena@mnpower.com

REGION FOUR John Edinger > cedinger@q.com

REGION FIVE Peter Lodermeier > lodrmr@gmail.com

REGION SIX Stephen Ranallo >

steveranallo@mndeerhunters.com

MDHA STAFF

REGION SEVEN Erv Krosch >

ervkrosch@live.com

REGION EIGHT Dustin Shourds >

dustinshourds@mndeerhunters.com

REGION NINE Mark Burley >

markburley@mndeerhunters.com

REGION TEN Mark Lueck >

marklueck@mndeerhunters.com

REGION ELEVEN Gary Thompson >

thompson.gary58@yahoo.com

REGION TWELVE Jim Vogen >

Robvog21@aol.com

REGION THIRTEEN Michael Burley >

michaelburley@mndeerhunters.com

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Craig Engwall > craige@mndeerhunters.com COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR Bri Stacklie > bri@mndeerhunters.com

MERCHANDISE/MARKETING Josh Salisbury > josh@mndeerhunters.com ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES Gabe Gropp > gabe@mndeerhunters.com ACCOUNTING Jean Frank > jean@mndeerhunters.com

MEMBERSHIP Kim Washburn > kim@mndeerhunters.com

WAREHOUSE Rita Harthan > warehouse@mndeerhunters.com GRANTS COORDINATOR Jenny Foley > jenny@mndeerhunters.com OFFICE MANAGER /GRANTS MANAGER Kim Nelson > kimn@mndeerhunters.com CHAPTER COORDINATOR Becca Kent > becca@mndeerhunters.com

PUBLISHER > Minnesota Deer Hunters Association 460 Peterson Road | Grand Rapids, MN 55744 800.450.DEER (MN) / p: 218.327.1103 / f: 218.327.1349 CO-EDITORS > Ed Schmidt and Rod Dimich

LAYOUT, DESIGN & PRINTING > Range, Inc. | www.rangedelivers.com | Brainerd, MN ADVERTISING > Josh Salisbury josh@mndeerhunters.com / 218.327.1103 x 17

Contents

SPRING 2015

ABOUT THE COVER

This Whitetales’ cover collage depicts the last 5 years of MDHA’s 35th anniversary — 2010–2014.

Departments IN EVERY ISSUE

From the President’s Stand . . . 4 The Outlook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Minnesota Bucksense . . . . . . . . . . 6 Around the State. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 MDHA Store. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 What’s Cookin’? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Hidden Object Contest . . . . . . . 54 Daylight in the Swamp . . . . . . . 56 IN THIS ISSUE

Mills Indoor Shooting and Archery Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3D Off-Season Archery . . . . . . . 18 Gord Nuttall

The Lead Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Pete Sahr

Biologically Speaking: Wolves May Be Affecting Northeastern Moose. . . . . . . . . . . 42 Joe Albert

Tips & Treasures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Rod Dimich & Ed Schmidt

Member Story: Didn’t You See the Deer? . . . . 50

By Paul Sailer

Gizmos, Gadgets, Garments & Gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

10 12 14 30 34 44

F E AT U R E S Forkhorn Camps

Forkhorn Stories

By Ryan Perish, LLCC staff

Bucking the Trend

30

By Blandin Land Management

Food Plots – Making Something from Nothing

By Mark Johnson and Tom Today

Understanding and Preventing Lyme Disease

By Elizabeth Maloney, MD

Maple Sugaring Is Ancient Magic

By Skip Drake and Dave Quam

MNDEERHUNTERS.COM

3

Denis Quarberg

> FROM THE

President’s Stand

MDHA PRESIDENT

PLANT A SEED, SECURE A NEW MEMBER There is movement 40 yards in the thicket in back of me. Is it a doe or buck? Wow! For sure there are not only antlers, but it might be the big buck I have pictures from all summer! The $64,000 question is, will he move out of the brush to eat before dark?

4

As I write this, we Minnesotans are deeply embedded into winter and just have gone through a blizzard and currently have temperatures on the minus side of zero. Sound familiar? On the other hand, it really has been a great winter compared to the last two “beast” winters we and our deer herd have suffered through.

Although, is there a better time than when we are in winter’s grip to look forward to the new spring growing season? Probably not and accordingly MDHA has also moved into its spring mode. Our new MDHA Executive Director Craig Engwall started with us on Jan 2nd.

The start of a new year brought not only a new leader, but also an opportunity for new MDHA growth. New leadership is invigorating.

At this point, I would like to publicly thank the board and every MDHA member for the opportunity to assist MDHA as its Interim Executive Director. It was not only an honor but also a challenge. The search procedure for a new Executive Director was also exciting and challenging.

I would like very much to thank the Executive Director Search Committee: Doug Appelgren (Vice President); Wayne Johnson (Treasurer); Rod Dimich (MDHA founder & co-editor of Whitetales); Bruce Gross (retired District Judge & past

Whitetales | SPRING 2015

Regional Director); Darrold Perrson (Past Vice President, Regional Director and Attorney). Without their expertise and dedication, finding the right person to take on the challenges of MDHA Director would have been daunting.

They also expedited the time line so MDHA was rudderless for only a short time.

Let’s now look to new beginnings and what better place to begin than spring, as this is the time to create new food plots, seed or plant woody cover seedlings or prepare to replant older plots. Once in the ground these plantings will not only flourish in warm days of summer but with a wink, fall will follow and with it the best season of all… fall and hunting and harvesting. MDHA membership is the same. Plant a seed; secure a new member and our hunting future will be safe. Do nothing and the ground and our hunting future will be the same…barren.

As a side-note, as many of you know, on Dec 19th a Washington D.C. judge’s decision put the Grey Wolf (Timber) back on the Endangered Species List. As you may also know since its inception in 1980, MDHA has been and still is a strong proponent for wolf hunting/trapping management, not eradication. As of this writing there is an appeal, but we really don’t know what the next step will be.

Nevertheless, I can for sure tell you MDHA will again, as it has been since 1980, be totally involved in the process.

Back to my opening story. The buck is on his feet and moving in my direction.

I wish he was in the open and not in the middle of a willow thicket as there is no way to thread the arrow into him even though he is standing broadside and thrashing on a small willow and has only moved about six feet from where he was bedded. After working over the willow he turns and walks back to his bed and then lies down again until ten minutes before the end of shooting time. Does he then stand up and walk toward me? Nope, he stands and walks directly away from me.

That’s the way it is in the wonderful world of whitetail hunting. Great hunting has nothing to do with always taking a deer. The beauty of the hunt is not in the taking, but in the next day. MDHA is about “working for tomorrow’s wildlife and hunters today” because every hunting or pre-hunting day is great. Some are just a little better than others. Join MDHA today so our today’s hunting will not only be better than yesterday’s, but we will still have the right to hunt.

the OUTLOOK Craig Engwall | MDHA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

“THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY” Hello! I would like to take the opportunity to introduce myself to you in my first writing of “The Outlook.” I have been

blessed to have deer hunting and all of the great things that surround it as part of my life since my very first memories.

My dad and grandpa started hunting near Dora Lake in northwestern Itasca County in 1948. They spent their early days in the classic old style deer camp with a tent in the woods, as can be seen in the photo of them from the late 1950s.

Camp evolved into a more comfortable setting with the purchase of a cabin on Dora Lake in 1961. I have many fond memories of being alongside my dad and grandpa as a youth when I was too young to hunt. My first camp with them was in 1973. It was an incredible experience to be with my dad when he shot a 200-pound eight-pointer that year. I was more than hooked on deer hunting after my first camp – so hooked in fact, that I now have my home at Dora Lake on the same land my family has hunted for decades. I enjoyed hosting my family for last year’s deer camp, which included my 83-year old dad and my teenage cousin. I will always be grateful that I have been in a three-generation hunting camp for my whole life.

I have carried my passion for deer hunting into my professional life, where I have worked on natural resources issues since graduating from college. When I was a young staffer on Capitol Hill in 1986, I worked on the “new” Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). I then decided to pursue a law degree so that I could use my education to further pursue my interest in natural resources policy and habitat protection.

As a lawyer for the State of Minnesota, I represented several agencies including DNR, Agriculture and the Board of Water

and Soil Resources. In my time with the State, I worked on many issues that directly affect Minnesota deer hunters. With respect to habitat acquisition, I helped craft the partnership between the State’s Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) program and the Federal CRP. I also negotiated and advocated for a

conservation easement on nearly 200,000 acres of private forestland in northern Minnesota that guaranteed public hunting access on those lands. And, yes, I have been very involved in the wolf issue in Minnesota. I was the State’s attorney in successfully defending the first challenge to State management of the wolf, which, believe it or not, was over 15 years ago.

Little did I know at that time that I would be writing about the same issue today.

I am pleased that in my role as Executive Director for MDHA, I can strongly advocate on behalf of Minnesota deer hunters on important policy issues such as wolf management. MDHA will be a strong voice in bringing common sense back to this issue and restoring wolf management back to the State. Simply put, the wolf has recovered in Minnesota and the State has shown that it can manage the wolf population. It is not acceptable for a judge in the District of Columbia to remove Minnesota’s management of the wolf on

the basis that it has not recovered in states like Illinois and Indiana. Please follow MDHA’s website, Facebook and Twitter pages to stay up to date on happenings with respect to restoring wolf management to Minnesota.

In my short time with MDHA, I have had the good fortune of meeting many of you at our regional meetings, banquets and at the Corporate Board Meeting. I am anxious to work with you as we share our passion for deer hunting and advocate on behalf of Minnesota’s deer hunters.

Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of this tremendous organization. *****

Please read the excellent article by Dr. Maloney “Understanding and Preventing Lyme Disease” on page 34 of this issue.

I say this from firsthand experience as I contracted three separate tick diseases from one tick bite in late April of 2011. In addition to Lyme disease, I contracted babesiosis and anaplasmosis, both of which can also be very serious. In fact, babesiosis can be fatal for a small percentage of people. My health suffered significantly for over a year from one little tick bite and that bite hampered me from doing what I like best – being in the woods. While the threat from ticks is real, I will not let it reduce my time in the outdoors, as that is time that I cherish. By following the prevention techniques mentioned in Dr. Maloney’s article, I have been able to avoid any problems with ticks. For more information on Lyme disease, babesiosis and anaplasmosis, check the excellent information provided by the Minnesota Department of Health on their website: www.health.state. mn.us.

MNDEERHUNTERS.COM

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Minnesota Bucksense

>WHAT IF?

BY ED SCHMIDT

As MDHA enters its three decades and a half, I reflect on the issues gone before us as MDHA founders, members, directors and officers. I ask what if we had allowed baiting of deer to be part of the hunt?

What if we did not have a lobbyist in St. Paul? What if we didn’t mandate blaze orange for hunting? What if we allowed one deer for each deer camp for camp meat?

What if the gray wolf was not considered a predator? What if the MDHA did not fight the anti-hunting groups? This list has gone on for the 35 years of our MDHA’s existence.

MDHA took a position on predator control as one of its main objectives when it organized in 1980 and has since been active with the DNR’s Division of Wildlife, the Minnesota Legislature and U.S. Fish and Wildlife to cooperatively develop a plan to control the population of the Eastern Timber Wolf.

Let’s take the just reclassified “endangered” gray wolf as example of what we can do to make a negative situation for the hunter into a positive for all in the state of Minnesota. Hypothetically, let’s say we expand the population of timber wolves to 5000. This would be an excess of approximately 2500, which we in the northern-forested region could work to have the 2500 redistributed across the entire state. Working cooperatively with the HOWL group and other animal rights organizations to repopulate our state parks, wildlife management areas and public lands to control the high deer

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Whitetales | SPRING 2015

populations and provide more food for the gray wolf. This concept could stimulate a lot of thought and conversation by citizens of Minnesota and the legislature. What are your thoughts?

Let’s face it, the Endangered Species Act now is in jeopardy due to decisions made by political pressure rather than scientific research. Loopholes such as the current ruling cited by the Federal judge stating states like New England states, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa had historical populations of wolves. The ruling states the gray wolf will be placed back on the Endangered Species listing until viable populations are reintroduced in those states. Well, here is where Minnesota can help by transporting viable and healthy populations to those needy states.

MDHA is a member of the U.S. Sportsman Alliance, which follows issues

affecting the hunter and sportsman.

They currently have developed an expose’ of anti-hunting and animal rights organizations. It is called The Dirty Dozen: There are groups that undermine and manipulate systems across America to end hunting, trapping and fishing. These same “less-than-honest” groups also often then exploit wildlife and conservation issues in the name of raising dollars for their devious causes. Here are a dozen organizations that have taken efforts in the past year to prevent you from hunting or trapping: 1. Humane Society of the United States (HSUS): After losing an effort to

have the chairman of California’s Game Commission removed because he went legally hunting for mountain lions in another state, HSUS then pushed legislation to end the hunting of bears and bobcats with hounds in California. HSUS has also threatened to sue to stop wolf hunting in the Western Great Lakes region. Budget: $148,000,000.

2. Center for Biological Diversity: This group has repeatedly sued the federal government to end the use of traditional hunting ammunition through attempts to ban lead. This ban would also apply to fishing tackle and would affect all sportsmen and women. The group’s information is based on flawed details about lead and bullets. The CBD is also working—and suing—to stop Western Great Lakes region wolf hunting seasons.

3. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): This radical animal rights group issued a request for its minions across America to break established hunter harassment laws. PETA urged followers to interfere with hunts by protesting, spreading human hair, and other unlawful acts.

4. Defenders of Wildlife: This group has been working to end wolf management in Wyoming and misguiding the public on the truth about overpopulated Yellowstone wolves. Defenders of Wildlife has filed a number of anti-hunting lawsuits and often seeks to recoup its legal costs for the suits from taxpayers. Defenders of Wildlife has been an active supporter of restoration of eastern timber wolves Northeast, as well as continued recovery in the Great Lakes region.

Defenders of Wildlife* is funding a scientific study to determine if Adirondack Park in New York can support a reintroduced wolf population. Other reintroduction efforts include red wolf in the southeast, gray wolves into Olympic National Park, and Mexican wolves in the southwest. * Many scientists believe that the wolves that once lived in the northeastern

What if…10% of Minnesota’s deer hunters would recognize the work MDHA has accomplished over the three and a half decades of preserving our hunting heritage?

Answer: 45,000 deer hunters voices heard by the legislature, anti-hunters and public. There is strength in numbers to combat the power of the pen to keep the anti-hunter and NNESOTA I preservationists in M check. Your support in recruiting new conservationist hunters HUNTING HABITAT will assure the future EDUCATION LEGISLATION for our whitetailU NT O hunting heritage.

E RS ASS

H

Minnesota Deer Hunters Association: working for tomorrow’s wildlife and hunters today.

Izaak Walton League: takes a common-sense approach toward protecting our country’s natural heritage and improving outdoor recreation opportunities for all Americans.

Pheasants Forever: dedicated to the conservation of pheasants, quail and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public awareness, education and land management.

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation: to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat and our hunting heritage.

Mule Deer Foundation: to ensure the conservation of mule deer, black-tailed deer and their habitat.

Ruffed Grouse Society: dedicated to preserving our sporting traditions by

AT I ON

The Friendly Fourteen

creating healthy forest habitat for ruffed grouse, American woodcock and other wildlife.

National Wild Turkey Federation: dedicated to the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage.

The Nature Conservancy: conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.

Quail Forever: dedicated to the conservation of quail, pheasants and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public awareness, education and land management policies and programs.

Quality Deer Management Association: dedicated to ensuring the future of white-tailed deer, wildlife habitat and our hunting heritage.

Trout Unlimited: To conserve, protect and restore North America’s cold-water fisheries and their watersheds.

Safari Club International: protecting the freedom to hunt and promoting wildlife conservation worldwide.

Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation: provides support and guidance for three distinct caucuses operating at both the Federal and State level.

Whitetails Unlimited: dedicating our resources to the betterment of the whitetailed deer and its environment.

CI

11. Friends of Animals: This Connecticut-based group believes “hunting in all forms is unethical, socially unjustifiable and ecologically disruptive.”

The group worked against bear hunting in New Jersey, deer hunting in Connecticut, and against many science-based conservation programs. This group claims “hunting is an important cause of many deer/auto collisions… by inciting the deer to be incautious.”

12. Wild Earth Guardians: They earn a place on this shame list for working to ban trapping on public land in New Mexico. This group has also sued the federal Wildlife Services department over their wolf management program and has called on Congress to end funding for this important federal wildlife management entity.

On the other side of the coin are those groups and organizations working daily for the betterment of hunting, trapping and fishing in the country. The following a list of some noted conservation oriented organizations dedicated to the outdoor heritage and perpetuation of sport hunting, fishing and trapping:

DE E R

U.S. are different from those that live in the Great Lakes region. Therefore, it is very important to restore wolves to the northeast.

5. Sierra Club: This group’s board of directors worked for—and implemented—a policy officially opposing all trapping. The Sierra Club also tried to end a decades old elk hunt on public land in Wyoming.

6. The Fund for Animals: They have threatened to sue to halt established Western Great Lakes region wolf hunts after hunters and state game management supporters were successful in removing the long recovered wolves from the Endangered Species List. They have also filed a suit that would stop wolf management in Wyoming.

7. Howling for Wolves: A Minnesotabased group suing to stop wolf hunting in that state. The group claims that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources didn’t properly adopt the hunting season even though it went through the same process as other hunting seasons.

8. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Supports laws to prevent keeping dogs in outside kennels (a standard practice across America). They have also filed a brief supporting the lawsuit aimed at shutting down wolf hunting with dogs in Wisconsin.

9. Western Environmental Law Center: A ringleader in a group of eight anti-organizations that want to ban wolverine trapping in Montana until the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) determines if the wolverine will be placed on the federal threatened and endangered species lists. This is just another “backdoor” ploy to end all trapping.

10. In Defense of Animals: This antihunting group sued to stop bear hunting in Virginia, has called for a boycott of Alaska over its highly successful and sustainable wolf management program, strongly opposes wolf management in the Northern Rocky Mountains, and is pushing for a federal ban on animal testing for medical research.

MNDEERHUNTERS.COM

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Mills Indoor Shooting and Archery Center

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Nestled in the heart of the Brainerd Lakes Area might be the solution to your winter problems: Mills Shooting Sports Center. Mills Indoor Shooting and Archery is a state of the art indoor shooting and archery center located in Brainerd. The Center was constructed in 2012 and opened in January of 2013. Being new allows for the most up to date climate control, lighting, and shooting options available to make the center top notch. You can enjoy your favorite sports yearround on the 50-yard live fire range and 30-yard archery range.

In addition to the two ranges, the Indoor Shooting Center offers on-site armorer services and a pro-shop with a variety of products for firearm and archery enthusiasts. High-quality archery products, as well as competitive gear and practical defense equipment are available for purchase.

Archery and live fire lanes can be reserved online; however the account initially needs to be set up in-person at Mills Indoor Shooting & Archery. Shooters must view a safety video and complete proper paperwork to have an account registered with us. After the account is set-up, shooters will have access to their own account to reserve shooting times, purchase additional credits, and register for events.

Accounts must be “renewed” every 12 months by viewing the safety video again. Mills Shooting & Archery has the authority to lock accounts at any time, per individual actions.

Throughout the year the Shooting and Archery Center holds many classes and events.

