ACE Magazine Winter 2016

8/18/2019 ACE Magazine Winter 2016

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Official Publication of the ACEOA

ACEOA Magazine •

ACE Magazine is the official publication of theAlabama Conservation Enforcement OfficerAssociation. Purchase of advertising spacedoes not entitle the advertisers to any privilegesor favors from members. ACE Magazine doesnot assume responsibility for statements offact or opinion made by any contributor.This magazine is created and produced byBrent-Wyatt West. Copyright 2016.All rights reserved.

WWW.ACEOA.ORG WINTER 2016

in this issue...2016 – 2017 State Officers and Directors ....................................... 3

From the President ........................................................................ 5

From the Trenches ........................................................................ 7

Annual 2015 Scholarships ............................................................. 9

A Special Deer Hunt ..................................................................... 11

Combat Wounded Warriors ........................................................ 17

CEO’s and Tree Stands in Coosa County ..................................... 19

Hunters Complete Survey ............................................................ 23

Kid’s Korner ................................................................................ 27

Outdoors With Friends ................................................................ 29

Sheepshead Fishing ..................................................................... 33

ACEOA Post Hunt Report ............................................................. 37

Feathers, Fins, and Furs Outdoor Event ....................................... 41

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Continues To Be A Problem ............. 45

Limestone County Youth Dove Hunt ............................................ 51

The Rusty Chronicles .................................................................. 57

I Hate Litter ................................................................................. 63

Criminal Littering Cases in 2014 .................................................. 67

Red Snapper Management ........................................................... 73

Wildlife Cooperatives Can Increase Hunting Success ................... 79

E.V. Smith 2015 Youth Dove Hunt ................................................ 81

Meaher State Park Receives Improvements .................................. 83

Advertisers Index ...................................................................... 167

Business Directory .................................................................... 173

EDITOR:

Gayle Morrow

PUBLISHER:

Brent-Wyatt West

8436 Crossland Loop, Suite 207

Montgomery, Alabama 36117

SALES OFFICES:

Chris Banks / Jim Downing

8436 Crossland Loop, Suite 207

Montgomery, A labama 36117

(334) 213-6229

ON THE COVER

Each year the ACEOA sponsors

numerous events for children,

women, or challenged hunters

or fishermen. (see page 41)

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ACEOA Magazine • 3

2016 – 2017 ACEOA State Officers

Executive DirectorRusty Morrow (Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Enforcement Retired)

2016 – 2017 ACEOA State OfficersHeath Walls – President • Vance Wood – Vice President • Rick Smith – Secretary/Treasurer

DISTRICT IErnie Stephens – Director • Wendell Fulks – Associate Director

BLOUNT , COLBERT , CULLMAN , F AYETTE, F RANKLIN , L AMA R, L AUDERDALE, L AWRENCE, LIMESTONE, M ADISON , M ARION , MORGAN , W ALKER, W INSTON

DISTRICT IIScott Kellenberger – Director • Jerry Fincher – Associate Director • Joel Glover – Associate Director

C ALHOUN , CHAMBERS, CHEROKEE, CLAY , CLEBURNE, COOSA, DEK ALB, ETOWAH, J ACKSO N , M ARSHALL, R ANDOLPH, ST . CLAIR, T ALLADEGA , T ALL APOO SA

DISTRICT IIICliff Robinson – Director • Clint Tyus – Associate Director • Marcus Rowell – Associate Director

AUTAUGA, B IBB, CHILTON , D ALLAS, GREENE, H ALE, JEFFERSON , LOWNDES, P ERRY , P ICKENS, SHELBY , SUMTER, T USCALOOSA

DISTRICT IVTim Ward – Director • Patrick Norris – Associate Director • Brad Gavins – Associate Director

B ARBOUR, BULLOCK , COFFEE, COVINGTON , CRENSHAW , D ALE, ELMORE, GENEVA, HENRY , HOUSTON , LEE, M ACON , MONTGOMERY , P IKE, RUSSELL

DISTRICT VEdward “Bo” Willis – Director • Joe Goddard – Associate Director

B ALDWIN , BUTLER, CHOCTAW , CLARKE, CONECUH, ESCAMBIA, M ARENGO, MOBILE, MONROE, W ASHINGTON , W ILCOX

ACE MagazineGayle Morrow – Editor

For questions about your District Director, ACEOA, or membership contact:Rusty Morrow, P.O. Box 74, Lowndesboro, AL, 36752, (334) 391–9113, [email protected]


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From the PresidentBy Lt. Heath Walls

Iwant to thank everyone that supports our Alabama

Conservation Enforcement Officers Association.

Whether you buy an ad in our magazine, make

donations, or join as a member you help sponsor several

worthy causes. As an associa-

tion, we assist our officers by

providing support in times of

need. We provide a benefit to

the family of a member/officerif he or she is killed in the line

of duty. We give to families of

other law enforcement agen-

cies in similar situations. We

give five scholarships to our

member/officers or their imme-

diate family each year and

one scholarship to an associ-

ate member. We also sponsor

numerous events each year

that give kids, disabled kids,and disabled veterans a chance

to participate in hunting and

fishing events.

I also want to thank all of

our officers for everything they

do on a daily basis. They work hard every day to protect

our natural resources and ensure that future generations

have access to all the opportunities we have today. Also,

they often find themselves in the role of first responders;

assisting with injuries, directing traffic, and occasionally

saving lives depending on what the situation demands.

Check out our website ACEOA.org and watch the “Beyond

the Basics” video to see some of our officers in action

Also, like us on Facebook to see what our association

has been doing lately.

We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable hunting

season. Good luck in the woods and on the water.

Thank you again for your continued support of ACEOA

your local Conservation Officer, and the Department o

Conservation. l


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From the TrenchesBy Rusty Morrow, ACEOA Executive Director

W ell another deer season has passed. Our officers

have been busy and all managed to stay well.

The Marine Resource Division is gearing up for

their busy time of the year along the coast.

My deer season was very uneventful. When you

hunt low land in Lowndes County, monsoon rains play

a major role in how much property you have left to hunt

and I didn’t have much. Wasn’t unusual to head out for

a morning or afternoon hunt and see nothing but waterthat was supposed to be land.

I did work with my surrounding Wardens during the

season since we had no Game Warden in Lowndes County

for most of the season. Officer Tarrell Connor retired and

it left the county wide open. It was good to be able to

help. I have, over the past years, maintained my APOST

certification that gives me arrest power.

This issue of ACE Magazine features our fall and winter

events. As you can see, it is a very busy time for ACEOA.

We are able to expose a lot of kids to the outdoors in

the events and the rewards are great. We see manyhappy faces.

Please enjoy these articles and remember it couldn’t hap-

pen without our corporate sponsors. I can’t tell you

enough how much we appreciate your support.

There is one story in this magazine that you will find

quite amusing. Keith Mickle and I were hired on the

same day in August of 1983. We were both assigned to

Lowndes County. He had a Police background (Decatur

P.D.). Lowndes County had a lot of turmoil during these

times. Both Game Wardens had been fired and we were

assigned to fix the problems and I think fix the departmen

image. These are stories for another time.

You will see Keith has quite an imagination and it

comes out in his writing. I’ve always liked the term “crazy

as a run over dog.” I will not spoil it for you whether this

story is fact or fiction. I will tell you he does hunt deer in

Alabama with a 375H-H magnum. I’ve heard the BOOMin the adjoining swamp. It’s not something you forget.

At print time the House of Representatives passed the

Deer Bait Bill. I’m sure the Senate has the same plans

It’s an amazing time that those houses have nothing else

to worry about than deer. I have an opinion but I’ll refrain

at this time. I am ashamed that our department and the

hunters have such a low regard for the recommendations

of our Wildlife Biologists. I was a warden for twenty five

years and my job was to protect the wildlife resource o

Alabama. When we shift to providing for the hunter, and

not protecting the resource, problems will arise.Please enjoy this magazine and when finished pass it

one to a friend. Our Spring issue will feature the BADF

Life Hunt.

Thank you again for your support.

