December

Page 1
News For The Garden State
Outdoors Enthusiast
Vol. 42, No. 12 December 2009
One Dollar
Prsrt Std
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Organized May 24, 1935. Serving All the Sportsmen & Women of NJ
Newark, NJ
Permit No. 973
Counties: Atlantic - Bergen - Burlington - Camden - Cape May - Cumberland - Essex - Gloucester - Hudson - Hunterdon - Mercer - Middlesex - Monmouth - Morris - Ocean - Passaic - Salem - Somerset - Sussex - Union - Warren
NJ
FEDERATED
SPORTSMEN NEWS
Assoc. of Field Trial Clubs of NJ - NJ Bass Federation - Jersey Coast Anglers Assoc. - NJ Beach Buggy Assoc. - NJ Chap. of Nat. Wild Turkey Fed. - NJ Ducks Unlimited - NJ State Council Trout Unlimited - NJ Trappers Assoc. - NJ Waterfowlers Assoc. - United Bow Hunters of NJ
Sportsmen Gather In
Force at ROOR Rally
NJ Trappers
Rendezvous ‘09
by Jack Allen
by Joe Matter
Cruising up Route 539 on the 24th of
October, we could feel the energy as we
got closer to New Egypt Speedway.
Rekindling memories of October 2007 in
Mullica Hill, and then on to Clarksburg for
the Battle of Monmouth, the Rescue Our
Outdoor Resources rally was now only
hours from reality. The conservation, hunting and fishing advocacy group NJ
Outdoor Alliance was organizing this outdoor sportsmen’s and women’s rally.
The speedway was bustling with
excitement as NJOA volunteers from all
over the state made preparations for the
day’s planned activities. Dodging raindrops, the volunteer force worked nonstop
getting everything in order. The gates
opened at noon and the crowd began to
build. NJOA buttons, decals, and ROORevent T-shirt sales got underway. Rally
participants were entertained with presentations by several NJ sportsmen’s and conservation organizations, including the NJ
Quail Project, NJ Forestry Association, the
friends of the NRA, and the NJ Beach
Buggy Association, to name a few. All the
while, spectators were treated to live-DJ
music, and a wide variety of food vendors
offered those with an appetite a delicious
rally menu.
The rain came and stopped, then
came and stopped again, but the spirit of
NJ’s sportsmen and women refused to be
dampened. The crowd continued to build
despite the weather and the bleachers
began to fill. Before long, members of the
legislature began to arrive to address the
concerns of the outdoors community here
in NJ and pledge their support to the state’s
sportsmen and women.
Law makers and special guest speakers included Assembly members John
Burzichelli, Celeste Riley, John Rooney,
Declan O’Scanlon, Caroline Cassagrande,
Joe Malone and Ron Dancer; Senator
Marcia Karrow; NJ Outdoor Alliance
Chairman Anthony Mauro, Keep it
NJ Outdoor Alliance Chairman Anthony Mauro (left) and NJ Governor-elect Chris
Christie (right) were but two of the many attendees at the ROOR Rally in October. Bill
Schemel photo.
Green’s Liz Silvernail; myself representing the NJ Quail Project Chairman; Ed
Markowski (President NJ Outdoor
Alliance Environmental Projects); Pete
Grimbalas of Reef Rescue; Tom Fote of
the Jersey Coast Anglers Association; and
special guest Governor-elect (then-candidate) Chris Christie.
As each speaker addressed the
crowd, the energy continued to build. The
legislators present, all supportive of NJ’s
sportsmen and women, warned of the consequences of leaving Trenton unchallenged and how failure to respond to a
track record nothing short of dismal and
damaging to NJ’s outdoor enthusiasts will
lead to disaster.
Long-time sportsmen’s advocate
Governor’s Surf Tournament
Completes Its 18th Event
by Bob Brunisholz
An early-morning fog that would
have done a Stephen King horror movie
proud didn’t come close to putting a
damper on the 18th annual Governor’s
Surf Fishing Tournament on October 4th,
as more than 800 anglers stood in the suds
at Island Beach State for a chance to win
any one of multiple prizes like rod-andreel combos. Most, however, were there to
vie for the grand prize that consisted of
two rod-and-reel combos and have their
name engraved on the top prize; the coveted challenge cup. As of now, it has 18
names inscribed on its shiny base. The
Governor’s Cup remains permanently on
display at the park office.
As dreary as the morning began,
however, old Sol finally made a welcome
appearance, and when the fog lifted and
the noon cut-off time arrived for entrants
to register their fish, Gene Brendel of
Nutley emerged as the grand prize winner
after beaching a 32-inch striper.
Keep in mind that, unlike many tourneys in which winners are determined by
weight, winners of the Governor’s Surf
tourney are determined by length. In the
case of a tie, the fish registered first is the
winner. In fact, this year there were two
ties.
In addition, there are several categories by which participants are classified,
Please inform the membership office
(see page 2) of any change of address.
Assemblyman John Rooney recalled the
public hearing on bill A3275 in May, 2007
and how it motivated large numbers of
hunters and fishermen to stand in defense
and protection of their traditions and way
of life. Senator Marcia Karrow, NJ sportsmen and women’s lightning rod, inspired
the rain-soaked crowd with a fiery oration
as only she can deliver.
Speaker after speaker continued to
build momentum and demonstrate the
facts as to why NJ sportsmen and women
and our natural resources are suffering, our
budgets are being looted, and how the outlook is dismal for all we believe in if we
don’t act now.
see ROOR, p. 10
thus giving more anglers a shot at some of
the prizes. For instance, there is a male and
female adult category as well as male and
female teens, and male and female child,
classifications. And those are broken down
even further by species caught.
This year’s results included the child
male category for kingfish, and first place
in that class was earned by George Sowney
of Berlin when the youngster beached a
12½-inch kingfish.
In the male teen class for kingfish,
first place went to David Salvagro of South
Amboy with a 12-inch specimen, but that
measurement was precisely duplicated by
Nathan Hagaman of Egg Harbor. Salvagro,
however, registered his King at 6:32 am
while Hagaman’s fish was relegated to
second place since it didn’t taste sand until
10:15 that morning. Third place went to
Alex Showell of Sweetwater for a 10 1/8inch kingfish.
First place in the male adult class
went to Russell Goslin of West Trenton for
his 14-inch king caught at 8:20, while
see Surf, p. 10
Sunday, October 4 saw the 48th
annual Rendezvous of the New
Jersey Trappers Association, hosted
as always by the Space Farms
Complex in Beemersville, NJ.
The weatherman had predicted
a fair day with moderate temperatures, and this time he was right on
target. I arrived on the scene well in
advance of the scheduled 9:00 opening hour to find the spacious area
rapidly filling with vendors offering
their wares of traps, snares, lures,
and every item conceivable to operate a successful trapline.
Business was brisk throughout
the morning hours, which was somewhat unexpected by many in attendance. The fur market has been hit
by the overall economic downturn;
not only locally but worldwide. The
big users of our American wildcaught furs are Europe and the Far
East (primarily Russia, China,
Korea, and Italy), and all except
China are experiencing economic
hardships. When money is tight, luxury items like fur garments are usually the first to be sacrificed.
(With this in mind, and an
expected shortfall in the wild fur harvest, the NJTA has canceled the early
winter auction, usually held in
January.)
After the noon break, at which
time the usual roast pork repast with
full trimmings was served to the
members and guests, the late NJTA
President Marty Scanlon (see obituary in sidebar) called the meeting to
order. The various committee reports
were heard and approved, and the
guest speakers were then introduced.
First up was wildlife biologist
Andrew Burnett, who spoke on the
growing bobcat populations and the
declining
muskrat
numbers
statewide. He was followed by Ed
Markowski of the NJ Outdoor
Alliance, and then by John Epler.
Epler, a noted entrepreneur and fur
buyer from Orwigsburg, PA, gave his
forecast as to what fur pelts would be
in demand this coming trapping season. He expects that muskrat skins
will find a ready market due to the
expected shortfall, and that large raccoons, prime red fox, and otter pelts
will also be in demand. Most other
species will likely be down from past
seasons.
see Rendezvous, p. 7
Page 2
NEW JERSEY FEDERATED SPORTSMEN NEWS
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
& INQUIRIES, Write To:
P.O. Box 10173
Trenton, N.J. 08650-0173
609-859-2648
OLIVER SHAPIRO
EDITOR & ADVERTISING MANAGER
28 Hemlock Road, Livingston, NJ 07039
973-533-1260 [email protected]
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President - Edward Cuneo
(609) 567-9082
Federation Office
P.O. Box 10173
Trenton, NJ 08650-0173
609-859-2648
Sharon Irick, Assistant Manager
Corresponding Secretary - Tom Surlak
([email protected])
WEB Page Address - www.njsfsc.org
E-mail Address - [email protected]
FOR MEMBERSHIP INSURANCE
CALL 856-881-8347
Articles and Advertising must be submitted no later than the fourth Friday of each
month for publication the second month thereafter.
Published monthly by the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, Inc., a statewide organization of clubs and associate members serving all the sportsmen and women of New Jersey. The organization is incorporated under the laws of New Jersey as a non-profit organization.
The newspaper is a membership publication. The opinions expressed in the newspaper are those of the
contributors and not necessarily of the Federation, unless stated otherwise.
Direct any changes of address to the Sportsmen News, PO Box 10173, Trenton, NJ 08650-0173. In
notifying us of a change of address, give both your old and new address. Be sure to give your zip code.
Send label from your last copy if possible.
