November

Transcription

November
Page 1
News For The Garden State
Outdoors Enthusiast
Vol. 45, No. 11 November 2012
One Dollar
Prsrt Std
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Organized May 24, 1935. Serving All the Sportsmen & Women of NJ
Newark, NJ
Permit No. 973
FEDERATED
SPORTSMEN NEWS
Counties: Atlantic - Bergen - Burlington - Camden - Cape May - Cumberland - Essex - Gloucester - Hudson - Hunterdon - Mercer - Middlesex - Monmouth - Morris - Ocean - Passaic - Salem - Somerset - Sussex - Union - Warren
NJ
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
Christie Signs HOFNOD Into Law
Trenton, NJ – Encouraging young New
Jerseyans to avoid the dangers of drug use
by engaging in positive, safe and lifebuilding group activities, Governor Chris
Christie signed A-638, creating the
“Hooked on Fishing-Not on Drugs”
Program across the state.
The program will provide students
with access to extracurricular outlets that
utilize New Jersey’s outdoor recreational
assets. Established within the New Jersey
Division of Fish and Wildlife, the
statewide implementation of the “Hooked
on Fishing-Not on Drugs” Program will
also be funded through an appropriation of
$200,000 from the Drug Enforcement and
Demand Reduction Fund and provide students with the opportunity to embrace positive life skills as an alternative to the pitfalls of drug abuse.
“We have a responsibility to guide
young New Jerseyans away from the dangers of drug use and other illicit activities
that too easily take hold of lives and tear
apart our families,” said Governor
Christie. “The ‘Hooked on Fishing-Not on
Drugs’ Program will help steer young men
and women away from the pitfalls of drug
abuse by utilizing our great outdoors to
create educational, recreational and mentorship opportunities. I thank the sponsors
of this legislation for investing in the
future of New Jersey’s children and young
adults, as well as the Department of
Environmental Protection for helping
move forward with this important priority.”
Established within the Division of
Fish and Wildlife, the “Hooked on
Fishing-Not on Drugs” Program is based
on a national program developed by the
Future Fisherman Foundation, and will use
Division staff support to assist school districts and other public service organizations in implementing the program
throughout the state.
To improve and maintain the effec-
tiveness of the program, the
Division will collect and maintain data on the program and provide an annual report to the legislature. Information detailed in
the annual report will include the
number of participating school
districts, students and municipalities, as well as data used to
determine the rate of drug avoidance or incidence among students participating in the program.
“I’d like to thank Governor
Christie, state legislators, and
those in the Department of
Environmental Protection, for
their bipartisan support of a program designed as a gateway to
teach youth about the benefits of
a healthy lifestyle,” said Anthony
P. Mauro, Sr., chairman of the
New Jersey Outdoor Alliance. “It
is heartening to see that in spite
of our increasingly sophisticated
world, there remains recognition
of the benefits of a ‘back to
basics’ approach in dealing with
the challenges facing our state’s
youth. In the end, exposure to,
and understanding of, the natural
world by our children is what
will ultimately save it. ‘Hooked
on Fishing-Not on Drugs’ is a
giant step towards this end.”
The legislation also appropriates funding for the “Hooked
on Fishing-Not on Drugs”
Program through the appropriation of
$200,000 from the Drug Enforcement and
Demand Reduction Fund to the
Department of Environmental Protection
to cover the cost of implementing the program statewide, and sufficient appropriations from the Drug Enforcement and
Demand Reduction Fund, or other appropriate sources, will be reserved annually to
Survey Says: Hunter &
Angler Numbers Are Up
Washington, D.C. - A coalition of hunting
and angling groups and the outdoor industry briefed members of the Congressional
Sportsmen’s Caucus recently on the rise in
hunting and fishing participation in this
country. The groups, led by the
Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation,
National Shooting Sports Foundation,
Cabela’s, Safari Club International,
American Sportfishing Association and
National
Marine
Manufacturers
Association, used recently released data
from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s
(Service) 2011 National Survey on
Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Associated
Recreation to compare hunting and fishing
participation and expenditures to mainstream industries.
“To put it in perspective, the 37 million sportsmen and women over the age of
16 in America is the same as the population of the state of California, and the $90
billion they spent in 2011 is the same as the
global sales of Apple’s iPad and iPhone in
the same year,” commented Jeff Crane,
president
of
the
Congressional
Sportsmen’s Foundation. “Hunting and
fishing have been, and clearly continue to
be, important elements of our country’s
outdoor heritage and they are critically
important to our nation’s economy - particularly the small local economies that support quality hunting and fishing opportunities.”
The participation and economic data
shows a nine percent increase in hunters
and an 11 percent increase in anglers compared to the 2006 survey. The important
thing to note is that these numbers are just
accounting for sportsmen and women age
Please inform the membership office (see page 2)
of any change of address.
maintain the operation of the program.
The Division of Fish and Wildlife
will also work with educational, public
safety and environmental groups, including sportsman groups and local merchants,
to promote volunteerism in the form of
mentoring young adults within the program and to encourage the donation of
technical, material and financial assistance
to the program.
Primary sponsors of the legislation
include Assemblymembers Brian E.
Rumpf (R-Atlantic, Burlington and
Ocean), Herb Conaway, Jr. (DBurlington), DiAnne C. Gove (R-Atlantic,
Burlington and Ocean), and Nelson T.
Albano (D-Atlantic, Cape May and
Cumberland).
16 and older, so actual participation is likely higher when adding in youth. Most
notable, however, is that hunters and
anglers continued their strong spending
habits. From equipment expenditures ($8.2
billion for hunters, $6.2 billion for anglers)
to special equipment ($25 billion towards
boats, RVs, ATVs and other such vehicles)
to trip-related expenses totaling over $32
billion, sportsmen and women continue to
direct their discretionary income toward
their outdoor pursuits.
“Our industry has continued to have
strong returns, even during this lagging
economy, and the reason is the commitment of hunters and shooters to their outdoor activities,” said Steve Sanetti, president of the National Shooting Sports
Foundation.
“The economic impact of hunting
and fishing is profound in South Dakota
and across the country,” noted US Senator
John Thune (R-SD), Republican Senate
Co-Chair
of
the
Congressional
Sportsmen’s Caucus, at the briefing. “It’s
important that we have policies that promote hunting and fishing and support the
outdoor industries.”
“People don’t think about hunting
and fishing in terms of economic growth,”
stated US Senator Jon Tester (D-MT),
Democratic Senate Co-Chair of the CSC,
to the participants. “The statistics in the
new economic impact report are great and
will go a long way to telling the public just
how important hunting and fishing are in
this country.”
“One of the statistics I learned today
is that the $6 billion that hunters spent in
2011 on guns, ammunition, and archery
equipment is comparable to the sales of
bicycles in the United States,” said US
Representative Bob Latta (R-OH),
Republican House Vice-Chair of the
Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus. “This
is particularly important because most of
those gun and ammunition companies are
based right here in this country, meaning
sportsmen’s dollars support American jobs
and American workers.”
“In today’s world, we are talking
about economics and jobs -- those are the
main drivers in most policy discussions,”
commented US Senator Jim Risch (R-ID),
Republican Senate Vice Chair of the
Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus. “It is
so important to see how strong the sportsmen’s community is and what they are
doing to support the American economy so
they have a voice in those discussions.”
see Numbers, p. 9
Page 2
November 2012
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OLIVER SHAPIRO
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OFFICERS
State President - Frank Virgilio, 21 Tallowood Drive, Glassboro, NJ 08028
N. Vice President - John Rogalo, 4003 Waterloo Road., Stanhope, NJ 07874
C. Vice President S. Vice President - Ed Markowski, 5657 Chester Street, Mays Landing, NJ 08330
Membership Director - Pola Galie, PO Box 56, Waretown, NJ 08758
Treasurer - Gary Wolff, 47 Meadow Rd., Edison, NJ 08817, fax 732-777-1458
Asst. Treasurer - Stacey Rubsam, 1044 River Road, Green Bank, NJ 08215
Corresponding Secretary - Bill Englehardt, 23 Saurdes Lane, Hackettstown, NJ 07840
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 - Jim Cosmano, 61 Payne Road, Andover, NJ 07860
N. Region - Bill Englehardt, 23 Saunders Lane, Hackettstown, NJ 07840
C. Region - Susan Rothermel, 16 Nicholas Blvd., Jackson, NJ 08527
C. Region - Charles Hendrickson, 621 Burke Road, Jackson, NJ 08527
S. Region - Perry Doyle, 323 Birmingham Road, Pemberton, NJ 08068
S. Region - Tom Weeast, 81 Kake Avenue, Williamstown, NJ 08904
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 Past President, Board of Directors - Ed Cuneo, 15 Villa Drive, Berlin, NJ 08009
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
Eric Gaupp
609-513-8542
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
Bill Schultz
856-235-3344
Bill Schemel
856-931-5009
Ken McDermott III
609-412-3811
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
Larry Cella
908-839-0193
Richard Weber
973-697-1814
George Shivery
856-423-2421
Joe Griglak
908-526-9026
Dick Strobel
973-697-3989
Ray Szpond
908-403-5798
Bill Engelhardt
908-625-9699
Burlington
Camden
Cape May
Cumberland
Essex
2nd Thursday of month, 7:30 PM
The American Legion
except July and August
39 Pemberton-Julistown Rd., Pemberton, NJ
3rd Wednesday of month, 7:30 PM
Square Circle Sportsmen Club
except July and August
97 Clementon Rd., Gibbsboro, NJ
(please call for up-to-date information)
2nd Thursday of month, 7:30 PM
Menantico Gun Club
except July and August
Union Rd., Maurice River Twp., NJ
2nd Thursday of month, 8:15 PM
Bloomfield Civic Center
except July and August
84 Broad St., Bloomfield, NJ
Gloucester
2nd Tuesday of month, 7:45 PM
except July and August
Hunterdon
2nd Thursday of month, 8:00 PM
Mercer
Middlesex
Monmouth
Morris
Ocean
Passaic
Salem
Somerset
Sussex
Union
Warren
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, 7:30 PM
except July and August
1st Tuesday of month, 8:00 PM
George Ruch Building
14 St. and Highland Ave., Williamstown, NJ
Northern Region Office of Fish & Wildlife,
Clinton WMA, 26 RT 173 W, Hampton, 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
(please call for up-to-date information)
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
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
November 2012
NEW JERSEY STATE FEDERATION OF
SPORTSMEN’S CLUBS, INC.
AT THE OUTSET:
Individual Application - Select type of membership desired.
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NEW JERSEY STATE FEDERATION OF SPORTSMEN’S CLUBS, INC.
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Tim C. Smith photo
Balancing Mercy with
Survival… and Maintaining
Humanity
I recently saw a reader’s “Your Two
Cents” in a current copy of Shooting
Sports Retailer magazine, a trade publication read by firearms dealers nationwide.
The short piece was written by a dealer in
North Carolina (I’ll call him Reynolds),
and he complained about a number of
things that I suspect will resonate with
readers here. More important, I believe it
speaks to an important issue where most of
us part ways from many people who
oppose hunting.
“…(W)e have perverted the laws of
nature to weaken society as a whole,”
Reynolds writes. “Stupid people who do
stupid things are supposed to be killed
doing it. A deer, running around in an open
field in broad daylight, is stupid and will
be killed by a hunter. A rabbit running
around your yard at noon will be eaten by
a hawk. Yet the stupidest human on earth is
protected from himself by our laws!”
