Educators and Industry Partner With Minnesota DNR To Get Kids Outdoors This Winter
November 20, 2008
How do you get kids involved in ice fishing? Teachers from the Battle Lake and Nevis school districts and members of Ice Team, LLC, set out to answer that question at a recent educator workshop at Glendalough State Park sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) MinnAqua Program.
The workshop is part of an on-going Ice Team/MinnAqua education initiative, which involves strong teacher and community involvement. Through the initiative, MinnAqua, the DNR’s angling and aquatic education program, trains teachers and other community leaders to use MinnAqua’s Leader’s Guide, Fishing: Get in the Habitat!, which covers everything from fish habitat and biology to aquatic resources stewardship, fishing and safety. The leaders then bring the lessons and skills to kids by providing classroom instruction, organizing ice-fishing outings, and soliciting support from local groups and volunteers. Ice Team LLC, a marketing organization representing the ice fishing industry, provides on-ice logistics support, including equipment and angling experts.
According to Mike Smith, director of field promotions for Ice Team, last year’s pilot education program in Minnesota schools was an overwhelming success. The group plans to expand the program this winter and in coming years, targeting schools that have already shown an interest in the MinnAqua program.
“This partnership is about more than just fishing - it’s about education, stewardship, and getting kids outdoors and interested in Minnesota’s fishing heritage,” explained MinnAqua Education Specialist Nadine Meyer.
Battle Lake has tentatively scheduled its fifth and sixth grade ice fishing outing for early January. Plans in Nevis are still pending.
For more information on MinnAqua, visit www.mndnr.gov/minnaqua
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White-fronted Geese Are Special for Some Waterfowlers
November 6, 2008
LITTLE ROCK – Use the term “waterfowl:” in Arkansas, and the usual connection is with mallards, specifically the male mallard known as the greenhead.
There is another variety popular with many hunters, the white-fronted goose, also known as the specklebelly.
These are found in many areas the state, not in the large numbers of snow geese or even in today’s numbers of Canada geese. But white-fronted geese are around, they are huntable, and they are challenges for the hunter.
Goose hunting has grown in Arkansas in recent years. A shortage of ducks at times during hunting season has led some waterfowlers to go after geese. Another factor has been the large flocks of snow geese in the state for the past decade or two, partially attributed to the increase in winter wheat production in many areas of east Arkansas. Snow geese are too numerous in their far north breeding grounds, leading to an extended and liberalized season called a “conservation order” by federal authorities.
The season for 2008-09 for white-fronted geese is in three segments. These are Nov. 15-Dec. 1, Dec. 6-Dec. 24 and Dec. 26-Jan. 30. Daily bag limit is two, with a possession limit of four. As with other goose and duck hunting, both federal and state waterfowl hunting stamps must be signed across the face and carried by a hunter. Harvest Information Program (HIP) registration is also required.
White-fronted geese (scientifically, Anser albifrons) at a distance sometimes are mistaken for blue geese, the blue color phase of snow geese. “Blues” are a slate gray over much of their bodies. White-front–s are more of a brownish gray. “Blues” have white heads and upper neck; white-front–s have a white face but brownish-gray heads and necks. ”Blues” have pinkish legs and bills; white-front–s have yellow-orange legs and yellowish
The “white front” of the birds’ name is a little misleading. It stems from the white face, not the breast, which is a lighter shade of the brownish-gray of the body. But the belly is splotched with darker, nearly black, feathers, leading to the term “specklebelly.”
In size, white-fronted geese in general are a little larger than snow geese but smaller than Canada geese, a good bit smaller than the resident giant Canada geese subspecies that is common along the Arkansas River Valley and around some large lakes in the state.
The white-fronted goose has a different call from snows or Canadas and these birds’ one-note or two-note calls. Many hunters term the white-fronted call a yodel. Special calls for white-front–s are sold and used in the field.
White-fronted geese often hang around snow geese or at least on the edge of snow geese flocks feeding in fields. Arkansas goose hunters use large numbers of decoys for snow geese, and these seem to work for white-front–s also.
Most goose hunters believe white-fronts are more wary – and thus more challenging – than either snow geese or Canada geese.
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North Carolina Waterfowl Hunters Urged to Use Caution on the Water
November 6, 2008
RALEIGH, N.C. – Waterfowl hunters are reminded by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission to use basic safety precautions when boating.
Capt. Chris Huebner, the state’s hunting and boating safety coordinator, recommends the following guidelines:
- Wear a proper personal flotation device and insist that passengers wear one also.
- Be aware that small, flat-bottom vessels are prone to capsizing and swamping.
- Store equipment properly and keep it evenly distributed in the boat.
- Don’t overload the boat, especially with passengers.
- Keep hunting dogs prone in the center of the boat.
- Never move about the boat with a loaded shotgun.
A particular danger is posed by hypothermia – the loss of body heat. Exposure to extreme cold, such as being in cold water or wearing wet clothes in cold conditions, can increase the chance of hypothermia. Capt. Huebner advises wearing proper cold weather clothing, avoiding cotton, relying on wool and synthetic materials instead.
“Dress in layers, cover head and hands, and avoid over-exertion or fatigue,” Huebner says. “In case of capsizing or swamping, stay with the boat. It will still provide some flotation and will be the initial focus of a rescue attempt.”
As with any type of hunting, it is a good idea to let someone know where you plan to hunt and an approximate time of return. Keep a cell phone in a waterproof bag that can be used without removal from the bag.
Successful completion of a Hunter Education course, offered free by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission throughout the state, is required for all first-time hunting license buyers. For course schedules, game regulations and additional hunting safety information, click here or call (919) 707-0031.
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