Ripple Outdoors Hunting and Fishing Podcasts

A Lindsay man has been fined a total of $5,000 for illegal hunting-related offences.

Martin Ham pleaded guilty and was fined $1,000 each for unlawfully using an illegal firearm during the deer season and providing false information to a conservation officer. He was also fined a further $3,000 for allowing flesh suitable for food to spoil. He has been suspended from hunting in the province of Ontario for two years.

Court heard that on December 6, 2009, Ham unlawfully shot and killed a trophy buck with a 20-gauge shotgun during the open, muzzle-loader season for deer. He then entered the buck into a Big Buck contest and won.

Following up on a complaint made to the MNR Tips line, a conservation officer interviewed Ham about the acquisition of the buck. After numerous false statements, Ham admitted that the deer had been shot illegally. Though he removed the head of the deer and had it professionally mounted, the carcass was unlawfully permitted to spoil.

Justice of the Peace John Oates heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, City of Kawartha Lakes, on June 25, 2010.

For further information on hunting regulations, please consult the 2010-2011 Hunting Regulations Summary, available at ServiceOntario/Government Information Centres, from licence issuers and at ontario.ca/hunting.

To report a natural resources violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time or contact your local ministry officer during regular business hours.

You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

The Deer Hot Line is an easy way to purchase your 2010 deer license.

A quick phone call to 1-800-288-1155 is all that is required to obtain your 2010 deer license.

All that is required is your valid Outdoor Card and a credit card.

You can of course purchase your outdoor card over the phone also.

It took me about three minutes to do it.

Of course the MNR has

RAISED THE PRICE OF YOUR DEER LICENSE TO

$39.75

Don’t wait too long to get yours, who know the price could go up again!

Good luck this year deer hunting

The DEER HOT LINE is 1-800-288-1155

Rack Stacker Mineral Fountain keeps deer on your property.

It also provides vital minerals and supplement necessary for a healthy deer herd when they need it most.

Listen closely and you can hear the doe licking the tree!

For more great video from wild cam check it out

www.wildcam.ca

Whitetail deer food plot seminar March 27th at Muskoka’ Holiday Inn with Rack Stacker founder Steve Elmy and Pro Staff Peter Wood.

Muskoka  Home Hardware is hosting an  informative DIY food plot  seminar. Rack Stacker founder Steve Elmy will be talking about everything from basics to advanced techniques in preparing ,planting, and preserving a successful  wildlife food plot.

The Holiday Inn  has a limited amount of seats available so sign up early;

whitetails@rackstacker.ca

Seminar starts at 10 am till 2pm

Admission is free with your donation of canned goods for the local food share program.

Additional information can be found on the Rack Stacker event page

Hope to see you there!

When do whitetail deer loose or shed their antlers is asked about this time every year by antler shed hunters.

The simple answer; shed antlers are on the ground already in most locations where snow is common.

Whitetail deer normally start to drop their racks in December and January depending conditions. Of course exceptions happen and I have heard of bucks carrying racks until late February.

Finding a set of antlers take a fair bit of leg-work and luck. I had two bucks that stopped by my Moultri Pro Feeder often and the six-point left me a rack in late December. The Eight-pointer dropped his antlers elsewhere. On a sunny calm day I wander the forest edges and trails that lead to my deer & wild turkey food plots.

How to find deer antler sheds can be as simple as going for a walk along a fence line or ditch. Grab the kids or spouse and talk a walk through a woodlot or food plot. Check the game trails that lead out to a pasture. Keep your eyes searching along the ground for that protruding tip of an antler poking out of a snowdrift as it may be all that you see.

Snow depth plays a large part of a successful day shed hunting so pick your days accordingly. It’s a great way to continue the “hunt” after the deer hunting season has ended.

Wandering those secret locations you may even find that perfect spot to start a whitetail deer or turkey spring food plot. Keeping the deer or wild turkeys close to your location is key for your next hunting season.

March is a great time to put up a pail of Rack Stacker Mineral Fountain. Using a pail of Mineral Blaze or Glory will provide protein supplements for deer and also help grow those massive antlers on the trophy bucks.

Of course if done with a quality seed mixture like a blend of Rack Stacker Sweet Success and Upland Turkey Blend your spring food plot will keep deer and turkeys close by as it matures and grows during the summer months and explodes up to seven feet high by the fall. This provides the cover deer and wild turkey are attracted to.

Food plots work different than game feeders and baiting. They work year round exceptionally well once planted correctly. You don’t have to keep filling up a feeder tube or lug a bushel of apples out to your hunting site. Baiting for wild turkeys during the hunting season is illegal in Ontario. A Rack Stacker Food Plot will attract whitetail deer,wild turkeys, upland birds and most other wild game.

A bonus to this type of food plot is animals will stay close all winter. Keeping the flock of birds or herd of deer on your hunting property and not your neighbours will help ensure an awesome hunting season.

So get out and start your hunt for antler sheds and keep a keen eye out for that secret location or hidden hot spot for a Rack Stacker Food Plot. It’s a win win plan. Finding antlers sheds and keeping whitetail deer and wild turkeys on your food plots is a great way to “hunt” all year.

Antlers shed