Reynolds details the admitted idiocy
of posting danger warnings on products
like ladders (“if you fall off me you’ll get
hurt”), cigarettes (“smoke me and you
could die”), and the like. He also goes on
to express grave concern over other problems that, in his view (and mine too, to a
pronounced degree), are contributing to
the continued decline of, and what will be
the eventual death of, America.
On the one hand (regarding the protection of blatant stupidity), I completely
agree with him. But on the other hand, it is
undeniable that, as part of a modern “civilized” society that subscribes to JudeoChristian values, it is our responsibility to
assist those who need it. If a child with a
life-threatening but medically treatable
congenital condition is born, would
Reynolds advocate for a “survival of the
fittest” response and deny that child the
*
*
medical treatment indicated? I doubt that
he would. If a person is adjudged to be
mentally incompetent, do we simply
release that person to fend for himself or
do we try to find help for him?
Given that we’ve looked at some fairly extreme examples here (say, the “ladder” at one end and the medically treatable
newborn at the other), the question then
becomes… where exactly do we draw the
line? I suspect that society as a whole, considering the safety of those who are less
able to fend for themselves (and undoubtedly fearing liability suits as well), has
simply shied away from drawing any line
at all, bringing us to where we are today.
Now, here’s the rub: If we do in fact
draw that line somewhere, there will
undoubtedly be widespread disagreement
on it, and some people will lament that
society has become too cutthroat, too
unforgiving. In other words, too similar to
an ecology that relies on natural selection.
Too much a “law of the jungle” environment.
Yet it is hunters, outdoorsmen, conservationists, and the like who understand
the best the differences between human
society and what we might call “animal
society.” We understand that humans are,
on some fundamental level, different from
other animal species. It is the non-hunters
(or at least some of them ) who equate
humans with animals. Going back to the
“stupid deer” that Reynolds mentioned
above, imagine instead that we might be
observing a person who was traveling a
dangerous area and we were observing that
his life is in imminent peril. Would we not
shout out a warning, or in some way try to
help him?
I don’t have the answer. While on the
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Kudos to Quail Stockers
Dear Oliver,
Regarding the stocking of quail for
dog training, I would like to say thanks to
all of the workers at Whittingham Wildlife
Management Area. They do an excellent
job of stocking quail during the month of
October for dog training. It sure helps to
get your dog in shape for the coming hunting season. You often hear the state
Division of Fish & Wildlife being criticized, but the men of Whittingham do an
excellent job of stocking for dog training
and hunting. Keep up the good work,
employees at Whittingham WMA.
Richard Skewes
Andover township, NJ
Member of Foleys Rod & Gun Club
Comments on Gun Mounts
Dear Oliver,
I love reading Bob Brunisholz’s articles in the Federation newspaper. I am not
criticizing his last article on proper gun
mount, just getting my two cents in. Gun
fit is the most important part of shooting,
but trapshooting can’t be compared to field
shooting in the way you mount your gun.
In trap shooting your gun is already prop-
Page 3
NEW JERSEY FEDERATED SPORTSMEN NEWS
erly mounted when you call for the bird; in
the field you don’t have the chance to get
the gun ready to shoot in advance.
This is why I use the “closed eyes”
mount when I buy a field gun. When you
mount the gun with your eyes closed and it
fits you, you should have proper sight aliment with out trying to get the gun in position to take a shot. Your field gun should
also be a little shorter stocked, to allow for
more clothing in the colder months.
John O’Neill
Reinholds, PA
Greenwood Lake Fishing
Dear Oliver,
Seems the 2012 fishery in
Greenwood Lake was a bit odd this year.
Both largemouths and smallmouths were
down, and crappie were almost disappeared, unlike other years. The low water
early in the season and the warm water all
summer long were sure to hurt.
However the walleye have been biting since April and still are (note: this letter was received in early October). Many
are in the 3- to 8-pound class and, caught
in shallow waters. Some muskies even
showed up - which are great fun on light
tackle. Keep up the great reporting in the
Sportsmen News.
Glen Van Olden
Fair Lawn, NJ
Glen, thanks for your kind words and
for sending in the great pictures. I included a few of them, on the right-hand side of
this page. - OS
*
*
*
*
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Receives INSURED MEMBERSHIP without newspaper
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Receives Federation’s Monthly Newspaper (12 issues) and
Membership Card
----------------------------------------------------------------SPORTSMAN HOUSEHOLD MEMBER - $5.00 each
Receives SPORTSMAN MEMBERSHIP without
newspaper
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one hand I do agree that the “ladder” warnings and their ilk are idiotic, I also believe
in helping those who truly need it… at
least up to a certain extent. Where would I
draw the line? I wish I could answer that
one easily.
Oliver Shapiro, Editor
Page 4
NEW JERSEY FEDERATED SPORTSMEN NEWS
Finding Those Fall Flocks
by Bob Brunisholz
Okay, I admit it. Although spring
turkey is high on my list of hunting pursuits, the fall season? Well, not so much.
Much of what I’ve learned about fall
turkey gunning (and I use the term gunning
to differentiate between taking a bird with
a bow or black powder) comes to me
through osmosis. That is, I’ve absorbed
what scant knowledge I have about the fall
turkey season by constantly rubbing
elbows and clanking coffee cups with my
cronies, some of whom would rather hunt
turkey than breathe, and I constantly failed
in my attempts to change the subject…
despite describing how fantastic grouse
hunting was decades ago, when a quick,
two-hour morning hunt would yield six to
eight flushes.
“Can’t you guys talk about something else, like trout fishing, woodcock
hunting, crocheting or the coming annual
fall manhole cover toss contest?” I’d ask.
In turn, Farley Ferguson would snap,
“Hey, we don interrupt ye when you’re
runnin’ off at th’ gob abit whit it was loch
35 years ago when ye hud a scuttle er aicht
flushes of groose affair noon, sae don
interrupt us when we’re talkin’ turkey. At
leest we hae turkey tae hunt. Yer precious
groose, it seems, vacated th’ state back
when th’ Jackie Gleason show was a TV
burst.”
To which I would invariably reply,
“Hey Farley, knock it off. You’ve been in
this country for more than 65 years now,
and when your optional brogue kicks in,
it’s enough to make a vulture lose its
lunch.”
Despite some of the substandard
company I’ve been known to keep, many
of whom contributed to this story, some of
the following tips or points were derived
merely by observations made by your
humble scribe while afield chasing one
feathered species or another of upland
birds.
I never thought I’d see the day when
I admitted this in writing, but in one or two
respects my turkey hunting aficionados are
right. They are correct about our grouse
population here in the so-called Garden
State being nearly non-existent. Nor do I
feel there is much chance of ever bringing
this magnificent bird back to its once-prolific numbers. There’s no doubt in my
The autumn woods are ablaze with color, and the fall turkey season offers hunters excellent opportunities to bag a bird before the coming holiday season. Photo courtesy the
National Wild Turkey Federation.
addled brain that the problem with New
Jersey’s grouse population is 90 percent
habitat, or lack of same. We’ve permitted
almost unrestricted building in this state, to
the extent that sufficient or prime grouse
habitat will never be recovered or restored,
no matter how hard we try.
In addition, even if grouse populations were steady – or at least better than
now – the fall turkey season kind of gets
lost if only because I grew up as an avid
and devoted upland gunner, then add fall
trout fishing and bow season to the list,
and there seems just too much to do during
fall. Ergo, I never did get into fall turkey
hunting.
Nevertheless, here are some tips or
tidbits for those who might be classified as
beginners. Admittedly, about 65 percent of
the information was interjected into my
aging gray cells over strenuous objections
and requests to talk about something else.
First, you’d probably find little or no
dispute among spring and fall turkey
hunters concerning that old bromide that
addresses the difference between a suc-
cessful season and a frustrating season,
and that old saw simply states that consistently successful turkey hunters spend
more time in the woods scouting than actually hunting.
Also, understanding a few of the
basic needs as well as the motivation
behind a turkey’s autumn wanderings, and
how they differ during fall as compared to
spring, is an essential key to locating birds,
and then locating where to set up.
Undeniably, spring season turkey
hunting relies nearly 100 percent on a gobbler’s libido and its search for a mate.
During fall, however, all turkeys; hens,
gobblers and last spring’s poults are interested in one thing: food.
As with most if not all of the animal
kingdom, turkeys do not “think” in the
abstract. They don’t sit down with one
another and discuss the plight that may
befall them if they fail to put on the necessary fat to see them through the long, lean
winter. Instead, it comes to them through
innumerable years of evolution. Feeding
during the fall is something they must do
November 2012
because it comes to them instinctively. It’s
in their DNA, for without that instinct,
they will surely perish in the coming cold
months.
Consequently, whether you “bust up”
the flock in the early morning and then try
to call a hen or gobbler back in, or merely
decide to ambush a bird on its way to a
preferred feeding ground, you should
know what to look for. The more you have
of the following elements, the better your
chances of downing a bird.
First, there must be at least an adequate water supply nearby. Small streams,
even swampy woodlands will qualify as a
water supply. The water does not have to
be a pristine lake or large river. Remember,
turkeys use a lot of different food sources,
and insects, grubs, even worms are eagerly
consumed by wild turkeys. Wet ground, or
wetlands if you will, offering a plethora of
insects, grubs, and you-name-it.
Next, but of equal importance, is
standing timber or a reasonably large
wooded area. This is where the birds will
begin feeding once they leave their roost,
and they must have that protected roost for
the evening hours when they are most vulnerable to predation.
In addition, should you locate a roost,
keep in mind that the vast majority of the
time birds in the roost will face east to better endure bad weather, winds and rain.
That should also help decide where to
place your set up.
If you have at least those two of those
elements (wetlands, and a good-sized
wooded area with mature trees for roosting), the final component – at least in my
estimation, based on what I’ve observed
all these years of chasing upland birds – is
at least one, but preferably several, fields
nearby that either have the remnants of
seed crops left over from harvesting, or
even a freshly plowed field that offers
warmth in the sun during midday, and
good feeding in soft ground that is likely to
yield lots of insects or leftover seeds from
corn, wheat, rye or even sorghum. All of
this will draw turkeys like a magnet.
Assuming you’ve located a roost, or
a spot where the flock is traveling to and
from a feeding ground, then it is merely a
decision as to the most advantageous spot
to place your setup from which to waylay
one of the critters for Thanksgiving dinner.
Remember, the more you have of those
ingredients mentioned above, the better
your chances at a fall bird.
In the meantime, I’m going woodcock hunting and I’m taking Farley with
me. I need someone to bust some brush.
NJ DFW Law Enforcement
Bureau Reports: May ‘12
Conservation Officers reported a
total of 7294.5 hours of duty. During
patrols, officers performed 4673 field
inspections of hunters, fishermen or trappers, with 400 summonses issued.
Penalties collected during this report period by Conservation Officers were estimated at $23,093.
Northern Region Highlights
On a Sunday during Spring Turkey
season, Officer Ziegler was contacted by a
hunter who claimed to have found two
dead jake turkeys while scouting for the
upcoming week. Officer Ziegler responded to the area of the Newark Watershed
and found the dead turkeys, as well as a
spent shotgun shell casing and an area
where a hunter had shot from.
Further inquiries at local check stations came up with no matches. A few days
later, Ziegler was contacted by the complainant again, who had talked to other
hunters in the area and was advised of a
medical call in that area on the day that
these turkeys were shot. Ziegler checked
with the local police and found out that the
hunter had suffered a heart attack in the
woods after killing the turkeys and had
succumbed to his injuries.
