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BWA Newsletter - Summer 2007A Bluffland Whitetails Association quarterly publication for
Venison donation passes in 2007 Omnibus BillHunters who wish to donate a deer to food shelves this fall won’t have to wonder who’s going to foot the bill for processing. For the first time in the history of Minnesota, a state-funded venison donation program will be available to pay for the processing of thousands of deer. Initiated and supported by BWA, the bill was written and submitted by Representative Rick Hansen (DFL) and a bipartisan group of legislators. The original version of the bill called for a $1 increase in regular deer license fees in order to cover the cost of the venison processing and administration, virtually ensuring the success of the program. But that version met with significant resistance from some legislators and the Minnesota Deer Hunter’s Association (MDHA), which claimed that this is merely a social program that would burden hunters without providing any benefit to them. Instead, MDHA proposed that the program should be funded by voluntary donations. According to BWA director Jim Vagts, voluntary donations have failed to generate enough funds in Iowa and Wisconsin to make the programs successful. The organization sought to use the lessons learned in these states to design a successful venison donation program that would continue for years to come. Statewide funding would also provide hunters with an opportunity to harvest additional deer. Those who have already filled the freezer can then donate to a worthy cause without having to pay additional processing fees. “It’s a win-win situation” said Vagts. “Hunters can spend more time hunting and (the program) provides us with positive exposure.” In the end, a compromise version was inserted into the 2007 Omnibus Bill and passed, thanks to the hard work and dedication of numerous advocates, including the bill’s authors, Senator Sharon Erickson-Ropes, and BWA directors Jack Peck, Gary Bartsch, and Jim Vagts, who testified and advocated for the program. Betty Wilkens, Coordinator for Venison Donation Minnesota, also provided her expertise and support of the program in legislative hearings. According to Lou Cornicelli, Big Game Program Coordinator for the Minnesota DNR, an appropriation of $160,000 from the General Fund will be used to start the program in 2007. In addition, non-residents will be required to pay an additional $5 for a deer license and residents will be given the option to donate $1, $3, or $5 to the program. In 2008, the $5 non-resident license fee and voluntary donations will continue. In addition, the cost of bonus tags will be increased by $1 to offset the General Fund appropriation. Although the donation option will only apply to deer license transactions, anyone can voluntarily donate to the program. So, for all of the hunters who fill the freezer early in the season, here’s your chance to spend more time in the woods and provide nutritious meals to those who are less fortunate.
BWA buck committee is formedBWA has recently authorized the formation of a new committee. This committee, for lack of a better name, is simply called the ‘buck committee’. The mission statement for this committee reads as follows; "To promote a balanced buck-to-doe ratio and an adequate number of mature bucks that will lead to a better quality hunting experience." And, as the name and mission statement would suggest, they will be focusing strictly on those issues that affect the numbers, age structure and ratios in the herd. This committee hopes to keep a very narrow focus and currently has only two goals. The first goal, which they consider to be relatively short-term and do-able, is the elimination of cross-tagging of bucks. This committee seeks to do away with cross-tagging of bucks for a variety of reasons but strongly believes that the practice of cross-tagging of does should continue. The second goal of this committee is more long-term and is expected to be met with more resistance. That goal would be to move the firearms season back, out of the peak of the rut. In 2000, the Minnesota DNR wrote; "the opening dates are set at the time of peak breeding activity when bucks are most vulnerable." They go on to say; "this has resulted in a shift in the age structure of antlered deer toward younger deer reducing the number of older bucks." This was an understandable management practice in 1973, but is increasingly out of step with the times. Anyone wanting more information, or wishing to be a part of this committee, can contact Michael Sieve at (507) 896-2311.