Reprint permission is granted provided use is made of the following credit:
Reprinted from: New Jersey Federated Sportsmen News: Author’s By-Line (if any)
OFFICERS
State President - Ed Cuneo III, 15 Villa Drive, Berlin, NJ 08009
N. Vice President - John Rogalo, 4003 Waterloo Road., Stanhope, NJ 07874
C. Vice President - Billy Cooper, 508 Pine Street, Lakehurst, NJ 08733
S. Vice President - Ed Markowski, 5657 Chestnut Street, Mays Landing, NJ 08330
Membership Director - Frank Virgilio, 21 Tallowood Dr., Glassboro, NJ 08028
Treasurer - Gary Wolff, 47 Meadow Rd., Edison, NJ 08817, fax 732-777-1458
Asst. Treasurer - Mark Celecki
Corresponding Secretary - Tom Surlak, 567 Summit Avenue, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07013
Recording Secretary - Patricia H. Blazer, 149 Route 45, Salem, NJ 08079
NRA Rep. South - Paul Rivas, PO Box 251, Browns Mills, NJ 08015
NRA Rep. North - Irv Luizza, 43 West St., Box 111, Annandale, NJ 08801
REGIONAL DIRECTORS
N. Region - TBA
N. Region - Bill Englehardt, 23 Saunders Lane, Hackettstown, NJ 07840
C. Region - Gerard P. Natale, 83 Victor Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764
C. Region - Ed Baranowski, 602 Main Street, Bayville, NJ 08721
S. Region - Perry Doyle, PO Box 36, Birmingham, NJ 08011
S. Region - William Krips, 636 Blueberry Drive, Atco, NJ 08004
December 2009
New Jersey State Federation
of Sportsmen’s Clubs
Committees
Membership
Budget & Finance
Resolution
Convention
Newspaper
Web Page
By-Laws
Deer Classic
FAA Hunt
Fund Raising & Shows
Governor’s Surf Tournament
Take a Kid Hunting
Operation Game Thief
Policy
Legislative
Frank Virgilio (Chairman)
Gary Wolff (Chairman)
Jerry Natale (Chairman)
Bill Englehardt (Chairman)
Gary Wolff (Chairman)
Ed Cuneo (Chairman)
Jim Soden (Chairman)
John Messeroll (Chairman)
Jim Sykes (Chairman)
John Messeroll (Chairman)
Frank Dara (Chairman)
Bill Cooper (Chairman)
Frank Virgilio (Chairman)
Ed Cuneo (Chairman)
George Howard, Tom Fote
(Co-Chairmen)
Conservation Director Emeritus - George Howard, 219 Sidney Road, Pittstown, NJ 08867
Natural Resource Director - Rob Winkel, 111 12th Avenue, Seaside Park, NJ 08732
Chairman, Operation Game Thief - Mike Rick, 1 Fernwood Lane, Jamesburg, NJ 08831
Chairman, Board of Directors - John Rogalo, 4003 Waterloo Road, Stanhope, NJ 07874
County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs Information Directory
County
Meeting Date & Time
Location
Contact
Phone Number
Atlantic
2nd Thursday of month, 8:00 PM
except July and August
Germania Gun Club
Moss Mill Rd., Egg Harbor, NJ
Jim Sykes
609-652-0842
Bergen
3rd Thursday of month, 8:00 PM
except July and August
Bergen County Communities Service Bldg., Rm
29, 327 Ridgewood Ave., Paramus, NJ
Frank Dara
973-523-2640
2nd Thursday of month, 7:30 PM
except July and August
3rd Wednesday of month, 7:30 PM
except July and August
2nd Thursday of month, 7:30 PM
except July and August
2nd Thursday of month, 8:15 PM
except July and August
2nd Tuesday of month, 7:45 PM
except July and August
Maple Shade Sportsmen Club
RT 73 & Maple Ave., Maple Shade, NJ
Square Circle Sportsmen Club
97 Clementon Rd., Gibbsboro, NJ
Menantico Gun Club
Union Rd., Maurice River Twp., NJ
Bloomfield Civic Center
84 Broad St., Bloomfield, NJ
George Ruch Building
14 St. and Highland Ave., Williamstown, NJ
Northern District Office of Fish & Wildlife
RT 173, Clinton, NJ
Sportsmen’s Center
US Highway 130 N., Bordentown, NJ
Polish American Citizen’s Club
66 Adirondack Ave., Spotswood, NJ
4 F’s Gun Club
Burke Rd, Freehold, NJ
Mine Hill American Legion Post 391
1 Legion Place, Mine Hill, NJ 07803
Park Rod & Gun Club
Rt. 70, Lakehurst, NJ (2 miles east of Rt 539)
The Wayne Civic Center, Room 3
1006 Hamburg Tpk., Wayne, NJ
Salem County Sportsmen Clubs
RT 40, Carneys Pt., NJ
Somerset Fish & Game Protective Assoc.
445 Milltown Rd., Bridgewater, NJ 08807
Sparta Ambulance Building
14 Sparta Ave., Sparta, NJ
Union County Complex Building
300 North Ave. East, Westfield, NJ
Pequest Trout Hatchery
RT 46, Liberty Twp, NJ
Bill Schultz
856-235-3344
Bill Schemel
856-931-5009
Bob Russell
856-327-2197
Carmine Minichini
908-964-5713
Thomas Weeast
856-629-9465
Loren Robinson
908-782-1076
Rick Moore
609-882-2202
John Messeroll
732-828-8543
Ken Ganson
732-566-0841
John Rogalo
973-691-9355
Billy Cooper
732-657-2259
Richard Weber
973-697-1814
George Shivery
856-423-2421
Joe Griglak
908-526-9026
Dick Strobel
973-697-3989
TBA
TBA
Bill Engelhardt
908-625-9699
Burlington
Camden
Cumberland
Essex
Gloucester
Hunterdon
Mercer
Middlesex
Monmouth
2nd Thursday of month, 8:00 PM
3rd Monday of month, 7:00 PM
except July and August
1st Wednesday of month, 7:30 PM
except July and August
4th Wednesday of month, 8:00 PM
except July and August
Morris
1st Tuesday of month, 8:00 PM
Ocean
3rd Wednesday of month, 7:30 PM
Passaic
Salem
Somerset
Sussex
Union
Warren
Last Monday of month, 7:30 PM
except June and July
Tuesday after 3rd Friday of month,
7:30 PM except Jul., Aug., and Dec.
2nd Wednesday of month, 8:00 PM
except July and August
2nd Wednesday of month, 8:00 PM
1st Monday of month, 8:00 PM
except July and August
4th Wednesday of month, 7:30 PM
except July and August
December 2009
NEW JERSEY FEDERATED SPORTSMEN NEWS
AT THE OUTSET:
There is no one right answer. After
assuring proper gun fit, there are many
directions that your decision can take…
What kind of shooting will the child be
doing? What kind of build and temperament does he/she have?…The only time
you can determine if you’ve made the right
choice is years from now. It will be when
your son or daughter calls you up and asks
if you’d like to go shooting.
These were the tag lines to a story I
contributed to Shotgun Sports magazine
back in 1996. In the article I looked at factors unique to a youngster’s needs while
shooting, and the importance of addressing
them properly when introducing kids to
firearms. At that time, my three sons were
ages 10, 8, and 7 years old.
Although I often berate myself for
what I perceive as poor handling in transmitting our outdoors traditions to my sons,
some recent phone conversations with
them has helped to ease my regrets. My
youngest (now 20 years old and in college,
not too far away) and I have been trying to
get together for weeks for some informal
trap shooting at a (relatively) nearby
Wildlife Management Area, but our schedules – my deadlines, his exams and assignments – have prevented us from doing so.
We have, however, settled on the day after
Thanksgiving as our “go to,” or perhaps
“drop dead,” date.
When last I spoke with him about
this, I said something like, “We’ll go for
sure that Friday unless it’s pouring rain.”
His response? “I don’t care if it is pouring
rain; let’s go anyway!”
Even better, when his next older sib-
To:
Federation members
From: Ed Cuneo
Re:
Federation award
nominations
Please be aware that the Federation
has three annual awards:
The Keith Griffiths Memorial
Award
The Frank Valgenti Award
The George Howard Conservation
Award
We are now taking nominations for persons who you feel are
worthy of these awards. The nominees for the Frank Valgenti and
George Howard awards do not
have to be Federation members.
NEW JERSEY STATE FEDERATION OF
SPORTSMEN’S CLUBS, INC.
Tim C. Smith photo
Passing On The Traditions...
‘Cuz We’re Gonna Need ‘Em
Page 3
Individual Application - Select type of membership desired.
Send Check or Money Order
FOR TOTAL AMOUNT PAYABLE TO:
NEW JERSEY STATE FEDERATION OF SPORTSMEN’S CLUBS, INC.
P.O. BOX 10173, Trenton, NJ 08650-0173
ling was informed of these plans, he too
immediately and enthusiastically jumped
onto the proverbial bandwagon. (My oldest, recently married, will not be staying
with us for the whole weekend… ah, well.)
It is gratifying, to put it mildly, that
the validation to which I referred 13 years
ago has finally come to pass. Fishing and
hunting; well, these are activities that I
have enjoyed with my sons less and less as
the years have gone by, due to a variety of
factors, but it is good to know that they
still have positive associations with these
pastimes.
Another positive aspect to their being
comfortable with firearms? The controversy over the 9/11 criminals’ trial moving to
NY City is going strong as I type this, and
many are positing that this move will make
it that much easier for the United States’
enemies to learn all that we know (as the
trial becomes that much more open, and
the information brought to bear by both the
prosecution and defense will be mainstream reading in the mainstream press).
And to incorporate this knowledge into
their future plans against us. As a result, a
number of sources are predicting more
actions taken against both military and
non-military American targets in the
future; after all, that has been part of their
modus operandi for decades.
Will our sporting firearms be enough
to hold them off when foreign-speaking
combatants appear on our street? Perhaps
not, but they’re better than nothing.
Oliver Shapiro, Editor
However, awarding of the winners
is at the discretion of the
Federation
Convention
Committee.
The Keith Griffiths award is
named in honor of the late Keith
Griffiths who was a dedicated
Federation member from Sussex
County. The award is given to a
Federation member that exemplifies the principles and dedication
that Keith brought to the
Federation in making it a better
organization for all sportsmen and
women of New Jersey.
The Frank Valgenti award is
named in memory of the New
Jersey sportsman who was responsible for the creation of the Fish
and Game Council and for the language that provided the Federation
INSURED SPORTSMAN MEMBER - $35.00 each
Receives $1,000,000 excess liability insurance, membership
certificate, and Federation’s Monthly Newspaper (12 issues)
----------------------------------------------------------------INSURED SPORTSMAN MEMBER HOUSEHOLD
MEMBER - $30.00 each
Receives INSURED MEMBERSHIP without newspaper
----------------------------------------------------------------SPORTSMAN MEMBER - $20.00 each
Receives Federation’s Monthly Newspaper (12 issues) and
Membership Card
----------------------------------------------------------------SPORTSMAN HOUSEHOLD MEMBER - $5.00 each
Receives SPORTSMAN MEMBERSHIP without
newspaper
-----------------------------------------------------------------
$_____________
$_____________
$_____________
$_____________
Check if Emblem Patch Is Required - $5.00 each
$_____________
Check if you wish to make an additional donation to
the NJSFSC Legislative Fund
$_____________
December 2009
TOTAL
$_____________
*Name_____________________________________Date of Birth_______________
*Address_____________________________________________________________
*City______________________________________*State________*Zip_________
*Do you have Homeowner’s/Renter’s Insurance? Y / N (circle one)
Telephone No.________________________________E-mail___________________
County ________________________ Legislative District______________________
Club Name___________________________________________________________
*Required Information
VISIT THE FEDERATION ON THE INTERNET AT
www.njsfsc.org
with the ability to name six sportsmen to the Council. This award
would honor anyone who furthers
the cause of hunting, fishing and
trapping in the state of New Jersey.
