The Delaware hunting seasons are almost over. As usual, I have been trying to cram in as many hunts as possible (which leaves me little time to post hunt updates). Here’s a chance to catch up. Details of my past 4 weeks of hunts are listed below.

12/28/2011 – Duck hunted a private pond with no success. As soon as I walked into the pond before dawn, about 25 ducks flew out — all before shooting time. None came back. I tried the pond again in the evening and saw nothing. As an added bonus, I stepped in the deepest hole while walking out and flooded my waders.

12/30/2011 – Had a great pheasant hunt at Meadowview Preserve in New Jersey. Two neighbors, one of my daughters, my vizsla Gus, and I went on a stocked pheasant hunt in 60-degree weather. Weird weather for the end of December, but we had a nice hunt. We harvested 12 of the 16 stocked pheasants.

Great Pheasant Hunt at New Jersey's Meadowview Preserve

12/31/3011 – Curt Barkus, Gabriella, and I went on our last Delaware woodcock hunt of the season. What a great day it was! Gus pointed 3 woodcocks, and we harvested two. What’s more, Gabriella harvested her first woodcock — ever! Beautiful!

Steven and Gabriella Kendus with Gabriella's First Delaware Woodcock

1/7/2012 – I had the privilege of covering a 4-H Shooting Sports youth hunt. Literally, I saw about 100 deer. I will provide details in an upcoming post.

1/14/2012 – Since the Maryland woodcock season is still open, I purchased a Maryland license and hunted woodcocks with Curt Barkus. Within one hour of our bitter cold morning hunt, Gus got Curt his limit of 3 birds. We pushed on for 3 more hours, and I harvest one woodcock.

Curt Barkus with his first woodcock of the 2011-2012 season

1/16/2012  – Paul Quigley, Curt Barkus, and I hunted woodcocks in Maryland. It was even more cold than the previous hunt. We hunted hard and Got Paul his first two woodcocks in several years.

Paul Quigley and Steven M. Kendus with Quigley's First Woodcock of the 2011-2012 Season

1/21/2012 – Hunted deer in a snow, sleet, and freezing rain storm. I braved the elements for a morning hunt. While I could take the weather, my bow couldn’t. Ice from the freezing rain encased my bow, quiver, and arrows, so I left the woods by 8:30 AM.

Mel Toponce with a Delaware Woodcock

Outdoors writer Mel Toponce joined me for a day-after-Christmas Delaware woodcock hunt. Mel, author of many hunting articles for various outdoors magazines and owner of Toponce Ranches (California), has hunted woodcocks from Canada to Louisiana, but today was his first time pursuing timberdoodles in the First State.

Mel is visiting family on the East Coast for the holidays, so he drove up from Virginia to meet me in Smyrna, Delaware. I picked him up around 7:30 AM, and we were in woodcock fields by 8:00 AM.

Mel, my vizsla Gus, and I walked my trusted woodcock spots with little success. Gus found no birds in the first two sapling fields we visited, but the third field proved to be the charm. Several flooded areas surrounded the third field, and I could tell after my first boggy step that there were woodcocks among the saplings. With woodcock splash (droppings) marking the ground, it was only a matter of minutes before Gus locked up on the first doodle.

Mel walked to Gus, and the first bird flushed. Mel dropped him with his second shot. I marked where the bird fell and made my way toward it. Gus and Mel also headed toward the downed bird. As they walked toward the fields edge, I saw another woodcock flush. Astoundingly, he landed mere feet from the location of the downed bird.

I called Gus and Mel over. As Gus approached the live bird, the doodle flushed. Mel swung on him and missed with two shots. As woodcock typically do, it only flew about 40 yards and pitched back into the sapling thicket. After retrieving the downed bird, we made our way toward the second bird.

Gus located and pointed the doodle, and Mel went in for the shot. Gus held the point for at least 3 minutes before Mel was able to flush it. The woodcock flew up, and Mel dropped him with one perfectly placed shot.

Gus pointed another timberdoodle, and I walked in to the flush him. Standing right behind Gus with my eyes into the sun, I stomped the brush and flushed the bird. The bird flew straight up, and I dropped him while the bird was no more than 6 feet from my gun barrel.

