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.

It looks like we narrowly dodged a bullet here in northern Wilmington, Delaware. The eye of Hurricane Irene passed off the coast of New Jersey and made landfall again farther north in New Jersey, so northern Delaware was spared the full force of Irene. I slept very little, since the winds were still troubling. Likewise, it has rain for about 18 hours straight. While my basement pump worked fine, I somehow had wind-driven water coming through my attic and into a second-floor bedroom.

Here are some updates:

• More than 10 inches of rain in some pars of Delaware.
• Many roads flooded or are otherwise impassable.
• More than 50,000 homes without power.
• Emergency driving restrictions remain in effect, banning all but emergency vehicles or those evacuating from flood areas from the state’s roads.

For additional information, see the DELAWARE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY site at http://dema.delaware.gov/.

Things are getting scary here in Wilmington, Delaware during Hurricane Irene.

Right before I filmed this, a tornado warning was issued for some town several miles south of me. A few minutes after I filmed this, the warning included my area. The winds kicked up and began blowing loudly, so I headed for the basement. I still have power, so I have been watching the local news and The Weather Channel.

The Emergency Alert System activated and displayed the tornado warning on my TV. The buzzing chirp of the alert got my attention, but the computer voice describing the warning was scary.

This is not going to be a good night.

Per the latest forecasts, Wilmington, Delaware should receive the strongest force of Hurricane Irene between 2:00 AM and 5:00 AM tomorrow morning.

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell said Delaware would stop collecting tolls on I-95 at 3 p.m.

At 4 p.m., the bridge over Indian River Inlet closed. Divers will inspect the bridge’s pilings to determine if scouring stormwater has compromised the bridge’s structure.

Gov. Jack Markell ordered driving restrictions statewide. The restrictions forbid non-emergency travel effective at 6 p.m. in Sussex County, 8 p.m. in Kent County, and 10 p.m. in New Castle County. The state Department of Transportation said three of its four bridges over the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal will close to all but emergency vehicles at 10 p.m., including the Reedy Point Bridge at Del. 9, the St. Georges Bridge, and the Roth Bridge on Del. 1. The Summit Bridge (Del. 896/U.S. 301) will remain open until sustained winds reached sustained 45 miles per hour.

It is nothing nice out there!

(Note: I keep losing my YouTube upload connection. Video posts are delayed.)

I am posting this information remotely via my iPhone, so I apologize for not creating a summary. I am posting the release as issues. -SMK

DNREC sites and facilities – including all Delaware
State Parks – to close Friday for approaching storm
DOVER (Aug. 26, 2011) – All DNREC’s sites and facilities – including Delaware State Parks and state wildlife areas – will close today at 5 p.m. for the impending Hurricane Irene expected to reach the state this weekend. Evacuation is under way for all parks’ campgrounds and must be completed by the same time today.
All state parks, wildlife areas and other DNREC facilities including the Brandywine Zoo will be closed at least through Sunday, Aug. 28. Also closing is the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve, which includes the St. Jones Reserve outside Dover, and the Blackbird Creek Reserve near Townsend.
Evacuation of the campgrounds by the 5 p.m. deadline allows Parks’ staff ample time to prepare for the brunt of the weekend’s storm. Cancellations or postponements have been issued for weekend parks activities. Campers with reservations for Friday through the weekend are being notified of the closures.

Yes, I know this post deviates from the norm here at Hunting The First State, but I really am looking to find a home for an African Sulcata Land Tortoise that was found wandering the roads of Snow Hill, MD. I don’t have a photo, but the tortoise weighs an estimated 50 pounds and eats constantly. The tortoise is not native to this area, so someone probably released it to the wild.

If you, or anyone you know, is interested in adopting this tortoise, please contact John Freimuth at 302-547-4455.

For more information on African Sulcata Land Tortoises, see http://www.sulcata-station.org/.

I received multiple emails in response to my article about Delaware cougars that rain in last Thursday’s News Journal. They all are fascinating. Excerpts from the emails are pasted below.

Feel free to share your feedback, too.

Email 1 – 8/4/2011

Email 2 – 8/4/2011

Email 3 – 8/4/2011

Email 4 – 8/4/2011

Email 5 -8/5/2011

Email 6 – 8/6/2011

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

It wasn’t that long ago when cougar (a.k.a. mountain lion) sightings and cougar-related news reports were big stories here in Delaware.

