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The Second Amendment – A Right for Everyone

2008-06-28T07:11:00.006-05:00

Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, June 28, 2008.)

For the first time, the Supreme Court has ruled
that the second amendment is an individual right.

On Thursday, June 26, the United States Supreme Court declared the most restrictive gun law in the nation unconstitutional.

Before being overturned, the Washington D.C. gun ban prohibited functioning weapons in the homes of citizens living in the nation’s capital. Citizens could lawfully possess only broken firearms or firearms rendered inoperable.

What’s a hunter’s take on this landmark decision?

Hunters are happy about the decision, but not because it preserves their right to use guns for hunting and other sporting purposes. It doesn’t. The sporting use of firearms is not a consideration in this ruling. Indeed, in Washington D.C. no land is even available for hunting.

This Supreme Court decision recognizes the right of the people -- all law-abiding people and not just hunters -- to use firearms in the defense of themselves and their security. This decision properly recognizes that the second amendment is not about hunting. It has to do with the right of the individual to self-defense.

From the text of the opinion:
“Under any of the standards of scrutiny the Court has applied to enumerated constitutional rights, this prohibition -- in the place where the importance of the lawful defense of self, family, and property is most acute -- would fail constitutional muster. Similarly, the requirement that any lawful firearm in the home be disassembled or bound by a trigger lock makes it impossible for citizens to use arms for the core lawful purpose of self-defense and is hence unconstitutional.”

The United States Supreme Court has finally said that citizens have the right to use firearms in self-defense. And for the first time, the Supreme Court has ruled that the second amendment is an individual right. That’s not just good news for hunters, it’s good news for every law-abiding citizen.

Although the second amendment is not about hunting, many politicians pander to hunters, attempting to pacify them.

Consider these words from a presidential candidate’s web site:
“Millions of hunters own and use guns each year. Millions more participate in a variety of shooting sports such as sporting clays, skeet, target and trap shooting that may not necessarily involve hunting. As a former constitutional law professor, Barack Obama believes the Second Amendment creates an individual right, and he greatly respects the constitutional rights of Americans to bear arms. He will protect the rights of hunters and other law-abiding Americans to purchase, own, transport, and use guns for the purposes of hunting and target shooting. He also believes that the right is subject to reasonable and commonsense regulation.”

If you think this statement is friendly to gun owners, read it again. It is noteworthy for what it does not say. He states only that Americans have a right to bear arms for hunting and sporting purposes, not for self-defense.

He does not say that he will protect the rights of ordinary law-abiding citizens for the purpose of self-defense. He does not say that self-defense is a legitimate purpose for gun ownership. His statement is carefully crafted to ignore the right of citizens to use firearms in self-defense.

I’d rather not use a gun in self-defense. I hope I never have to. But the D.C. law, before being overturned by the Supreme Court, would penalize any law-abiding citizen who did so. It gave confidence to law breakers that they would not suffer the consequences of an armed citizenry. The result was a high rate of crime.

Now that it is lawful for citizens of Washington D.C. to use firearms in self-defense, we can expect the rate of crime in the nation’s capital (sixth highest in the nation according to the FBI’s 2006 unified crime report) to drop, saving the lives of innocent people.

If you wonder why judicial appointments are so important, this 5-4 ruling is a good example. One vote would have tipped this decision the other way, effectively ending an essential civil right under the Constitution of the United States.

Appointments to the Supreme Court are the most important and far reaching decisions a President makes. Consider that as you decide how to cast your vote in the coming election.

The Magazines in Doctors’ Offices

2008-06-14T05:06:00.004-05:00

Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, June 14, 2008.)

“I expected to see a big whitetail
or an elk head hanging in here,” I said.

I’ve been in lots of doctors’ offices lately, and I can’t figure out why waiting rooms are not equipped with better reading material. Think about it. You open the door and cast your glazed eyes about for something to read.

You know the routine. The first magazine you focus on is a copy of an entertainment magazine – probably People, at least three months old. Of course, it doesn’t really matter that it’s three months old, because it’s only about the fluff of celebrity lifestyles – nothing that ever changes and nothing that’s important. It’s so tiresome, but it’s all presented as if it were totally new and vitally important.

I was headed for a doctor’s waiting room in Pittsburgh recently – expecting to sift through People, Woman’s Day, Redbook, Cosmo and all the rest, to find something interesting among the various fashion, food and fun magazines. Instead, what I saw was completely unexpected.

Right on top of a pile was a magazine featuring a cover photo of a black bear. It was North American Hunter, the magazine of the North American Hunting Club. Common sense whispered to me, “That’s probably a stray that will be tossed if I don’t rescue it.” I quickly grabbed it. It might be the only magazine worth reading during a long wait!

Under it was another surprise. American Rifleman. Yikes! Not just a pro-gun, pro-hunting magazine, but the actual “official organ” of the National Rifle Association!

The strangest thing? This doctor’s office treats women – women only – and here are a couple of “politically incorrect” magazines that appeal primarily to men – in a city, in a health care office, connected to a university hospital. Not a place you’d expect to be friendly to what some people call the “blood sports.”

“One of those dastardly right wingers must be dropping off magazines here. Good for him!” I thought.

There were more. And not just the mainstream outdoor rags like Field & Stream and Outdoor Life, but a lot of magazines that most of the public has never heard of.

Bugle, the bi-monthly of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, was there. And Rifle. And even Handloader magazine. As Ted Nugent might say, “You won’t see those in France!” They come from Wolfe Publishing, a company that caters to hard core riflemen and shooters who make their own ammunition.

The newest one from Wolfe’s corral was also there – Successful Hunter. Wolfe targets readers who want accurate information based on solid technical knowledge. If you see anything fluffy in their magazines, it will be in a photograph with a story that includes data about bullet weight and velocity.

Sifting through the pile, I also found The Alaska Professional Hunter. And another copy. And another. And another. It’s a quarterly that I’ve seen only in Alaska, and occasionally at sport shows where guides and outfitters are selling Alaska hunts.

Several well known magazines turned up, too, including Deer & Deer Hunting, Pennsylvania Game & Fish, and Peterson’s Hunting. And I noticed that the mailing labels were not clipped off or blackened out. My right winger theory was wrong. They had the doctor’s own name on them.

He had given me lots to read while passing the time, but too little time passed before I was invited to join my wife and the doctor in the examination room. My reading adventures were over.

After a brief medical conversation, the doctor asked me, “Do you have any questions?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I expected to see a big whitetail or an elk head hanging in here.”

He laughed. “You’re talking about the magazines in the waiting room. I keep telling my staff that it’s not my patients who spend the most time out there. It’s their husbands.”

We need a few more doctors who think like he does. I’d like to thank him for standing up for what he believes in by boldly ordering at least a dozen different magazines that appeal to his fellow hunters.

Oh yeah – and for taking such good care of my wife.

A Great One Is Gone: Dave Titus, 1910 – 2008

2008-05-31T08:34:00.003-05:00

by Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, May 31, 2008.)

We will do well never to forget him.

He’s now resting where he was born, almost 98 years ago.

In the cemetery at Barnes, PA lies a man who holds a historic place in the annals of Pennsylvania Game Commission history. Dave Titus stood tall from the time he entered the Game Commission’s first formal training class for game protectors in 1936, until he was its last surviving member. His 6’4” frame is only one reason.

To know Dave Titus was to recognize him as a man of character. That has been evident since at least 1930 when prominent Sheffield, PA citizen Byron Horton invited the 20-year-old Titus to work for him on the family homestead in Barnes. He quickly realized that Dave had talent that was needed far beyond the Horton estate.

Horton helped Dave discover his calling by pushing him to compete for one of 35 seats in Pennsylvania’s first training school for game protectors near Brockway. Forever after, Titus spoke of Byron Horton with deep gratitude and admiration.

The depression years were a difficult time to launch a career in game law enforcement. In a proud nation with few social welfare programs, many people felt their hard scrabble existence justified breaking game laws with impunity. They regarded game protectors as a nuisance, and often with contempt. They didn’t understand that the job included research, conservation and education.

Enforcement was by far the most difficult part of his job, not because he faced the everyday reality that someone might pull a gun on him, but because he often felt compassion for the people he arrested.

Being a friend of Dave Titus didn’t mean he would overlook your infraction. It meant that he would arrest you, and you’d still remain friends. He was always fair, and just.

Even the outlaw element grew to respect him. I suspect that today, the men Dave arrested who are still around would speak with pride about being arrested by the best. In his final years, Dave told me he could still remember every person he ever issued a citation to. His remarkable life was graced with an accurate memory.

This long and lanky man was also long on humility. He was not one to brandish his badge and take a hard-nosed authoritarian approach to every incident. He saw people as individuals and his insightful judgment was an enormous asset. When the long arm of Dave Titus reached out to collar a person, it was met with respect.

A call to military service interrupted his career from 1941 to 1946. His training with the Game Commission made him a natural fit in the military police. He modeled leadership and sacrifice, and ended up a captain.

