Many of you read my Hunting off-season is for the dogs: Keep dogs engaged in offseason post in March, so I wanted to show you that I actually practice what I preach.

See the attached video for photos of a recent training and exercise session I had with Starr Point’s Gustav of Glenside, “Gus,” my Hungarian vizsla. Gus is a superb bird dog, and he is always ‘hunting,’ whether I have a gun in my hand or not.

If all goes well, I hope to have a brother for Gus by mid-summer 2012.

Hunting the First State Author Steven M. Kendus with a 2012 eastern wild turkey.

Although rain and wind put a damper on the opening day of New Jersey turkey hunting season yesterday, today was a much different story.

I arrived at my hunting spot around 5:00 AM, and I heard the first turkeys gobbling from the roost at 5:30 AM — about 15 minutes before shooting time. I thought I was set up close to the roost, but I was surprised to hear them (many of them) gobbling about 250 yards away.

As I questioned whether I should move locations, the turkeys continued their incessantly gobbling for 40 minutes. They finally flew down from their roosts around 6:10 AM. I saw about 10 deer near where I heard the turkeys, but I didn’t see any of the turkeys on the ground. I could still hear gobbling, but I thought they were walking away from me — until I saw the deer start to scatter.

Like a bruising bully, a giant tom barreled out of the woods and into the field, spooking the deer. He was gobbling his head off and proceeded to march off toward a wooded thicket about 75 yards from where he entered in the field. Sensing the coast was clear, four more birds followed the big tom’s path, making sure to keep about a 30-yard cushion between them and him. The big gobbler walked off into the thicket, but the other four entered the field and began walking toward me.

When the four birds dropped down a swale and out of my line of sight, I scrambled to set two decoys on my edge of the field and began calling with my diaphragm call. All four birds gobbled back at my calls, and they began a slow 200-yard march across the field toward my decoys.

I called to the turkeys every few minutes as they cautiously approached. About halfway across the field, I could make out two jakes, one tom with a smallish beard, and one slightly larger tom with a long beard. Lucky for me, the big one was leading the march.

After 45 minutes, all four turkeys were within 40 yards of my 12-gauge — but there was a problem. They were all walking in a single-file line directly toward me! I couldn’t shoot the lead bird without potentially taking out all four of them! I was fearful that they would get too close and realize the hens they were calling and courting were plastic, so  I was hoping one of them would make a move. The biggest one did.

He began clucking and half-strutting to catch the attention of the decoys. In doing so, he stepped two feet to his left. Two feet was all I needed, and he was hit with a load of 5-shot that dropped him in his tracks. The other three scampered away.

Not a bad morning, considering it was the first day I hunted during the first week of the season.

He weighed in at 18.5 pounds, had a 9-inch beard, had one 1.125-inch spur, and one 1.25 inch spur. Check out the photos.

Always looking for an artistic approach to game photos.

Steven M. Kendus carrying a harvested wild turkey.

Although some Delaware hunters have packed away their hunting equipment until fall, others are eager to begin their pursuit of a frequently overlooked gamebird in the First State – the wild turkey.

Delaware wild turkey hunting season opened Saturday April 14 (with Saturday April 7 designated as youth season), and hunters should experience success rates on par with the 2010 and 2011 seasons, in which 368 and 487 turkeys were harvested, respectively.

According to Bob Eriksen, certified wildlife biologist and northeastern U.S. field supervisor for the National Wild Turkey Federation, the number of turkeys in Delaware is similar to recent years. “A pretty good hatch occurred in 2010, so two-year-old gobblers should be available in good numbers,” Eriksen says. “Two-year-old gobblers are the bread and butter of spring hunters, [since] they gobble and come to a call more readily than older gobblers.”

While two-year old toms may be plentiful, Eriksen believes the one-year-old jakes may be less abundant this season due to a mediocre hatch in 2011.

As all 2011-2012 Delaware hunting seasons were seemingly affected in some way by our mild winter weather, it is only logical to question the effect the mild winter and early spring warm up will have on Delaware’s turkey flock and their breeding patterns.

With food sources plentiful over the winter, high numbers of both gobblers and hens should have survived with good fat reserves and plenty of energy. Assuming our mild and relatively dry weather continues, the healthy hens should be capable of laying good egg clutches and re-nesting, if necessary.