Officer Sutton was contacted by an
anonymous caller who stated that he had
seen a posting on Facebook of a juvenile
that he knows has never taken a shotgun
hunter education course, posing with a
turkey that he claimed to have shot with a
shotgun at “57 yards.”
Officer Sutton met with the juvenile
and his father, who admitted to shooting
the turkey with a shotgun, in the wrong
zone, and falsifying his tag. He also
advised Officer Sutton that he was accompanied by another juvenile that was calling, and his 19-year-old friend who was
also hunting. Further interviews of the
other parties confirmed the story. The adult
was written the appropriate summonses.
The turkey was secured as evidence.
Central Region Highlights
from prior violations. Once onshore, the
officers ran a lookup on the operator and
found that he was wanted on outstanding
warrants. Before they could even inform
the subject, he became agitated and tried to
flee from the officers.
The officers were finally able to get
the man into custody. Summonses were
issued for Navigational Rules of the Road
violations, littering, wanton waste of fish,
interference with a State Conservation
Officer, and possession of herring during
the emergency closure as well as two criminal violations of fleeing and obstruction.
Trenton and Morrisville, Pennsylvania
Police Departments assisted. The case was
heard the following week in Trenton City
Municipal Court. The two men paid over
$1000 in fines and court costs.
CO’s Mascio and Martiak were on
boat patrol on the Delaware River in the
area of Trenton when they observed a vessel operating without navigational lights.
As they approached to make an inspection,
the boat and two occupants began moving
away from them and the officers observed
a plastic bag floating away from the boat.
They scooped up the bag and found two
river herring inside.
They instructed the operator to bring
the boat to shore for inspection. The operator and boat were familiar to the officers
CO McManus was patrolling Colliers
Mills WMA near Success Lake where he
found eight people sleeping in their vehicles. The surrounding area looked like the
people had been partying all night. He
observed beer cans scattered around a fire
and the individuals sleeping in their vehicles appeared as though they had been
swimming earlier. CO McManus activated
his siren to wake the individuals. The individuals did not respond to the siren.
CO McManus had to bang on the
window to wake the individuals up. The
eight individuals cleaned up the surrounding area and the appropriate enforcement
action was taken.
Southern Region Highlights
Conservation
Officer
Toppin
responded to a call from the Monroe
Township
Police
Department
in
Gloucester County. They received a 911
call about an all-terrain vehicle accident at
the Cedar Lake Wildlife Management
Area. CO Toppin interviewed one of the
riders at the Police Department and he
admitted to unlawfully riding on the State
Wildlife Management Area.
He also admitted to hiding the ATV
and alcohol to avoid getting into further
trouble. CO Toppin issued both riders multiple summonses for unlawfully operating
an ATV and possession of alcohol on a
State Wildlife Management Area.
Conservation Officer Toppin was on
patrol in Mannington Township, Salem
County when he observed two hunters
parked at a residence as he drove by. He
returned to the driveway as one of the
hunters came back from behind the house.
CO Toppin conducted a field interview and
the hunter admitted to hiding an untagged
turkey behind the house. The hunter hid
the bird because he (cont. next page)
November 2012
Page 5
NEW JERSEY FEDERATED SPORTSMEN NEWS
Protecting What’s Right: 25 Years Later
by Lou Martinez
Great Swamp Wildlife Refuge,
December 10, 1987- A caravan of vehicles
rolls up Pleasant Plains Road to the
entrance of the Refuge. Seconds later, 40
angry, cursing protesters make their way
over to the south gate. They are met by
Great Swamp personnel, who attempt to
get them to assemble peacefully within the
area designated in their special permit.
Their purpose: to protest the necessary
annual deer hunt and hurl insults at the
hunters.
GSWR manager Bill Koch has
installed a 4 foot orange cyclone fence in
an effort to try and stop the protesters from
banging on cars with their picket signs and
laying down and blocking the road, as
they’ve done in past years.
In very short order, the fence is
smashed to the ground. The police are
called in an attempt to restore order.
United Bowhunters of NJ representative Charlie Bachanes and I are in Mr.
Koch’s office as these details come over
the radio. Koch and his group of trained
professionals diligently practice restrained
crowd control. Within ten minutes the protesters are assembled into the designated
area. Loud. Boisterous. Unruly.
Charlie and I dressed in business
suits, and we drive past the anti-hunters.
We are greeted by a verbal barrage of
“Killers,” “Murderers,” and “Hunters are
impotent, hunters are impotent!”
As we drive by, they suddenly notice
that we are not dressed in hunting attire.
They abruptly stop shouting. They wave
signs that proclaim “Stop Hunting and
Trapping,” and “Want to Kill; Go to Iran.”
An announcement is made that five New
York hunters have been killed recently.
The crowd cheers! As shots ring out in the
distance, the antis boo and chant.
Charlie and I tell them to have a nice
day. We’ll have our say… later.
Following is a chronology of events
leading to the Great Swamp showdown:
November 21, 1986. Two anti-bowhunting bills are introduced by three NJ legislators. The first would ban bowhunting;
the latter would ban broadheads necessary
for bowhunting.
February 7, 1987. The American Archery
Council, along with the Wildlife
Legislative Fund of America (now known
as the United States Sportsman’s Alliance),
come to NJ at the request of the UBNJ and
presents the nation’s first “Protect What’s
Right” seminar. The seminar is attended by
over 400 hunters.
The message is clear. The UBNJ and
the NJ State Federation of Sportsman’s
Clubs of NJ must go on the offensive in
order to protect and preserve our lifestyles.
The WLFA and AAC provide us with
effective, positive tools to combat the antihunters aggressively, and a program with
which to educate the non-hunting public.
It’s a big job but we’re up to the task. We
have to be; the future of bowhunting
hinges on our efforts.
June 14, 1987. Assunpink Wildlife Center,
NJ - The UBNJ Council is conducting their
monthly business meeting. Under New
Business, I ask the Council for their
approval to conduct the first pro-hunting
demonstration using the “Protect What’s
Right” program. They unanimously
(from prev. page) failed to tag and check
it. The appropriate summonses were
issued.
Marine Region Highlights
On April 29, CO Klitz performed a
routine fisheries inspection of a recreational fishing vessel at Bry’s Marina in
Neptune Township. When the three fishermen onboard were asked if they had
caught any fish, all replied that they had
not.Upon inspecting the vessel, CO Klitz
discovered 18 sea bass. The recreational
Black Sea Bass season opened on May 19.
Three summonses for possession of Black
“Protecting What’s Right” got its start in the Garden State with this controlled hunt in
the Great Swamp, a quarter of a century ago. Photo courtesy huntstats.com.
approve. The wheels are set in motion to
effectively, aggressively, and professionally take the battle to the enemy: the antihunters.
October, 1987. On behalf of the UBNJ
Council, I contact Dr. Shubert of the AAC,
to enlist his assistance in putting together a
professional counter-demonstration. He
responds immediately, and sends a roundtrip ticket to visit the WLFA’s headquarters
in Ohio. I am to go there for intensive
training in Media, Government, and Public
Relations.
November 17, 1987. Columbus, Ohio
8:00 am - I meet Barry Vorse, a former
newspaper editor. He is very knowledgeable and articulate. We are joined by Rick
Story, VP of Public Relations for WLFA.
We are also joined by several other staff
members; what follows is an intensive
public relations and media relations seminar.
I am given the names and addresses
of all of the editors to contact for every
newspaper, TV station, and radio broadcaster in the tri-state area. Letters of invitation are discussed. Press releases are made
available. A five-minute prepared statement is drawn up. Many questions are
brought up; techniques for handling the
media are discussed and gone over.
We finish up with Rick Story turning
on his video camera with me as the chief
interviewee. The questions come fast and
furious. Using the techniques I have been
taught, I fend off the potentially dangerous
ones, and answer all questions pertaining
to hunting, fishing, trapping, and conservation issues.
James Glass, WLFA president sits in. He
seems impressed. He should be. He’s got a
truly professional staff working for him.
I’m told that I’ve done, and will do, well
.My confidence has received a well-needed boost. I’m beginning to believe that we
can really pull this thing off.
December 5-7, 1987. My wife Linda fires
off 200 press releases. Invitations are sent
to the media. Linda also types and sends
invitations to all of the state’s sportsmen’s
groups with whom we have already made
personal contact. Many reply affirmatively.
Sea Bass during the closed season were
issued.
On April 22, CO Klitz performed a
routine commercial fishing vessel inspection on the F/V Jaime Mae located at the
Fishermen’s Dock Cooperative in Point
Pleasant Beach. During the offload CO
Klitz viewed 115 pounds of river herring
being removed from the vessel. Currently
there is a closure for river herring. The
appropriate summons was issued. On
May 18 this case was heard at the Point
Pleasant Beach Municipal Court and
Jaime Mae Inc. pled guilty and paid $300
plus court costs.
December 6, 1987. A& M Archery,
Lakewood N J – A special meeting of the
UBNJ Council is in session. County
Representative Jimmer McCloskey has
delivered beautifully type-set protest signs
(unlike the crayon mark-ups used by the
anti-hunters). He will also videotape the
event. Charlie Bachanes is in charge of setting up and manning the “Protect What’s
Right” booth. John Clements, our Vice
President, is laid up with a broken back
sustained in a fall from a treestand and can
not participate. He wishes us well. Dick
Slocum and Al Klenk, our Central Region
reps, will handle any potential problems.
Dan Lombardo, our Education and Safety
officer, will screen all participants and
issue official name tags. Joe Bachanes will
handle refreshments. The Shongum
Sportsmen will cook venison chops,
steaks, and burgers on site to offer them to
reporters.
Our Coalition Spokesman, Bill
Hoboken, will be one of our speakers. Our
attorney, Stuart Alderoty, is called upon to
be available in case of any unforeseen
problems. The assistance of professional
outdoor writer and photographer Ron
Jacobsen is enlisted. His photos and articles will help capture this moment in sport
hunting history.
Mike Grossman, President of the NJ
State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs,
will speak on their behalf. The NJ Wild
Turkey Federation sends their president
John Kimball to join us. A & M Archery,
Butts and Bow’s Len Cardinale, and
TargeTeer’s Bob Cerone all send representatives. Jim Craig of Wilderness Archery
also helps out, and outdoor writer Jan
McDowell attends with Cathy Craig and
Joyce Rummel. All three ladies are accomplished bowhunters. Several off-duty
undercover police donate their time for
added security. Members of the Round
Valley Trout Association also join us.
December 10, 1987, 8:30 am. Linda
Martinez conducts a phone interview with
the Associated Press. Her interview is very
positive and is carried by many newspapers not sending reporters to the Great
Swamp. It is especially meaningful
because, although Linda is a non- hunter,
she is in total agreement with our position,
goals, and programs.
December 10, 1987, 1:00 pm. Our forces
gather at the fishermen’s parking lot outside of the Great Swamp Refuge. Lastminute details are worked out. Ninety percent of the participants have arrived in suit
and tie. Our motorcade drives over to the
south gate. Within minutes, the “Protect
What’s Right” booth is assembled and our
press materials are laid out on an 8-foot
table.
The Shongum Sportsmen fire up the
grill. The media assembles. I then proceed
to make a five-minute presentation, pointing out that New Jersey’s and America’s
wildlife is thriving, and that sportsmen are
our country’s greatest conservationists. I
note that we pay for areas like the Great
Swamp. Our wildlife is thriving because of
the combined efforts of bowhunters, gun
hunters, fishermen, and trappers. I report
that the vast majority of New Jersey citizens support the activities of hunting, fishing and trapping .
