Welcome
NEXT MEETING: Monday, May 14th, 7:30pm at the BINGO HALL in Oakland
FULL AUTO SHOOT being hosted by New Milford Rifle and Pistol has been postponed until fall 2012
Canawacta Rod & Gun Club Online!
Welcome to CRAG Online!
Our website is designed to serve both as a way to communicate easily with our members but also to highlight some of our ongoing activities.
The Home page will be reserved for very general information but we will post any current announcements or news here as well. Take a look around, this site will change and develop as we grow. If you have something you would like to see posted or have other questions or comments, please visit our Contacts & Directions page to send us a note.
Our website is designed to serve both as a way to communicate easily with our members but also to highlight some of our ongoing activities.
The Home page will be reserved for very general information but we will post any current announcements or news here as well. Take a look around, this site will change and develop as we grow. If you have something you would like to see posted or have other questions or comments, please visit our Contacts & Directions page to send us a note.
Headlines & Announcments
Items up for bid from the Art Dorst Estate
Going, Going, GONE! is the remainder of Art's Mother's Porcelian Custard Mold Collection, local sales welcome
Harry Potter Boxed Set Books 1-7
JUST LISTED: Kewpie Dolls, SOLD OUT!
OPEN TRAP SHOOT every Tuesday from 5:30 till dark
3C Deer Study Final Report from Jim Stickles
Greetings all,
This is the final 3C deer study update, at least from me. As of December 31st, 2011, the split season regulation study will come to completion, the results will be compiled, and some sort of publication will be developed. By that time, I will have already moved to Georgia to start a study of my own in the form of graduate research for a Master's degree investigating the impact of road-side fences on deer/vehicle collisions.
The rifle season is closed, and I have some numbers for everyone! Of approximately 240 does that were in the 3C herd before the hunting season, only 18 have been killed thus far. Of approximately 160 bucks, 40 were killed this past season, 35 of which were 2.5 years-old or older, with the remaining 5 being yearlings. Although there is still a late flintlock/archery season in progress, very few of our ear-tagged or radio collared deer usually get killed during that season. The take-home message here is that for the second year in a row, our data suggested that does did not experience much of a harvest, whereas adult bucks were well harvested. If this trend is representative of what happened throughout 3C the result will be population increase.
For some, the increase in deer numbers will be welcomed, but for others, it will mean trying to figure out how to feed the extra deer in the herd this winter so that the deer remain in fair health. Cold temperatures and deep snows from last year's winter caused deer to herd-up close to food sources and in valleys with sufficient conifer cover. Such winter conditions were also responsible for winter kills, which were reported to me from 5 different landowners throughout the 3C area.
When deer herd-up, it does not take long for localized food sources to be depleted. Each deer needs about 4-6lbs of food per day (depending on size, age, physical condition, and weather conditions) to remain in good health. That might not sound like much, but if you are feeding a herd of 20 deer, that means you would need to provide 80-120lbs of food per day to adequately feed those deer. When winter weather covers the ground with 6-10 inches of snow, the primary food source available for deer in much of 3C is browse, meaning deer need to eat a lot of twigs and buds to remain in decent health. If a better food source is available, deer will usually exploit it heavily as long as it is accessible. Many folks will want to feed deer during the winter months to help ensure their survival. To those folks, I encourage you to read "Please Don't Feed the Deer" and "Winter Feeding of Deer and Wild Turkey" found on the PGC website at http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/deer/11949. If herds are in balance with their habitat, feeding deer is not necessary. Winter mortality is natures way of completing a task that hunters did not complete during the hunting and growing seasons. If people really want to help protect the health of their deer herd during winter months, I highly encourage adequately harvesting does and/or manipulating the habitat to provide substantial amounts of food on a year-round basis (i.e. planting food plots, creating browse, etc.).
That is all for now. I hope you have all enjoyed these updates as much as I have enjoyed working here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Everyone we worked with here was extremely helpful in the success of our trapping and monitoring efforts, whether it be informing us of areas where they were seeing deer, reporting sightings of radio collars and ear tagged deer to us, baiting trapping sights for us, volunteering their help when we captured deer, or providing us with needed supplies. I will always remember the hospitality and cooperation of the people here, and will leave here with a few life-long friends. Take care everyone, and have a fun filled and safe 2012!
-Jim Stickles AWB®
New Website Feature!!!
We are looking to dress up the clubs webpage with photos of members and events. To start us off we have added a Hunt & Fish Photo Gallery for members to post and view the success stories of our time afield and on the water. Please go to our Events page to check them out. If you are a member with a picture to show off and a story to tell, please forward them to the clubs email address: canawacta@gmail.com