Just as their energy reserves facilitate healthy egg production in the hens, the excess fat in toms should ensure high activity levels during breeding season, typically meaning that the mature males will actively seek as many mates as they can. With toms actively scouting for hens, turkey hunters can expect to receive responses to calls, especially early in the season.

The early spring warm up and subsequent early foliage bloom may affect this year’s turkey season in other ways, as well. Normal egg laying timeframes and subsequent hatch dates may be a bit earlier than usual, so hunters may hit the Delaware woods and fields with the turkey mating season already in full swing. With the early mating, it is also possible that gobbling activity decreases earlier than normal, leading to more challenging hunts in the final weeks of the season.

The early foliage bloom will make seeing and hearing turkeys more difficult, so turkey hunters will have to use extra caution. “Spring hunters should be extra careful when the vegetation is fully leafed out, making absolutely certain of their targets,” cautioned Eriksen.

Additional Info Regarding Delaware Turkey Hunting

• Wild Turkey Youth Season – April 7, 2012
• Wild Turkey Season – April 14 – May 12, 2011
• Season hours are ½ before sunrise until 1:00 PM. All turkeys must be checked at an authorized turkey check station by 2:30 p.m. on the day the bird is harvested.
• All first time Delaware turkey hunters must successfully complete a Division of F&W approved Turkey Hunting Safety class.
• Hunters wanting to hunt turkeys on public land must enter the preseason lottery and if selected most possess a Division public land turkey permit while in the field.
• Youth hunters hunting turkeys during the Youth Season may only hunt on privately owned lands

Additional Info Regarding New Jersey Turkey Hunting

A Delaware Women in the Outdoors event will be held Saturday, April 14, 2012 at the Mallard Lodge in Smyrna, Delaware.

The event, sponsored by the Delaware Chapters of the National Wild Turkey Federation in partnership with the Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife and the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service, enables women ages 14 and older to learn outdoor skills, meet new people and spend time with friends and family interested in the outdoors. Event courses focus on:

• archery
• fishing
• camping
• pond ecology
• gardening
• birding
• fly tying
• and more.

Registration is $45.00 for new members or $25.00 for current members and includes:

• Choice of 3 Women in the Outdoors Courses
• Use of all equipment
• One-Year subscription to the Turkey Country magazine
• Light breakfast (muffins, etc.)
• Lunch
• Beverages (coffee, water, soda)
• Wine & Cheese Social

Click here to access the 2012 NWTF Women in the Outdoors Registration_form.

Photo courtesy of Michael Globetti. Photo taken by Ron Charest.

From my hunting column that ran in The News Journal.

Although some diehard hunters are wringing the final seconds out of the 2011-2012 hunting season by hunting crows and snow geese for the next several weeks, most Delaware hunters have cleaned and stored their guns, packed away their decoys, and moved their camouflage to the back of their closets.

The collective sighs of forlorn hunters resonate throughout hunting households as the sportsmen are forced to deal with the months-long emptiness that accompanies the end of hunting season. The inactivity that now occupies the schedules of many hunters may be welcomed by some and loathed by others, but it is sure to be perplexing to hunting dogs.

Hunting dogs, especially the high-activity searching, chasing, pointing, and flushing breeds like beagles, pointers, and spaniels, grow accustomed to their extended explorations and pursuits when they are hunting rabbits, pheasants, woodcocks, or other small game. Their frequent activity, strong desires to please their handlers, and uncompromising passion to satisfy their instinctive drives leaves them more than content during Delaware’s various small game and upland game hunting seasons.

As a dog hunts during Delaware’s hunting seasons that span from September through February, he becomes more physically fit. Likewise, hunts may make him more mentally alert and less apt to exhibit undesirable conduct like excessive barking and property damage (via chewing, digging, etc.), since the high activity levels provide engaging outlets that eliminate boredom and encourage natural  behavior.

Dogs used for waterfowl retrieving from blinds and boats also benefit from their hunting season activities, and they, too, can be befuddled when the season ends.

