I am going to be on vacation next week, and won’t be able to get to a computer. So, here’s a little bit of humorous information about us Louisianians some of you probably didn’t know…

You know you’re from Louisiana when……….

You actually get these jokes and pass them on to
other friends from Louisiana .

doodaa

Commissioner of Administration Angele Davis and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Secretary Robert Barham announced plans for an additional $2 million state allocation for LDWF’s Aquatic Plant Control Program.

The funding recommendation, which will bring total funding for the program to $8.4 million for the fiscal year 2008-09, will be included in the Governor’s Executive Budget, which Commissioner Davis will present to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget on Feb. 29. Before then, Commissioner Davis and other state officials will be highlighting budget priorities for which Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration will seek the legislature’s approval.

The additional funding will allow LDWF to treat additional acres of aquatic vegetation and develop research partnerships with state universities on alternative uses and treatment methods for nuisance plants.

“With these additional funds, Wildlife and Fisheries can more aggressively combat a major threat to our waterways, which will translate as a return on investment in healthier activity for a major sector of Louisiana’s economy,” Davis said.

LDWF has been working to control nuisance aquatic vegetation since 1946 when water hyacinths became prevalent in public water bodies. Aquatic plants imported from India and South America over the last two decades, and introduced to the United States primarily for use in aquariums and water gardens, have established a presence in Gulf coast states due to careless disposal of these plants and transferal between water bodies by unsuspecting fishermen and boaters.

The current threats to southern states are now hydrilla, common salvinia and giant salvinia. In areas where growth has progressed rapidly, boating, fishing and hunting activities have been affected and in some instances municipal and agricultural water supplies are now threatened. Additionally, property owners on affected waterways have seen diminished esthetic and property values.

“The department has traditionally treated approximately 40,000 acres of nuisance vegetation statewide annually, but our biologists estimate that surface coverage increased 48 percent in 2007 to 735,000 acres,” said LDWF Secretary Robert Barham. “We must face this problem from the perspective that it will be a long, challenging battle.”

In fiscal year 2007-08, LDWF’s Inland Fisheries Division allocated $6.4 million for aquatic weed control statewide, and the infusion of $2 million additional dollars dedicated to this initiative will provide $8.4 million total for the program in the 2008-09 budget year.
One funding source for the department’s aquatic weed program has been the boat trailer registration tax set in place by Act 77 of the 2002 Louisiana Legislature’s regular session. That funding has been averaging $500,000 per year since fiscal year 2003-04. Act 183, an equally important piece of legislation passed during the 2007 regular session, extended this funding source with no sunset provision.

These funds, combined with federal and Conservation Fund dollars to purchase additional herbicides and manpower, are all aligned to fight a problem that is growing exponentially.
The salvinia weevil is seen as a very promising method of control for giant and common salvinia, and obtaining this natural weed predator in quantities sufficient to contain the threat is now a major component of the program.

Inland Fisheries is pursuing additional treatment options to chemical spraying, including containment booms, mechanical harvesters and increased public education efforts to heighten awareness and alert the public on simple steps that can be taken to prevent the spread of nuisance vegetation.

Controlling the spread of aquatic weeds by a combination of methods will be the focus of the Aquatic Plant Control Program in the years ahead.

Thanks to Adam Einck, LDWF News and Media Relations Officer

The days are starting to get a little longer, which means the sounds of spring will soon be heard in my neck of the woods – THUNDEROUS GOBBLING!!!

I am a turkey hunting fanatic! Louisiana’s season kicks off March 21st across the bayou state, and that date can’t get here fast enough for me. So my question is: How many of you turkey hunt? And better yet, how many of you film your turkey hunts?

Post up, and let’s open up a discussion on this. I can offer some tips that have helped me bag a gobbler or two on camera.

doodaa

Outdoorsman Grits Gresham Dies at 85

Grits Gresham, noted outdoorsman, writer, author, and television personality, died on February 18, 2008, in his hometown of Natchitoches, Louisiana, at the age of 85.

