Kansas: HUNTERS NEEDED FOR MANHATTAN-AREA YOUTH/HANDICAP DEER HUNT

Application deadline Aug. 1
MANHATTAN — The 10th Annual Youth/Handicap Assisted Deer Hunt is just three months away, and now is the time to sign up. The Riley County Fish and Game Association; Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism; and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Tuttle Creek Reservoir are seeking participants for the hunt, to be held Sept. 8 and 9.

Kansas youth 11 through 16 years old and Kansas residents with a certified disability are eligible to participate in this hunt. Participants will need a Kansas hunting license, a deer permit, and, if required by Kansas law, to take or have taken an approved hunter education course. Sponsoring agencies and associations can provide assistance meeting these requirements, including scholarships to help purchase licenses and permits. Rifles and/or ammunition can be provided, as well.

Each hunt participant will be paired with an experienced hunter who will serve as guide. Arrangements have been made with area lockers, where basic processing of harvested deer will be handled free of charge. Other items provided for this hunt include accessible hunting blinds, access to hunting property, hunter orange hats and vests, and transportation to the field.

Hunt participants will also be required to attend a firearm safety presentation and sight-in at the Fancy Creek Shooting Range at 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, Aug. 19.

Other groups and organizations contributing to this hunt include the Friends of Fancy Creek Range, Kansas City Chapter of Safari Club International, Kansas State Rifle Association, and the Tuttle Creek Lake Association.

For more information or an application, phone Steve Prockish at the Tuttle Creek Lake Corps of Engineers Office, 785-539-8511, ext. 3167, or email stephen.e.prockish@usace.army.mil. Applications will be accepted thru Aug. 1.

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Sights stay on safety during 2011 season- Wisconsin

Third fatality-free deer season one for the hunting history book

MADISON -- Wisconsin hunters who filled the woods for the nine-day gun-deer season did their part to play it safe, closing the season on Nov. 28 with no fatalities among the seven reported incidents for all 72 counties.

A shooting incident under investigation in Monroe County was declared a deer hunting incident on Nov. 29, bringing the total incidents for the season to seven. The Monroe County incident was confirmed after the DNR issued its preliminary season round-up showing a total of six incidents. The additional incident, which was a non-fatal self-inflicted gunshot wound, also changed the ranking of the season from tied with another year as the second safest to the third safest in Wisconsin's recorded history.

The safest season was in 2004 when there were four incidents and two were fatalities. The second safest was 2007 when the state had six incidents, of which three were fatalities.

“Hunting is as safe as it has ever been and getting safer – thanks to the efforts of the hunters themselves, the many volunteer Hunter Education instructors and our conservation warden force,” DNR Law Enforcement Administrator Tim Lawhern said.

Lawhern also said the good news of the 2011 season does not diminish the pain and suffering endured by the victims in the seven incidents and the department wishes each a quick recovery.

“However, this is a milestone for safety in the hunting community – and we are pushing it become a trend that sticks for a long time,” he said.

These seven incidents occurred in the counties of Shawano, Waukesha, Clark, Polk, Monroe and two in Iowa.

The specifics of the 2011 incidents are:

• Three of the incidents occurred during deer drives.
• One incident involved two hunting parties.
• Three of the incidents were self-inflicted injuries.
• One incident and its victim involved a person who was not a licensed hunter, but was participating in a deer drive with a group.
• Four incidents involved rifles and three involved shotguns.
• Two of the incidents involved juvenile shooters.
• Five of the seven shooters in these incidents had completed the Hunter Safety certification course.

And, the average shooter in these seven incidents is 31 years old and the average victim in these events is 43 years old.

The agency only tracks firearm-related incidents and does not keep track of deaths or injuries due to heart attacks, tree stand falls or other causes.

“Ultimately, nearly all are linked to a violation of one or more of the four basic rules of firearm safety – treat every firearm as if it is loaded, never point your firearm at a person, never put your finger in the trigger until you are ready to shoot and know what is behind your target,” Lawhern said of one of the top themes of the Hunter Education Certification Course. Hunter education is required for anyone born on or after Jan 1, 1973, and Lawhern encourages “All hunters should take the hunter education certification course – no matter the age.”

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New firearm rules take effect on opening day of gun deer hunt

Image via Wikipedia

MADISON -- New legislation signed Friday by Gov. Scott Walker modifies state law concerning the manner in which long-barreled firearms, bows and crossbows can be transported in motor vehicles or placed in or on stationary vehicles.

The new law will be published in time to take effect Nov. 19, opening day of the traditional, nine-day, 2011 gun deer season.

In its essence, the new law can be boiled down to a single statement, said Tim Lawhern, DNR division of enforcement and science administrator.

“Unless otherwise prohibited, you can carry a long gun, uncased and unloaded, in or on a motor vehicle in Wisconsin at any time,” Lawhern said. The DNR has prepared a frequently asked questions on Wis. Act 51 page that available on the law enforcement pages of the DNR website.

While the law has changed, Lawhern said, there will still be many people who will continue to use a carrying case to transport unloaded firearms in motor vehicles, as hunters have been and will continue to be advised in hunter education courses.

“It’s a great way to protect your investment in your firearms,” Lawhern said.

As is always the case with a new law, Lawhern said, the first year is an educational opportunity.

DNR chief warden Randy Stark has already provided the state’s warden force with detailed instructions on the new law and its enforcement. Wardens will use a mix of enforcement, communication and education to help hunters understand and comply with the new law, Lawhern said.

“We are always ready to help people in the field, to answer their questions and to provide advice,” Lawhern said.

Here are a few things hunters might need to know about the new law:

• A caveat to the uncased long gun rule – the new legislation does not change Wisconsin law regulating the practice of shining (illuminating) wild animals at night with artificial light. It will still be illegal to possess a firearm of any kind, loaded or unloaded, while shining wild animals.
• The new law allows individuals to hunt from a stationary non-motorized vehicle, such as a hay wagon, so long as it is not attached to a motor vehicle. Previously, hunting from any vehicle was prohibited, without the distinction of whether the vehicle was motorized or stationary. This change previously had been sought by warden administrators. “People used to have to take one or more wheels off the hay wagon to comply with the letter of the law,” Lawhern said.
• It will be legal to possess and transport uncased bows and crossbows in a vehicle. However, bows may not have an arrow nocked. A crossbow may not be cocked unless it is unloaded (meaning the bolt or arrow is removed) and cased.
• When in or on a vehicle which is stationary, long guns can be both uncased and loaded. A stationary vehicle can have the motor running. “Stationary” means not moving, regardless of whether the motor is running. This allows a hunter, at a stationary vehicle, to place a loaded gun on a clean, dry surface.

Wisconsin hunters, as a group, are among the best trained and safest hunters in the world, said Lawhern. This is thanks in large part to the legions of volunteer hunter safety instructors who donate their time each year to educate new hunters.

“Our hunters have established an enviable safety record,” Lawhern said. “We fully expect the vast majority of hunters in Wisconsin will continue to use common sense and safe practices when handling firearms. For most of us, these practices have become second nature.”

Here are the four basic rules of gun safety, as taught in hunter education:

• Treat every firearm as if it is loaded.
• Always point the muzzle in a safe direction.
• Be certain of your target and what’s beyond.
• Keep your finger outside the trigger guard until ready to shoot.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim Lawhern, DNR enforcement and science division administrator, (608) 264-6133

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• Wisconsin DNR Outdoor Report Summary for November 3, 2011 (midwestdeerhunting.blogspot.com)
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