We make the point that there are over
73 million sportsmen in America; we also
point out that there are 914 species of
mammals in North America, and only 34
are on the federal endangered species list.
The “endangered” list consists mainly of
rats, bats, mice, and such.
At the turn of the century there were
fewer than 500,000 whitetail deer in
America. Now, in large part because of
sportsmen’s efforts and our programs,
there are over 14 million deer in the United
States. In 1900, there were fewer than 100
deer in NJ; now, because of the conservation programs enacted and supported by
sportsmen, there are more than 150,000
deer roaming the Garden State. The
beaver, black bear, grey and fox squirrels,
peregrine falcons, wild turkey, hawks,
eagles, and other raptors are doing well
and thriving because of the efforts and supported almost solely by sportsmen’s dollars. Conservation costs money, of course,
and we pay over 85 percent of the total
cost of conservation programs.
The general public has not, and is
not, clamoring to have their taxes raised to
pay for conservation programs. Hunters,
fishermen, and trappers are proud to pick
up the tab. We do so through the fees that
we pay for licenses, and also through the
tax established by the Pittman-Roberson
Act. Fishermen also pays an equal share by
self-imposed taxes on all fishing equipment. Anti- hunters pay nothing.
We tell the reporters that since the
deer are such prolific animals, they must
be controlled to keep their population in
check within the carrying capacity of the
land, and the habitat that we pay for.
Just as a farmer who plants his fields
is entitled to harvest his crops, the hunters
who pay for wildlife and wildlife programs
are similarly entitled to harvest our state’s
renewable natural resources. This in turn
prevents overpopulation, starvation, disease, and depredation by dogs; it also helps
keep deer/vehicle accidents down.
This is the information that we related to the media. To their credit, they in turn
unbiasedly report the same to the general
public.
The anti-hunters are visibly upset by
the polished, professional demonstration
we put on. We billed it “the Celebration of
Conservation Success at The Great
Swamp.” During the course of our presentation, Evie Kramer; president of DEER
Inc. (a vocal anti-hunting group) tries to
disrupt the proceedings.
I offer her a venison hamburger. She
refuses, and Nina Austenburg, head of the
Humane Society, looks dumbfounded. She
claims we are there in fear of her groups.
This is nonsense; we’re simply sick and
tired of listening to their anti-hunting dribble and mindless rhetoric. We now take the
education of the non-hunting public to be
our single most important goal. When the
facts are presented, we are certain that the
public will support us, our programs, and
our activities .Mrs. Kramer starts to melt
down, calls us “liars,” and says “we’re no
competition” for her groups. Is she in for
an education; we’ve only just begun to
fight back.
Our efforts in NJ will not cease. We
are on the front lines, on the very cutting
edge. With support we can and will continue to take the battle to our enemies actively, aggressively, and professionally. And
more importantly, we will make available
the sorely needed information to the general non- hunting public using the ‘Protect
What’s Right” program.
As my friend Charlie Bachanes succinctly put it, “it’s time to put a Ban on the
Antis.” Together, united, we’ll do just that.
This story originally
Bowhunter Magazine.
appeared
in
Page 6
November 2012
NEW JERSEY FEDERATED SPORTSMEN NEWS
It’s Deep Drop Time
for Sea Bass & Porgies
by Milt Rosko
The roar of the engines being idled
back was a wake-up call for those of us
who had been tucked in our sleeping bags
and blankets, as the Jamaica made the 5hour trek eastward. The bunk room emptied quickly as everyone bundled up and
headed for the deck, where darkness still
prevailed and the thermometer hovered in
the 40s. The mates were busy, as they set
first one and then a second anchor to precisely secure our position above a wreck
that was located on the bottom more than
200 feet below.
Everyone on board was rigged and
ready, most with a high-low rig and a pair
of snelled 2/0 Lazer Sharp-style hooks
baited with small (small is always better
than large clumps) pieces of clam, and a
10-ounce bank-style sinker to take the rig
to the bottom.
When Capt. Howard Bogan, Jr. blew
the whistle, signaling that anchoring was
complete and we could start fishing, the
scene on deck looked like a rehearsed
operation, as everyone simultaneously sent
their rig to the bottom. It seemed to take an
eternity for the rig to get there, but the
sinker eventually touched down, some 230
feet below our position. With equal precision, the rods along the rail began to be
pulled sharply downward, and anglers
responding by lifting upward to set their
hooks.
So began an exciting day of what I’ve
come to expect while deep-drop fishing for
sea bass and porgies during November and
December. The bite in the dark before
sunup was hectic, to put it mildly, with
both species cooperating and the coolers
quickly accommodating them.
This fall we’re pleased to have a 25sea-bass bag and 12½-inch size limit, and
50-porgy bag and 9-inch size limit. While
both species are fun to catch, equally
important is the fine table quality and the
ability to fillet, vacuum bag, and freeze
your surplus, which will bring you many
delightful dinners in the coming winter.
While historically deep-drop fishing
for these two species consisted of using
rather heavy tackle, in recent years more
This porgy just landed
by a happy angler
aboard the Jamaica is
typical of the size
caught while deep
drop fishing in the 200
to 300-foot depths.
With liberal bag limits
anglers are able to
make a fine catch,
ensuring many fine
meals for the winter
ahead. Milt Rosko
photo.
and more anglers are
going lighter, as it
makes for more fun
during a long day of
bottom
bouncing.
Indeed, I’ve been using
tackle that many normally use inshore. My
favorite is a lightweight Saltiga offshore
jigging rod with a highspeed, 7.3-to-1 retrieve
ratio Daiwa Saltist reel
spooled with 30- or 40pound-test braided line.
I’ll often use a Daiwa
Seaborg
Megatwin
power-assist reel when
we’re in really deep
water. Using this outfit
immediately provides
more fun due to its lightness, yet still has
sufficient backbone.
The combination of rod, reel, and
fine-diameter braided line also enable me
to reach and hold bottom with lighter
weight tackle. Instead of a 12- or 16-ounce
sinker that’s customarily necessary to hold
bottom, as little as 6 or 8 ounces will do.
As a result, for the last few season on
the deep-drop trips I’ve been using techniques that I’ve been using when targeting
fluke on inshore grounds. Specifically,
I’ve substituted a jig in place of a sinker.
Yes; both sea bass and porgies, especially
the heavyweights that prevail in the deep
water grounds, readily
wallop the jigs. Among
the most notable jigs are
the Daiwa Salt Conch jig
and
the
Shimano
Lucanus jig. The former
has an oval body; the latter more of a torpedo shape. Both are available in a wide
array of colors, and come equipped with a
pair of 1/0 or 2/0 free-swinging hooks.
While available in weights from 2 to 7
ounces, I most often use the 7-ounce
model, as it normally is sufficiently heavy
for me to hold bottom, the exception being
if there’s a moon tide causing an extremely swift current. Then I have to switch to a
sinker that may weigh upwards of 16
ounces.
Still another innovative approach that
has provided me with fine catches on these
deep-drop trips has been baiting up with a
combination of baits. First I slip a Gulp!
synthetic swimming mullet bait onto the
hook, and then add just a small piece of
clam bait with muscle tissue hanging
freely.
I don’t mean to further complicate
what deep-drop fishing is all about, but
then I go a step further with respect to a
high-low rig. The basic rig most often used
consists of a 24-inch-long piece of
monofilament, with a barrel swivel at one
end and a duo-lock snap at the other end
for the sinker or jig. Just a couple of inches from either end there’s dropper loop tied
in, onto which are slipped a pair of snelled
Lazer Sharp 1/0 or 2/0 size hooks. I have
used, and continue to use, this type of rig
most effectively.
I’ve been doing a lot of experimenting, however, and have found that often
sea bass and porgies will gather in small
schools or pockets of fish above a wreck or
choice bottom. Captains concur, as they
readily view this phenomenon on their
electronic fishfinder, sometimes as much
as ten feet or more off the bottom. The fish
located in this stratum above bottom really
never get to see a bait or jig well below
where they’re swimming.
What to do? Well, I’ve been using a
six-foot-long piece of mono with a duolock snap at one end, and a tiny barrel
swivel at the other end between the highlow rig and the line, with a dropper loop
and hook a couple of inches from where
the swivel is attached to the line.
Broadly stated, this results in a pair
of hooks on the jig, a pair on the high-low
rig and a single hook effectively 7-8 feet
off the bottom. I know this appears like a
commercial rig (to minimize the number
of hooks I’ve often deleted the high hook
of the basic high-low rig), but it’s opened
my eyes to the effectiveness of varying
from just a sinker and normal high-low rig
employed by so many. It’s even brought
me triple headers. I’ve also found the same
to be true from what many successful deep
droppers have told me they experienced,
that the hook bait high off the bottom consistently catches bigger fish. When I was
first told this I was dubious, but having
tried it I found it to produce consistently
larger sea bass and porgies. The theories
suggest that the smaller, often undersized
bass and porgies hug the bottom and seek
the sanctuary of cracks, crevices, and
seclusion of wrecks and debris on the bottom; these are inaccessible to larger fish. I
don’t really know if this is the case, but it
seems logical. (How I wish I could go
down in a mini-submarine and view exactly how the fish are schooled and their
respective sizes…)
To minimize the potential of tangles
and to assist mates in untangling them,
with a multi-hook rig it’s always wise to
use a top shot of 20 feet of monofilament
between your braided line and the rig. Also
important is to seek the counsel of the
mates, as they’re on the water daily, and
can tell you what the more successful
anglers are doing to maximize their score.
Let yourself be guided accordingly.
You’ve got a two-month window for
two popular bottom feeders. Check your
favorite party boat’s schedule and give it a
try, as you’ll be rewarded with plenty of delicious fish in the freezer
for the winter ahead.
And don’t forget to bundle up, as it gets pretty
chilly in deep-drop
country.
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November 2012
Page 7
NEW JERSEY FEDERATED SPORTSMEN NEWS
How To Sight In Your
Rifle at 25 Yards
by Vin T. Sparano
Sighting in a rifle or a 20- (or 12-)
gauge slug gun, especially a new rifle and
scope, is easy. It can, however, be timeconsuming unless you follow a few preliminary steps.
Your first step is to bore-sight your
rifle, which means lining up your bore and
your scope’s crosshairs on a target. Boresighting is best done at 25 yards. This is
especially important with a new rifle and
scope, because it will almost always put
your first bullet on the paper. With that
first bullet on the paper, you can easily
adjust for windage and elevation, and finetune your sights for any range you choose.
Bore-sighting is easy with a boltaction rifle. Use a bench rest, or a cardboard box with notches cut at both ends.
Remove the bolt from your rifle and rest
the rifle securely on the rest (or in the
notches of the box). Look down the bore,
and move the rifle and rest until the target
is centered in the bore at 25 yards. Then
look through your scope and see where the
crosshairs fall. If the crosshairs don’t intersect the target’s X-ring, move the elevation
and windage until they do. When the
crosshairs and bore are perfectly centered
on your target, you’re ready for your first
shot. Remember that this is a coarse
adjustment, designed only to get you on
the paper.
How do you bore-sight a 12- or 20gauge slug gun, a lever-action, pump gun,
or autoloader? You will have to use a boresighter, a mechanical or laser device that
helps you align both scope and iron sights
with your bore without looking down the
bore. You can beg, buy, or borrow one
from your local gun shop. Buying a boresighter is a good investment, as you can
use it to check your sights after some hard
knocks on a plane or in deer camp.