Gresham served as field host and producer for “The American Sportsman” television series on the ABC network, host of “Shooting Sports America” on ESPN, was shooting editor of Sports Afield magazine for 26 years, and was published in such wide-ranging magazines as Sports Illustrated and Gentleman’s Quarterly. He authored eight books, but may be best known for his role in the series of commercials for Miller Lite beer. Gresham was the fisherman among the athletes who made “Tastes Great, Less Filling” marketing buzzwords for more than a decade.

Grits traveled the world for his work, and he particularly enjoyed his many trips to various African countries as well as fishing and hunting in South America. . He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII.

A tireless worker for conservation, he was one of the first public voices bringing attention to the loss of wetlands along the Louisiana coastline, an area where he did much of his graduate work while at LSU.

Gresham’s books include “The Complete Book of Bass Fishing,” “Fishes and Fishing In Louisiana,” “Fishing and Boating in Louisiana,” “The Sportsman and his Family Outdoors,” The Complete Wildfowler,” “Grits on Guns,” and “Weatherby: The Man, The Gun, The Legend.”

One of Gresham’s proudest moments as an outdoor journalist came during an interview with President Ronald Reagan. The President shared with Grits a story no one in the national media had heard, that when he was a broadcaster in Des Moines, Iowa, Reagan had used a Colt pistol to save a nurse from a mugging on the street. After the story broke, the nurse came forward and confirmed the tale, although she did not know until then that the young man who had saved her with a gun so many years before had turned out to be the famous actor and United States President.

Born Claude Hamilton Gresham, Jr. on June 21, 1922, in Spartanburg County, SC, Grits was the fourth of five children of Claude H. Gresham and Belle Hill Gresham . He attended Blue Ridge School for Boys, the University of North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Yale and received his B.S. and M.S. from Louisiana State University.

Gresham’s many awards include the Winchester Outdoorsman of the Year, Alumnus of the Year in the LSU School of Forestry and Wildlife Management; induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and LSU Hall of Distinction; awards for excellence in writing and contributions to conservation from the Outdoor Writers Association of America, and an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Northwestern State University.

At the 2006 SHOT Show, the National Shooting Sports Foundation recognized Gresham with its Lifetime Achievement Award and at that time established, with the Professional Outdoor Media Association, the POMA/NSSF Grits Gresham Communicator Award, the recipient receiving a bronze replica of Gresham’s trademark hat.

Arrangements are being made through the Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home, at (318) 357-8271, www.blanchardstdenisfuneralhome.com.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to The Gresham Collection at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Foundation, 321 Bienville Street, Natchitoches, LA 71457, or in the name of Grits Gresham to the Alzheimer’s Association.

If you own a camcorder, here are some things to keep in mind:

It’s good to fast-forward a brand new tape all the way to the end, and then rewind it before recording to it. After tapes are created, packaged and sent off to the retailer, they can often loosen on the reel. It’s not detrimental, but this tip could save a drop out or two.

Whatever brand of tape you first buy and use in your camcorder, stick with that brand. Some manufacturers use a dry lubricant on their tape ribbon, others use a wet lubricant, and going back and forth between the two types can cause build-up on your camera heads much quicker. Build-up means dirty heads, and can cause some ugly footage.

If you are only using the original battery that came with your camcorder, buy a spare. The batteries that come standard with a new camera are usually only good for about an hour, and often less than that if you use the flip-out screen, and zoom in/out quite a bit. I suggest buying a spare battery that will last at least two hours.

And speaking of batteries, keep them warm. A cold battery will lose it’s charge faster than a warm battery. If you film outdoors on a cold morning, pack a few of those HotHands in your gear bag. Put a couple in your jacket pockets, and then put your spare battery in there. That will help keep your hands warm, and your battery fully juiced. Now as for the exposed battery on your camera, that gets a little trickier, but you can keep it warm, too. Just take a piece of heavy duty tape, and strap one of the smaller HotHands to the battery – just make sure you position it in such a way that you can still attach the battery to the camera, and that it doesn’t interfere with your ability to smoothly operate it.