Mel, Gus, and I tried another field but found no other woodcocks and called it a day around 1:00 PM. We were both satisfied with the late-season Delaware woodcock hunt, and we may try to reconnect later this week.

If you are interested in hunting Columbian black tail deer, black bear, rio grande wild turkeys in California’s Solano and Siskiyou Counties, give Mel Toponce a call.

Be sure to check out my friends at Marblehead Flyfisher in Centreville, Delaware to pick up great gifts for the fishermen on your list. They are having an open house Saturday, December 10, 2011. Details are below.

Marblehead Flyfisher Holiday Open House

Saturday, December 10th 2011

Come join us for some food, fun, & friends. There will be raffle prizes, casting demonstrations, and all of the cool, new gear for the 2012 season.

Tube Fly tying by master tube fly designer Andrew Niethe of Spirit River

Please stop in and do a little holiday shopping, get some food and refreshments, or just hang out and say hello.

We hope to see you there.

5716 Kennett Pike, Centreville, DE

(302)654-6515

www.amarbleheadflyfisher.com
amheadflyfisher@gmail.com

Gus pointed and retrieved 36 birds on a stocked pheasant and chukar hunt

I know many of you count on reading my hunting updates to give you ideas of how things are going in the Delaware woods, fields, and waterways, but I also record my hunts on HuntingTheFirstState.com so I have a record to refer back to in future seasons. As usual at this time of year, I forget to record info about my hunts on this site.

However, I make sure I jot down hunting notes on scraps of paper and post them around my office so I can record them later. Here are my quick notes about my various woodcock, pheasant, duck, and deer hunts over the past several weeks.

11/17 New Jersey Woodcock and Snipe Hunt – I headed to New Jersey public land with my vizsla Gus to hunt woodcocks and snipes before work. Gus pointed and flushed several woodcock in one public hunting field, but I just couldn’t get shots through the thick brush. I then went to another public location that typically holds snipes. Gus and I found no snipes, but I somehow managed to lose the controller to Gus’ e-collar from my lanyard. I spent 40 minutes walking the field until I found it.

11/19 New Jersey Woodcock Hunt – I hunted woodcock on New Jersey public ground with daughter, my friend John, and his son. Gus pointed about 7 birds. John shot 2, and I shot 1. Again the cover was so thick in areas that we couldn’t get good shots.

11/21 Delaware Duck Hunt – I hunted a private Delaware pond with my friend Bill on Monday 11/21. The fog was extremely dense around first light, so we couldn’t see birds, and I am sure they couldn’t see our pond, let alone our decoys. We heard some shooting, and after about 90 minutes, a pair of wood ducks buzzed our blind. They flew over our heads, and we lost sight of them. About 20 seconds later, the two wood ducks dropped in from my left on the edge of the wood line. I fired at the lead duck, and ended up dropping both with one shot. Not wanting to push my luck, I packed up and headed to work.

11/24 Delaware Deer Hunt – I bowhunted deer on Thanksgiving morning in North Wilmington and saw nothing.

11/25 Delaware Woodcock Hunt – I brought my neighbor’s 22-year old son Sean on his first woodcock on Friday 11/25. Gus pointed several birds, and Sean got a couple shots that were close misses. I bagged one woodcock.

11/25 Delaware Deer Hunt – I hunted deer with my bow in North Wilmington. Saw nothing but 2 red foxes.

11/26 Stocked Pheasant and Chukar Hunt (with bonus woodcock) – My daughter, six others, and I hunted stocked pheasant and chukars over Gus. Gus had his best day of all time. He pointed and retrieved 36 birds (yes, 36), and got every hunter a limit. After the stocked bird hunt, my daughter, my friend Bill, Bill’s son, and I drove to a Delaware public hunting spot for a quick woodcock hunt. I arrived later in the day than normal, and the birds moved to the edge of the woods and into think briars. Gus pointed two woodcocks, and we harvested one.

11/26 Delaware Deer Hunt – Went to Greenville with the bow. Six does came into the meadow about 10 minutes before the end of shooting time, but none came closer than 100 yards.

