A hunting-related shooting is more than just a personal tragedy for the victim, the shooter and their families. It’s also a black eye for all hunters — because no matter how rare, each incident casts hunting in a bad light by reinforcing the perception that hunting is dangerous. As result, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department strongly urges hunters, especially during the firearm deer season, to include some fluorescent hunter orange clothing with their other essential gear.

“Hunter orange is a choice in Vermont ,” said Chris Saunders, Vermont ’s Hunter Education Coordinator. “But that’s no excuse. In the past ten years, almost half of the state’s hunting accidents might have been prevented with hunter orange.”

In a review of 20 years of Vermont hunting-related shooting reports, hunters not making sure what lies in front and behind their target and mistaking other hunters for game are two of the three most common causes of the state’s shootings. Both types involve visibility problems, and both underscore the need for hunters to see and be seen during the fall firearms deer season.

Nationwide data support this. For instance, a New York study found that 94 percent of hunters involved in mistaken for game incidents were not wearing hunter orange. This statistic is even more startling when you consider that 81 percent of New York hunters do wear hunter orange.

Concerns that deer are scared by hunter orange are unfounded. Recent research suggests deer do see color, though ample anecdotal evidence also suggests they aren’t bothered by it. Yearly deer harvests in many of the states that require hunter orange, like Wisconsin , Michigan and Pennsylvania exceed several hundred thousand animals a year.

Even blaze orange won’t help you if you don’t follow the four basic rules of safe hunting:

1) Treat every gun as if it is loaded.

2) Point your gun in a safe direction.

3) Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.

4) Be sure of your target and beyond.

Hunt smart, think safety, and good luck.

One hour before dusk, the small bear made his way into the tiny clearing in the North Maine Woods and with no small degree of caution, tipped over the bait barrel. The smell of chocolate bars and slurry of peanut butter was just more than he could stand.

It was the last night of an eventful week at bear camp at the Libby Camps’ location on Lake Millinocket. I had seen a total of nine bears this week, none that I could shoot, and this little guy, a two year old, would make a nice small rug for the hunting cabin back in West Virginia. He looked to be about 100+ lbs and while I would have preferred about 50-60 more lbs on him, it was after all, the last night and there were no guarantees that a larger bear would show up before the end of legal shooting hours.

The temperatures in Maine had been near 90 all week, making for poor bear hunting, anyway.

While finding him in my scope, he looked up and made me. He looked right at me and I saw him bristle. I knew it was now or never so I sent a 300 grain .450 Marlin slug on its way, deep into the center of his chest. The bear flipped over backwards and I sent another bullet while he struggled to get up.

He managed to get to his feet and tumbled over a bank into the thick Maine brush. I could see the brush moving and the bear grunting and gurgling 10 feet behind the clearing. This went on for several minutes and the bear just stayed right there. Over a 15 minute period, the gurgling and occasional brush shaking continued, just out of sight, behind the clearing. I figured he was bleeding out and he would be dead soon.

I am at this point still 16 feet up a tree, 20 yards uphill from the clearing. I pulled a 9mm handgun from my pack, and fired three shots in the air, to alert the guides that I had a bear down. In a few minutes I heard a truck coming and stop. I heard, and then saw the guide coming up the trail. I yelled down that I indeed had shot a bear but was pretty sure he was still alive, and that the guide should approach with caution. He looked into the brush as I was climbing down from the stand and when I arrived by him, he said, “There’s no bear here. Where did he go?” Apparently the bear had got up and took off after I fired the three shots with the handgun. I was amazed he had taken the .450 slug and got up at all.

The guide went to his truck and returned with an old Spanish double barrel loaded with 00 Buckshot. In the gathering gloom, he took off with me limping behind him after the wounded bear. He got out 20 yards ahead. I was extra careful in the woods as I walk slowly and painfully after a shattered ankle injury in 2008. All at once I hear, “ BOOM…BOOM “ as the 12 gauge went off. After a couple of seconds, the guide yelled, “He’s still on his feet and I’m out of shells!”

