Shortly after wolves were taken from the federal endangered species list, at least three were taken this weekend by Wyoming residents. According to Wyoming officials, all three of the confirmed kills came in the newly designated predator zone for wolves. Inside that zone, the animals can be shot on sight without limits, as long as the time, location and sex of the kill is reported to the Game and Fish Department within ten days.

On Friday, after the wolves were removed from the endangered species list, they fell under the control of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Under their guidelines, wolves in the state’s extreme northwest corner fall in the state’s trophy game zone and are afforded some protection. Outside that area, however, wolves are considered predators similar to coyotes.

A number of wildlife groups, including Defenders of Wildlife, have notified the federal government of their intent to sue over the wolf delisting, once a requisite sixty-day waiting period is up at the end of April. The groups have not ruled out seeking an emergency injunction under the Endangered Species Act to have the declaration voided.

Meanwhile, the Mississippi House of Representatives has passed a bill allowing hunting of deer over grain or other baits. Critics say it takes the sport out of hunting; others say it simply provides an additional way to help control the state’s growing deer population. While critics say it’s unethical, Mississippi House Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Chairman Bo Taylor offered this solution: “It’s all about ethics. If you feel it’s unethical, then don’t do it.”

Under the bill, food must be placed in feeders or spin feeders.

The Idaho Game and Fish Department is offering a simple explanation for the deaths of 200,000 Chinook salmon smolts scheduled for release into the Lochsa River last Friday. The explanation? Cold weather and human error. Water flows to an acclimation pond were interrupted when a valve on an intake pipe froze. Hatchery attendants didn’t notice the valve.

In New Jersey, Governor Jon Corzine’s proposed budget cuts are going to be closing nine state parks and cut services at three others. Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose, representing Sussex, Morris and Hunterdon, noted – correctly – that the majority of the parks set for closure are in Republican areas of the state. Corzine, as you know if you’ve read much about the continued battles between Corzine, the Department of Environmental Protection and conservationists, is a Democrat.

“It couldn’t be more clearer,” McHose says,“First he said he plans on eliminating the state’s Agriculture Department, which is one of the most efficiently run departments we have, and now he intends on closing down our state parks. How interesting that most of them are located in primarily Republican territory.

“New Jersey parks are not the cause of our state budget problems,” McHose, a member of the Assembly Budget Committee, continued, “a self-serving governor who is clearly out of touch with our residents is.”

She also called the governor a hypocrite for going after an entity that actually benefits the state’s economy. “These parks attract millions of recreational visitors and tourists each year that are a much needed boost to the state’s economy and the economies of the regions surrounding these parks,” she explained. “Mr. Corzine should spend his time battling the real problem – excessive government spending, waste and abuse – and not targeting our resources that actually benefit the state. He should take a long, hard look at the waste in so many of our school districts and the abuse in the state’s New Jersey Family Care program.”

Maybe so, but if history is any guide, Corzine will pretty much do what he wants as the director of the Environmental Protection agency has proven to be more interested in protecting her job than the environment.

So what’s new, right?

It may not be good news, but…we’ll keep you posted.

By the time the sun is high enough to illuminate the patch of oak trees on the hill, a herd of whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus) will have been feeding in the shadows for quite some time. A group of mature does, fawns and a few bucks browsing on the acorns strewn across the ground stop feeding only long enough to glance in the direction of the faintest noise or to engage in social activities. Once the air is warmed with the sun’s light, the group will disappear at its leisure into the cover of the grassy creek bottoms nearby.

But they will be back – maybe in the evening’s fading light, if not sooner. In 2007, this sight occurs every morning in thousands of places across the country. One hundred years ago, however, the return of the whitetail deer was far from certain.

By far the most popular big-game animal in North America, pursued by more sportsmen and women than any other in this country, the whitetail deer is endowed with many physical adaptations, which make it a challenging quarry. Whether valued by hunters for its table fare or for the beautiful antlers that adorn the heads of mature bucks, the deer survives day-to-day with a wealth of keen senses that few species can rival. But no matter how keen their vision nor how powerful their hearing and senses of smell were, the whitetail deer was no match for the arrival of European settlers and the westward expansion of the United States. The whitetail was at the forefront of each of these events, with its meat and hide serving as a means of both survival and trade for a rapidly expanding population.