Here’s my article that ran in The News Journal on November 3, 2011. – SMK

While shopping at an outdoors store several years ago, someone questioned my search for a specific type of bird hunting shells during the heart of the deer rut.

“What kind of hunter are you?” he asked. “You ought to be worried about deer. Forget those birds.”

I quickly responded with some witty barb centered on the fact that I already harvested two deer. But his question stayed with me: What kind of hunter am I?

If the question was posed with multiple choice answers like A) big game hunter, B) small game hunter, C) duck/goose hunter, D) other, and E) all of the above, I would circle E with no hesitation.

After all, in Delaware alone, I hunt deer, rabbits, squirrels, turkeys, ducks, geese, woodcocks, snipes, pheasants, quail, doves and crows. I’ve also hunted bears, hogs, various species of antelope and deer, wildebeest, and other mammals and birds in other states and countries. If I could base my definition on the types of animals I hunt, the answer would be easy.

Further considering the question, I thought about the hunting methods I use. I mostly use a bow for hunting big game (although I sometimes use a shotgun, rifle, or muzzleloader), and I use shotguns of various gauges for waterfowl, upland birds, and small game.

Quickly analyzing that basic data, I can provide a simple answer and succinctly define myself as a hunter who pursues various game species using various methods.

However, the answer is more complex and deserves more introspection.

To be clear, I am not a hunter who enters the woods with a bow and arrows or a loaded gun and takes shots at any animals I see. I am an ethical hunter who enjoys the spirit of the chase just as much as harvesting game, and I enjoy the diversity that Delaware’s woods, fields, and waterways offer.

Rather than strictly hunting deer one or two weeks of the year, or solely hunting ducks or geese during the open seasons, I consider myself to be a versatile hunter who enjoys the unique challenges presented by pursuing assorted game, at different times of year, and in varied habitat.
I am a hunter who appreciates the solitude of deer and turkey hunting, and I use my time afield as temporary escapes from life’s daily pressures. Sitting alone in the woods with my senses keenly tuned in to the natural world around me provides a relaxation that I don’t think I could achieve otherwise.

Conversely, I also enjoy the exercise, companionship, and faster pace of hunting small game with good friends and high-energy pointing dogs. Woodcock hunting ranks near the top of my list of outdoor activities, and I sincerely enjoy watching my dog work to find, point and retrieve the birds. I typically hunt with several hunting partners who also enjoy the pursuit of woodcocks, so the camaraderie surrounding the hunts is just as enjoyable as finding birds.

I am also a hunter who is just as much student as I am teacher. I am always looking to learn new game-specific tactics, techniques, statistics and biological facts, and I am always happy to share my findings, insights and opinions with others. I record notes about most of my hunts, so my hunts are just as much about observing and acquiring knowledge as they are pursuing game.

I am a hunter who likes to hunt. Period. If there is a hunting season open, I will find a way to enjoy it.

Therefore, I won’t define myself as any type of hunter.

More importantly, I won’t define you as any specific type either.

With so many things going on in everyday life, I sometimes overlook posting my hunting updates to HuntingTheFirstState.com. I haven’t hunted as much as I would have liked, but I do have some interesting updates. See below.

Duck Hunt – 10/28 – My friend Dave and I hunted ducks this morning on a nice little pond near the Delaware River. Today was a ‘blue bird’ day, but since it was sandwiched between moderate rain yesterday and a nor’easter tomorrow, we tried our luck. We finished setting out the decoys around 6AM, and waited until shooting time around 7AM. I figured ducks would fly early, and they did. Within minutes of legal shooting time, hunters were shooting all around us. We had some shots at few ducks, but we left empty handed around 8:30 AM (since I had to work).

Duck Hunt – 10/24 – Dave and I hunted another pond near the Delaware River. We bagged a mallard and a wood duck before calling it quits around 8:30 AM.

Duck Hunt – 10/22 – Afternoon – I tried a little duck hunting spot in southern New Castle County and had shots at a pair of wood ducks. I bagged the beautiful drake pictured below.