The
George
Howard
Conservation award is named after
the Federation’s Conservation
Director Emeritus, and former Fish
and Game Director and Council
member. This award would honor
anyone who exemplifies George’s
spirit in the conservation and wise
use of New Jersey’s natural
resources.
If you are interested in nominating someone, please contact me
at [email protected] or
at 609-567-9082.
All nominations must be submitted by May 1, 2010.
Club News
Wanted!
Is your club holding a special
event? Celebrating a landmark anniversary? Let the rest
of the Federation know! Send
your news to the Editor of this
paper (contact information on
Page 2).
Atlantic County Game Preserve
ENGLISH SETTER PUPPIES
2000 acres of prime habitat
FDSB registered, Champion Bloodlines, Both Sire
and Dam are my personal hunting dogs. Will make
great hunters & family pets.
Est. 1905
Over 100 years of sportsmanship & conservation
Deer Hunting * Turkey Hunting * Waterfowl Hunting
Freshwater Fishing
Small Game, Semi-Wild
Pheasant * Chukar* Quail
Private Release * Club Field Hunts & Tower Shoots
Archery Range & Rifle Range
Clay Shooting * Dog Training Areas
Field Camp & Club House
Estell Manor, NJ 08319
Membership information upon request,
email [email protected]
www.atlanticcountygamepreserve.org
Pedigree upon request. Pups will be available in midJanuary.
Contact Paul at
973-543-5779, or
[email protected]
Autumn Hollow Topnotch,
Sire of Litter
Page 4
NEW JERSEY FEDERATED SPORTSMEN NEWS
a word from...
The President
Some Good News, and
Some Potential Good News
Most of you are probably knee deep
into the deer hunting season by the time
you read this column. In case you haven’t
noticed, there are probably a few more
people in the woods this year as the
Division of Fish and Wildlife graduated
over 1100 people from its Hunter
Education course by the end of October.
This is an increase of 348 people over last
year’s figures, according to the Bureau of
Information and Education.
This increase can almost certainly be
attributed to the passing of the Sunday bow
hunting and the crossbow laws. While
some may see it as a drain on a resource, I
like to think that this is a good thing. Why?
Because when you get that many people
out in the field, it enhances our sport in a
number of ways. First, some of these people are probably trying bow-and-arrow and
crossbow hunting for the first time. Most
of them will stick with it for a few years
and become proficient at it. They will really get into the whole scene, which is certainly different than hunting with a gun in
New Jersey. The future is in this type of
hunting for most parts of New Jersey. It
means that these hunters will have to be
very good at this type of hunting, because
they will need to be, since they will be
hunting closer to developed areas than
most of us.
The other factor to this rise is that
more people means more revenue for the
Division of Fish and Wildlife. At a time
when it really needs the money, this is a
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
may be sent by U.S. Mail (to 28 Hemlock Road, Livingston,
NJ
07039),
fax
(973-533-1768)
or
email
([email protected]). Please include your town of residence, and club or organization affiliation (if any).
shot in the arm for the Division. I would
like to hope that our professionals will take
the money and try to stretch it into more
opportunities for people to hunt the
resource. Like my grandfather used to say,
“you farm with money, not for it”. While
this is a tough thing to say to our Division
of Fish and Wildlife right now, it is not
impossible.
While we are on the topic of new and
interesting things, here’s one to hope for.
In late October, the Division was scheduled to meet with Newark mayor Corey
Booker to discuss implementation of the
National Archery in the Schools Program
(NASP). This represents a major challenge
for us, as an implementation of this program into an inner city school will mean
that dozens of students will be introduced
into an outdoor activity that they normally
may not get a chance to participate in.
There are 84 schools in the Newark
system. That’s a lot of exposure. Now the
chore will be to get the funding in place so
that it becomes a reality for Newark. It
would be nice if the Federation and other
groups such as the United Bowhunters of
New Jersey and the United Crossbow
Hunters of New Jersey would reach into
their pockets to help such a worthy cause.
New Jersey Global Warming and
Wildlife Conference
On October 2, 2009, the Federation
participated in the New Jersey Global
Warming and Wildlife Conference at the
Rutgers Eco Center in Columbus.
Representing the Federation was Jim
Soden. Anyone who knows Jim knows that
December 2009
when he does anything it is done at full
blast. Jim presented the Federation and
some of its county chapters with a comprehensive report on the conference. Here are
some of the highlights of note:
Division of Fish and Wildlife director
Dave Chanda noted that Federal money is
available for global warming initiatives,
but there are strings attached. One of them
is that there should be a coalition of groups
involved in order to receive funding.
Hence, the Federation’s presence at the
meeting.
Hector Galbreath from the Manomet
Center of Conservation Science and one of
the speakers at the conference pointed out
that some models predict that the snowline
will be above New York State by the year
2039 and that New York’s climate will be
comparable to what North Carolina is right
now. This means that there will be shift in
migration patterns and that species will
inhabit areas that they have not inhabited
before.
Dave Robinson, climatologist for
Rutgers, predicts that rainfall will shift patterns and this will threaten the amount of
fresh water available.
While the Federation does not subscribe to every theory or model concerning
climate change, there certainly is much
food for thought here. Funding for global
warming in New Jersey will certainly lead
to many opportunities, some of which are
happening right now in the forest lands of
the state. Invasive species are also being
targeted, which will always help. It is also
hoped that marine and freshwater species
will get a chunk of the funding so that
research is conducted to understand the
effect that climate change will have on
these ecosystems.
Finally, it was Jim’s recommendation
that I endorse that the Federation become
more involved, by hosting another summit
in the near future to continue to discuss climate change. Personally, I would like to
see this summit held in the next six months
as we take the data and models that have
been given to us and begin to move forward with more management plans of the
resource so that some day if the need does
arise we will be proactive in our approach
and not reactive as the case has been up to
now.
PUBLIC NOTICE: Fish and Game Councilman Dave Burke has been nominated to serve a second term on the Council, representing the Southern
Region. Posted below is a copy of his current résumé.
December 2009
by Pete Robbins
Are we still in a recession? Is it getting better? How will we know when we
can spend freely again, if ever?
If nothing else, the country’s recent
economic woes have made all of us careful
shoppers. That includes the conspicuous
consumers who fill the rosters of bass
clubs from coast to coast. For those of us
fortunate enough to have a steady source
of income, we still want to spend, but the
process involves more caution than it did
in the past.
In a word, we want value. We don’t
just want to get what we pay for, we want
more. With that in mind, here are several
gift suggestions for bass anglers that have
been tested by demanding consumers and
came out on top, both in terms of overall
quality and with respect to their price
point.
Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver
(approx. $4/pack)
The
Sweet
Beaver heralded a revolution in flipping baits. Pros who had
banked on compact lures like a thickwalled tube or a stubby creature bait found
that the beaver often outfished their prior
favorites by multiples. It’s a simple design,
small but able to hold a big hook. Whether
you’re pitching it to buck brush or laydowns, allowing it to glide down onto a
bed, or punching it through matted vegetation with a heavy tungsten weight, the
NEW JERSEY FEDERATED SPORTSMEN NEWS
Holiday Values for the Bass
Angler in Your Life
Beaver gets the job done. Something about
it seems to attract a large percentage of
really big bass, too. Some of the color
names may not be appropriate for a family-oriented publication, but get a few
shades of pumpkin or watermelon, add
some black/blue, and you’re set for most
situations.
a clear plastic cone facing forward, causing it to wobble on the retrieve. Add a
small fluke-style bait and it resembles a
shad. Its beauty is that it can be burned
along the surface in ultra-shallow water, or
allowed to fall and retrieved slowly along
a deep ledge, along with everywhere inbetween.
War Eagle Finesse Spinnerbait
(approx. $6)
Stick Jackets ($6-10)
What makes a War Eagle stand out
from the hordes of similar-looking blades
on the market right now? One thing is the
piano wire, which not only gives great
vibration but continues to run true after
catching a number of fish, thereby preserving the bait’s useful life. Another is the
hand-tied skirts with a few longer strands
in the middle, thereby eliminating the
need for a separate plastic trailer. Pro
Mike McClelland designed the downsized
finesse model for the rivers around his
Arkansas home, but they work anywhere
that a big blade is too obnoxious. The little turtleback really thumps, too.
Aaron Martens Scrounger
Heads
(two for $6-8)
When rods go into your boat’s locker,
they have a tendency to get tangled with
one another. No matter how carefully you
place them inside, it’s inevitable that one
will have its line wrap around another, and
so on, creating an awful mess. Yank too
hard and you might break a rod, or a guide,
and then not only have you wasted time
but you’ve caused yourself a financial
hardship. These springy “rod socks” go
around the blank and stay in place. You can
put a dozen jacketed rods in the locker,
grab one from the bottom, and it’ll slide
out effortlessly. Simple idea, great execution.
Stick jackets
Pro Aaron Martens is
known as a maniacal tackle
tinkerer. Over the years, he’s
brought back lures that others
have forgotten or overlooked
and used them to amass huge
catches of bass. So it is with
the Scrounger, a jighead with
Who We Are
by Robert Brunisholz
During my formative years, especially high school, I was far from the “most
popular” student, but neither was I unpopular. I played hockey in leagues sponsored
by businesses or towns, football and baseball (high school), and in general was what
could best be described as a middle-of-theroad kid. I scored a touchdown or three in
high school as a right end (known today as
a wide receiver), and my behind-the-plate
catching abilities were good enough to
make first string, although I once overheard my coach say to one of his assistants, “he can catch, but his arm is suspect
on throws to second.”
Suspect? When a runner on first tried
to steal second and I made the throw, each
hurl was an adventure. About 50 percent of
the time I’d throw a strike right into a second basemen’s (or shortstop’s) mitt, while
the other half of my throws might end up
somewhere in left center field, or even the
opposing team’s dugout.