Throughout his years of service as a game protector Dave almost completely sacrificed his own desire to hunt. “Before I went with the Game Commission, my brothers and I would get together and plan. That was as enjoyable as the day that followed. But as a game protector, if I came across a nice buck and would shoot that buck, I wouldn’t get any enjoyment out of it because I didn’t plan for that buck. And I never felt it would be right to compete with the hunters. I knew where the game was, including some big bucks, but during all the years I served I never once shot a deer, a turkey, a ringneck or a rabbit.”

In fact, Dave didn’t shoot his first turkey until the fall of 1972, soon after his retirement. Fittingly, it happened near Barnes in Warren County, the place where he grew up.

Dave Donachy, who now serves in the post Titus held, has always considered him an invaluable role model. Titus once confided in Donachy that he wished he had been a better game protector. Donachy says it’s hard to imagine anyone doing a better job, making greater sacrifices, or serving with deeper dedication.

Titus told me a few years ago that the training the first Game Commission school offered was solid, but added, “We were breaking new ground, and there were few role models.”

Thankfully, that’s no longer true. Dave Titus became a role model for many. He’s gone now, but we will do well never to forget him.

Press Release: Sorensen Wins Three Outdoor Writer Awards

2008-05-28T11:03:00.016-05:00

President Ron Tussel (left) of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association presents Steve Sorensen with three awards for "Excellence in Craft."

Outdoor writer Steve Sorensen picked up three awards for “Excellence in Craft” on May 17 at the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association conference in Allentown, PA. He won “Best Newspaper Column” with a piece entitled “At Last – Opening Day,” published in the Warren Times Observer, the Forest Press, and the Brookville Mirror.

He also won the “Whitetail Management Award” for an article in the July-August 2007 issue of NWPA Outdoors named “Are Antler Restrictions Working in Northwest PA?” His third award was the "Pennsylvania Deer Award" for an article in Awesome Whitetails (a special issue of North American Whitetail) entitled “The 12,000 Mile Obsession,” about a buck killed in Forest County, PA that qualified for the Boone & Crockett record book.

The annual POWA Craft Awards program honors writing, artwork and photography in several categories. Each award is judged by a different panel of judges, all independent of the POWA. “Best Newspaper Column” is sponsored by Winchester, the “Whitetail Management Award” is sponsored by Trupe's Quality Hunting and Wildlife Management of Shinglehouse, PA., and the “Pennsylvania Deer Award” is sponsored by the PA Deer Association.

POWA is the largest state outdoor writers’ organization in the nation. Sorensen has won the POWA award for "Best Newspaper Column" two of the last three years, and the Whitetail Management Award for the second consecutive year. He lives in Russell, PA, serves as pastor of Pine Grove Christian Fellowship, speaks frequently at sportsmen's banquets, and writes for a variety of regional and national magazines.

The saddest hunting story of the year

2008-05-19T17:50:00.005-05:00

by Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, Warren, PA, May 17, 2008.)

A distraught family will never recover
from a sorrow that could have been prevented.

This column may be difficult to read. A few weeks ago a Minnesota hunter made the worst mistake of his life. Thinking he saw a turkey, he shot his little boy.

Some will see this tragedy as a reason to pile on the anti-hunting bandwagon, and blame guns, hunting, and even rural American culture. But several facts have emerged that show this mistake apparently followed a series of other mistakes and choices that compound the sadness and grief of a distraught family that will never recover from a sorrow that could have been prevented.

Here’s the story. A hunter, with his 8-year-old boy accompanying him, saw some turkeys in a field and hoped to call them in for a shot. He told the boy to stay put while he moved around the field.

As the father called to the turkeys, they called back and he believed they were approaching. He heard a sound, and he saw something rise up. Seeing the roundish shape and thinking it was the tail fan of a turkey, he fired the ill-fated shot. It was his son, dressed in camouflage with a hood over his head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The mistakes are several. One mistake many will accuse the man of is not a mistake at all, nor is it illegal. It’s natural and normal for parents to take kids along when pursuing their interests. People do it all the time, and hunting is no different in that respect than sledding, fishing, or playing baseball. All are activities where tragedies have happened, yet no one suggests kids shouldn’t enjoy these activities with their parents in appropriate ways.

But the mistakes began before that. First, the dad wasn’t a legally licensed hunter. He had won a lottery entitling him to purchase a turkey permit under the Minnesota system, but failed to make the purchase.

Second, the man was apparently trespassing. The property owner had not given permission for the man to hunt there.

It gets worse. A breath test administered at the scene showed that the man had alcohol in his system. A urine test administered a few hours later confirmed it, and also showed the presence of marijuana. His truck contained several containers of beer, (most of them opened), along with a marijuana pipe. (These matters were not included in the criminal charges.)

Yet, the man made some other basic common-sense errors that led to this tragedy. One was in telling the youngster to stay put. Who can expect an 8-year-old to remain alone when the very reason for the outing is to be with his daddy? The boy should have been within arm’s reach at all times, both for the boy’s safety and so that the two could share the experience.

Another mistake was in shooting at a shape. Every spring turkey hunter knows that identifying your target is basic to the hunt. Before pulling the trigger, the hunter must see the turkey’s beard. Plenty of gobblers are called into shotgun range where the hunter sees a big, round tail fan, and the red, white and blue head of a strutting gobbler. That’s what I saw the other day but I didn’t shoot -- because without seeing a turkey’s beard, you don’t pull the trigger.

Thus far this year we can be thankful Pennsylvania’s spring gobbler season has been unmarked by tragedy. That’s especially good news because the state Game Commission recently removed the regulation requiring turkey hunters to wear fluorescent orange, a regulation that did not prove to reduce turkey hunting accidents.

Like most other sporting activities, turkey hunting is safe. It’s safer when hunters understand that the only blood alcohol content that should be tolerated is zero. It’s safer when hunters always know where their companions are. It’s safer when the hunter positively identifies his target. It’s safer when the hunter obeys all laws and regulations. It’s safer when hunters use common sense. And it’s safer when hunters commit to never taking a risk. No turkey is worth it.

Turkey Hunting – And So Much More

2008-05-03T08:43:00.009-05:00

by Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, Warren, PA, May 3, 2008.)

Some experiences are virtually
impossible to acquire except while turkey hunting.

The serious turkey hunter is a paradox. On the one hand, he’s a relic. In the words of the Merle Haggard song, he’s "a man from another time" -- a time when only a few hunters pursued wild butterballs. Back then turkeys weren’t taken seriously by many, and consequently didn’t get much pressure.

On the other hand, the turkey hunter is also a man from our time. And of course, today the hunter might be a woman. Either way, today’s turkey hunter is for sure an anomaly in a genteel, over-civilized world influenced more by legends of the urban kind than the campfire kind.

A hundred years ago market hunting had reduced wild turkey numbers to the point where they thrived only in isolated pockets, mostly in the southeastern United States.

Today turkey hunting has hit its heyday, and wily longbeards continue to survive all across the country, even though they get more pressure from expert hunters than any bootlegger ever did from snooping federal revenuers.

Yesterday turkey hunting was a pastime undertaken by loners and lovers of the sunrise. Those old-timers had an uncanny knack for bringing home this intriguing gamebird with regularity -- and an uncommon appreciation for the gifts that come with each rising sun.

Today turkey hunting is a nationwide passion among sportsmen, and turkey populations thrive. Today’s hunters treasure the same gifts yesterday’s hunters did, whether or not they attach a harvest tag to the leg of a gobbler.

Those gifts are one of the best parts of turkey hunting. Contrary to what non-hunters and anti-hunters may think, hunting is not just a blood sport. It’s also an art sport. It’s the joy of seeing each new day replicate the one before, but with something unique that makes it a new work of art freshly sculpted by our Creator.

The turkey hunter especially, an eyewitness to a thousand sunrises, has eyes to see God’s handiwork animated and interacting in ways few others are ever likely to see first hand. Disneyworld can’t compare.

The turkey hunter witnesses innumerable glories of the morning – greater treasures than he would have by lugging a longbeard home to show his friends. A close encounter with a black bear becomes part of the story. An owl flits silently by, wingtips just a foot from the hunter’s face. A bobcat spoils the hunt when the hunter is reeling in a gobbler as if on a string.

The turkey can be killed another day. Or not. It doesn’t matter, because some experiences are virtually impossible to acquire except while turkey hunting. The hunter has seen what others see only on their television sets. And he hasn’t merely seen it. He has participated in nature’s drama in a way that the non-hunter won’t and the anti-hunter can’t.

In the company of other turkey hunters, a single offhand reference to any unusual incident will prompt a dozen unique stories that won’t get stale with any number of tellings. Maybe you have to be a turkey hunter to understand.

The turkey hunter is out to do more than fill a tag. His hunt can be abundantly successful and his satisfaction real without ever pulling the trigger. The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter whether he kills a turkey. Some days he’s thankful he didn’t. He’s just glad to be out there, participating in the sights, the smells, the sounds of the springtime turkey woods.

Yes, the turkey hunter is a paradox, and more. He’s a contrarian. He’s been out of bed for hours when others are hitting snooze buttons. He shuns the light when walking in woodland darkness where others measure their comfort in candlepower.