With your rifle bore-sighted at 25
yards, squeeze off three shots at the center
of the target. Note the location of your
three-shot group, and aim at the center of
the target. Only, this time, you are not
shooting.
Holding your crosshairs as steady as
possible on the center of the target, move
the crosshairs both vertically and horizon-
Follow the author’s easy advice to help get the maximum accuracy from your firearm.
Photo courtesy howardcommunicatioins.com.
tally until they are centered on your shot
group. Once you have done this, you have
effectively put your sights where the rifle
is shooting. Three more rounds should
confirm that you are sighted in at 25 yards,
or very close to it.
Why 25 yards? First, shooting at such
close range, especially after bore-sighting,
is certain to ensure that your bullets will hit
the paper. Second, the typical centerfire
rifle sighted in at 25 yards will also be
sighted in at 200 yards because of the bullet’s trajectory, and about two or three
inches high at 100 yards, which is just
about perfect for most deer hunters.
Trajectory and point of impact will
BLACK POWDER NOTES
by Joe Bilby
Garden State Black Powder Association,
Plus T/C and Dixie News
Member Dave “Rosey” Rosenthal
characterizes the Garden State Black
Powder Association (GSBPA) as a “merry
band of brothers and sisters.” The GSBPA,
points, a static steel plate six points, and a
slim re-setting steel popper was ten. Each
shooter was allowed to choose his or her
targets, with a maximum score for that
which does indeed boast a significant
number of women shooters as active members, is definitely the largest organized
group of black-powder shooters in New
Jersey. The club is a member organization
of the Association of New Jersey Rifle and
Pistol Clubs (ANJRPC) and shoots at the
association’s Cherry Ridge range twice a
year, in March and October. Dave and
other members of the GSBPA also act as
volunteer instructors at ANJRPC events
like Scout Day.
The GSBPA also holds a unique
handgun shooting event using black-powder pistols and revolvers, with Rosenthal
as Match Director. The course of fire at the
August 2012 match was ten shots on an
NRA-regulation, B-6 Slow-Fire, 50-yard
pistol target set at25 yards, and an additional ten shots at any combination of three
steel gongs with varying point values.
A large buffalo was worth four
stage of the match of 100 points for ten hits
on the popper.. which two contestants
accomplished. The maximum total aggregate score for the entire match was 200
points.
Three out of a possible four handgun
divisions were represented, with only
rifled flintlocks absent. Nineteen registered shooters, firing 13 revolvers, three
single-shot rifled percussion pistols, and
three flint smoothbores, competed. Several
late arrivals plinked at the gongs for fun.
The top scorer for the day was Rich
Dagenais, shooting a custom percussion
single-shot pistol, with a 196. Dave
Rosenthal came in second with a 185 and
won the revolver division, while Ray
Parris, with a 168, took third overall and
placed second in the single-shot percussion division.
The GSBPA also created a Historical
Encampment representing the 1740-1840
vary slightly, depending on the ammunition and bullet weight you select. When
you decide on a brand of ammunition and
bullet weight, and you’re happy with the
results, stick with that combination.
Switching brands and bullet weights will
change your point of impact.
The final step in sighting in is shooting at 100 and 200 yards to confirm actual
point of impact and make your final click
adjustments. Sighting in and knowing
where your bullets will strike may well be
the most important factor in big-game
hunting.
Vin T. Sparano of New Jersey was
era at the recent Collier’s Mills Outdoor
Expo. Club members demonstrated traditional crafts, including blacksmithing,
sewing, soap-making, gun-making, and
cooking, and supervised hands-on activities like tomahawk throwing and primitive
longbow shooting for visitors, as well as
providing muzzle-loading small arms and
artillery firing demonstrations.
Black-powder traditional shooting
enthusiasts with a safe working knowledge
of traditional side lock rifles (patched
round ball only) are invited to join the
GSBPA, or attend shoots and participate as
visitors. Non-members are required to fill
out a standard insurance waiver and pay a
$10 walk-on fee to shoot in the organization’s monthly rifle match. Preregistration
is highly recommended so that the shoot
committee knows how many targets are
needed for the day. For further information
on joining the club or attending shoots, see
the
organization’s
website
at
http://gsbpa.webs.com. GSBPA president
Doug Sidenberg may be reached at [email protected].
T/C Fall Rebate
Thompson/Center
Arms
has
announced a fall rebate program on two of
its best-known models: the MOA guaranteed T/C Venture bolt-action rifle and the
Triumph Bone Collector muzzle-loader.
The mail-in rebate program will be available to consumers who purchase any new
recently inducted into the Freshwater
Fishing Hall of Fame. Sparano has been
an outdoor editor and writer for more than
40 years. He earned his Bachelor of
Science degree in Journalism in 1960 from
New York University. Sparano is Editor
Emeritus of Outdoor Life magazine, having served as Editor-in-Chief from 1990 to
1995 and previously as the Executive
Editor for more than 10 years.
In addition to his long career with
Outdoor Life, Sparano’s work in the field
includes hundreds of articles and was a
syndicated feature writer for USA Today
and Gannett Newspapers. He has written
and edited 18 books, including Tales of
Woods and Waters, The American
Fisherman’s Fresh and Saltwater Guide,
The Greatest Hunting Stories Ever Told,
Classic Hunting Tales, The Northeast and
Southeast Guides to Saltwater Fishing and
Boating, Hunting Dangerous Game, and
Game Birds and Gun Dogs.
Sparano’s revised and expanded
Complete Outdoor Encyclopedia is in its
fourth edition of publication. As Content
Director for Maptech, Sparano also produced a series of CDs focusing exclusively
on fishing techniques and hotspots through
the use of navigational charts and satellite
photos. He is listed in Who’s Who in
America.
In 1996, Sparano was awarded the
United States Department of the Interior
Conservation Service Award by Secretary
of the Interior Bruce Babbitt.
In 2003, Sparano was the recipient of
the Lifetime Achievement Award from the
New York Metropolitan Outdoor Press
Association for his extraordinary accomplishments and contributions to outdoor
journalism conservation and children’s
fishing programs.
T/C Venture or Triumph Bone Collector
model from now through November 30,
2012 in the United States or Canada.
During the fall promotion, purchasers
of one of the specified rifles will be eligible for a $50 mail-in rebate. The rebate is
applicable to any rifle in 16 different calibers in the Venture lineup or one of the
two top-of-the-line Triumph Bone
Collector muzzle-loaders. Both guns are
made in America. For more information
about the fall rebates and how to qualify
for them, visit www.tcarms.com.
Dixie Gun Works Catalog
Dixie Gun Works, one of the oldest
names in the post World War II muzzleloading revival, has announced the publication of its 2013 catalog. The new edition
has a Civil War theme, in keeping with the
ongoing sesquicentennial commemoration
of the conflict. As ever, Dixie has an
expansive line of reproduction firearms,
accessories, and other gear for the Civil
War-era shooter or re-enactor, and serves
as a sourcebook full of 10,000 items
designed to fulfill all kinds of black-powder shooting and hunting needs. Those of
you who like the feel of a book in your
hand may purchase the catalog by sending
$5 to Dixie at Dixie Gun Works, Union
City, TN. Less tradition-bound customers
may access the catalog online at www.dixiegunworks.com.
Put This Space
To Work For You!
Contact Ad Manager Oliver Shapiro
at 973-533-1260 or [email protected]
Page 8
The Sporting View
Bring the Right Stuff to the Range
A trip to the shooting range isn’t a
simple task such as going out to the garden
and picking a few tomatoes. Whether it’s
for sighting-in, serious target practice,
informal plinking, or competitive match
shooting, shooting at a range involves
advanced planning with organization and
safety in mind.
A conscientious, well-organized
shooting sportsman or woman will take the
time to organize his/her equipment and
bring the necessary items to the range.
Central to organizing and transporting the
needed implements is the range bag, or
shooting duffle. This important piece of
range gear usually takes the form of a
durable bag made of heavy man-made
material such as Cordura. A good shooting
bag will have carry handles and a shoulder
strap (preferably padded) and good number of pockets and compartments with at
least a few separated from each other by
padded partitions. Most models feature
zippered, snap-buckle, and/or Velcro closures on the sections with a large protective cover flap covering the top and one
side. Such bags are designed to help the
shooter organize his or her gear and keep it
safe.
The best, safest, and most legally
compliant way to transport firearms is to
have them unloaded and cased or securely
wrapped, and tied and stowed in the trunk
or area of a vehicle that is inaccessible
from the passenger compartment.
Ammunition is to be kept separate, and out
of reach from the passenger compartment.
Stay on the safe and legal side of things by
securing handguns, unloaded in a locked
container, with the ammunition secured in
a separate lockbox.
Be sure to follow all federal firearm
laws as well, as all regulations for the state
that you originate from and those that you
will travel through on the way to the range.
Have the required permits and other necessary paperwork in possession while at the
range and while en route to and from.
When choosing a range operated by a
membership club, or one that is open to the
public, pick one that is in compliance with
local, county, state, and federal regulations. A best bet is a club range where you
can participate as a member or guest.
When shooting in New Jersey, utilizing a
range operated by a club affiliated with the
New Jersey State Federation of
Sportsmen’s Clubs, the New Jersey
Association of Rifle and Pistol Clubs, and
the National Rifle Association is a good
move.
November 2012
NEW JERSEY FEDERATED SPORTSMEN NEWS
Most shooting ranges have a procedure for signing in and out when arriving
at and departing from the range. Be sure to
sign in and out in compliance with
range/club rules, as this is for your legal
protection in case you have to prove that
you were at the range and that you transported your firearm there for a legal purpose.
Shooting ranges have rules that must
be followed, as most range rules involve
safety. The rules are usually posted in a
prominent location for all to read. Always
read, understand, and follow these rules.
Getting back to the contents of the
shooting bag, ear and eye protection are
must-haves and required at any authorized
target range. Ear protection may be in the
form of soft plugs or hard-style muffs that
resemble earphones. Shatterproof lenses,
whether in prescription eyewear or nonprescription shooting glasses, are a must.
Over-the-prescription shooting glasses are
a good choice for the shooter who wears
eyeglasses regularly. Some shooters prefer
yellow or amber tinted glasses that may
brighten the target picture and increase
contrast for some individuals. Dark, tinted
glasses that dim one’s vision should be
avoided.
Target shooting requires, naturally,
the use of targets. Paper targets are the
least expensive and can be folded and
stowed in a range bag. I like to use a clean
sheet of newspaper to fasten to the target
frame before putting the actual target in
place. This will show the location where
any bullets impacted outside the target
paper, but still on the board of the frame.
A roll of masking tape doesn’t take
up much room in the bag, and tape can be
used to cover holes in a target in order for
it to be used more than once. Targets need
to be stapled to standard target frames, so
be sure to bring along a staple gun with an
adequate supply of staples.
Mechanical emergencies can and do
happen while target shooting at a range. A
basic cleaning set, appropriate for the gun
or guns being fired, should be included in
a range kit along with related tools that can
be used when performing a quick fix. This
is especially important when shooting a
muzzle-loader. Here you don’t want to be
without some means of pulling or otherwise removing a ball or bullet from the
barrel if the charge fails to ignite. A brass
safety pin or other wire /pick-type implement for clearing the nipple and flash
channel, along with a nipple wrench,
should be considered essentials.
by Marty Boa
Ready for the range: Some
shooting range essentials pictured here include a sizeable,
rugged range bag with
padded compartments, carry
handle, and padded shoulder
strap. A pair of amber-tinted
shooting glasses are sitting
atop the bag with additional
items below, from left: Threepiece rifle-cleaning rod, paper
pistol target, and hearing protectors. Marty Boa photo.