If you own a tripod, here’s a tip that will protect it, and keep your hands from having to grip the freezing metal on a cold morning. Go to The Home Depot or Lowe’s and pick up a package of pipe insulating foam tubes. They are relatively cheap, and can be cut easily. Measure the length of the upper portion of your tripod legs, and cut the pipe insulation tubing. You will need three (of course). The pipe insulator tubes have a slit down one side, so they will slip right on to your tripod legs. Then just wrap heavy duty tape around the pipe insulator-tripod legs to attach them. Now here’s a tip within a tip – if you use your camcorder to film hunts, then use camouflage tape to wrap the pipe insulator sections. Once your finished, insulators will keep your hands from freezing while holding the tripod on those cold mornings, plus the extra padding will save your shoulder.

Looking for an easy way to camouflage your camcorder, but don’t want to cover it in camo tape? Buy one of those camouflaged hat covers that slip over your cap. They are the perfect size for today’s consumer camcorders – plus they’re cheap. Just put it on your camcorder, and situate it – then mark the spot where your camera lens should be sticking out. Take a pair of scissors and cut a hole there just a little bit smaller than the diameter of your lens, for a snug fit. And there you have it – a cheap camouflaged camera cover. The one I use is one of those 3-D cut leafy types.

Deer hunters harvested over 3,000 deer on either-sex managed deer hunts on state owned Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) during the 2007-08 hunting season.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife Fisheries (LDWF) reports a total of 28,813 hunter efforts recorded on managed hunts. Those efforts resulted in 3,094 total deer taken for an average of about one deer for every 9.3 hunter efforts.

“WMA managed hunts were excellent across the state this hunting season with several great deer harvested,” said LDWF’s Deer Study Leader Scott Durham. “We’re happy with the results and the fact you can have a quality hunting experience on many of our WMAs.”

The total number of harvested deer is on par with last year’s total of over 3,000 deer taken during the managed hunts. LDWF collects harvest data on deer taken during managed hunts on about 800,000 acres. Collection of these data is the primary method used by LDWF deer managers to monitor herd health conditions on WMAs.

Durham points out that hunter turn out on the Sherburne WMA managed hunt this year may have been lower than usual due to the closure of Interstate 10, which created slow travel on Highway 190.

“Deer hunting on WMAs is one of the ways for families to spend vacations and holidays together by hunting and putting up their annual venison supply. These managed hunts are a big tradition across the state,” said Durham. “This low-cost hunting opportunity is important for many Louisianans.”

The following shows the final managed WMA either-sex hunts data for the 2007-08 season:
WMA Hunter efforts Harvest Efforts per deer

Loggy Bayou 450* 67 6.7
Jackson Bienville (17-18 Nov) 933 123 7.6
Tunica Hills (muzzleloader) 279 14 19.9
Ben’s Creek 369 22 16.8
Sandy Hollow 105 2 52.5
Maurepas Swamp (self clearing) 512 66 7.8
Pearl River 318 8 39.8
Attakapas 351 38 9.0
Attakapas (30 Nov -2 Dec) 299 26 10.0
Grassy Lake 1,111 87 13
Pomme de Terre 363 33 11
Sherburne 1 1179 138 8.0
Sherburne (14-16 Dec) 1531 118 12.9
Spring Bayou 371 35 11.0
Thistlewaite (1-2 Dec) 867 51 17.0
Thistlewaite 787 62 13.0
Peason Ridge 600 37 16.0
Clear Creek(27-28 Oct) 1727 92 10.0
Clear Creek 654 37 18.0
West Bay (27-28 Oct) 1155 119 10.0
West Bay 438 14 26.0
Peason Ridge 27-28 Oct) 147 14 10.0
Fort Polk 1337 79 17.0
Fort Polk (27-28 Oct) 941 193 5.0
Union (18 days managed either sex) 1775 238 7.5
Ouachita 355 80 4.4
Bayou Macon (18-19 Nov) 293 39 7.5
Russel Sage 535 83 6.4
Boeuf 1538 253 6.1
Red/Three Rivers 3662 346 10.6
Buckhorn 534 89 6.0
Big Lake 720 122 5.9
Sicily Island 203 45 4.5
Sabine 207 24 8.6
Alexander State Forest (20-21 Oct) 121 12 10.0
Alexander State Forest (3-4 Nov) 103 7 14.7
Dewey Wills (16-17 Dec) 1695 168 10.1
Camp Beauregard (23-24 Nov) 433 90 4.8
Camp Beauregard (15-16 Dec) 265 23 11.5

TOTALS: 28813 3094 9.3
1=I-10 closed due to gas well fire
*=estimate

My thanks to Adam Einck, LDWF News and Media Relations Officer, for providing this information.