I arrived to find the dying bear under a fallen log, unable to go another inch, but still very much alive. One 9mm from my Taurus Slim at the back of the skull ended his fight for survival. For a two year old, 100 lb bear, he was the toughest varmint in the North Maine Woods. It had taken quite a bit of lead to end his career. We wondered aloud, how many holes would have to be sewn up to make a rug from this little guy!

The hunt had ended, with a bear in the truck, but the week had started out even more exciting and nearly had turned into a tragedy:

On Monday evening, the bear opener in Maine, 2010, the guides from Libby’s had put me in a double ladder stand at a cross roads of two old logging roads that were grown up with vines and briers. Thirty yards from the stand was a barrel of sweet stuff to attract the bears. From this very stand, in 2006, I had watched a half grown cub put on quite a show digging around in the bait!

The stand was at the top of a short bank, and the ladder was only 5-6 feet off the ground. Libby had placed me in this stand, because since my fall and accident in 2008, that has left me crippled, I really don’t like to be too high up. For the next several hours, I saw nothing save a lone red squirrel that tried, and failed to climb the barrel at least a hundred times. It was growing dark and the guide that dropped me off at this stand site, called Transmission 2, had told me I would be the last one picked up, and not to be surprised if it was late.

Legal shooting hours ended at 7:44 pm, and we had been told to unload all weapons at this time. Since no Maine game Warden seemed to appear magically at this time, to protect me, from any, grouchy, possessive predators in the area, this was advice that I usually ignored.

Thank God…

At 8:00 pm, it was full and complete dark in the North Maine Woods. It was just pitch black. Nothing at all could be seen, but having done this many times, I felt fairly comfortable, even if a bear showed up at the bait. After a few minutes, I heard walking in the dry leaves directly behind me that was unmistakably a large animal; no doubt a bear. The noise continued until the animal stopped, directly to the right and UNDER my tree stand. I sat there and listened to the bear breathing, no more than 2-3 feet away from my own feet. I have to admit it…I lost my nerve. I couldn’t abide that situation for any longer, so at the risk of spooking the bears off that site for the foreseeable future, I quietly reached for, and turned on, my flashlight and looked down.

There looking back at me was a 75-80 lb yearling bear cub. He looked at me as if to say, “ Hey! Get that light out of my eyes”, but he never moved, just looked at me. Then I heard a noise and saw yet another…and then another bear cub behind me ten feet over my right shoulder, but on the ground. As I shined my light back and forth between them, the one standing at my feet, nonchalantly walked on out into the clearing and in a few seconds, I hear the bait barrel tip over as he began to have his dinner. Obviously, he was the brave one of the trio, as the other two, apparently unnerved by the guy with the light, began to panic. One ran around behind me and disappeared over to my left, into the thick brush and weeds. The other cub, decided he would feel much safer if he ran up a tree. So he ran right up the tree,…. that I was sitting in. He raced by me, in the dark, claws scratching the bark as he went by my head at a high rate of speed. He lodged himself in the forks of the tree, about 12 feet above my head.

This did not really upset me. I felt no threat from the little guy, as I could tell he was terrified of me. I began to chuckle at this turn of events but this lasted only a few minutes, or even less, as I began to realize that these three little guys probably had a mother nearby. I did not know that I was about to make her acquaintance in a very up-close and personal way…

After a few minutes, I became aware of a low, moaning noise, off to my left in the darkness, no more than 30-40 feet away. The little bear above me began to cry and whimper. The low moaning became deeper in sound and more urgent. I knew that Mama had arrived on the scene.

I became acutely aware that I was in a very, very bad place to be. I was six foot up a tree, standing at the top of a very short ladder, with a bear cub, just above my head, and his Mama was trying to get to him. If going through me or over me to get to him was required I had no doubt that she would do just that.

I kept trying to locate the mother bear with my LED flashlight, but could only see the bushes moving where she had begun to pace, and occasionally a flash of red eyes reflecting back. I was holding my Browning BLR .450 Marlin and became quickly convinced it was useless in a hand to paw fight with an angry bear in near total darkness.