Popular events include 3D Archery League, permit to carry classes which cover the following topics, plus more: All Legal Aspects of Handgun Possession and Carry, Practical Aspects Mills shooting range bullet trap. of Equipment and Choosing a

Whitetales | SPRING 2015

Defensive Handgun, The Importance of Avoiding Conflict, How to Obtain Additional State Permits, Reciprocity and Recognition, Places Where Carrying is Prohibited in Minnesota, Traveling Outside of Minnesota with a Permit to Carry, and Interaction with Law Enforcement.

Another big event is the Ladies night. Designated for women interested in the sport of shooting and or practicing with firearms they own for self-defense. It’s a night to bring women from all ventures of life, whether they have shooting experience or no shooting experience, together for an enjoyable evening. Staff provides guidance, knowledge and assists in overcoming fears,

developing the right techniques and building your confidence.

Finally the Shooting Center also offers classes in handgun training, advanced handgun training, youth firearms safety courses and law enforcement training.

If you are looking for something to do this spring or anytime throughout the year, check out the Mills Indoor Shooting and Archery Center. It’s a great place to shoot year around, test a gun or bow, get your gunsmithing done, purchase a product, and so much more. It is definitely worth a visit.

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Camera options may vary. Photo quality remains best in class.

EYECON DELIVERS SEE IT FOR YOURSELF!

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Minnesota is a state rich in natural resources,

BUT OUR GREATEST RESOURCE IS OUR CHILDREN

The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association believes educating hunters is key to perpetuating Minnesota’s hunting heritage and the best tool of wildlife and ecosystem education is instilling a greater appreciation for our natural resources in our youth.

MDHA’s method is our week long Forkhorn Youth Summer Camps. These camps focus on ecology, biology, ethics, and skills in an atmosphere of laughter, water, sweat, and natural beauty that lends to an experience that will affect every fiber of a youth’s life. We are not trying to entertain kids. We are purposefully educating them to become better, more responsible stewards of our natural resources. The fact they love it indicates we do it right.

Since 1985, nearly 11,000 youth have attended Forkhorn Camps. Currently MDHA collaborates with seven camps around the state to implement Forkhorn Camp

Sessions for youth ages 11 - 17. These camps include the Baker Near Wilderness Settlement in Plymouth; Deep Portage Conservation Reserve in Hackensack; Eagle Bluff Environmental Center in Lanesboro; Kiwanis Boy Scout Camp in Marine on St. Croix; Laurentian Environmental Center in Britt; Long Lake Conservation Center in Palisade and Prairie Woods Environmental Center in Spicer. Three distinct levels of Forkhorn Camp Sessions are available at these camps, which provide handson outdoor learning experiences and hunting and shooting sports activities for the campers. The camps run from June to August each summer.

“Forkhorn I” camps are designed for beginning hunters and provide extensive hands-on instruction in basic firearms safety, shooting techniques in rifle, shotgun, muzzleloaders, and archery, outdoor survival skills, map and compass orienteering, hunting techniques, wildlife management, safe shooting scenarios and hunter ethics. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Firearm Safety Certification is part of this camp.

“Forkhorn II” is an advanced Forkhorn Camp for youth who are graduates of Forkhorn I Camp or have completed their Firearm Safety Training. It’s a more intensive camp that takes students beyond basic whitetail deer hunting knowledge and strategies, providing them with advanced training in map and compass orienteering, hunting techniques, GPS, marksmanship, ethical hunting practices, big game ecology, game preparation

2014 MDHA FORKHORN CAMPS SET RECORD

The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association (MDHA) sponsored Forkhorn Summer Camps recorded their highest attendance ever in 2014 with 869 youth attending camps. Of these 869 youth attending the seven premier camp facilities, MDHA chapters across Minnesota sponsored tuition scholarships for 527 of the youngsters, totaling approximately $211,000.

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and bow hunting. Successful graduates of Forkhorn II receive their Minnesota Bow Hunter Education certification.

“Forkhorn III” is designed for youth that already have Firearms Safety Certification and significant hunting experience. This camp is designed for those seeking to expand their knowledge on big and small game hunting tips and techniques as well as hunter ethics. Certification in Advanced Hunter Education is part of this camp. Classes and topics include advanced marksmanship and wing shooting training, beginning handgun shooting and safety training, big and small game biology, hunting techniques from squirrels to bears and ducks to turkeys, bow hunting tips and tree stand safety.

MDHA’s Forkhorn Camps have developed remarkably since 1985 when the campers used to cook all of their meals over the fire and slept in tents, but they remain to aim for one goal: youth education.

Each year MDHA and its chapters provide over $200,000 in camp scholarships. Scholarships for campers with financial need are available through the state MDHA and local chapters. If you would like to send a child to camp, sponsor a child to attend camp or would like to request further information, please contact the MDHA State Office at 800.450.DEER, ext 10.

2015 FORKHORN CAMP DATES EAGLE BLUFF ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING CENTER eagle-bluff.org

Forkhorn I 7/5/15 – 7/10/15 Forkhorn II 7/26/15 – 7/31/15 KIWANIS BOY SCOUT CAMP northernstarbsa.org/Camping/CubScout/Summer/ Kiwanis.aspx

Forkhorn I 6/21/15 – 6/26/15 7/19/15 – 7/24/15 Forkhorn II 7/19/15 – 7/24/15

LAURENTIAN ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER laurentiancenter.com

Forkhorn I 6/14/15 – 6/19/15 6/28/15 – 7/3/15 8/2/15 – 8/7/15 8/9/15 – 8/14/15 Forkhorn II 6/28/15 – 7/3/15 7/12/15 – 7/17/15 7/26/15 – 7/31/15 8/2/15 – 8/7/15 Forkhorn III 7/12/15 – 7/17/15 7/26/15 – 7/31/15 LONG LAKE CONSERVATION CENTER llcc.org

Forkhorn I 7/5/15 – 7/10/15 7/19/15 – 7/24/15 7/26/15 – 7/31/15 Forkhorn II 6/21/15 – 6/26/15

BAKER NEAR WILDERNESS SETTLEMENT

DEEP PORTAGE CONSERVATION RESERVE

threeriversparks.org/parks/baker-park/baker-nearwilderness.aspx

deep-portage.org

Forkhorn I 6/14/15 – 6/19/15 8/9/15 – 8/14/15 Forkhorn II 7/26/15 – 7/31/15

PRAIRIE WOODS ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER prairiewoodselc.org/index.html

Forkhorn I 6/7/15 – 6/12/15 6/14/15 – 6/19/15 6/28/15 – 7/3/15 (All Girls) 8/2/15 – 8/7/15 Forkhorn II 7/5/15 – 7/10/15 Forkhorn III 7/26/15 – 7/31/15

Forkhorn I 6/14/15 – 6/18/15 Forkhorn II 6/21/15 – 6/25/15

MNDEERHUNTERS.COM

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Long Lake Conservation Center Fun for Kids: The Archery Challenge

BY RYAN PERISH, LLCC STAFF

Fall is a great time to hunt, but summer is a great time to be a kid. Young people have wonderful opportunities with countless activities and summer camps available to them. The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association (MDHA) supports young hunters’ summer camp experiences by supporting MDHA Forkhorn Camps at seven locations around the state. These are camps designed for youth from ages 11 to 17.

With the support of the MDHA, Long Lake Conservation Center (LLCC) has been offering Forkhorn Camps since the summer of 2006. LLCC offers Forkhorn I, which is a camp focused on firearms safety and Forkhorn II, an advanced camp with a focus on archery. At LLCC, camps have grown and improved over the years with many exciting activities—one of the finest inclusions in Forkhorn II Camp at LLCC is the “Archery Challenge.” The goal of this activity is to allow campers to have fun as they experience simulated hunting situations. To add to the excitement, participants also get to showcase their skills in marksmanship.

At the beginning of the week campers hear about the “Archery Challenge,” but they don’t get many details until the challenge begins. The event starts when teams are revealed. Campers are randomly divided into seven teams.

Some teams end up with a bunch of skilled marksmen; some end up with only novices—it all adds to the fun.

Next, campers get a rundown of the challenge—a brief description of each station they’ll encounter and how the scoring will work. This is followed by the equipment draft—campers choose which pieces of equipment their team will “draft” from LLCC’s supply of bows, mechanical releases, and other tools of the trade. Some campers already have their own

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bows—their teams have an advantage and, therefore, pick later in the draft. By the end of the draft, each team has added 3-4 items to help them in the competition.

Next, the competition begins. A staff member and each team heads run each station to a station. As groups finish a station, they rotate to the next; this continues until all teams make it through all the stations. Along the way, campers will encounter different challenges: shooting from an elevated stand, shooting moving targets, estimating distances, and many others. Most stations have three targets of varying distances.

At each station, each team member gets one shot—they choose the best targets for their abilities. Shooting at far targets can yield more points, but these targets are hard to hit.

Nearby targets often provide more consistent points to help keep more teams competitive.

When the challenge is finished, scores are tallied and there is a winning team. However, most people don’t remember who wins.

Campers remember those amazing shots that they made or how close they were to the vital zone on the last target—they remember the fun. Staff members get to see campers shine and recall how experienced campers mentor the novices or how willingly campers help during cleanup.

The whole “Archery Challenge” is a positive and exciting experience.

Short of a live hunt, the “Challenge” is the most fun a young archer can have in an afternoon.

To learn more about MDHA, visit the web site at www. mndeerhunters.com.

To learn more about summer camps at LLCC, visit www.llcc.org.

Forkhorn camp attendees are successful hunters Three young ladies attended Forkhorn camp at Long Lake Conservation Center this past summer. Ashley Grutkoski and Braxton Waldhalm were sponsored by the Quad Rivers Chapter of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association (MDHA) to attend Forkhorn I camp. Rachael Christy attended camp with Ashley and Braxton. Gun safety was one of the many things that they learned at camp. This firearm season they all were successful deer hunters.

When Tia Grutkoski submitted the photo of her daughter, she wrote, “Here is a picture of Ashley with the deer she got opening morning. It is a 10-pointer that weighed 185 pounds dressed. She was every bit the professional until we went to look at him, then she started shaking! Thank you so much to Quad Rivers MDHA for sponsoring her for Forkhorn Camp! Obviously it paid off! It’s pretty neat they all went to Forkhorn Camp and all three got deer."

"Thank you!!” wrote J.J. Waldhalm when he sent in the photo of his daughter Braxton with her doe. In the spring MDHA chapters will be seeking applicants for the 2015 Forkhorn Camps.

Ashley Grutkoski with her 10-point buck, Braxton Waldhalm (above) and Rachael Christy (left) with their does.

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UPM Blandin’s approach to forest management Minnesota Deer Hunters Association members understand the critical relationship between a healthy deer population and forest management.

As an organization, MDHA participated in the Generic Forest Environmental Impact Statement process in the 1990s, have representation on the Forest Resource Partnership, are active in developing the Sustainable Forest Initiative Act (SFIA) and continue to monitor trends affecting both forest and wildlife management. Over the last 20 years there has been a dramatic change in focus. In the 1990s the general public and organized environmental groups believed that Minnesota faced an environmental crisis brought on by overharvesting of the state’s timber resources. Today, annual commercial timber harvests are under three million cords, far below the catastrophic projections envisioned by opponents to forest harvest in the mid-’90s. It is ironic that 20 years later, the biggest threat to forest health and wildlife diversity may be the under harvesting of our aging forests.

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“Today’s concerns affecting forest management and, therefore, wildlife management in Minnesota, are more complex and the solutions more sophisticated. Forest fragmentation and declining demand for wood threatens investments in forest management practices essential to healthy forests and a resilient deer population,” says Cheryl Adams, Forest Resources Manager at UPM Blandin.

UPM Blandin is “ bucking“ these trends with a variety of policies and practices that are important to their viability as a forest products company and important to MDHA members, outdoor enthusiasts, and informed conservationists.

UPM BLANDIN TAKES BOLD STEP IN FOREST CONSERVATION. Four years ago UPM Blandin made a decision to avoid the statewide trend of selling off lands subjecting them to fragmentation and loss of productivity by signing the landmark Upper Mississippi Conservation Easement agreement. The easement ensures sustainable forestry and protects against forest fragmentation at a scale never previously known in Minnesota.

This means the Upper Mississippi Forest property of 187,876 acres will never be developed or subdivided, maintaining an unfragmented forest forever, protecting species such as eagles, barred owl, great gray owl, hawks, osprey, warblers and other neo-tropical birds, four-toed salamander, and grey wolf, and maintaining viable populations of black bear, ruffed grouse, woodcock and deer. The property connects with existing public forest lands to create more than 4,000 square miles of uninterrupted forest habitat.

The agreement ensures permanent public recreational access for hunting, fishing, hiking, snowmobiling, and other uses. The acreage contains an extensive network of grant-in-aid snowmobile trails as well as state-designated OHV routes.

The project contains extensive water features, including approximately 30 miles of state-designated trout streams and more than 100 miles of other streams, over 130 miles of lake and pond shoreline, and approximately 60,000 acres of intact wetlands. This property includes parts of rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands that feed into or affect the Upper Mississippi River, which provides drinking water to millions of people, including residents of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Joe Maher, General Manager of UPM Blandin, says, “UPM

believes in the multiple uses of our forest resources for economic, ecological and public benefit, and our forestry professionals have always managed the land for these varied uses. The landmark conservation easement shows vision and cooperation, to the benefit of all groups who care about our forest lands. “ Several years ago, UPM Blandin took a leadership role in Minnesota landscape planning, managing forests by habitat types, versus the traditional forest stand-and-cover typed method and established Smart ForestrySM . Blandin foresters approach every tract of land with Smart ForestrySM tools in hand. This includes a habitat typing book and a thorough assessment of all plant and wildlife on the site – not just the trees. When asked how this is different from traditional forestry Adams says, “A traditional forester walks around looking up at the trees; we walk around looking down at the ground.”

The Blandin Smart ForestrySM system guides Blandin foresters along with Minnesota’s Best Management Practices, UPM’s ISO 14001 system, and SFI Certification, ensuring all forest management activity is compliant with continuous internal and external 3rd party audits. As a UPM company, Blandin also adheres to UPM’s global biodiversity targets for company forestry operations worldwide.

BIODIVERSITY REFERS TO THE VARIETY OF LIFE AROUND US

“Biological diversity is a key indicator of a forest’s health, productivity and stability,” says Adams. “Maintaining this diversity is a priority for us and by incorporating key processes in the natural forest into our management plans we can maintain and improve habitat for wildlife.”

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UPM’s biodiversity program identifies six key areas important for forest biodiversity. These are native tree species, deadwood, valuable habitats, forest structure, water resources and natural forests.

At Blandin, this translates into several key activities: a) decreasing the use of non-native species and planting more native species that are in low abundance, e.g., white pine; b) increasing the amount and quality of deadwood left on sites, especially large conifer snags and pieces; c) identifying and mapping small valuable habitats and natural forest areas; d) improving forest stand structure and use of native plant communities knowledge; and e) continuing to protect water resources using Best Management Practices (BMPs).

‘Safeguarding biodiversity is central to sustainable forest management,” explains Adams. “We do this by matching tree and plant species to the landscapes in which they naturally occur based on soil types, typography, moisture availability, and other environmental factors. And we aggressively track the results of our management practices.” This approach is the foundation for Blandin’s Smart ForestrySM system.

SMART FORESTRYSM PROMOTES ECOLOGICALLY BASED FORESTRY

Smart ForestrySM, a registered service mark of Blandin Paper Company, is a forest management style that combines ecologically based forestry and best site

management practices in coordination with adjacent landowners. “The key is to use nature’s clues as a guide to match the tree and plant species with the right habitat types over the life of a forest,” comments Adams. “This is a dynamic process and our work to define it continues as it keeps changing with input from scientific research, experimenting with different forest management techniques, upgrading technology and logging equipment, and maintaining a cost-effective business.”

SMART FORESTRYSM IMITATES AND WORKS WITH NATURE AND EMPLOYS THE FOLLOWING THREE COMPONENTS:

Assessing Blandin land in relation to other ownership (landscape management): Because plants and microorganisms do not distinguish between ownership boundaries, it is important to understand how different owners manage their lands to ensure that habitats are not lost. These landscape-level planning schemes are facilitated through the Minnesota Forest Resource Council’s Landscape Program.

Forest management by habitat type: This is the key focus of Smart ForestrySM, where forest management is applied using an ecological classification system. This helps users understand how the forest works naturally over time.

Management activities coincide with natural disturbance patterns that would normally take a number of years and condense the time to one year, speeding up the natural process. Matching the

tree species to a specific habitat type (an ecological unit) ensures that the trees will thrive. Over time, tree species in an area change according to ecological changes in shade, moisture requirements, need for protection and nutrient requirements.

This is referred to as succession. Different mammals and birds require different successional stages or combinations to carry out their life cycles. Therefore, it is critical to maintain a continuum of all successional stages – from young forests to old forests – for each habitat type.

Best management practices: Once the planning and timber sale design are complete, the success of harvesting and subsequent regeneration rely on the logger’s ability to implement best management practices. These practices maintain soil productivity, protect water bodies and wetlands, and provide wildlife habitats and the remaining trees.

MDHA MEMBERS CAN ALSO BUCK THE TREND

Plants and microorganisms do not distinguish between ownership boundaries, so it is important to understand how different owners manage their lands to ensure that valuable habitats are not lost. Many MDHA members are purchasing larger tracts of forestland for their hunting enjoyment and looking for guidance in managing these properties. UPM Blandin foresters can be a valuable resource in applying these innovative forest management practices to your lands.

GUIDELINES FOR PRIVATE FOREST LANDOWNERS Over 50 percent of forest acreage is owned by private, noncommercial landowners, many who use the land for recreation and hunting. Here are some recommendations from UPM Blandin foresters who have worked with landowners to integrate the conservation of natural habitats with harvesting and reforestation.

Recommendations to the private landowner include:

Consulting Foresters — forestry professionals that help the landowner to maximize the benefits from their ownership for recreation and hunting while providing a lasting legacy for the future.

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Forest Stewardship Plans — which address sustainability, recreation, timber yield, wildlife and aesthetics.

Site Plans — harvest, planting, release and timber stand improvement.

GIS Plotting and Mapping: Using sophisticated Geographic Information System technology, produces a high quality map of the landowner’s property. The integration of information based on soils, plant communities, property lines, forest cover, and topography can be applied to produce an accurate prescription for each forest stand “custom fit” to the landowner’s objectives and goals.

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BY GORD NUTTALL

The months between fall hunting seasons is a long time to go without shooting your bow. Participating in 3D off-season

indoor archery competitions forces bow hunters to practice, retain memory muscle and form, or simply offers a welcomed change from range paper targets. Getting together with old friends and meeting new similar passionate bow hunters is lots of fun and can help kick the winter blues—

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plus there’s no work needed after hitting the mark. 3D shoots offer bow hunters of any age or gender the chance to compete by shooting various life size animal foam targets over different unknown distances.

RULES AND SETUP Both archers and bow hunters attend 3D shoots. Many different categories of competition exist for males, females and youth. Some competitors strictly shoot only 3D tournaments and never step into the woods, thus have different optimized equipment for indoor aiming at non-living things.

But every shoot will have a class where hunting bow setups (fixed sight pins) are only allowed. A traditional stick-and-string bow class is also offered. Historically, rangefinders are banned resulting in disqualification if you are caught with one, however, recently some shoots offer a rangefinder class – taking estimating out of the equation and leaving only shot execution to score high.