Delaware Wood Duck 2011

Deer Hunt – 10/22 – Morning -  I took one of my daughters deer hunting in the morning. We thought we had a good chance at a deer until all hell broke loose at first light. Today was the opening Saturday of the first Delaware duck season split. It sounded like a war zone. After 2 hours, we left the deer stand. My daughter opted to hunt squirrels instead. She shot one gray squirrel.

Deer Hunt – 10/15 – Afternoon – I was running late and arrived at my Delaware muzzleloader hunting spot at 5:30 PM. I quickly changed and entered the woods at 5:40 PM. As I walked to my stand, 3 does walked across the path in front of me. I dropped one with my Thompson Center Encore at 5:50. Sometimes things just work out! I was thankful for the nice doe for the freezer.

Deer Hunt – 10/15 – Morning – I went to a bowhunting spot before first light. I hunted for an hour and had one little doe behind me. A construction crew showed up near by, so the noise ended my hunt.

With deer seasons upon us, DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife is reminding hunters that there is a new toll-free phone number and web site address to access the deer registration system. This phone and internet system is also required to obtain a Harvest Information Program (HIP) Number, a License Exempt Number (LEN) and a Snow Goose Conservation Order Permit Number.

The new toll-free number to access this system is 1-855-335-4868 (1-855-DELHUNT).  The new web address is www.dnrec.delaware.gov/delhunt.  A customer service number, 302-735-3600, has also been established to help hunters with questions about the system.

“We need to remind hunters of this phone number and website change because many have stored the old number  among their ”favorites” on their phone and computer,” said Rob Hossler, Game Species Program Manager. “The requirements for hunters are otherwise similar to previous years although we have tried to improve the system to make it more user-friendly,” he added.

• Similar to last year, all successful deer hunters must register their deer within 24 hours of harvest. Using the phone and internet system, hunters will be asked a series of questions after which they will be given a deer harvest registration number. This number will serve as proof the animal was properly checked and should be kept for the hunter’s records and written in ink on the deer tag for the animal harvested. Hunters who take their deer to a butcher shop or taxidermist also will need to supply this number to the shop owner as proof the deer was registered.

• Hunters and trappers who are exempt from purchasing a license are required to obtain a license ex­empt number (LEN) from the Division at no cost. This number, also known as the hunter identification number (HIN), must be obtained annually and used whenever a hunter is asked for a license number, such as for registering a deer. If a license-exempt hunter chooses to purchase a license anyway, they are not required to obtain a LEN number. The LEN system was created so that game harvest and opinions of license-exempt hunters and trappers could be evaluated and considered when establishing new stat­utes, regulations and policies.

• As in previous years, for the 2011-2012 season Delaware migratory bird hunters must obtain a HIP number as required under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Harvest Information Program. To get the number using the phone and internet system, hunters will be asked to provide name and address, and answer a few ques­tions about their previous year’s hunting effort and success with migratory birds, including ducks, geese, doves, woodcock, rails, snipe and coots. This number is available free of charge.

• Hunters interested in participating in the 2012 Snow Goose Conservation Order (CO) must have a valid Delaware or Maryland hunting license, a 2011 Delaware waterfowl stamp (Federal stamp not required), a Delaware HIP number and the free CO permit issued by the Division. This permit can be obtained, after Jan. 1, 2012, by computer registration at www.dnrec.delaware.gov/del­hunt. This permit is available free of charge.

For questions about the hunter registration system, visit the website or call the customer service number at 302-735-3600.

As a martial artist, weight lifter, and former wrestler, I am always looking for new, effective, and intriguing ways to get in prime physical condition. About a month before the start of Delaware hunting season, I began one of the most intense physical fitness plans around.

I joined Dave Tiberi’s Boxing Bootcamp.

For those of you who don’t know, Dave Tiberi, a New Castle Delaware native, was a top middleweight contender from the late 1980′s through the early 1990′s who fought James Toney for the IBF Middleweight Title. An underdog, Tiberi surprised the world of boxing and in the eyes of many, defeated Toney. However, Dave lost a controversial split decision to Toney. The decision prompted Delaware Senator William Roth, to launch an investigation into corruption in boxing.