This turkey hunter, this relic in the modern world, eats, sleeps and breathes turkeys. He climbs hills and wades streams and marches for miles and sacrifices sleep – all to get within earshot of the booming gobble of the wild turkey. In accomplishing that, he accomplishes so much more.

What’s your style for spring gobblers?

2008-04-19T08:00:00.002-05:00

by Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, Warren, PA, April 19, 2008.)

If you’re going through a dry period,
it’s time to broaden your approach.

Spring gobbler season is upon us, and it offers one of the longest seasons of the year. But many hunters enter the woods on opening day unsure of what it will take to call in an unpredictable gobbler. This year, what’s your approach?

Unpredictability is not always bad. Sometimes it works in favor of the hunter. My earliest experiences taught me that gobblers can be surprisingly easy to call in. You don’t need to be an expert caller, a seasoned woodsman, or a turkey biologist to hang those first few beards on the wall. In fact, a successful novice will often wonder why hunters think it’s so hard. After a few more turkey hunts the rookie will wonder why his luck changed.

Usually nothing has changed, and that’s the problem. The rookie got stuck on his first successful strategy. If you’re going through a dry period, it’s time to broaden your approach.

Turkey hunting strategies can be broken down to two basic styles. I call them the low-impact and the high-impact approaches. Everything else is a combination of these two.

Both approaches require you to become invisible in the woods. Begin with proper camo. Practice stealth. Be as silent as a bobcat sneaking through the woods.

Both approaches rely on woodsmanship. Being able to identify certain areas where turkeys will be comfortable is essential to success on a regular basis.

Both approaches resist the assumption that just because a gobbler is not sounding off, there is no gobbler nearby.

Other than that, the two styles differ.

The high-impact hunter is looking for a dominant breeder, and assumes the gobbler is looking for love. That dictates his approach.

He’s likely to open the hunt with shock calls – calls that trigger a vocal response from a gobbler. He might use owl calls, crow calls, hawk calls, coyote calls, even peacock calls. Any sound that penetrates the woods will often prompt the gobbler to reveal his position.

The low-impact hunter listens to the morning’s orchestra of songbirds as they awaken. Even if he doesn’t hear a gobbler, he knows that the gobbler might be as active as the conductor of the orchestra – but just as silent. The bird might not be looking for love, but will be looking for companionship, or to satisfy dominance. The gobbler might not make a sound, and that doesn’t mean he can’t be called in.

The low-impact hunter knows that loud shock calls might reach out a mile or two, and get gobblers to answer beyond the hunter’s own hearing range. If they do, he may only be helping other hunters. So, he’ll often allow the woods to awaken naturally. Our woods have plenty of owls, crows and hawks, and the low-impact hunter lets them sound off on their own.

The high-impact hunter thinks the gobbler is driven by instinct, and he’s right. That makes him an aggressive hunter. He uses all the calls and tactics in his tool box, wanting to make sure he gives the gobbler something that flips his love switch on.

The low-impact hunter also knows the gobbler is driven by instinct, but not just the mating instinct. He tries to capitalize on the gobbler’s inborn anxiety. So, the low-impact hunter hunts as though the gobbler is always on the brink of a nervous breakdown.

The high-impact hunter is an aggressive caller. He covers lots of ground and does everything he can to get a gobbler’s attention. A loud box call is his best friend. He doesn’t worry about making perfect sounds, because turkeys aren’t always good callers.

The low-impact caller also knows his calls don’t have to be contest-winning quality. He might rely more on slate calls and diaphragm calls, using them softly and sparingly.

The high-impact hunter and the low-impact hunter both carry home their share of gobblers, but most of the best hunters use both styles. The high number of hunters in the woods on weekends might dictate a low-impact hunt, but on weekdays the high-impact approach can be very productive during the first half of the season. Make it your goal this season to learn what works best for you, and when.

He Has Rambled On Ahead

2008-04-05T09:22:00.010-05:00

by Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, Warren, PA, April 5, 2008.)

He was one of the world’s best at photographing
the beauty and symmetry of individual snowflakes.

What do you say when you’ve lost a hunting partner? What do you say when it’s your brother?

I know I’m not alone. As time goes by the hunting population ages, and each day people lose more and more campmates, fishing buddies and outdoor heroes. And although brothers are irreplaceable, when they leave this world at 48 years it’s a tragedy – especially when they leave a couple of young outdoorsmen behind, ages six and nine.

Although Andy was younger than I am, I looked up to him as a big brother. Of all my siblings, he was the rambler, the one with wanderlust. When he left Pennsylvania for Alaska in 1991 he broadened my world, opening the way for me to fulfill a childhood dream of hunting Alaska. Our experiences together are today all the more valuable, and two big sets of moose antlers testify to Andy’s skills as my Alaskan guide.

When in the valley of the shadow of death, people tend to look at a person’s positive qualities and overlook his deficiencies. But also when in that sorrowful valley we realize how insignificant those faults are, and how glaring our own seem. We remember that we all have shortcomings, and we realize again what a mistake it is to hold on to our grudges.

Andy had lots of special skills, and all of them intersected with the outdoors. Through his expert photography he recorded and preserved family activities – hundreds of pictures that will become more precious as time goes by.

He was one of the world’s best – and that’s no exaggeration – at photographing the beauty and symmetry of individual snowflakes, a thousand times larger than real life. No one who sees one of these photographs can avoid a closer look. (If you want to see them, check out his gallery at www.AndySorensen.com where you can gaze to your heart’s content, and maybe even buy one.)

He was one of Anchorage’s best fishermen. All who fished this world-class urban fishery knew him and admired his ability to catch 40 to 50 pound king salmon on fly tackle. I saw him doing “the Andy run” more than once, yelling “Fish on!” as he chased a giant chromer down Ship Creek to keep it from stripping all his line. Everyone would immediately abandon the “combat fishing” mode and move aside out of respect for Andy as he fought yet another impressive king.

Some people make repeated trips to Alaska and never catch a king salmon. Thanks to Andy’s help I caught two a couple of years ago, and Dad landed one that was near 50 pounds. Andy’s son Erik, the first time he ever wet a line for king salmon, waded amidst diehard fishermen while he tossed his fly into the water and landed a nice king on his very first cast. Grown men stood with mouths agape. That could happen only to Andy’s son.

Each summer in Anchorage, there is a King Salmon Derby in Ship Creek. Lots of people thought Andy was a likely winner, but he never did win it. Last summer, however, he coached a young lady to a first-place win in the women’s division. She now brags on Andy as “The King of Kings.”

That’s a name Andy cannot accept, because he knew the one who really is the King of all earthly kings. Today, Andy has again rambled on ahead, and is now standing waist deep in a stream somewhere learning new techniques from that King while he waits for the rest of us to catch up.

Andy, with a 40-pound king salmon.

Prepare Now For Stubborn Gobblers

2008-03-15T09:40:00.004-05:00

by Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, Warren, PA, March 15, 2008.)

Even a king-size keister that rivals the size
of a hot air balloon isn’t as padded as it looks.

As I write this, it’s a little more than six short weeks until many Pennsylvania turkey hunters will be sitting, backs against trees, with a rock or root punishing their bottom sides. They’ll be wondering how long they can outlast a stubborn gobbler. It’s time to make a few decisions that will add to your stamina.

My worst case scenario was a couple of years ago. I had been working a mega-gobbler for almost 4½ hours when I chose a moment to adjust my position. Little did I know that the pigheaded gobbler was within shotgun range, screened by a patch of brush. He chose that exact moment to fly off the mountainside, and I never heard from him again.

All I was left with was the question of whether my backside would recover. My derriere hadn’t been punished that badly since Mr. Scordo gave me a whack in gym class way back in eighth grade.

It’s a wonder I didn’t get a bedsore from the ordeal. What I got was a lesson in failure. I didn’t pass the test of wills. In the four-plus hours I danced with that turkey, I could have walked home, watched Costner’s marathon movie “Dances With Wolves,” and waltzed back to continue the battle.

If you hunt turkeys enough, sooner or later you’ll have an experience like that. Hours will go by. You’ll long for the comfort of your easy chair. Now is the time to think of the things that will put you in a position to win the test of wills with a wily longbeard.

Probably the first place you’ll wish for relief is your bum, butt, or whatever you call that large muscle mass you sit on. Even a king-size keister that rivals the size of a hot air balloon isn’t as padded as it looks, and it’s likely to go numb after an hour or so. You can get a foam pad to sit on, or even a turkey vest with a drop-down seat. But these are almost nothing compared to a hunter’s seat.

BuckWing Products from Allentown, Pennsylvania makes one that will definitely keep you on your nether parts longer, and one day it will be the difference between carrying a gobbler home or not. It has folding legs that adjust to uneven terrain, keeping you above the rocks and roots, and making it easier to find a place to sit. It also keeps you off the ground, and therefore dry. And it keeps the seat of your pants from collecting dirt and depositing it on the seat of your truck.

Besides your basement, another place that can get rubbed raw is the roof of your mouth if you use a diaphragm call. Quaker Boy has solved that problem with its new “Foam Fit” series of calls. Instead of ordinary tape, these calls have a softer cushioned tape that seals against the roof of your mouth and prevents your palate from chafing.