3D shoots consist of 1–3 rounds of 10 stations – each station with 3 different shots. Groups of shooters move from station to station, eventually shooting all thirty scoreable arrows – each at a different target, distance and angle. 3–4 minutes is allotted for all members of the group to shoot the station targets.

Shots can be diagonal, straight, over other objects and range in length

from 15-40 yards for compounds and 5-20 yards for traditional and youth shooters.

After the “all clear” is announced, groups visit each target shot – retrieving arrows and recording scores – then proceeding along the shooting line to the next station, repeating the process at three more targets. Each shooter tallies his/her own score by summing all the points from each shot. Regardless of score, the shoot forces bow hunters to fire many arrows in a semi-realistic environment surrounded by familiar camaraderie.

TARGETS AND SCORING All 3D shoots have a variety of high-density foam targets designed specifically for these competitions. Many targets are common North American and African game animals, but you’ll also draw on others such as: giant mosquitos, raptors and Bigfoot.

Some shoots have many different courses (groups of shooting stations), but some smaller shoots just have one course. Every target at each station, on each course, has the same scoring system: 11 points for a small bulls eyes in the prime spot, 10 points for next largest circle (heart/lung shot), 8 points for any arrow embedded in the vitals region, 5 points if the target is hit at all (wound) and finally, 0 points for clean misses. Many of the shoots offer additional fun rounds involving arrow wrecking steel plates (if you miss), moving targets and 1 inch bulls eye attempts from distances approaching 100 yards – big prize for hitting that mark!

GEAR I use my bow hunting setup minus my bow quiver. Today’s hunting bows shoot at incredible speeds making arrows penetrate deep, especially with smaller diameter carbon arrows. Coating your arrows with arrow snot (smile) and using a rubber arrow puller prevents blisters and sore hands from retrieving arrows. A hip quiver is common with all shooters as a convenient place to hold and nock your arrows from, plus carry a few spares. You will only need field points, broadheads are not allowed.

Behind the shooting line foam coated racks are provided to place your bow before retrieving arrows, however, getting a foldable two legged kick-stand that quickly clamps onto your lower limb allows you to store your bow vertically and away from the crowded racks – some hip quivers have a special pocket just for this device. 3D scoring cheat-sheets help shooters know exactly where bulls eyes are on each target - commonly seen but aren’t necessary. I’d recommend glassing with binoculars to find your precise aiming point.

TIMING TIP: 3-4 minutes is plenty of time for your entire group to shoot. To not waste time, don’t glass targets while at the shooting line – aim and shoot only. Step back to glass and let others shoot while you study your next target. Don’t rush your shots –it’s common that the shooting line marshal stops the clock early if all groups have finished their station.

MNDEERHUNTERS.COM

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Around the State

Minnesota Deer Hunters Association

REGIONAL BOUNDARY AND CHAPTER LOCATION MAP

Region Chapter 1 Min-Dak Border 1 Pine to Prairie 1 Roseau River 1 North Red River 1 Thief River Falls 2 Riceland Whitetails 2 Bemidji 2 Itasca County 2 Hibbing Chisholm 2 Woodland 2 Trails End 3 Carlton 3 Sturgeon River 3 Arrowhead 3 Wilderness 3 Drop Tine 3 Lake Superior Chapter 4 Smokey Hills 4 Fergus Falls 4 Clay Wilkin 4 Park Rapids 4 East Ottertail 4 Wadena 5 Brainerd 5 Cuyuna Range Whitetails 5 Morrison County 5 Lakes and Pines 5 Bluewater 5 Wahoo Valley 6 Isanti County 6 Wild River 6 Rum River

Chapter Code MDB PTP RRC NRR TRF RCL BMJ ITS HCC WLC TEC CCC STR AHC WLDN DTC LSC SMH FFL CWC PKR EOC WDN BRD CRW MCC LPC BLW WAH ICC WLD RMR

Chapter Region Chapter Code 6 North Suburban NSC 7 Alexandria ALX 7 Chippewa Valley CVC 7 Shooter Bucks Chapter SBC 7 Sauk River Phantom Buck SRP 7 Pomme De Terre PDT 8 Crow River CRC 8 Two Rivers TRC 8 Tri-County River Bottom Bucks TCR 8 Central Minnesota CMC 9 Sherburne County Swampbucks SCS 9 Wright County/ WCWMW

West Metro Whitetails 9 East Central MN ECM 9 Minnesota River Valley MRV 10 Blue Earth River Valley BEC 10 Sunrisers SNR 10 Bend of the River BOR 10 Sioux Trails Deer Hunters STD 10 Des Moines Valley DMV 11 Jim Jordan JJC 11 McGregor Area MCG 11 Quad Rivers QRC 11 Snake River SRC 12 Southern Gateway SGC 12 Southeast Minnesota SEM 12 Bluff County BLF 12 South Central Minnesota SCC 13 South Metro SMC 13 Capitol Sportsmen’s CSC 13 St. Croix Valley SCV

What? No chapter in your area? MDHA is always interested in forming new chapters. If you live in an area without a chapter and would like more information on forming one, please call 800.450.DEER. The Jim Jordan Chapter is in the process of updating the Habitat Boxes at area schools.

Pictured are MDHA members Tony Clark and John Papenfuhs, Hinckley/Finlayson Teacher Lance Hagman, and Jim Jordan Chapter President Scott Peterson.

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Did you know . . . In 1981 MDHA passed a resolution to raise the deer stand height from 6 to 12 feet?

MDHA Past President and Longtime Conservation Advocate Passes Away Dan Splittstoser, 70, of North State Vice President and elected Branch, Minnesota, past MDHA State twice as State President. Dan was President and long-time MDHA actively working on the Wild River advocate, died unexpectedly January Chapter’s upcoming 25th banquet 17, 2015 at home. Funeral services at the time of his passing. Dan also were held on Wednesday, January always assisted with the summer 21, 2015 at Maranatha Assembly MDHA Board of Directors’ meeting of God Church in Forest Lake, at Subigosh Lodge on Big Winnie, Minnesota. where he not only provided his Daniel Carol Splittstoser boat, but his excellent guide and was born to Emanuel and Lucille fishing services, almost always Splittstoser on September 10, 1944 finding the walleyes. in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dan was Dan will be truly missed by Dan and wife Diane supporting one of many MDHA banquets. the oldest of their six children. He his wife, Diane and five children, lived in the North Branch area his Karen (Gary) Tuseth, David entire life and graduated from North (Molly) Collins, Julie (Les) Branch High School in 1962. Dan Bartel, Eric (Dawn) Splittstoser, married his first wife, Linda and they and Dane (Stacey) Collins; 15 had three children. He later met and grandchildren, Jesse Cleveland, married his best friend Diane in July Dan Cleveland, Don Cleveland, of 1979. Life changed forever as they Rick Cleveland, Cheyenne Tuseth, combined two families that truly Aundrea Splittstoser, Andrew became one.

Bartel, Jocelyn Splittstoser, Elsie Whatever Dan did, he did to Splittstoser, Seth Splittstoser, the fullest. He lived life. He loved Courtney Collins, Josh Collins, the Lord, his family, his country Abigail Collins, Blake Collins and his church. Dan enjoyed his and Kailey Collins; three greatDan at the 2005 Governor’s Opener with (l–r) Mark Johnson, John many friends, hunting and fishing. grandchildren, Neveah, Jazmine Erlandson, Governor Tim Pawlenty and Wayne Enger.

He was involved in numerous and Weston; brothers, Mark organizations and was still working as a Fire Safety Coordinator (Fran) Splittstoser, Lyle Splittstoser and sisters, Joyce (John) at the time of his death. He spent many years as a dedicated Wiberg, Betty (Don) Boll and extended family and lots of friends. member of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, was its All who knew him will fondly remember Dan.

Did you know . . . Forkhorn camps began in 1985?

MNDEERHUNTERS.COM

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Around the State

Bemidji Hosts 2014 Governor’s

DEER HUNTING OPENER About the Event Firearms deer hunting season is a special time in Minnesota, bringing together friends and families to share in a unique and long-held tradition.

Each year we, the MDHA, in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Explore Minnesota Tourism honor this great deer hunting tradition, educate Paul and Babe with a sea of blaze orange. our youth and promote ethical hunting practices by celebrating the Governor’s Deer Hunting Politically motivated, anti-hunting Opener event. groups are growing. Many would like Minnesota is the only state in the to limit, make more expensive and even United States with a Governor who ban hunting. We need to remain strong celebrates the great deer hunting tradition. and vigilant in our fight to ensure our The event delivers a positive message and hunting heritage. awareness to the public through a wide variety of media outlets to all Minnesotans and beyond our borders. This event is funded solely on sponsorship dollars.

MDHA is instrumental in coordinating the GDHO which is a powerful tool for advocating our MDHA goals by drawing huge media attention to educate and announce to policy makers, media and the general public the role that hunting and DNR commissioner and hunter hosts. shooting sports play in our heritage and the economic benefits it brings to Minnesota, Event History especially our rural communities. Over 150 During the Governor Jessie Ventura’s media and dignitaries along with hundreds administration, MDHA approached the of the general public will take part in this Governor’s Office and proposed the idea event. Our voice will be heard. of a GDHO; this request was denied.

The GDHO delivers a positive Then, in 2002, shortly after winning his message to untold numbers through radio first election, Governor Pawlenty came broadcasts, printed press, television and to the MDHA asking for our support to most recently internet blogging and web begin the tradition of a Governor’s Deer TV. Media who attend and cover the GDHO Hunting Opener, the first in the nation. The will hear the messages being sent at this Minnesota Governors Deer Hunting Opener event, in regards to deer hunting, loud and Event is still the only event of its kind in the clear. And because they attend as guests of nation.

MDHA and our fine state of Minnesota, we Governor Dayton’s administration make sure that they understand their role recognizes that hunting, hunters and in telling our story.

MDHA are not something to take lightly

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Did you know . . . MDHA’s Hides-for-Habitat began in 1984?

in Minnesota. The Governor’s Deer Hunting Opener is a phenomenal event that promotes the importance of deer hunting to Minnesota’s habitat, heritage and economy. MDHA’s support and contribution are utilized to promote MDHA’s presence at the event so attendees and media know who leads the charge in supporting this pro-hunting event.

2014 Governor’s Deer Hunting Opener The 2014 Governor’s Deer Hunting Opener was a great event.

The event started on Thursday afternoon with a “Welcome to Camp” Expo and Banquet. The expo and banquet doors opened at 4:00 where attendees could browse the various 25 outdoor related vendor booths, mix and mingle with other outdoor enthusiasts and take a stab at winning the “Bad Axe Competition.” There was a sea of blaze orange floating through the corridor as hundreds of people took in the booths. There were meat processers, antler basket creators, shooting and hunting clubs and even blow up shooting ranges to name a few. At five o’ clock, the sea of orange moved outside for a “Blaze Orange” photo with Bemidji mascots Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. Hopefully one year we can have a record in the Guinness Book of3the most people to wear blaze orange in

Bad Axe Award winner Brian Hiller.

one photo. In the banquet room there were more activities happening as people bid on numerous great silent auction items, played games for a chance to win a bow or a gun and viewed a hunting tribute slideshow on the big screens. As the 6:30 mark drew near, the ballroom quickly started to look like a giant deer camp with 350 seats filled with enthusiasts wearing blaze orange ready to celebrate our great hunting tradition.

During dinner we listened to special guests who included: Rita Albrecht, Mayor of Bemidji Susan Goudge of Visit Bemidji BSU — Brian Hiller MDHA Interim Executive Director — Denis Quarberg Explore MN Tourism Director — John Edman DNR Commissioner — Tom Landwehr Unfortunately, due to illness Governor Dayton was not able to join us for this event.

in Minnesota, bringing together friends and families to share in a special and long-held tradition. It is to honor and promote Minnesota’s fine deer hunting tradition, teach new hunters, increase awareness of hunting’s economic and conservation contributions to our society and to showcase our various Minnesota locations as great hunting and tourism destinations. As a collaborative effort with Explore MN Tourism and the MN DNR we are doing a fine job of promoting our deer hunting tradition and we will continue to improve that promotion through this event.

Thank you to these GDHO event sponsors.

Calendar of E V E N T S

One of the many speakers during the GDHO Welcome to Camp Banquet .

As Thursday came to an end Friday’s start rolled around early for some as live radio interviews started at 5:30 a.m. and ran until noon. There were numerous stations broadcasting live and interviewing dignitaries including MDHA Interim Director, Denis Quarberg. For those 20 hunters and observers we had heading to the field, Friday served as a scouting and observation day for them. They were able to get up early and head out with their hosts to check out their stands and locations. Saturday morning started early again as it was finally time to hit the field.

There were reports of success stories on opening morning and most importantly reports about the good times had and new friends made.

That is truly what this event is about.

It is about celebrating this special time Did you know . . . The 30-30 is the most popular deer rifle?

MARCH 7 Snake River Chapter Banquet at Fish Lake Resort in Mora. Contact Denny Udean at 320.679.9034.

7 Des Moines Valley Chapter Banquet at the Windom Community Center. Contact Bruce Gross at 507.831.3076.

7 Isanti County Chapter Banquet at the Braham Event Center. Contact John Erlandson at 763.689.4992.

7 Wild River Chapter Banquet at the Lent Town Hall in Stacy. Contact Richard Bruce at 651.257.1351.

21 Cuyuna Range Whitetails Chapter Banquet at the Hallett Community Center in Crosby. Contact Greg Steinke at 218.838.4156.

21 Pomme De Terre Chapter Banquet at the Morris National Guard Armory. Contact Kathy Carlson at 320.589.3389.

21 Bluff Country Chapter Banquet at the Witoka Tavern in Winona. Contact James Panek at 507.643.6591.

21 Rum River Chapter Banquet at the Courtyards of Andover Event Center. Contact Ron Schleif at 763.753.3254.

28 Fergus Falls Chapter Banquet at the Eagles Club.

Contact Richard Tomhave at 218.739.9413.

28 Wahoo Valley Chapter Fundraiser at the Clarissa Ballroom. Contact Walt Wiese at 218.640.5423.

28 Quad Rivers Chapter Banquet at the Star Club in Kettle River. Contact Kay Benck at 218.658.4541.

28 Shurburne County Whitetails Chapter Banquet at the Marketplace Banquet Center in Big Lake. Contact Larry Gerwing at 612.486.9836.

18 Bluewater Chapter Banquet at Breezy Point Resort.

Contact Kevin Olson at 218.820.8769.

18 Woodland Chapter Banquet at Quadna Resort in Hill City. Contact Virginia Dorn at 218.697.2454.

25 Sauk River Chapter Banquet at the Greenwald Pub. Contact Craig Sunder at 320.232.3483.

25 Smokey Hills Chapter Banquet at the Frazee event Center. Contact Lois Flatau at 218.847.9127.

25 Jim Jordan Chapter Banquet at the Grand Casino in Hinckley. Contact Gary Thompson at 320.384.6860.

30 East Central MN Chapter Fundraiser at the Phoenix Banquet Hall. Contact Marshall Lind at 320.982.5085.

APRIL 4 Crow River Chapter Banquet at the McLeod County Fairgrounds in Hutchinson. Contact Harold Lundin at 320.693.2737.

10 Sunrisers Chapter Banquet at the Wabasso Community Center. Contact Garry Beermann at 507.360.9305.

10 Trails End Chapter Banquet at the Backus Community Center in International Falls. Contact Bobbi Bernath at 218.283.8196.

11 North Suburban Chapter Banquet at the Kraus-Hartig VFW in Spring Lake Park. Contact Stephen Ranallo at 963.574.0195.

11 St. Croix Valley Chapter Banquet at JJ’s Bierstube in White Bear Lake. Contact Harriette Wock at 651.439.1808.

OCTOBER 16 Riceland Chapter 10 Gun Raffle at the 40 Club Convention Center in Aitkin. Contact Ralph Mykkanen at 218.829.2766.

16 Riceland Chapter Banquet at the 40 Club Convention Center in Aitkin. Contact Ralph Mykkanen at 218.829.2766.

JUNE 6 Sturgeon River Chapter Fundraiser at Timbers Edge Bar & Grill in Eveleth. Contact Deb Bachel at 218.258.3306.

AUGUST 16 Carlton County Chapter Fundraiser at Carlton County Fairgrounds in Barnum. Contact Mike Fasteland at 218.384.9872.

SEPTEMBER 11 Tri-County Chapter Banquet at the Queen Bee Bar & Grill in Paynesville. Contact Bill Legatt at 320.243.4517.

17 Carlton County Chapter Banquet at Fore Seasons Sports Complex in Carlton. Contact Mike Fasteland at 218.384.9872.

NOVEMBER 5–7 Governor’s Deer Hunting Opener Celebration in Mt. Iron.

Contact Bri Stacklie at 218.327.1103 ext. 12.

DECEMBER 10 Isanti County Chapter 4-Wheeler Raffle Drawing at the MDHA Club House at the Fairgrounds in Cambridge.

Contact John Erlandson at 763.689.4992.