By sheer force of will, I MADE myself not panic. I knew I was in trouble and there was just no way out of it. I surmised that if my flashlight batteries died, she would be on me, and I would never even see her coming up the ladder. Actually I was so near the ground, she could have stood on her hind legs and pulled me out of the stand with ease. I knew if I went down and lost my footing that she wouldn’t stop until she either killed me, or I was horribly mauled and maimed.

I thought of climbing down and trying to run to the road. Then I remembered I couldn’t run with my bad ankle, and figured she would outrun me anyway.

I have read many accounts of bear attacks and knew they rarely turn out well.

At this point I just began to speak aloud. I spoke to my Heavenly Father, who knew this bear better than me and asked Him to speak to her and to calm her heart. I spoke to the bear in a loud voice and told her to beat it. (she really didn’t seem to care what I thought).

She became increasing agitated and began to pace back and forth in front of me in the clearing and then in and out of the brush. While I was speaking to the bear, I had been reaching to my hip and retrieved my wife’s Taurus 9mm Semi-auto pistol. I had borrowed my wife’s gun for this trip because I didn’t want to carry my much larger gun into tree stands on this trip. I leaned my rifle against the sides of the stand and took my pistol with its 8 rounds, in my right hand and crossed my left hand over it holding the flashlight. I did not want to shoot this bear with a puny 9mm and wound her, further enraging her, unless I had no other choice. I figured if she charged and came up the ladder, I could maybe hit her in the head at no more than inches away…if I was fast enough.

So began the standoff. Whenever I saw her moving around, I would fire into the ground where I thought the bullet would hit near her. I did this 3 times over 15 minutes. As I continued to yell and shoot she became more and more agitated and started to pop her teeth; a classic sign of aggressive behavior among black bears.

My light, while still bright, began to slowly dim and fail. I knew I was running out of time. I pulled a 6” long glowstick, that I had bought days earlier on a whim, from my backpack, broke it and threw it in front of the stand on the ground. I hoped this would give me a little light, maybe enough to see the charge before it was too late to act. Unexpectedly, the strange green glow seemed to puzzle and calm the bear. The pacing, growling and teeth popping stopped for a minute. I looked all around with my light and saw yet another set of red eyes glowing, 40 yards up the hill and became aware of a Woofing sound.

I believe this was a boar showing up to see what the fuss was all about at his candy barrel. GREAT! Another, larger bear! Gladly he chose to stay where he was and watch the events unfolding.

I holstered my pistol, grabbed my rifle and fired twice into the air. This was not the “pop – pop” of the 9mm but the Howitzer- like Boom of the big .450 rifle. THAT backed her up a few steps and quieted her down even more.

After a couple minutes, I heard a truck coming down the gravel road at what was obviously a high rate of speed. They slid to a stop in the gravel and I heard doors being flung open 100 yards away, out on the road. I pulled my pistol again and fired once in the air, and yelled out, “Don’t come in here un-armed! There are 5 pissed off bears around!” I could then hear rifle and pistol actions slamming shut as guns were loaded. The guide came in, headlamp blazing, and I could see a big 44 Magnum pistol extended in front of him. My friend Lee and my new friend Dan at his heels locked and loaded.

Mama, Papa and the two cubs had enough. A quick retreat was made by the bears and an even quicker retreat was made to the truck by the hunters. My little friend in the tree was still there, when last I saw him, yelling for his Mama…

The next day, I didn’t go out hunting. I was still pretty unnerved. On the next day I went hunting, figuring if I didn’t I would lose my nerve forever. Close-up bear encounters require a small bit of nerve anyway. They put me in a tent-type ground blind and guess what showed up: A mother bear and two cubs.!

No further altercations took place, however! I love to bear hunt and will be going back, but I will always check out what’s up higher in the tree from now on.

“Hunters who applied for muzzleloader antlerless deer permits and will be participating in the October 2-24 and December 4-12 archery season may want to check our website to find out if they will be receiving a muzzleloader season antlerless permit,” said Fish and Wildlife’s Chief of Operations Thomas Decker. “Knowing the answer will help them in planning their hunt.”

“More than 6,000 muzzleloader antlerless deer permits are still available across nine Wildlife Management Units,” said Decker. “They are being made available in order to meet deer management goals and keep the deer population in balance with its habitat.”