I’ll sign out with this Quote …

So often time it happens, we all live our life in chains

and we never even know we have the key. ~ The Eagles

“Already Gone” l


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Megan Leigh Kellenberger

ACEOA awarded the Lance Horner

Memorial Scholarship, a member

scholarship, to Meg, daughter ofSherri (a kindergarten teacher in

Scottsboro City Schools) and CEO

Scott Kellenberger of Scottsboro,

Alabama.

Meg is currently a senior attending

Samford University in Birmingham.

She is a Psychology major and plans

to pursue a master’s degree in social

work. Meg serves as the president

of Diversability, a student organiza-

tion dedicated to improving cam-pus access to students and guests

with disabilities.

Congratulations, Meg, and best

wishes to you.

Justin Knight

ACEOA awarded the Jimmy Hutto


scholarship, to Justin, son of Carla

Knight, Chief School Finance Officer

at Franklin County BOE and CEO

Rodney Knight.Justin graduated from Phil

Campbell High School in 2013 and

later attended Marion Military

Institute where he received his

Associates degree in 2015. He also

received his commission as a Second

Lieutenant in the United States Army.

He is currently a Platoon Leader of

the 1st Squadron, 98th Calvary in the

Mississippi National Guard.

Justin is a junior majoring inWildlife Ecology and Management

at Auburn University. His future

plans are to graduate from Auburn

in December of 2017, remain in the

National Guard, and begin his career

in the field of Wildlife Conservation

and Management.

Congratulations, Caleb, and best

wishes to you.

Austin A. Robinson

ACEOA awarded the James Vines


scholarship, to Austin, son of LtCliff Robinson.

Austin is currently a senior

studying Mechanical Engineering

at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical

University. He is also a Cadet Major

in the Air Force Reserve Officer

Training Corp. When he graduates

he wishes to join the intelligence

career field in the Air Force and pos-

sibly work for the FBI or CIA after his

years of service.During this past summer, Austin

participated in Project Global Officer

Through this program he was able

to travel to Tanzania to study East

African culture and history, sus-

tainable design and development

and Kiswahili.

Congratulations, Austin, and bes

wishes to you.

Annual 2015 Scholarships Alabama Conservation Enforcement Officer Association

Scholarship rules can be found on the ACEOA website at www.aceoa.org


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A Special Deer HuntBy Jane Rogers

F riday afternoon, November

14, 2015, in Ramer, Alabama,

a group of six families met

for the first time. Along with the

six hunters, parents and siblings

there were six hunter escorts, two

representatives from the Alabama

Department of Conservation and

Natural Resources, Chris Litton andPhillip West with the City of Orange

Beach, and other volunteers.

The goals for the hunt were: to

promote gun/hunter safety and

awareness, to provide a youth hunt-

er with the opportunity to harvest

a deer, enjoy time outdoors hunting

and fishing. Three of the hunters

were friends of Children’s Hospital

in Birmingham, and the other three had not had the

opportunity to harvest a deer due to a range of fam-ily situations.

Anticipation grew as the sun set and temperature

dropped. It seemed everything was coming together forcontinued on 13


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A SPECIAL DEER HUNT – continued


a perfect opportunity to harvest some deer for these kids.

All gathered around the outdoor fire pit for an exten-

sive hunter safety discussion led by Chris Litton and

Conservation Officer Kirk Smith. The inexperienced hunt-

ers had a shooter safety course the Wednesday before to

acclimate with their rifles. They clearly understood the

how and why of gun/hunter safety when this was over.

Next each hunter escort was paired

up with a very excited youth hunter

Deer stands were assigned and it wastime for dinner and s’mores.

The morning hunt came fast and

early but no deer came back to the

camp. Each hunter experienced

the beauty of deer in the field, but

because of limited line of sight or age/

size of deer the kids were unable to

shoot. The afternoon hunt was bet-

ter with a nice doe coming back with

a proud hunter. One disappointed

hunter was unable to find the deerhe thought he shot.

The beauty of the weekend was

that all involved left with a new group

of friends. The volunteers were the

key in making this event possible. Many thanks to Chris

Litton with the City of Orange Beach, Phillip West with the

City of Orange Beach and Backcountry Trail Foundation

Rusty Morrow with Alabama Conservation Enforcemen

Officer Association, Officer Kirk Smith, Officer Vance

Wood, Lt. Colonel Chris Lewis with Alabama Conservation

continued on 15


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A SPECIAL DEER HUNT – continued


and Natural Resources, Mike Guillotte taxidermist and

Hunter Ed instructor Mobile County, Sergeant Major

Bennie McCord Retired, and Travis Motichek with CraneWorks. Many of our volunteers missed work on Friday

to attend and we thank them. We would also like to

thank Comfort Inn Suites Montgomery Airport, Coleman

Inc. Foley, Buckmasters, and The Backcountry Trail

Foundation for their support of this event.

Certainly there were other Youth Hunts conducted

around Alabama, but as the government continues to

reduce money allotted for the education of safety for young

hunters, the importance of programs like this grows. ChrisLitton is organizing a group to complete a non-profit orga-

nization dedicated to provide opportunities for youth to

broaden their horizons for hunting and fishing in our grea

state. Please contact him if you are interested in support-

ing this venture. [email protected] l


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Combat Wounded WarriorsBy Tim Ward

The ACEOA funds have gone to good use recently. The Combat Wounded Warriors just hosted their third group of veterans in

Harrisburg, Arkansas. They will host a total of six hunts to wel l deserved “warriors.” This picture was taken on Ja nuary 10, 2016


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CEO’s and Tree Stands

in Coosa County By Joel D. Glover

W hat does a Conservation

Enforcement Officer (CEO) do

and how do they do it? This

question was answered in large part at the

recent Coosa County Landowners Tour. The

tour was hosted by Mr. Bill Dark and wassponsored by the Alabama Conservation

Enforcement Officers Association (ACEOA)

and the Coosa County Forestry Planning

Committee (CCFPC).

Coosa County Conservation Enforcement

Officers Stewart Abrams and Drake Hayes

were featured speakers on the tour. Each

officer gave a brief introduction and then

discussed the role of a CEO. Emphasis was

placed on the need for landowners who

are experiencing hunting related problemsto make their officer aware of it. The officers explained

that each officer in the state is tasked with covering

a huge amount of territory. While they attempt to cover

the entire county, receiving good information from the

public will greatly enhance their effectiveness. The offi-

cers discussed some of the most common law violations

and the penalties imposed on violators

Landowners were provided a sheet with

the officers contact information and some

instruction on what to do or not to do in

the event they observed violations taking

place. Landowners were advised not to

attempt to apprehend violators due to the

danger involved. They were encouragedto be a good witness, collecting perti-

nent information and calling authorities

immediately. The officers fielded severa

questions from the group.

One of the least enjoyable segments

of an officer’s job is working a hunting

accident. By far the most common type

of accident that occurs involves falling

continued on 21


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CEO’S AND TREE STANDS IN COOSA COUNTY – continued


from an elevated platform or tree stand. I spoke with

the group concerning the use of tree stands in hunting

and encouraged them to require that anyone hunting froman elevated platform on their property utilize a proper

safety device. I explained how that in the past week CEO

Drake Hayes and I had responded to the call of a hunter

who had fallen from his tree stand and suffered a bro-

ken back and leg. He was not found for over 36 hours.

This led in to a talk by Alabama Forestry Commission

Ranger Ricky Porch concerning the importance of letting

someone know where you are hunting and how you can

enhance your safety using a GPS unit. Following this the

members of the Kellyton Fire and Rescue Team conducted

a rescue of the victim of a simulated tree stand accident

We appreciate the ACEOA for sponsoring this oppor-

tunity to provide this type of pertinent information tothe public. l


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Hunters Complete Survey By David Rainer, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Photos by David Rainer

T he white-tailed deer still reigns supreme for

Alabama’s hunters. The Alabama Wildlife and

Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division’s recent email

survey confirms that fact without question.

WFF sent the email survey to 127,000 hunting license

holders who bought their licenses online. A total of 12,801

of the email recipients responded to the survey.

“That’s 10 percent, which from everything I candetermine is very strong,” said WFF Director Chuck

Sykes. “For example, Mississippi sent a similar survey

to 267,000 hunters and got 15,000 surveys back. We got

back more than 12,000, so I thought that was a pretty

good response.”