Though I loved organized athletic
sports, those endeavors were not what
defined me. What defined me was my passion for the outdoors. Hunting, fishing and
back then, trapping, weren’t just activities
I did because they were enjoyable. Instead,
I hunted, fished, and trapped because I had
to.
No, not that kind of “had to.” It wasn’t for meat or money, though both were
welcome, but the outdoors to me was
something mysterious; some kind of
atavistic kink in my genes dictated if I didn’t hunt, fish or trap, then my existence
here on this blue marble we call earth was
a lie. The outdoors was in my genes as
surely as the need to eat when one is hungry.
Unfortunately (or depending upon
your view, fortunately), I’ve met only a
handful of folks who headed for the hardwoods, fields, streams, or oceans because
Page 5
they were called there. As strictly an amateur (or armchair) psychiatrist, I’d hazard a
guess that it’s kind of like the trite story of
the large Irish family with sons and daughters working at various skills like carpenters, electricians or longshoremen, but one
of the sons develops this feeling; this calling, and ends up in the priesthood. Or
something like that.
Despite my passion for the outdoors,
I was never truly a zealot of the type who
manifests his/her zealotry by trying to convert the non-hunting, non-fishing infidels,
especially those with PETA bumper stickers on their cars. No, I don’t feel even the
slightest missionary call, though I have at
times tried to persuade some non-hunters
that if it weren’t for hunting or hunters,
there would be a lot fewer critters on our
planet, and sometimes I’ve even done so
successfully… though I fell short of commanding them to go forth and visit
Cabela’s to anoint themselves by purchasing their hunting license and togs. If you’re
in the convert business, keep in mind that
it’s much easier to ease the pagans into
seeing the light when it comes to fishing as
opposed to hunting.
But it’s in the explaining of the dif-
ference between hobby and avocation that
seems to me to be the most difficult, especially when talking to (or at) a non-hunter
or angler, as opposed to a hunter-hater.
Hunter-haters aren’t worth the price
of a warm cup of coffee when it comes to
conversion. Doing so is a waste of your
time, and no matter what species of argument you put forth, they’ll twist it and turn
it in such a fashion as to make it appear as
though only they have the right to divine
salvation because they have such (superficial) reverence for life, and you don’t. So
there. Take that, you Bambi-killer.
Preaching to hunter-haters is kind of like
the old paradoxical bromide that goes
something like: “Waiter, the food here is so
terrible it isn’t fit for human consumption,
and your servings are too small.” If you
hail from my generation you’re probably
familiar with the phrase, “Catch 22.”
Polemic sophisms aside, there is a
difference between hobby an avocation, or
perhaps “evocation” is a better word since
it implies a higher summoning to something. But try explaining that to someone
who has never wet a line, or pivoted for a
shot at a grouse that erupted from a brush
pile you just passed.
Ardent Smart Cull ($40)
If you fish any tournaments, you
know that mere ounces often separate the
top finishers from the also-rans. Time is
money, and if you can’t cull quickly you’ll
miss valuable time with your lure in the
water. The Ardent system takes on this
challenge with new and unique twists.
First, the cull floats have spinning dials on
which you can lock in a particular weight,
so when it comes time to cull you know
that Fish A was 3-10 and Fish B was 3-11.
No more re-weighing. Second, the piercing clips are not the thick metal of traditional stringer clips; instead, they’re more
streamlined and sharper, making the incision into the fish less intrusive.
Skeet Reese Tessera Rods ($90)
If you can stand the bright yellow
color of these new sticks, you’re in for a
pleasant surprise. Qualities previously
found in only $200-and-up custom rods
are now available for under a hundred
bucks. These aren’t second tier
“wannabes” – they’re the rods that Reese
himself has used and they’re techniquespecific, lightweight, and balanced. A
number of other manufacturers have
come out with comparably priced hightech rods, too (for example, the Falcon
BuCoo, Shimano Clarus, and Abu Garcia
Vendettas). Clearly, the rod manufacturers have gotten the message that anglers
want quality at a reasonable price. You
can still have top-notch gear without
breaking the bank.
Just before Christmas last, my wife
hosted a combined Christmas/birthday
party. The birthday part was for one of her
brothers, and the entire clan was invited
which involved something like 50 people
from her side of the team. It was at this
event that I had a conversation with one of
my wife’s numerous nieces, who asked
about my hunting and fishing. My
response was polite and appropriate, to
which she haughtily responded, “well, it’s
nice that you have something that’s fun to
do.”
“No,” I said. “It’s not just something
I do merely for fun. Let me try to explain.
As a Christmas gift to yours truly, our
youngest son purchased two tickets to the
PBR event slated for the weekend of
January 9-11 at Madison Square Garden.
I’m a great fan of the PBR (Professional
Bull Riders), and while seated in the stands
like many others, I will applaud and cheer
when a rider does well, and I’ll offer the
typical groans and ‘oh no, that had to hurt’
when a bull sends its rider on a trip to the
cheap seats. Watching and cheering is fun.
Conversely, an avocation would be when
you leave your seat in the stands to search
out the manager of the event to ask where
you sign up.”
It was easy to read her face. She didn’t have a clue.
It seems just too much to require the
unordained to come even close to understanding why some grown men have to be
led away in tears and trembling from the
grave of their recently departed bird dog,
or why a frosty morning sunrise viewed
from a deer stand can send some of us to
nearly bended knee to give thanks for
being a part of the chosen few who deeply
feel the tug of the wild. And those few also
know that, no matter their age or physical
condition, there will never be a day when
there has been enough hunting or fishing.
For the delivered, it is something as completely out of their control as the chaos of
the cosmos. It is who we are.
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Page 6
NEW JERSEY FEDERATED SPORTSMEN NEWS
LING are an Autumn Deelight
by Milt Rosko
Manny Luftglass is a retired insurance agent and twice-elected mayor of
Somerville, N.J. He’s also an outdoor
scribe, having penned his first articles for
Angler’s News more years ago than either
of us cares to remember. Significantly, he
wrote a fine book, Gone Fishin’: The 100
Best Spots in New Jersey. It was in that
treatise that he dwelled on fishing for ling
and in a manner helpful to his readers commented, “if you want to catch ling, just see
Capt. George in Atlantic Highlands.”
That happens to be Capt. George
Baechert, who sails daily at the helm of the
party boat Angler. He’s still an avid ling
fisherman, always looking for ways of
catching the tasty bottom feeder that is
more properly called the red hake. He fishes for them every chance he gets, and even
at the height of the porgy and sea bass season sails his party packet for ling on
Fridays and Saturdays.
So it came as no surprise when I
asked him his views on fishing for ling,
that the good Capt. George laid out the
facts, plain and simple. Unlike many party
boats from central Jersey inlets who fish
the waters adjacent to deep-water wrecks,
many in the Mud Hole, George concentrates his efforts at the famous Scotland
Grounds off the north Jersey coast. Here,
his customers are assured of good catches
in the 70- to 80-foot depths, something
he’s been doing for several score years.
While most ling fishermen go forth
equipped with a conventional two-hook,
high-low rig, George goes a step further.
He begins with a pair of 2/0 Sproat snelled
hooks, tying one leader to the center of the
other leader, and in turn attaches it to the
low loop of the high-low rig. This is much
the same as one would use while fishing
for winter flounder. Then he attaches a
Ling of this size are a welcome dinnertime treat and considered by many to be the finest
fish caught in Jersey waters by bottom fishermen. Milt Rosko photo.
third snelled hook to the high-loop of the
high-low rig. Next comes just enough
sinker weight to hold bottom, which can
range from three ounces when there’s a
mild current, to eight or ten ounces when
there’s a moon tide having its impact.
While the standard fare choices in the
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We are a Semi-Wild Club offering Pheasant & Deer hunting.
Our clubhouse is located on the
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bait department are small pieces of surf
clam, the good captain much prefers a
small half-inch by three-inch strip of fillet
cut from a bergall. (Yes, that annoying bottom feeder, properly called cunner, is a
bait-stealing nuisance at times, but one of
the finest baits you can use when targeting
ling.) His next choices are strips of herring
or mackerel. He’ll sheepishly admit to
using strips of ling belly, too, although he
doesn’t want to ruin a fillet, as they’re
excellent table fare.
So rigged and baited, as soon as the
anchor comes tight, and if there aren’t too
many anglers on board, he’ll join the contingent at the rail, and lower away. Once he
feels the sinker holding, he’ll impart a
twitching action to the rod tip, which doesn’t lift the sinker off the bottom, but just
gives a bit of movement to the bait fluttering from the top of the high-low rig. This
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December 2009
brings the ling swimming into range,
where they immediately observe the two
baits resting directly on the bottom, and in
less time than it takes to write about it, a
ling or two are on the bottom baits.
Then he just lifts back to set the
hook. He emphasizes that repeated striking
is unnecessary, as once you’re hooked up
all you have to do is crank away, and soon
your cooler will be holding the first of
numerous delicious red hake before three
whistles blows and it’s time to go home.
Sound simple? It is. The beauty of
fishing the Scotland Grounds is that the
shallow water makes for ease of fishing.
Heading down the Jersey coast, you’ll find
the boats sailing from Shark, Manasquan,
and Barnegat Inlets are generally fishing in
deeper water. Many regularly visit the
Mud Hole, where they anchor on the deepwater wrecks. Capt. George’s rig and bait
combo work equally well here, but often
it’s necessary to regularly use eight- to
twelve-ounce sinkers to hold bottom adjacent to the wrecks that rest in 200 to 300feet of water.
On my most recent trip with Capt.
Willie Egerter, Jr. aboard the Dauntless out
of Point Pleasant Beach, there was just a
modest group of anglers on board. Capt.
Willie joined me at the starboard stern corner, and he filleted a bergall which he just
landed, and shared some strips with me.
The strips are as tough as shoe leather, and
it’s only necessary to run the hook through
the strip once, as a ling can never rip it
from the hook. I’ll wager we each caught
upwards of a dozen ling before the bergall
strip bait became ragged and was replaced.
Indeed, the fishing was so hectic that more
often than not we were reeling in doubleheaders. You’d feel the strike of one fish,
lift back and set the hook, and wait a few
second for another strike that you just
knew was coming.
The party boats continue to sail for
this tasty bottom feeder all winter long.
Capt. Tony Bogan welcomes the winter
fishing, as the deep-water wrecks that rest
on the bottom to the east of Manasquan
Inlet have a substantial population
throughout the cold weather months.