Though exact numbers have never been compiled, it is estimated that whitetails in North America numbered between 30 and 50 million prior to the arrival of settlers. Ranging from the deserts of Mexico to the frozen plains of many Canadian provinces, from the wooded hills of Virginia to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the whitetail inhabited all manner of ecosystems. It is its adaptability that has aided its rebound in the last century. The establishing of hunting seasons, bag limits and stocking have all increased the population to levels never before seen. The money collected from the sale of sporting goods and the efforts of sportsmen and women nationwide have resulted in the greatest conservation success story the continent has ever seen.

Today, wildlife watchers and hunters alike can find whitetail in the swamps, suburban developments, isolated farms and deserts. More than just a prime example of what careful conservation practices can do to benefit both wildlife and humans, the lure of the whitetail deer draws millions of hunters into the woods every autumn, the same hunters who spend billions of dollars on licenses and equipment and help finance the future of the same game animal that they so revere.

On the fourth Saturday of every September, millions of Americans celebrate the success of the whitetail deer and many other species as part of National Hunting and Fishing Day activities that will be going on nationwide. National Hunting and Fishing Day began after a presidential proclamation in 1972 that sets aside the fourth Saturday of each September for the event. Since then, national, regional, state and local organizations have staged thousands of open house hunting- and fishing-related events everywhere from shooting ranges to suburban frog ponds, providing millions of Americans with a chance to experience, understand and appreciate traditional outdoor sports.

The careful whitetail deer conservation efforts of the past have given millions of people the thrill of seeing a big buck chase does in an open field and to spy fawns bedded in the thickest summer grass. Conservation groups, sportsmen and women and wildlife watchers alike are all stakeholders in the future of the whitetail deer, to ensure that the future of the whitetail deer is as bright as its present.

National Hunting and Fishing Day, formalized by Congress in 1971, was created by the National Shooting Sports Foundation to celebrate the conservation successes of hunters and anglers. National Hunting and Fishing Day is observed on the fourth Saturday of every September.

It has been a bad week for me. I spent the last four days in a hospital fighting off a pancreous infection. I was getting morphine intravenously to help reduce the pain. If you never experienced a pancreous infection, believe me, you don’t want any part of this one. I wouldn’t wish a pancreous infection on my worst enemy.

In any event I signed myself out of the hospital because I just couldn’t lay there any longer falling behind on all of my work. This will be a short column because I still have a fever. I am dizzy, I see everything in doubles and the hot and cold sweats haven’t stopped all week.

However, something interesting has come up that I believe you should try to catch. On June 9 at 7 PM yours truly will participate in a Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) one hour call-in show discussing deer management. I will in their Camp Hill studio and we will be joined by outdoor writer Ben Moyer, who will be in PCN’s Pittsburgh studio. I guess one could say modern technology is getting pretty slick.

From what I understand this will not be a debate format. Actually, Ben Moyer and I will chat briefly and then go to the phones for the last 50 minutes of the 1 hour show. Regardless of the structure, I am just flattered to be invited. As some of you may know, I tried very hard to debate Dr. Alt on PCN for the last three years. Unfortunately, I never got a response from Dr. Alt or the PGC.

If you didn’t get the chance to attend one of the Unified Sportsmen of PA’s statewide deer management seminars, I believe you missed a small part of Pennsylvania’s history. Vast amounts of critical information came out and I believe everyone went away with a far greater understanding of deer management. I was honored to be asked by Unified to be their guest speaker for that historic event.

I guess what I am trying to say is that if you didn’t catch one of Unified’s seminars, here is another opportunity “to hear the whole truth and nothing, but the truth.” I believe you will benefit greatly by turning on PCN on Thursday night, June 9, at 7 PM.

Let it be known that none of this was my idea. I have been quite happy catching slammer trout over the past few weeks. I was about to turn my attention to bass. But, then again, I believe most of you know me well. I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to discuss deer management in a statewide forum if I had to fight off a pancreous infection to do so.

By now you have heard our PGC Commissioners approved 879,000 antlerless licenses for the upcoming 2005 deer season. This represents a 15% reduction from last year. Some may claim a victory, but I have yet to hear from anyone who feels this reduction will do much to save our vanishing deer herd. Additionally, the Commissioners approved DCNR’s request for “two” DMAP tags per hunter. I believe DCNR issued about 24,000 DMAP tags last year, which will automatically become 48,000 this year. If DCNR enrolls more land this year, the DMAP numbers will go higher. Unfortunately, we are approaching 1 million antlerless tags for the upcoming season.