To illustrate how many hunters pursue white-tailed

deer in Alabama, of those 12,801 respondents, 98 percen

indicated they hunted deer. Ninety-four percent indicated

they had hunted deer in the last two years. Turkey hunters

were not as widespread, with 56 percent indicating they

were turkey hunters.

“Pretty much anybody who hunts in Alabama is going

to hunt deer,” Sykes said. “That didn’t surprise me. Thisjust proves how important deer hunting is to the state

It is what drives the bus, which is why it is so important

that we get data that we can manage by.”

The survey was made up of 12 questions, ranging

from deer and turkey hunting participation to opinions

on mandatory harvest reporting. Visit www.outdoorala-

bama.com/january-2016-hunter-survey-results for com-

plete results.

The answer choices for the questions about whether

the hunters supported the mandatory harvest reporting

of deer and turkeys were support, oppose and neithersupport/nor oppose.

The responses from deer hunters on that question

showed that 54 percent indicated support, 23 percent

were opposed and 23 percent were undecided. Turkey

hunters indicated support of 48 percent with only 18

percent opposed and 34 percent undecided.

“To me, the percentage of support between turkey

hunters and deer hunters was about the same,” Sykes

said. “You were either against it, in my opinion, or you

were for it. If you didn’t have an opinion, that mean

you didn’t care and it was OK to do it. That’s the wayI look at it. Turkey hunters were at about 80 percent tha

supported it or didn’t care, and deer hunters were at 78

percent. The way I look at it, virtually 80 percent of the

people who responded to the survey did not oppose

mandatory data collection. It is a vocal minority tha

opposes this.”

Because of some crossover voting from hunters who

pursued game on both public and private land, the

continued on 25

The turkey-hunting activity isn’t nearly as

widespread as deer hunting i n the state.


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HUNTERS COMPLETE SURVEY – continued


percentage of private-land hunters was 91 percent and

public-land hunters, 13 percent.

“That did not surprise me one bit,” Sykes said. “About95 percent of the land in the state is privately owned,

so that is what I would expect. More than 90 percent of

the hunters hunt on private land, which is another rea-

son we can gather data all we

want on the WMAs (Wildlife

Management Areas), but the

survey shows the portion of

hunting that goes on there.

It’s not much. That’s why we

have to have hunters on pri-

vate land help us with thisdata. We cannot do it by sam-

pling WMA hunters.”

WFF proposed mandatory

harvest reporting through the

Game Check program three

years ago, but opposition led

to the implementation of a vol-

untary reporting system.

Sykes said he has proof that

the voluntary reporting system

did not receive anywhere nearthe support he had hoped.

In those three years of vol-

untary reporting, WFF gener-

ated reports from just after

the Christmas holidays. On

December 31, 2013, there had been 11,552 deer harvest

reports. On December 29, 2014, the reports had dwindled

to 7,408. By December 28, 2015, only 6,341 people had

used Game Check to report deer harvests.

“Voluntary reporting does not work,” Sykes said. “The

participation steadily went downhill. It’s human nature.If you’re not required to do something, more than likely

you’re not going to do it.

“I don’t want this department held responsible for

managing such an important resource, which accounts

for billions of dollars in economic impact to the state, on

a guess. In this day and time, with the technology at our

fingertips, that’s unacceptable. We need data to manage

it properly.”

Sykes said those who oppose mandatory harvest

reporting mistakenly say the reason behind Game Check

is so the Enforcement Section can write more tickets fo

hunting violations.“Hunters are the ones who want the laws to be

enforced,” he said. “I hear it every day. The ones abid-

ing by the laws, like the three-buck limit, are wanting to

make sure their neighbors are

doing the same thing. They are

the ones who are crying out

for enforcement.

“We want the data. But the

two go hand-in-hand. We ge

the data we need, and they get

the enforcement. Everybodywins, especially the resource.”

Sykes said there is a perfec

example of what mandatory

reporting can achieve on the

Alabama Gulf Coast with red

snapper data.

“Look at the success of

Snapper Check,” he said. “It

was able to prove that the

federal government overesti-

mated the snapper harvest bydouble for two consecutive

years. Basically, methodology

similar to what the feds used

on red snapper is being used

to estimate deer and turkeys

That’s unacceptable.”

Estimates of the Alabama deer herd range from 1.5

million to 2 million animals, but Sykes says those are

only rough estimates, stemming from anecdotal infor-

mation gathered from a small sample of hunter surveys

landowner visits and reports from hunting clubs.“We would like to improve our ability to inventory this

vital natural resource and also to determine the inven-

tory harvested by hunters on an annual basis to better

manage this species,” said Sykes, who pointed out tha

almost every state in the U.S. has some type of manda-

tory reporting in the form of tags, check stations, online

reporting or telephone hotlines.

“All but three states have some type of data gathering,”

he said. “I don’t want Alabama to be the last.” l

White-tailed deer hunting is on al most every hunter’s

agenda during the fall and winter in A labama.


15/44


Kid’s KornerBy Capt. Chris Lewis

Sarah showing off one of her bigger fish that she caught

this day. Went fishing in a pond in Macon cou nty,Keith Mann helped her pull in several nice fish.

Calista showing off her catch.

She named this on e “second serving.”

Sarah Lewis fishing on Coosa R iver at Goldstar Park in Wetumpka.


16/44


Outdoors With FriendsBy Greg Ricks

T he Outdoors with Friends disabled and disadvan-

tage hunt in Troy was once again a great success

despite the hot weather that was given to us on

December 11 & 12, 2015. We had a new record atten-

dance of 54 qualified participants to hunt with us. This

year we had hunters from Georgia, Florida, Mississippi

and Alabama. A total of 10 Bucks and 15 Doe were har-

vested. With the biggest Buck being an 8-point taken

by Wounded Warrior participant Joe Calley, he receiveda free shoulder mount. We had a great time of fellowship

and sharing Gods word with everyone. Chad and James

Hampton of The Twin Factor TV show which airs on The

Pursuit Channel were our guest speakers. They were able

to gather footage from the hunts during the event to show

on a future episode.

We would not be able to offer these individuals al

the things we do on these hunts if it were not for great

sponsors like the ACEOA. With their help we gave away

Caps, Bibles, Flashlights and a couple of Yeti Coolers ascontinued on 31


17/44

OUTDOORS WITH FRIENDS – continued


door prizes. Sunday school rooms are opened up again

for individuals who are unable to pay for hotels. We are

already looking forward to next year’s event. If anyone is

interested in this ministry feel free to contact Greg Ricks

(334) 465-5542. Thank you ACEOA. l


18/44


Sheepshead FishingBy David Rainer, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources,

Photos by David Rainer

I t was one of those fish-

ing trips that didn’t fill the

ice chest with trophy fish,

but it will forever be etched in

my memory.

Although there was still a chill

in the air, I decided to see if

I could locate a few speckledtrout for dinner several years

ago on a solo trip in Mobile Bay.

After hitting all of my usual

trout spots, I didn’t have a single

fish in the ice chest. Reconciled

to the fact that it might be burg-

ers on the grill instead of fried

fish for dinner, I had to pass

near the Grand Hotel on the

Eastern Shore.

Because of a significant sea-wall that surrounds the west side

of the hotel property, a series

of rock jetties are in place to

break up the waves and protect

the seawall.

Numerous casts around the

rocks with trout baits produced

zero fish. If I was going to fire up the fish cooker, I had to

come up with a different plan.

I’ve always found it prudent to bring along some natu-

ral bait on saltwater fishing trips when possible. I hada quart bag of fresh dead shrimp in the ice chest and

decided to give that a try.

I rigged a spinning reel with a 1/2-ounce slip sinker,

swivel, 1-foot length of leader and a No. 1 hook. I impaled

a piece of shrimp onto the hook and tossed it toward the

rock jetty.

Within seconds, I felt a tug on the line. I tightened

up the slack and set the hook. The fight was on and it

was quickly apparent from the vertical stripes I could

see flashing under the water

that I had hooked a sheepshead

a species that spends late winter

and early spring near inshore

structure in the coastal waters

of the Gulf of Mexico.