Not many turkey hunters use a shooting stick, thinking they’re just for varmint hunters. But varmint hunters never hold the gun up for hours at a time. The right shooting sticks will do the job here, and some are inexpensive.

I’m a minimalist who tends to shun carrying extra baggage. I’m afraid I’ll leave something behind when I head to the next spot, make a tactical move on a bird, or carry a gobbler out of the woods. Too many times I have left behind decoys, box calls, and padded seats – and found things other hunters have left behind. That’s proof enough that traveling lightly has its advantages. But carrying certain comforts with you has its advantages, too.

Now is the time to consider what minor comforts will add to your stamina, and increase your odds of bagging the most obstinate gobbler. Hunting pressured gobblers requires certain sacrifices. If carrying an extra piece of equipment or two means carrying home a trophy gobbler, the sacrifice is worth it.

A Hunter’s Random Thoughts

2008-03-01T06:18:00.007-05:00

by Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, Warren, PA, March 1, 2008.)

As ethical hunters we should have a short list
of things we’ll never do, lines we’ll never cross.

It’s Spring: Deer season doesn’t seem very long ago, and now we’re thinking and planning for spring gobbler season. The turkeys are gobbling. It’s time to begin scouting. When you have a couple of hours, get out in the woods to look for those three-toed tracks. Get out early to listen for those glorious, thunderous sounds.

Shed Antler Hunting: Don’t forget the other woods-wandering early spring activity – hunting for shed antlers. It won’t be long before this snow melts, and that’s the time to look for those clues that some bucks made it through the hunting season and escaped old man winter. But, you’re not likely to find antlers if you approach it randomly, or by scouring the open woods. Deer limit their movement during winter and spend very little time in the open woods. You need to concentrate your search on bedding areas, feeding areas, and the trails between.

Holier-Than-Thou: Lots of people think of a holier-than-thou attitude and religious nuts in the same thought. But lots of non-religious people have a holier-than-thou attitude. We find it in politics all the time – and even in the politics of hunting. “You should eat everything you kill” is one example. On the surface, it sounds right. And often people hold up Native Americans as the model. It feels good to think of Native Americans in that idealistic way. But Native Americans killed lots of animals they didn’t eat – even animals that they didn’t use. Sometimes they burned the habitat to encourage new growth, increasing the food supply for their game animals. In doing that, they killed non-game animals by destroying their habitat. This is merely a fact, not a criticism. None of us eat everything we kill.

An Anti-Hunter Strategy: The “eat everything you kill” attitude sounds like it’s a pro-hunting attitude, but it isn’t based on sound game management principles. It fails to recognize that the role of hunters is to be stewards of all wildlife – both game and non-game species. It actually divides sportsmen. It allows a few of us to feel righteous while anti-hunters attack us on the flank. And it's part of the anti-hunter divide and conquer strategy.

Hunting Is a Paradox: People have a hard time with the idea of paradox, and lots of wrong thinking results from trying to resolve paradoxes. Hunting is a paradox. Call it a blood sport if you want. Someone has said that hunting would just be hiking without the killing. Yes, it’s about killing, but it’s also not about killing. I’ve hunted plenty of days without killing, and I wasn’t just hiking. On almost every one of those days, the hunting was worth it. On many of those days, I’ve even been glad I didn’t kill something. If hunting is nothing more than primitive bloodlust, how do you explain that?

The Orange Rule: Since 1993, spring gobbler hunters in Pennsylvania have had to wear "A hat containing a minimum of 100 square inches of solid fluorescent orange material, visible 360 degrees,… at all times when moving." That rule was recently lifted by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Members of the PGC were reluctant to make the change, but Pennsylvania was the only state with that rule and we had no clear evidence that the rule added to our safety. Bear in mind that the PGC took a risk in making this change. The risk is that if hunters get careless and accidental shooting incidents increase, we have only ourselves to blame.

Never, Ever: To those who say, “Never say never,” I say “Hogwash.” As ethical hunters we should have a short list of things we’ll never do, lines we’ll never cross. And at the top of that list should be five short, simple words: NEVER TAKE A RISKY SHOT. Never. Ever. Not one.

Say ‘Yes’ to a hunting license fee increase

2008-02-16T06:36:00.002-05:00

by Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, Warren, PA, Feb. 16, 2008.)

The PGC has no taxing authority.
It has no line item in the state budget.
And it can’t run at a deficit.

I hate to say this, but it’s time the Pennsylvania Game Commission be permitted to raise license fees.

I know that lots of hunters will disagree with me. They will say a higher price will mean fewer licenses sold. They’re probably right. They will say fewer licenses sold will mean fewer hunters and fewer hunters will have a weaker voice in game management, gun and hunting rights issues. They have a good point.

Many people may not realize that the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s principle source of funding comes from the hunters who buy licenses. That means that aside from unstable timber and mineral revenues, hunters are paying all the bills. We have not had a license increase in nine years, and the costs of running a game management program continue to rise.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission was chartered in 1895 to remain independent of the state legislature, and as such it cannot run as a government. It has no taxing authority. It has no line item in the state budget. And it can’t run at a deficit.

Like a business, it depends on its customers for revenue. But unlike a business, it can’t raise and lower prices, nor are prices dependent upon the market. The state legislature must approve any license increase proposed by the PGC. Saying “No” is an easy, cost-free, high-visibility way for state legislators to look good while they do wrong.

Being saddled to the state legislature has a benefit. The PGC has no owner. It has no trustees. It has no shareholders. Without these, it would have no fiscal accountability. That’s the role the legislature plays.

Getting politicians to cooperate is time-consuming, so the lag between asking for and getting an increase creates a cumbersome situation. First, one of them must be willing to sponsor the legislation. Then they drag their feet, debate, pander and strike deals – always under pressure from voters – while PGC work goes on and PGC costs continue to rise.

Lots of deer hunters will no doubt think that the PGC has mismanaged the deer program and will say that it should be left to lie in the bed it has made. They might even say that the PGC has failed in its responsibilities. But its charter makes it responsible not just for deer, not just for game animals, but for about 400 wildlife species in the state, even if they’re not game animals. The PGC fails when any species suffers.

The PGC gets pressure from everyone – not just hunters – and there is no way to please everyone. Even the state Supreme Court has gotten into the act, now insisting that the PGC manage wild hogs that have escaped from private owners.

Some people will say that the PGC should cut out waste before asking for an increase – not realizing that the PGC has been in a stringent cost-containment program since 2006 when the legislature most recently failed to act on an increase. It sent lots of people into retirement back then, and many critical jobs have not been filled.

Some hunters will say that the PGC has destroyed small game hunting. Quality small game hunting is available on the land the PGC manages, but it cannot manage private property. Responsibility for the loss of small game habitat cannot be laid on the doorstep of the PGC.

I remember when the $5 I could get for a deer hide was enough to pay for my license. Some hunters might see that as evidence that higher license fees are a sign that hunting is becoming a rich man’s sport. But license fees have a lot less to do with that than limited access to land and the other costs that go into hunting. Comparisons are hard to make, but even with a fee increase (which would be only the second increase in 23 years), the cost of a license in Pennsylvania will be a bargain when compared to other states.

The reality is that the Game Commission has created more opportunities for today’s hunters than any hunters who have gone before. Without proper funding of the PGC, we risk someday looking back on these days as the good old days.

The New License System is Finally Here

2008-02-02T08:55:00.000-05:00

by Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, Warren, PA, Feb. 2, 2008.)

If you are not tech-savvy, don’t worry. You won’t have
to struggle through a difficult self-service computer system.

At last. The “point-of-sale” system for buying hunting licenses will arrive in time for the 2008-2009 license year.

Pennsylvania sportsmen are finally entering the electronic age as the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission replace their respective paper-based licensing systems with a common computer-based automated system.

If you are not tech-savvy, don’t worry. You won’t have to struggle through a difficult self-service computer system. And you won’t have to stand before the issuing agent and answer a load of questions about yourself.

When you stop into a store to buy your hunting license, you’ll just swipe your driver’s license through a magnetic reader – similar to the credit card reader at most store checkouts. (Obviously there will be a little more to it if you don’t have a driver’s license.)

The agent will then offer you the opportunity to confirm current personal data (such as name, address and date of birth), make corrections, choose your licenses and stamps, and make the payment. Everything (including harvest tags) will be printed on waterproof, tear-resistant material.

Once you buy your first license under the new system, all the personal data the licensing agent asks for will be in the system, eliminating the tedium of answering personal questions about your height, body weight and eye color.

With this streamlined system you’ll always receive the same license number, just as you do with your driver’s license. Once you’ve purchased a license under the new system, you’ll no longer have to give your social security number to the agent. And hunters will now have the option of submitting big game harvest reports using the Internet.

The benefits are not only to the hunter. The licensing agents and the Commission will enjoy some pluses. Auditing and reporting information to Harrisburg will no longer be a manual process for agents. The Commission will gain easier access to demographic information about who is buying licenses – including age, gender, dates of purchase and other data.