This clip has been popping up all over the internet for over two years now. Some of you might have seen it before now, others have not. At any rate, wherever this clip is being hosted the folks who view it leave some pretty rough comments. So, I will use this as an opportunity for everyone who watches the clip to discuss it directly with me. I give you The Three Strike Buck:

It’s a question I’ve been asked numerous times: Which video camera should I buy? Well, that question is difficult to answer without first deciding which format is preferred, and what sort of bells-and-whistles the camcorder should have. Once I start talking about the various formats and shooting options that are now available, my words might as well be coming out of my mouth in Chinese. The decision can be confusing, and overwhelming to a person who just wants a camcorder that they can pick up, turn on and begin recording. But buying a camcorder doesn’t have to be a difficult process. I’ll give you guys and gals a rundown of which formats are available, and which, in my opinion, are a better choice for the everyday videographer. We’ll start with the formats most of you are familiar with.

VHS Format
Yes, you can still find brand new models of camcorders that shoot in the VHS format. There are a few VHS-C and S-VHS (super VHS) camcorders currently for sale on the market. Why? I don’t know, really. Unless your TV is still connected to a VCR, or you happen to own an S-VHS player, I just can’t fathom why these camcorders are still being produced – nor can I recommend VHS format as a choice for a new camcorder for the family cameraman/budding outdoor videographer. That format is simply to outdated.

8mm Format
You can still find standard and Hi8 models in pawn shops, and a couple of Sony brand Digital8 camcorder models can still be purchased brand new; plus the tapes for these camcorders are still widely carried by retailers. The 8mm format produces decent video footage, with the Digital8 cameras producing the best looking video of the three. But, I would discourage anyone from buying a camcorder in any of the three 8mm formats.

First of all, 8mm and Hi8 are analog only, and you will need converting equipment if you plan to dump your footage into a computer for editing – which means spending even more money. The Digital8 camcorders record to tape using a digital signal, and can be connected directly to your computer for video capture – so that would be my choice based on the convenience factor. But the 8mm formats are going the way of the dinosaur, with Digital8 being the only surviving member of the camcorder family that you can still purchase brand new – and they are only being produced by Sony. But what’s really strange is that when you come across one, the price tag is nearly $500! That’s pretty crazy considering a brand new MiniDV camcorder can be picked up for about $250. The cons far outweigh the pros for the aging 8mm format camcorders, so I will simply end the discussion right here.

DVD Format
Many people have gravitated toward a DVD camcorder, since they have replaced their VCR’s with DVD players. The convenience of recording to a disc that can be removed from the camera and popped right into the DVD player is almost a no-brainer when it comes to making the decision. But I have stayed away from DVD camcorders, simply because there has been an ongoing battle between the two DVD formats (+R vs. –R). Some DVD players will not recognize the DVD-R format, and some don’t recognize the DVD+R format. Some DVD camcorders will record footage to either format, while others only record to the –R format. So, you will have to go through the process of making sure your DVD camcorder records to discs that are compatible with your DVD player. And even further than that, if you own an older DVD player, then there’s the chance your model doesn’t play these “homemade DVD’s” at all.

If you go the DVD camcorder route, and get a compatibility match between your DVD camcorder and DVD player, then you will be pleased with the final results of your footage and the convenience factor. Plus, you can just pop the disc into your computer’s DVD drive for editing purposes – granted your computer has a drive that will read a DVD. Again, another factor to consider, if you plan to shoot, shoot, shoot, and then just edit out the footage you don’t want.

The above mentioned formats for camcorder technology are the most widely recognized by consumers. I will let you all digest this information, and then post your comments or questions. In part two, we will discuss MiniDV and camcorders that record to internal/removable hard drives.

doodaa