Hunters are able to purchase these un-allocated permits until they are gone on a first-come-first serve basis on the department’s website (www.vtfishandwildlife.com) at $10 for residents and $25 for nonresidents.

“Hunters who do not have internet access at home may want to use a friend’s computer or go to a nearby library to get online,” said Decker. “We also will provide internet access here at our Waterbury office for those who want to travel to apply in person. If you must travel to Waterbury , you should call Fish and Wildlife at 802-241-1271 to verify which, if any, permits are still available.”

Antlerless deer permits were still available in the following WMUs on September 24: A-B-F1-F2-K1-K2-M1-M2-N.

The change is being made to facilitate the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s move toward electronic licensing and to reduce costs associated with administering the duck stamp and print program, which will allow more duck stamp monies to be used on wetland conservation projects in future years. The 2010 stamp features a dramatic photo of a drake wood duck and represents the last chance for conservation-minded collectors to purchase state duck stamps.

Vermont became the 37th state to have a state duck stamp program in 1986 when it issued its first stamp, which is required of all duck, goose and other migratory waterfowl hunters age 16 and older. Each year since, a new stamp and a limited number of collectable prints of the stamp images were created, and the monies raised from their sale are dedicated to conserving critical wetland habitats in Vermont .

Vermont ’s Waterfowl Fund was established with receipts from the sale of the stamps and prints. Interest earned from the Fund is earmarked for wetland acquisition and enhancement projects. To date, over $3.5 million has been raised in receipts and interest.

The Fund is overseen by the Waterfowl Advisory Committee, which consists of private individuals from the waterfowling community. Since the Fund began, $1,053,533 of interest has been spent on conservation projects and $118,252 on expenses associated with the stamp and print program. To date, 70 projects have been completed with 8,469 acres of wetlands and adjacent uplands conserved or enhanced, which has benefitted scores of wildlife species that depend on wetland habitats.

Most of the revenue generated came in the early years of the program when the prints were avidly sought by collectors. Thanks to the vision of early Waterfowl Advisory Committee members Maurice Harvey, Ned Spear, Red Hooper, Carl Pagel and Mike Billig, Vermont was able to maximize its return on the nationwide interest in “first-of-state” duck stamps and prints by issuing its first stamp as part of a four-year series that highlighted the four seasons in Vermont. Since then, the market for duck stamps and prints has steadily declined in Vermont and across the country. Many other states have already discontinued issuing a paper duck stamp.

“We’re indebted to the original Waterfowl Advisory Committee members and former state waterfowl project leader Tom Myers for their foresight in creating such a successful program,” said state wildlife biologist Bill Crenshaw. “It’s to their credit that we currently have $2.3 million in the Waterfowl Fund, the interest from which will continue to conserve important wetland habitats for years to come.”

The 2010 Vermont duck stamp is available from Vermont hunting and fishing license agents statewide and the Fish and Wildlife Department. Beginning in 2011, duck stamp validation stickers will be available at license agents and on-line at vtfishandwildlife.com. The sticker will not have an image of a waterfowl species on it. It will be valid for the calendar year, and waterfowl hunters will no longer be required to sign their name on the stamp.

The Lodge & Accommodations

Many sportsmen today crave that true “hunting camp” experience and surprisingly it’s never usually that far from home…if you know where to look. I often try to get out and venture to various hunting camps looking for good deals and a good time, showcasing them, and this month “NORTHWOODS OUTDOOR ADVENTURES” in Washington, Vermont, is one of those places.

Nestled deep in the majestic Green Mountain Range of upstate central Vermont, the lodge, which sits on 1,500 base acres, resembles something out of an old Louis L’Amour novel. Rustic and nostalgic, it’s a fair sized genuine log-cabin building yet at the same time so cozy and welcoming you’ll never want to leave it’s warmth and charm.

Driving up the continuous incline into the mountains, there’s a turn off that takes you from the main highway and leads you up a long, winding, dusty dirt road, the culmination of which is the lodge and property at the very end which sits about 1,500 feet above sea level, nestled into a beautiful little mountain valley. As you walk from the back parking lot up the grassy knoll and around to the front of the main cabin your breath will literally be taken away once you glimpse the view from the front porch. Leaning against the large log posts that hold up the old roof, you’ll find yourself gazing upon a picture that might as well have come from a huge ranch somewhere in the Montana wilderness.