A message from BWA's president...Well, it looks like Minnesota finally has a venison donation program!! For the benefit of our readers who have not followed the venison donation program closely, I will try and give a brief account of how this came about. First of all, the money raised by the program will be administered by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, who will be paying $70 per deer to the respective lockers for processing; the exception being small amounts being spent for advertising and distribution of the venison. The idea of a venison program for Minnesota was originally developed in August of 2005 after getting reports on how successful the programs have been in Iowa and Wisconsin (Iowa has a $1 license surcharge—Wisconsin $2). The concept gained momentum, and it was decided by BWA directors to introduce a bill in the Minnesota House and Senate for Minnesota's own program. The original bill called for a $1 surcharge to be added to the first deer tag. This would have raised about $450,000 or enough money to process over 6,000 deer and would have furnished 1.2 million low-fat, low-cholesterol servings of venison. The bill was introduced in 2006 by Representative Rick Hansen to a house committee and, unfortunately, was voted down. We were disappointed, but we felt we had to try again. We realized we had to work even harder in 2007. The bill was introduced again in February of 2007 by Representative Hansen in the House and by Senator Ropes in the Senate. The bill that was passed was a compromise that was quite different than the original bill. The bill passed into law includes $160,000 from the general fund, a $5 license surcharge on non-resident licenses and a voluntary checkoff. In 2008, the funding will be generated by a $5 non-resident surcharge, a $1 surcharge on bonus tags, plus the voluntary checkoff. Although BWA is pleased to have a venison donation program started, it falls far short of the original bill, as it will only provide about half of the processed venison for the food shelves. Hopefully, the deer hunters who were opposed to the original bill will see the benefits of the program and help Minnesota catch up to Iowa and Wisconsin. Representative Hansen and Senator Ropes were outstanding in handling this bill and need to be complimented on getting the venison donation bill passed. They also worked hard on other conservation issues. BWA director Jack Peck spent many long hours with the venison program over the last three years through the Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry. Thanks Jack. One day last week as I was taking a break from one of my farming projects, I noticed a doe and two good-sized fawns frolicking on the edge of the lawn. Later that day, I saw a hen pheasant with nine chicks foraging in the hay stubble. What an awesome experience I had that day seeing the next generation of deer and pheasants. I would have liked to have all the Minnesota legislators with me that day who voted against the dedicated funding proposal. After seeing the baby pheasants darting through the short grass and the fawns running and jumping, could they still vote against clean water and conservation spending? I hope not! —Gary Bartsch, president
Member profile
Jared Vaske
Presently, Jared serves as a gunner on a Convoy Escort Team (CET) and helps guard supplies as they move from the south to the bases in the north. He says one of the things he misses most is the hunting and fishing back home. Jared comes from a hunting background, and when he was 10 years old, he started tagging along with his dad and older brother Justin hunting for pheasants. He now enjoys hunting pheasants, ducks, geese and deer with his mother Deb and younger brother Adam.
Jared and his family joined BWA a few years ago hoping that BWA could help bring about positive and necessary changes to southwest Minnesota, as well as to the southeastern part of the state. In addition to deer hunting, Jared also enjoys turkey hunting and harvested his first gobbler on my farm his first time out. He has hunted the lovesick toms of Houston County for five springs now and has four birds to his credit—not bad for a prairie kid! When Jared finally returns home from Iraq, he plans to marry his fiancée Amanda Probst. Amanda has hunted turkey also, but hasn’t taken a bird yet—perhaps next year. As for Jared, I would hope that the deer hunting WILL be better by the time he returns home—but that is not likely. It’s been this way for a long time, and changes are hard to make. Jared is a young man, and he will benefit from these changes sooner or later. It would be nice to think that when he is my age (old), he doesn’t have to look at deer hunting in Minnesota with all of its potential and conclude that it still “sucks.” P.S. Thanks Jared for your dedicated service to our country! —Mike Sieve
BWA St. Charles banquet was a sell-out
A special thanks to the St. Charles BWA banquet committee members. Their countless hours of planning, putting together prize packages and ticket selling showed the night of the banquet. Special thanks also to this year’s major sponsors and donors (listed below) who without their generosity this banquet could not have been a success.
Hope to see you next year.
Caledonia/La Crescent Banquet
Limited tickets for entry and chance of winning a door entry prize. Free refreshments from 5:00 to 7:00 during our rack rattling social time. As is customary with our banquet, there will be plenty of great raffles and chances at dandy prizes, guns, art work, clothing, hunting, and other outdoor equipment. Families are encouraged to attend. Bonus big buck dollars! Pre-purchase $150 raffle packages for $100 prior to the banquet. This provides a bonus of $50 raffle money. There are limited packages available! All responses must be received by August 1, 2007. No tickets are expected to be available for purchase at the door. All ticket packages will be available for pick up at the door. Please select your ticket package option below and mail immediately to:
Name ______________________________________________________________________
Total enclosed by check or money order: $50 $150 $250 or other_______ BWA THANKS YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGES YOU TO GET INVOLVED. Please call Mike Staggemeyer if you would like to help at this event, 507-725-5165.