“The key is being prepared for the
cold weather” advises Capt. Tony. “We’ve
got heated handrails, a warm cabin, and a
good comfort level while traveling to and
from the grounds. But make certain to
wear several layers of warm clothing, and
by all means bring along a storm suit, as it
helps retain your body heat and you’ll be
comfortable all day long reeling in the
plentiful ling. Knee or ankle boots and a
good pair of gloves also help.”
Another popular skipper, most often
known for his prowess while targeting
fluke, is Capt. Joe Bogan of the Jamaica II
out of Brielle. “Admittedly, ling aren’t as
particular as fluke, and are always searching for a meal, so you’ve a great chance at
getting a cooler full on a nice fall day,” he
says. “There’s also the bonus catch of cod
and blackfish, both of which frequent the
same grounds as ling, offering you a mixed
bag.”
By day’s end on each of the several
ling trips I make each season, my Coleman
cooler is usually comfortably filled. On
arriving home, June is quick to sauté several fillets in honey-Dijon marinade for
dinner. The remainder is destined for vacuum-bagging, freezing, and many delicious meals in the weeks ahead.
December 2009
NEW JERSEY FEDERATED SPORTSMEN NEWS
Page 7
Wrapping Up ‘09 With a Bang
December can be a month when a
major run of big striped bass takes place
along our central NJ beaches. These are
bass that will range in size from 20-35
pounds. These bass are migrating down
from their New England haunts, and moving by our coast as they head for their wintering grounds off of the Carolinas.
In order for these big bass to move
within the three-mile legal state fishing
limit we will need a large concentration of
sea herring to do the same. These big baits
are what will entice the big bass. The bass
will remain with this forage, and follow
them accordingly.
If the sea herring move past our coast
beyond three miles then the bass will do
the same. You may be able to locate them
out to ten miles, but it is illegal to fish for
them beyond the three miles. Essentially
what fishermen will be left with at the end
of our season are much smaller bass ranging from shorts up to 20 pounds.
Last season this was the exact scenario in December as no big bass were
around. I remember that catching a keeper
of at least 28 inches was the exciting news
on the boat radio. I can be sure that plenty
of small bass will be around if water temperatures remain in the upper 40s for the
first several weeks of this month, and the
bait that will hold these smaller fish in my
area will be sand eels.
If the big bass and sea herring do
show up inshore this December, there
won’t be any doubt because they will be
caught. Word will quickly spread in the
fishing community that they have arrived.
Boaters will be scrambling to see how
much longer they can keep their boats in
the water in spite of marinas having deadlines, water being turned off, boat spray
flashing to ice in the morning hours, and
engines stalling while getting off to a slow
start. Tackle shops will get the weigh-ins
and Internet message boards will be inundated with the news.
If the big fish show up, boaters will
definitely get them. In the surf, however,
anglers will have to hope that these big fish
move in close enough to the beach. This
will result in many days of constantly
going down to the surf and taking a look
and casting. More often than not, one will
come up empty.
Typically in past years, this migration
has not been in casting range from the
beach but has been visible to surf anglers
able to see what was going on in the boats
less than a quarter of a mile just to the east.
The main reason is that the sea herring
don’t move through the surf zone like adult
bunker or peanut bunker do, or like sand
eels do rooting in the sandbars. This bait is
oceanic in nature, and when present moves
in schools by the thousands; that is their
nature. Isolated baits are seldom found.
For the boaters this migration will be
a highly visual event with many blitz days.
Striped bass will push these baits to the
surface and as a result you will see great
surface action as these big cows plow
through them. Hundreds of gannets and
gulls will join the mix, making for mayhem erupting right behind the gunwale of
your boat. It is an awesome sight to see 20to 35-pound bass up on the surface boiling
and taking big wooden swimming plugs,
shads, or flies.
To catch these big bass your traditional plugs such as Bombers, Megabaits,
and Yo-Zuris will all produce as will the
custom wood swimmers that many of our
locals spin such as Shore Catch Captain
Greg Cuozzo’s Pajama Plugs, Leftys,
Wades, Big Dons, McFaddens, and
Emmons Does
It Again
as he took home the gold with a total score
of 1277.3 points (1177+100.3), climbing
from third place by shooting the second
highest final score and securing the win
with an excellent 10.8 on his last shot.
While he was moving up the scoreboard to
win the match, the Chinese fans rallied
their support for Emmons and cheered for
him as he climbed into first place.
“I realized they were cheering for
me. That’s awesome. It’s an emotion I cannot describe,” said Emmons after the
match. “USA and China are often rivals in
For the third year in a row, two-time
Olympic medalist Matt Emmons (Browns
Mills, N.J.), claimed the gold medal in the
Men’s 50m 3 Position Rifle event at the
ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup Final in late
October.
Emmons won the match and was a
fan favorite among the Chinese spectators,
from Rendezvous, p. 1
Scanlon then thanked the
speakers, and requested nominations for the group’s officers for the
coming year. None were forthcoming, and the existing slate (Marty
Scanlon, Jim DeStephano, Bill
Guiles, and Connie Henderson)
agreed to serve for another year. The
group also acknowledged and noted
the passing of long-time member
Bill Carman, who died this past
September; he will be greatly
missed.
The late winter sale is scheduled to be held at Space Farms on
March 21-22; all furs must be
checked in on that Saturday.
The meeting was adjourned,
and members and guests said their
good-byes before heading home.
We hope to gather again at the
event’s 2010 occurrence in October,
and I look forward to being there.
Top right: Rendezvous vendor shows his
wares. Right: Marty Scanlon at the
October Rendezvous. Jack Allen photos.
Try some big swimming plugs that imitate sea herring; these should tempt some of those
hefty stripers to take a swipe. Jim Freda photo.
Bottomlys. For these custom plug colors I
like a green, blue, gold, or pearl back fading to a white underbelly. The eight inch
D.O.A. Big Fish lure is also very effective.
If the herring do not come inshore,
then switch your tactics to imitate sand
eels. Some of the best depths to survey are
in 40-60 feet of water off the beach. Year
in and year out, sand eels are usually present here tight to the bottom this month.
When you read bait and fish, you will want
to drop a jig such as an Ava-27, A-47 or A67 or D.O.A. C.A.L. series jerkbait to the
bottom and keep it there. This is where the
largest striped bass will be lurking. Higher
depths around 20-30 feet above the bottom
will hold much smaller bass, and sometimes even bluefish, in December. Another
excellent jig to use, one that really took the
bluefin tuna fishery by storm this past season, is the PBJ Sting-O Fish jigs. Try the
60-, 80- or 150-gram styles.
A key element of vertical jigging for
striped bass is to keep a tight line when
you drop your jig back down to the bottom
these Olympic competitions, but this audience made me feel like I was at home.”
Emmons came back to win the gold
after a disappointing tenth place finish in
the previous day’s 50m Prone Rifle event.
“I am thrilled about this victory,” he
added. “I changed my sightings after the
Prone event, and I was quite confident as I
walked into the finals hall today. It has
been a great day.”
This is the fifth World Cup Final win
for Emmons since 2002.
after jigging it up several feet. To do this,
lift your rod tip quickly raising the jig off
of the bottom. Now as you lower the rod
tip do so that no slack in the line will take
place. It takes a bit of practice to acquire
the feel and timing but once you get it
down you will catch a lot more striped
bass. This is because the bass will hit the
jig as soon as it starts to drop. If you have
slack in your line at this time you will
never feel the bass hit the lure, and be
unable to set the hook. As quick as the bass
hits the lure it will spit it out, and you will
never even know the difference.
Another key element of vertical jigging is to use a jig that is heavy enough to
stay on the bottom. Many times when the
wind is up and the drift is fast your jig will
quickly lift up off of the bottom and out of
the strike zone where the biggest striped
bass are found. In cases like this I may opt
to throw a drift sock out over the side of
the boat or go with much heavy jigs such
as an A-87 or Sting-O Fish 200-gram jig.
Capt. Jim Freda is co-owner and operator
of Shore Catch Guide Service,
Manasquan, NJ. Check out www.shorecatch.com, call 732-762-0870, or email
[email protected] for further information.
POACHING
IS A CRIME
Marty Scanlon,
1953-2009
The NJ Trappers Association and
the Union County Federation of
Sportsmen’s Clubs, as well as all of New
Jersey’s outdoors community, suffered a
tragedy in late October, with the untimely passing of Marty Scanlon, who’d
served as President of both the NJTA and
the UCFSC.
Marty gave tirelessly of his time
and talents to both organizations, as well
as countless other outdoors interests, for
many years. According to his brother Bill
Scanlon, Marty began his trapping career
at the age of 15, continuing that avocation throughout the remainder of his life.
He was born in Elizabeth, NJ in 1953,
and enjoyed all aspects of the outdoors,
in particular his winter traplines. Part of
his impressive legacy was the hundreds
of a trappers who passed through the
New Jersey Trapper Training courses and
the NJTA’s trapper’s school.
Marty was cremated. As was typical
of his life, Marty donated both of his kidneys to two people who were in need.
It is often said that you never really
die if your family and friends cherish
your memory. If that be true, Marty will
be with us for a long, long time.
YOU ARE
ITS VICTIM
YOU CAN HELP!
If you have information on a
poacher, PLEASE call today - you
could be helping to insure a good
future for our wildlife.
CALL: 1-800-222-0456
Calls are toll-free
and confidential.
Contributions are welcome - make
your check out to:
Operation Game Thief
PO Box 523
Keansburg, NJ 07734
Page 8
NEW JERSEY FEDERATED SPORTSMEN NEWS
Politically CONNECT
by Jan McDowell
Keep Educating Those Who Need;
Refresher in Conservation Acts
In late October, I ran into an acquaintance in the grocery store who hunts and
fishes. It was just after the Rescue Our
Outdoors Rally (R.O.O.R.), sponsored by
the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance, where –
in the rain – hundreds of hunters, anglers,
divers, beach buggy enthusiasts, trappers,
shooters, foresters, etc. heard loud and
clear what Chris Christie intends to do for
us: protect our gun rights, our right to hunt,
fish and trap and make sure that wildlife
(which includes both saltwater and fresh
water fish) is managed scientifically.
For us northerners, this means we’ll
finally get a chance to hunt our sorely
overpopulated black bears again. This is
the game species the current and two former governors have chosen to “protect,”
which by the way is an illegal interference
with the Fish and Game Council and its
scientific game management, in order to
woo the animal-rights vote.