On both sides of the lodge, the Green Mountains rise up to sky level, peaking at 3200 feet above sea level, revealing transition zones that go from mixed deciduous hardwoods to thick evergreen forests, back to hardwood ridges at the top. In front of you a long sloping grassy hill unfolds like a lush green carpet, rolling down and flattening out at the bottom revealing a thick lush meadow, complete with a beaver pond that boasts trout, (rainbow and brookies in excess of 20 inches), as well as countless varieties of other bird, plant and animal life indigenous to the mountains.

The lodge itself sleeps 24 very comfortably, with a main living room area complete with cathedral ceiling and loft, a fireplace, and a comfortable sitting area for guests. Just off the living room is the kitchen, complete with all amenities, a hallway, a downstairs bathroom, and three connecting bedrooms, one of which contains three beds, one with two beds, (single and double), and a bedroom that contains six beds.

If you climb the creaky, rustic stairway to the loft area, you’ll find a small walkway overlooking the main living room, complete with a built in bookshelf, books, and sitting area as well as another bathroom and two big bedrooms. One room contains a queen-sized bed by itself while the other holds four sets of log-style bunk beds. You couldn’t ask for better accommodations so far out in the wilderness.

Once settled in to your new “home away from home”, there’s no place like the front porch for sitting around with new friends and hunting partners, discussing the upcoming strategies for the weeks hunt with owner, manager and guide, Steve Barbour. Steve is a 51 year old savvy “mountain man-slash-hunter/guide” who knows these mountains and swamps like the back of his proverbial hand. With graying
hair and several days worth of grizzled white stubble across his weather-beaten face, you’ll know right away you’re in very good hands with Steve as he teases you with his quick wit and winks at you through crystal clear blue eyes. The old saying goes, “Never guide the guide”, and with Steve you know right away you won’t have to!

Affordable Hunting Packages

The main draw of “NORTHWOODS OUTDOOR ADVENTURES” is the affordability of price and the variety of services available. Because Steve and wife Judy also cater on-site wilderness weddings, pig roasts, and corporate business getaways, as well as being open all year round for family vacations, skiing and snowmobiling events and functions, they can offer the hunter some of the best and most affordable hunting packages available anywhere in the country. Whether you wish to hunt whitetailed deer, black bear, moose, turkeys, upland birds or coyotes, Steve has a package anyone can afford. If you don’t believe me, check out these prices….

**Deer hunting…….$695 for 5-day package

**Bear hunting…….$795 for 5-day package

**Moose hunting….$1595 for 5-day package

**Coyote hunting…..$595 for 5-day package

**Spring turkey hunts….$125/day or $299 for 3-day package or $595 for 5-day packages

**Grouse hunting……..$125/day or $299 for 3-day package

All packages and hunts include three meals a day, lodging, (either in the main lodge or a yurt located more than a mile away up in the mountains), transport to and from your stands, (and there are ground blinds and 2-man ladder stands scattered throughout the hunting area), and retrieval and care of your trophies. And Steve will guarantee each and every hunter a stand covering a minimum of 200 acres for each hunter so no one has to worry about a hunt being interrupted by other hunters.

And when it comes to enjoying your hunt-camp experience, most hunters will agree that the grub and vittles are almost as important as the hunt itself and both Steve and Judy will definitely take care of you so you’ll never go away hungry!

In the evenings, dinner is catered by Miss Judy from their home down the road, right to the lodge, and you can expect anything from baked, stuffed chicken with cream sauce, to thick, rich lasagna with garlic bread, to hot steamed, buttered veggies, to roast beef dinners with all the trimmings. And everything is homemade, from the garlic breads right down to the rich desserts and all hunters sit in a rustic dining area around a circular table, passing the dishes back and forth and chatting with each other just like back home.

When morning comes, Steve arrives at the lodge around 3:30am, puts on the coffee, and starts cooking breakfast, which can be anything on any given morning from bacon, eggs and sausages, to pancakes and corn bread muffins with real Vermont made syrup, to cereal…you name it.