MNDEERHUNTERS.COM

23

Around the State

MDHA Life Members Robert Aas Loren Abel Mark Abendroth Jack Adams Kirk Adams Rickie Adams Jim Affleck John Akkerman Garth Albers Wayne Alden Ron Alm Jack Almos John Alt Marc Althoff Carol Altrichter Jim Amdal Anchor Paper Company Brian Andersen Arlan Anderson Bruce Anderson Darold Anderson Dennis Anderson Dustin Anderson Edwin Anderson John Anderson Kenneth Anderson Mike Anderson R K Anderson Ralph Anderson Robert Anderson Leland Andrew David Andrews, Jr. Clyde Ankrum Michael Antonson Gary Appel Gregory Appel Doug Appelgren Marlan Arndt Troy Arndt Tom Arth Allen Arvig Paul Aslagson Dale Aufderheide Timothy Aune Kevin Auslund Alfred Bachmann Marian Bachmann Kenneth Bahr Scott Baird Gary Baker Mel Baker Andy Ball Warren Bandel Bruce Bang Donald Banks Richard Baratta Red Barbknecht James Barker Chris Barnes Robert Barrie Donald Bartz Dick Bastien John Bathke Eric Baty Tony Bauer Mark Bauerly William Baumann Bradley Baumgartner Brian Becker Paul Becker Art Beckman Garry Beermann Jay Behrends Ronald Beier Paul Beinke Edward Belanger Cindy Bender Karl Beneke Cordell Bennett Janet Bennett Steven Bennett Bruce Benson Carl Benson Jim Benson Wally Benson David Berg Kyle Berg Timothy Berg William Berg

24

Dan Bergerson Jean Bergerson Robert Berggren Richard Bergland Charles Bergquist Douglas Bermel Alfred Berner Craig Berry Doug Berry Eli Berry Robert Berry Dennis Berthiaume Mike Berthiaume Dr Eric Betlock Mark Bevins Virgil Beyer Alfred Biagi, Jr. Richard Bien John Bighley Allen Billstrom Joseph Bistodeau Robert Bjorklund Bruce Bjornson Jerry Black David Blake Jeffrey Blanchard Robert Blanck Rodney Blanck David Blattner Sr Al Blesener Clifford Bloberger Suzanne Bloberger Leroy Bloch Brandt Block Robert Block Craig Blowers David Blum Brad Bodle Curtis Boettger Dan Bolstad Ralph Bonde Thomas Borden Alan Borsheim Paul Boucher Jay Bowers Rebby Bowman Rex Bowman Kerry Boyer Michael Boyle David Braaten James Braaten Ralph Braegelman Jeff Brandt Richard Brant Derrick Brasel Tom Brasel David Bredesen Karen Breeden Andy Breitenfeldt DeWayne Breuer Todd Breuninger David Brigan Diane Britton David Broberg Ronald Brockamp Alvin Broll, Sr. Ryan Bronson George Brook Bill Brooks Sheldon Brooks Derek Brown Don Brown John Brown Russell Brown Harold Bruns Jon Buck Gerry Buegler Brad Buerck Ed Buerkle John Burgeson Richard Burkard Harold Burley Neil Busacker Blaine Bush Joe Cannella Don Carey Don Carlier Cory Carlson David Carlson Donald Carlson

Mike Carlson Richard Carlson Ricky Carlson Ken Carlson, Jr. Steve Caron Federal Cartridge Keith Caswell, Jr. Christian Cavalier Melvin Chalstrom Beverly Charles John Charpentier James Chartrand Jim Chervenak Paul Chervenak W Chervenak James Christensen Jerry Christensen Leland Christenson II Henry Chwastek Wayne Claassen Richard Coccie Alan Colliander Jacque Collins Richard Collins Charles Connell Mark Cook Richard Cook Scott Cooke Sr David Copa Les Cordes Ronald Cordes Todd Cordes Roger Cornick Leonard Cossentine, Jr. Mitchel Costley Ronald Court Jeremy Couture Todd Coyle Phillip Croskey George Crow Michael Cudmore Mike Culligan Kent Cummings Dale Curran Les Curry Dave Cwikla Richard Daas Linda Dahlen Devin Dahline Eugene Daly Cathy Daniels Delbert Danielson Duane Dauner Avery Davis Robert Davis Shawn Davis David De Paulis Todd Deaton Richard Deck Rodney Dehart Mike Deiley Thomas Demarais Kevin Dennis Kline Gordon Dentinger Douglas DeRoos Rodney Detzler Milan DeWitt Bob Dierchs Butch Diesslin John Dill Gary Dimberio Rodney Dimich Dick Distributing James Ditter Thomas Ditter DuWayne Ditterich Gerald Dock Richard Doenz Don & Nancy Doll Pat Donahue Denny Dorholt James Dornhecker Douglas A. Carlson Development Inc. David Downs Ronald Dracy Gregory Drahosh Michael Dreger Brady Dreyer Chuck Drilling

Whitetales | S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

Don Drotts Gary Drotts Douglas Dunkley, Jr. Irv Dunsmore Roger Dyrssen Thomas Ebner John Edinger John Edstrom Bob Edwards Wayne Edwards James Egbert Gary Ehalt Herman Eiffert Jim Eisenreich Herbert Elmstrom Robert Elmstrom Don Emblom Daniel Engblom Kent Engen Micheal Engen Richard Enger Wayne Enger Robert Erdrich, Sr. Bill Erickson Christopher Erickson David Erickson Denny Erickson Leon Erickson Lloyd Erickson Lynn Erickson Donna Erlandson John Erlandson, Jr. John Erlandson, Sr. Gary Erwin Daniel Fabian Jared Fabian Jerry Fabian Dale Fairchild Robert Falkingham D. Falldorf Scott Feero Marie Festler Scott Fied Dave Fiedler Brad Field Chet Fields David Fields Marvin Fiemeyer Alvin Filipek Alfred Fingulin Tom Fischbach Jerry Fischer Randy Fischer Theodore Fischer Wade Fischer William Fischer Mike Fisher Michael Flanagan Ron Flatgard Richard Flaws Chris Flemming Leonard Flikke, Jr. Harland Floden Donald Flynn Michael Foley Russell Folkerts Tania Forseth Paul Forstrom Kathy Fosness Steven Fosness Gerald Frank Mark Frank Bob Frauenholtz Kent Fredeen Fred Freihammer Dan Freitag Dale Frider Jeff Fry Gene Fulton Deryk Funkhouser Judy Fuqua Tom Gabbert Bruno Gad Thomas Gagnon Don Garber Gary Garlick Gerald Garrelts Randy Gartner William Gay Gary Gaynor

James Gebault Norman Gehring Reginald Gehrke Alan Gehrls Natalie Geist Bob Gerdes Stanley Gerold Angie Gerving Larry Gerwing Brian Gieseke Tali Gilbertson Florian Gill Joseph Glenn Adam Glorvigen Lauren Glorvigen Rick Glorvigen Robert Goble Bob Goebel David Goede Laverne Goedtel Mike Goetz Gary Goltz Gerald Gonsorowski Hubert Gonsorowski Jeff Gorham Robert Gorham Karl Gotfredson William Gotfredson Scott Green John Greniger Brett Gross John Guenther Lyle Guerard Richard Guertin, Sr. John Guild Mike Guild Roger Gunderson Jon Haarstad Thomas Hackler David Hagen Walter Hakala, Jr. Neil Halbach David Haley Bob Hall Tom Hallaway Jim Hallin Robert Halvorson Kevin Halweg Blane Hammer Ken Hammerschmidt Bill Hammill Timothy Hamp Richard Hampe Paul Hannem Dennis Hansen Mark Hansen Russell Hansen William Hansen, Sr. Alfred Hanson Douglas Hanson Harold Hanson Kevin Happke Ken Harder Harry Harrison Robert Hartman Marvin Hartneck Byron Hartung Steven Hartung Richard Harvey Jeremy Hass John Hass Joe Hasselberg Corky Hastings Ralph Hatch David Hauck Denis Hauck Ronald Haugen Joseph Hautman Jo Havel Alexander Haverkamp Carter Haverkamp Hawk Construction Harland Hayward Dennis Hebrink Connie Hedlund Jack Hedlund Kyle Hedlund Ray Hedlund Scott Hedlund

Ross Heilman Wesley Hein Jason Heinen Stanley Heinen Darrell Heinn Gary Heinonen Ron Heins Roger Helgeson Peter Helget Jacob Heller Dr Ralph Helm Virgil Helmin Melvin Hemerick Blaine Hennek Jack Hennen Kim Henning-Mdnr Gary Henriksen Gary Henrikson Ken Hensel Phyllis Hensel Dave Hermel Bob Hernesman John Hess Doug Hewitt Greg Heyblom Chris Hickle Randy Hickle Justin Hill Merlin Himle Dale Hinkemeyer Lloyd Hinton, Jr. Charles Hirn Donald Hites Allen Hochhauser Paul Hodapp Willard Hodge, Sr. Dawson Hoffman John Hoffmann Frank Hogan Chuck Holden Richard Holetz Kyle Holgate Jake Holm Otis Holm Daniel Holte Don Holz Judith Holz Mike Holz Terry Hopke Brad Hopkins Larry Hopkins Paul Hoppe Marc Horien Martin Horvat Gerald Howard John Howe Maurice Hugill Gary Hukee Chris Hultengren Gene Hults Jim Humeniuk Robert Hunt Gary Hunter Lyle Ihde Robert Ihlang Jeffrey Ihrke Jerry Immonen James Indrehus Tom Ingebrand Travis Issendorf Roger Jablinske Bob Jackson Dave Jackson James Jackson John Jacobsen John Jacobson Steven Jacobson Steven Jacobson Wayne Jacobson, Jr. Wayne Jacobson, Sr. Scott Jahner Ron Jahnke David Janecky Kim Janecky Kenneth Janesich Kristian Jankofsky Ricky Jansen Russell Janssen Rose Jarnot Duane Javens

Allen Jensen Larry Jensen Laurie Jensen Paul Jensen Peter Jensen Rory Jensen Terry Jensen Dennis Jenson James Jensvold Rick Jeseritz Daniel Jesh Dr Arne Jessen Arnold Johnson Brent Johnson Buford Johnson Carl Johnson Curtis Johnson Dale Johnson Dan Johnson Dave Johnson Dennis Johnson Duane Johnson Duane Johnson Fred Johnson Harold Johnson Harry Johnson James Johnson Jerry Johnson Jordan Johnson Loren Johnson Mark Johnson Mark Johnson Mark Johnson Mark Johnson Mike Johnson Mildred Johnson Patricia Johnson Pete Johnson Richard Johnson Roger Johnson Roger Johnson Sam Johnson Shirley Johnson Steve Johnson Terry Johnson Wayne Johnson William Johnson Wyvil Johnson, Jr. Russell Johnsrud John Johnstone Keith Jones Lester Jones Randy Jones Jim Josephson Wilbur Joy Richard Jungwirth Robert Jungwirth Jeff Kaiser Dan Kaler Clem Kalthoff Dave Kaluza Gene Kalway Richard Kampa Bob Karbowski June Kasprowicz Walt Kath Donald Kaufman R Kearney Ed Kees Greg Keil Geo Kelley Tim Keltgen Robert Kempenich Vern Kemper Mike Kennedy Sr Robert Keppers Jim Keranen Alvin Kern David Kettleson Lynnis Kettner Donna Kienbaum Kurt King John Kirchner Gene Kirk Bob Kisch Eugene Kjellgren James Klapmeier Elmer Klein Jerome Klein Melvin Klein

Paul Klein W Kleinendorst Arnold Kleinschmidt Jerry Kliber, Jr. Gary Klinkhammer Mike Klinnert Marland Kloety Dana Klos Pete Kloskowski Clyde Klosner Alan Klotzbach Dennis Klucas Dave Kluempke George Kluempke Don Knigge Lee Knight Lloyd Knudson Duane Knutson George Knutson Harold Knutson Tim Knutson Tim Knutson Mark Kociemba Harvey Koehl Tim Kogler Don Kolarsky Doug Kolstad Mark Koosman Paul Koski Gordon Kotila Boyd Kramer Rick Kramer Randy Krantz Bruce Krech Terry Kreeger, DVM, Ph. D. Scott Kregness Kevin Kriesel Gerald Krog Ernie Kroll Glenn Kruckeberg Richard Krueger Robert Krueger Mark Kruse Steven Kubesh Bart Kubus Jerry Kujala Jerome Kusy Eugene Kuznia Bob Kvas John Kvasnicka John Kvasnicka Carl Kytola Kenneth La Bounty Wayne La Duke Jesse Laakkonen Duane LaFortune Leo Lambert Jon Lammle Dean Lanes Mary Lange Richard Lange Jon Langen Marc Langen Joseph Langevin Mark Langfeld Martina Langfeld Daniel Larsen Edward Larsen Jeffery Larsen Richard Larsen Albert Larson Dan Larson Gary Larson James Larson John Larson Kermit Larson Kevin Larson Scott Larson Timothy D. Larson Ronald Laurion Philip Lay Dennis Leaf Gerald Leary, Jr. Lyle LeCuyer Bill Legatt Fred Lehmkuhl Michael Lehti Ethan Leibel Scott Leibel

Melvin Leiding Jim Leinum Alan Leirness Tom Lembeck Charles Lembke Ronald Lenarz Merl Lensing George Leppanen Joe Levernier, Jr. Joe Levernier, Sr. Randy Lewis Richard Lian Jim Lichtenberger David Lien Timothy Liffrig Dean Liimatainen L. Lindall Robert Lindgren Vic Lindgren Wally Lindgren Bruce Lindseth Terry Lippert William Litchke Michael Littrell Grace D. Lodermeier Peter Lodermeier James Loecken Clifford Lof Daniel Loken Paul Lommel Wayne Lommel Bruce Loney Jerald Loper Raymond Lottie Arvid Lovig Jim Lowe Tim Lowe Richard Luce Alvin Lueck Terry Lund Quentin Lundberg Robert Lundgren Orvis Lunke Terry Lydell Scott Maas Steve Maas Terry Maciej Thomas Mack Evan Mackey Kyle Mackey Larry Mackey David Madison Lee Magnuson Brian Maki Dan Malecha Mark Malherek Marlin Malherek Homer Malmquist Robert Manderud James Manetas Jim Manoleff Tommy Mans Edward Mansur Walt Marac David Marks Denny Markuson Robert Marohn, Jr. Delmar Marquardt Dorothy Marquardt David Martin Norma Martin Jim Martinetto David Marty Marvin Marty Sandra Marty Scott Marvin Marvin Masterman Eldon Matson James Matter Del Matteson Kristi Matteson Muggs Matteson Shawn Matteson Terry Matteson Edward Maurer Matt Maurer Duane Maxam Tom Mayry Scott McClure Harold McCollum

Did you know . . . Whitetales was recognized by the NRA as the conservation magazine of the year in 2001?

Dave Mc Donald Vernon McIntryre Glenn McLeod Patrick McNeil George McReynolds Peter McAnally John Mccabe James McCarty, Jr. Scott McCollum Ken McDonald Michael McDowell Joe McGee James McGinnis Joseph Mcintire Catherine McLynn Michael McLynn Thomas McMahon Gary Meinert Jerry Melby Al Mendel Kim Messelt William Messenger William Messner W Roger Metsa Adrian Meuwissen Gary Meuwissen Bennie Meyer Franklin Meyer Layton Meyer Russell Meyer Robert Meyers Terry Mick Stuart Milette Philip Miller Wallace Miller Jerry Mills Mary Mindl Mark Miner Scott Minks Michael Mitrick Melissa Moening Molpus Timberlands Management David Money Jeffrey Monson Rick Monson Walter Morley Jay Morrell Mark Mortensen Thomas Mortenson Michael Moses Peter Mrozinski Dave Mueller Ed Mueller Gregory Muller Dennis Mulvaney Pat Munro Frank Murphy Larry Murphy Michael Murphy Jeff Musburger Leonard Mutchler David Myers Richard Myers William “Bill” Myers Bill Naegele, Jr. Mary Beth Nagel Ronald Nagel Ronald Nagel Todd Nagel Alan Nathe Eric Nathe Linda Neault Otto Neidecker Roger Neilson Bill Nelson Bruce Nelson Darlene Nelson Donald Nelson Duane Nelson Harlan Nelson Larry Nelson Richard Nelson Ron Nelson Vearl Nelson Robert Ness Jack Nieboer Jeff Nielsen Kirk Nielsen Maynard Nielsen Mike Nielsen Marty Niewind Dennis Nilsen Sandra Norby

Tom Norby Curt Norenberg Ken Norenberg Terrell Norring Dave North Raymond Nost Robert Noyes Richard Nunn Rodney Nutter Duane Nygren Steve Oelkers Roger Oettinger Chuck Ogee Ken O’Hallahan David Oistad Leon Oistad Stephen Olivier Gary Olmscheid Steven Olsen Alan Olson Jason Olson Jeff Olson Jim Olson John Olson Leland Olson Len Olson Richard Olson Robert Olson Edwin Olwin Paul Omann Jim O’Meara Pat O’Neill Jerome Orbeck Stacy Osborne Larry Oslin Brad Ost Lynn Osterman Bradley Otremba Kenneth Ott Richard Ott Eugene Otto Allan Oyen John Papenfuhs I John Papenfuhs II Ron Parks Mike Patrick Ken Patterson Bob Paulsen Chris Paulsen Allan Paulson Dean Paulson Millicent Paulson Dr. Ken Pauly Virgil Pawlenty David Pearson Lyle Pearson Joe Pederson Mark Pederson Bill Penning Douglas Penoncello Keith Persons Darrold Persson Donald Persson Merlyn Petermann Richard Petermann Keith Petersen Alan Peterson Curtis Peterson Daniel Peterson David Peterson David Peterson Don Peterson Gary Peterson Gregory Peterson James Peterson John Peterson LeRoy Peterson Mark Peterson Ray Peterson Ray Peterson Ronald Peterson Scott Peterson Steve Peterson Steven Peterson Terry Peterson Tony Peterson Wayne Peterson Wayne Peterson Edgar Petrell Brian Philippi John Pichotta Rodney Pickett Ken Pierskalla Wayne Pierzina

Gordon Pietruszewski Robert Pike Sam Pike Gerald Pink Martin Pirjevec Christopher Plasek Gerald Plasek Tyler Plasek Brian Pogalz Gerald Pollard William Poppenberger Charles Porter James Portz Gregory Posch Doug Price Gene Prim Mark Prince Ray Prince Edward Prinkkila Patrick Prodzinski William Pugh Mark Puhl Larry Puls Michael Qualen Alan Quam Denis Quarberg C. Quinn Ann Quittschreiber Donald Quittschreiber James Raab Meinrad Raab H. Loren Rabe John Rabe Donald Rachel Jeff Radunz Lawrence Rafnson David Rahm Arvo Raida Kenneth Raines Doug Ralston Mildred Randall Greg Randolph Kris Randolph Virgil Rapp Terry Rautiola David Ray Brigan Brad Redmond Mark Redmond Megan Redmond Diana Regenscheid Gerald Reich William Reichert Gary Reinarz John Reinke Raymond Renfors Steven Ressemann Ricky Rettig Robert Richardson Norman Riihiluoma Angela Ringwelski Jessica Ringwelski Eric Ristvedt Wayne Ristvedt Ronald Ritter Aaron Rivard Rivers North Forest Management Bob Roberts Bob Roberts Bill Robinson Tom Rochel Monticello Rod Kyle Roddy Ronald Roepke, Sr. Joe Roessler John Roessler Richard Rofidal Todd Roggenkamp Dick Rohloff Dale Rolfzen Dennis Rolfzen Chuck Rosen Dan Ross Robert Ross II Robert Rothmeier Dave Rouse Edward Rousseau Rick Rudebeck Darrell Ruelle Mike Ruhland Ernie Ruschmeier Donald Russell Patrick Ryan Richard Ryan

William Ryan George Rydberg Theodore Saari Bill Saaristo Gabriel Saatela Wade Salisbury Keith Sand Tom Sandberg Arlen Sandland Doug Sandmann David Sandstrom Michael Santema Richard Sassor Rod Sather Sauk Rapids Sportsmen’s Club Bill Saumer Charles Schaefer Christopher Schaefer Jeff Schanche Ron Schara Melvin Schaupp Dave Scheele Scott Scheele Greg Scherber Curtis Schiebel Dennis Schill D. Schimanski Jim Schlagel James Schleif Arthur Schmidt Dale Schmidt David Schmidt Edward Schmidt Gerald Schmidt Mike Schmidt Shad Schmidt Shane Schmidt Sid Schmidt Steve Schmidt Stuart Schmidt Syl Schmidt, Jr. Kevin Schmieg Robert Schmitt Ray Schmitz Terry Schmitz Dan Schmoll Richard Schneider Fred Schomaker John Schramm W. Schramm Lynn Schramm Snyder Dennis Schreiber Patricia Schuch Gordon Schulke

Craig Schultz Howard Schultz Ron Schulz David Schumann Paul Schutte Thomas Schwarze Keith Schweiberger Jean Schwinn Mickel Scramp Mark Sederquist Lon Seeger Clifford Segler Herbert Sellars Thomas Setterberg Bradley Shanks H. Shanks Andrew Shaw Dave Shepherdson Jim Sheridan Bruce Sherman Marsha Shuff Don Sievek Jerry Siljendahl Steven Simenson Harold Sims Clarence Sindelir Thomas Sinnen Troy Sjaaheim Rodney Skagerberg Terry Skagerberg Dan Skelly Terry Skone Stephen Slack James Slade Ronald Slyter Daniel Smestad Al Smith Alan Smith Gregory Smith Robert Smith Sam Snyder Frank Solchaga Tad Sonneman Roger Sorensen Rick Sorenson Larry Soukup Dennis Sowada Jan Sowada Sam Spaeth Kenneth Spangler Kenneth Spangler William Spanier Ron Splett Gary Sprenger Frederick Sprick