In the spotlight...A few years ago I had the good fortune of coming into contact with a very remarkable person. I was in the process of setting up my Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry program, and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture told me to contact a Betty Wilkens for answers to my questions. Betty, you see, developed and maintains a web site (www.venisondonationmn.com) that lists all Minnesota venison donation programs and participating meat processors. She also keeps records of the number of animals donated every year. Betty sits on a Citizens Oversight Committee for the Minnesota DNR Fisheries and is a past president of the Snake River Chapter of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association. She was very dedicated to BWA's venison donation bill and made several trips to the Capitol to testify in favor of it. Betty and her husband Dan have taught and mentored many beginner hunters on their farm over the years. Betty Wilkens makes the outdoors of Minnesota a better place for all. My hat goes off to you Betty! I am proud to say that I know her, and also proud to say she is a BWA member. With all her help and support on the Venison Donation Bill, the board of directors of BWA awarded Betty an honorary membership. Thanks Betty!
John[Jack] Peck
Betty was raised in Door County, Wisconsin, where her parents (German immigrants) had an orchard and grew small fruits and vegetables for local sale. After her marriage to Dan in 1961 and his graduation as an electrical engineer, she went to Macalester College and obtained a degree in chemistry. When they purchased a farm near Dan’s parents’ home place in 1972, Dan became a full-time farmer and Betty went to work as a teacher. She remained in teaching, helping with the farm work when possible, and eventually became an administrator. Prior to retirement a couple of years ago; she had worked in elementary, high school and college settings plus as a music teacher for private classical guitar and piano lessons. The outdoors has always been the place Betty feels most happy and comfortable in. She works outside and wanders around nearly every day, happy to be alive and part of the “real world.” Fishing and hunting have been an important part of her life since childhood, and she has hunted deer for over forty years. Working with young people continues to be a joy, and she spends quite a bit of time as a volunteer teacher at the high school (water quality monitoring, plant care, and environment). In addition, she works with the DNR Becoming an Outdoor Woman program, providing shooting clinics (archery and rifle) and mentoring archery and muzzleloader hunts. For the past four years, she worked on the venison donation program in Kanabec County, plus she helped coordinate the statewide effort to help hunters who wish to harvest and give deer to food shelves and charitable organizations. Betty continues to work with local government, having served a number of years as Town Clerk and now as a Supervisor. When her present term expires, she plans on “really retiring” to spend time getting better at watercolor painting of her favorite subjects—the outdoors, of course! The following poem was written by Betty Wilkens in celebration of her first Social Security check in January 2005:
I shall wear purple, and orange, and blue, and camo, and any
I shall play in the water, and climb trees, and wander through
I shall work when I please and do the jobs I want; for without
I shall take time to reflect on the past and put things in order for
I shall plant more flowers and less vegetables, because I desire
I shall tell stories and give advice without fear of being perceived
Guests honored at June BWA board meetingSeveral guests were honored at the June 20, 2007, BWA board of directors meeting held at the Pope and Young Club in Chatfield. Those recognized were Representative Rick Hansen and Betty Wilkens for their work on the venison bill, and Eric Atherton for his outstanding media coverage of outdoor issues. Each honoree was presented with a certificate of appreciation from BWA. Senator Sharon Erickson Ropes was unable to attend but was presented with a certificate of appreciation for her work on the venison bill as well. Also attending the meeting was Dr. Marrett Grund, Farmland Wildlife Populations and Research Group, Minnesota DNR. He gave a presentation on the latest deer population goal setting data (see related article in this newsletter titled "The science behind Minnesota deer management.")
The science behind Minnesota deer management
Marrett Grund, Ph.D. Have you ever wondered how the DNR determines how many antlerless permits are offered to hunters each year or whether the permit area that you hunt in is designated as a “managed” or “intensive” permit area? I grew up living and hunting around New Ulm, and I always wondered how the heck the DNR figured their antlerless permit quotas for southern Minnesota! Sometimes I felt cheated when I saw lots of antlerless deer during the hunting season; other times I questioned why they issued antlerless tags at all because I didn’t see a deer. Later this summer, you will find out just how many antlerless permits are offered in your permit area if you hunt in a lottery area or whether your area is designated as a managed or intensive permit area. I’m going to outline how science dictates which regulations should be applied to each area and how many antlerless permits should be offered if the area is a lottery area.
