Greetings from the Higher Calling Wildlife® headquarters!
Did you know several states of East of the Mississippi River have thriving and growing elk herds?
One state has an estimated 13,000 elk and offers some non-resident hunting opportunities.
Listen to the latest episode of Higher Calling Wildlife and learn all about elk restoration in the eastern United States. Host Chester Moore interviews the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s Conservation Program Manager for the Eastern United States (Steven Dobey).
In this program we discuss the following:
*Elk history in the eastern United States
*Elk translocation and restoration efforts
*Population estimates in Kentucky and hunting opportunities.
*Travel and migration issues
*Opportunities for future elk restoration
*Plus, much more.
Rogue Waves In Channels and Bays
A large segment of our readership fishes along the Gulf Coast of the United States.
And due to my own experience I have been conducting an investigation on large rogue waves produced by oil tankers and other large cargo ships.
These can be life threatening so I am raising awareness to the issue through Texas Fish & Game as well as a future edition of the podcast.
Here’s an encounter I shared in a recent story at fishgame.com.
Reader Chris Polnick recently shared this harrowing encounter with us.
“Across from the dike quite a few years back, a buddy and I were doing some night fishing. We were out at the end of the small jetty. The waters were fairy calm. We were out there a few hours and I estimate the water line at the time to be at least three feet below the top of the jetty. All of a sudden a wave hit the jetty and the water pulled way back off the rocks and wave number was enough to splash us,” he said.
Polnick said as the water pulled even further back the second wave had just enough time to grab what we could just before the third wave washed across the top of the jetty, luckily only about mid-shin level.
“Luckily for us we were able to maintain our footing. Much higher and we would have been pushed off the jetty for sure. We lost some tackle boxes a rod and a few other items. You don’t think much about a life jacket on the jetty but we came real close to needing one that night!”
Have you ever encountered a wave like this in a bay or channel? If so, please share with me at chester@chestermoore.com. Sharing your story could help save someone’s life.
Fatal Grizzly Bear Attack
According to a report at CNN.com, a grizzly bear fatally attacked a father of four in Montana.
Sheriff Brad Bichler of the Park County Sheriff’s Office told CNN Craig Clouatre, 40, was hiking with a friend Wednesday in the Six Mile Creek area, which is about 20-25 miles north of Yellowstone National Park, when they split up.
“It is with a very heavy heart that I am writing this update. After an extensive search this morning we have located Craig,” Bichler said in a Facebook post.
“It appears he had an encounter with a grizzly and unfortunately did not survive,” Bicher’s post said.
Grizzly numbers are rising in Montana and Wyoming and black bear numbers are increasing across much of their range. Many times these are attacks are simply people being in the wrong place at the wrong time and meeting the wrong bear.
But there are things you can do to avoid attack. Check out these bear safety tips from the National Park Service.
Persian Fallow Deer Released In Israel
We were excited to get an update from our friend Rachael Risby Raz with the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem about the Persian fallow deer restoration project we have supported for the last eight years.
At the beginning of March, we released a large group of nine Persian Fallow deer from the breeding center at the Zoo into the wild at the Nahal Sorek Nature Reserve in the Jerusalem hills.
Three females and six males were released, and of these, seven deer were fitted with GPS tracking collars.
In the past, only the females are fitted with GPS collars. This is because the males’ necks can expand during the breeding season which means that the collars can snap and break.
This year we have acquired special elastic collars that expand when needed and thus were able to fit collars to some of the males as well.
Nadav Ganot, the Zoo’s conservation project coordinator, reports that all the deer are doing well in the acclimatization enclosure and in the coming weeks, the gates to the enclosure will be opened and the deer will be free to go into the wild. This process usually takes a few days.
The project is in partnership with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.
If you would like to support this project click here.
Podcast Summit
The second annual Hunt-Fish Podcast Summit kicks off Thursday at the Warren Ranch near Santa Anna, TX.
The event brings together outdoors podcasters from around the country and matches them with high-level guests from the hunting, fishing and conservation worlds.
I will be participating and can’t wait for the great fellowship and podcasting opportunities.
“Our inaugural event at the Double Draw Ranch last year was a big success,” said founder Derek York of the Impact Outdoors Podcast.
“This year it’s grown to another level and we are excited to bring together some of the top people in the outdoors world to share our common love for fishing, hunting and wildlife conservation.”
Participating Podcasters
Higher Calling Wildlife (Chester Moore)
Aptitude Outdoors (Paul Fuzinski)
The Wildlife Experience Podcast (Andrew Austin)
Red Beard Outdoors Podcast (Jonathan McCormick)
Special guests for the event include Gray Thornton, President & CEO The Wild Sheep Foundation, Renee Thornton, Chair Women Hunt, Dale Rollins (Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch), Brittany Perry, biologist for the National Wild Turkey Federation, Gale Force Twins (Emily and Amanda), Captain Stacy Lynn, Captain Eric Trout, Heroes On the Water, Laura Lindsey and Camille Null.
We will post a special updates with links to the first podcast to come from the event. All podcasters will interview the special guests and there will be special round-table discussions as well.
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