After finally traversing the

rocks to get the fish into openwater, I scooped it up with

the net and tossed it into the

ice chest.

The next foray into the rocks

led to one of those outcomes

anglers have to deal with when

fishing for sheepshead, nick-

named bandit fish or convict

fish. I reeled in a glistening

baitless hook. Obviously, the

“convict fish” comes from thefish’s striped appearance. The

“bandit fish” moniker comes

from the sheepshead’s ability

to steal your bait. It can pick

a shrimp off the hook with

barely a jiggle in the line.

If you toss a piece of bait into

a sheepshead haunt and don’t get a bite within a couple

of minutes, you might as well reel it in because you have

been robbed.

Another tip is to always carry plenty of sinkers, leadersand hooks because you are going to lose some tackle

when you’re fishing around barnacle-encrusted rocks

pilings or petroleum rigs. You might also have to use

15-pound line instead of the usual 10- or 12-pound line

Fluorocarbon line also handles the abrasion better than

monofilament. When it comes to hooks, anglers use

everything from No. 2 to 1/0 hooks. Because of the struc-

ture and the sheepshead’s tough mouth, you don’t want to

continued on 35

Sheepshead are plentiful along the

Alabama Gulf Coast in late wi nter and

early spring and make great table fare.


19/44

SHEEPSHEAD FISHING – continued


use a fine wire hook. Use something with some backbone,

which is also what you’ll need for your fishing rod. You

want a little give at the tip to keep from ripping the hookout of the fish’s mouth, but you’ll need strength in the rest

of the rod to be able to get

the fish out of the structure

as soon as possible.

By the time my small

bag of fresh dead shrimp

had been depleted that

day, there were eight nice

sheepshead in the ice chest.

I headed home, cleaned

the fish and fired up thefish cooker.

After a dinner of fried

sheepshead, my youngest

daughter finished her last

bite and said, “Dad, please

go catch some more of

those sheepshead.”

Right now is the time to

catch sheepshead along the

Alabama Gulf Coast. The

current weather pattern isfor warmer days, which will

make it pleasant to hit the

coastal waters in search

of sheepshead.

If you don’t have any live

or fresh-dead shrimp, sheepshead love fiddler crabs and

hermit crabs as well. Discard the hermit crab’s shell and

impale the crab on the hook. Some folks will even shuck

oysters and use pieces of the meat as bait.

If you look a sheepshead in the face, you’ll know where

it got its name. It has a set of teeth designed for nibblingbits of crustaceans like barnacles, snails and other crit-

ters, similar to the way a sheep’s mouth and teeth are

designed to nibble grass down to the ground.

Several years ago, there were no size or creel limits on

sheepshead because of the relative abundance and the

fact the fish only hang out on inshore structure for part

of the year. However, fishing pressure has increased as

the word has spread about the fishing opportunities with

sheepshead and its tasty white flesh.

Sheepshead aren’t the easiest to clean because of

tough scales and hide, but it’s worth the effort to a cer-

tain extent. That extent is size. The Alabama MarineResources Division (MRD) established a size limit of 12

inches, but I don’t advise

keeping that small a fish

unless you get near the end

of the day and the ice chest

is empty. A 12-inch fish is

not going to yield much in

the way of a filet. I prefer

to keep those 16 inches or

larger if I have that choice.

The 12-inch limit has todo with fish biology. One

criteria Marine Resources

uses to manage inshore fish

species has to do with its

spawning potential or the

number of eggs produced

MRD research showed tha

more than half the 12-inch

fish have the ability to pro-

duce the number of eggs

that will maintain a sustain-able population to ensure

anglers will enjoy this early-

season fishing opportunity

each year.

Because of the sheeps-

head’s tendency to congregate in large numbers along

jetties and other structure, it’s easy to sit in one spot and

fill an ice chest to the brim with fish. To keep the species

from becoming overfished, MRD set a daily creel limit o

10 fish per person. If you have a buddy or family member

fishing with you, that creel limit will leave you with althe sheepshead you want to clean.

Visit www.outdooralabama.com for information on

a saltwater fishing license as well as a map of the numer-

ous inshore fishing reefs that can be likely hangouts for

inshore species. l

Sheepshead sport a nice set of teeth to be able to crunch

barnacles and other crustaceans in the coastal marine habi tat.


20/44


Dear ACEOA,

I would like to take a moment and

personally thank you for your sup-

port of the Orange Beach Youth Dove

Hunt. While the hunt carries the City

name it is not actually a City spon-

sored hunt. It just helps us facilitate

the registration process out of the

Recreation Center. As mentioned inmy sponsorship request we do not

require a registration fee to attend the

hunt. We do ask for a $20 donation

per shooter just to help with some

of the costs such as food, shells, eye

and ear protection, etc. … like last

year most of the shooters could not

pay for one reason or another yet we insisted that they

attend. YOUR CONTRIBUTION ALLOWED US TO HOLD

THE HUNT ANYWAY!

I want to give a special thanks to Wesley Moore forhosting this hunt for the kids. His dedication to our local

youth is immeasurable and we cannot thank him enough

for his generosity!

The hunt was nothing short of a blast! After enjoy-

ing a wonderful lunch of roasted whole pig and baked

beans we gathered for the safety briefing. There, Danie

Musselwhite, Mike Guillotte, Wesley Moore, and myseldiscussed game identification, hunting ethics, field eti-

quette (i.e. low birds), and above all safety. I took this

opportunity to demonstrate carry positions, and showed

what could happen if they experi-

enced a barrel obstruction by using

dummy ammunition and by show-

ing them some blown up barrels to

reinforce the point.

Next we paired the kids with their

mentors/parents and headed to our

positions in the field. Almost immedi-ately shots started ringing out. Early

on we had several flights of mourn-

ing doves circle the field prompting

multiple volleys of fire from the kids

After that it settled into a steady

staccato of gunfire as birds came into

the field from all directions for pretty

much the rest of the day. Many shots

ACEOA Post Hunt ReportBy Chris Litton

continued on 39


21/44

ACEOA POST HUNT REPORT – continued


were fired but only around 25 birds were taken at the

end of the day. That being said many more birds spent

the night a little colder as the result of missing feathers.For a lot of the kids it was their first hunt and several

of those kids dropped their first birds during the hunt.

Some of the kids that did drop birds were jumping up

and down with excitement as they went into the field

to retrieve their birds. It was a sight to see. There were

a lot of sore shoulders and smiling faces when the hunt

wrapped up. There is no doubt that we now have some

new and very excited hunters to carry on the tradition

of conservation and shooting sports. All in all it was an

amazing day at Alligator Alley.

Your contribution was extremely generous and yourpledge to sponsor us for future hunts is above and

beyond. Once again “THANK YOU.” We are already

looking forward to next year.

If I can ever be of service, please do not hesitate to

contact me.

Regards,

Chris Litton

Sullivan Langston and Richard Bradbury. Jack Langston.


22/44


Feathers, Fins, and

Furs Outdoor EventBy Sgt. Joe Goddard

T he 7th annual Feathers, Fins, and Furs outdoor

event at Foscue Park in Demopolis was held on

July 25, 2015. With the help of at least 40 vol-

unteers, this year’s event drew 90 children, ages 8- to

17-years-old and their parents from all over the state.

Highlights included a raptor demonstration from AuburnUniversity “Raptor Trek” with live raptors and reptiles,

and Big Daddy Lawler’s radio show.

In addition, Mr. Tommy Atkins brought the State

Wildlife and Fisheries shooting trailer with .22’s, skeet

shooting, and archery. Many door prizes were given out

during the day, and a grand prize of a lifetime hunting

and fishing license donated by ACEOA was awarded to

continued on 43

Students shooting .22’s.

Archery.


23/44

FEATHERS, FINS, AND FURS OUTDOOR EVENT – continued


Caleb Parten from Demopolis for attending Feathers, Fins,

and Furs for seven years in a row.

To cap off the event, the group rode out to SoggyBottom Lodge in the afternoon to do skeet shooting,

bream fishing, and a live duck banding exercise. The

day ended with a big catfish cookout. Feathers, Fins, and

Furs is designed to get kids outdoors and learn about

wildlife, hunting, and many different wildlife techniques.