What’s the goal?Establishing the population goal is an absolutely fundamental first step to the deer management decision-making process. If the goal is to increase the number of deer in the next year, the objective will be to reduce the number of antlerless deer harvested during the season. Conversely, if the goal is to reduce deer densities, the objective will be to increase the number of antlerless deer harvested. Without having the goal, the science is almost irrelevant because nobody would have any direction on which way the deer population should go. The DNR recently developed new population goals for each permit area in Minnesota by using a modified public process developed by Cornell University.
What’s the objective?My colleague (and mentor), Dr. Mark Lenarz, and I estimate deer densities through analyzing historical harvest, winter severity, deer reproductive rates, and non-hunting survival data to estimate the number of deer that exist in each permit area each year. Can Dr. Lenarz or myself determine exactly how many deer are in each permit area every year? Nope…that’s the honest answer that I bet a lot of you wanted to hear. We can generally come close though; and for the most part, we can determine whether a population is increasing or decreasing, or if it has been relatively stable. So, if the objective is to increase deer densities in the future, the strategy (or hunting regulation) that we recommend will be based on the trend of deer densities relative to the predetermined goal. Up to this point, the science is very sound because Dr. Lenarz and I are analyzing data that have been collected in the past versus what the DNR has established as a goal.
Get to the regulation please!There are so many unknowns with what might happen during the upcoming year that selecting the right regulation is not always an easy task. Will a blizzard hit Minnesota during the opening weekend when two-thirds of the harvest normally takes place? Will it be 80 degrees on the opener with heavy rain, which we know will also reduce the harvest? Will there be an extremely severe winter after the hunting season, which will increase deer mortality above and beyond what we expected? Neither of us have the crystal ball that would allow us to know exactly what will happen in the next year. Basically, we look at long-term averages and assume that the average will happen again. More times than not we make the right decision using the long-term averages, but other times we’re wrong. If our objective is to reduce deer numbers, the strategy that we recommend will be to increase the number of antlerless deer killed. In other words, if it is a lottery permit area, we’ll likely increase the number of antlerless permits from the previous year. If the number of antlerless deer killed cannot be achieved through a lottery permit program, we’ll recommend the area be designated as managed or intensive. Whether the area is managed or intensive really depends on the number of hunters willing and able to harvest an antlerless deer relative to the number of hunters that actually hunt in the particular area. Using historical harvest data, I can estimate the percentage of hunters who harvested zero, one, two, or three or more deer in the past couple of hunting seasons. If the percentage of hunters killing one or two antlerless deer is too low in a managed area, I’ll recommend the permit area be designated as intensive in the upcoming year. Conversely, if the population is moving toward goal or is at goal under an intensive season, I’ll likely recommend that the area be designated as managed during the upcoming year. This brief article really oversimplifies the scientific process behind Minnesota deer management. There are many other field studies that we conduct and derive information from that facilitates making science-based deer management recommendations. However, I hope this article provides a basic understanding about how science is integrated into the Minnesota deer management program.
Hunting: Number of hunters is dropping, but not public support for those who huntThere may be fewer hunters in the United States, but it's not because of public opinion. That's a conclusion suggested by two recent national surveys, which show that while the number of hunters in America continues to fall, public support for hunting is strong and growing. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released preliminary data from its 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Associated Recreation, an assessment of participation trends among Americans over age 16, compiled at five-year intervals. Hunter numbers, according to the survey, fell by 4 percent nationwide since 2001. Only 5 percent of Americans now consider themselves hunters.
