Coalition Formed Against Sunday Hunting Ban

© By Othmar Vohringer

It’s hard to believe that in this day and age some U.S. States and Canadian Provinces still have Sunday hunting ban laws on the books from a time when laws where influenced by religion. Interestingly most “Sunday ban laws (Blue Laws)” have been lifted. Stores are open on Sundays, so are cinemas, people can mow their lawns on Sunday or do house improvement work and engage in any sport art they wish, even fishing. But Sunday hunting bans are still in place.

This might soon change though if a newly formed coalition has their way. On of the biggest announcements to come out from the annual Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (Shot Show), was the formation of the “Sunday Hunting Coalition”. This new alliance was formed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and includes:

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance
National Rifle Association
Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation
Archery Trade Association
Boone and Crockett Club
Cabela’s
Delta Waterfowl
Mule Deer Foundation
National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses
Pheasants Forever
Quail Forever
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
Safari Club International
Wildlife Management Institute

The Coalitions single goal is the lobbying to repeal laws prohibiting hunting on Sundays in the eleven remaining states that still have the archaic blue law in place.
Those states include: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.

Here in Canada Sunday hunting bans are still in place for certain game species or certain areas of Alberta and New Brunswick. Personally I always found that with exception of every other activity hunting is still banned on Sundays is unfair. In these day and age when hunter numbers decline it is important that hunters get more time to hunt and not just one full day out of a week.

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This blog post has been brought to you by Othmar Vohringer Outdoors

PeTA Accused Of Spy Plot

© By Othmar Vohringer

The following press release has been sent to me by the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance.

The animal rights group PETA may be stepping into some hot water in the Sooner state. The director of an Oklahoma animal park claims to have evidence that PETA used a former employee as a spy in order to give the park a black eye.

Joe Schreibvogel, the director of G.W. Exotic Animal Park, indicated he has a taped confession that proves PETA paid the employee to essentially act as a spy. Schreibvogel says the employee used an external hard drive to copy files from the park’s main computer and that he used a camera to take pictures that might be embarrassing. That camera was allegedly purchased for the employee by PETA.

The County Sheriff’s office is currently investigating the claims and whether any laws related to downloading of information were violated. As of press time, no arrests have been made or charges filed.
In quotes to the media, Schreibvogel states, “If they make it look like they're rescuing our animals then more money goes to PETA.”

He also maintains that the park has received high marks over the last few years with all required state and federal inspections.

Teenagers Arrested For Poaching On State Prison Property

© By Othmar Vohringer

Just when you think that you heard and seen it all along comes a news item that makes you just shake your head in utter disbelieve.

What surely must be the dumbest case of poaching in resent history comes from Florida. Three teenagers, Aaron Griffis, 18; Houston Fender, 19; and Shea Wilson, 18, of Lawtey, Fla., have been arrested on January 6 for illegally hunting deer on the Florida state prison property. The part that makes me shake my head is that the poachers choose the state prison property to commit their crime. It just doesn’t get more moronic then that.

BC Outdoors Forum, The Place To Be

© By Othmar Vohringer

I am sure you’re all familiar with online hunting forums. These forums can be great fun but these places also can be, and often are, embroiled in heated discussions and opinionated comments that quickly can turn ugly.

The BC Outdoors magazine, British Columbia’s premier hunting and fishing authority for over 65 years, has gone a different. When BC Outdoors created a new website they not only added hunting and fishing blogs written by professional outdoor writers, but new forum too.

Book Review: Hunting The First State

© By Othmar Vohringer

“Hunting The First State” is not your ordinary hunting book. It’s a detailed guide to hunting in the state of Delaware. The book starts off with a short geographical description of Delaware and the hunting opportunities that state has to offer to the avid outdoors person. This is followed with six chapters on hunting tactics for whitetail deer, wild turkey, small game, migratory birds and waterfowl hunting.

Five Years Outdoors With Othmar Vohringer

© By Othmar Vohringer

This week marks the fifth year since I wrote the first post on this blog. During that time the blog underwent many changes until it looked like now. The idea to start a blog came to me when I searched the Internet for some hunting information and came upon the Sportsman’s Blog, written by fellow outdoor writer Jim Braaten.

Immediately I thought that this is a great way to provide information and stay in touch with the readers. Over time I realized that a blog is the ideal vehicle to reach people that are not involved in hunting. To me that was an important issue amidst all the animal rights and anti hunting agenda cluttering the Internet I felt it is important to provide our view so non-hunters could make informed decision.

Sun, Fun And Plenty Of Fish At The Ice Fishing Derby

(Originally published in the Merritt News)

© By Othmar Vohringer

This past Sunday over a hundred fisherman and their families came out to Mammette Lake for a fun-filled day of ice fishing. This was the 11th Annual Ice Fishing Derby organized by the Nicola Valley Fish & Game Club (NVFGC). Although there were not as many people attending the derby as in previous years it still was a resounding success despite the icy roads and snow on the Coquihalla highway which kept many Lower Mainlanders and people from Kamloops at home.

Right up to the last day I was worried about the weather and even more about the fishing conditions. The reports I received in regard to fishing success at Mammette Lake did not look promising as very few fish were caught. However, the day greeted us with warm sunshine and the warm weather front coaxed the fish into feeding activity. The fishing was exceptionally good with lots of big trout and coarse fish being caught.

Bill Otway To Be Inducted Into Canadian Anglers Hall Of Fame

© By Othmar Vohringer

I received good news from Carol Otway, the widow of the legendary conservationist Bill Otway who sadly passed away on October 17, 2010.

My good friend Bill is awarded the distinct honour of being inducted into the Canadian Anglers Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be held on February 18, 2011 at the Toronto Boat Show.

I am deeply touched by this. The only regret I have is that this well deserved honour was not bestowed on Bill during his lifetime. Bill Otway was without a doubt one of the biggest, if not the biggest, fighters for anglers and hunters rights and a conservationist for over 50 years. Much of the changes for the better we experienced in Canada are directly related to Bill’s efforts.

Extend Your Season, Hunt Coyotes

© By Othmar Vohringer

I live in cattle country and coyotes are everywhere. You can hear them howl and sing all day and all night. Ranchers hate coyotes, especially in the springtime when the calves are born. I’ve heard horror stories of coyotes circling a cow giving birth and the moment the calf’s head shows up they rush in for the kill. I have seen pictures of it and it looks not pretty. Every year rangers loose a few calves to coyotes and understandably are upset with these critters.

I’ve never paid much attention to coyote hunting until recently. I applied for permission to hunt on a ranch that has some prime whitetail deer habitat. The rancher asked; “Are you willing to kill coyotes? Every coyote you see?” Apparently, according to the rancher, most hunters want permission to hunt deer but are not willing to “help” the rancher so lessen his coyote problem.