The guy in the store had not been to
the rally (didn’t even know about it), and
sees plenty of bears in the woods and in his
yard. He told me he didn’t know if Christie
was “okay” because he hadn’t heard anything about sportsmen’s issues on the
news.
“I thought maybe he was as bad as
Corzine,” he said to me. After I told him
what we’d heard at the rally, there was
another “for sure” vote for “our” candidate.
Afterward, even though I gave him
the websites for both the Federation and
the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance, I wished
I’d had more information for him. After
that, I went home and printed out the New
Jersey Outdoor Alliance’s article, “Why
Chris Christy for Governor?” along with
membership applications for both the
Federation and NJOA, to keep them all
handy (in my purse) for people I run into
while out and about. You’d be surprised, or
maybe you wouldn’t, how many avid
sportsmen and women out there don’t even
know these important organizations exist.
The websites, to refresh your memory, are: New Jersey State Federation of
Sportsmen’s Clubs, www.njsfsc.org; and
New Jersey Outdoor Alliance, www.njoutdooralliance.org.
fish management accounts for the general
fund?
Unlike the Division of Fish and
Wildlife’s Hunters’ and Anglers’ Fund,
which is backed by federal legislation, the
shellfish accounts are protected only by
state law. Therefore, every time a New
Jersey administration absconds with the
Hunters’ and Anglers’ Fund moneys
(where our hunting, freshwater fishing and
trapping license, permit, and related fee
money goes), they wind up having to give
it back when they realize that unlawful use
of the money results in the loss of matching federal funds from the PittmanRobertson Act of 1937 and the DingellJohnson Act of 1950.
Called the Federal Aid to Wildlife
Restoration Act and the Federal Aid in
Sport Fish Restoration Act, the programs
*****
Dedicated funds: an explanation.
Actually, the raiding of dedicated funds is
one of the reasons the NJOA was hoping
outdoors people would vote against the
Corzine administration. But people are
confused. If the funds are dedicated by
law, how could the state treasurer have
taken some $850,365 from dedicated shell-
Democratic president Franklin D.
Roosevelt, pictured here, signed the
Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration Act
into law in 1937, less than three months
after the bill was first introduced. Photo
courtesy wikipedia.com.
December 2009
collect excise taxes from sales of sporting
arms and ammunition, including bows and
other gear and sport fishing tackle, sonar
and import duties on yachts and pleasure
craft and then reapportion the money, in
matching funds, to the states for fish and
wildlife restoration.
But language in both laws stipulates
that there can be no diversion of license
fees for anything other than the administration of the state fish and game department. Unreturned diversions result in cancelled or recalled federal monies.
Without the federal “threat,” the
shellfish funds are more vulnerable and
need stronger legislation. (By the way, any
funds from a saltwater fishing license
would be protected by putting it into the
division’s Hunters’ and Anglers’ Fund.)
It is interesting to note that the legislation that started the great wildlife
restoration period in our country was
spearheaded by Democrats. On June 17,
1937, Senator Key Pittman, a Democrat
from Nevada, introduced a Federal Aid to
Wildlife Restoration bill in the Senate
while his colleague, A. Willis Robertson of
Virginia, also a Democrat and former head
of the Virginia Commission of Game and
Inland Fisheries, put a companion bill into
the House hopper 17 days later.
According to the history in Managing
American Wildlife, a History of the
International Association of Fish and
Wildlife Agencies, the acting director of
the Bureau of the Budget (and probably
many others) was against the funding
except by direct appropriation because
other methods denied the President and
Congress the right to authorize and review
expenditures.
Sound familiar? Politicians and
bureaucrats sure want to be in control of
the money.
Nevertheless, President Franklin D.
Roosevelt, another Democrat, signed the
bill into law on September 2, 1937.
December 2009
NEW JERSEY FEDERATED SPORTSMEN NEWS
The Roots of Christmas
Page 9
Tight Lines and
Straightaway Shots
point and I couldn’t make this statement
with any certainty, it seemed almost as
though the old man empathized with the
tree’s shortcomings.
After surviving the great depression
and working hard those long years to provide for a family, I thought perhaps my
father felt the imperfect balsam he’d chosen may have aspired to becoming a
Christmas tree in much the same manner a
teenage boy dreams of adventures on the
high seas or deep in the northwoods, but
rarely realize those dreams.
Maybe he felt the barely tolerable
tree endured the sting of the saw as a price
to be paid for realizing the dream of
becoming decorated with tinsel, brightly
colored balls, and stars.
What I know about psychology could
be put in a thimble, and if you shook that
thimble, it would sound like a BB in a boxcar. Still, when I reflect on that day so long
ago, it’s difficult not to wonder whether
selecting a wanting tree to adorn our house
for Christmas stirred up my father’s memories of his own lofty dreams as a gangly
teenager, dreams deferred and no longer
attainable.
A frosty sting was in the air as we
dragged the tree home, careful to pick it up
from the ground when crossing rocks and
blowdowns so as not to break its few,
sparse branches. I recall my father pondering aloud how many grouse may have huddled near its base as we passed by with
shotguns at port arms, never knowing the
bird was there.
The old man loved to hunt that little
stand of conifers, and when he did down a
bird, he would examine its plumage, carefully, almost lovingly, stroking the feathers
back in place before gently sliding the bird
into his game pocket. It was as though the
bird represented what was good in his life.
When we arrived home with the ten-
uous tree, my mother wasn’t exactly
ecstatic about our choice, but the old man
was, once again, proved correct.
When finally erected and decorated,
a glowing aura seemed to surround the
tree, and it fairly glittered with brightly
colored lights reflected in shiny, silver tinsel and multi-colored ornaments of assorted shapes and sizes. With its imperfections
no longer as obvious, it became a right,
proper Christmas tree.
My sister, five years my junior, sat on
the floor watching wide-eyed as the decoration process resulted in a magical metamorphosis from scraggly woodland resident to a magnificent symbol of a season
celebrated worldwide because of one man
whose message of love and kindness for all
couldn’t be silenced.
When the old man topped the tree
with a silver star, my sister asked, “What
does the star mean?”
Engaged in a struggle to straighten
the tree’s slight list to the right near its top
so the star pointed true, my father wisely
deferred the question to his wife.
“It represents a bright star in the night
skies that three wise men followed more
than 2,000 years ago when they were trying to find a baby many people today
believe was the Christ Child,” my mother
replied.
“How did they know the star would
take them where they wanted to go?” my
sister asked.
“Because they had faith. They
believed in their hearts that star would lead
them in the right direction and they would
find him,” Mom responded.
“You mean faith, like when daddy
and him go hunting and believe they are
going to get something, but nobody else
believes it?” she asked, sneering in my
direction and punching the pronoun,
“him.”
My mother didn’t think I saw her
smile when she replied, “That’s kind of
what faith is like.”
“I love the tree,” my sister said as the
old man backed away to check plumb on
the now-north-pointing star.
“So do I,” my mother said. “I just
didn’t have faith enough when I first saw
the tree to believe it would turn out so
beautiful.”
Somewhere in what we once called
Vogel’s woods is the remains of a stump. It
represents an act of faith by a common
man who saw miraculous possibilities in a
mediocre tree, just as ordinary people so
often achieve extraordinary accomplishments. And, I believe, there is no more fitting place to symbolize the spirit of
Christmas than a snowy stand of pines
through which the message of universal
love is whispered on the wind.
Keep a tight line, may all your shots
be straightaways, and have a safe and
Merry Christmas.
Sportsmen Trust Send In Your Pictures!
Assert your braggin’ rights! The NJFSN
for readers’ pictures of troWildlife Agencies isphy,looking
interesting, or simply noteworthy
catches, kills, or sights seen while hunting, fishing, trapping, or shooting.
Digital images are preferred (email to
[email protected]), or send prints
to the editor (along with return postage
if you want them back). The NJFSN
reserves the right to publish or not publish any picture it receives, at its discretion. Include your name, home town,
contact information (in case we have
questions) and details of the picture’s
contents.
Deep in a swale that holds a small
stand of blue spruce and balsam trees is a
small decaying stump. The swale is located in a woodlands I hunted as a runnynosed teenager.
By now, the stump has probably surrendered to the ravages of summer insects,
countless snows and rains and, in all likelihood, may no longer be much more than
a bump on the ground. If that.
That stump is what remains of a balsam tree, cut down by my father and me
for Christmas more than a half century
ago. The property on which the tree grew
was owned by a man named Vogel. Due
primarily to the inevitable decrease in
retentive powers which invariably accompanies my entrance into the geezer club, I
no longer recall Mr. Vogel’s first name, but
I think it was John.
A successful businessman, Vogel
owned rather substantial acreage in which
the stand of evergreens offered what
seemed an endless supply of bunnies, a
few ringnecks, and an occasional “pat” as
my father liked to call grouse. Happily,
Vogel and the old man were friends, and
each year he generously extended permission to us to hunt his land.
Vogel also gave his blessing to the
culling of a tree every year or three, with
one requisite: During spring following the
year in which we cut the tree, we had to
replace the vacated spot by planting a
seedling of similar species within a few
feet of last winter’s amputee.
When we cut that tree more than five
decades ago, I hazard a guess it was a
teenager. Tall, gangly and awkward, it was
slightly bent at the top. The tree seemed a
bit sparse in places and lacked the roundness of most adults.
But my father liked the tree. He said
it would look fine once adorned with ornaments, and though it may be stretching a
In an October 2009 survey,
Southwick Associates asked anglers and
hunters which type of organization they
trust the most for accurate information
regarding fish and wildlife conservation.
The
results
of
the
monthly
AnglerSurvey.com and HunterSurvey.com
poll show that state fish and wildlife agencies are considered the most trustworthy
source of conservation information among
hunters and anglers. Of the 2,771 anglers
surveyed, 54.4 percent reported state fish
and wildlife agencies were their most
trusted source. Of the 3,378 hunters surveyed, 50.7 percent agreed. The second
most trusted source, with 25.1 percent of
anglers and 29.5 percent of hunters, was
sport-fishing and hunting non-profit conservation groups.
Other sources of conservation information were presented to hunters and
anglers. Non-profit conservation groups
not focused towards fishing or hunting
were preferred by 5.3 percent of anglers
and 7.4 percent of hunters. Federal fish and
wildlife agencies were rated as the most
trusted source by 5.0 percent of anglers
and 4.3 percent of hunters. Non-outdoor
television programming and magazines
ranked even lower. “The results indicate
that sportsmen and women want to hear
from their state fish and wildlife agency
when it comes to fish and wildlife conservation issues,” reported Donna Leonard.