Responsive Management conducted its survey for the National Assembly of Sportsmen's Caucuses, a national organization of state legislators interested in wildlife and sportsmen's issues. "Americans seem to be acquiring a more realistic view of hunting and wildlife management, possibly due to increases in populations of deer and resident geese in urban areas," said Mark Damian Duda, Responsive Management executive director. Duda said that when his firm asked respondents specifically about hunting as a source of food or as a wildlife management tool, public support soared to more than 80 percent. "Support dropped off markedly, however, when we asked about hunting for sport or trophy collection," Duda said recently in a presentation to the Outdoor Writers Association of America. Despite the nationwide decline in the total number of hunters, Duda said his research indicates that the ranks of female hunters are growing. "It looks like an increase for women," Duda said. "But it's very interesting. With women, we could not identify specific variables that influence hunting. With men you can look at factors like race or rural background and say it tends to increase the odds of an individual hunting, but with women we did not find that relationship." Duda acknowledged the various programs, such as Becoming an Outdoors Woman, which introduce women from diverse backgrounds to shooting, fishing, canoeing and other outdoor skills, aided the growth in female participation, but stopped short of attributing it to any particular factor. As the motivations of hunters in general change and evolve, Duda suggested, it could be that hunting is becoming more attractive and more accessible for women. For example, survey data indicate that only 9 percent of hunters in 1980 said they hunted primarily to spend time with family. Responsive Management's recent survey found that 20 percent of today's hunters cite being with family as the most important reason they hunt. Among former hunters nationwide, 26 percent said they quit hunting because of a "lack of time." Twenty-two percent said they dropped out because of conflicts with work, and 18 percent cited family obligations. Only 3 percent said they quit because of a lack of game. "Unfortunately, these factors are not easily dealt with by the state wildlife agencies," Duda said. "[Agencies] might be able to help the situation if we could go to them and say, 'People are quitting because your regulations are too complex,' but that's not the case. By far, the most important reason for hunting decline is urbanization and its demands on people's lives." Pennsylvania continues to be a major stronghold for hunting and fishing, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife survey. Slightly more than 1 million state residents and non-residents hunted in Pennsylvania in 2006, surpassed only by Texas with 1.1 million resident and visiting hunters. Pennsylvanians, though, were more active than Texans and led the nation in days afield. Keystone State residents enjoyed 15.8 million hunter-days in Pennsylvania last year, while collectively hunters in Texas spent 13.9 million days afield. Fishing participation declined by 12 percent nationwide since 2001, but Pennsylvanians who fish remain avid anglers. Eleven states -- California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin -- have more resident anglers than Pennsylvania's 824,000. But Pennsylvanians rank seventh in the nation in angler-days spent on the water, with nearly 17 million. Pennsylvanians also account for more days fishing in other states than anglers from anywhere except Illinois. Pennsylvanians fished out-of-state on 3.8 million days last year, while anglers from Illinois spent 5.7 million days on other states' lakes and streams. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service will issue its final version of the report in November, and individual state reports will be available soon after. —Ben Moyer
Shhhh....you'll ruin a friendshipby Jeff Heil, Sr. I have thought long and hard on this article and finally decided to get it done for this BWA newsletter. Last July, while at a lake in Canada, my middle son Mitch caught a 29 ½ inch walleye. Back at the resort, the other vacationers were all gawking and asking, “Where did he catch that fish?” We would then let them inspect the hole in the fish’s mouth and reply “Right there in the corner of the mouth.” I have discovered that by disclosing the fishing hole, we would have destroyed it for us. The whole resort would have been there trying their luck, and our spot would have been ruined. This is a scenario that really applies to the world of hunting whitetail deer or any other game that you may pursue. I have heard people talk about their secret spots that were no longer a secret because they showed a friend or a relative about their little “honey hole” just to discover that it isn’t a secret place or “their spot” anymore. I also know of very successful sportsmen who won’t even tell their family about a great hunting area. I have personally discovered that by disclosing a special trail, funnel, fence line or tree stand location to someone, you might just as well kiss it goodbye, because when it comes to a trophy deer, friendship goes down the toilet. If you don’t want to go hunting and find your buddy’s vehicle parked where you park—DON’T TELL THEM! Keep this in mind when you are all excited about a new spot or a buck with a great headdress. Is the friendship or family feud worth the cost you will bear when they hurt your feelings? NO. To avoid the whole ordeal, KEEP IT TO YOURSELF! Just don’t say anything. If you have to, cut out your tongue; well don’t go quite that far. The only drawback with this logic is someone should always know where you are hunting for safety reasons. So, you will need to make a judgment call on who knows where you are. I tell my wife where I am when I hunt, and this has been a good way for us. Safety has to come first.
From the treetopsby Jeff Heil, Sr. This is the second installment of tips that I will be writing for the BWA newsletters. These tips will aid in a safe and healthy hunt.
After a serious treestand fall in 2002, I have dedicated time to educate the public whenever possible and also donate time to Firearm Safety classes whenever I can.
Biology trivia quiz #11. How many species of whitetail deer are there in North America?