Knowing who is buying licenses and when they buy them are important to the Commission’s ability to market its services – and might help stem the downward trend in license sales.

Although antlerless licenses can’t at the present time be included in the point-of-sale system (because state law prevents it), a hunter will now be able to mail an antlerless application to any county treasurer – regardless of the Wildlife Management Unit he or she plans to hunt in.

The new system will eliminate the task of resubmitting antlerless deer license applications for second and third choices of Wildlife Management Units. The hunter will indicate first, second and third preferences on the first application.

Be warned that antlerless application deadlines will be earlier – the first round deadline will be the third Monday in July. Check your Hunting and Trapping Digest for the complete timeline.

One more thing the PGC should do: eliminate the back-tag and allow the hunter to carry his license in a wallet. At least three times, I’ve lost my license when my holder tore or became unpinned from my jacket. Each time I was lucky enough to find it. Once, I was walking across a field with my back to the wind, and someone’s license came blowing by me. I ran to pick it up and discovered that it was mine. Good thing the wind wasn’t blowing another direction.

That proves first, that sitting with my back to a tree calling a turkey is hard on my license holder. Second, that duct tape is one of the hunter’s best friends. And third, that sometimes hunters need to be lucky.

Speaking of luck, realism says this system will probably need a little luck to iron out any wrinkles. Optimism says this new system is sure to be better than the old one. If you have difficulty the first time, exercise some of the patience that hunters and fishermen are famous for.

Outdoor Shows: A Sure Cure for Cabin Fever

2008-01-19T07:09:00.000-05:00

by Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, Warren, PA, Jan. 19, 2008.)

Offset Groundhog Day pessimism by heading
for one of our area outdoor shows.

In a couple of weeks Punxsutawney Phil will probably forecast that old man winter isn’t ready to release his wintry grip. You’ll then be wondering how to cope with that dreaded disease of cabin fever, and what medicine that will break that fever. You could go ice fishing, snowmobiling, skiing or coyote hunting, but if those activities don’t appeal to you, what then?

You can offset Groundhog Day pessimism by heading for one of our area outdoor shows. The shows may not bring an end to winter, but seeing the latest hunting and fishing equipment, talking to outfitters, looking at the taxidermy they have on display, telling stories and debating the finer points of hunting and fishing can be a day well spent.

Here in northwest Pennsylvania we have lots of good options in sport shows. An easy drive will take you to some of the nation’s top shows where you can attend seminars to improve your hunting and fishing skills, get some good deals on new outdoor products, and meet professional guides promoting their trips. So mark your calendar, grab a friend and go.

Sport shows are a great place to begin investigating options for that hunting or fishing trip you dream of. Yes, guides and outfitters are there to promote their services, but they know the public relations game is also important. The small price of admission buys their time.

Even if a trip isn’t in your immediate future, it’s never too early to begin meeting outfitters and collecting their brochures. By eavesdropping on the questions other people ask, you'll pick up tips on what to ask when you get serious about planning your own trip, and you’ll develop realistic expectations.

National conservation organizations such as Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited and the National Wild Turkey Federation often set up booths at outdoor shows. They’re explaining their goals and signing up new members. You can also get better acquainted with state and regional organizations. Consider joining one or two that align with your personal interests.

This is a good time to add to your inventory of hunting, fishing and camping equipment. Representatives from some of the biggest manufacturer's, plus smaller creative entrepreneurs, are there to demonstrate their products. You can see, hear, touch (and sometimes smell) their wares. The latest camo, game callers, bows, rods, reels and scents are plentiful at the shows. Take along a backpack or shoulder bag – and a little cash to spend on things to put in it.

The closest shows are the Erie Sport & Travel Expo, February 29 through March 2 at Erie’s new Bayfront Convention Center, and the Western New York Sport & Travel Expo, March 6-9 at the Hamburg Fairgrounds just south of Buffalo. Besides outfitters from all over the world, both of these shows feature Musky Hunter Magazine field editor Larry Jones, plus duck and goose calling contests, buck scoring and lots of activities for kids. In addition, you can attend seminars on fishing, in-line muzzleloaders, and shed antler hunting.

Also nearby is the Kinzua Outdoor and Travel Show at the Bradford Mall, February 22-23. As small shows go, this is a good one. Also within easy driving distance are the Allegheny Sport, Travel & Outdoor Show February 13-17 at Pittsburgh's ExpoMart, and the Cleveland Sport, Travel & Outdoor Show March 12-16 at the I-X Center near the Cleveland Airport. These shows always have plenty of exhibitors and outstanding seminars.

If you want to immerse yourself in the largest show of its kind anywhere in North America, it’s the Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show February 2-10 at the State Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This huge 9-day show draws about a million people and features enough exhibitors, contests and auctions, clinics and seminars, plus activities for children, to keep you busy for a couple of days.

Mid-winter sportsman's shows are cabin fever fests for the entire family – and a sure way to chase away the winter blues while you wait for the spring turkey and trout openers.

Where are the 'Booners'?

2008-01-05T08:49:00.000-05:00

by Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, Warren, PA, Jan. 05, 2008.)

It takes a cagey whitetail to stay alive
for 3½ or 4½ years in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania’s current deer program has encouraged high expectations. As a result, conversations at sporting goods counters, gun clubs, and Internet message boards sometimes turn to the question of whether Pennsylvania can become a “Booner” state.

Will Pennsylvania -- like Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and others -- regularly produce whitetails with antlers big enough to qualify for the Boone and Crockett record book?

Don’t get your hopes up. Currently Pennsylvania ranks low (about 33rd) in the number of bucks entered in the B & C book. Many factors come into play, including season length and timing, number of hunters and state game regulations.

But if you doubt that Pennsylvania deer have the genetics to produce record book antlers, take a look at areas such as Allegheny County. That area has long been producing big bucks largely because limited access to huntable land keeps bucks safe long enough for them to reach maturity.

Another place to look for a glimpse of the genetic antler capability of Pennsylvania bucks is photos of deer that old-timers killed before World War II, and before the hunting population took a sharp turn upward. A few old books show pictures of deer racks that will make drool dribble down the chins of most hunters today.

Those ancestors of today’s deer had two advantages. (1) They lived in an era when comparatively few hunters pursued them, not the million hunters we have today. And (2) the forested areas of the state were more remote, giving bucks room to escape and places to live to old age.

Our deer may not have the very best in antler genetics, but evidence shows that the genetics in Pennsylvania are strong. Still, when you see large antlers, and when you see small antlers, it’s more likely a reflection of the deer’s age than his genetics. A buck’s genes are built in at conception. As a spindly yearling and at 5½ years, his genes are the same. Age and nutrition are what allow him to show his stuff.

Genetics are what they are, and the Game Commission cannot control genetics. But even with good antler genetics, Boone and Crockett bucks will never be common in Pennsylvania. Why?

First, even in the best “trophy” states, most bucks don’t achieve the potential of their genetic endowment. So hunters in those states are not killing as many record book bucks as a glance through hunting magazines might lead you to believe.

In American states and Canadian provinces known for producing record whitetail racks, realistic trophy hunters are happy with far less. To hunt in Saskatchewan, home of the world record typical whitetail (with 213-inch antlers), hunters spend several thousand dollars every year. They bring home impressive140-inch bucks, but that’s still 30 inches shy of what it takes to score the Boone and Crockett minimum for typical whitetails.

The second reason B & C bucks will never be common here is hunting pressure. Serious hunters hunt Pennsylvania hard, and some consistently kill 3½ and 4½ year old deer with very good racks. They’re representative of adult bucks from most places where deer have to face the rigors of a wild existence with food supplies that are unreliable.

It takes a cagey whitetail to stay alive for 3½ or 4½ years in Pennsylvania. A buck with three years of experience is much harder to kill (or even to get a look at) than a 1½ year old. A buck usually can’t produce its largest rack until he is at least 5½ years old, and a 5½ year old buck is ancient in this state.

Under today’s antler restriction policy Pennsylvania will not become a “Booner” state. But -- a few more B & C bucks will show up where they haven’t been seen in modern times. It has already happened. In 2005 a skilled hunter named Jim Riggle killed the first ever B & C buck to come out of Forest County -- a 189 4/8" non-typical -- but that doesn’t make Forest County a “Booner” county.

Will you or I ever get a Booner in Pennsylvania? Not likely. But the everyday hunter who hunts hard and smart now has a real chance of getting a few 120" bucks (nothing to turn your nose up at), and maybe a 130", a 140" or even bigger. That’s a far cry from Booner standards, but a dandy buck anywhere.

The Second Amendment – Not Just For Hunters

2007-12-22T07:57:00.000-05:00

by Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, Warren, PA, Dec. 22, 2007.)

Hunters are only a fraction of the complete set of people
who benefit from the right to bear arms.

A mistaken assumption is floating around America -- that the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States relates to hunting.

The Second Amendment says nothing about hunting.

Of course, hunters are huge beneficiaries of the right to keep and bear arms. Without the Second Amendment, widespread hunting would not be possible. But hunters are only a fraction of the complete set of people who benefit -- the entire United States population.