In a scenario of direct questions by Commissioner Tom Boop and evasive responses by DCNR Bureau of Forestry Chief Jim Grace too lengthy to repeat, DCNR’s goal for deer management finally came “out of the closet” at this PGC meeting. DCNR’s plan is to achieve 5 deer per square forested mile (dpsfm) across their holdings for a generation or the next 25 years. (For most of us that’s the rest of our lives.) Their 2.1 million acres of State Forest Land translates into 3281 square miles or 16,406 total deer. The PGC didn’t admit that their goals are the same, but they didn’t need to. In these past few years the PGC has literally caved to DCNR’s wishes across the board. It is painful to say, but the PGC’s proud tradition of independence is completely gone. The PGC currently functions as a DCNR lapdog.

Looking at the statewide picture, if we say 60% of PA’s 45,000 square miles is forested for 27,000 square miles times 5 dpsfm, we get a statewide herd of 135,000 animals if private landowners buy into the program. Needless to say a bad winter and predators can clean up the remnants of a herd that small.

The justification for hunting is based on the principle of “compensatory losses”. Hunters are permitted to cull the surplus each season to “compensate” for potential winter losses. Under our current management plan there will be no surpluses. Without surpluses there is no justification for hunting.

It is interesting to note that our new PGC Deer Project Leader, Dr. Chris Rosenberry has admitted a number of times in a number of indirect ways that we may not have ever had 1.6 million deer. Apparently, the PGC’s strategy has been to say they have discovered a “problem” with the Dr. Alt deer model. We have not seen an updated number in the last five years. No one of authority has yet to ask if we didn’t have 1.6 million deer, why do we continue to kill deer with a vengeance.

PGC Executive Director Vern Ross finds himself in an interesting position these days. Those who fear merger of the agencies under DCNR absolutely disdain Vern Ross for doing nothing to fight-off DCNR and the deer eradication program. Those who seek merger find Vern Ross the major obstacle to achieving it. This is what happens when one rides the fence in an effort to be a political survivor.

One doesn’t need a crystal ball to see where we are headed. If the killing continues, our herd will collapse and so will deer hunting in this state. That is a fact. The deer processors, the sporting goods shops, the family motels, the local diners and our rural communities will all be severely impacted.

The regeneration argument, which we hear so often, is scientifically bankrupt. Let us not forget the trees we allegedly save today will not be ready for market until 100 years from now, if they survive. We are in essence cutting $30-40 million in trees each year on state land, but we are told we must destroy a yearly $5 billion dollar hunting industry to continue that revenue.

The PGC is rapidly heading to meet its final destiny of merger. It is inevitable considering their current course. They can hold off for a few years by dumping wood on the market. Eventually, they will realize they can’t offset the license sales losses without hiring more foresters and dramatically increasing their timber receipts. The Governor will stop them or the price of wood will plummet.

The malicious tentacles of a federal “Invasive Species Act” will reach far beyond the comprehension of the uninformed and exhaust the understanding of the casually supportive. Invasive species legislation passed in any form will become the federal government’s “ultimate weapon” to usurp states’ rights, private property rights and the established authority of state fish and wildlife agencies. The authoritative EPA and the feared DEP’s across this country will ultimately administrate any such legislation.

In May 2005 the US Senate will take up consideration of S.732, the “Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2005″ known as “SAFETEA”. Within it are a few paragraphs opening Pandora’s Box to the unwelcome world of “invasive species”. This is a six-year package valued at $280 billion riddled with plenty of pork. However, its’ most dangerous component is the establishment of federal “invasive species” language. The “camel’s nose will be under the tent”, so to speak.

If you are thinking “invasive species” is just a fancy way of saying “noxious weeds”, then you are uniformed. In 2004 environmental extremists tried unsuccessfully to pass federal “invasive species” legislation. For example, thanks to the efforts of Senator Larry Craig from Idaho the sensible “Noxious Weed Control and Eradication Act of 2004 was passed. In other words, if noxious plants are your concern, we already have the tools. “Invasive Species” legislation has not been able to withstand the scrutiny of debate as a stand-alone issue.

There are currently some fifty pieces of invasive species legislation floating around Washington. What makes the current SAFETEA bill so pervasive is the powerful leverage the federal government would command over state authority. If a state didn’t comply with the new invasive species mandates, the Federal Highway Authority has already promised to withhold funding.

