"Duck Dinasty" A Reality TV Show Worth Watching

© By Othmar Vohringer

Amongst the many reality TV shows on offer today, many of which seek to entertain the viewers with an assortment of dysfunctional people engaged in various forms of self-destructive behaviours, there are some refreshing and (dare I say) wholesome choices available to those of us who enjoy HUNTING. Some of the best are “Swamp People”, “Mountain Men” and “Duck Dynasty” to name a few. I mention these not only because they are wildly entertaining but surprisingly they put forward some good life lessons and aren’t afraid of promoting values.

I will focus on my favorite: “Duck Dynasty”. The show is about the lives’ of a Louisiana family that have become famous in the hunting community for their duck calls which they market under the name “Duck Commanders”.

The company is operated by the Robertson family which consist of the family patriarch Phil, his wife Kay and their sons Willie, Jase, Jeb and Phil’s brother (Uncle) Si. The show plays out in the family’s native home of West Monroe, Louisiana. Almost every episode has a “plot” that revolves around family and work relationships with all the tensions it can create when ‘kin-folk’ have to work together.

Whether it is sibling rivalry, marital or parenting problems, it’s all played out before our eyes but with a noticeable difference when compared to many more mainstream reality shows: the Robertson’s all act surprisingly decent and respectful toward each other. While the show has no shortage of zany antics and disagreements between the members it always remains civil and in good humour.

With over 6 million viewers each week the show is one of the most popular reality TV shows currently on air. I believe that part of this huge success is the result of the show’s emphasis on strong family bonds and values. Each show features segments where the whole family shares time together, be that at the family’s big dining table, sharing a family barbeque on a lake or undertaking a trip into the countryside. Arising problems are not swept under the table, or worse, pretending they don’t exist; they are attended to and solved in a civil and humorous way.

TV viewers today are inundated by TV shows focussing on dysfunctional people. We’re exhausted with “relationships gone wrong”, “teenage pregnancy”, “drugs and family feuding”. Duck Dynasty with all its “redneck” antics is like a refreshing oasis that reminds us that “old fashioned” family values still work and that differences between people still can be overcome without vulgarity or resorting to violence. A family with strong bonds is a healthy and nurturing environment in which children can grow to become independent rational adults. Or as Phil Robertson put it, “A functional family is the fountain of individual strength and a good environment for children to grow up.”

Will the BC mountain caribou be extinct in our lifetime?

(Originally published in the Merritt Herald)

© By Othmar Vohringer

That might very well be the case if drastic conservation measures are not enacted quickly. The emphasis here is on “quickly”, which is a bit of an oxymoron in politics. The southern mountain caribou populations are in rapid decline despite an extensive provincial recovery plan. Why? The caribou recovery plan is complex and contains important short and long term measures that need to be addressed and implemented if we hope to save the mountain caribou herd.

There are many contributing factors to the steady decline of mountain caribou populations that need to be urgently addressed. Obvious factors are logging of old growth forests, mining and snowmobiling in sensitive caribou habitat. If that wasn’t enough, caribou herds face voracious predation by overpopulation of cougars and particularly wolves. This is a problem that can be fixed right now and with little expense to the taxpayers and would help the caribou enormously to sustain their numbers.

Even more simply and effectively is the government’s own wolf management plan which is essentially culling. Culling however, is controversial to many city people (potential voters) and thusly is not being fully implemented nor promoted.

Bobcats, Cougars and Feral Cats…It’s a Zoo Out There

(Originally published in the Merritt Herald)

© By Othmar Vohringer

Like everyone else in Merritt I followed the almost weekly reports in this newspaper about the sightings of bobcats, cougars and other wildlife in our city. I am also aware that some national media outlets reported on it with their typical sensationalized headlines, like “dangerous wildlife invades Merritt” or “Invasion of dangerous predators has people in Merritt on high alert”. However, I almost fell of my chair when a friend of mine in Germany emailed me, inquiring; “Are you alright?” My friend related to me that a German newspaper carried a similar story about Merritt being invaded by a large numbers of dangerous wildlife. 

After I was done laughing I emailed my friend back, putting his mind at rest by letting him know that we are not in any danger here. I reminded him that I had worked half of my life with tigers, lions, leopards, and elephants and that it would take a lot more than the mere suspected sighting of a cougar to make me worried. 