Gun grabbers tell hunters not to worry about gun regulations. “We’ll leave hunting guns alone,” they say. “We only want reasonable restrictions on handguns and military style weapons -- the kinds of guns most commonly used in crimes.” Don’t believe it.

The fact is that the weapons the gun grabbers want to outlaw are functionally identical to the ones millions of hunters use, along with countless other weapons people use to resist crime. For example, when laws against sinister-looking semi-automatics are proposed, the description of those guns includes the guns that the majority of bird hunters and trap shooters use, and guns that law-abiding people use for self-defense.

That’s because semi-automatic firearms, whether rifles, handguns, or shotguns, all use excess gas from burning gunpowder to cycle the gun’s action. The pressure of the gas ejects a spent cartridge and positions a new round ready to fire at the next pull of the trigger. It doesn’t matter whether one gun has an ugly black synthetic stock and another has beautifully figured walnut.

Don’t be confused that outlawing such guns is the same as prohibiting them. Outlaw them and you’ll get citizens who want to obey the law to relinquish them, but you will not prohibit people with criminal intent from acquiring them and using them. And they’re more likely to use them against unarmed innocents.

That was amply illustrated two weeks ago when a man, bent on mass killing, entered a Colorado Christian mission organization that he had a beef with and killed two innocent people. He then drove to a church in a neighboring town and entered the church with weapon drawn, backed up by as many as 1000 rounds of ammunition.

Fortunately, unlike schools, post offices, hospitals, many office buildings and other commercial establishments, that church was not declared a gun-free zone. And fortunately, someone was there who carried a handgun for self-defense. A responsible gun owner named Jeanne Assam courageously fired her personal weapon and ended the carnage after just two people were killed.

Had bad laws prevented Jeanne Assam from carrying her weapon, many more would undoubtedly have died. Instead, the killer’s life was ended before he could accomplish all he had set out to do.

Back in 1991 a bad law did enable a gunman to murder 23 people at Luby’s Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas. The killer crashed his truck through the window of the restaurant where 80 patrons were enjoying lunch. In addition to the 23 he executed, he wounded at least 20 more before being cornered and committing suicide.

One of the patrons of the restaurant was Suzanne Gratia Hupp, a citizen gun owner who was prohibited by law from carrying her gun inside. Both her parents were among the dead. Had she, or anyone else, been legally permitted to carry a weapon, 80 law-abiding citizens eating a peaceful meal at Luby’s would have been much safer. Instead, Luby’s didn’t turn out to be gun-free at all -- it turned out to be a victim disarmament zone.

Until the massacre of 32 people earlier this year at Virginia Tech University (another victim disarmament zone), the Luby’s incident was the deadliest mass shooting by a lone criminal gunman in United States history.

The lesson of Luby’s, Virginia Tech and the Colorado church should be obvious. As long as criminals believe that good people are not likely to be armed, those people are not safe. We need fewer victim disarmament zones, and more responsible citizens like Jeanne Assam who are willing to stand between criminals and their targets.

Gun free zones are a failed policy. Luby’s Cafeteria, Columbine, Virginia Tech and a long list of places became sites of horrendous tragedy because killers could be confident that no one would fight back.

It’s time Americans learn that the Second Amendment is not just for hunters. It’s for all of us.

What About That White Bear Cub?

2007-12-08T06:02:00.000-05:00

by Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, Warren, PA, Dec. 8, 2007.)

Mother Nature is not kind to her defective children.

It was white. It was small. And people got mad.

A bear hunter killed an albino cub during Pennsylvania’s three-day bear season in November, and made national news. It seems that everyone has an opinion. So do I. But first, a nutshell history of Pennsylvania’s black bears.

Most people do not know that management of black bears in Pennsylvania is a huge success story. Pennsylvania bear biologists really know what they’re doing. It hasn’t always been that way.

Until the mid 1970’s little was known about the state’s black bears. Even a reliable population estimate was lacking. A dwindling bear population caused the Pennsylvania Game Commission to close bear season in 1977 and 1978. Through an intensive research program involving trapping and tagging we learned that Pennsylvania bears grow faster, get larger, and reproduce more prolifically than black bears anywhere else in the world.

Before Pennsylvania’s thorough research into its bear population, killing cubs was illegal. For enforcement purposes, cubs were defined as bears weighing less than 100 pounds.

That presented a problem because the size of bears is notoriously difficult to judge. Hunters, even experienced hunters, have difficulty. Besides that, check stations set up for the purpose of gathering data and certifying harvest numbers would see 90-pound adult sows, and 110-pound cubs. Obviously, the size restriction didn’t protect all cubs and didn’t make all adults legal targets.

So once the bear population rebounded, bear cubs became legal targets in Pennsylvania, and there is a reason why. The research taught Pennsylvania’s bear biologists that, with a relatively mild climate (compared to northern Canada and Alaska) and an absence of natural predators on bears (no wolves, no grizzlies, no cougars), bear cubs do just fine if their mother is killed in hunting season. So, with Pennsylvania’s high reproduction rates and a rapidly increasing bear population, the size restriction was removed.

Now, a hunter has killed an albino cub, and he has been castigated in the press. He has been called every name you can think of for doing something that is legal. Some people think it’s unethical. Some want it to be made illegal. And some think all albinos should be protected simply because they are rare.

Would I have killed the albino cub? No, but that doesn’t make me more righteous than a hunter who did. I’d rather not kill any cub, albino or not.

But the fact that it was an albino should not make this cub a poster bear for people who are against hunting bears, nor should it put pressure on the hunter to feel remorse or the PGC to change the rules.

Albinism is, genetically speaking, a birth defect. That’s why it’s rare. Usually, with albinism come other disabilities. Often albinos are cursed with poor eyesight. Most albinos do not survive long because Mother Nature is not kind to her defective children. They’re supposed to be rare, the rarer the better. It’s called survival of the fittest.

So the fact that albinos are rare is no reason to protect them. In fact, it’s fair to say that Mother Nature wants them dead.

Another genetic abnormality even less common than albinism is melanism. While albinism is the absence of skin pigmentation, melanism is its opposite -- the abnormal presence or overabundance of black skin pigmentation.

Of course, in some animals melanism is common enough to be normal. Black bears and black squirrels come to mind. But occasionally black deer have been killed, and although they are far rarer than albino deer, no one suggests they should be protected for their rarity.

So, what do I think about the killing of an albino bear cub? I wish it would not have happened, but I do not think it is unethical. Nor do I think it should be illegal. I just think that bear cubs, and young animals of every hue, should have the chance to grow up -- even if it’s not a good chance.

What’s my solution? If it were enforceable, I’d like to see killing of multiple bears from the same group made illegal. That way, a mother could be taken and her cubs might grow up. But then, I’m not smarter than the average bear biologist.

At Last -- Opening Day

2007-11-24T08:34:00.002-05:00

by Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, Warren, PA, Nov. 24, 2007.)

I’ll be back to “sivilization” all too soon.

Opening day. Nothing is like it. It holds the anticipation of Christmas morning, the exhilaration of a new car, and the excitement of a championship game. It almost feels like we should have a locker room pep talk. But no one needs it. Or we give it to ourselves.

It’s not the same on the eve of the archery opener, or the early muzzleloading week, or spring gobbler season. Deer season is different. I can’t explain it.

On the Sunday night after Thanksgiving almost a million hunters experience it. Ever since I was 12 years old, I’ve had trouble sleeping on that night. Mom said to get to bed early, but it was useless. I’d just lie awake. Still do.

No matter what time I go to bed, I won’t go to sleep before 1:00 AM. A variety of scenarios unfold in my mind. Where am I planning to go? What’s my back-up location? What will the wind be like? Will it rain? Will it snow? Is all my gear ready? Have I forgotten anything?

Rifle has been sighted in. Ammo is ready. Knife is sharpened. Clothing is washed and aired out. Lunch, snacks and thermos are ready. Scouting is over. It’s game time.

Depending on where I plan to go, my alarm rings between 3:30 and 4:30. I want my morning preparation to be unhurried. I go outside to get the Times Observer. No matter how early the hour, the newspaper is already here. The paper carrier must have deer hunting rituals, too.

Back in 1979 I was sitting in a pediatrician’s waiting room at an appointment for my newborn daughter, reading a recent copy of Sports Illustrated. It featured an article on Pennsylvania’s opening day of deer season. The writer said it’s the single biggest participatory sporting event anywhere. It brings out more people to engage in the same sport at the same time than any other sporting event in the world.

People from outside Pennsylvania don’t understand it. Neither do a good many non-hunters inside Pennsylvania. Deer are big business here. Schools are closed. Businesses run skeleton crews. Diners, hotels, filling stations, and lots of other establishments ring up the healthiest sales of the year. Kids home from college put off returning until they’ve hunted at least half the day.

Pennsylvanians are serious about their deer hunting, so it’s no wonder they have strong feelings about the state’s deer management policies. Opinions aren’t always driven by science, and one hunter’s common sense views often conflict with another’s. But inside every orange-hatted head are firmly held convictions.