However, the impact of “invasive species” legislation on our sporting community and the authority of fish and wildlife agencies across this nation is almost unimaginable. Brown trout, ring-necked pheasants, Hungarian partridge, chukars and even the common earthworm are imports to this country. Rainbow trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleyes, muskies, salmon, steelhead and striped bass have all been introduced far beyond their original native range. Equally interesting for the gardeners of this country, baby’s breath and day lilies are currently classified as “invasive species”.

It was only a year ago that the US Fish and Wildlife Service refused to allow rainbow or brown trout to be raised in their Allegheny, PA fish hatchery because these species were not native to PA. Imagine if a federally funded highway project required rebuilding a bridge over a stream, but the stream is stocked with non-native rainbow and brown trout. I can guarantee environmental extremists will demand “species cleansing” to comply with “invasive species” law.

It is interesting that at this very moment the US Senate is considering a total revamping of the “Endangered Species Act” because of the endless lawsuits brought about by this well-intentioned, but misapplied legislation. Can you imagine the lawsuits created by reclassifying many of our fish and wildlife species as “invasive”? Can you imagine the nightmare for our private landowners that have been discovered to have invasive species on their property? NASA is already mapping your private property for “invasive species”. A few proponents have suggested developing lists of good and bad “invasives”. This concept is as intellectually bankrupt as developing lists of good and bad guns.

When you call your Senator and we are successful at removing “invasive species” language from the current SAFETEA bill, the battle is far from over. Next up for federal consideration is the “Aquatic Invasive Species Act”. After that, the “National Invasive Species Council Act” will rise to the top. This legislation elevates “invasive species” to almost cabinet level importance.

No matter how it is packaged or how it is applied, federal “Invasive Species” legislation is trouble for America’s citizens, states’ authority, private landowners and our sporting community. We have federal noxious weed legislation and beyond that, it is a state’s responsibility to mange their ecosystems. We should not give the federal government the “ultimate weapon” to further erode our property rights and fish and wildlife management policies.

President Lyndon Johnson probably said it best. “We should not judge legislation by the good it will do if properly enforced. Rather, we should judge legislation by the harm it will do if improperly enforced”.

On June 14 Vern Ross of the PGC will address our House Game and Fisheries Committee for an open discussion about our current state of affairs. The scuttlebutt is already knee deep about this probably historic meeting between our “browbeaten” politicians and the “rigid” PGC bureaucracy. Harrisburg leaks have already set the stage. Our politicians will clobber Vern about the ongoing deer eradication program. Vern will fire back that the intent is to fix deer management, but the agency needs a license increase to do so.

Many of us realized years ago that this eventual showdown was inevitable. While the PGC’s “scorched earth” deer management program was fueling the fire of literal disdain for the Agency, it was just a matter of time before the Agency would be forced to listen. Actually, a brief review of history confirms it is usually license increase time when our legislators force curative measures upon the PGC. This time should no different.

Providing a general license increase for the PGC at this moment in history to maintain the status quo would be a catastrophic error. We should just say “no”. Using this opportunity to drive home the complaints of our sporting class and demand changes is the appropriate course. Unfortunately, this is how things are done in Harrisburg, if you want them done.

What I am thinking will change the course of deer management and strengthen our input with the PGC for all posterity. It is time to implement “One and Done”. It is time to end our current doe permit system, which puts multiple permits in the hands of hunters. This first pass, second pass, third pass system is utter nonsense and quickly leads to over-harvest. It is time to provide a buck tag and one doe tag with the license when you purchase it. Special Regulations Areas should be the only place where additional doe tags are available. Deer hunting should be regulated by time, not by the number of permits. Let us remove the profit incentive to issue more doe permits once and for all.

I am envisioning a new system similar to Virginia’s deer management program. I radio-interviewed Matt Knox, VA Deer Project Leader about two years ago. Each hunter is given a doe permit with his or her license in Virginia. Doe season is open for the full two weeks of their rifle season on “private land only”. Think about that. No more private land people complaining about too many deer. They have been given the tools. However, on “public land” doe season in Virginia is one day, the last day of the season. Certainly, we will not over-harvest with one day of concurrency. I seem to recall one doe per hunter on state land in VA is a state law passed by their legislature.