Indeed, given my professional experience with cats of all sizes I think the hype we have been exposed to in the media is grossly exaggerated and may have caused unnecessary fear in our community. Let me explain. It is highly unlikely that the reported sighting of two cougars in Merritt actually were cougars. Puma concolor is an animal with an extremely solitary habit. This is true of all cat species with the exception of the African lion, however, the cougar has taken solitary living to such an extreme that a human could live an entire life in a cougar area without ever seeing one (alive). Pumas avoid contact with all other animals unless they hunt them for food and certainly avoid humans and their dwellings wherever possible. Cougar attacks on humans are extremely rare, and to my knowledge none occurred near human dwellings. In addition, many cougar sightings have been reported over the years in towns all across North America and most have been proven to be false alarms of mistaken identity.

Bobcats are another animal that is far overestimated when it comes to “endangering humans”. Like the Puma, bobcats are generally solitary living animals, but they don’t mind some proximity to humans. However, a human, even a small child, is far too big for them to take on as prey. There are no reports of bobcats attacking humans. Domestic feral cats are another story. Bobcats don’t like competition, and like any other wild cat they will chase other felines smaller than themselves in their territory away, or kill them. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen many feral cats in our back alley this winter. Maybe having a few bobcats around town is not so bad after all.

Merritt Ice Fishing Derby - A Popular Family Event

(Originally published in the Merritt Herald - Othmar Vohringer, The Outdoorsman Column) 

© By Othmar Vohringer

On Sunday, January 13, the Nicola Valley Fish & Game Club hosted its 12th annual ice fishing derby at Mamit Lake. The weather was mostly cloudy but without the cold winds common on that lake, making for cold but pleasant conditions. Close to 200 people and families attended the event for a day of family fun and fishing. Over the years the ice fishing derby has become a traditional staple of Merritt’s winter events that attracts many anglers from our region and beyond. The recent snowfall leading up to the derby had the organizers worried about the ice conditions on the lake. Measurements showed that the ice had not been as thick as in previous years and participants were asked to park vehicles on the lake shore as a safety precaution.

Due to a fractured elbow I was unable to attend the event from the beginning to the end, but have been told that the fishing has been fair with a few respectable trout being caught. A warm hospitality tent provided the anglers a place to warm up and consume free hot chocolate and coffee. For the hungry there were hotdogs with all the trimmings available for a minimal price of two dollars. Courtesy of the generous donations from the Merritt merchants and business community there were plenty of door and draw prizes awaiting the anglers and children plus cash prizes for first, second and third heaviest trout and heaviest coarse fish caught. The lucky winners this year are; B. Spinks and C. Mike (hidden weight tie), B. Smit (best coarse fish), P. Robison (1st. place trout), M. Mosley (2nd. place trout) and R. Mc Gowan (3rd. place trout).

Local Anglers And Hunters Meet With NDP Leader Adrian Dix

(Previously published in the Merritt Herald - Othmar Vohringer, The Outdoorsman)
 
© By Othmar Vohringer

On Sunday, December 2, 2012, NDP leader Adrian Dix and Fraser-Nicola LMA Harry Lali hosted an election information event at the Tropico Spice restaurant in Merritt. Among the 100 plus people attending was a delegation of the Nicola Valley Fish & Game Club (NVF&GC). Harry Lali, who had attended a NVF&GC general meeting in early fall to discuss with us land access and confirming his political support, suggested that meeting Adrian Dix would be helpful to our cause. Rick McCowan, the land access committee chair of the NVF&GC had a chance to meet person to person with Mr. Dix before the event, providing him with the current information and a newly published information leaflet about land access problems here in the valley and across the province.

At the event Adrian Dix spent quite a bit of time at our table talking about the issues we presented to him and he seemed to be as concerned about land access as we are. A good sign!

Since I am not directly involved with the land access committee I must say that I am very impressed with what this small group of dedicated people in our club has achieved so far and all the hard work they put in to creating broad public awareness of the crown land access problem in our province.

While the BC Wildlife Federation, the province’s largest hunter and angler organization, is twiddling its thumbs on the issue our club has gathered immense momentum, attracting national media attention and support from many other organizations throughout our nation. The NVF&GC has without a doubt become the driving force of the land access campaign.