Richard Springer Al Sproessig Sr Spruce Grove Farm Tom St Lawrence Gary Starkman Greg Stauss Daryl Steffen Terry Steinbach Bob Steinhart Arnold Stengel Todd Stenmark Thomas Stennes Jeff Sterle Joshua Stewart Jack Stockrahm Jerome Stockrahm Randy Stoddard Douglas Stokes Gordy Stoltz Bud Stone Gary Storm Gene Storms John Straiton James Strandlund Bruce Streich Fred Streiff Randy Strelow John Stumm Robert Sundberg Leroy Sundbom Chad Sutherland Glenda Svacina Michael Svacina, Sr. Douglas Svihel Gail Svoboda James Svoboda Arlen Swanson Greg Swartz John Sweeney David Sweep James Sweet Glen Swenson Theodore Taylor Eric Ternes John Terwilliger Ed Thamm The Game Preserve The Landing Alton Theis Charlie Theis Kevin Theisen John Thielen Raymond Thieling John Thielman Michael Thinesen

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Alan Thole Wayne Thole Joseph Thomas Brent Thompson Gary Thompson John Thompson Larry Thompson Loren Thompson Frank Thomson Trygve Thorkildson Fred Thunhorst Robert Tischer Richard Tkaczik Mac Tobkin Tom Today Jack Todd Laurel Tollefson Verne Tollefson Martin Tonn, Sr. Robert Totenhagen Thomas Tourneau Danny Tramm Gabe Tramm Garrett Tramm Gerald Tramm Douglas Trask Victor Traut Brad Trevena David Tronson Michael Trost William True Anthony Turk Dell Turnacliff Dr Michael Tveraas Dennis Udean Dennis Udovich David Ulschmid Fred Underhill USDA Forest Service Stephen Utech Earl V Jr. Dennis Vacinek Sethren Vacinek Alisha Van Gorden Lawrence Van Guilder Vernon Vanbeck Verlyn Vander Lugt Chad VanWatermulen Darwin Viker Ronald Vincent Roger Virnig Ron Visness Byron Vizecky Raymond Vlasak Robert Voelz

Jim Vogen Ervin Voit Dennis Volden James Vollhaber Jeff Vollhaber Charles Voss Ronald Voth Dave Vrieze Laurence Wagner Gerald Waisanen Gregory Waite Brian Wakefield James Walden Dean Walker Jim Wallace Randy Wallace John Walter Jerry Waltman Kevin Walz Marvin Ward Tom Wassen Rud Wasson Edwin Waters William Watt Brian Weber Mark Webster Matt Wegwerth Dale Weick Robert Weiman Walter Wellman Bernard Wendland Curtis Wendland Bryce Wendling Ronald Wendroth Donald Wendt Bruce Westerman Nathan Westling Robert Westlund, Jr. Jerome Westphal Perry Westphal Bob Whalen Thomas Wheeler Gary Wheelock Abby White Brad White Wayne Whited Kenneth Wick Mildred Wick Roy Wicken Rudy Wicklander Troy Wiese Vern Wilcek Clair Wilcox Craig Wilcox Steven Wilcox

Wild Tech Corporation Lloyd Wiley Bob Wilken Dave Will Mike Williams Brad Williamson Randy Willie Lester Wilsey III Wilsey Jr. Ronald Wilson Jeff Wimmer Snork Wimmer Babe Winkelman Wilbur Winkels Douglas Winkler James Winkler Joseph Winter Ronald Winter Edward Witter Curtis Wohlberg John Wolff Joseph Wood Jennifer Wornson Thomas Worth David Wyatt Dennis Wyatt Craig Wylie Klint Wylie Tom Yager Matt Yernatich Allen Young Bernie Young Nolan Young John Young, Jr. Rick Youngbauer Jerome Yurczyk Robert Zaczkowski Mike Zahurones Michael Zakula Michael Zebro T. Zernechel Duane Ziegler Duane Zierden Maynard Zierden Michael Zierden D. Zimmerman Gerald Zimmerman Kevin Zimmerman Patricia Zimmerman Jerome Zimmermann Max Ziwisky Ray Zok Dave Zwilling

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Did you know . . . The MN deer harvest in 2014 was the lowest since 1980?

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MNDEERHUNTERS.COM

25

Around the State

CAPITOL COMMENTS

BY CORY R. BENNETT, MDHA LOBBYIST

The process that drives an initial human thought to becoming a Minnesota state statute is mandated by state constitution, documented and flow charted, implemented year in and year out and, by design, definable but by no means simplistic.

This intentional complexity explains why upwards of 90 percent of all bills introduced during the course of a legislative session never become law.

A new piece of legislation, a bill, begins with an idea. For MDHA, the Annual Corporate Board Meeting in February is often the inception. With all chapters gathered for the exchange of thoughts and expression of concerns, the creation and prioritizing of the MDHA legislative agenda takes form.

All new legislation must have one legislative sponsor or “chief author” in both the House and Senate in order to proceed. There may be as many as 34 “coauthors” from the House and four from the Senate. The raw content of this new bill must now be constructed into legal form, list all authors and coauthors and be assigned a bill number (House File and Senate File) before it can be formally introduced into the House of

26

Whitetales | S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

Representatives or the Senate. You can follow MDHA related bills using “My Bills” found on the http://www. leg.state.mn.us/ website utilizing Username and Password “MDHA2015.”

This initial introduction or “first reading” of the bill is typically just an expedient acknowledgement of a bill’s existence by the presiding officer, Speaker of the House or President of the Senate. They will then refer the new bill out to the House and Senate committee (i.e. Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Finance committee) that would have the most relevant jurisdiction based on the content of the bill.

The committee chair, who possesses complete authority and discretion of the committee, will schedule the hearing dates for the bill. It is the responsibility of the committee to fully dissect, research and discuss the content of the bill as well as consider the testimony of proponents and opponents. As a result, the committee may make amendments to the bill in order to improve content or to reach compromise. Ultimately, committee majority vote determines if a bill is “passed,” sent on to another relevant committee for further discussion, sent on without recommendation for passage or simply defeated.

Once a bill has made it out of committees, it is then given its

“second reading” and finally placed before the entire body, House or Senate, for full discussion and consideration. Additional “floor” amendments may be offered and a “preliminary vote” is taken. If majority vote is for passage, the bill must wait until the next calendar day before being given its “third reading” prior to final vote and passage at which time it will be sent over to the other body (House or Senate) to await the outcome of its “companion bill.” Both bills must be approved in identical form or they will be assigned out to “conference committee” where a compromised version (conference committee report) of the two companion bills is crafted and then will require passage from both bodies.

This entire process is multidimensional and, at times, downright confusing but it is accomplished by many steps, involving many people, and their abilities to create, communicate and build relationships. It is accomplished by you and your involvement in your organization and the interests MDHA represents. Whether it be at the annual meeting, participating at MDHA’s Day on the Hill, attending or even testifying at a committee hearing, or committing to staying informed of the issues and offering your input, know that law is determined by process and most importantly people.

Did you know . . . MDHA’s first banquet was October 22, 1980 in International Falls?

Minnesota Deer Hunting Quiz

Spring

Puzzler

CREATED BY ED SCHMIDT AND ROD DIMICH

>> True or False! << By Mike Roste 1. Deer have excellent depth perception.

2. A hunter is only as good as the rifle one is using.

3. T oo many hunters get stuck in a rut in their hunting tactics and strategies.

4. B agging that big buck is more challenging than many hunters think.

5. Big bucks have big horns.

6. A poor location to place a salt/mineral lick (if legal) is on an old rotten stump.

7. I f you are shooting long range, you are counting on luck instead of using your shooting skills.

8. M ost deer hunters have discovered themselves in the grips of buck fever.

9. P atterning wall hangers during the rut can be very challenging.

10. S ome hunters shoot bows with too great of draw weight.

Answers

6. F ALSE: One can pour loose salt on the ground, put a block of salt on the ground, or pour salt over a big rotten stump and pray for rain.

5. F ALSE: Bucks have antlers instead of horns. Antlers are shed every year. Horns on cattle stay in place for the life of the animal.

4. T RUE: That big buck has been around for years, and knows the routine for staying alive.

3. T RUE: As we get older, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just human nature to not put in the effort to learn more, adapt, and change hunting tactics.

2. TRUE: Rifles last a long time, are tough and stable, and are available in different models and cartridges, so choose wisely.

Ashlynn Langhorst shot an 8 point buck and her sister Morgan shot a 9 point buck on November 16, 2014.

Both young Forkhorns were sitting with their father, Jon Langhorst. Ashlynn sat with him in the morning. Morgan accompanied him in the afternoon. The Langhorsts are dedicated members of the Quad Rivers Chapter of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association.

7. F ALSE: You only need to know how far the deer is away, the required hold-over and how much the bullet will drop at that distance.

Quad Rivers Forkhorns Get Their Bucks

8. T RUE: This condition is self-inflicted and is a mental problem. One can help to prevent this recurring affliction by not looking at the rack but concentrating on a good shot.

Answers on page 54.

9. T RUE: You might have to modify your tactics, switch stand locations, be patient and persistent, and hope that buck will slip up and make a big mistake.

DOWN 2. To lose antlers in the spring 4. One that wanders from place to place 5. One point of an antler 6. The science of motion of a projectile 7. Incubation period 8. Place where plants and animals naturally reside 11. A member of the arachnid family that carries the Lymes bacteria 12. One that preys on other animals 14. Metal used to jacket bullets 15. Small land areas with designated purposes 16. Mexican hot pepper 19. Whitetail neonate

10. T RUE: It is hard to remain at full draw (especially for older hunters) for any length of time if one is using too much draw weight. Accuracy is more important than arrow speed.

ACROSS Two multiple births A fund to sustain a program or organization New born Food regularly consumed Animal tissue rich in greasy or oily matter Sizes of a cartridges or bullets Nutrient provided by meat, poultry or fish A heavy metal used for bullets or slugs Crystalline substance necessary for bodily growth 21. To gather opinions or facts 22. A chemical deterrent for ticks and insects 23. The process of breaking apart 24. Nutrient rich legume 1.

3.

9.

10.

13.

14.

17.

18.

20.

1. F ALSE: Deer lack depth perception but their sense of hearing and smell is acute.

Did you know . . . In 1985 MDHA membership was 15,000?

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Around the State

MDHA Store

SHIPPING & HANDLING RATES

> TO ORDER:

Purchase amount

Visit www.mndeerhunters.com or call 800.450.DEER

MDHA Est.1980 Distressed T-shirt

This dark blue t-shirt features a distressed orange text and modern style. Screen printed to say Established 1980 MDHA and Minnesota Deer Hunters Association spelled out below, this shirt spells out your excitement to support MDHA. Sizes up to 4xl and made of 100% preshrunk cotton.

$10

Rate

$1.00 – $50.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $8.00 $50.01 – $100.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $9.00 $100.01 – $150.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $11.00 $150.01 – $200.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $13.00 $200.01 & UP . . . . . . . . . . . . . PLEASE CALL

MDHA Waxed Cotton/Camo Cap

This hat is a 60/40 cotton/poly blend low profile cap with hook and loop rear closure. The pigment dyed front panels give the cap an oiled leather look. Mossy oak camo side panels make this a great cap! Across the back is Minnesota Deer Hunters Association. On the front is the screen printed logo with established date in a distressed orange color and MDHA embroidered across the front.

$15

2015 MDHA Mug of the Year

by Yeti

2015 MDHA print of the year

This year’s print features a beautiful buck painted by Michael Sieve.

In the picture are also a deer hunter, moose antlers, and a wolf… see if you can find the wolf. The full size comes with a beautiful mat and frame with a custom made deer head cameo in the lower right corner, made to match the Sieve deer head. Outer frame dimensions: 29-3/8″ x 23-3/8.

Unframed $120

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Framed $199

Whitetales | S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

This mug is the best you will ever own! We hate when our favorite beverage loses its frosty (or piping hot) goodness before we can fully enjoy it. That’s why we over-engineered our Rambler Tumblers with kitchen-grade 18/8 stainless steel and double-wall vacuum insulation. Rambler Tumblers keep ice 2X longer than plastic tumblers and are designed for maximum ice retention – and work just as well for hot beverages. Rambler Tumblers are BPA free, including the crystal clear lid, so you can gauge the level of your frosty beverage as it slides down the pipe. Features the MDHA round logo and 2015 year.

This 20 oz mug is great for all occasions!

$29

When you purchase MDHA merchandise you support MDHA’s programs and mission.

Biologic Clover Plus

Few plants are more effective at attracting whitetail and turkey than clover. Use Clover Plus — a perennial blend of our New Zealand Red and White clovers with our extremely successful varieties of chicory — and you turn that attraction into an obsession. Plants a ¼ acre.

$13

MDHA Thermometer

Just how cold is it outside? Well, you may easily find out with this MDHA thermometer. Featuring large print numbers on a blaze orange background they are easy to read from a distance and the logo pops out at you and shows your proud MDHA support!

$20

Become an MDHA member today...

Name:__________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________ City: ___________________________________________ State: ___________________ Zip: ____________________ Phone: __________________________________________ Chapter Preference: _________________________________ Email: __________________________________________ Membership Payment Information: n $25 Adult 1 Year Membership n $15 Youth 1 Year Membership n Check n Visa/MasterCard/Discover

MDHA Grill Tool Set

Be ready to flip those burgers, tong those dogs, or fork that chicken on the grill with these nice wood handled bbq tools. Comes in a camo carrying bag with the MDHA logo. These tools are great for around the home or with the bag, perfect for the on the go outdoorsman!

$26

Card #:______________________________Exp: ________ Signature:_______________________________________ I would also like to make a donation of $__________________ Order Total: $_____________________________________ 460 Peterson Road • Grand Rapids, MN 55744 • 800.450.3337

MNDEERHUNTERS.COM

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TEXT BY MARK JOHNSON PHOTOS COMPLIMENTS OF TOM TODAY’S CAMP HILTON DEER CAMP

In the rocky swamps and timber of the Arrowhead region of Minnesota, deer hunting is a passion of many. Driven in part by the low deer numbers in the “big woods,” hunters spend more time in the woods during the hunt and in preparation for the hunt. As a result, what was thought frivolous or impossible a decade ago is now engaging many hunters.

Practically speaking, the Arrowhead region of Minnesota has no topsoil to speak of. The soil that is there is either thinly spread over rock and gravel or merely looks like soil and is peat. Either way, available soil is typically choked with roots of competing native plant species. To carve out space for a wildlife food plot can be a daunting task to say the least. But, it is not impossible as is proven by dedicated MDHA members.

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With the use of both a self-propelled walk behind brush mower, this grassy opening was chewed wider by several feet.

Sometimes your imagination can lead to great work as well as great things. In this case Timothy Robinson took on this flat of upland tag-alder, aspen and birch that required an aggressive approach starting with a chainsaw.

Multiple passes with the mower, followed by sweaty work with a portable stump grinder took care of much of the debris that would otherwise impede planting.

After brushing off all of the trees and brush and taking a welldeserved rest, a walk-behind brush mower was used to cut and mulch the smaller debris closer to the ground. Followed by the use of a walk-behind stump grinder to reduce stump interference with subsequent tillage efforts, this area will turn out to be a food plot well worth the effort.

Hard work paid off with this wildlife food plot many miles away from any agricultural fields or crops. With annual tillage and care, encroachment by brush and grass will be managed.

From an opposite view a couple months later, what was a tangle of alder, aspen and birch is now a lush crop of brassicas to attract as well as provide starchy calories for deer and other wildlife.

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The view from the tree stand hidden in the background had provided a good vantage of narrow shooting lanes in years past, but with brushy encroachment the sight picture needed attention.

Some tillage equipment need not be fancy or expensive. This section of heavy, wire mesh works incredibly well for leveling loose ground as well as for covering broadcasted seeds. Hand rototillers can also be very effective, although they can be punishing to the operator when breaking virgin ground that is full of roots and rocks.

Following the same routine of mowing and following up with a walk-behind stump grinder, this opening developed into much more than a “shooting lane.”

After being cleared and tilled, this plot has become a major attraction for local deer. The addition of a salt block and mineral can make it an even greater attraction for deer throughout the spring, summer and fall.

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The lesson to learn about creating and maintaining wildlife food plots is that they seldom happen by accident. You either have to put in the sweat equity to make them happen or you have to pay, or bribe, some else to do the work for you. The old adage, “Many hands make light work,” can definitely apply here. In fact, by involving the entirety of your hunting camp partners you will definitely create more interest and more pride in your camp as well as in camp camaraderie. Besides that, with strategically placed trail cameras you will probably see wildlife using the plots that you never knew was there.

Food plots… because a little work is good for the soul, for the camp and for the wildlife.

Photo by Tom Today

Image from a Stealth Cam, October 23, 2014.

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Understanding and Preventing

LYME DISEASE

BY ELIZABETH MALONEY, MD

A predator lurks near in the woods, waiting for prey to pass within reach. A stealthy grasp followed by a single bite can inflict great harm but few recognize the danger and act. Sounds like the start of a thriller, right? But this isn’t a work of fiction, it’s an article on Lyme disease. Keep reading and you’ll learn basic facts about the illness and steps you should take to avoid becoming infected.

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LYME DISEASE: THE BASICS Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that may develop following a bite from a Lymeinfected deer tick (blacklegged tick). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 300,000 new cases of Lyme disease occur each year in the US. Most cases are reported from areas that provide suitable tick habitat, such as wooded or forested regions.

People that live, work, or recreate in tick habitat are at high-risk for Lyme disease.

Lyme disease has several stages but most people don’t go through each stage. The infection causes a wide range of symptoms that vary by stage and from person to person. Many people notice that the number and intensity of their individual symptoms change over time.

Lyme symptoms can mimic those of other illnesses, earning Lyme disease the nickname “The Great Imitator.”

Early Lyme disease begins 2 - 30 days after a bite. At this point, only the skin is infected. According to CDC data, a rash developed at the site of the tick bite in 70% of reported cases. Lyme disease rashes, commonly called EMs (short for “erythema migrans”), are usually oval shaped and solid-colored. You’ll be off target if you only look for the classic “bull’s-eye” rash because it makes up less than 20% of all EM rashes. In fact, because at least 30% of people with Lyme disease never recall having an EM, you’re more likely to no rash than a “bull’s-eye.” Fever, chills, muscle and joint pains, neck stiffness, headaches,

fatigue, and sore throat are other common symptoms. When the EM rash is absent, these symptoms may be the only clues of the infection. Some people have no symptoms of early Lyme disease.

Late Lyme disease develops weeks – years after a bite. By now the infection has spread beyond the skin to other body sites. Multiple EM rashes, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, generalized pain, severe headaches, and stiff necks, facial nerve palsy (causing partial or complete paralysis of facial muscles), sleep and/or concentration difficulties may appear within weeks of the tick bite.