Wake-up call is at 4:00am and while you shower up, the smell of a fresh country breakfast wafting through the lodge greets you, and after a good hearty meal, Steve will have you on-stand by 5:30am. In Bear Camp 2010 we hunted until 10:30am, came in for lunch and a rest, and were back on-stand from 3:00pm until dark, with a huge dinner being served up in the main lodge at about 8:30pm.

BEAR CAMP 2010

Bear hunting in Vermont for the most part is by “spot and stalk” only, rather than baiting, and if you’ve never hunted bears in this manner, you need to give Steve a call and set up a hunt. Believe me, you won’t regret it. Steve’s success rate in getting hunters on trophy sized black bears is phenomenal and though nothing is guaranteed, you will never be disappointed.

This year, I went with hunting partner Norm Sargent, both of us traveling the 5.5 hours west from Maine to the lodge, and it would be our very first experience hunting bears by spot and stalk. We were here filming the entire hunt for “AVERAGE JOE’S HUNTIN’ SHOW”, now in it’s second season on the Pursuit Channel- 608 HUNT.

Upon arrival we met up with Blaine Anthony, host of “NORTH AMERICAN SAFARI”, (The Sportsmans Channel), who was on the last day of a three-day hunt himself. The problems that were being encountered this particular season were heat-induced, as this year in the northeast it had proven to be the hottest, driest, and earliest summer on record since the 1920′s. With night-time temperatures dropping to a warm 75+ degrees and daytime highs hovering consistently around the 92 degree mark with no breezes whatsoever, the bears had shut down completely, taking refuge in the deep dark cool swamps by day, and only venturing out to forage for food when it was well after dark.

Norm and I got to sit together in a 2-man ladder stand that first evening and though we didn’t see any bears, we did have a great time filming and watching numerous forms of wildlife. The walk out was harrowing for us flatlanders as I’m not used to traipsing through a narrow two-foot wide trail with 6 foot high grass on both sides, out into a grassy tote road lined with high banks and apple trees, for a 300 yard walk to meet Steve….all in bear woods and all well after dark…lol. Steve got a kick out of us I’m sure.

We hunted extremely hard the next day in the same heat but saw only a cow moose and her calf come by the stand. Steve met us on night #2 but this time he had Miss Karen Turner with him at the truck, also known as the “Vermont Huntress”, a petite young woman who has made her mark spearheading events to get kids and women into the outdoors by organizing fishing derbies and contests to generate much needed publicity in that area.

After chowing down on Miss Judy’s incredible lasagna that evening, Karen, Norm and I all went out to sit on the front porch of the lodge and enjoy the night sounds and slowly cooling air that was moving in. Also in camp were two young hunters from New York, Kyle Livsey and Mike Ryan. Mike had been a guest with Steve in 2009 and had taken a nice bear. This year they, too, were experiencing less sightings due to the high heat and reduced movement but we were all hopeful and excited just to be out hunting.

The following two days saw a front move in with cooler air but the change in conditions would be too late to save mine and Norm’s hunt, as we were leaving after only a 3-day stay. On the last day of the hunt, Steve pulled out all the stops and walked us through literally miles of mountain trails and deep wet swamps, where bears were sighted on four separate occasions one morning but no shots were fired.

I did get to try my hand at calling bears for the very first time while Norm and I were on-stand and in using a series of cub distress calls, we had what we were pretty sure was a bear come in from about 300 yards away. Norm heard the heavy lumbering steps as it crunched some sticks coming down off a nearby ridge in the early morning and it appeared to move cautiously and steadily down through the thick brush towards us, until it made it to the downwind side of the stand where all noises ceased, never to be heard again. Still, it was an incredible adrenaline rush just to have one responding.

Meanwhile, Karen had been sitting in a stand by herself and at 6:40am had a bear come out in front of her moving slowly from 80 yards all the way to 20, offering her four separate broadside opportunities. Having been on several bear hunts in the past but not yet having any opportunities to pull the trigger before this hunt, Karen showed all the restraint of a truly seasoned huntress as she let the bear walk, guessing it to be just a little too small. Upon later examination of the tracks and tree it had stretched on, Steve confirmed it was indeed a smaller bear, probably 125-130 lbs, and though a borderline shooter for some, Steve was glad Karen had the savvy to let this bear walk and grow for another season. Way to go Karen!