“Efforts to increase conservation awareness or behavior will have better success if
state fish and wildlife agencies are
involved.”
Launched
in
2006, AnglerSurvey.com and HunterSurvey.com help
the outdoor equipment industry, government fisheries and wildlife officials, and
conservation organizations track consumer
activities and expenditure trends. The
information above represents only a small
sample of the vast amount of data that is
available from the complete survey results.
The results are scientifically analyzed to
reflect all U.S. anglers.
by Robert Brunisholz
Bits and Pieces...
NY Proposes Shad Closures. The
New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation (DEC) has
announced draft regulations to prohibit
commercial and recreational fishing for
American shad both in the Hudson River
and the Marine and Coastal District of
New York.
The closure is necessary because
the Hudson River shad stock has declined
dramatically since the 1990s. Juvenile
production dropped to below average in
2002 and has not rebounded. Hudson
River recreational and commercial fisheries were restricted in 2008 with the hope
that it would trigger some improvement in
production of young American shad.
The draft regulations propose a
change to the daily creel limit for
American shad in the Delaware River
from 6 fish a day to 3 fish to further protect that population.
Handicapped Man Granted FID.
Last month, NJ Superior Court Judge
John Pursel signed an order allowing 46year-old Manville resident James Cap,
who has been a quadriplegic for years, to
obtain a state Firearms ID card.
The action put to an end years, and
thousands of dollars, of effort for Cap to
obtain his FID, after being denied by the
Manville police department and its chief
Mark Peltack, according to a report in the
Star-Ledger.
NJ Gun Moves Forward. On
October 6, 2009 the US Patent and
Trademark Office granted trademark protection to the product name “Palm Pistol.”
Design and utility patents and trademark
registration for the firm (Constitution
Arms) are pending.
According to correspondence from
company president Matt Carmel, “critical
components including the frame, barrel,
receiver, latch, latch pin and barrel hinge
pin are being evaluated and further refined
using finite element analysis.
“The barrel was rechambered from 9
mm, a rimless cartridge to the rimmed .38
special. This was necessary to achieve
ejection rather than extraction of the casing after firing. Additional chamberings
may be considered after successful release
of the first model.
“The threaded muzzle was increased
from ½ x 28 to 5/8 x 24 to accommodate
increased barrel wall thickness.
“The integral three-digit combination lock was eliminated. This feature
proved to be inordinately expensive and
would have increased the Palm Pistol’s
retail cost and development time. It may
be reintroduced at a later time based on
customer feedback.
“The estimated unloaded weight of
the Palm Pistol was calculated to be 14
ounces, subject to change.
“Completion of specification drawings for all components is anticipated later
this year at which time we will be seeking
bids from our suppliers for producing the
first set of working prototypes.”
It’s (Almost) Showtime!
One of the things that winter always heralds is the appearance of the outdoors shows.
Here’s a quick preview of some that are coming in 2010:
SHOW
Garden State Outdoor
Sportsmen’s Show
Fly Fishing Show
Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show
Atlantic City Power Boat Show
Greater Philadelphia
Outdoor Sportshow
World Fishing &
Outdoor Exposition
Saltwater Fishing Expo
DATES
LOCATION
WEBSITE
PHONE
Jan. 14-17
Jan. 22-24
Feb. 6-14
Feb. 3-7
Edison, NJ
Somerset, NJ
Harrisburg, PA
Atlantic City, NJ
gsoss.com
flyfishingshow.com
easternsportshow.com
acboatshow.com
336-992-3500
866-481-2393
800-467-5656
212-564-2728
Feb. 22-28
Philadelphia, PA
sportshows.com
603-431-4315
Mar. 4-7
Mar. 19-21
Suffern, NY
Somerset, NJ
sportshows.com
sportshows.com
603-431-4315
603-431-4315
Page 10
NEW JERSEY FEDERATED SPORTSMEN NEWS
In-line Ammo, Guns,
Brownell’s & Gators
Muzzle-loading deer season is now
upon us, and those of you still fiddling
around trying to find an accurate combination for your in-line rifle may benefit by
finding some shortcuts in a series of online
articles by Toby Bridges, whose vast experience in the inline rifle area qualifies him
as a genuine guru on the subject. Bridges’
work details the exhaustive hands-on
shooting research methods, using all of the
popular black powder substitute propellants and modern sabot bullets available, to
discover proper bullet, sabot, and powder
combinations for any given gun. In addition to the load development articles,
Bridges recently completed a valuable
three-part series comparing the qualities of
Blackhorn 209, FFFg Triple Seven, and
Black Mag XP modern muzzle-loader
powders in a variety of currently available
in-line guns, which is also posted on his
website.
If you shoot and hunt with a modern
primer-ignition, in-line muzzle-loader,
take a serious look at Bridges’ comprehensive work to help you determine which of
these powders and bullets best fits your
needs and budget, or is likely to deliver the
performance and accuracy you are seeking. Links to the bullet research and all
three installments of his powder tests can
be found on Bridges’ North American
Muzzleloader Hunting home page at the
following
URL:
www.hpmuzzleloading.com/NAMHAhom
e.html.
Traditions’ New “Vortek”
If you are still in the market for a new
rifle for deer season, and you are a modern
muzzle-loading fan, you might want to
take a look at Traditions Performance
Firearms’ new Vortek design. The Vortek
features a molded buttstock and forearm
that Traditions claims has superior
Need To Sell
Something?
Try placing a Classified Ad in the NJ
Federated Sportsmen News! The
News reaches your target audience
of dedicated sportsmen and women
throughout New Jersey - see page
11 for more information.
from ROOR, p. 1
The next speaker was yours truly,
representing the NJ Quail Project
Chairman. I spoke of my love of my
beloved “southland” and the results of
years of ill-fated preservation attitudes
regarding South Jersey’s once-pristine
pineland forests and savannahs that has
nearly destroyed an entire ecosystem and
has brought near-extirpation of many
species of grassland- and forest-dependent birds the bobwhite quail, the ruffed
grouse, bobolink, red-headed woodpecker, and more.
Inspired by these stories of a way
of life in NJ, the crowd was well fired up
and ready to hear from special guest
Chris Christie. As Christie approached,
the crowd went wild as Mauro introduced him to the cheering onlookers. He
took to the podium and pledged his support to NJ’s sportsmen and women and
the issues that confront them, drawing
applause and cheers of approval.
Amid nonstop camera flashes, the
aspiring governor mingled with the
crowd, exchanging handshakes and taking photo opportunities. The scene went
on for nearly an hour as the crowd began
to disperse.
You could sum it up pretty much by
saying the biggest winners of the day
were the sportsmen and women of NJ,
because they finally have a real voice
and real advocates to protect our heritage, natural resources and way of life.
For more info on the NJOA, visit
www.njoutdooralliance.org.
ergonomics and gripping in inclement
weather, as well as adding greater overall
balance to the rifle, and its frame and barrel have a weather-resistant finish to
increase durability in the field. The gun
should be easy to clean as well, as it features a newly designed break-open action,
an alloy frame with a “drop-out” trigger
assembly and an “Accelerator Breech
Plug” that releases for removal with three
quick manual revolutions. Traditions also
advertises that the Vortek’s action release
is “skeletonized,” improving safety and
security by allowing the use of standard
trigger locks for storage or travel.
The Vortek comes with a 28-inch barrel featuring a 1:28-inch rifling twist
designed to stabilize short modern sabot
slugs, and is
topped
with Williams metal sights. It
uses #209 primers for ignition, and
Traditions claims the 150-grain equivalent
magnum loads that it can handle have shot
reliable and consistent groups out to 200
yards in factory tests. The PAS (Projectile
Alignment System) guarantees reliable
bullet seating for increased accuracy, and
no bullet starter is needed.
The Vortek is available in a standard
or ambidextrous thumbhole stock in an
overmolded black or Mossy Oak®
Treestand® soft stock finish. For more
information on Traditions Performance
Firearms’ complete line of products, please
visit their website at www.traditionsfirearms.com.
Brownell’s New Website
Brownell’s, the most respected name
from Surf, p. 10
Mark Leiu of Plainfield also caught a 14incher, but his fish was caught 90 minutes
later. Third place was taken by James
Giannella of Perrineville for his king that
taped 12 7/8 inches.
In the weakfish category for adult
teens, Alex Showell of Sweetwater earned
first place when he beached a 13-inch
weak, making him a double winner: first
place in the adult teens for blackfish, and
this win in the weakfish classification.
In the male adult category for weakfish, Clarence Williams of Waretown took
first with a 15-inch weak while Mark Leili
of Plainfield came in second with a 13¾inch weak. Third place went to Ed Raub
or Lakehurst with a 13 3/8-incher.
In the female child category for
bluefish, first slot went to Emily
Geisendaffer of Waretown for her 17 ¾inch blue, while first place in the male
child class for bluefish went to Austin
Fairchild of Westhampton for a 17-inch
blue. Christian Fang of Lawrenceville
earned second slot for a blue that taped 16
¾ inches and third slot was earned by
Tristen Graf, Ewing, with a 16-inch bluefish.
Glenn Blasi of Jackson earned first
place in the male teen category for bluefish when he dragged a 17 1/8-inch blue
onto the beach, while second slot went to
Brian Koenig of Mt. Laurel with a 16incher.
Audrey Bock of Florence was a firstplace winner for bluefish in the adult
female category when she beached a 16
½-inch blue, and Terry Demiduke of
Pitman landed a 16-incher for second slot.
Third place went to Samantha Polivina of
Hazlet with a 15 1/8-inch bluefish.
Finally, in the male adult category
for blues, and keeping it in the family, Ted
Demiduke of Pitman copped first place
for his 17 ½-inch blue while Paul
Lamonica, Beachwood, had a 17 ¼-incher for second slot. Garron Meade, Browns
Mills took third with a 16 7/8-incher.
In the blackfish class for female children, Kaitlyn Bach, Toms River earned
first place with a 15½-inch blackfish. First
December 2009
BLACK POWDER NOTES
by Joe Bilby
in gunsmith suppliers, has been working
on a new website, and after considerable
customer input and lots of work, it is up
and running. This is Brownell’s first major
website redesign in quite a few years and it
has introduced some good new features.
According to company president Pete
Brownell, “our number-one objective was
to improve the Search and Navigation
functions so you can find exactly what
you’re looking for and get there quickly.
We listened to our customers, and we think
you’ll be very pleased with the new site.”