A small percentage of people will have abnormalities in their heart rate. Months to years later, several seemingly unrelated conditions, including arthritis, nervous system abnormalities and non-specific problems such as fatigue, headaches, generalized pain, joint or muscle pain, recurrent fevers, difficulty thinking and changes in mood may become apparent.

Some patients experience a third stage, known as persistent or chronic Lyme disease. This stage is marked by persistence and/or the development of new symptoms despite prior antibiotic treatment. Like the other stages, persistent disease is quite variable. Some symptoms may remain unchanged while others may

resolve or worsen. The causes of persistent disease are poorly understood but there is evidence that the bacteria can sometimes survive antibiotic therapies.

The varying nature of symptoms can make it difficult for doctors to recognize Lyme disease. On top of that, common blood tests for Lyme disease are often unreliable. These tests measure antibodies to the bacteria but not the bacteria itself and can be wrong for a variety of reasons.

Elevated antibody levels indicate exposure to the bacteria but not necessarily infection and levels that were elevated in response to an infection may remain high after successful treatment (although most will eventually return to normal).

Because it can take weeks for antibodies to develop, most people with early disease test negative for Lyme disease. People with longstanding, untreated infections may also have falsely negative results because antibody production tends to fall off over time, whether or not the infection has been successfully treated. When doctors rely too heavily on blood tests to make the diagnosis, false negative results pose a serious problem because they often cause treatment delays. Given the variable symptoms and potentially confusing test results, it’s easy to understand why Lyme disease can be a tricky diagnosis for doctors to make.

Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics. The choice of antibiotic, how it is administered (orally, intra-muscularly or intravenously) and the duration of treatment depends on several factors.

Having options makes it easier for doctors to individualize care and explains why treatment regimens vary from patient to patient. Treatment is more likely to be successful when the infection has been caught early on but treatment failures can occur at any stage. Although there is limited scientific evidence and lots of unanswered questions, two welldesigned studies found that some people with persistent disease benefited from additional antibiotics.

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Prevention: A layered approach Lyme disease is transmitted to humans by the bites of infected adult and nymphal deer ticks, making ticks the predator and us the prey. There are several steps you can take to reduce your risk of a tick bite, whether you’re in the woods or your own backyard.

Using multiple strategies simultaneously works best.

Successful prevention strategies are built on what is known about the tick and its habitat. Ticks dehydrate easily and do best in moist surroundings, shielded from the sun. Suitable habitat includes long grasses, brush or leaf litter, tall weeds and the borders of woods and forests. If possible, avoid these areas while hunting; stay in the center of trails and don’t sit on fallen logs. Ticks don’t jump or fall from trees so sitting in a stand is safer than driving deer.

To prevent infections around your home, clear away brush and fallen leaves and keep your grass short. Place lawn furniture and play structures in sunny areas of the yard. Bird feeders, and wood piles attract tick-carrying mice so keep them far from the house. Don’t feed deer and avoid plants that attract deer or mice. Pets can bring ticks inside so use veterinarianapproved tick products on your pets and check for ticks when they come back in.

Ticks can’t bite through clothing or gear so the more skin you cover, the lower your risk of a bite. Whenever possible, wear pants and long-sleeved shirts while in tick habitat. Tucking pants legs into your socks prevents ticks from crawling under the cuff and onto your leg; tick gaiters may further reduce risk. Secure long hair under a hat or in a ponytail.

Insecticides and repellents are crucial.

Insecticides kill ticks on contact while repellents encourage them to leave before biting. Permethrin is the insecticide of choice and its importance cannot be overemphasized. Spray, liquid and scentless products are available and sold at outdoor stores and on-line. Apply it to clothing, sleeping bags, tents and other gear, but not skin, before entering tick habitat; allow plenty of time for the product to

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dry before using treated clothing or gear.

When dry, permethrin is bonded to treated surfaces and won’t easily wash or rub off.

Most treatments remain effective for 2-6 weeks and withstand multiple washings.

Permethrin-embedded clothing, is good through 70 washings. Permethrin treated clothing and gear is safe for all ages.

A tick repellent should be applied to all exposed skin. Most need to be reapplied after a several hours, sooner if you get wet or are sweating heavily. DEET is the best known repellent. It won’t harm natural fibers such as wool and cotton but can damage other fabrics and materials, such as leather or rubber. Repelling ticks requires higher concentrations of DEET than mosquitos; use 30% or higher on unbroken skin. The EPA considers DEET to be safe for kids more than 2 months old but Canada’s health department recommends against using DEET on children. Picaridin is a newer repellent and 20% concentrations are as effective as DEET and won’t damage most fabrics or materials. Both the EPA and Canada’s health department consider it safe for children of all ages. IR3535 is another EPA-registered, long-lasting repellent.

BioUD is also EPA-registered but it must be applied more frequently than the others.

Tick checks are vital and should be done frequently while in tick habitat and for 1-2 days after potential exposure. Deer ticks are very small, making them hard to spot. Lined up next to a metric ruler, the difference in the size of the various life stages (adult female and male, nymph and larva) is obvious and it’s easy to see that the nymph is only a millimeter wide. Considering their small size and painless bites, it’s not surprising that few people were aware of the bite that infected them.

Promptly remove attached ticks and save them in a re-sealable container. Your doctor may want to verify that they’re deer ticks because it’s the only species known to transmit Lyme disease. The risk of contracting Lyme disease depends on how long the tick was attached and how likely it is to be infected. Few infected ticks transmit Lyme in less than 24 hours but deer ticks may harbor other disease-causing bacteria, parasites and viruses. Some of these coinfections can be transmitted much more rapidly than Lyme disease.

Removing a tick isn’t difficult. Don’t put anything on the tick. Irritants like liquid soap or gasoline won’t make the tick release its bite but will make it harder to grasp. Specialized tick removers work well but finely pointed tweezers and even fingernails can get the job done.

Grasp the tick close to the skin (avoid squeezing its body) and use a steady motion to pull it straight out.

Wash the bite site with soap and water.

Certain antibiotics can reduce the risk of Lyme disease if taken soon after a bite. Contact your doctor immediately to discuss this strategy, especially if you’re in a high-risk area for Lyme disease. Following a “wait and see” strategy is risky because at least 30% of people with Lyme disease never develop an EM rash. Blood tests done shortly after a bite aren’t helpful because the results are unreliable. Antibiotic approaches are changing; ask your doctor to review the recently published treatment guidelines that appeared in the journal “Expert Reviews of Anti-infective Therapy.”

Don’t let Lyme disease keep you out of the woods, but don’t let ticks prey on you while you’re out and about. When it comes to Lyme prevention strategies, more layers equal less risk and an ounce of permethrin is worth a pound of antibiotic.

This tiny little deer tick can cause you some very big problems!

“Since I started using ElimiTick clothing, I have been tick free.” ®

– Dale Eggert

ElimiTick tick-repelling clothing uses Insect Shield technology which turns clothing into long-lasting, effective and convenient tick protection. Wearing ElimiTick helps protect against ticks that may cause Lyme disease. The ElimiTick Featuring Series includes a full-line of tick-repelling clothing. ®

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Tick free in turkey camp

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“I just spent 5 days at turkey camp in a highly infested deer tick area. I remained ‘tick free’ throughout the hunt.”

“Used the ElimiTick pants and shirt this weekend. Best investment yet! I'm located in Central Florida and the ticks, mosquitoes and chiggers are terrible.”

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MN Department of Health

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This stuff works “During the entire week, I only found three ticks. Last year (without ElimiTick clothing) I pulled 33 ticks off of me at one time. This stuff works.”

Tick heaven EL Maloney

“I work in tall grass and vegetation (tick heaven). I have battled ticks with sprays and repellents and have ticks on me daily. Since I started using ElimiTick clothing I have been tick free.”

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Treated for Lyme disease – twice “I spend a good deal of time outdoors working as a forester and, having been treated for Lyme's disease twice, I was eager to try ElimiTick clothing. The day after picking at least a dozen deer ticks off my jeans I wore ElimiTick pants in the same woods and found ONE tick.”

Jim Kostrzewa Forester-Kretz Lumber Co.

Dale Eggert, Minnesota

HUGE believer “The first day of my bear hunt I did NOT wear my ElimiTick clothing. Later that evening, I picked 5 ticks off me.

The following 6 days I DID wear ElimiTick clothing and NEVER had another tick on me.”

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MNDEERHUNTERS.COM

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Copper bullets, left to right, including Federal Trophy Copper, Hornaday GMX, Barnes TTSX, and Barnes TSX.

BY PETE SAHR, USDA WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST

Concern over the potentially lethal effects of lead ammunition on wildlife that may consume it is, by no means, a new issue. Lead shotgun ammunition

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has been banned for migratory waterfowl hunting in the U.S. since 1991 due to concerns that waterfowl and other wildlife may ingest the spent lead pellets while feeding and develop lead poisoning, which usually leads to death. Predators and scavengers that feed on the carcasses of dead waterfowl can also ingest the lead pellets and be poisoned. For example, it’s been determined that the lead contained in two #6 lead shotgun pellets is enough to be a lethal dose for bald eagles.

What many people may not realize is that the issue of lead poisoning in wildlife isn’t just limited to lead shotgun ammunition. It’s believed that lead bullets used for deer hunting now account for most of the cases of lead poisoning in bald eagles and other raptors. When high

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velocity lead hunting bullets enter a deer or other big game animal, the bullets fragment to varying degrees, with the lead fragments often spreading well outside of the wound channel made by the core of the bullet. Studies have shown these lead fragments can be found up to 18 inches away from the wound channel.

Many of these fragments end up in the

X-ray showing the presence of lead fragments in deer backstrap.

internal organs of the animal, which are usually left in the woods when the deer is field-dressed. Eagles, hawks, ravens, and other wildlife feed on these gut piles and often consume the lead bullet fragments. The Raptor Center, located on the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus, receives dozens of bald eagles suffering from varying degrees of lead poisoning every year. Around 33% of these birds are beyond treatment and have to be euthanized shortly after arrival. The timing of the lead poisoning cases correlates closely with the rifle deer season in Minnesota and surrounding states.

Although studies have found no direct correlation between consuming meat from animals harvested with lead ammunition and elevated levels of lead in human blood, the effects of lead poisoning in humans from other causes have been well known for centuries, resulting in the banning of lead in paint, gasoline, children’s toys, and

household plumbing. The way I see it, we know it’s not good for us to eat lead, so why would we want it in the venison we eat and share with our families?

The Minnesota Chapter of the Wildlife Society (MNTWS), a non-profit organization made up of professional wildlife managers, biologists, and scientists in Minnesota, has been working to get this information out to hunters and the general public. A group of interested MNTWS members worked to develop a program to educate hunters about the efficacy of non-toxic ammunition compared to traditional lead ammunition, in cooperation with several other groups, including The Raptor Center and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resource’s Nongame Wildlife Program. Our group’s official position is to encourage Minnesota’s hunters and sportsmen and women to voluntarily switch to non-toxic ammunition for hunting and other shooting sports.

To do this, in 2014 we embarked on a program to develop hands-on shooting demonstrations to allow hunters to see for themselves the fragmentation that can occur when using high velocity lead rifle ammo and shogun slugs for deer hunting, and that there are safe, effective non-toxic alternatives to lead bullets, such as solid copper and copper alloys. The concept wasn’t just to put on a shooting demonstration for people to observe, but instead let hunters and shooters bring their own hunting rifles and the lead ammo they use for deer hunting. We provided copper ammo in some of the more popular deer hunting calibers, such as .243, .270, .300, .308, and 30-06 in a few different weights and bullet styles from some of the more common ammo manufacturers.

We built two sets of bullet traps designed to capture the bullets and bullet fragments from ammunition fired into them at a range of 50 yards. The lead bullet traps were made from plastic 55 gallon barrels with removable lids. A hole was cut in the center of the lid, allowing the shooter to shoot through the hole into five one-gallon plastic milk jugs filled with water and placed one in front of the other on a wooden rack designed to help keep the jugs aligned. The bullet trap was placed on a table and carefully lined up with the shooter. After a bullet was fired

funding for the demonstrations was limited.

We put on three demonstrations in the summer and fall of 2014. The demonstrations taught us that soft lead bullets with no copper jacket and ballistic-tipped bullets with a polymer tip fragmented the most, with all (or almost all) of the lead separating from the copper jacket and forming hundreds of fragments ranging in size from a quarter inch across down to a fine lead powder.

Standard lead bullets, in which the lead is mechanically pressure bonded to the Barrel traps are set up to capture all bullet fragments. copper jacket, performed slightly better, into the trap, the lid could be taken off, with some lead remaining attached to the the rear of the trap elevated, and water copper jacket, but they still fragmenting sprayed into the back of the trap to flush significantly. More expensive “bonded” the bullet fragments to the front of the trap lead bullets where the lead and copper and into a container or a paper filter. The jacket are electro- or electro-chemically copper bullet traps consisted of a wooden bonded retained the most mass of all rack similar to the one used in the barrel the lead bullets we tried, but they still trap, but slightly longer, as copper bullets produced many small lead fragments. penetrated more water jugs than would fit into the barrel bullet traps. The rack could be placed directly on the tabletop with 6–7 jugs lined up on the rack. The barrel wasn’t necessary for copper bullets, because the copper bullets didn’t fragment when fired into the water jugs. Shooting into the copper bullet trap was a little more dramatic, as there was nothing to contain the water exploding out of the jugs from Lead dust left in bullet trap. the impact of the high velocity bullets. The intact copper bullet could usually be found in the 6th or 7th jug.

We didn’t get a chance to compare Shooters first shot at a paper target many types of lead shotgun slugs in with their hunting ammo to confirm their the bullet traps. In the slugs that were rifle’s sights (or scope) were zeroed. They compared, we found that higher velocity were also encouraged to shoot the copper soft lead slugs (no copper jacket) ammo we provided at the paper target to fragmented more than similar lower compare the accuracy of the copper ammo velocity soft lead slugs, confirming that with their lead ammo at 50 or 100 yards. bullet velocity also plays a major role in Shooters then shot a lead bullet into the the amount of fragmentation that occurs barrel bullet trap, and a copper bullet with lead bullets. into the copper bullet trap. The bullets All of the solid copper rifle bullets and and bullet fragments were collected and compared.

Although we acknowledge that bullets don’t perform exactly the same in an animal’s body as they do in jugs full of water, we feel the demonstrations effectively show how bullet composition and design affects expansion and fragmentation. Ideally, we would use ballistic gel targets as part of our demonstration, but ballistic gel is Bonded bullet showing lead fragments. expensive to purchase and our available

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shotgun slugs we fired into the bullet traps remained virtually intact. We found that copper bullets with a polymer tip expanded slightly better than the same bullet without a polymer tip, as they are designed to. The polymer tip did not remain in the bullet, but was lost as the bullet entered the target and expanded. The small opening left by the polymer tip is designed to act like a hollow point and create better bullet expansion.

Lead shattered into small fragments leaving jacket bullet.

Solid copper bullets for both rifles and shotguns are manufactured with striations in the front of the bullet, so that as the bullet enters the target animal, copper petals peel back, essentially doubling the diameter of the bullet and creating a larger wound channel while retaining 95 to 100% of their weight for better penetration.

We hoped that after participating in the demonstrations first hand, hunters would be able to see for themselves that non-toxic

Empty copper-jacketed lead bullet.

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solid copper or copper alloy bullets are a safer alternative to lead bullets, while at the same time providing exceptional ballistics, accuracy, expansion and penetration that is comparable to, if not better than similar lead bullets. All of the shooters I spoke with following the demonstrations were very impressed with the performance of the copper ammunition, and were surprised at the amount of fragmentation of the lead bullets. Most said they were planning to switch to copper bullets for deer hunting.

Some concerns have been raised with

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using solid copper ammunition for deer hunting. Closer examination reveals that these concerns may be exaggerated and/ or easily compensated for. One of these concerns is the higher cost of copper ammunition compared to lead. Granted, copper ammunition is more expensive than cheaper varieties of soft lead ammunition, but comparing the two is like comparing apples and oranges. Copper ammunition is becoming more reasonably priced and is now similar in cost to premium grade bonded lead ammunition, providing similar ballistics, accuracy, and penetration in a non-toxic bullet. If hunters sight in their guns with lead ammo they already have, then finish sighting in with copper bullets, a box of 20 copper rounds may last several years. Data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service suggests that a Minnesota deer hunter spends about $500 to $600 per year for deer hunting. If a hunter spends $40 for a box of copper ammo and the box lasts three years, the cost of ammo is only about three per cent of the cost of a fall deer hunting experience.

Another concern with copper ammunition is over penetration. With copper rifle ammunition, the bullet usually passes completely through the target animal and some argue that the energy remaining in the bullet after it exits an animal’s body is wasted. I would argue that it’s better to have both entry and exit wounds, allowing the animal to bleed out faster, as well as making tracking the animal easier if the shot placement was less than ideal. Hunters using copper ammunition may need to be more aware of what is beyond their target because the bullet will likely pass through the target animal, especially when hunting in more open areas where a pass through shot may travel farther. On the other side of the coin, deeper penetration can be beneficial when taking quartering shots on deer, creating a longer wound track, and passing more intact through bone that would normally cause a lead bullet to fragment. Some hunters who already use copper ammo suggest changing the preferred point of aim from the traditional heart shot to lining up the shot so the bullet passes through the vitals and the shoulder of the deer, so the shoulder absorbs more of the copper bullet’s energy before it exits the animal’s body.

Solid copper is slightly softer than the copper alloy or gilding metal that is

Barnes TTSX solid copper bullet (left) and Hornady GMX gilding metal copper alloy bullet (right).

usually used to jacket lead bullets. Some people argue that this may result in more copper fouling or copper build up in the lands and grooves of a barrel’s rifling. Most solid copper bullets are manufactured with grooves cut around the bullets that are designed to reduce contact with the barrel as well as collect any copper removed by the rifling to minimize fouling. The boattailed design of copper bullets also reduces contact with the barrel to reduce fouling.

Hornady, a popular bullet manufacturer, also produces a solid, polymer tipped bullet made of gilding metal, which is the same copper alloy (95% copper, 5% zinc) used in jacketed lead bullets. These bullets are harder than pure copper bullets and are designed to cause less barrel fouling while providing similar expansion to solid copper bullets. All shooters should include copper solvent in their rifle cleaning kit to remove any copper fouling caused by jacketed lead or solid copper bullets.

MNTWS conducted three of the copper/lead bullet demonstrations described above at shooting ranges in Aitkin (Wealthwood Rod and Gun Club), Clear Lake (Wild Marsh Sporting Clays), and Littlefork (Littlefork Gun Club) in the fall of 2014. One demonstration was held at the Itasca Gun Club in Grand Rapids and filmed for an episode of Tom Chapin’s ICTV (Itasca Community Television) Just Outdoors program. The filmed demonstration and interview can be viewed on YouTube by searching for Just Outdoors – Copper Bullet Demo.

MNTWS would like to put on more of the demonstrations in 2015, and will do so as funding allows. If you would like to have a demonstration conducted at your shooting range or gun club, please contact Steve Windels, the president of the Minnesota Chapter of The Wildlife Society with your request. Due to funding constraints, we may only be able to conduct a limited number of these demonstrations.

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MNDEERHUNTERS.COM

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Biologically Speaking

Study Says:

Wolves may be affecting northeastern moose more than previously thought.