That same morning, Mike Ryan let a bear of slightly smaller stature walk and as the weekend came to a close, no bears were dropped, however the season was still far from over and continues on at the time of this writing. Though Norm and I had only the first 3 days of the season to hunt, we were more than satisfied by all the bear sign we saw, and felt a sense of reverence in having the opportunity to hunt bears under such challenging conditions, and in such a remotely beautiful place beside some of the best friends we have ever gotten the chance to meet. For us, this is just the beginning.

Plan Your Hunt With Steve Barbour in 2011

Norm Sargent and I, along with our new friends from New York plus Miss Karen Turner will be headed back to Steve’s in May for Turkey Camp 2011. We will be rolling the cameras once again for ‘AVERAGE JOE’S HUNTIN’ SHOW’, too. So if you’d like to come join us for that and/or a September bear hunt or any one of the hunt packages Steve has to offer at ‘NORTHWOODS OUTDOOR ADVENTURES’ , contact Steve or find him on Facebook under his name and book ahead. Deposits are required in advance.

(Blaine Cardilli is a contributing writer for U.S.Hunting Today as well as an outdoor columnist and seminar speaker on deer & turkey hunting in the northeast; A member of several Field Prostaff’s, Blaine is also the Vice Executive Crew Director for “AVERAGE JOES HUNTIN’ SHOW” seen weekly on The Pursuit Channel 608-HUNT; He can be reached at indianwd@hotmail.com)

Hunting under controlled conditions for ducks at Mud Creek in Alburgh and geese at Dead Creek in Addison has been popular since the early 1970′s. Permit applications for these two areas are available on Fish and Wildlife’s website (vtfishandwildlife.com). Printed applications will also be available September 7, at Vermont Fish and Wildlife offices in Essex Junction, Waterbury , Addison, Barre, St. Johnsbury, Springfield and Rutland .

Applications must be filled out correctly and postmarked no later than September 20, 2010. There is no fee to apply.

A public drawing to award hunting permits will be held Friday, September 24 at 12:00 Noon at Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area headquarters off Route 17 in Addison . Attendance is not required. Successful applicants will be notified and must pay a $10 permit fee on the day of the hunt.

Vermont’s bear population is healthy and estimated at more than 5,500 black bears, according to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. The bear population has increased slowly for the last two decades, and regulated hunting is used to control the population’s growth. Under the recently enacted 2010-2020 Big Game Plan the population objective is to maintain bear numbers to between 4,500 to 6,000 animals. Hunters took 629 bears in Vermont ’s 2009 hunting season.

“Carefully regulated hunting allows for the sustainable utilization of black bears for food and other purposes,” said wildlife biologist Forrest Hammond. “Bears also have ecological and aesthetic values for Vermont .”

“ Vermont ’s black bears appear to have plenty of food available as we approach fall,” Hammond added. “ Berry crops are abundant, and we have a good crop of apples and acorns in many areas of the state.”

The biggest long-term threat to Vermont ’s bears continues to be habitat loss. “Each year Vermont loses many acres of critical bear habitat to development,” said Hammond . “The ability to keep bears in Vermont over the next 50 years will depend on how much habitat we keep to support bears.”

Although wearing fluorescent orange clothing is not mandatory for hunting in Vermont , hunters and others are urged to wear a fluorescent orange vest and hat while in the woods. Anyone hunting deer during archery season, waterfowl or turkeys will normally wear camouflage clothing.

Hammond also asks successful bear hunters to help in determining the age of bears taken by removing the bear’s pre-molar tooth and sending it to the Fish and Wildlife Department. Special envelopes are provided to big game check stations for this purpose.