This important wildlife conservation event could not

be possible without the help of our local sponsors, the

ACEOA, Ducks Unlimited, National Turkey Federation,

Corps of Engineers, Local Conservation Officers, and

many more. l Tommy Atkins with Alabama Depa rtment of Conservation.

Group picture with CEO Curt Porter, CEO Matt Moran, Sgt. Joe Goddard, and CEO Jeff Shaw.

Presenting lifetime license to Caleb Parten, with CEO Curt Porter, CEO Matt Moran, and Sgt. Joe Goddard.


24/44


Deepwater Horizon

Oil Spill ContinuesTo Be A Problem

By David Rainer, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

M

ore than five years ago, April 20, 2010, to be

exact, life on the Gulf Coast changed, and not

for the better.That is the date of the Deepwater Horizon drilling

platform explosion that killed 11 people and injured 17.

It also resulted in 134 million gallons of crude oil being

released into Gulf waters.

The ensuing damage to the Gulf Coast’s ecology and

economy is still being felt, and the process to acquire

compensation from BP for that damage has been an ongo-

ing effort.

Finally, however, there does seem to be progress as

outlined last week in a BP Settlement meeting at the Battle

House Renaissance Hotel in Mobile. Representativesfrom the Alabama Department of Conservation and

Natural Resources (ADCNR), U.S. Department of Justice

(DOJ) and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration) gave updates on

the proposed settlements with

BP and how the record $20.8

billion would be distributed.

If the presiding judge approves

Phase III of the settlements, BP

will be required to pay $8.1 bil-

lion in natural resources dam-ages, including the $1 billion BP

agreed to pay for early resto-

ration projects. A Clean Water

Act civil penalty of $5.5 billion

will be assessed to BP. In addi-

tion, $4.9 billion will be paid for

state economic claims, and $1

billion will be reserved for local

economic claims. Other money

would cover Natural Resource Damage Assessment costs

unknown injury and adaptive management and costs

related to the False Claims Act.N. Gunter Guy Jr., ADCNR Commissioner, said in addi-

tion to the $1.3 billion in restoration funding due the state

there is also $1 billion to be paid by BP to Alabama for

economic damages.

“Those proceeds are in addition to and separate from

the BP settlement (Clean Water Act violations and Natura

Resource Damage) covered at this meeting,” Guy said a

last week’s gathering. “That money is separate from what

may have been received by local governments, private

businesses and private claims.”

Rachel Hankey, an attorney with DOJ, highlighted theproposed monetary settlement for the audience.

“The $5.5 billion penalty is by far the largest civi

continued on 47


25/44

DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL CONTINUES TO BE A PROBLEM – continued


penalty that’s ever been paid under the Clean Water

Act,” said Hankey, who pointed out that BP would not

be able to take any tax deductions for payments related

to these claims.

Jean Cowan from NOAA outlined how the damages

caused by the spill were assessed through an exhaustive,

comprehensive process.

“When we talk about this spill, we never lose sight ofthe fact that just on the night of the explosion 11 people

lost their lives and 17 more were injured,” said Jean Cowan

of NOAA. “That’s just during the explosion. We certainly

know that many more people suffered long-term injuries

due to exposure to the oil and suffered economic impacts

because of the loss of income through the incident.”

Cowan said the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource

Trustees will focus on the plants and animals along the

coastlines that were injured because of the spill.

“Our purpose is to make the parties responsible for

the spill compensate the public for the injuries to the Gulfand to restore the northern Gulf of Mexico to a condition

that it would have been in if it had not been for the spill,”

she said. “For the past five-and-a-half years we have

documented, on an ecosystem level, the injuries to the

Gulf of Mexico.

“How we describe ecosystem in this incidence is that

it is a highly interactive and interdependent network of

organisms, all the way from the microbes to the plants

and animals, as well as the physical environment in which

they live. We enjoy some of the

most incredible sport and com-

mercial fishing in the world. Wehave populations of dolphins

and endangered sea turtles. We

also have in the Gulf of Mexico

these rare and endangered

deep-sea corals that live a mile

deep on the sea floor. We also

have some of the most popular

beaches in the country.”

Cowan said the BP disaster

is the largest oil spill in U.S

history. She said the oil spreadfrom a mile deep in the Gulf up

through the water column 50

miles offshore and then moved

onshore to impact fragile coastal habitats. The spill cov-

ered more than 1,300 miles of shoreline.

“That’s more than the distance from New Orleans

to New York,” Cowan said. “In addition, oil slicks were

observed cumulatively over 43,000 square miles in the

Gulf of Mexico. That’s about the same size as the state

of Virginia.”

“To put it simply, wherever the oil went, it creat-ed harm.”

Cowan said Trustees assessed the injuries caused by

the oil spill by looking for impacts in a number of places

including the water column for fish and shellfish, ben-

thic resources on the ocean floor, the nearshore marine

ecosystem (estuarine coastal wetlands, subtidal oysters

beaches, shallow unvegetated habitats, gulf sturgeon

and submerged aquatic vegetation), birds, sea turtles

marine mammals and recreational use (boating, fishing

and beach-going).

She said the restoration process would come in fousegments — restore and conserve habitat; restore water

quality, replenish and protect living coastal and marine

resources; and provide and enhance recreational oppor-

tunities.

When the settlement is approved, BP will make the

initial payment one year after the settlement is approved

and will make annual payments for 15 years.

BP has also agreed to an additional $700 million for

continued on 49


26/44

DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL CONTINUES TO BE A PROBLEM – continued


unknown conditions and adap-

tive management to deal with

unforeseen problems that mayarise in the future.

“What that means is we know

that over the 15-plus years the

conditions are going to change,”

Cowan said. “By setting aside

this $700 million, it allows us

to have a safety net to address

future conditions.

“To give you an idea of

what’s in this plan for Alabama,

state officials and trustees willfocus efforts on coastal inshore

habitats. Additional projects

in Alabama can also include

restoration of living coastal

resources, such as birds and

marine mammals. There will also be opportunities to

enhance the recreational opportunities that were lost

because of the spill.”

The public will have the opportunity to comment on

all the restoration plans. The public comment period runs

through December 4, 2015. Visit http://www.gulfspill-restoration.noaa.gov/restoration-planning/gulf-plan/ to

submit a comment.

For an Alabama perspective on the oil spill restoration

efforts and projects, visit http://alabamacoastalrestora-

tion.org/ for additional information and to sign up for

email updates.

“We want people to know this site is there for them,”

said Commissioner Guy. “This is one of the best resources

for our people to stay in touch with what is happening

with these funds.

“Everybody has an opinion on what this oil spill did

but at the end of the day, this settlement brings closure

for all the Gulf Coast, and especially Alabama, and gives

us the ability to move forward on addressing natura

resource damages, addressing the needs of our coasta

communities and completing some really beneficial proj-ects over the coming years. Right now, we’ve got a little

more than $100 million in early restoration money, and

we’re moving forward with those projects.” l

PHOTOS: (David Rainer) Rapid deployment of protective

booms kept the oil from spreading into Mobile Bay, but many

areas of the Alabama Gulf Coast were significantly impacted

by the Deepwater Horizon incident.


27/44


Limestone County

Youth Dove HuntBy Sgt. Wendell Fulks

On a hot September Saturday in Limestone County,

we were again able to share the hunting experi-

ence with the youth in our community by hunting

some doves. This was the 5th consecutive year that we

were able to have this hunt. A huge thank you to Brent

Shaw, once again, for providing the land for the hunt.Your continued support of this worthwhile event is very

much appreciated. Even though the birds were scarce

the fellowship we all enjoyed wasn’t lacking at all. Weare truly blessed to have willing and dedicated people

that come together each year to ensure that this event

is a success.

We started the day with Kym Champion registering

hunters and making sure they entered their name for

the awesome door prizes. Ron and Jean Eakes provided

assistance by allowing the kids to hone their marksman-

ship skills and warm up those shotguns by shooting

continued on 53

Kym Champion registering hunters.

Wendell Fulks, operating Skeet.

Ron Eakes, operating Skeet.