Frankly, I didn’t call Matt Knox to determine if changes occurred since our interview. It wouldn’t matter for this column. My point is a completely new system is warranted. Every hunter will get a buck and one doe tag in their license. The PGC will have the flexibility to regulate pressure by time. By the way, Virginia has check stations. Private land hunters are required to check their deer to get an additional permit. One can keep shooting does for the full two weeks on private land if you check them in. Of course, we all know private land hunters will not over-harvest their deer herd. People manage deer socially, not biologically.

I realize there are many other critical issues that need to be addressed by our legislators and the PGC. Our Commissioner System is a disaster and has evolved into a political sham. Our habitats are in desperate need of rehab. We are not cutting enough timber. Our forestry paradigm favors veneer wood production, not wildlife populations or plant diversity. Citizen Task Forces maybe the real long term solution to deer management. Albeit, the bottom line is two weeks of concurrency on public land with multiple permits in the hands of hunters is destroying our public land deer herds.

We should not allow the PGC to talk their way out of this one. Without implementing positive changes beforehand, our response to their cry for relief should mimic their concerns for us.

We should just say no.

It wasn’t that long ago that WorldCom seemed to be in the news almost every day. Their act was nothing new to the hardened, American news junkie. We all lived through the Enron fiasco. Artificially inflating stock prices, falsifying inventory, understating expenses, salary increases and lucrative stock options for the Executives. No real surprise these days.

Cooking the books and defrauding one’s stockholders is not a disease unique to major corporations, either. It happens at all levels of business. Of course, PA had its own Adelphia case. I believe John Rigas, Adelphia CEO is currently in jail.

Watching these incidents unfold right before our eyes on the national news, one fact jumps out at you. The tenacity possessed by government to fry the bad guys appears as if government itself is possessed. These are high profile, media circus events. Announcements of press conferences and pending indictments come pouring across the airwaves. I suppose the old cliche’ “you don’t want to mess with the government” comes through loud and clear when the government has you in their sights. When private stockholders are defrauded of their hard-earned money, government is more than willing to punish the bad guys. Criminal indictments are handed down and civil lawsuits are filed and the bad guys certainly feel like “the whole world is raining down on them” (Toby Keith).

The inconsistency that I see in this world of “government goes after the bad guys” is when government just might be the bad guys. Who is supposed to go after government? When our citizens are the stockholders and government is abusing our tax money, who will take the lead and prosecute the government with tenacity and as if possessed?

Let us consider the current deer management program. We were told we had 1.6 million deer and reduction was absolutely necessary. The 1.6 million number was very suspect and easily refuted by applying some simple, accepted deer management mathematics. Isn’t overstating our deer herd, or shall we say our inventory, a form of cooking the books? We have killed a few million deer in the past 5 years and yet the PGC still uses the same number of 1.6 million without adjustment. In this case our hunters are the stockholders and aren’t we being deceived by not getting a new, credible population number after every season. Would you buy stock in a company that refused to update its inventory number each year?

What about the elk program? Here’s a program whose popularity with hunters has plummeted for the past 4 years and the agency continues to spend our stockholders money to support it. In the private business sector if a product’s sales decline each year, the company will cut it losses and move on. Does anyone really know how much the elk program is costing our stockholders? Isn’t the elk program an example of understating and/or hiding unprofitable efforts from the stockholders?

I could go on, but I think you get my point. There really isn’t much difference when corporations act fraudulently and incompetently and when government acts fraudulently and incompetently. In the end the stockholders, private and our citizens’ financial investments are abused.

Did I hear someone say unnecessary deer reduction is a victimless crime and not a fair comparison to corporate fraud? Deer hunting touches the lives of literally millions of people in PA and has a value of $4 Billion (that’s Billion with a B) in this state. This number certainly compares to our infamous corporate scandals. Furthermore, our thousands of rural merchants who will now suffer tremendous financial losses from the current deer program certainly don’t feel victimless.

The Unified Sportsmen of PA’s lawsuit should expose the recipes utilized in our deer program. There will be interrogatories and discovery. The camera will roll for depositions. I don’t suspect it will be a media circus event. I don’t believe there will be indictments or civil lawsuits.

Frankly, the issue is equal accountability for the private and public sector. If we prosecute our citizens for violations with enthusiasm and righteousness should we not prosecute government with the same enthusiasm and righteousness.

Actually, should we not hold government to even higher standards? After all, it is our government’s actions that teach and ultimately determine the moral character of our state and nation.