Following strategies outlined in Vermont ’s Big Game Management Plan, the Fish and Wildlife Department recommended expanding fall turkey hunting based on scientific data and public input. As a result, the Fish and Wildlife Board passed a regulation that allows turkey bow hunting statewide, a seven-day shotgun season is expanded to nine days, and Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) B, D1, D2, and H1 are opened for the fall shotgun season for the first time. Only WMUs A, C and E remain closed to the hunting of turkeys with shotguns in the fall season.

Vermont’s 2010 Turkey Fall Seasons:

Bow & arrow only: October 2-22 in all WMUs statewide

Shotgun or bow & arrow: October 23-31 in WMUs B, D1, D2, G, H1, H2, I, J1, J2, L, M1, M2, O1, O2, P, and Q

Shotgun or bow & arrow: October 23-November 7 in WMUs F1, F2, K1, K2 , and N

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department tracks the abundance of turkeys using harvest data, nesting success provided by turkey brood surveys, winter severity, and hunter pressure based on license sales. Vermont ’s wild turkey population is estimated to be more than 50,000 birds.

“Weather conditions appear to have been favorable for chick survival this year, so hunters should expect to see a higher of number of turkeys going into the fall season,” said Forrest Hammond, Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s lead biologist on wild turkeys.

A statewide open hunting season for Canada geese will occur September 7-25, 2010. The daily bag limit will be five Canada geese except in that portion of the Lake Champlain Zone within Addison County north of Route 125, where the limit will be two per day. The purpose of the season, which is held earlier than the regular waterfowl hunting seasons, is to help control Vermont’s resident Canada goose population prior to the arrival of Canada geese migrating south from northern Canada.

“This September goose season is prescribed for resident Canada geese that have built up a sizeable breeding population here in Vermont ,” said State Wildlife Biologist William Crenshaw.

Vermont’s youth waterfowl hunting weekend will be held September 25-26, 2010. Hunters under age 16 may hunt ducks and geese statewide during this season while accompanied by an adult 18 or older. Both must have Vermont hunting licenses. The adult may not hunt or carry a firearm. Neither the youth nor the adult is required to hold a state or federal duck stamp on this weekend.

This year, as in 2004 the September Canada goose season and the Youth Waterfowl Hunting Weekend overlap by one day, Saturday, September 25. On this day the daily bag limit for Canada geese will be the same as the September Canada Goose Season. On Sunday, September 26, the daily bag limit will be three, the same as the late (October-November) Canada goose season.

“If you see wild turkeys in the month of August, please help us by reporting your sightings in the online turkey brood survey,” said Vermont Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Wayne Laroche. “The data you provide will help answer questions concerning the impacts of spring and winter weather on the survival of poults and adult turkeys and help us identify any long-term trends in survival of young.

The turkey brood survey will be on the department’s website (www.vtfishandwildlife.com), starting August 1. The survey allows entry of the number of adult male turkeys, adult females and poults as well as the date, time and location of the observations.

Laroche says the information will be helpful in setting turkey hunting seasons and harvest limits that are designed to manage the turkey population.

Records from the late 1700s and early 1800s indicate wild turkeys were present in southern Vermont in smaller numbers than today. At the time of European settlement, most turkeys seemed to exist along the Taconic Mountain Range in southwestern Vermont and along the Connecticut River Valley in southeastern Vermont . Loss of forestland and unregulated market hunting in the early 19th century led to the elimination of Vermont ’s wild turkeys by the mid-1800s.

Vermont released the first 17 wild trapped New York turkeys in Pawlet , Vermont in 1969. A second release of 14 wild birds in was made in Hubbardton in 1970. Today, Vermont ’s wild turkey population is estimated to number more than 50,000 birds. All of these are believed to directly descend from the original 31 New York wild turkeys. Wild turkeys are now found throughout Vermont .

Vermont has excellent turkey hunting across most of the state with 5,000 to 6,000 turkeys normally taken each year. Turkey hunting is a significant benefit to the people of Vermont by providing hunting opportunity, economic activity and a mechanism to control turkey numbers. Over-abundant turkey populations can result in nuisance or damage situations.

“This is your chance to contribute to the scientific management of Vermont ’s turkey population,” said Laroche. “By entering the information about the turkeys you observe, you can help ensure that Vermonters will continue to enjoy turkeys in the years ahead.”