Waterfowl, small game, and upland game hunting dogs struggling to comprehend the end of hunting season often look at their owners curiously when alarm clocks ring in the pre-dawn hours. Others jump in trucks and wag their tails excitedly when their owners try to leave for work. And others pace like caged lions when they hear collar bells, see their hunting vests, or smell guns or ammo.

The end of hunting season doesn’t have to be the end of compelling and energetic activities for hunting dogs, however.

To combat the abrupt cessation of hunting-related activities, hunting dog owners should keep their dogs physically and intellectually stimulated during the off-season. Hunting dog owners and their canine hunting companions can engage in multiple activities that reinforce hunting lessons and drills, create memories, and teach new tricks.

Off-season hunting dog activities can incorporate real-life hunting scenarios, such as retrieving fowl dummies on land and in water, and they can introduce new concepts like teaching a dog to track wounded deer or to locate shed antlers.

The hunting off-season also presents a superb time for carrying a camera, rather than a gun, into the woods so that hunters can capture action photos of their dogs locating, chasing, or pointing game. Many of the same game species are present in Delaware’s fields and forests during the spring and summer as in the fall and winter hunting seasons, so photo opportunities can be plentiful.

While structured activities can be great for dogs and owners alike, unstructured exercise and activity is also important for hunting dogs. Allowing them to explore their natural surroundings, run with other dogs, and fetch balls in the water also keep dogs in shape for hunting season and build bonds with their owners.

Here is some feedback (and useful information) I received from Michael Globetti from the Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Public Affairs office.  – SMK

Enjoyed your article in today’s News Journal, Steven – and wanted to expound on your list of offseason activities for hunting dogs and gundogs in Delaware to include field trials and hunt tests, of which the state has a great number, perhaps proportionately more for its size than anywhere else in North America.

Delaware is renowned for retriever events especially – the state hosted the National Retriever Championships in 2009 in the Dover environs, and the National Labrador Retriever Club has spring and fall field trials each year at DNREC’s C&D Canal Summit Retriever Training Area and nearby Rebel Ridge Farms.

Pointing dog trials and tests are frequently held at DNREC’s Norman G. Wilder Wildlife Area in Kent County, and spaniel events also are staged hereabouts.

Micheal also mentioned the DelBay Retriever Club, the country’s oldest continuous club in terms of competition, having been founded in 1937, and which holds a half-dozen field trials and hunt tests annually.

Couple of other things worth noting about off-season gundog activity: There is a Delmarva Chapter of NAVHDA (North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association) that spans the state, featuring the “continental” breeds such as Vizsla, spinone Italiano and the German shorthair and wirehair pointers. And lastly, DNREC’s not in the dog licensing business any more, having handed it off to the three counties, but all dogs in Delaware, including gundogs, must be licensed – and the respective counties where the dogs (and owners) reside should be contacted for more information.

Thanks for the info, Michael. – SMK

I hunted woodcocks in New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland during the 2011-2012 hunting season with great success. Check out some photos and videos from my hunts.

Delaware’s Division of Fish & Wildlife is now accepting applications for its low-number hunting license lottery. At 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 5 in the auditorium at DNREC’s main office in Dover, 25 Delaware hunting licenses with numbers less than 1,000 will be drawn via lottery.

Licenses will be awarded to applicants whose names are drawn starting with the lowest and ending with the highest number via a live drawing. The lottery is open to the public, but applicants need not be present. Winners will be notified by mail.

Additional details are presented below.

• The license will be assigned permanently to the successful applicant.
• An applicant must be at least 15 years of age, and not older than 64 years of age on July 1, 2012.
• The license holder will be notified annually by mail for renewal.
• The license is not transferable by the selected applicant to any individual.
• Individuals who currently hold a low-numbered license are not eligible.
• To be considered, an applicant must submit one and only one postcard, either by mail or hand-deliver it to the Richardson & Robbins building in Dover.

Postcards must be addressed to:

Candace Dunning
Low-Number Hunting License Lottery
Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife
89 Kings Highway
Dover, DE 19901

Include the following information on the reverse side of the postcard:

• applicant’s name
• street address
• city
• state
• ZIP code
• daytime phone number

Applications will not be included in the drawing if there is more than one postcard per applicant, or if postcards are received without the information above.

Applications must be postmarked on or before Tuesday, May 22 or hand-delivered to the Richardson & Robbins Building by 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 25. No applications will be accepted after that date under any circumstances.

