Wichita Eagle: Outdoors

Kansas man accused of poaching deer that would have broken state record

MICHAEL PEARCE — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:54 CST

Charges have been filed against a Topeka man accused of poaching a deer that could have broken a state record that has stood for more than 35 years, according to the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism.

David Kent was charged in Osage County Court in connection with the Nov. 11 shooting of a 14-point whitetail buck, Wildlife and Parks information officer Mike Miller said Thursday.

Charges include hunting with an artificial light, hunting during a closed season, illegal hunting from a vehicle and the use of an illegal caliber for deer hunting.

This could be the year for eggs in Twin Lakes eagles’ nest

Beccy Tanner — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:56 CST

Love waits.

He’s doting, watchful, attending to her needs and whims.

She’s noncommittal, perhaps not quite sure this thing they’ve got going on is working.

Michael Pearce: The man who opened his outdoors world to many

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 06:41 CST

The first time I went afield with legendary herpetologist Joe Collins, the setting did little for my apprehension.

Even at mid-day, the canopy of dense oaks and elms let no sunlight reach the forest floor. A fog-like humidity hung heavy in the air.

Rocks from dime to door sized laid scattered about an area clogged with pant-grabbing briars and cluttered with fallen trees. A vertical wall of rimrock was well-pocked with small caves and crevices.

Roy Wenzl: Joe Collins taught us all about life

Roy Wenzl — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 06:41 CST

Some of us, if we are lucky, get to spend time in the company of a person who somehow makes himself

more alive than other people. In appreciating some of nature’s most delicate creatures, in teaching

others to appreciate them, Joe Collins became relentlessly happy.

Notes: Pheasant Fest coming to Kansas City

Michael Pearce — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 06:39 CST

All things upland bird hunting await those who attend the Feb. 17-19 Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic in Kansas City, Mo.

Well, at least the really important stuff.

“It’s a sports show, a habitat show and a hunting dog show,” said Bob St. Pierre, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever vice president. “If you’re an upland bird hunter, it’s the most diverse and important show in the country.”

Upland bird season’s highs and lows

Michael Pearce — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 06:28 CST

Sportsmen faced many challenges when duck and upland bird seasons began last fall.

Record-setting heat and drought in the spring and summer hammered pheasant production.

Though the flyway was expected to carry a record number of ducks, many Kansas wetlands were in poor shape.

Two outdoor-related bills set for legislative attention

Michael Pearce — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:11 CST

Bills that could lower taxes paid on watercraft and allow hunters to pack a handgun for personal protection while afield will have hearings this week in the Kansas legislature.

Boaters have long complained that Kansans pay higher personal property taxes for boats than in any surrounding state. In some cases, annual taxes are about twice as high on a fishing boat as the pick-up of the same year that pulls it to the lake.

Consequently, some Kansans register their boats in other states. In the past, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks staff told the legislature about 4,500 boats were registered in Oklahoma to Kansas addresses. Some laws say boats are to be registered in the state where they get the most use, though out-of-state registration is widely misused by Kansas boaters.

Great Outdoors Photo Contest is back

Michael Pearce — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:44 CST

The Wichita Eagle’s Great Outdoors Photo Contest is back and looking for top outdoors photos.

The deadline for submissions is Feb. 10. Eagle photographers will select the top 15 adult and top five youth photos (16 and under) for display on Kansas.com and at the Kansas Sports, Boat and Travel Show Feb.16-19 at the Kansas Coliseum Pavilion.

You can vote for the winners at the Sports Show Feb. 16-18. Online voting will be Feb. 14-19. Winners will be revealed on The Eagle’s Outdoors page on Feb. 19.

German hunter brings traditions to Kansas

Michael Pearce — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 08:02 CST

Most early fall and winter mornings hold sounds of sporting chaos at Ringneck Ranch.

Excited bird dogs bark as guides and hunters laugh and shout as loud motors take them afield.

Amid it all last Sunday morning came the mellow, melodic notes of a well-played horn. The songs have graced hunting grounds far away.

Second injured snowy owl healing at Eagle Valley Raptor Center

Beccy Tanner — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:39 CST

A juvenile snowy owl taken into captivity west of Kingman this week has survived so far.

The bird is receiving medicine and food every few hours around the clock and has been treated for head lice.