Deer hunting is an egalitarian sport. Always has been. Everyone can get into the act, everyone has a stake, everyone can succeed, everyone has something to say, and everyone has treasured memories.

Most hunters killed their first buck as a youth. It was a rite of passage, a milestone infused with the emotions of family camaraderie. That buck initiates the hunter into the world’s biggest and closest knit fraternity -- the international brotherhood of deer hunters.

Amidst the excitement and anticipation, it’s easy to misplace your priorities. Getting a buck isn’t the most important thing in the world. As you get older, the antlers, the deer heads, the photographs -- they’re symbols of something greater. They take me where I can find solitude. Where I can think. Where I can breathe free. Where I can actually interact with truly wild animals. Where I can appreciate what no one ever finds in a shopping mall, under a Christmas tree, or inside the walls of civilization.

On opening day, more than any other, I feel like that quintessentially American character Huck Finn. “But I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she's going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can't stand it. I been there before.” But there’s one difference between Huck and me. I’ll be back to “sivilization” all too soon.

Bigfoot? Or Richard Nixon?

2007-11-10T07:46:00.000-05:00

by Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, Warren, PA, Nov. 10, 2007.)

What would a teenage Bigfoot be doing
cavorting with a couple of bear cubs?
The answer is obvious.

Yup, it’s weird. The idea that “Bigfoot” is alive and well in the Allegheny National Forest has been gaining credibility, thanks to a photograph from a hunter’s trail camera.

Part of me wants to believe it. Confirming the existence of a large primate in our local area would be very cool indeed. It could give our economy a huge boost. But part of me thinks it’s kooky.

The photograph exists. And lots of amateur cryptozoologists think the camera has captured a photo of a real live Bigfoot. What’s a “cryptozoologist”? The word comes from the word “crypto” -- which means “hidden” (as in the word “cryptic”), and “zoologist,” a person who studies animals.

The trail camera, triggered by movement in its field of view, actually took a sequence of at least three photos somewhere in the general vicinity of Ridgway, PA on the night of September 16, 2007. The three photographs are time-stamped: 20:04:23, 20:32:05, and 20:32:41. That means more than 27 minutes elapsed between the first and second, and only 36 seconds between the second and third.

That raises a number of questions. Why the significant time period between the first and second photographs? Are there other photographs in that 27-minute gap that were not made public? Do those photographs offer any clarification? Or is that time period as empty as the 18-minute gap in the famed Watergate tape?

The first photograph clearly shows two bear cubs. One is in front of a tree where the alleged Bigfoot shows up in the second and third photos. The second and third photos show “Bigfoot” in front of the tree and a black form, presumably one of the cubs, at a mineral block positioned to attract deer to the camera. “Bigfoot” is in a bit of a contorted posture in the third photo, which adds to the mystery.

With the presence of two black bear cubs, I have to ask, “Where’s Momma?” Why would a Bigfoot be in the same photo as a bear cub, without the mother bear being troubled about it? And why would the bear cubs not seem in any hurry to leave? Why didn’t they at least climb a tree?

Some have suggested that this is a juvenile Bigfoot. What would a teenage Bigfoot be doing cavorting with a couple of bear cubs? The answer is obvious. Based on the evidence I see, here’s my theory:

The photographs show a teenage Bigfoot hired to baby-sit a couple of bear cubs while Momma is out carousing, probably dumpster diving on Boot Jack Hill just south of Ridgway. Why is the Bigfoot in a contorted posture? It’s a good babysitter -- it’s probably trying to engage the little ones in a game. I think they're playing "Twister". I’m surprised no one has figured this out!

Seriously, I’m no cryptozoologist, not even an amateur one, but I doubt that Bigfoot exists -- especially in the Allegheny National Forest. I say the animal in question is the mother bear. I’d like it to be Bigfoot, but there’s probably just as much chance that a remnant colony of Seneca Indians is living in a longhouse in some remote part of the Allegheny National Forest.

Why not go with the simplest explanation, the one that seems most likely, based on whatever scant evidence there is?

If I was the hunter who owns the photos, and I really believed it was Bigfoot, I’d get a team of scientists to scour that spot for tracks, hair, droppings -- any material bearing DNA evidence. And I’d go beyond the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society. (Yes, that actually exists.) I’d get the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization to ante up the money to do DNA analysis. That’s what they’re about.

I’m not mocking Bigfoot believers. My questions are legitimate. I hope Bigfoot exists. Rumors have abounded for centuries, and the natural world has many undiscovered secrets.

I’m only wondering why Bigfoot, if he exists in Pennsylvania, has never left any clear tracks, has never been hit by a car, has never been shot by a hunter in mistake for a bear, has never shown up in a clear photograph, or has never made a conclusive appearance outside the pages of a supermarket tabloid.

If I’m wrong, then maybe Richard Nixon had something to do with that 27-minute gap.

Lonely Turkeys and Loner Gobblers

2007-10-27T05:13:00.000-05:00

by Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, Warren, PA, Oct. 27, 2007.)

Adult gobblers are never afraid to be alone.

When the time comes to hunt fall turkeys, sometimes we hunt lonely birds and sometimes we hunt loner birds. There’s a big difference.

It’s almost as though the wild turkey is two species. Genetically they are identical. They both occupy the same habitat, but they have little to do with each other. Father gobbler played his essential role in the spring, but once the courtship ritual is finished Dad goes off with his buddies. Mother hen incubates the eggs, protects the brood, and teaches her poults how to survive.

And they survive very well because nature’s plan for prey species depends on abundance. Although coyotes, foxes, bobcats, crows, hawks and owls have had no pity, more than enough still remain for us human predators. And when we’re finished, plenty will be left to survive the challenge of winter and begin the cycle again next spring.

Most of the turkeys harvested in their first year will come from family flocks. Some will fall to the teeth and claws of full time predators, others to the hands of hunters. From a human perspective, it’s sad that birds barely six months old are the first to die. We wouldn’t tolerate that in our species. But from the perspective of nature, the population dynamic of prey species is designed so that lots of individuals die young.

These juvenile birds have lived their short lives in a family unit. They’ve done all the bickering that is normal and universal among brothers and sisters, but despite sibling rivalry they love being together.

That’s what makes fall turkey hunting easy. The hard part is finding a family flock, but once the hunter has found a flock he can put the odds in his favor by scattering it to the four points of the compass.

That method is counterintuitive. You’d think that we would not want to scare our prey. We don’t do that with deer, bears, predators or small game. But we do it with young turkeys because they will overcome being desperately scared by their even more desperate urgency to get back together.

The main reason that the young of the year are most vulnerable is that they follow the adage that “birds of a feather flock together.” They know there is safety in numbers. What they don’t know is that in the process of assembling those numbers there is no safety.

Very quickly after being separated, young turkeys will get lonesome. Calling them back is usually easy early in the season. The more thoroughly they disperse, the easier they are to call. Imitating the frantic “kee-kee” sound of a young turkey will get a ready response. It may take only minutes to convince them that you’re one of their kind.

Loner gobblers, on the other hand, are not lonesome. They are a whole different story. Maybe when they were young they were the slowest to regroup with their flocks. Maybe they were the strongest, flew the farthest from danger, and took the longest to return. Maybe by nature they were the most suspicious and least trusting. Maybe by personality they were hermits.

Whatever the reason, adult gobblers are never afraid to be alone. They’re notoriously challenging to call to the shotgun in the fall. By the time they’re two and a half years old they have earned a master’s degree from Survival University – with highest honors.

I’m sure the biggest adult gobbler I ever called in during the fall season had a Ph.D. He refused to be easily convinced that he heard another turkey. I watched him stand statue-still, determined not to commit himself. I would have been a minor challenge for him, giving up after 15 minutes, if I had I not been able to see his red head sticking up from behind a stump. At the half-hour mark I was wondering how many unseen fall gobblers have easily outlasted me over the years. During the standoff I could have made many mistakes. Finally, after forty-five minutes, he took that fatal step.

Lonely fall turkeys offer lots of fun. Loner fall gobblers present an extraordinary challenge. Whichever you hunt, make sure that getting a shot at a fall turkey takes a back seat to safety. Make sure you positively identify your target. Make sure you know what is beyond your target. If you don’t, you may make the one mistake that will change hunting for you, and for someone else, forever.

Give Muzzleloading a Try

2007-10-13T06:55:00.000-05:00

by Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, Warren, PA, Oct. 13, 2007.)

Deer are shifting from the salad bar to the meat buffet,
so don’t expect them to be where you saw them a few weeks ago.

351 days – I counted them. As a 12-year old it was a long, long time for me to wait from the end of my first deer season to the beginning of my second.

We don’t have to wait so long any more. We might still count the days, but with all the deer hunting opportunities we have, we don’t have to wait 351 days.

Already, archery season has been open for two weeks. And today marks the opening of a special week-long season we didn’t have those many years ago. Hunters using muzzleloaders can fill antlerless tags starting now.

So, if the regular firearms season is too cold or too crowded for you, now is a nice time to get out in the woods. Unlike the late post-Christmas muzzleloader season when the rules dictate flintlock only, any muzzleloading rifle – flintlock, percussion or in-line – is legal in Pennsylvania for this early season.