A. 5 2. The heaviest certified weight of a whitetail killed during a hunting season was?
A. 38 pounds 3. In which of these humidity levels can deer smell most keenly?
A. 10 - 30 percent 4. A human’s body temperature is 98.6 degrees, what is a whitetail deer’s?
A. 101 degrees 5. A deer’s eyes?
A. Work symmetrically and can focus and range objects on either side. 6. How fast can a whitetail run?
A. 30 - 35 miles per hour 7. Side hair on a whitetail is?
A. White with dark tips 8. What is the approximate range that a deer’s eyes can monitor its surroundings at one time?
A. 360 degrees Answers to this quiz can be found at the end of this newsletter.
Deer repellents
Jim Edgar Deer hunters spend considerable time and money trying to attract deer to their land or favorite hunting spot. An important long-term improvement to attract deer can be tree planting. Trees can provide cover and food to improve deer habitat for many years. Last newsletter I gave some recommendations to help get newly planted tree seedlings growing and surviving (remember - DRY ROOTS MEAN DEAD TREES). The commonly planted annual and perennial food plot crops, as well as the normal field crops of corn, beans and hay, likely attract plenty of deer to your property. Unfortunately, those deer that eat the crops and food plots don’t realize that trees have been planted for the benefit of their offspring, not for their lunch. Deer are browsers, and they seem to favor browsing (eating) oak, walnut and pine seedlings that were planted for the long-term benefit of their species. Deer browse can be, and often is, a big factor in the death of planted tree seedlings. Deer repellents can be used with some success to keep the new seedlings from being eaten and killed during their first years. Once the tree (hardwoods like oak or walnut) gets roots established, it can eventually outgrow the deer’s ability to eat it. Deer repellents work by either smelling or tasting offensive. The deer avoid the trees because of odor or learn that they don’t taste good. Studies of repellents have shown that effectiveness declines over time, so re-treating is needed for year-round control. During the growing season, a taste repellent will not protect new growth that comes after application. This may also require re-treatment to minimize browse damage during the growing season. Studies have shown that repellents that smell like rotten eggs, animal protein odors or products containing blood are most successful in keeping deer from eating your trees. Most studies also indicate that during the growing season, efficiency of the repellents declines after about four weeks. I know landowners who keep deer off their seedlings with regular use of repellents. Repellents are used on State Forest Land in northern Minnesota to protect pine seedlings. Forestry supply companies sell several brands of repellent. Local green houses, nurseries and hardware stores will also have repellents for sale. If you planted seedlings and are having trouble with deer eating them, a repellent may be part of the solution to the problem. Find a repellent by asking other landowners, a forester, or a wildlife manager, and use it according to the directions. It may take some experimentation to get the proper product and application frequency, but repellents can be a good tool to use when growing small tree seedlings.
Answers to Biology trivia quiz #1:1-D, 2-C, 3-C, 4-B, 5-D, 6-B, 7-C, 8-C
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Jared Vaske is a Blufflands member who is currently serving in Iraq. He is on an extended tour of duty and is due home late this summer. After graduating from high school, Jared joined the Army in 2004 because “I liked the challenge and wanted to do my part in the war.”
When he was 12 years old, Jared took his first deer, and now hunts them with both firearms and archery. All of his deer have been taken in southwest Minnesota, where Jared says the quality “sucks.”
The Bluffland Whitetails Association would like to thank all who attended the 1st annual St. Charles banquet on Friday, April 27, 2007. A good time was had by the sold-out crowd of 200. There were 38 guns, three bows, nine prints, one utility trailer, one diamond necklace and numerous other prizes given out. BWA would like to extend our congratulations to all the prize winners, especially David Dittfach from Lake City who was the winner of the 23 gun safe and Browning Fusion shotgun.
Elizabeth A. Wilkens (Betty) lives on a farm along the Knife River in east central Minnesota, halfway between Mora and Mille Lacs Lake. Betty and her husband, Dan, have four children, seven grandchildren, and a new great-granddaughter. For quite a few years, they raised both dairy and beef animals, but have retired their acres into a “recreation farm” that they work/play on daily, plus share with family members, friends, and others who are learning to hunt, fish, or just enjoy being outside.
Another survey, though, indicates that America's remaining hunters enjoy quite a crowd of cheerleaders. Responsive Management Inc., a social research firm that specializes in natural resource matters, found earlier this year that 78 percent of Americans support hunting as an outdoor activity, up from 73 percent since 1995. Eighty percent of respondents indicated that "hunting has a legitimate place in modern society." Meanwhile, the percentage of Americans who say they disapprove of hunting declined from 22 percent in 1995 to 16 percent today.