Both rod and pull-through cleaning
devices have their advantages, so it can be
worthwhile to keep one of each in the bag
along with the proper tips, such as a bore
brush and both slotted and solid cleaning
jags. After repeated firings you may want
to clean the bore, so don’t forget patches
and a larger wiping cloth for the exterior
surfaces of the gun and for your hands.
The chamber flag is an important
safety accessory. Although this handy
device is available in a variety of configurations, its basic form and function remain
constant. The chamber flag consists of a
shaft or plug that fits into the chamber of a
firearm with a section that extends back
out the breech and into the action to some
degree. A brightly colored marker or “flag”
extends at a right angle from the rear section and sticks out of the ejection port of
the receiver or other opening in the gun’s
action. Some flags are designed for use
with the bolt closed, while others are made
to be used with the action open, and some
can be used in either case.
When in place, the chamber flag
shows at a glance that the firearm in question is unloaded and that the device is
occupying the space in the chamber that a
cartridge would take up if the arm were
loaded. Actions should be cleared, magazines removed, and magazine tubes emptied before inserting a chamber flag as further proof positive that a gun is in a safe
and totally unloaded condition.
A good pair of binoculars or a spotting scope enables a shooter to check the
target without having to call or wait for a
cease-fire and walk downrange. Some
models are quite bulky and need to be
transported in their own separate cases.
When zeroing-in for the highest level
of accuracy, a padded, adjustable bench
rest and one or more shooting bags is
desirable as is some type of cushion, such
as a boating cushion, for your personal
comfort and proper elevation at the bench.
Pre-planning and organizing the
items that will be needed at the range contributes greatly to ensuring a productive
and pleasurable target shooting experience. Now let’s see, what did I forget…
Stroke a Jig for
BIG BASS
by Pete Robbins
Northeastern anglers taking a leisurely cruise down Kentucky Lake in the summer might think the locals have gone mad.
There they are, by the dozens, sitting out
on the river channel, not retrieving lures
steadily but instead feigning a half-hearted
hook set.
The incredulous visitors would be
even more baffled if they saw what was at
the end of the locals’ lines: a rubber-skirted jig.
While the traditional presentations
for jigs include pitching and flipping in
shallow water and deliberate crawling in
deep water, anglers on the Tennessee
Valley Authority impoundments have
come up with something new. They call it
“stroking.”
While many of our northerly rivers
and lakes may not feature the perfectly
carved river channels found on numerous
southern reservoirs, the same presentation
can nevertheless be applied. A jig is traditionally known as a big fish bait, and one
with few negative cues, but the reasons
you’d stroke it are the same in New Jersey
or New York as they are in Tennessee,
Kentucky, or Alabama.
“It’s a catalyst,” said Bassmaster
Elite Series pro Clark Reehm, who relies
upon a jig from Vermont to Alabama to
Texas to California. “It’s a trigger for fish
that otherwise wouldn’t strike, especially
suspended fish.” In the south, that condition might be caused by the hydroelectric
company’s failure to generate power and
“pull water” at a given time. The result is
that fish that are conditioned to feed in the
current get put into a neutral mood. In the
north, that same disincentive to feed could
be caused by a variety of conditions, such
as a cold front, heavy boat traffic, or merely excessive heat. It can also work to fire
up a school of fish that have become
accustomed to your presence and stop biting. The same retrieve also works on
waters like Champlain and the Finger
Lakes, except rather than ripping it off a
clean bottom or a shell bed, you’ll be tearing the lure free from submerged aquatic
vegetation. While the structure or cover
might not be the same, the principle is.
The presentation itself is fairly simple, but has a few wrinkles. Throw your jig
Pro bass angler Clark Reehm relies on the stroked jig to help advance his career. Photo
courtesy Dan O’Sullivan.
out onto a key piece of structure or cover,
let it fall to the bottom, then jerk it up
swiftly. Let it fall again on a semi-slack
line, then repeat the process until your lure
is back at the boat. Sometimes a straight
harsh pull will be the trigger; other times
you’ll want to stutter-step the pull. On still
other occasions the bass will react best to a
lure that is shaken on either the way up or
the way down, reminiscent of a dying shad
or a fleeing crayfish.
Reehm said that while a variety of
jighead styles will work for this presentation, he generally uses a football-head.
“Usually you don’t start the day stroking
the jig,” he said. “Instead you’re crawling
it over the structure. This makes it easy to
switch back and forth.” (cont. next page)
November 2012
NEW JERSEY FEDERATED SPORTSMEN NEWS
Page 9
The Beagle Chronicles:
Lost and Found
by Cathy Blumig
It was the most muted of jingles that
had rung from the buckles of our remote
training collars, as I removed them from
their chargers. Two little “clinks” were all
that I heard, but in less than three seconds
our beagles Ginger and Penny had rushed
to where the collars were kept in the utility room from two rooms away.
When they hit the entrance of the
utility room and caught me red-handed
with the collars free from their chargers,
they began to howl and dance with delight,
which triggered a beagle stampede from
our other four hounds to the utility room. A
rabbit run! We’ve been waiting for
months! The best thing ever in the whole,
wide world!
I’ve seen other dogs cower at the
sight of a training collar, but not our
hounds. I’m a firm believer in using positive training methods as the most effective,
long-lasting way to get a dog to demonstrate a desired behavior, but the training
collars had been the only thing that made
them stop from running off-game. We used
them once, many years ago, and haven’t
needed to use them since. But recognizing
that even reformed alcoholics fall off the
wagon every once in a while, we always
put them on when we take them out for a
run. That our hounds were always so joyful when they see the collars indicated to
me that we haven’t abused their use.
Although all six of our hounds were
bouncing off the walls, we only planned to
take our three active hunters: April, Penny,
and Ginger. One by one, my husband Len
loaded “the girls” into our F-150’s cab so
we could drive across the street and put
them down into a field we let go fallow,
bordering our farm’s big block of
Christmas trees.
The hunting season was still a few
weeks away, but to us the rabbit forecast
appeared more hopeful than in recent
years. We’d seen more rabbits around our
yard, among our Christmas tree fields and
elsewhere, than we had seen in a long time
and figured it was probably because of the
mild weather we had back in March when
rabbits began to have their first litters of
the breeding season, since those first litters
can play a key role in pumping up rabbit
numbers later in the year.
Hopeful forecast or no, just the
prospect of having a rabbit run turned
April, Penny, and Ginger into effervescent,
gleeful puppies, which made it a challenge
to put their training collars on before we
left the truck. Once everyone was suited up
we clipped them to couplers. I reached for
the door’s handle and for an instant the
hounds froze and fixated on my hand.
Then I opened the door. It looked like a
beagle avalanche. They tumbled out of the
truck and were so excited that they nearly
dislodged my arm from my shoulder.
“Should we let them go?” I asked
Len, planting my feet to keep from getting
pulled over.
“Yep,” he said, and with that we
unclipped our three nuts and unleashed six
months of pent-up rabbit-running energy,
as they disappeared into dense columns of
goldenrod and asters. Except for April.
Instead, she bounded over to a sizable pile
of some type of feces and promptly
snatched it into her mouth and gulped it
down.
“Aahh!” screamed I. She flashed me
a mischievous grin. “What a score,” she
must have thought, and then happily
bounded off to join the others.
It took less than a minute for one of
them (I’m not sure which one) to open up.
Two streams of shaking goldenrod tops
zoomed towards the hound that had sounded off, and soon all three had cut loose.
Rising up from the folds of the fallow field
was April’s “chop,” Penny’s “chop-ball,”
and the unmistakable Ginger “squall.”
They were like kids riding a roller coaster.
Screaming and squealing, having the time
of their lives. Len and I smiled at each
other. Nothing beats watching and hearing
hounds doing what they love and doing it
well.
Len and I each took up positions on
opposite corners of the fallow field to get a
better handle on where the run was going,
and, we hoped, to spy the rabbit if it happened to cross an opening. They ran the
line pretty handily for about 20 minutes
and then they stopped.
We watched the goldenrods for
movement, and cocked our ears for a clue
to the hounds’ whereabouts. Then they
started again. The rabbit they were running
must have been fairly young because it
pretty much stayed on one side of the field.
These smaller rabbits generally don’t make
big runs, but they are more challenging in
some ways because they frequently check
(as this one was doing), and probably gave
off less scent and would therefore theoretically be more difficult to track. Although
we only planned on having them out for an
hour, it would be a good mental workout as
much as a physical one for the pack to
work a line from this kind rabbit, I thought.
The three hounds moved together
like a little machine, each of their howls
like pistons firing an engine that propelled
them forward, smooth and determined.
I’ve always been amazed at how well their
first run of year usually went, despite them
having been idle for so many months.
Then, just as this thought crossed my
mind, it sounded like they had a split. April
seemed to have taken up another line and
was veering towards the woods onto state
park property. I stood in a break inbetween our field of Christmas trees and
the fallow field, where I could also see the
mowed strip, and watched and listened to
gauge where I thought April and the other
hounds would go.
Then all the hounds became quiet. I
watched and listened intently. A minute
passed. I caught the smallest of movement
at the edge of the mowed strip, and saw a
cottontail, not real small but not an adult
(from pre. page) While he’s not fastidious
about the head style, he noted that he usually goes fairly heavy – ½ ounce, ¾ ounce,
or more – and favors “as thin a hook as
possible so it will penetrate easily.” For
similar reasons, if the jig has a weedguard
he’ll snip it off.
He doesn’t get fancy with skirt colors
or trailers. Most frequently he’ll use some
combination of black/blue or green pumpkin, and often he’ll dye the tip of his soft
plastic crayfish trailer chartreuse.
Depending on whether he’s getting his
strikes on the rise or the fall, he may adjust
the trailer from a craw to a chunk, or vice
versa, in order to change the speed at
which the bait moves through the water
column.
While he’s not obsessive about jig
colors most of the time, he does have
inflexible thoughts about tackle choices.
First and foremost, he said that fluorocarbon line is an absolute must for this technique. It has less stretch than monofilament, which is key when the bait may be
15 to 30 feet deep, and it’s also very abra-
sion-resistant. While braid might have
some of these characteristics, it’s much
more visible, and since this is a visual
technique, that might turn already-wary
bass off. Reehm favors Seaguar AbrazX in
strengths of 12- to 20-pound test, depending on the size of the fish and the density
of the cover. He’ll spool it on a high-speed
reel, no less than 6:1 and often 7:1.
“A lot of times they’ll knock slack
into your line, and with that faster reel you
can catch up with them,” he explained. “It
takes a lot less effort to slow down than it
does to speed up.” He pairs the reel with a
Dobyns DX744 rod, a 7-foot, 4-inch 4power baitcaster with a stout backbone,
but “just enough tip that it loads up right.”
If you think of jigs solely as a slow,
bottom-bouncing presentation, or as a lure
class best suited for short line presentations, you owe it to yourself to put a little
rip in your retrieve. When bass are skittish
or stop biting, and you know they’re still
around, sometimes it takes a little trigger
of the world’s best big bass lure to get
them going.