While our fathers and grandfathers could enjoy hunting and fishing without any concerns for the future, times have drastically changed since then. Today we have to become politically active in order to secure our heritage for future generations. Our outdoor sport heritage faces many challenges of which our forefathers wouldn’t dream of in their worst nightmares. Loosing access to public land is only one of these problems. Other problems are instigated from the myriad of popular self-proclaimed “animal welfare” organizations using vilification and misinformation targeted against hunters, and their recruitment of largely ignorant city/suburban peoples to their cause; particularly impressionable youth.

We need to challenge these problems as a united force in public, on the political stage and even in the courts or we stand to lose it all. I am proud to be a member of a small local organization that doesn’t just complain but is on the forefront of fighting for our future generations so they too can enjoy hunting, fishing and accessing lands, lakes and streams for generations to come. If you’re a concerned outdoor sportsperson and want to do your bit to preserve our heritage, rights and freedoms then you should be thinking about joining the Nicola valley Fish & Game Club.

Orphaned Kermode Bear Makes International Headlines

© By Othmar Vohringer 

“Clover”, the orphaned and twice captured Kermode bear, finally found a permanent home at Kamloops Wildlife Park. But is all well? No. The notorious animal-rights activist group Lifeforce immediately started an international media campaign with which they lobby the release of the young bear back into the wild. Peter Hamilton, the leader of Lifeforce and the man who once suggested instituting a hunting season on hunters, wrote in a letter to B.C. Premier Christy Clark and NDP leader Adrian Dix, "Give this bear freedom. We don't need another exploited circus bear pacing back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. We don't need people profiting off the plight of this bear."

The truth of the matter is that the bear, which had gotten used to people, would return to humans every time as he has done in the past. In addition bears are notoriously territorial and no matter how far away they are taken they always will return to their original territory and very often need to be shot by Conservation Officers. In addition, given that “Clover” is only 18 months old his survival chances in another male bear’s territory would be slim at best. With all that in mind the best place for this bear is a facility like the Wildlife Park in Kamloops. Of course animal rights activists are not known to care about facts. Theirs is a purely emotional agenda based on wishful thinking and aimed largely at metropolitan populations that are totally removed from the natural world. People who have been spoon-fed a Walt Disney view of nature.

A Hunting Holiday You Probably Haven’t Heard About

© By Othmar Vohringer

A few days ago I learned that in parts of Canada a special hunter holiday is celebrated of which I am very well aware to be a big deal in many parts of Europe. Each fall, in the first week of November, schools and factories are closed while hunters and tens of thousands of other people gather to hold festivities and attend a special Mass in churches and cathedrals to honour St. Hubertus the patron saint of the hunters.

In parts of Canada, such as Quebec, St. Hubertus Day is celebrated in early September with the Mass of St. Hubertus in the local church. Hunters attend dressed in hunting clothing, bringing their dogs and guns to be blessed by the priest. The procession has the clergy, conservation officers and other guests enter and exit the church by walking under an archway of guns held up high by hunters wearing camouflage and hunter orange clothing.

After Mass the hunters attend trap and skeet shooting events, parades and wild game dinners, inviting the community to share with them the bounty nature has to offer. I am sure not many people here have heard of St. Hubertus, so I’ll provide you with some background.

Hubert was born in 638 AD as the oldest son of Bertrans, the Duke of Aquitaine. He enjoyed the good life of nobility and loved to hunt, so much so that on one Good Friday he skipped Mass and instead went hunting. Hubert’s hounds quickly cornered a big stag but when Hubert attempted to slay the stag he suddenly had a vision of a glowing crucifix between the stag’s antlers. He heard a voice saying; “Hubert, unless thou turnest to the Lord, and leadest a holy life, thou shalt quickly go to hell.” Moved by that experience Hubert promised to better himself. He went to the Bishop of Maastricht to learn the priesthood and in 705 AD made a pilgrimage to Rome where the Pope selected him to become Bishop of Maastricht.

During his clergy career Hubert applied the passion for hunting to his faith, establishing Christianity to vast sections of the Ardennes forest where he converted many hunters and others to Christianity. It is also said that he had been blessed with miraculous powers to heal man and beast alike. Hubert died in 727 AD and in 1744 Pope Benedict XIV canonized him as the patron saint (patronus sanctus Hubertus) of the hunters, trappers, archers and hunting dogs.