BY JOE ALBERT The moose herd in northeastern Minnesota has been on a yearslong decline, and relatively recent research published by the Minnesota DNR points the finger at climate change as playing a leading role in the decline of adult moose in that part of the state.

The same paper downplayed the role wolves may be playing in the moose decline, in part because, according to the paper, Minnesota’s wolf population was stable during the time the moose population was falling.

A new research paper – “Re-Evaluating the Northeastern Minnesota Moose Decline and the Role of Wolves” – authored by renowned wolf expert David Mech and John Fieberg, a University of Minnesota statistician, raises significant questions about the conclusions of the MN DNR’s research.

Specifically, Mech and Fieberg found “no evidence at all,” according to Mech, that climate change had played a role in the moose-population decline. Additionally, Mech says there’s reason to suspect an increasing wolf population in the moose range is playing a role in the moose decline.

By way of background, the DNR annually uses a helicopter to fly surveys and estimate the moose population in northeastern Minnesota. The population estimate was 8,840 in 2006, 5,700 in 2010, and 4,350 in 2014. Survey results from 2015 aren’t yet available.

When Mech, a senior research scientist for the U.S. Geological Survey, first saw the DNR’s research and conclusions, he had a number of questions. But he’s not a statistician, so he reached out to Fieberg, who’s with the U of M’s Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology. In the end, the paper shows, “There’s just no evidence for (climate change causing the moose decline),” Mech said. “And that the evidence that was put forth was not valid.”

That’s not to say climate change isn’t playing a role, said Mech, who characterized it as “an open question.” According to the paper, which was published in The Journal of Wildlife Management: “Temperature still could be a factor in the moose decline. …

Moose declines in northwestern and northeastern Minnesota have coincided with warmer-than-average temperatures. The role increased temperatures might have played in determining

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ultimate and proximate causes of mortality, however, remain to be elucidated.”

In addition to the climate change issue, the DNR paper also downplayed the role of wolves in the moose decline. Part of the reason researchers arrived at that conclusion was that the state’s wolf population was stable between 2000 and 2010. While Mech acknowledges that was true on a statewide basis, he contends it’s important to look on a smaller scale, since “local populations (of wolves) can and do fluctuate considerably.”

Mech has been studying wolves in a specific area north and east of Ely, Minn., since 1968. About 20 percent of Mech’s wolf study area overlaps with the moose study area. In Mech’s study area, the wolf population after the year 2000 had increased to the highest levels in 40 years because the animals developed resistance to canine parvovirus.

“The correlations we found between various moose parameters and wolf numbers in overlapping study areas for the period of the moose decline suggest that an increasing wolf population may have contributed at least partly to the moose decline,” according to the Mech and Fieberg paper. “Although the wolf-population trend in the wolf-survey area does not necessarily represent that in the entire moose-survey area, it is likely more representative of the wolf-population trend in northeastern Minnesota than in the entire state.

“The relationships we found are consistent with a hypothesis that from 1997 to about 2003 annual moose numbers were relatively unaffected by wolves and that wolf numbers tended to parallel moose numbers. However, starting in about 2004, after wolves increased 41 (percent) from 44 in 2000 to 62 in 2004 and 84 (percent) to 81 in 2006, moose numbers began declining.

“The moose-population estimate was inversely related to the number of wolves each year. The strongest relationship was between wolf numbers (one) year and the calf:population ratio the next year, explaining 75 (percent) of the calf population variance.”

While the paper doesn’t directly link the increase in wolves to the decrease in moose, “There’s reason to suspect that as wolves increased, they took more moose,” Mech said. “That’s what they eat.” According to Mech, wolves “take primarily calves, old, sick

and debilitated moose,” and moose are an important food source in local areas.

More recent DNR research, in which researchers are using GPS collars and other high-tech equipment, is aimed at determining what’s killing adult and calf moose alike. In those studies, researchers are alerted when collared moose die. They attempt to get to carcasses of dead animals within 24 hours, which increases the likelihood they can determine what killed them.

“My data would tend to show that because of an increase in wolves, the moose that are dying are not being replaced at a good rate, so the recruitment is down.

That’s where the wolves come in,” Mech said. Wolves may be affecting adult moose, too, and Mech wonders if they’re contributing more to adult moose mortality now that the population is declining.

He believes the DNR is doing a good job with its two studies on adult and calf moose mortality, but “whether they are going to find the answer is yet to be determined.”

And in addition to what DNR researchers find, Mech may be collecting information that would help illuminate what’s going on.

“If the wolves are a cause of this calfrecruitment decline, then somewhere along the way the wolves need to decline because there’s not going to be enough to eat,” Mech said. “I ought to be able to detect that in my studies. There’s some evidence that there’s starting to be a (wolf-population) decline in my study area. If this apparent decline continues, then if wolves are what’s causing the low recruitment we should start to see an increase in the recruitment.”

How the results of the research currently under way play into future management of moose and wolves is unclear, but Mech and Fieberg conclude their paper like this: “If current or future studies suggest that wolves contribute importantly to the moose population decline, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources could allocate a certain portion of its annual public-wolf-harvest quota to part of the moose range and

compare moose mortality and numbers in that area with a similar experimental control area where wolves are not taken.

“If that experiment confirms the importance of wolves to the moose decline, we recommend that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources allocate an increased portion of the wolf-harvest quota to the moose range until the moose population recovers.”

(Note: The Mech and Fieberg paper was released prior to a federal judge’s December 2014 ruling that returned federal protection to wolves in Minnesota.)

Joe Albert is the editor of Minnesota Outdoor News. The website for the newspaper is www.minnesotaoutdoornews.com

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BY SKIP DRAKE, MAPLE RIDGE FOREST PRODUCTS PHOTOS BY DAVE QUAM

44

According to “Webster” an obsession is: “a state in which someone thinks about something constantly or frequently, or an activity that someone is very interested in or spends a lot of time doing.”

making maple syrup is an obsession.

Like dog training, shot gunning, or fly-fishing, making maple syrup is a combination of science and art. First the science.

So when does an activity move from a pastime to an obsession? When did my upland hunting pass into an obsession?

Easy, when I trained my first retriever and watched in awe as he worked a long spurred rooster back and forth across a CRP field and then flushed him into the air while still within shotgun range.

Fly-fishing? Again easy, when I landed my first large mouthed bass, all of about 1-½ pounds caught on a popper that I tied myself. But when did making maple syrup turn into an obsession? When did that happen? I don’t know for sure. Maybe it was when I was ten years old and my father sent me into the woodlot with an axe and Swede saw and told me to cut out the ironwood, red oak and maple in order to let the white pines get more sun. I cut the scrub trees with all the passion of a kid with adult tools, but looking at the tender bark of those sugar maples, I couldn’t touch them. They were too beautiful. Or maybe it was later, years later, when I watched the steam rising from the boiling syrup pan at 2:00 in the morning and felt the ancient natural rhythms of early peoples who had done the same thing as me.

I don’t know, but Webster is right...

There are about one hundred species of maple trees in the world. North America has about fourteen indigenous species.

Minnesota has four common maples used for maple sugar production. Sugar Maple has the highest concentration of sugars in its sap, averaging around 2.5% sugar content. Red Maple comes in close at about 2.0%. Silver Maple averages less than 1.5% and Box Elder about 1.2% sugar. A fifth maple, Black Maple can be found within its normal range of variance in southeastern Minnesota, but is not significant in sugar production. Sugar Maples are the prime trees for maple sugar or syrup production and grow throughout most of the state, except in the western counties. It grows best in the more temperate climates of central and east central Minnesota. Sugar Maples found in the northern reaches of the state are in the upper limits of viability and are constantly challenged by the Northern Minnesota winters.

The process of collecting maple sap and turning it into syrup or sugar is simple when stripped down to the basics.

A wound is placed in a maple tree in early spring and maple sap which contains the sugars drips out and is collected in a

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THE SCIENCE

container. When the sap is boiled and the water escapes as steam, a concentrated sugary liquid remains which tastes maple sweet.

But what causes the sap to flow?

Surprisingly, the answer continued to be a mystery for years. Forest scientists now know that air temperature alone does not cause sap to flow nor do pressures within the tree. Rather, it is quickly rising temperatures and associated positive pressure that causes the sap to flow.

Conversely, falling air temperatures and the resulting negative pressure causes the sap to cease flowing. This negative pressure causes the sap to cease flowing and be drawn back into the tree. More recent studies have indicated that sap does not flow from the roots to the twigs because sap is found in all portions of the tree: roots, trunk, limbs and twigs.

Actually, the rising temperatures cause the living cells within the tree to respirate and produce carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide gas is dissolved in the water of the tree’s fibers creating pressure. The faster the temperature rises, the more pressure is created within the tree and the sap will expand in accordance with the pressure. If the tree has a wound, sap is expelled. As the temperature stops rising, the production of carbon dioxide is reduced, pressure is diminished, and the sap ceases to flow from the wounds. If the temperature stabilizes for a length of time, the pressure is normalized and the flow stops altogether. The amount of sucrose

(sugars) found in the sap is dependent upon these temperatures; quickly rising temperatures create more sucrose than steady temperatures. The amount of sugars found in the sap is dependent on the health of the tree, generally speaking, the healthier the tree the greater the percentage of sugars in the sap.

The short course on sap production? Rapidly rising temperatures from below freezing in the morning (20 degrees) to above freezing during the day (40 degrees) produces the best sap runs. This causes positive pressure to build during the day which pushes the sap upward and out the wound. The negative pressures of the night will cause the sap to draw inward. When does this phenomenon of rising and falling temperatures commonly occur on a relatively reliable basis? In the early spring, however, sap can and does flow due to rising and falling temperatures during midwinter thaws.

Sugarers tap the tree using a drill and bit from 5/16”–7/16” in diameter, drilling inward and slightly upward on the trunk of the tree approximately 2” – 2.50” deep depending on the diameter of the tree. Trees less than 10” at breast height should not normally be tapped, however, some sugarers tap trees at 8” without damage, using a smaller bit. A spout or spile (tap) is inserted and gently tapped into the tree with a hammer. Care is taken not to split the

surrounding wood which would cause the tap to leak sap around the spile. A bucket, bag, or milk jug is hung on the spile and the sap drips and is collected into the container. Many commercial and

some hobbyists use a system of plastic lines to collect sap. These consist of main lines, lateral lines which run from main lines to several trees, and drop lines which run from the lateral lines to the actual tree tap. These line systems allow the sap to flow downhill from the trees (sugar bush) to a central collection tank or barrel.

Some operations use a vacuum pump to aid the flow. The vacuum system does not pull the sap from the tree wound but rather creates a negative pressure in the lines to speed the flow.

Once the sap is collected, it must be boiled quickly since the sap is perishable and will “sour” if allowed to sit too long or to get warm. Boiling removes the water from the sap to produce maple syrup. Sugarers use the Rule of 87 to determine the ratio of water to sugar in maple sap. This ratio will help to estimate how many gallons of syrup your sugar bush will provide from the gallons of sap collected. The Rule of 87 Formula is: divide the sugar content of your sap into 87 to determine how many gallons of sap it will take to make one gallon of finished syrup. For example, if your sap has a sugar content of 2.5 and you divide 87 by 2.5 = 34.8 gallons it will take 34.8 gallons of sap to make one gallon of finished syrup.

Sap should be boiled as soon as possible, generally within 24 hours from collection.

As indicated, sap contains an enormous amount of water and it takes an equally enormous amount of time to boil the sap down to syrup. The larger the surface area of the container used for boiling the faster the water will be evaporated. Traditional backyard maple producers boiling over an open fire and a kettle style pan can count on approximately 30 hours of boiling to produce syrup. Syrup boils at about 219 degrees or about seven degrees above the boiling temperature of water. When this

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temperature is reached, the syrup will contain about 66-67% sugar and can be tested for density.

Traditional sugarers use a spoon dipped in the syrup to visually see if the liquid sheets or aprons off the spoon. A more reliable method to test for density is to use a maple syrup hydrometer, which can be purchased from a maple syrup supplier.

Finished syrup does contain mineral and wood fiber particles called “sugar sand” or nitre (aka Nitty Gritty) and must be filtered while hot prior to bottling. Several methods can be used to filter syrup ranging from dairy milk filters to felt filters available from maple syrup suppliers.

There are also elaborate electric pump filters used by commercial providers. Sugar sands are not harmful and provide no off-taste to the syrup. Most backyard maple sugarers find they have some sugar sand in their finished bottled syrup.

Bottling can be done in glass jars or plastic containers.

Canning jars are most commonly used as they are sturdy and seal well. The syrup should be bottled in sterile containers at between 190-200 degrees and sealed tight. A well-sealed bottle of maple syrup will have a shelf life of up to and often beyond five years, however, bottles kept longer seem to lose their maple taste. Once opened maple syrup requires refrigeration.

syruping. We can feel the pulse of the land as it awakens from its winter sleep, surprise and thrill at the honk of the early swans searching for open water, watch in awe as bald eagles seek mates by their aerial acrobatics, and marvel at the first wood anemone as it bursts into bloom through the vanishing snow.

My wife and I have been making maple syrup for nearly twenty years. First over a backyard fire box and open pan with sap from borrowed trees, and now with an eighty-acre sugar bush, line system and commercial wood fired evaporator. Yet, the process remains the same as for the earliest Minnesotan’s who boiled sap

THE ART

46

People have lived in what has become Minnesota for over 10,000 years. Sometime around 7,000 years ago, the climate moderated and began to produce sugar maple trees. Early Minnesotans began making maple sugar by filling a hollowed-out log with sap and placing rocks heated in a fire into the sap. If you have ever boiled syrup in your backyard you can appreciate the time it took these early people to make sugar. People have made maple sugar and maple syrup ever since. As we add wood to the fire, boiling and concentrating the sap to syrup, we find we are not much different than those very early Minnesotans. We practice our style of seasonal rounds here in the northland: summer gardening, late summer wild ricing, fall hunting, winter fishing, and spring

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to sugar, watched another winter pass into spring and new promise. It’s science and it’s art. It’s also an obsession.

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MDHA TIPS

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Treasures

BY ROD DIMICH AND ED SCHMIDT

TIP

#1

I have used these for 20 plus years and all of the material is available from a hardware store. Using it over the shoulder like a rifle or over the head, it is easy to adjust in the field. Unbuckle the sling for shooting or unbuckle the top and shoot. It

“Bow Slings” provided by Denis Quarberg

is fast and easy to connect and disconnect and very light and easy to store when in the tree stand. I have used the sling to retain my backpack when I am in a climbing stand. It is simple, easy to install and remove and has no effect on accuracy;

there are no permanent attachments or transfers from one bow to another.

It is also low cost, easy to make, and will last almost forever.

MATERIAL • 60'' of ¾'' or 1'' nylon strap • 2 snaps for the size strap • 16' double hook & loop strap (double-faced Velcro) Optional connector — this is not needed but nice to keep the tail from floating around.

1. Use the double strap to fasten ½ of the buckle to the bow riser or limb right above the riser.

2. Run the strap through buckle and secure one end.

TIP

#2

3. The other end will be the adjustable section. Thread through connector and then through buckle and then into the connector to retain tail.

“Plant A Food Plot”

Spring is the time to plan and develop food plots for whitetails. Check with the MDHA office for a variety of food plot seeds. Look for those which are rich in protein, fast growing and attractive to deer.

The MDHA Store has the following seed available and more. Check out MDHA’s web page for more details on when, how and what to do to develop your own food plot which will last for years.

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4. Adjust length of the strap to allow the bow to ride at a comfortable height.

5. Can be over one shoulder or put it over your head and carry under your arm.

JIM LANG’S SPEECH September 20, 1980

Editors’ note: MDHA Founder Jim Lang was MDHA’s first state treasurer, a major motivating force, and he and his wife Vicky’s Grand Rapids home served as the state office in our formative years. This is the introduction from Jim’s presentation on MDHA’s organizational structure at MDHA’s first general meeting at Pokegama Lake’s Camp Mishawaka, Grand Rapids, MN.

years ago.” He will mention the names of some of those who were in attendance and he will express pride in the progress this organization has made in 10 years.

Exactly six months ago last night (on March 19, 1980), eight of us deer hunters met to consider the possibility of organizing the deer hunters on a statewide basis. It was simply an exploratory meeting, but when it was over we all agreed that deer hunters needed to have an organizational voice to be effective in legislative efforts, in communication with the DNR and in matters of public information about deer and deer hunters.

The decision to go for it seemed to me to have a parallel to a young couple saying “I do” at the marriage alter. All too soon the realities of incurred responsibilities descended upon us like an avalanche. The original nucleus of eight expanded to some 20–25 people, all of whom were very busy in their own work.

Executive committee meetings were held every week and other committees met less frequently. It is my conservative estimate that a total of at least 1000 person hours

were logged since MDHA’s inception to now. And these were serious, concentrated hours of deliberations. We had many growing pains but we tried to keep them from showing too much.

Despite this, we came through it all (so far!) with a feeling that (for the most part) this embryonic organization was well founded…

I think we will have to admit that this function here today represents a rather modest, humble beginning for this organization. However, I would like to have you imagine that 10 years from now a large meeting room will be filled to overflowing with hundreds of MDHA members. The president, in his welcome speech at this 10th Annual Membership Meeting will recall with nostalgia “the modest beginning at Camp Mishawaka 10

MNDEERHUNTERS.COM

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Member STORY

DIDN’T YOU SEE THE DEER?

BY PAUL SAILER

50

A split-second after my father felt a sting on the inside of his upper left arm, he heard the crack of a rifle. Wearing a red-hooded pullover, he had been moving silently through a heavy stand of lowland brush several miles from Hill City in 1953. Momentarily disorientated, he was stunned to hear a hunter yell out, “I got one!

I got one!” No longer confused, my father furiously shouted back, “You don’t have one! You shot me!”

Dad told me this story before I began hunting deer. After he quit wearing the pullover, I used it for a season or two before passing it on to a younger brother. The entrance and the exit holes through the sleeve of the hand-me-down garment and the scar on my father’s arm, a whisker away from his chest cavity, were physical evidence of an incident he wanted us to remember and to learn from. We all knew he had sidestepped death.

Every year our failure to put safety first results in deer hunting fatalities. These accidents have consequences that continue for several generations as families suffer the loss of parents, spouses, siblings, and children. There are other casualties as well. When I was nine or ten years old, my mother and I stopped by a rural home in southern Minnesota to visit one of her high school classmates. Mom told me before our arrival that her friend’s husband had accidentally killed a hunter during a previous deer season, and that we would be meeting him at their house. What I remember distinctly about our time together was the man’s pale, lifeless, blue eyes and his quiet detachment. That he didn’t talk to anyone made his grief more apparent to me.

On rare occasions during my initial years of hunting in the sixties and seventies, I heard bullets clipping through the hardwood treetops above my stand. Once, a hunter crossing an ice-covered pond opened up on a whitetail running between us. As I angrily dove for the frozen ground, whirling projectiles tore into the forest floor a few feet away. He obviously hadn’t seen my red clothing or me.

Gun safety begins for most of us by observing the behavior of someone in our family who hunts. Those of us who take to the woods each fall should never forget that children are watching how we handle our firearms. These future hunters are very capable of learning bad habits and then later mimicking our actions.

Youth wanting to hunt are required to take firearms training and to sit with an adult during their first couple of seasons.