“The bird is super skinny. Basically he was on the verge of starving to death,” said Ken Lockwood, program manager of the Eagle Valley Raptor Center near Cheney. “I don’t think he would have made it another day.”

Legendary Kansas herpetologist Joe Collins dies

Stan Finger — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:57 CST

As far as Joe Collins was concerned, snakes have had a bad rap ever since the Garden of Eden.

Mr. Collins’ passion for herpetology inspired generations of students and outdoors enthusiasts.

“For 60 years, I have been obsessed with herpetology,” Mr. Collins said in a video shot by Dan Krull. “I make no apologies for it ... the thrill of discovery just can’t be beat.”

Snowy owls are beautiful, but experts in Kansas say not to get too close

Beccy Tanner — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:39 CST

This year is being called one of the most unprecedented snowy owl invasions of all time.

Since Nov. 16, when the first snowy owl was spotted in Kansas, more than 80 sightings of the birds have been reported. Kansas wildlife biologists say this may be only the beginning.

A normal year may garner one or two reported sightings of the birds from the Arctic.

Marion a hot spot for fishing again

Michael Pearce — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 07:17 CST

There’s nothing unusual about an angler taking retirement when the fish are biting. Warren Kreutziger did so in November.

“We started catching them in November which seems earlier than last year,” Kreutziger said as he readied his boat at Marion Reservoir on Monday afternoon. “It’s been really good. One day (last week) three of us cleaned 122 and we caught way more than that.”

Kreutziger and his wife, Donna, closed Canada Bait & Tackle, in the tiny Kansas village of the same name, with an early November auction. Shortly after the last bang of the gavel, he hit the lake he’s fished since it opened in the late 1960s.

Proposed budget could stabilize parks funds

Michael Pearce — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:45 CST

Gov. Sam Brownback’s proposed state budget includes several items that could bring much-needed funds to Kansas state parks.

That includes $1.2 million to help overcome financial shortcomings last year when an angry Mother Nature helped drop attendance rates and incomes.

“It’s a good proposal for the state parks and shows the governor appreciates the state parks,” said Linda Craghead, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism assistant secretary. “It doesn’t give us any extra money, really, but it will allow us to get by. It’s all really appreciated.”

Collection for the birds

MICHAEL PEARCE — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:57 CST

LAWRENCE — Mark Robbins spends his days amid thousands of dead birds.

With birds from the 1840s, the collection of about 110,000 ranges from local robins to scores of vibrant species from exotic locations.

Some of the world's extinct feathered creatures are stowed in the mix. The total number of species reaches into several thousands.

Schedule

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 12:32 CST

Archery

Today — 3-D Shoot, Ninnescah Bowhunters, 111thS & 215W, Clearwater, 8-10 a.m. registration, go to www.ninnescahbowhunters.com.

Feb. 12 — 3-D Shoot, Southfork Archers, Byron Walker Wildlife Area, 8-10 a.m. trickle start. Call 620-532-6745.

Officials investigating deaths of bald eagles in Kansas

MICHAEL PEARCE — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 07:32 CST

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering a reward for information into the shooting deaths of two bald eagles this week in Kansas.

The first eagle was found Monday in a ditch near the Ness County-Trego County line in western Kansas. The second eagle was found Tuesday near the Montgomery County-Wilson County line in southeast. Kansas.

Kenny Kessler, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agent investigating the case, confirmed Thursday that both eagles had been shot. He said both were immature eagles, meaning they were probably less than five-years-old and lacked the species’ iconic white head.

Crossbow proposal stirs discussion at meeting

MICHAEL PEARCE — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 00:05 CST

SALINA — A proposal to allow more crossbows during the archery deer season drew 90 minutes of discussion at Thursday's Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission meeting.

Most public comments weren't supportive.

"It's a marketing thing, it's not a bowhunter saying they really want to hunt with a crossbow," said Dave Easton of Westmoreland. "It's people saying 'I want to sell this.' "

Hunting, fishing licenses may no longer be free for Kansas seniors

Michael Pearce — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 07:33 CST

Kansas senior citizens could be required to buy hunting and fishing licenses after this year.

For decades, residents 65 and over have been exempt from the annual permits that currently sell for about $18 each.

Chris Tymeson of the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission said Thursday that the agency will ask the Legislature to remove the exemption. He said the request is being made to ensure continued funding for the agency as the average age of sportsmen continues to increase.

Outdoors

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:05 CST

Lake Levels

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