From the late 1990s to the early 2000s, reports of Delaware cougars frequently surfaced, with most sightings occurring in northern New Castle County.

Videos, photos, tracks, prey kills and first-hand accounts from public employees provided direct evidence of at least one cougar in Delaware, and as a result, the New Castle County Police assigned an officer to capture the cougar. After months of hunting, a cougar was never captured and a carcass was never found, but sightings persist. As recently as last November, a cougar was reportedly seen in Pike Creek.

Theories indicate that at least one cougar that was illegally kept as pet in southeastern Pennsylvania escaped or was released in 1996 and traveled into northern Delaware to escape deer hunters. However, with the number of sightings that have been reported since then, and with recent news regarding a wild cougar found in Connecticut, I now question if Delaware could have a wild cougar or two.

Last week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection presented genetic testing results that showed the cougar killed in Connecticut actually traveled from the Black Hills region of South Dakota. The cougar’s movements were tracked and recorded as it progressed through Minnesota and Wisconsin, and genetic tests showed that tissue from the Connecticut cougar matched the genetic structure of the mountain lion population in the Black Hills region. After further analysis, the United States Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service Wildlife Genetics Laboratory matched the Connecticut cougar’s DNA with DNA collected from the exact cougar whose movements were tracked in Minnesota and Wisconsin from late 2009 through early 2010.

According to Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Daniel C. Esty, “The journey of this mountain lion is a testament to the wonders of nature and the tenacity and adaptability of this species. This mountain lion traveled a distance of more than 1,500 miles from its original home in South Dakota — representing one of the longest movements ever recorded for a land mammal and nearly double the distance ever recorded for a dispersing mountain lion.”

Now that science has proven that cougars are capable of traveling long distances, should we reconsider if Delaware could have wild cougars after all?

“Anything is possible,” said Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife Game Mammal Biologist Joe Rogerson. But he is quick to point out that the odds don’t favor wild cougars in Delaware. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the eastern cougar subspecies extinct [in March 2011], so any cougars that are around the East Coast are most likely released or escaped pets,” says Rogerson. “Plus, the chances of something like that, with such a huge home range, not getting hit by a car, picked up by a trail camera, or shot by a hunter are slim.”

As an optimist looking to encounter new things in the woods, I am holding out hope that cougars, more coyotes, and maybe even a black bear or two make their ways into our state. My wishes may seem far-fetched, but Rogerson added that he’s received reports of sasquatch, African lion, hyena and chupacabra sightings in Delaware.

I guess we’ll really never know everything that lurks in Delaware’s forests and fields, but just in case, I’ll keep my eyes open for a good sasquatch taxidermist.

My family, some friends, and I enjoyed the beautiful Bethany Beach, Delaware weather over the weekend. Since I cannot just sit on the beach and roast, I tote multiple fishing rods and a wide assortment of tackle to the beach with me in hopes of casting some lines and catching some decent fish.

I caught a few Norfolk spots on Fishbites bloodworms on Saturday morning, and I used some spots as bait to catch a few skates. While I watched my surf rod tips bend with the crashing waves, I couldn’t help but notice little baitfish jumping through the breakers. On Saturday afternoon, the combination of little wind, calm seas, and the perfect angle of the sun created the clearest surf I have ever seen in Delaware. Without question, you could see your feet if you waded in the water up to your chest.

As I marveled at the water clarity, I couldn’t help but notice fish chasing my spot rigs as I reeled them in. It was the perfect time to put my smaller rods and assortment of lures to the test. I rigged some chartreuse Gulp! minnows on jig heads and cast the lures just beyond the breakers. With each cast, I saw little bluefish chasing the minnow and biting its tail. After getting some curious stares (because I was standing in waist deep ocean water casting lures like I was freshwater bass fishing), I landed a few of the little blues. Before long, I had my 11-year old daughters Dominique and Gabriella and their 11-year old friend Weston casting the lures in the surf.

Each child caught some small blues, Weston landed a 12-inch flounder, and Dominique hooked a short striper but lost it as she went to pull it from the water. It was great to see the kids having so much fun fishing. They fished for more than an hour without losing interest (which is darn good, especially when throwing lures).

The landed a few spot, two more flounder (both short), and few more skates on Sunday.

Great stuff. Fishing Saltwater is always fun, but you absolutely must have the right gear. Interestingly, the kids had a tough time seeing the fish in the water because none of them had sunglasses on. As soon as they put on their sunglasses, they could see the fish in the water (which proved that I wasn’t seeing things).