Penny (left) and Ginger rush in to the author’s calls of “Tally-ho” during their first run
in many months, in preparation of the upcoming hunting season. The third hound, April,
was MIA for about 15 minutes, but finally harked-in. It was a relatively minor event, but
a missing hound, even for short periods can generate some gray hairs. Cathy Blumig
photo.
either, quietly step out into the clearing and
run at an angle towards me and disappear
into the other side.
“Tally-ho! Tally-ho! April, Penny,
Ginger, Tally-ho!”
Penny and Ginger appeared and ran
across the mowed strip to where my finger
was pointed at the ground that marked
where the rabbit had been. They opened up
simultaneously and off they went to follow
the rabbit’s line.
But where was April? “Len, do you
see April?”
“No.”
“April,” my voice filled with a touch
of annoyance, “Tally-ho!”
Nothing. I waited and again I yelled,
“April!” now edged with more concern
than annoyance, “Tally-ho!” Still nothing.
Few things are worse than “nothing”
as a response to calling a hound. That I was
quick to worry didn’t help. I thought back
to an incident that happened to Len many
years ago while he was running his hound
named Sammy. He said Sammy was running really well, and then suddenly he was
quiet. Len searched high and low for him
for days, to no avail. It turned out he had
been stolen. Happily, two months later he
was able to get Sammy back, but it just as
easily could have gone the other way.
I had hoped that April would have
harked in to Penny and Ginger, who were
by now putting on a pretty good drive, but
I didn’t hear any “chop” mixed in with
Penny’s “chop-ball” and Ginger’s
“squall.” My mind started to imagine bad
things.
More time passed and still no April. I
hollered to Len again, “Have you seen
April?”
“No.”
Now I was berating myself with I
should’ve-s. I should’ve put a bell on her
collar so I could maybe hear where she
was, or maybe gotten one of those pettracking systems that allow you to know
your pet’s whereabouts on a smartphone
(which meant I needed to get a smartphone), or gotten a set of those new combination training/GPS collars.
Then, just as my anxiety level started
to skyrocket, I heard little April’s “chop”
join Penny and Ginger. The knots in my
body untied and I was flooded with relief.
Safe again, our little rabbit-running sweetie pie.
The three of them ran that rabbit
another 30 minutes, and then Len and I
decided to pick them up. Though not hot, it
was a touch warm and there was no sense
in overdoing it their first day out. It had
been a good run, save April’s temporary
disappearance (and her poop-eating), and
the hounds seemed even more energized
than when we had first brought them out.
All the rabbits we had seen plus an
admirable performance of our little pack
put us in a fairly optimistic mood about the
approaching season.
Only April’s brief disappearance, fortified by past stories of hounds lost, left a
thin layer of uneasiness. We’ve had hounds
go missing temporarily in the past, and
we’ve always found them, but would that
always be the case? For both Len and me,
this was a nagging question and one to
which we wanted an answer before another hound went missing.
from Numbers, p. 1
Lake Hopatcong Knee
Deep Club Holds
Annual Contest for
“King of the Lake”
Beyond the impact to businesses
and local economies, sportsmen and
women have played an essential and
unmatched role in conserving fish and
wildlife and their habitats. Sportsmen
and women are the nation’s most ardent
conservationists, putting money toward
state fish and wildlife management.
When you combine license and
stamp fees, excise taxes on hunting and
fishing equipment, the tax from small
engine fuel and membership contributions to conservation organizations,
hunters and anglers directed $3 billion
towards on-the-ground conservation and
restoration efforts in 2011; that comes to
over $95 every second. This does not
include their own habitat acquisition and
restoration work for lands owned or
leased for the purpose of hunting and
fishing, which would add another $11
billion to the mix.
“This is the 75th anniversary of our
nation’s system of conservation funding
– a model that is envied throughout the
world - that directs excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment toward statebased conservation,” said Michael
Nussman, president and CEO of the
American Sportfishing Association. “The
Sport Fish and Wildlife and Restoration
programs have resulted in robust fish and
wildlife populations and quality habitat
that is the legacy of our industry and
sportsmen and women alike.”
On October 13 and 14, the Knee
Deep Club of Lake Hopatcong held its
annual King of the Lake Contest.
The winners were the top three
anglers who scored the highest points
based on the following point system.
Points of five (5), three (3), and two (2)
were awarded for First, Second, and Third
place fish in the following seven categories: Trout (all species), Channel
Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth
Bass, Hybrid Striped Bass, Pickerel and
Walleye.
Points of Three (3), Two (2) and One
(1) were awarded for First, Second, and
Third Place fish in the following four categories: Catfish (other then Channel
Catfish), White Perch, Yellow Perch and
Crappie.
The winners were:
First Place: Jacek Dziduch,
Woodside, NY, 18 Points.
Second Place: Robert Smith,
Ogdensburg, NJ, 15 Points.
Third Place: Lou Marcucci, Mount
Arlington, NJ, 10 Points.
Page 10
November 2012
NEW JERSEY FEDERATED SPORTSMEN NEWS
So - How Did (or Will)
the Election Turn Out?
Since one of the things I’m not is
clairvoyant, I’m asking readers to cut some
slack for your graybeard columnist due to
the fact that I’m wading in murky waters;
sometime in the past between the first
week in October and the future, after
which the Presidential election on
November will be history. Since these
words were penned during the first week
of October, wish me luck. In fact, considering what’s at stake, wish all of us luck.
Despite my pessimism, my one, fervent hope is that after (or if) I awaken on
the morning of November 7, the nation
will be referring to our Democratic equivalent of Inspector Jacques Clouseau as the
former President Obama.
Quite candidly, the message about
Obama leading the polls, especially in
those important battleground states, merely confirms the elements in last month’s
column about the number of people with
their collective hands extended while seeking government handouts (down in Foggy
Bottom, they call ‘em “entitlements”) far
exceeds the number of folks who are independent, industrious and want only for the
government to leave them alone.
There are three types of voters who
will enter (or have already entered) voting
booths nationwide. The first is the socialist-style political person who believes that
s/he is entitled to money earned by others
in the interest of “fairness.” Next are the
conservatives who want government out of
their lives and are willing to work hard and
earn whatever they put in the bank at the
end of the week.
The third category consists of voters
Obama is counting on, and that is the
mushy-brained college kid, youngsters or
just plain slackers, who want only that his
tuition or day-to-day bills be covered by
the government, or anyone else for that
matter, as long as it isn’t him/her. Falling
into that same category are the folks who
are so out of touch they haven’t the foggiest idea of what is going on, and couldn’t
care less as long as they can get their daily
dose of Oprah, Jerry Springer, Dennis
Rodman (and his freak show), or the World
Wrestling Federation; then all is well with
them.
They are the people rallying around
Obama and who, when stopped on the
street, cannot identify a portrait-size photo
of the Vice President or former Speaker of
the House, Nancy (you gotta’ pass it before
you can learn what’s in it) Pelosi, or any
other prominent political figure. Not only
by Robert Brunisholz
do these “voters” walk among us today,
they often procreate. God save us.
In the meantime, Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton recently indicated
that she, and thus the President, are ready
and willing to once again confirm a proposal circulating within that useless entity
called the United Nations that would support the infamous Small Arms Treaty
which places all lawful U.S. gun owners
under regulations promulgated by UN
member nations. The impetus behind this
latest effort, believe it or not in view of the
recent Fast and Furious scandal, comes
from Mexico. And by the way, if Obama
and HRC ever pull this off, the measure
would not require a vote in the U.S.
Senate. All that would be needed is
Obama’s signature.
Obama has already endorsed the latest version of UN gun ban treaty and has
vowed to make the treaty “legally binding,” calling this latest version “a fundamental policy commitment.” Own a sporting arm such as Remington’s model 1100
shotgun? Keep watch for any strange car in
the drive. It may contain several men who
speak with foreign accents and wear blue
helmets.
But the latest which clearly demonstrates the utter contempt in which Obama
holds the citizens of this country was the
recent killings of four honorable and brave
Americans at the American embassy in
Benghazi, Libya.
Killed were two U.S. Navy Seals, an
ambassador’s aide, and Chris Stevens, the
U.S. Ambassador to Libya. Reports also
indicate Stevens was tortured and raped
before his tormentors killed him. For nearly eight days, Hillary Rodham Clinton,
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
Susan Rice, and White House spokesperson Jay Carney each denied the killings
were the work of Islamic terrorists.
Instead, they insisted the killings were the
result of a movie trailer that had Muslims
Governor’s Surf
Tournament Results
The 21st Annual Governor’s Surf
Fishing Tournament was held on Sunday,
October 7, at Island Beach State Park.
Despite a rainy forecast, 550 anglers
enjoyed a rain-free morning of fishing
where more than 130 fish were caught in
the bluefish, kingfish, and blackfish categories.
New Jersey Lieutenant Governor
Kim Guadagno and Department of
Environmental Protection Commissioner
Bob Martin were on site to greet tournament participants and to take part in the
awards ceremony.Bill Sheppard of Seaside
Park, NJ, took the grand prize and NJ
Governor’s Cup by catching a 20 3/8-inch
bluefish. Mr. Sheppard received two rodand-reel combinations, a $100 gift card to
Orvis (courtesy of World Fishing
Network), a plaque, and will have his
name engraved on the Governor’s Cup,
which is permanently on display at Island
Beach State Park.
VISIT THE FEDERATION
ON THE INTERNET AT
www.njsfsc.org
Tight Lines and
Straightaway Shots
In addition to the grand prize, 18
anglers received rod-and-reel combinations for their prize-winning fish in the
various species categories. The anglers
who caught the largest blackfish and bluefish also received a $50 gift certificate to
Orvis, also courtesy of the World Fishing
Network.
Everyone who registered for the tournament was entered into a raffle drawing,
which was held prior to the awards ceremony, and pre-registrant entrants were
entered into a raffle to win a Surf Rocket,
which is a specially designed compressedair casting cannon.
Overall fish length determined the
grand prize winner, as well as place winners for each of the species categories.
There were categories for children, teen,
and adult anglers, including sub-categories
for male and female anglers.
The event was sponsored by the NJ
Division of Fish and Wildlife and Division
of Parks and Forestry, the New Jersey State
Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, the
Jersey Coast Anglers Association, and the
New Jersey Beach Buggy Association.
More than $130,000 has been raised
since the inception of the tournament for
conservation and education projects and
improved beach access.
worldwide upset because the film insulted
the prophet Muhammad. And of course,
the mainstream press agreed.
That film may have provided a convenient excuse for some of the recent
events in the Middle East, but to put it
bluntly, Obama, HRC, Susan Rice, Jay
Carney and yes, a complicit mainstream
media fearing any negative publicity this
close to the election, just plain lied.
Anyone capable of independent thought
intuitively knew the original story had
more holes in it than Cher’s fishnet stockings. (Editor’s note: The truth of Bob’s
statements here was brought into bright
daylight during the second Presidential
debate on October 16.)
Within 24 hours of the killings, intelligence sources definitely identified the
acts as carried out by terrorists; this was
verified by Egyptian President and leader
of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed
Morsi. But for eight days, the administration continued to lie to the public and to
this date (the first week in October), mainstream wire services continued to carry
stories blaming the murders on the film.
To any past president, including former President William Clinton, the murders would have been considered an act of
war. Instead, Obama’s answer was twofold. First, try to stonewall any negative
information until after the election, and
two, the announcement by HRC indicated
the Obama administration wanted to send
Libya an additional $450 billion in aid
while calling the killings a “bump in the
road.”