The barrage of newspaper columns in recent weeks praising the deer genocide program has sent an almost inexplicable feeling up my spine. It is a feeling of outrage followed by a feeling of sadness and ultimately a feeling of anger that overcomes the mind when one reminisces what has occurred. It is interesting that those who shout the loudest obviously have no understanding of modern conservation. Frankly, I suspect the most vocal couldn’t tell the difference between “Shineola” and a fresh cluster of deer droppings.

A common insinuation that permeates these “kill the deer” newspaper columns is a notion that herd reduction is a victimless program. I’m certain the writers realize that hunters and our hunting tradition will be severely impacted, but those facts remain intentionally missing. Some columns actually smirk with contempt for hunters. I sense that we are now being re-categorized as mere Neanderthals who happen to carry modern weapons.

In any debate the intelligent mind wants to reach out and consider all ramifications. Are hunters the only entity effected by herd reduction? Did any other group or individuals derive pleasure or income from our previously existing deer herd? Without a doubt our small communities and rural businesses throughout this state will be impacted beyond the understanding of the average non-hunting citizen. Unless you have witnessed the previous explosive economic activity of deer season across this Commonwealth, you could not comprehend the devastation that is about to take place in our rural communities. It is safe to say that this deer eradication program will cause foreclosures, bankruptcies and the shutting down of rural businesses on a grand scale. It is already happening. There will be children who will actually lose the opportunity to go to college because mom and dad’s business is no more.

Just today I had the pleasure of speaking with 86 year old Phil Marks of Renovo, PA. A nicer gentleman you will not find. Phil’s father started the business in 1894 as the first Woolrich clothing distributor in the nation. Phil’s business is way down from the lack of hunters. His future is uncertain. This scenario will play out across our great rural areas over and over. The railroad is long gone and now the hunters will be gone. Are ghosts towns the future of rural PA?

Did Gary Alt consider the economic impacts of herd eradication when he conceived his program? Apparently, he did not. Is regeneration of our forests so important that it doesn’t matter if a $5 billion hunting industry collapses and takes thousands of lives with it? Actually, it is the responsibility of our PGC Commissioners to consider biological, social, recreational and economic impacts when considering a deer program. Can we say our Commissioners were derelict in their duties and are a perfect example of malfeasance in office? Frankly, a high school student would have put more thought into the downsides of a deer eradication program than our PGC Commissioners. Let us not forget than we have known of our regeneration problem for 50 years and it is common in every state where northern red oak regeneration is desired. PA is the only state embroiled in a deer eradication program to resolve this problem.

I have heard through the grapevine than many of our rural merchants are quite upset with the present eradication course. I have also heard that some merchants believe “eco-tourism” will quickly replace hunting revenue. I am sorry to inform the optimistic that there is no Santa Claus and it will take 20 years or more for tourism to challenge the economic benefit of hunting. DCNR’s elk program is already fading and its insignificant $1 million per year contribution to our rural economies will never equal the hundreds of millions enthusiastically spent by hunters. I should qualify that by saying “formerly” spent by our hunters.

There is no doubt in my mind that our deer eradication program was designed by DCNR. Regeneration was just the excuse to swing public opinion against deer, hunters and hunting. Saving our forests from the deer is actually scientifically bankrupt propaganda. It is really about depopulating our rural northern counties, controlling the resources and merging the Commissions.

A handful of people are responsible for this debacle. I believe full legislative, investigative hearings are warranted. Those responsible should be removed from their positions of authority never to hurt our citizens or economy, again.

Hunting was the goose that laid the golden egg for much of PA and its economy. Tragically, the goose is dead. Now, we have an obligation to find and punish the murderers.

How many times have you wondered what’s on the other side of that mountain or what’s beyond the next river bend?

Sure, topo and road maps provide part of the picture, but to get a real sense of a particular area, I find it easier to use a combination of topo and aerial photography maps. For hunters, anglers, 4-wheel, camping, hiking, and other outdoor enthusiasts, Google Maps provides a great perspective on the outdoors with its new satellite imagery maps.

On April 5, 2005, Google announced the integration of its Keyhole digital mapping service with the popular Google Maps service (http://maps.google.com). In addition to a great overhead view, Google Maps allow you to click and drag maps with your mouse, zoom and pan, search for specific locations, get detailed driving direction, and more.

