Muskoka Outdoors

National Geographic’s newest TV series, Wild Justice, is the kind of show that brings an exciting mix of CSI and Miami Vice to a California wildlife and forest setting. A show that puts poacher’s on notice and documents the adventures of California Game Wardens.

Wild Justice starts in a Wednesday night time slot of 10pm on December 1, 2010. A sneak peak of two back-to-back episodes can be viewed Sunday, November 28 at 9pm.

Wild Justice Nov. 28 at 9PM on National Geographic - Photo: National Geographic

The show exposes the dangers of the warden’s job and the challenges that these heroes of our wild areas endure each day on duty.

The reality of many remote areas, in our countries, is that criminals and poachers outnumber game wardens and law enforcement. Quite often, the wardens are in locations where a quick call for back-up is not possible.

Check out the preview (below) of the upcoming episode titled, Thrill Killer.

In this episode, Warden Brian Boyd and his trainee John Fraley take an unusual approach to catching hunters suspected of trafficking bear gallbladders.

Using real bear paws to mask his tracks and a scent drag to imitate bear presence in the area, Boyd hopes to lure the hunters into a trap that will enable him to catch them red-handed.

Wild Justice (and the web previews I have seen so far) have tweaked my curiosity as a hunter and angler. I am reminded of the importance of following local hunting regulations even when it might be easy for nobody to find out about it.

It’s about integrity.

When a hunter does something illegal in the forest and nobody is around to see it – it is STILL illegal. The terms ‘hunters’ and ‘anglers’ have been tarnished because they are often used interchangeably with the despicable  term of  ’poacher’.

One reason is because of media mis-representation – either intentional or not.

The second, and most important, is that many ex-hunters and anglers have lacked the integrity to harvest fish and wildlife in the ethical and humane manner they deserve. At that moment, when laws are broken and the code is forgotten – they become poachers.

Wild Justice gets a two-thumbs up from me.

Poachers be warned.

Over halfway through 2010 and one could argue that bears are trying to destroy their teddy bear image through various bear attacks and snarling close encounters.

For or against, these occurrences have many people talking about the cancellation of Ontario’s spring bear hunt. A lost hunting opportunity that many hunters felt was politically motivated. It was a management tool that developed a healthy fear of man in bears and helped to minimize encounters like those shared in this post. It did NOT mean the end of Ontario’s bears. Nobody wanted that!

Black Bear Photo: HBarrison from Wikipedia

Those against a bear hunt are being ‘treated’ with more bear sightings, bear attacks, property damage  and other close encounters.

Anecdotally, through sources close to Muskoka Outdoors, some Huntsville residents have been having some close encounters.

One man was working outside his house when he came face to face with a bear. After repeated attempts to scare the  bear off, the man went back inside his house, with the bear following, to get his firearm. When the man exited his house with gun in hand – the bear bolted away.

In a second, different encounter, one woman returned back into her kitchen to find a bear in her kitchen. It had come in through a screen door.

Then, there was this past spring.  In less than one month, three separate aggressive bear encounters have been reported in the area of Orillia, ON. One of the attacks was nearly fatal, while the other two were ‘charges’ and acts of aggression.

Listed below are accounts of the encounters from various sources:

1. Mauling victim gives chilling account of bear attack

2. ATV rider charged by black bear

3. Woman on bike chased by black bear near Orillia, ON

Recently, there have been other bear attacks in Canada and internationally:

1. Canadian woman recounts bear attack (Montana)

2. Bear killed after biting man’s arm (Colorado)

3. Port Alberni bear attack sends two to hospital (BC)

4. Yellowstone Bear Attack KILLS Camper, Injures Two

It’s getting more difficult to buy into the ‘rarity’ of hostile bear encounters and attacks. Clean BBQ grills, bear ‘proof’ garbage containers and call lines might fool humans into a sense of safety, but ‘Smokey’ the bear’s identity is lost in the reality of the Canadian rural setting.

Live trapping bears might make sense – until they end up in your back yard or mine. If we are going continue with this tool – I hope those involved are getting DNA samples of the bears that are re-released to make sure they are not repeat offenders. It will also give human victims a means to trace who released a potential risk to back to the wild.

At some point, increasing hunting opportunities, in conjunction with a science-based management plan, will need to be considered to start minimizing risks to humans. It could be a tough pill to swallow for anti-hunting groups.

It is more heart breaking for me to see a human become a causality of the ‘business-end’ of a bear.

In a study that confirmed what many in Ontario have been saying for some time now, the Cougar (or Puma) does exist in the province.

A news report by the Ottawa Citizen states that the Ontario MNR has DNA, scat and track evidence of the stealthy cat in their labs. The article in the Ottawa paper says,

” … after an ambitious four-year study, the Ministry of Natural Resources has come to a definitive conclusion: the eastern cougar will be lumped with the sasquatch no longer. The study collected 30 pieces of evidence, including photos of tracks, samples of scat and DNA. “It verified that cougars do exist in Ontario,” said Rick Rosatte, senior research scientist with the ministry in Peterborough …” Entire Article Here

The report also referenced the ‘Cougar Cams’ that were set-up in 2009 as an initiative to capture the elusive cougar in digital pixels (refer to this blog post). No photos of the cougar have actually been captured yet. The cameras will remain in place until 2011.