For more information, please call Candace Dunning at 302-739-9918.

My article that ran in The News Journal on Feb. 2, 2012.

I don’t think I’ve ever really complained about any aspect of hunting.

I have expressed opinions about discourteous hunters, questionable hunting laws and overzealous anti-hunters, but opinions aren’t necessarily complaints.

In all my years of hunting I haven’t complained about season lengths, missed opportunities or my personal harvest totals. In fact, I haven’t even complained about the weather.

Until now.

Did I step into a haunted teleportation device some time around Halloween and get transported to some parallel world where Delaware winter doesn’t exist? Was it really almost sixty degrees in the last week of January? Has Mother Nature finally bought into global warming and retired to Florida?

Before my non-hunting readers question my sanity for complaining about a Delaware winter with hardly any snow or extended cold spells, let me explain: Weather affects hunting.

Ask just about any Delaware duck or goose hunter how they fared this waterfowl season, and you’re bound to receive one of two answers: one, it stunk, or two, it really stunk. Many of us sat for hours in boats, duck blinds and goose pits day after day for the past three months with little more to show for our efforts than windburn, a few completed crossword puzzles, and lessons in humility.

I was lucky enough to harvest a few ducks early in the season, but I continue to receive horror stories from hunters who harvested no ducks at all. What’s worse, I’ve heard from Canada goose hunters who never saw a goose in close proximity to their hunting setups.

I don’t believe there’s a problem with the overall waterfowl populations. Instead, I, like many local hunters, believe that this season’s uncharacteristically mild weather from New England through the Mid Atlantic just hasn’t forced ducks, geese, and other migratory game birds to adhere to their usual migration patterns. If conditions are favorable for birds to find food and resting areas in the northern portions of their migration paths, they may be less apt to fly further south at their usual pace.

Migratory bird hunting wasn’t the only thing thrown out of whack by this season’s phantom winter.

Deer hunting has also been strange. Late season, (usually) cold-weather deer hunters typically count on deer herding together and often focus their hunting efforts near winter food sources. This tactic usually pays off, but this year’s winter food sources are similar to those from the early fall. Granted there is less foliage, but the lack of snow cover makes nuts and other food sources easily accessible (including green grass and tree buds, which have been strangely present at various times this winter). Like the migratory birds, deer seem to have deviated from their normal winter patterns as a result of our disordered winter, and have presented new challenges to hunters.

My complaining may be misguided since it addresses the weather’s adverse effects on hunter success rates. The game animals probably love this vacation from Delaware winter, and their survival rates will only lead to higher population numbers.

On second thought, I withdraw my complaint.

It’s good for the game animals to beat the hunters every now and then.

Hunting the First State: A Guide to Delaware Hunting available at White Clay Creek, Cape Henlopen, Lums Pond, Trap Pond, and Delaware Seashore State Parks

Hunting the First State: A Guide to Delaware Hunting (Second Edition) is now available for purchase at select Delaware state park stores. Hunters, tourists, and park visitors can purchase the 217-page paperback at White Clay Creek, Cape Henlopen, Lums Pond, and Trap Pond State Parks and at the Indian River Life-Saving Station.

Hunting the First State: A Guide to Delaware Hunting (Second Edition) provides an in-depth look at hunting in Delaware and the surrounding region. Author and Delaware native Steven M. Kendus uses his hunting wisdom, experience, and research to preserve Delaware’s hunting legacy by sharing history, tactics, locations, tips, and tricks associated with Delaware hunting. Hunting The First State discusses common game species such as white-tailed deer, Canada geese, and ducks, but it also offers insight into Delaware coyotes, wild turkeys, red foxes, woodcocks, quail, snow geese, crows, rabbits, and more.

“Delaware’s state parks offer a wealth of recreational opportunities – including hunting and fishing,” said Author Steven M. Kendus. “I utilize the state parks year round, so I witness firsthand the number of visitors the parks receive.”

“Many of our state park locations have wonderful stores where tourists, hunters, and other park visitors can purchase Delaware-related merchandise, and I can’t think of a better place for Hunting The First State to be available,” Kendus continued.