How It Benefits Outdoor Enthusiasts

Google Maps benefits outdoor enthusiasts for a number or reasons. The main benefit is that Google Maps allows you to see what you couldn’t see before, at least without spending money on aerial maps, as they provide free access to their satellite imagery.

I live in Springfield, Oregon near the McKenzie River and Willamette River. Both rivers are great for fishing trout, steelhead, salmon, and more. With so much river frontage passing less than half a mile by my house, you’d think it easy to find a new spot to fish. The only problem is that the area is riddled with housing and farm tracts, with no easy way to access the river without traveling a couple of miles near the edge of town or several miles outside of town.

Plus, topo and road maps only tell part of the story. In regards to fishing, what about current, trees, weeds, rocks, gravel, and other structure? We all know that aerial maps answer a lot of these questions. With Google Maps’ satellite imagery, I’ve already determined several locations that I’ll be trying this year. With deer hunting season around the corner, I’ll also be using these maps to scout out some new hunting locations.

I also recently visited Moab, Utah for the 2005 Easter Jeep Safari, and could have benefited greatly from the use of such detailed maps while traversing many of the offroad trails in the area. 4-wheel and offroad enthusiasts, bikers, hikers, and scenery buffs will notice the trails, trailsheads, and landmarks such as Lion’s Back, Arches National Monument, and other spots of interest.

The Good and Bad

Google Maps provides both detailed street level and satellite imagery maps. While the street level maps cover the entire United States, Canada, and the UK, the high resolution satellite images seem to cover only more populated areas. For outdoor enthusiasts visiting urban areas, this is great. But for those visiting rural or wilderness areas, Google still has a ways to go before more detailed imagery is available.

Images seem to be pretty up-to-date, at least within the areas I checked. For example, my house is located near a new housing development, and I can see houses that were started within the last year on the map.

With Google aiming to expand its reach, I’m sure that we’ll see maps with greater detail and higher resolution in the future. That’s good news for outdoor enthusiasts.

Things to Note

• Image resolution varies by distance. At the lowest resolution/farthest distance, you can identify large landmarks such as mountains, rivers, and large lakes. At the highest resolution/closest distance, you can locate specific cars, buildings, trees, hills, creeks, and more.
• Satellite images are current within a year or so, but they are not in real-time.

When it comes to catch and release lakes, it is important for you to be ready to catch your fish, take a prize-winning shot and release your giant back into the water for others to enjoy. Before setting out on your trophy trout fishing trip with your fishing partner or guide, keep these few tips in mind.

Bring along a good, reliable camera. It doesn’t matter if it is digital or 35 mm, but make sure it has an automatic focus feature. Most casual photographers don’t need the pressure of adjusting settings, so an automatic camera is a good choice. In addition, for the sake of safety, it doesn’t hurt if your camera is waterproof!

With catch and release fishing, the ultimate goal is to return the fish to the water quickly and gently. Touch the fish as little as possible and never touch the gills. Because you have so little time, be sure the person taking the picture is ready to go. That means the film is in the camera, the cap is off the lens and the photographer is holding the camera up to his or her eye ready to snap as you are landing that trophy!

When you are in the boat, sometimes it can be tricky but try to keep the camera even with the horizon of the water. It can be distracting if the horizon is on an odd angle. Keep the picture as uncluttered as possible. The water, sky and distinct beauty of the tundra around Tukto Lodge are background enough!

Don’t forget to fill the frame. Go in and make sure you have all the elements — the subject’s head and upper body and the full trophy trout. If shooting a vertical photograph try to center your subject, however if you are photographing in a horizontal manner it can add interest to place your subject slightly to one side, but only if the whole fish is included as well. (Imagine the photograph divided into thirds and place your subject on any of the “thirds lines”).

Natural light provides the best photographs, and because the light is strongest during the middle of the day, it is best to take pictures in morning or late afternoon light. This sort of light gives photos richer colors and baths the photo in warm light.

Don’t take a photograph with the subject’s back to the sun and the photographer facing the sun. This will result in washed out skies and a dark shadowed subject that no one can see. Turn the subject to the sun or sideways to the sun. Ask them to remove their sunglasses to reduce glare. If they are wearing a hat, they should either remove it or tilt their head so that there is no shadow over the face.

At Tukto Lodge, we know you are going to be catching a lot of trophies — so we want your pictures to look great!