Taylor Gray, Travis Gray’s son.


28/44

LIMESTONE COUNTY YOUTH DOVE HUNT – continued


skeet. Thank you, Ron and Jean, for allowing the kids

the opportunity to get in some practice before the hunt.

We then enjoyed lunch followed by a safety talk by Sgt.

Travis Gray, then the drawing of names for door prizes

before departing to the field.

Door prizes were a hit, as always, with the kids. Every

registered youth hunter that showed up received a gift

provided by the ACEOA. Thanks for your continued sup-

port ACEOA! Congratulations go out to Evan Dockery

and Colton Rayburn who each received the grand prizewhich was a $25 gift card from Academy Sports. Gavin

Martin was the recipient of the grand prize package which

included a dove stool with single post and dove decoy

along with a set of 6 dove decoys and a large T post

decoy display.

I would like to take a moment and acknowledge the fol-

lowing sponsors for your continued support of this annua

youth hunt. Brent Shaw – Shaw Farms, Will Woller –

Duke Baker and Woller Land Company, ACEOA, Academy

Sports in Decatur, Bill Mansell with Little Debbie Snacks

Larry Barnett with Larry’s Pistol and Pawn, Matthew

Kyle with Chick-fil-A® in Athens, Pastor Shane Lewis with

Somerville Baptist Church, SSGT Anton and SGT Leusch

with US Army Recruiters Decatur Post, Bob Harp with

Pepsi in Decatur, and Tim Green with Regions Bank.Thanks again to all of you!

In closing, I would like to thank the DCNR employees

who assisted with this event to make it a success. There

is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes that some-

times goes unnoticed. Thanks to Kym Champion, Sgt

Travis Gray, and CEO Steve Pepper for your continued

support and dedication in promoting hunting for our com-

munity’s youth. l

continued on 55

Limestone Youth

Dove Hunt 9-19-15Thirty-five youth, eight first timers, three girls

Sponsors included: Brent Shaw / Shaw Farms, Will

Woller/Duke Baker & Woller Land Company, ACEOA,

Academy Sports Decatur, Bill Mansell w/Little Debbie

Snacks, Larry Barnett w/Larry’s Pistol and Pawn

Huntsville, Matthew Kyle w/Chick-fil-A of Athens, Pastor

Shane Lewis w/Somerville Baptist Church, SSGT Anton

& Sgt. Leusch w/U.S. Army Recruiters Decatur Post, Bob

Harp w/Pepsi of Decatur, Lee Howard w/Krystal’s of

Decatur, Tim Holland w/Hometown Market of Decatur,

and Tim Green w/Regions Bank

Grand Prizes: Academy $25.00 gift card — Evan

Dockery, Colton Rayburn

Grand Prize Package: Dove stool w / single post and

dove decoy, and set of 6 dove decoys, & Large T Post

decoy display – Gavin Martin

• Ron & Jean Eakes came out w / DCNR shooting

sports trailer

Workers: Sgt. Gray, Sgt. Fulks, CEO Pepper, Lonnie Gray,

Taylor Gray, Palmer Fulks, Kym Champion

CEO Steve Pepper with Palmer Fulks.

Grand Prize Package winner with Steve Pepper.


29/44

LIMESTONE COUNTY YOUTH DOVE HUNT – continued


Youth Group photo with Sgt. Fulks and Sgt. Gray.

Travis Gray and Wendell Fulks, Safety Brief.


30/44


The Rusty ChroniclesBy Keith Mickle

The Poachers Meet Rusty …

Iheard this story (the first time) as I sat in a store

catering to true believers in the US Constitution with

emphasis on the 2nd Amendment. You betcha, I was

in a gun store! I was attending an impromptuu class

presented by Central Alabama’s finest “outdoor profes-

sors” (those “professors” are called “rednecks” by some,

“good ole boys” by others). That morning’s class was;“Which Centerfire Cartridge is BEST suited to drop a deer

in its tracks.” Every “professor” was defending his chosen

caliber with much gusto.

Good cheer, laughter, sarcasm and comments flew

thicker than mud from an ATV tire. Like: “Your kiddy

bullet is so wobbly you couldn’t hit a barn door at 50

yards AND it’s so puny it’d bounce off a squirrel!”

Good cheer slammed to a halt in our little class when a

“professor” sarcastically stated; “Personally, I believe the

.375 H&H Mag. is the ONLY proper caliber for deer! Ha,

ha! Wait, would our Game Warden arrest us for using anelephant gun on deer?” “Oh No! Not our guy! That’d be

a pistol caliber for him! Snicker!”

Two relatives had been silent observers of the “class.”

One was a Yankee, wearing hunter education clothing.

Cap, shirt, vest covered with safety patches and logos. The

other was the Yankee’s cousin, “Cuz.” He was a rat tail

wearing, obviously intoxicated, sullen, muddy, unwashed,

foul mouthed, angry version of the Duck Commander.

At the mention of “Game Warden” “Cuz” went ballistic

beating the hate drum for the laws and Game Wardens.

Cuz’s slurred voice let all who would listen know thatANY man should be able to hunt whenever he wanted,

and WHERE EVER he wanted. The “professors” started

questioning the “Cuz.”

Professors: We’ve put money into our deer lease prop-

erty for years?”

Cuz: Deer belongs to anyone who can shoot ‘em no

matter where they are!

Professors: “We’ve been growing those deer for

our kids.”

Cuz: “Your kids better shoot ‘em ‘fore somebody

else does.”

Professors: “We’ve got Game Wardens that are

our friends.”

Cuz: “That’s your problem! Game Wardens! I hate

‘em, hate ‘em all!”

Cuz stomped off toward the decoys leaving “TheYankee” looking depressed and deflated who said to no

one in particular, “My Cuz is a man filled with a lotta

hate, he’s been like that ever since we both got arrested

for poaching.” All the “Professors” went silent as every

eye settled on The Yankee.

The master professor said; “Hey boy, what’dya mean

when ya say, “we” “poaching” and “got arrested”?

The Yankee opened his story with; “You may not know

this, but I moved here several years ago from New York

I wasn’t born in Alabama.”

A Lowndes County good ole boy said: “Mister youcouldn’t hide that fact any better’n you could hide a mule

runnin’ in the Kentucky Derby.”

The Yankee giggled, said he arrived in Alabama over

two decades ago, at the time he was having to live with

his Cuz, who invited him to go deer hunting when he was

new to Alabama. He told his story like this:

Two decades ago my Cuz could AFFORD to belong

to Deer Clubs, but Cuz took PRIDE in POACHING, and

TERRIFYING his newly arrived NYC relative (Me the

Yankee) with stories of the evil & hideous animals that

grew, morphed and waited in dark swamps for care-less hunters. His two favorite fear creatures were, “The

Colossus Barred Owl , its naked skull cap caused by gen-

erations of the feather and skin being ripped off as they

flew through branches in pursuit of prey. It had huge

glassy eyes that had the unusual habit of shedding tears

as its boney talons held its victims until they were still

Cuz’s second favorite fear creature was the “Giant Bama

Yeti” a creature tall as a cypress tree, silently wading

continued on 59


31/44

THE RUSTY CHRONICLES • The Poachers Meet Rusty … – continued


through deep swamp water so it could sneak up on vic-

tims, pluck them from the ground pulling them high into

the canopy of oak or hickory … to be slowly consumed.The morning of the hunt the truck was hid. A mile of

wadding through palmetto’s and beaver dams put us at

Cuz’s two man ladder stand an hour before daylight.

The seats were kept dry by several empty corn sacks,

the yellow contents scattered all around. The fog was so

thick mosquitoes couldn’t’t even fly. Sitting there I real-

ized why I was invited, my half drunk Cuz needed help

getting a deer back to the truck. Well, I was outdoors and

enjoying it. I whispered to Cuz: “What if we get caught?”

Cuz said: “Ain’t nobody know how to get here. Too

hard. And folk is too scared. Folks ‘fraid TheOwl’ll git ‘em or the Yeti! Ha ha! Now

shut up.”