Traditions Performance Firearms’ new
Vortek muzzle-loader. Photo courtesy
Traditions Performance Firearms.
The search function, which had
become somewhat stodgy and confusing,
is not only dramatically improved, but is
designed to adapt to the different methods
customers use to find products and information. All Brownell’s products have been
re-categorized into nine major areas listed
in tabs along the top. The customer can
now enlarge product images with a simple
click, and 360-degree photo views that
provide a close look at details are available
for many items.
Another new feature allows customers to rate, review, and comment on
products and have their questions
answered through a new interactive
“Answerbox” feature. Checkout is now
easier and faster as well.
In addition to the new shopping area
features, Brownell’s has also centralized
and reorganized the GunTech area. It’s
now more closely linked to the shopping
section to make GunTech videos, articles,
cheat sheets, and instructions easily accessible from product pages. Brownell’s URL
is www.brownells.com.
Golf Bag Gun?
Sometimes it seems that the more
that anti-gun folks dismiss the need anyone might have for a firearm, the more evidence arises that firearms, while not a
daily item of use for most of us, can
certainly come in handy in otherwise unforeseen circumstances.
Such an instance was graphically illustrated recently when a 77-year-old man lost
his arm below the elbow to a ten-foot-long
alligator during a golf game at Ocean
Creek Golf Course on Fripp Island, South
Carolina. The alligator appeared out of a
pond on the eleventh hole and attacked the
golfer.
At great risk to themselves, the man’s
golf partners were able to free him and call
emergency personnel, and he was taken to
Beaufort Memorial Hospital and survived
the incident. Wildlife control officers
killed the alligator and removed the victim’s arm from the animal’s digestive tract.
It was stored in a cooler in hopes it could
be reattached to its owner.
So what is a good “golf bag gun?”
Me, I’ll take a 12-gauge shotgun. My old
reliable Remington Model 11 automatic
comes to mind. Hard to believe that gun
was made in 1921, when Warren Harding
was president. And Remington made a lot
better gun than Harding made a president.
place in the male teen class
for blackfish went to Chris
Rosetti, Bloomfield, for his
15¼-incher.
The adult male winner was Zoltan Egyed of
Trenton for his blackfish
that taped 20 inches while
second slot went to Mark
White, Marlton, for a 19
½-incher,
and
Brian
Uldschmidt, Hainsport,
dragged a 19¼-incher onto
the beach for third spot.
In the striped bass
class for male teens, Ryan
Sweeney,
Beachwood,
took an uncontested first
place for a linesider that
taped 30 ½ inches.
And the Grand Prize
winner was, of course,
Gene Brendel with his 32inch striper.
As a quick aside, I’ve
been covering this tourney
since its inception, and in Gene Brendel, center left, with the 2009 Governor’s
my dotage those gray cells Cup he won as Grand Prize at the annual Governor’s
sometimes fail me, but I Surf Tournament held October 4 at Island Beach State
don’t recall ever writing on Park. Brendel beached a 32-inch striped bass as this
the results of the tourney year’s grand prize. With Brendel is Paul Harris of the
with the name Zoltan
Egyed (Trenton) being New Jersey Beach Buggy Association (left), Mark
absent in one or more win- Taylor of the Jersey Coast Anglers Association (center
ners’ circles. Apparently, right), and John Rogalo (right) of the New Jersey State
Egyed is not only an excel- Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs. Photo courtesy NJ
lent surf fisherman, he is Division of Fish and Wildlife.
also a constant supporter of
Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, Jersey
this worthy event.
Keep in mind that the sponsors of Coast Anglers Association, and the New
this annual event put in some long, hard Jersey Beach Buggy Association.
It is also worth noting that more than
hours, especially before the tourney.
That’s followed by their support doing $120,000 has been raised to date by the
any and all manner of chores from man- folks who so generously donate their time
ning the hamburger and hot dog stands, to and labor, and those funds are used for
running up and down the beach in their conservation projects, improved beach
beach buggies while measuring and regis- access and the purchase of specially
designed wheel chairs that run on sand for
tering various catches.
All of them deserve a tip of the use by handicap anglers. A noble cause
sports cap for their efforts. Those sponsors indeed, and a hearty thank-you to all who
are New Jersey’s Division of Fish and worked so hard. And congratulations to
Wildlife as well as the Division of Parks the winners and everyone who participatand Forestry, members of the New Jersey ed.
December 2009
NEW JERSEY FEDERATED SPORTSMEN NEWS
Page 11
The Sporting View
Green Acres Doesn’t Mean “Free”
During the past year, sportsmen and
other boaters accustomed to using the free
boat-launching ramp at Blackberry Bay
Park in Oceanport were shocked to learn
that a fee is now required to launch there.
After reading a letter to the editor of
the Asbury Park Press from an irate angler,
I drove over to the site to investigate. In
the past, because of its designation as a
publicly funded facility, the ramp and the
surrounding parking area and recreational
park had been marked with Green Acres
signs. Now, signs informing would-be
boaters that a fee-based launching permit
is required were also posted. Additionally,
vehicular access to the ramp itself was
denied on that particular day due to a festival that was going to take place at the park.
The following week I drove over to
the ramp again to see if any of the rigs
parked there were actually displaying the
newly required tags. Sure enough, several
had them hanging from the inside rearview
mirror. Additionally, several sportsmen
had expressed their dismay over the permit
fee in conversations with me the week
before.
The Blackberry Bay ramp provides
relatively convenient access close to the
midpoint of the east-to-west flow of the
South Shrewsbury River between
Oceanport and Little Silver, and has been a
popular launch site for that reason. For
many seasons recreational fishermen,
crabbers, and some waterfowlers who prefer the ease and safety of a surfaced ramp
have favored the one at Blackberry Bay
Park.
It is unfortunate that at a time when
members of the sporting community least
need another fee to pay, the Borough of
Oceanport has seen fit to extract more
money from the boating public. And
although it’s the wrong thing to do at the
wrong time, it is legal. Staff members at
the legislative offices of Assemblywoman
Caroline Casagrande and Assemblyman
Declan O’Scanlon (both R-District 12)
were extremely helpful in researching the
situation in order to supply relevant details
All classified ads are limited to
6 lines; there are approximately 42
characters per line (including
spaces). No photos or graphics,
please. Only items that can legally
be sold are allowed. The Federation
and all personnel associated with
this publication assume no responsibility for ad content or condition of
any goods, or quality of any services, offered for sale. Appearance of
an ad in this publication does not
indicate that the Federation endorses, guarantees or approves of any
goods or services offered in the ad,
and is in no way responsible for
conditions of sale. All responsibilities are those of the person advertising the goods or services and/or the
purchaser. The charge is $15 for a
two-month insertion, payable in
advance by check or money order to
the NJ State Federation of
Sportsmen’s Clubs. Ad submissions
should be forwarded to Oliver
Shapiro, 28 Hemlock Road,
Livingston NJ 07039; questions
may be directed to 973-533-1260 or
e-mailed to [email protected].
Happy Holidays to
One and All!
The entire editorial and
advertising staff of the NJ
Federated Sportsmen News
wishes all of you a peaceful
holiday season, and a happy
New Year.
from sources at the New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection
and the Borough of Oceanport.
According to law under Green Acres
rules (N.J.A.C. 7:36-1 et seq, 7:36-25.9),
municipalities are allowed to charge fees
for the use of Green Acres parks and facilities. The fees must be reasonable and can
be different for residents and nonresidents.
Green Acres reviews the fees and will
work with towns if complaints are use permit, resident $15, nonresident $30.
As of this writing, public funded
received. Guidelines dictate how the
income must be used, which must be for Green Acres-related boat launching ramps
operating and maintaining the site, or sup- in neighboring Long Branch (Branchport),
porting the municipal recreation program Monmouth Beach and Little Silver are not
subject to fees.
as a whole.
Oceanport Borough sources claim
Such fees are not to be so excessive
as to discourage reasonable public access, that funding from various sources, includand can apply to yearly, seasonal, monthly, ing launching fees, will be used for future
weekly, daily, single use, or hourly appli- maintenance and replacement of the ramp
as it is “decades old and in poor condications.
If yearly, seasonal, monthly, and/or tion.” Although Green Acres funds have
weekly fees are established by the local been used to improve the park (a 2% loan
government or nonprofit, it shall also of $284,000 out of a total of over $750,000
establish daily or single-use fees, and may since 2003), open-space tax dollars have
also establish the following fees: individual,
group, team, or family;
handicapped; senior citizen; youth or student; and
nonprofit, for-profit, or
corporate.
The fee for nonresidents living in New Jersey
shall not be greater than
two times the fee charged
to a local resident.
O c e a n p o r t
Ordinance No.847, adopted 7-17-2008, Article VII,
S 204-12 “Boat ramp
fees,” calls for the following fee schedule to be paid
for use of the Borough of
Oceanport Boat Ramp at
Blackberry Park: Daily
use fee for boat launching
and retrieval, residents $5,
nonresidents $10; unlimit- Photo courtesy Jersey Shore Sea Kayak Association.
ed, single boat, seasonal
by Marty Boa
also been used. The Borough has applied
for an “I Boat” grant and will use it along
with allocated local funds, fees, and tax
dollars from a park trust account to match
and complete the improvement.
The bottom line for sportsmen is that
outdoor sports such as fishing, hunting,
and boating are becoming a pay-as-you-go
situation in difficult economic times.
There seems to be a fee or expense related
to everything outdoorsmen and women do,
and money spent on athletic fields and
playgrounds doesn’t help when you want
to launch a boat.
Taking Orders For 2009 - 2010 Season
Quality fully flight-conditioned
Pheasant, Quail & Partridge
Cranberry Hall Farms
Growers of select birds through diet control
32 Main St., Cookstown, NJ
609-758-8755
mailing address: PO Box 277, Cookstown, NJ 08511
Cell 609-694-7069
Fax 609-758-7641
Delivery Available
Events for December, 2009
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
1
Wednesday
2
Thursday
3
Hunter Ed. class,
Colliers Mills
WMA, Ocean Cty
Friday
4
Hudson R.
Fishermens Assoc.
Youth Holiday
Party
Saturday
5
ANJRPC
Benchrest Awards
Luncheon
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
Fish & Game
Council Meeting
NWTF Highlands
Pub Extravaganza,
Mt. Arlington
20
21
22
23
24
27
28
29
30
31
26
Page 12
NEW JERSEY FEDERATED SPORTSMEN NEWS
December 2009
ARCHERY
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