For more information about the eastern cougar in Ontario, consider visiting the Ontario Puma Foundation’s website.

*Cougar photo is public domain from Wikipedia

Vote Held Despite Senator�s Attempt to Put Hold on Nomination

(Columbus) ��Tonight the U.S. Senate voted to end debate on the nomination of one of the most outspoken animal rights, anti-hunting, and anti- Second Amendment individuals to a high government position.� By a 63-35 vote, cloture was invoked and debate stopped on the nomination of Cass Sunstein to serve as the head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).

Of the 63 senators that voted in favor of Sunstein, an anti-hunter, 22 were members of the Congressional Sportsmen�s Caucus, or 42 percent.
The vote was held despite the efforts of Senator Johnny Isakson (R- GA) to place a �hold� on the nomination of Sunstein.

The U.S. Sportsmen�s Alliance (USSA) and the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) made this confirmation fight a top priority.� These efforts were also aided by many conservation groups from around the nation such as: National Shooting Sports Foundation, Masters of Foxhounds Association of North America, Fur Takers of America, National Trappers� Association, Conservation Force, Shikar Safari Club, Mule Deer Foundation, Delta Water Fowl Foundation, Pope and Young Club, Dallas Safari Club, Whitetails Unlimited, Inc., Houston Safari Club, Texas Wildlife Association, and the Wild Sheep Foundation.

The efforts of those groups and many others were instrumental in persuading Sen. Isakson to attempt placing a �hold� on Sunstein.
�We are disappointed with the outcome of tonight�s vote, especially that so many members of the Senate claiming to be pro-sportsman voted in favor of a nominee who has expressed that recreational hunting could be banned,� stated USSA President and CEO Bud Pidgeon.� �Nonetheless, the USSA and our partners had an obligation to fight this appointment. Sportsmen all across America will clearly be able to see which senators, along with Sen. Isakson, were willing to stand up for them.�

The USSA and others argued for weeks that Sunstein�s views on giving animals standing in court and banning recreational hunting would pose an intolerable threat to sportsmen given the critical position the OIRA has in the implementation of all federal rules.

Click Here�for a full list of how senators voted.

The U.S. Sportsmen�s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen�s organizations that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs.� For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen�s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.

*Press Release posted by request of U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance

A moose is caught on video learning about the common sport we like to call soccer.

This movie was emailed to me recently and it would appear that it comes from mojoflix.com. It is possible you have all seen it before, but it is the first time I have seen it.

A Wyoming man shot 3 times at an attacking grizzly and killed it – but not before he could avoid the grizzly’s fury!

The real tragedy is not that the man is in hospital and hoping to recover. It is not that the attacking bear was killed. The tragedy is that the man who was defending himself may face charges from local Fish and Game officials.

My Question: Since, when is animal life valued over human life?

One of the local newspapers that has covered the attack, Cody Enterprise, states that:

A Clark man is in the hospital with extensive injuries to his face after encountering a grizzly bear sow with three cubs Sunday afternoon. The man fired three shots at the bear with a .41 caliber revolver, killing the bear. Entire Article Here

Neighbors of the man involved in the attack, and friends of Muskoka Outdoors, have recently found out that local wildlife officials are ‘investigating’ the attack in an attempt to determine if it was ‘actually necessary’ to kill the bear during the attack.

I may not have the training to work in ‘Fish and Game’ but how daft do you have to be to even investigate this?!

I would think the fact that the man is recovering from major face and head injuries in the hospital would be more than enough evidence to prove justification of self defense!

Stacey Huston (neighbor of the attacked man) shared this with me this morning via Twitter:

“He (the victim) was very agitated last night while recovering. He was worried that he is going to be in trouble for this. He shouldn’t have to worry! If Jerry had not killed this bear, she (the sow bear) would have killed him and most likely the young man that was with him…”

Have wildlife officials been tainted by the emotional, media-hyped and ‘send-us-money because bears are cute’ philosophies of PETA and HSUS that much?

Obviously, I should not use a big brush (many wildlife officials are not like this) but this does happen – especially when talking about the ‘endangered’ grizzly bear.

Sherry Kerr, a specialist in Outdoor Marketing and Communications, told me:

“I Had a friend who killed a grizzly that shredded his tent. It fell on top of his tent when it died. The local Wildlife Agency put him through the ringer!”

It’s not like these bear attack victims were illegally hunting or provoking these endangered animals at the time. They were random, violent encounters between man and beast.

Unlike some who champion for bear and wolf rights and would like to see man ‘go down’ in these situations, I have to side with my human brothers and sisters in these kind of cases.

So should game and wildlife officials.

The grizzly bear attack victim should be able to recover without the cloud of a pending investigation waiting for him outside the hospital.

I like how Mike Huston (neighbor of bear attack victim) put it in a twitter conversation today:

Don’t get me wrong, I like ‘grizz’ in my wilderness, but they must be managed…not the Outdoorsmen.