Dave is now accepting participants for his upcoming bootcamp. More info is presented below.

The Dave Tiberi White Collar Boxing Boot Camp is presently scheduling the next (12) week session. The Wednesday morning class will start 6:30 am October 5 and the Thursday class will start 6:30 am October 6th. The Tiberi boxing boot camp is taking boxing circuit training to a whole new level. This class is not made for the weak at heart. You will be trained like you are preparing for a world championship fight. In the class will learn counter punching, power punching and unorthodox punches while getting an intense workout. I have already started receiving commitments for this class. We will cap it off at 10 people for each class. The boot camp will take your cardio to a whole new level.

General Information:  The group is made up of 10 people and the boot camp runs an hour a week for 12 weeks.  The session consist of technique and circuit training with pad work, heavy bag, speed bag and double end bag work.  We have an awards breakfast the last week.  The cost is $60 a week per person. You will receive hand wraps and your own set of gloves.

Location: John Vansant Elsmere Boxing Club

For more information, see http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dave-Tiberi-Boot-Camp/211169428926488.

Here is my article that ran in Thursday’s News Journal.

For those of you who follow me on HuntingTheFirstState.com, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, you were treated to a multimedia barrage last Saturday that showed and described my multiple encounters with fawns.

With my bow in one hand and my iPhone in the other, I couldn’t help but capture the day’s events on video.

My predawn arrival in the woods was nearly silenced by the wet ground beneath my boots, so I was able to creep deep into the woods without being heard by the ever-alert ears of deer.

As blue daylight began filtering through the trees, three deer walked about 80 yards from me. Hunting from the ground, I moved toward them, using the low light, chirping crickets, and buzzing mosquitoes to mask my movement. Although I fooled the deer’s eyes and ears, I couldn’t quite fool their noses. One doe caught my scent and blew, just before all three bounded away.

Hoping more deer would move through the small oak grove, I trusted my bright green camouflage and backed myself into some poke bushes. As the sun rose, I saw movement to my right. I thought the slight flicker was a rabbit or squirrel, but then I saw two big ears and two black eyes staring at me. Just 20 yards away was a relatively recently born fawn, curled up in the poke bushes like a lapdog, with its head barely higher than my knee.

I turned to walk away, but the fawn was intrigued and naive enough to stand up and walk with me. Rather than lead the fawn away from where its mother left it, I stopped and tried to shoo it away. I think it mistook my flailing hands for the flicking tail of a deer, and it just stood and stared at me. So I began filming. And tweeting. And posting videos to Facebook and YouTube.

Then I noticed two more fawns walking up behind me.

Now I have been known to spin a yarn or two, but believe me when I tell you that one of these other fawns was going to walk right into me. It didn’t see me camouflaged against the bushes, so I had to shoo this one away before its head plowed into my hip. While this fawn and its friend still had white spots on their tan coats, they were considerably larger than the little one standing behind me. Their natural instincts were more in tune than the little one’s, and they bounded away a bit before stopping to check me out. I filmed the two newcomers before they ran off in the direction from which they came. Astounded, I turned the iPhone’s camera to the first fawn and watched it walk back to the bushes and bed down.

I watched for more than an hour as the fawn slept, nibbled leaves, stood up, circled, and slept some more. When I saw the fawn’s head down, I snuck away.

Beating the early season heat, I left the woods at 9:30 a.m. and returned around 4:30 p.m. for an afternoon hunt. Thinking for sure the fawn would be gone after seven hours, I returned to my morning spot. As I backed myself into the poke bushes, the nearly invisible fawn stood up from its hiding spot and stared at me again. I quickly grabbed my iPhone and filmed the fawn as it walked directly to me. When the fawn was within 6 feet of me, it shook its head, stomped a few times, and returned to its hiding spot.

Though fascinated, I again managed to sneak away, staying just close enough to keep an eye on the fawn’s hiding spot. As I suspected (and as I had hoped), mom returned for her fawn — albeit 13 hours after she left her. Around 7 p.m., I saw the fawn stand up, and I heard it bleat multiple times. A slender doe cautiously walked in behind the fawn, and both walked away together.