Hunting The First State includes techniques, locations, tactics, and folklore from Kendus and some of Delaware’s most successful hunters and includes more than thirty-five photos of wildlife harvested in Delaware and the surrounding areas.

About Steven M. Kendus

Steven M. Kendus is a lifelong Delaware resident and avid outdoorsman dedicated to preserving hunting opportunities, lands, and traditions. He is a professional author, columnist, technical writer, and marketer, and has had various books and articles published. He is an active member of multiple hunting, shooting, and conservation organizations, including the National Rifle Association, National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited, Safari Club International, Brandywine Hundred Rod and Gun Club, and Delaware State Sportmen’s Association.

Mr. Kendus is frequently consulted as an authority on Delaware hunting. He has been a speaker at hunting-related community events, a guest on Sirius XM Patriot’s Cam & Company, and a guest host for Versus, where he interviewed hunting legends Tred Barta and David Morris.

He has a Bachelor of Arts in English – Business and Technical Writing from the University of Delaware. He is a senior member of the Society for Technical Communication and a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America.

My column from The News Journal on January 19, 2012.

Delaware's 4-H Shooting Sports Program volunteer instructor George Bonniwell shows a young hunter how to range deer from a tree stand.

Although the number of Delaware hunting licenses issued to Delaware residents in 2010 was nearly 35 percent less than in the mid-1970s, the state has seen an uptick in the number of annual hunting licenses issued over the past several years.

Delaware’s strong deer and migratory waterfowl populations entice hunters to hunt the First State, but youth hunting programs are ensuring Delaware’s hunting traditions stay alive.

Through Delaware’s 4-H Shooting Sports Program, a youth development and education program emphasizing positive youth-adult interaction, peer leadership, and development of essential life skills, young people learn the disciplines of safe shooting and wildlife management. The program is open to kids 8 to 18 and is sponsored by the Cooperative Extension Service of the University of Delaware and Delaware State University.

The program encourages participation in natural resource and science programs by exposing participants to related content through shooting, hunting and other activities. It also complements state-sponsored hunter education programs by teaching safe and responsible use of firearms and archery equipment, sound decision making, self-discipline and concentration.

As part of the 4-H Shooting Sports Program, participants attend classroom and field activities, including waterfowl, small game and deer hunting events.

A 4-H Shooting Sports Program deer hunting event was held Jan. 7 on a Middletown-area farm. Following an on-site luncheon, kids 12-18 were teamed with adult mentors for an antlerless deer control hunt.

Delaware 4-H Shooting Sports Coordinator Jim Kemble viewed the event as valuable for developing life skills and strengthening families.

“We are serving an audience that really needs to be served,” Kemble said. “The hunt is really a family outreach event geared toward fun and camaraderie, with the added benefit of possibly bagging a deer.”

Derek DeBloois, 15, of Magnolia, participated in the hunt and harvested two female deer. As a junior instructor in the shooting sports program, he attributed his success to the shooting instruction he received from 4-H and the program’s volunteer hunting mentors.

“I learned different shooting positions and firearms safety from 4-H,” said DeBloois, “and the mentors were very important in [contributing] to our success in harvesting animals.”

Although classroom instruction is an important part of hunting education, there is nothing like live hunting action.

Justin Mabrey, 12, of Hartly, participated in the hunt and encountered multiple deer.

“With the [4-H] deer hunting I’ve actually been able to shoot deer, and any other time I haven’t been able to,” said Mabrey.

He explained how his hunting mentor helped him judge the distance the deer were from his stand before he shot and taught him how to determine button bucks from does.

Girls and boys participated in the hunt, but boys outnumbered girls five to one. Katelynn Norvell, 15, of Smyrna, recognized the small number of female participants.

“We need more females willing to participate. [They] need to realize that [hunting] is not just killing. It’s management of wildlife,” said Norvell. “Even though I didn’t have a chance to harvest a deer this time, it doesn’t mean I won’t try again.”

Hunt coordinator, farm manager and 4-H volunteer instructor Tom Thornton said he enjoys helping out with the youth deer hunts.

“The best part of the whole program is when all the kids come in after the hunt and share the stories they have,” Thornton said. “They’ll talk about this for weeks, and when we run into kids a year or two down the road, they’re still talking about the experience they had here.”