Time passed. Sitting in the dark

I realized I was never going back to

NYC’s Manhattan Island … why would

I? This Alabama hunting thing had me

hooked for life. The hot or cold, the

smells, the sights and sounds. Oh the

sounds I heard that morning, the raspy

squawk of Blue Heron. The 1-2-3 arrival

of unseen Wood Ducks: first The swirl ofwings, second their hushed splash in black water

below, third their victory squeals to let all know they have

arrived. Snoring? What? Snoring? My drunken Cousin

had passed out.

Then the sound of something unseen moving toward

us sloshing black water in the dark. Slosh, silence. Slosh,

silence. Then … just silence.

I could feel the danger wrapping around me. Shapes

emerged, and then faded with breaking dawn and drifting

fog. Spanish moss didn’t move there was no breeze. The

silence was broken only by the occasional foggy waterdroplets falling from oak leaves. Within a heartbeat the

cadence of dripping water increased and rattled down

on the right side of the deer stand when a shadow fell

over me and my sleeping cousin. I turned and looked …

Horror struck me to my soul! It was more hideous than

my cousin had described, it was perched on the rail next

to his sleeping head … the prehistoric Colossus Owl!

Its white boney talons gripped the right rail within

inches of Cuz’s snoring head … Dew glistening on the

shinny bare skull that was haloed by wisp of downy

feathers resembling blond hair. The lifeless eyes had tears

streaking down them just as my Cousin had described!!!Under its huge beak were the remains of some dead furry

meal … oddly shaped like a mustache. I tried to scream

“Colossus Owl” but all that came out was, the sound o

a bike tire going flat. “Cooooss Ooooo!”

Oh, I could see in its eyes it had malicious intent! Well

maybe not? More like MISCHIEVOUS Intent?! Then … the

right foot of the Owl reached out and plucked our only

rifle outta sight!? The empty foot returned, upright index

Talon to its beak, as grinning teeth appeared under the

“dead animal mustache” as I was “Shushed” to silence!?

It leaned close, poking Cuz until those drunkeneyes SNAPPED open to see the “Owl” face

6-inches away.

In those next five seconds, many ani-

mals died in that swamp. Fish jumped

onto dry land. Deer, fowl & fox bolted

in blind terror smashing into trees. My

Cuz let out a girly scream unlike any

the South has heard that had terrified

everything … He was screaming; “It’s the

Colossus Owl! It’s The Owl!”

That’s when the Owl spoke its first words“Oh, for God’s sake! Shut! Up! I’m Rusty Morrow

Conservation Enforcement Officer. You two are under

arrest for Hunting Without a Permit, Hunting Over Bait

Trespassing and Littering. Officer Rusty calmly removed

and replaced his Aviator (Owl Like) Glasses, after drying

the foggy “tears,” brushing Spanish moss from his balding

head and mustache … he looked almost human!

Upon waking Cuz had jumped to my side of the stand

from the smell I thought Cuz’d spilled Doe urine on him-

self. (I soon realized it WAS “urine” … but not from a Doe.)

When Cuz regained his composure, he started yelling aOfficer Rusty, who was still at the edge of the stand.

Cuz:”You can’t prove that’s my corn.”

Officer Rusty: “You’re hunting over it.”

Cuz: “I might have permission to hunt here.”

Officer Rusty: “Got it in writing? No? That covers the

Trespassing too.”

Cuz: “Well I haven’t littered anything here!”

continued on 61


32/44

THE RUSTY CHRONICLES • The Poachers Meet Rusty … – continued


Officer Rusty: “Yes you have, this Ladder Stand is lit-

ter.”

Cuz: “Well … if this is my Ladder Stand, you climb

down off it!”

Officer Rusty: “I ain’t, standing on your stinking lad-

der stand.”

Cuz slid to the right peeked over the rail at Officer

Rusty’s feet planted firmly on the GROUND! That’s when

I smelled something other than urine!

We humbly broke down the ladder stand, took our

citations and started dragging everything back the way

we came in. As I looked over my shoulder I could see misswirling and closing around Officer Rusty as he waded

away though deep swamp water, ducking under cypress

limbs. That’s when I realized: “Holy moly, there really is

a Bama Yeti!” l


33/44


I Hate LitterBy Lt. Cliff Robinson

Ihate litter. You do too. Ten out of ten people think lit-

tering is wrong. Don’t believe the stat? Ask ten people.

Litter is one of the scourges on earth that’s hard to

stop. Everyone is opposed to litter but yet we all see

the horrendous problem. It’s against the law to litter.

The litter law is in the general criminal code of the state

of Alabama. Title 13 as those in law enforcement are

familiar. The code is 13A-7-29. It’s in the general crimi-

nal code as its intent is for any and all law enforcementagencies to enforce it. One needs to understand that the

apprehension of litterers is not as easy as you may think.

It only takes a second to toss something out of a car

window or just a few minutes to unload a truckload of

garbage. The window of opportunity to make the catch

is extremely small.

Conservation enforcement officers (game wardens) are

in a unique position to be successful at the apprehension

and prosecution of litter violators. We work rural areas,

at various times of the day, in less conspicuous vehicles

than most law enforcement officers such as county depu-ties. We are often doing surveillance for hunting without

permission or hunting from the road and are able to

witness illegal dumping in progress.

While a conservation enforcement officer’s primary

duties are wildlife, fishing, and water safety law enforce-

ment it makes practical sense to add litter enforcement to

that list. It is, after all, conservation related. If it affects the

environment it affects fish and wildlife too. Litter is first of

all a health hazard to wildlife, fishes, and people. It can

contaminate water sources and provide breeding grounds

for diseases. Litter can be ingested by wildlife or becomesa choking hazard or entanglement. Additionally, litter

destroys the aesthetic beauty of Alabama the Beautiful.

That, in turn, devalues hunting lands. Who wants to buy

or lease illegal garbage dumps for their outdoor pursuits?

Throughout my career I have been blessed in the fact

that my supervisors without fail have been supportive of

my litter law enforcement efforts. Oftentimes it has been

highlighted at evaluation time or been part of commenda-

tions. To date I have been involved in approximately 100

litter cases. Since becoming a Lieutenant in district three

five officers, including myself, have received the People

Against a Littered State Law Enforcement Officer of the

Year Award.

In March of 2005 Sgt. Draper (now lieutenant) and

I worked an illegal dump site near the town of Woodstock

in Tuscaloosa County. Sgt. Draper had recently shown

me the area and it was without any doubt the worst

case of illegal dumping I have ever seen and I have seena lot! The area was perfect to survey. I would be able to

overlook the mile long dumping site from a hill and there

were plenty of hiding spots for Sgt. Draper. I was going to

video the detail as it unfolded that day. I was anxious, so

naturally I arrived early. It was an extremely windy day

the Saturday before turkey season would open. It was too

windy for a boat patrol and not a good day to scout for

turkey bait due to likelihood of being spotted by hunting

club members that may put out turkey bait on that day

So this would be strategic use of our time.

I had been on site less than five minutes when the firsvehicle appeared. It was a truck with a bed full of garbage

pulling a trailer full of garbage. I frantically called for

Sgt. Draper as I began to video the outlaws. In just a few

minutes the truck and trailer were empty. Sgt. Draper

was on his way as fast as he could. The truck began

to pull away. Then to my relief I was able to see Sgt.

Draper coming down the road with lights and siren. He

got them! He issued citations for littering and they had

outstanding warrants. Woodstock Police picked them

up and took them to meet a county unit so we could

continue our detail.We ended up making eight arrests that day and the

only reason there were not more is several other potentia

violators would pass by while we were writing tickets and

of course move along. After we ended the detail I searched

the dump and pulled out some utility bills. We then went

to interview that person and obtained a confession and

later obtained and served a warrant. We were so pumped

continued on 65


34/44

I HATE LITTER – continued


we worked the detail again the following day and got four

more violators.

I shared our story with several news outlets. TheTuscaloosa News ran the story on front page for two

days and The Centreville Press ran it on the front page.

Interviews and my video ran on six television stations. The

public was calling the district office and the Montgomery

office with accolades. But the best part was the very last

TV interview. Sgt. Draper had just finished the interview

and he and the news crew went down the road a little

ways to turn around. What did Sgt. Draper see as he was

coming back by the dump? Another dumper! The TV crewwas then able to film an arrest in progress!