Not one arrow left my quiver last Saturday. Not one buck crossed my path. But I had one of my best hunts.

I know some are questioning my last statement and are struggling with the false dichotomy between hunting and nature loving, but rest assured that my love for nature is what fuels my passion for conservation through legal, properly regulated hunting.

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America. While time heals all physical wounds, my feelings today are very much the same as they were ten years ago. I wrote the below article, and it was published in Wilmington, Delaware’s The News Journal on September 15, 2001. This article was a Community Voice feature in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001. It is appropriate to post it today.

Generation X Realizes the Impact of “America’s Greatest Generation” By Steven M. Kendus

Yesterday, September 11, 2001, was a day that will forever change the physical and figurative landscapes of the United States of America, and indeed the world. The still unbelievable terrorist attacks perpetrated against the very symbols of United States economic and military power have brought my generation to understand the true meaning of war, fear, and nationalistic pride.

As a 30-year-old married father of two, I–and most members of my generation–have no frame of reference for war or acts of war against the United States. We have little recollection of the final years of the Vietnam War, and in fact, many of us have only been exposed to war through the mini-series-like television accounts of Desert Storm. While the majority of the military forces in the Persian Gulf region during Desert Storm were of
my generation, the small percentage of those in the military provides little insight for the rest of us.

Additionally, the mere fact of our military’s technical superiority over Saddam Hussein’s forces led us to believe that America’s forces are nearly invincible, and that any battles fought with lesser militaries would result in quick victories with little loss of American life. Consequently, we, and most Americans, were possibly lulled into believing that our country, its borders, our airports, our physical symbols of freedom–and most importantly our citizens–were invincible and indeed, untouchable. We now know that the United States of America is susceptible to massive terrorist attacks on our soil, and we now understand what “America’s Greatest Generation” felt after the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941.

While watching recent films like Pearl Harbor and Saving Private Ryan and witnessing the graphic accounts of war, I questioned how American citizens could volunteer for military duty while knowing that extreme distance, and ultimately death, could separate them from their loved ones and normal ways of life. After watching the horrible acts of violence unfold against my fellow Americans yesterday, I now understand completely the source of nationalistic pride that drove the men and women to volunteer to serve their country during World War II. In times like these, the overall protection of The United States of America, its people, its interests, and its ideologies far outweighs any individualistic, self-centered concerns.

Yesterday’s attacks invoked personal reaction on many levels. My initial disbelief turned too shear horror and concern when I realized that a sibling of mine was close to the point of impact at the Pentagon, actually only hundreds of yards away at the WorldCom building. After hours of worry, the technology of the twenty-first century paid off, enabling me to make contact with her through Internet instant messaging and text pager.
Additionally, fear for the safety of my wife and children weighed heavily on my mind until I was home with each of them. That fear never totally subsided, and I think I speak for many Americans when I say that we now must at least respect the fact that we are no longer untouchable.

For the most part, a feeling of helplessness overcame me as I watched the images unfold on television. I felt compelled to do something, no matter how small. So for the first time in my life, I purchased an American flag and displayed it proudly outside of my home. I am proud to be an American and I am happy for our freedoms. Also for the first time in my life, I fully valued our Second Amendment rights to bear arms. If necessary, I know
that I, and countless others, were prepared to defend our country against any further, ground-based attacks. I realize that this previous statement may offend people, may lead people to provide literal interpretations of the Second Amendment, and may stir images of a “gun fanatic” in the minds of many. However, rest assured, I am a proponent of firearms safety, and I am not fanatical by any means. However, I think that yesterday’s acts enabled many of us to realize that some level of security exists in an armed society.

Disgust, outrage, and sympathy for those lost now dominate my emotions. Do I want revenge, or do I want justice? These are two very different concepts in my mind, and I think I want both. But first and foremost, I want all us as Americans, regardless of race, color, religion, and economic status to come together and stand proudly against the common enemy of terrorism that is seemingly interwoven through our daily lives. Together, we can prove that we will not succumb to these acts and threats of terror.