These quiet times together on a deer stand are critical “teaching moments” for an adult to reinforce the coaching the boy or girl beside you has learned through firearms instruction. But it is more than that. It is an opportunity to tell the youngster the family stories that exemplify gun safety and the hunting party’s expectation that everyone have a safe experience.

For the better part of the last thirty years I have hunted on eighty-five acres of mixed deciduous and coniferous forest and lowland my wife and I own in Wadena County. We live in the center of this property. A county road runs along two sides of it. The few

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neighbors are out-of-sight but still within range of a carelessly placed high-powered rifle round. Beyond the basic rules of gun safety, a standing requirement for our party is for the hunter to always know where he or she is in relation to homes, automobile traffic and deer stands. Another rule is to only take shots that have a high probability of downing the animal. This can sometimes be difficult, especially with an overeager, younger hunter. Adults in the party can set the example by showing that one well-placed shot is all that is needed. Less ammunition expended is also safer for everyone, whether hunting or not.

If done safely, there is joy in experiencing the age-old tradition of hunting. Let me illustrate what this can be like through a story about my granddaughter Summer who has been hunting with me for several seasons.

At 5:00 a.m. on a cold, still November morning in 2011, my sleepy fifteen-year-old granddaughter joined me in the kitchen for a hearty breakfast of cereal, eggs and toast. After putting on layers of warm clothing and our heavy jackets, we moved outdoors where she loaded slugs into her 20-gauge Remington Model 870 pump shotgun and I put cartridges into my World War II era .30 caliber General Motors Model M-1 carbine. Even though we had not chambered rounds we still checked our safeties before moving out.

The only light guiding our path as we headed across the snowcovered lawn came from a tall security pole. Soon we stepped into the woods where nightshades softly cloaked our warm outerwear.

We continued deeper into the darkness, crossing “the angling road,” which was an old trail on our property that over a century ago meandered from one homestead to another before ending up in Wadena eight miles away. As we marched through the remnants of an old apple orchard and then alongside the barren branches of an eastern larch plantation, I had no concerns about her hunting safety. I knew from observing Summer for two seasons that she followed the principles learned in her firearms course and reinforced by those who hunted with her. I knew she focused on safety and I was therefore at ease.

We soon came to the place where we needed to go our separate ways. After confirming I would make a drive in her direction in two-and-one-half-hours, I whispered to my granddaughter the parting remark first whispered to me by my father when I was a boy, “Good luck.” And she returned a quiet salutation, “Good luck.” I had no reason to worry about Summer finding the stand she had selected for her morning vigil (of our four grandchildren, she is the one who always finds time to roam our woods during family visits). Summer turned confidently toward the pending dawn and then walked away with a steady gait, the one inch of snow-covered June grass muffling her steps. Each of us soon reached our destination and, after settling in, waited patiently for the day’s first light.

Later that morning, at the prearranged time, I began my drive toward the teenager. It was obvious neither one of us had had

any shooting. Separated by two hundred yards of quaking aspen, gunfire would have been easy for the other to hear. I took my time pussyfooting along the woodland path that led to Summer’s stand.

Chilled from the long sit, I was happy to be moving. I had no doubt that my granddaughter would be where she was supposed to be.

She had long ago shown her grit and reliability. At the appointed time I rounded a bend in the trail and in a glance I could see her, a frozen blaze orange Michelin Man-like creature, sitting on a stool with her back against an ancient red oak. The only activity I saw came from alert brown eyes peering out through a small opening below the brim of her hood-covered insulated cap. “Have you seen anything?” I asked in a barely audible voice. There was no sign in the snow that she had moved from her station. “I saw a couple but they were not close enough for a good shot,” she explained.

“Are you cold?” I said, “Do you want to go up to the house for a bathroom break and one of grandma’s warm caramel rolls?”

Summer responded with a muted “Yes.” We started off at once.

We soon returned to the woods in time for Summer to see some action. When I swung by to check on the results, she quickly described what happened, “I saw a deer crossing the trail but when I aimed my heart started racing and the side of my neck began throbbing and . . . and . . . I missed.” It was an honest answer.

Prior to the 2012 season Summer and I talked about perfecting her breathing so that “buck fever” wouldn’t interfere with her hunting objective. That and an extra year of experience paid dividends when she brought down a small doe on the second weekend of the season. With my guidance and at her insistence,

the teenager field dressed the yearling.

On the first Saturday of November last year as the sun settled over the western horizon, Summer placed a well-aimed shot into the shoulder of an eight point buck, one hundred feet from her tree stand. As it leaped across a wide trail toward a growth of young aspen, she fired again but missed. When I arrived fifteen minutes later she was anxiously searching for signs of blood in the failing light. Because of Summer’s certainty that she had seen red at the slug’s entry point, I sent her into the popple, directing her to zigzag back and forth as I moved latterly along the trail. Soon a yelp and then the sight of my granddaughter dancing a jig, announced her discovery of the dead whitetail. My brother and great nephew soon arrived to hold flashlights while we watched her gut the deer.

On November 28, 1953, the man who accidently shot my father sent him a letter. It was in response to a note Dad had written to him. The hunter pondered, “I still can’t understand how it could have happened, neither can the other fellow. I forgot to ask, didn’t you see the deer I shot at? I was so excited and glad you weren’t hurt any worse than you were, I guess I forgot to say much of anything. . . I also hope by this writing you are okay.”

As last year’s season ended for our party, we congratulated those who were successful in getting a deer, acknowledged the camaraderie we shared together and then reminded each other that most importantly, we’d had a safe hunt.

Editors’ note: Paul Sailer is also the author of the book: The Oranges are Sweet: Major Don M. Beerbower and the 353rd Fighter Squadron – November 1942 to August 1944.

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What’s Cookin’?

VENISON BARBACOA

Compliments of Cabela’s

Cooked low and slow, chunks of tough venison roast melt into tender shreds brimming with spicy flavors, including chipotle, cumin and garlic.

INGREDIENTS 2–3 lbs. venison stew meat (or venison roast), cut in 2–3 inch cubes Flour Salt 1 medium onion, chopped 5 cloves garlic 1 cup apple cider vinegar Juice and zest of one lime 1–3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped 2 tsp. cumin 2 tsp. oregano 1 tsp. black pepper 1 tbs. red chili powder 1 cup game or chicken stock 2 tbs. canola vegetable oil

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DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in Dutch oven or heavy, lidded pan over medium-high heat.

2. Salt venison chunks well and dust with flour.

3. Add venison to Dutch oven, working in batches if necessary to avoid crowding meat.

4. Meanwhile, add next 10 ingredients (onion through red chili powder) to blender and blend well.

5. When meat is browned, deglaze the pan with chicken stock, scraping up any browned bits.

6. Add meat back to pan and cover with cider-onion slurry.

7. Bring to simmer. Lower heat, cover and let cook for 4-6 hours. (Alternately, cook in low oven [275°], covered, for 4-6 hours.

8. When meat is done, shred with two forks and serve with corn tortillas, fresh cilantro and lime wedges.

PREP TIME: 30 minutes COOK TIME: 6 hours SERVINGS: 6–8

Editors’ note: For more scrumptious venison and wild game recipes go to www.cabelas.com/cookwithcabelas

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HUNT

Spring

it down!

ANSWERS

Look for an icon shaped like the one above in this issue of Whitetales and, when you find it, send us the page number, along with your name and address. If you are correct, your name will be entered in a prize drawing from MDHA. Email bri@mndeerhunters.com Submission deadline: May 1, 2015

Winner of the Fall “Hunt It Down” Jim Seppanen of the Carlton County Chapter found the hidden winter cap on page 20 of the winter issue and was the lucky winner of a new MDHA Camo Cap. Congrats Jim!

TRAPS ON DISPLAY

Across Answers 1. Twins 3. Endowment 9. Neonate 10. Diet 13. Fat 14. Calibers 17. Protein 18. Lead 20. Minerals 21. Survey 22. Deet 23. Fragmenting 24. Clover

Down Answers 2. Shed 4. Nomad 5. Tine 6. Ballistics 7. Gestation 8. Habitat 11. Tick 12. Predator 14. Copper 15. Plots 16. Jalapeno 19. Fawn

PLEASE REVIEW Your Membership Information Today.

Itasca Chapter member David Parent is loaning five Newhouse traps to MDHA’s State Office to be put on display in the reception area.

David starting collecting traps 30 years ago. The five traps include four wolf/couger traps and one bear trap.

Josh Salisbury, MDHA’s Merchandise Coordinator, accepts the temporary donation of a number 5 Newhouse bear trap.

The magazine label indicates your membership status. Please check it to see if your address is correct and when your membership expires. To renew your membership or make corrections, call the MDHA State Office at 800.450.DEER. Address changes are a major concern and we need your help to correct them. On occasion, the office gets calls because a household is getting duplicate magazines or shouldn’t be getting a magazine at all. What may be the reason for this?

WE WANT TO KNOW...

MDHA has been approached with the opportunity to offer Whitetales magazine to our members in an electronic format and we would love to have your feedback to see if this is an option we should explore for you, our members.

Are you interested in receiving your Whitetales magazine in an electronic format?

Please log onto mndeerhunters.com under the Whitetales section and take our quick poll.

MDHA WISH LIST MDHA recently had a remodel at the headquarters to allow for two more offices. It looks great. We are still trying to jazz it up with some nostalgic hunting décor (traps, old

54

Puzzler

Whitetales | S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

guns, hunting pictures, signs, etc.). If you have any items you are looking to get rid of, send them our way.

We are also looking for an ATV tillage disc to use on the MDHA State Headquarters food plot.

POTENTIAL REASONS: • Renewal forms or banquet tickets are illegible and get entered incorrectly.

• J.J. Jones is Jerry Jones, same person with multiple memberships.

• A life member passes away and the state office is not notified.

SOLUTIONS: • Call the office to inquire at 800.450.DEER. • Check with your chapter officers or regional director.

• Check your magazine’s mailing label to see if it is accurate.

Questions, concerns, thoughts?

Address letters to: Minnesota Deer Hunters Association Attention: Letter to the Editor 460 Peterson Rd Grand Rapids, MN 55744 Or email: bri@mndeerhunters.com

Daylight IN THE SWAMP CONTINUED FROM PAGE 56 shattered my muse like a buck snort in the middle of an afternoon stand nap, “How’s it going, dear?”

“Great, dear,” I replied in haste, “just taking a little break. I’m just about to light it up.” When she asked what I was writing about, I did the Seinfeld thing and said I was writing about nothing. Because we are big fans, she understood that a Seinfeld “nothing” was actually “something,” and let it go. What she didn’t know was this “nothing” was actually really “nothing.”

But, even though I had nothing in the writing vein, I just knew there was something there. But what? I browsed my old hunting and fishing magazine collections but then realized I had been there and done that. My hat collection? Definitely not. It’s a sore spot around the house as it is not as even close to being as meaningful to my better half as me. My Whitetales magazine collection? Now there’s an idea.

That being said, I started paging through my old Whitetales magazines, wandering through Minnesota’s deer country, its hills and valleys and forests and prairies. While there, I encountered wisps of wonder from gone by days in the names of MDHA founders and first members/ volunteers and first chapters and first projects. Talk about deer hunting voices of reason and passion! I also heard not only the voices of the Minnesota deer hunter, but also the voice of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, the voice of Minnesota’s deer hunting future.

In the early Whitetales I relived the intense deer hunting vision of MDHA founder and first president Dave Shaw and his logic and dedication to not only deer hunting, but also nature. It was there I relived the deeply moving hunting and conservation ethics of founders and long time Izaak Walton League members Wes Libbey and Jim Lang, who were our foundation, the dreamers and the tenders of our traditional rich deer hunters’ heritage campfire.

While there I also remembered the early technological wizardry and ultimate commitment of my long-time Whitetales co-editor (since 1984), Ed Schmidt, and the many energetic deer hunting volunteers who were determined to not only maintain and enhance our ancient hunting rites, but also pass them on.

While I looked at the old magazines I heard the MDHA winds of yesteryear whisper that we are living and hunting in a world with changing hunting attitudes where preference and ethics and choice and rack size and how we hunt vary as much as how we perceive the richness of the sky and wind and the sounds and smells that accompany them.

I realized a new wave deer-hunting frenzy has swept into our Minnesota deer hunting like a Canadian Clipper, fast and brazen with lasting effects. And with it, the richness of the sky is today sometimes not as important as the price of our toys, and for sure, the size of the almighty rack. I could just hear the anti-hunting crowd cheering our bickering.

If you have doubts, listen to the kids and their talk about deer hunting. Instead of being proud of their first deer, their scouting, endurance, their shot, they downspeak it…“Ya, I got one, but it was a little spike.”

Define “little?” My first deer, a button buck, is for me still more memorable than the few trophies I have taken since. It was a not only a heart pounding and thrilling oncein-a-lifetime experience, my dad was there to experience it with me. He, for sure, did not put me down for shooting a “little one.”

I had done everything right and now we not only had a deer hanging on the meat pole’s shack, but food for the freezer. I had become a “real” deer hunter, one who scored and put food on the table for the family and was pretty proud of it.

When the English poet William Blake wrote, “To see the world in a grain of sand/ And Heaven in a wild flower/Hold infinity in the palm of your hand/And eternity in an hour,” I am sure he did not have deer hunters in mind. But it does fit. When he wrote about the majesty of life in the microcosm of a speck of sand, a snowflake, a leaf in the wind, he was talking about what we deer hunters believe is important: that a nondescript withered fern is as miraculous as the northern lights and a yearling deer is much more tasty when fried in butter and onions in a cast iron pan than the largest of antlers could ever be. Like my dad always says, “Antlers make poor soup.” We at the Big Swamp Deer Camp maintain, “Each to their own.” In other words, hunt the way you want to hunt, kill want you want and no “trophy” regulations should mandate otherwise.

What I have learned over the last 35 years since MDHA’s inception is that life is precious, and minor miseries should not have us turn a blue sky gray, and sometimes the impossible does come true. I have also learned the world is definitely charged with different types of grandeur. Some of us find joy in city lights and sounds and happenings.

Some need the haunting call of the loon.

Some need the wall-hanger buck and some long for butterflied venison loin chops bubbling in butter. Sometimes it seems the former wants to dictate its feelings to the rest; it is, however, your choice. As it should be.

I still feel strongly, though, that the hunt should not be predicated on a “score-card” mentality, not that there is anything wrong with that. Hunting crews should be able to set their own rules and stipulations and let the rest of us do the same, at our own discretion.

We need to tell young and new deer hunters there are invisible charms involved in deer hunting that make for better, more appreciative human beings. We need to tell them in a deer country second, a deer can appear and make up for hours of watching.

We need to tell them that a harvesting second is only rewarding when preceded by hours of preparation and anticipation; otherwise it is much easier to go to the market and pick out some meat.

When I finished the first draft of this article and walked out of my office, I looked once again at my “trophies.” When I did, I realized my small smattering of big racks and fishing tournament wins, etc., were really not trophies at all. My real trophies were in my personal memorabilia: a picture of my dad and me with my first deer, my first stand’s platform (pretty small), my first Mora knife, my 1960’s faded and tattered red-hooded sweatshirt which I still wear every second weekend Saturday family and friends get together at the shack, my Buck Johnson’s “Buck’s Scent,” the deer shack picture of my “greatest dance” (“Daylight” Spring ’12) and…fortunately, the list goes on and on.

In closing, thank you MDHA members for the memories. I look forward to creating many more with you. And also thank you for your dedication to deer and deer hunting. You are the future of deer hunting.

Whitetails forever…

MNDEERHUNTERS.COM

55

Daylight IN THE SWAMP

BY ROD DIMICH

ANTLERS STILL MAKE POOR SOUP

Sometimes you just want to go that extra mile and make something super-special.

56

Because 2015 is MDHA’s 35th anniversary I wanted this “Daylight in the Swamp” to be special, but my mind was blank. I was seemingly up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

Before I go on, please allow me to background. On March 19,1980 I was fortunate enough to be one of the eight deer hunters who huddled in MDHA founder Jim Lang’s living room to consider the possibility of creating an organization that would become the unified voice advocating not only for Minnesota deer hunters, but our deer herd as well. Obviously, we decided it was a go.

As for this column, what to do?

Because I was pretty much running against the wind trying to come up with something special, I did what I often do when no creative magic doors are opening, I headed to the basement (think really old school hunting and fishing man-cave) to window-shop memories ranging from old photos from the “Big Swamp Deer Camp,” vintage decoys (“blocks”), my antique Ole Evinrude first design 1919 outboard motor with a rudder, my grandpa’s model 64 30.30 caliber Winchester and my dad’s 12 gauge Browning Auto 5 classic shotgun, Herters’ this and that, to my prized MDHA memorabilia and beyond.

Alas, it was still a no go. Maybe I was walking too fast? Okay, I would slow down and not farm too much land or out-kick my

Whitetales | S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

coverage. So I slowed way down. When I did, I had an “aha” moment and a light bulb maybe even went off! Well, okay, it wasn’t a light bulb, but it was close. What I focused on was a treasured little 39-cent flashlight I bought while at Fort Dix, New Jersey enduring Basic Training and Drill Instructors (DIs) who when every time they got noseto-nose with you and sputtered and spit you just wanted to say, “Do you supply towels with your showers?”

Hopefully, this handy dandy little flashlight would, indeed, shed some light on my creative plight; after all, I had bought it from a “King Rat” type of entrepreneur so I could read after hours another cherished letter from my lovely fiancée and future tremendous wife Kristin to make sure true love was running smoothly.

As many of you know, when you are away in the military (or anyplace far, far away) a letter (except “Dear John”) is like a rainbow after a rain. And, even though letters did come fairly often, back in the day without the new tech stuff and even before the “dumb” phones and for sure the “smart” phones were invented, a soldier’s perception was they came once in a blue moon.

King Rat, by the way, is a 1956 James Clavell novel made into a 1965 movie of the same title. Both are set in a Japanese prisoner of war camp during WWII. The plots center on an ingenious, but racketeering corporal (in the movie George Segal), who, because he is so conniving, manages to build a mini-empire amid

squalid conditions.

My “King Rat” was a savvy kid from the streets of Newark, New Jersey who because he knew that on our tenting outpost expedition it would be lights out at dark, bought a dozen to sell at $5 a pop to the lovelorn lonely, like me. And buy them we did. Birds of a feather do indeed flock together I guess. As a side note, I’ll bet my materialistic, non-romantic Jersey flashlight boy is either now a zillionaire or in prison.

Nevertheless, when I got that little flashlight, I felt like a young boy looking out his elementary school room window at the wonders of color we in four-season country call fall. Even though I was alone in a place that seemed to be a million miles away from Minnesota, this letter from my solitary soul companion, my incredible fiancée, brought me home to the land where seasons come and go.

At first I thought I could write about the flashlight. But what about said flashlight?

Jack-lighting (shining deer)? Probably not.

So on I perused. Step by step, I still-hunted my way…my Hank Aaron wood bat? Too sporty. Scotch Bluebill Chuckler Call? Too ducky. Big Ben’s Birch Beer paper container?

Too beery. Civilian Conservation Corps machete? Too historical. Old Superman figurine? Too Seinfeldian. Old wooden handled landing net? Too fishy.

I continued in this quite creative funk thinking this and that without consequence or commitment thusly for about half an hour when my bride’s encouragingly lilting voice CONTINUED ON PAGE 55

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