Growing up in Switzerland the St. Hubertus Day is still in vivid memory. As a child I marveled at the festive spectacle of the colourful procession making its way to the church, the ringing of the church bells mixed with the sound of marching bands and the cheerful greetings of “Weidmansheil patronus sanctus Hubertus”. I am glad to learn that this tradition is celebrated in parts of Canada too and with that in mind I wish all fellow hunter for the reminder of the hunting season a hefty and heartfelt “Weidmansheil” (Hunters luck!)

In The U.S. Election Race Obama and Romney Seek Sportsman’s Vote

© By Othmar Vohringer

The contenders in the American presidential election have discovered the potential of the outdoor sportsman vote. Both contenders for the Whitehouse are seeking the vote of the American hunters, yet neither President Barack Obama nor Gov. Mitt Romney fully comprehends the true nature of hunters. In fact neither of them is a hunter. But they do understand the importance American sportsmen carry as a voting bloc.

And that’s the reason why each campaign reaches out to sportsmen to some degree, as can be seen by the lobby websites Sportsmen for Obama and Sportsmen for Romney.

The Sportsmen for Obama Website states:

“Under the President’s leadership, conservation programs are protecting the nation’s natural resources, while providing significant economic and environmental benefits to rural communities and building valuable habitat for wildlife,” states the information contained on the Sportsmen for Obama website. “The Obama administration is working with more than 500,000 farmers and ranchers to implement conservation practices on nearly 30 million acres of land. The President is also investing in projects in all 50 states to conserve wildlife and habitat and to create outdoor recreation jobs.”

On the Sportsmen for Romney Website the candidate had this to say:

“We are blessed with great natural beauty as well. It is the sportsmen and women of America who keep safe that natural wealth for this generation and many more to come. Hunters, fishermen, sports-shooters, and outdoors enthusiasts not only create millions of jobs and pump billions of dollars into our economy, they stand on the forefront of defending our Second Amendment rights and protecting the natural wonder of our nation. If I am fortunate enough to become president, they will have a friend in the White House.”

Here at Othmar Vohringer Outdoors Blog, we’re not suggesting to vote for a particular candidate. All I suggest is that, like in any working democracy, people should make use of their right to elect their representatives and go the polls on November 6. I also would encourage you all to look carefully what each candidate has to offer in the overall package and not just vote based of how the individual candidate thinks about hunters and hunting. While hunting may is of vital importance to us outdoor sports people it is of very little importance in the overall scheme of this, such as the economy, employment, education, healthcare and above all peace.

Are You Overanalyzing Hunting?

© By Othmar Vohringer

There used to be a period in my hunting career where I would analyze everything down to the smallest detail. While this can be a good thing it also can quickly turn into self-doubt caused by trying to analyze too much. I used to ask myself all kinds of questions before a hunt.

Things like.

What stand should I hunt today? Will the wind be right for that stand? Will the deer move by that particular stand or elsewhere? In addition to all this, and more, I was concerned about the wind, weather, moon phase, the gear I had with me and on, and one it went.

I constantly asked myself; “What if?” The questions and analytical process seemed endless. It came to a point were hunting became a chore rather than an enjoyable time in the deer woods. One day a few seasons ago I just had enough of it all and told myself. “Just go hunting.” Ever since that day I enjoy hunting more and appreciate the time in the woods more.

Hunting has become too complicated, when in fact it is simple. If you’re doing your scouting right then what else can you do? With years of hunting experience under by belt I remind myself that I should trust my knowledge and gut feeling more. I’ve been a successful hunter before I started to worry about every little detail and I am still a successful hunter now. But now I enjoy hunting more again.

The lesson learned here is. Don’t overanalyze hunting too much. Just go out and hunt.

New Hampshire: New Way to “Make a Hunter”

© By Othmar Vohringer

New Hampshire has a new opportunity this year for participating in the hunting experience. The Apprentice Hunting License allows people to hunt, under the guidance of an experienced hunter age 18 or older, without first having to take a Hunter Education course. In instituting the program, New Hampshire followed the lead of thirty states that have established apprentice hunting programs over the past five years.

For New Hampshire it is the first year of having this the new license and so far it looks promising as a tool to recruit more hunters. During the spring turkey hunting season, 93 new hunters bought Apprentice Hunting Licenses. Of these, more than half were women, and many were in the 16-25 age group. Some 23% of these hunters (21 in all) were successful – better than the overall success rate for spring turkey hunters the previous year. No safety incidents were reported.