And finally, here is a gun owner’s
worst nightmares come true. If Obama is
(or was) reelected, during his next four
years he will get to appoint a minimum of
three, and possibly four, U.S. Supreme
Court Justices. That ought to make one or
another of your circular muscles pucker.
What is one to do if, in my worst
nightmare, Obama is elected to a second
term? If you’re reading this prior to election night, there isn’t much we can do. I,
for one, will pull every republican lever I
can put my hot little fingers on, if only to
RESULTS
erect some sort of firewall—checks and
balances, our Founding Fathers called
them—between Obama and his desire to
transform this nation into a European-style
socialist country, and the nation’s legislators.
As it currently stands, conservatives
(or for that matter, republicans residing in
New Jersey) have virtually no voice in the
U.S. Senate since each state is limited to
only two Senate representatives. Currently
(pre-election) they are: Sen. Frank
Lautenberg, and Sen. Robert Menendez.
You can’t go farther “left” than that duo.
But Menendez has (or had, depending on when you’re reading this) some
competition from a republican by the name
of Joe Kyrillos, Jr. I don’t know a heck of
a lot about Kyrillos. He served two terms
in the state Assembly and was elected to
the state Senate in 1993 where he still
serves.
A check with the NRA’s ratings for
politicians as they apply to pro- or anti-gun
measures and their support, or lack of
same, indicates Menendez has an “F” rating. Translation: Menendez is considered
is considered an “enemy of gun owners
and second amendment rights.”
Conversely, Kyrillos has a paltry “C”
rating. Translation: Kyrillos has what the
NRA calls “not necessarily a passing
grade.” The grade simply indicates that the
candidate may “have a record or position
on guns in which he may have supported
some pro-gun measures or supported antigun or restrictive legislation in other
instances.”
Keep in mind, this column was
penned on the first week of October. If
you’re reading it prior to the election,
please keep my comments in mind, especially those concerning the U.S. Supreme
Court appointees. If you read these words
after the election, well, we can only hope it
turned out right. At my present point in
time, God only knows.
For questions or comments, Bob
Brunisholz may be reached at [email protected].
First Place - Jaden Ferry, Hamilton, NJ
17 7/8 inches
KINGFISH CATEGORY
Teen (Male)
Teen (Male)
First Place - Tyler Contento, Ewing,
NJ 13 6/8 inches
Adult (Male)
Second Place - Ryan Wojnarski, Forked
River, NJ 14 inches
First Place - Penrose Hallowell, Ottsville,
PA 14 3/8 inches
Third Place - Jeffrey Hawksworth,
Atco, NJ 17 1/4 inches
Second Place - Dylan Scholes, Toms
River, NJ 17 1/2 inches
First Place - Tyler Contento, Ewing,
NJ, 18 inches
Adult (Female)
First Place - Justin Subramanian,
Pennington, NJ 16 5/8 inches
Third Place - Nicole Kruysman,
Forked River, NJ 17 3/4 inches caught
at 9:45 am
Second Place - Terry Demiduke,
Pitman, NJ 17 3/4 inches caught at
7:05 am
First Place - Debbie Peterson, Pitman,
NJ 18 inches
Adult (Male)
Adult (Male)
Third Place - Larry Margiotta, Theills,
NY 18 1.4 inches caught at 11:48 am
Second Place - Zoltan Egyed, Trenton,
NJ 18 1/4 inches caught at 9:10 am
First Place - Robert Campi,
Flemington, NJ 19 4/8 inches
Third Place - Mark Carson, East
Stroudsburg, PA 18 6/8 inches
Second Place - Robert Mannato,
Beechwood, NJ 19 inches
BLACKFISH CATEGORY
Teen (Male)
BLUEFISH CATEGORY
Child (Male)
Third Place - Joshua Leeds,
Oceanview, NJ 16 5/8 inches
Second Place - Taylor Warwick, Toms
River, NJ 17 inches
First Place & 2012 Governor’s Cup
Winner: Bill Sheppard, Seaside Park, NJ,
20 3/8 inch bluefish
Visit http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/gsft.htm on the NJ Division of Fish
and Wildlife website for more information, including all winners since 1992,
about the Governor’s Surf Fishing
Tournament.
November 2012
NEW JERSEY FEDERATED SPORTSMEN NEWS
On The Road
by Rick Methot
SHOWTIME!
Deer Camp Follies on Tap
It’s deer season right now.
It’s on for six months of the year or
so in New Jersey, where there are 300 different seasons during which you can tag an
equal number of deer to turn into 10,000
pounds of Bambi burger and a half million
slim sticks, and tie 42,735 bucktail jigs
from the part that went over the fence last.
These numbers might be just slightly
exaggerated, so check the regs.
Men and women hunters chasing
whitetails has been going on since
September and will chug along until the
middle of February in some of the 70
zones that chop up the state into those little colored pieces of deer pie areas that
keeps at least 150 state workers who don’t
answer phones after 3 pm on Fridays in
their cushy jobs.
It’s a wonderful circle game of
Economics 101.
Even with an ever-shrinking land
base, thanks to reptilian developers, there
are still some three-quarters of a million
acres to hunt in New Jersey. Included are
70 areas of public land and five new tracts
this season. Most hunters think of Wildlife
Management Areas, but check out
National Wildlife Refuges, state parks,
municipal lands, Green Acres, and such for
a spot to sit or stalk. Do your homework
and you will, guaranteed, find a place to
hunt. There’s still time before what some
still consider the Main Event, the six-day
firearm season in December.
That season, however, may be more
of a “Glory Days” fading memory of good
times past at those palaces in the pines,
AKA deer camps. The fall archery season
accounts for the most deer tagged in the
state, tallying 28 percent of the recorded
55,404 deer dropped in the 2012-2011 seasons. Permit shotgun hunters took another
12,446 for 22 percent of the harvest. The
six-day gun hunt is good for only about 14
percent.
But you don’t hear of many guys
going to deer camp in September. Why
December?
Like Tevye sings in “Fiddler on the
Roof.” Tradition!
The “tradition” has something to do
with why the fiddler doesn’t fall off the
roof, which could be the reason most, but
not all, tree stand hunters don’t fall off the
perch.
And now on to other myths about
deer hunting.
“It’s hard.”
Give me a break. Look, to debunk
about 2,000 books and all the gibberish
and flapdoodle from outdoor columnists
on the subject, there is nothing difficult
about deer hunting. You sit in the woods,
cornfield, subdivision, or golf course and
wait for a deer to walk by and you shoot it.
Case closed, done deal, and venison in the
freezer.
You can ignore this helpful hint and
read all the gobbledygook about loads,
guns, tracking, sitting, standing, squatting,
duck walking until your eyes glaze over,
and it will take you 25 years to kill a deer,
which will waddle on by while you have
your nose in a book of instructions.
None of it matters if you’re not in the
right place at the right time. Nothing much
in life matters if you’re not in the right
place at the right time. Work on it.
Just keep in mind that “still hunting”
means you move, and on a deer “drive”
you may find yourself not moving.
The latter is a situation where you
stand, sit, squat, etc. where you’re told,
and if you move a quarter inch to port,
starboard, forward, or aft you are in the
wrong spot and missed your deer because
you didn’t follow directions. Thus, it’s all
your fault for screwing up.
If you’re a “stander” on a deer drive
you have the golden opportunity to have
deer pushed toward you by men with guns,
who can, and will, shoot at those deer…
which I hesitate to remind you are coming,
as well as a hail of lead, in your direction.
I don’t do drives anymore.
Let’s assume you have been invited,
for the first time, to deer camp for the
December hunt. Ah, snow on the ridges,
the sweet aroma of wood smoke, camaraderie, hunter’s stew on the stove, and a
hail-fellow-well-met bonding of smelly
macho men. As the Irish say, “‘Tis grand.”
Until you realize you have forgotten
to pack ear plugs, and your roommates,
this band of merry men who are sleeping
Page 11
1. All the occupants of the camp will
snore, except you.
2. The loudest will be above or below
your bunk.
3. There will be mornings when it’s colder inside the camp than outside.
4. You will run out of vodka, gin, bourbon, whisky, wine, olives, limes, lemons,
or ice on the third day of camp.
5. Somebody has to make a 40-mile round
trip to restock the booze supply.
6. You’re new in camp. Guess who that
errand boy might be?
7. Men who couldn’t slap together a
peanut butter and jelly sandwich at home
think they are gourmet chefs at camp.
8. They can’t cook at camp either.
9. Cell phones, smart phones, gizmos
named after berries or fruit, will be
banned from camp.
10. Some twit who tweets and texts will
bring a gizmo anyway that does that stupid social media stuff, and end up see it
sent skipping across a lake like a flat rock
by camp old timers.
11. The old timers will then take delight in
telling the nerd that his gadgets wouldn’t
work in camp anyway.
12. There will be a clean freak that insists
on sweeping up and doing the dishes
before heading out to deer stands.
13. Fortunately everybody ignores him.
14. Somebody will take the poker game
too seriously.
15. The guy who couldn’t care less will
win the biggest pot.
16. The camp horn dog and wild man will
know the location of a topless joint 25
miles away.
17. The place will feature six-dollar bottles of Bud, one bored dancer, and 200
hungry-eyed hunters.
18. The lucky hunter who bags a big buck
will be congratulated, but not too much.
19. The bozo that misses a monster buck
will be unmercifully ragged on, and his
shirt tails (see “tradition” above) cut off.
20. Cigarettes are pretty much over in
camp, but pipes and cigars are not.
21. The reading material for the halfmoon outdoor facilities will consist of two
five-year-old copies of The Pennsylvania
Game News and a mouse-chewed
Cabela’s catalog.
22. There will be some hunters back at
camp at 10 am on opening day for hot
soup, coffee, a shooter, and a nap.
23. By the second day some guys figure
there’s no good reason to get out of bed
when it’s still dark out.
24. Unable to stand themselves any longer
than three days and nights without a
shower, raunchy men head for home like
rats scurrying from a sinking ship.
25. But they all say they had a grand time
and vow to be back next season, God willing and the creek don’t rise.
like dead men after three hours of banging
down shots of “Old Frothingslosh,” can
make loud noises come out of both ends of
their persons. One is rather aromatic; the
other has a decibel level that will deprive
sleep.
Send In Your
Pictures!
As a public service, there are 25
truths a tyro to deer camp should know.
Check out the sidebar (above).
Need Extra Papers?
If your club, organization, or
county needs extra copies of
the Federated News for an
upcoming event or display,
please contact the Editor of this
publication
(973-533-1260;
[email protected]) AT
LEAST SIX WEEKS IN ADVANCE
of the date in question.
Assert your braggin’ rights! The
NJFSN is looking for readers’ pictures of trophy, 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.
POACHING
IS A CRIME
Events for November, 2012
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
1
Friday
2
Saturday
3
Hunter Ed., Black
River WMA,
Chester NJ
4
5
7
8
9
10
Hunter Ed.,
Northern Region
Office, Hampton NJ
12
13
14
YOU CAN HELP!
15
16
17
23
24
Round Valley Trout
Assoc. Meeting
fishrvta.com
18
25
19
26
20
27
21
28
YOU ARE
ITS VICTIM
29
Hunter Ed.,
Quinton
Sportsmens Club,
Salem NJ
30
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 10173
Trenton, NJ 08650-0173
Page 12
NEW JERSEY FEDERATED SPORTSMEN NEWS
November 2012
Please Patronize
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Get Serious about archery & take
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215-840-0655
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