To take advantage of the early season, I bought a modern “in-line” muzzleloader, which means the ignition system is aligned with the bore – not off to the side as in a flintlock or percussion gun. The basic difference between in-line muzzleloaders and cartridge firearms is that the in-line doesn’t use a brass cartridge case.

You actually become a handloader when you use a muzzleloader. You dump a measured powder charge down the muzzle end of the barrel and push a bullet in after it. For an in-line gun, you insert a 209 primer (a primer normally used in shotgun shells) into the breech end.

From there, the gun fires like a centerfire rifle. Pulling the trigger drops a firing pin on the primer, which ignites a powder charge, and the expanding gases shove the bullet out the barrel. Then you start all over again because a muzzleloader is a single shot affair.

Last October was the first time I hunted this early muzzleloader season. Relentless rain proved that I made a good choice in purchasing a stainless steel rifle, and the Mueller red dot scope turned out to be truly waterproof as advertised.

Unfortunately, despite a bumper crop of apples and an abundance of deer sign, I saw only a few deer – none I was confident of shooting under the monsoon conditions.

Torrential rain is not the only thing that can make the October muzzleloader season challenging. Deer are shifting from the salad bar to the meat buffet, so don’t expect them to be where you saw them a few weeks ago. They’re depending less on clover and apples, and more on acorns in preparation for the rut and the long winter.

Also, their behavior is less predictable. The bucks are getting restless even though the does aren’t yet ready to be bred, and archers have been in the woods for two weeks now. Those two facts mean deer are continually looking over their shoulders.

Thanks to Pennsylvania’s October season and similar opportunities in other states, in-line muzzleloaders are popular and their evolution has been rapid. Plenty of manufacturers are producing quality rifles at affordable prices.

The in-lines often get a person started in muzzleloading, but many hunters go on to gain an extra measure of satisfaction by learning how to do it the traditional way – molding bullets and even building primitive replica rifles that bear witness to another era.

Hunting opportunities have increased significantly in recent years. So if you’re a gun hunter itching to get into the woods, why wait for the traditional rifle season? Try muzzleloading. For more information and a comprehensive review of all aspects of the sport, get your hands on Muzzleloading For Deer And Turkey, by Dave Ehrig, Pennsylvania’s leading authority on the subject.

How Big Is Hunting?

2007-09-28T06:29:00.000-05:00

by Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, Warren, PA, Sept. 29, 2007.)

Tennis, anyone? More people hunt than play tennis.
Like to swoosh down the slopes? More people hunt than ski.

If you asked me, I'd say it's big. But you might think it's just big with me. Nope. I'm not alone. It's very big. It's measured in beaucoup bucks – and I'm not talking about the kind with antlers.

34 million Americans hunt or fish. They pour $76 billion per year into the economy and support 1.6 million jobs. They're intelligent and they vote – 8 out of 10 vote in every presidential election.

Anglers make up the majority of that number. Six million more Americans would rather wet a line than sink a putt. But hunters are significant, too.

Tennis, anyone? More people hunt than play tennis. Like to swoosh down the slopes? More people hunt than ski. In fact, if all the hunters in this country decided to move to New York and Los Angeles, everyone living there would have to move out. Yep, anti-hunters, non-hunters, everyone. No room for them.

Everyone thinks NASCAR is big. But all the hunters and fishermen in America would fill every seat at every NASCAR track – not just once, but 13 times.

If you took just the hunters in our nation and created a corporation to receive all the revenue they spend, you'd have a company that ranks in the top 20 of the Fortune 500. If you add anglers into the equation, you'd have a corporation larger than MicroSoft, Google, eBay and Yahoo combined ($76 billion versus $73.6 billion). Fishermen spend more just on bait than ski enthusiasts spend on all their equipment.

Don't believe me? I didn't make up these facts. They're published in a recent report by the Congressional Sportsman's Foundation (CSF). It's an organization that transcends partisan political lines and works not only with the United States Congress, but also with sportsmen's caucuses in every state legislature around the country.

The CSF says that the vast majority of Americans support legal hunting. More than 95% support legal fishing. Just 3% subscribe to the animal rights philosophy. That's tiny. Most of them, by the way, aren't consistent – and only a handful of them are activists.

So, next time you watch the TV news and it shows animal rights people protesting hunters somewhere, please realize that is not the big story. Next time you see a report that details the plight of some endangered species, please realize that is not the big story.

The big story is about the benefits hunters and fishermen bring to wildlife and the environment – including species that are threatened or endangered. Whenever they spend a dollar on their equipment, they pay 11 cents of it as an excise tax that supports wildlife populations – and not just game populations. It's one of the most successful taxes in our nation's history. Hardly anyone knows about it, but it's one reason wildlife populations thrive.

When an ordinary citizen volunteers time to improving wildlife habitat, almost every time it's a hunter or a fisherman working through a club or a conservation organization such as the National Wild Turkey Federation or Trout Unlimited. And the benefits aren't limited to the species in those organizations' names. The benefits extend to songbirds, swans, salamanders, and all wildlife.

There's a bumper sticker that says, "If you can read this, thank a teacher." Next time you look to the sky and see a flock of geese flying south, thank an American sportsman for making the United States of America an outdoor nation with abundant populations of wildlife.

One more thing. Hunters spend almost $2000 per hunter per year on their sport, pumping a total of $24.9 billion into our nation's economy. Will someone call my wife and tell her that I need to catch up to the other guys? Thanks. And tell her I went on a hunting trip.

The Deer’s Nose Knows

2007-09-15T06:38:00.000-05:00

by Steve Sorensen
(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, Warren, PA, Sept. 15, 2007.)

One thing always beats the deer’s nose.

A few days ago a brown truck dropped off a package that contained a new scent control product for hunters – actually 3 new products. My wife asked, “What’s that?”

“It’s something they want me to review. It’s called a ‘Fresh Breath Kit.’ Here’s a tube of toothpaste, a bottle of mouthwash, and some breath mints. They’re supposed to be specially formulated to eliminate a hunter’s mouth odor.”

“How close do you think you’re going to get to a deer?” Visions of me nuzzling a Boone & Crockett whitetail flickered in my head.

“Um,” I paused, my mind racing through a whole bunch of stuff she could have been thinking. “Maybe 20 yards.” I added, “But deer can smell you a lot farther away than that.”

“I don’t believe that,” she said.

Her opinion of hunting products is that they’re a round-up of gimmicks made for gullible nimrods. (Definition, nimrod: 1. In the Old Testament, great-grandson of Noah, a hunter. 2. A person regarded as silly, foolish, or stupid.)

She’s right about some of them. Some gimmicks are a complete waste. (OK. So are some nimrods.)

Hunters have always been aware that deer can smell us. And contrary to what my wife thinks, deer have proven that they can smell at least a quarter mile away.

It’s true that nimrods Philip Tome, Daniel Boone and other pioneer hunters did pretty well without access to a Cabela’s catalog of must-have gear. But when I think of those old-timers, I think they must have stunk, even worse than yours truly on my worst day.

The fact is that our sweat is odorless, but it provides a medium where bacteria can grow. It’s the bacteria that nibble on our dead skin cells and the organic wastes in our perspiration that create body odor.

And although the old-timers didn’t have specialized toothpaste, mouthwash and mints, maybe standing in the smoke from their campfires tended to kill the critters that cause people to stink.

Recent years have brought a parade of weapons that fight human scent. Special anti-microbial soaps and skin cleansers destroy the bacteria at their point of origin. Clothing impregnated with activated charcoal is supposed to tie up the odor molecules that come off our bodies. Silver, a natural anti-microbial, has been woven into clothing. Various sprays using charcoal, baking soda, colloidal silver and secret mystery ingredients are supposed to lock up human scent.

But other than the advice to suck on a slice of apple, very little has been done to mask, control, or eliminate mouth odor. Yet every hunter produces an enormous volume of exhaled air, creating the potential for spreading human scent wherever the air currents take it. Now a new product addresses that.

But does it all work?

Most hunters are interested in anything that gives them an advantage over the deer’s most valuable defense – his nose. However, not everything is practical, and certainly nothing works miracles. Even if you shower in the right stuff, use the right anti-perspirant, wash your clothes in the right stuff, store your clothes in a bag with dirt from under your treestand, wear a layer of silver-impregnated clothing plus a layer of carbon, brush your teeth with baking soda, chew chlorophyll gum, suck on breath mints, crush apples or acorns and put them in your pockets, and spray down with the best odor eliminator – you won't beat the deer's nose all the time.

A deer’s ability to smell is truly remarkable. But one thing always beat the deer’s nose. A deer can’t smell you if you’re downwind. You can fool the deer’s nose, every time, by wearing what you’re comfortable in, and staying downwind.

Common sense tells me that the people who are most meticulous about scent control during preparation are also most meticulous about playing the wind during stand placement and hunting. Work hard at both, but remember that wind direction is what has always worked, and will continue to work. Preparation is important, but it's in the woods that the game is played. You may not nuzzle a buck, but 20 yards won’t be a problem.