All suspects pled guilty and paid $250 fines and

court costs. The fines were remitted to the Wildlife and

Freshwater Fisheries Division since we were the arresting

agency. A great weekend of enforcement! l


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Criminal Littering Cases in 2014By CEO Jeff Shaw

October 14th, 2014 •Dam Road, Demopolis, Alabama

While on patrol, I discovered household garbage that

had been dumped at the end of Dam Road on the edge

of the river bank. I went through the garbage and I found

a school report card, an Amazon shipping box with ship-

ping label and doctor bills all having the same address.

I was able to make contact with the individual whosename and address was in the garbage. I issued them

a statutory notice for them to provide proof or evidence

that they did not dump the trash. As agreed with my

local District Attorney, I also gave them a 10-day option

to clean up the trash and no charges would be filed. The

trash was cleaned up a week later.

October 30th, 2014 •County Road 10, Sumter County, Alabama

While on patrol, I discovered household garbage that

had been dumped on County Road 10. Looking through

the garbage I found prescription bottles and expired EBT

cards having the same name and address. I made contact

with the individual. I issued them a statutory notice for

them to provide proof or evidence that they did not dump

the trash. As agreed with my local District Attorney, I also

gave them a 10-day option to clean up the trash and no

charges would be filed. The trash was cleaned up that day

November 15th, 2014 •Siloam Road & Waters Street,

Sumter County, AlabamaWhile on patrol I investigated some garbage what had

been dumped in a creek that crosses Siloam Road. In

the garbage I found power bills and phone bills that had

the same name and address. On my way to the sub-

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CRIMINAL LITTERING CASES IN 2014 – continued


ject’s address I came across more garbage in a creek

crossing Waters Street. I looked through that garbage

and I found the same name and address of the subjectthat I was in route to. I made contact with the individual.

I issued them a statutory notice on both locations for

them to provide proof or evidence that they did not dump

the trash. Because of finding trash in two locations I did

not give them an option to clean up the trash without

fines. I issued the subject two citations for criminal lit-

tering. Later the next month they were found guilty in

Sumter county court and ordered to pay fines and court

cost and clean the trash up.

December 26th, 2014 •Dirt Road off of County Road 42,Sumter County, Alabama

I went into property off of County Road 42 to check

a deer hunter. I came across garbage from some-

one’s Christmas morning that had been dumped in the

woods on the side of the road. Looking through it I found

several Christmas giftwrapped boxes two still had the

shipping labels attached. One had a name and address.

The other box had a UPS tracking number. I was able to

track the number and I got a name and address. I went

to the addresses that I got from the boxes. The subjects

denied dumping the garbage but thought they knew

the family member that was responsible. I issued them

a statutory notice for them to provide proof or evidence

that they did not dump the trash. As agreed with my

local District Attorney, I also gave them a 10-day option

to clean up the trash and no charges would be filed. The

trash was cleaned up the next day.

May 10th, 2015 •Siloam Road, Sumter County, Alabama

While on patrol I came across newly dumped trash

in the middle of the Siloam Road. Looking in the trash

I found two power bills and one credit card receipt. All

three had the same name and address. I made contactwith the subject at his home. I issued him a statutory

notice for them to provide proof or evidence that they

did not dump the trash. As agreed with my local District

Attorney, I also gave them a 10-day option to clean up

the trash and no charges would be filed. The items and

trash was cleaned up a week later.

continued on 71


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CRIMINAL LITTERING CASES IN 2014 – continued


August 20th, 2015 •Ben Kid Road, Cuba, Alabama

While going to an alligator complaint on the Ben Kidd

Road, I found where someone had dumped trash and

some old car parts. After investigating some of the items

in the trash. I determined they had come from a local

business. After confronting the business owner he admit-

ted to dumping the trash. I agreed to give him the oppor-

tunity to clean it up. He did clean it up a short time later.

August 24th, 2015 •Gainesville Dam, Gainesville, Alabama

CEO Trasher of Greene county and I watching fishing

activity from the bank below the river dam. I witnessed

a person that was fishing throw a bottle onto the ground.

I waited until she was getting in her car to leave the area

I approached her question her about the bottle. I issued

her a citation for littering. The case is still pending. l


38/44


Red Snapper ManagementBy David Rainer, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

I f regional management of

the red snapper fishery in

the Gulf of Mexico is going

to be realized any time soon,

it’s apparently not going to be

through the Gulf of Mexico

Fishery Management Council.

The Gulf Council met recently

in Orange Beach, Alabama, andAmendment 39, which has to do

with regional management, was

tabled after it lost support from

the representatives from the five

Gulf states.

Chris Blankenship, Director of

the Marine Resources Division

of the Alabama Department

of Conservation and Natural

Resources (ADCNR), said the

reason the states abandonedAmendment 39 was because

changes to the document were

so widespread that it had very

little resemblance to the amend-

ment as originally proposed.

“From the states’ perspectives, it really got to the point

in the document that it was so far away from where

we originally started with the idea of regional man-

agement that it wasn’t going to be much of a benefit,”

Blankenship said.

Blankenship said the National Marine Fisheries Service(NMFS) had included provisions that really wouldn’t afford

states many management options.

“NMFS has what they call a Conservation Equivalency

Plan,” he said. “The states would have to submit that plan

to NMFS, and they would either OK our management

regime or not. If they had a problem with our plan, we

had no recourse. It would go back to being managed by

the feds. It really didn’t give us the flexibility we wanted

in regional management.

“Basically, what it got down

to was we would be able to pick

the days we wanted to fish. Tha

was about it. They would give

us a quota. They would only

allow us to do certain things to

manage it as far as daily catch

rates and things like how we

measure those catch rates. Itjust got to the point where it was

not going to be advantageous

for the states to pursue it.”

Blankenship said the states

will continue to work through

Congress for legislation that

would give the Gulf states

true regional management o

red snapper.

The directors of the marine

resources divisions of the Gulstates, including Blankenship

are in Washington this week to

try to keep regional manage-

ment a priority for the perspec-

tive leaders in Congress.

“For the State of Alabama, what we would like to see

is where we do the stock assessment and we manage

the fish off the coast of Alabama,” Blankenship said. “We

think if we can manage red snapper from start to finish

that we can adequately protect the fish stock while allow-

ing access for the fishermen, both charter and recreationaas well as commercial. We think we can make a better

system for everybody.”

Capt. Johnny Greene, who runs the charter boat

Intimidator out of Orange Beach, is chairman of the Gul

Council’s Reef Fish Committee. Greene had a similar

assessment of Amendment 39.

“It was a good concept, but when you have five

extremely competitive states, it’s hard to get everybody to

continued on 75


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RED SNAPPER MANAGEMENT – continued


agree on allocation,” Greene said. “I think there was good

intent, but it did stray far away from the initial concept.”

NMFS won’t likely announce the 2016 red snapper

season dates until April, but Blankenship expects the

dates to be similar to last year because the quota has

changed very little. In 2015, private recreational anglers

had a 10-day season, while charter boats fished for44 days.

Last year was the first time the private recreational

anglers and charter boats had separate seasons, which

prompted a lawsuit from the Coastal Conservation

Association (CCA) challenging the sector separation.

However, the suit was unsuccessful when a federal

judge ruled the Gulf Council had the authority to make

the changes.

Despite catching about 35 percent of the red snapper

landed from the Gulf of Mexico, Alabama has only about

100 of the 1,400 charter boats with Gulf reef fish permits.One thing the Gulf Council did at a previous meeting

was to reallocate the quota, previously 51 percent for the

commercial sector and 49 percent for the recreational

sector, which includes charter boats and private rec-

reational anglers. The new allocation, which has been

published in the Federal Register and is awaiting final

approval from the U.S. Commerce Department, would

give the recreational sector 51.5 percent of the quota and

the commercial sector 48.5 percent. The total quota for

2016 is 13.96 million pounds. NMFS

is withholding 352,000 pounds

from the commercial sector quotashould the proposed reallocation ge

final approval.

One piece of the news that ben-

efits Alabama was a provision in

the federal legislation that extends

Alabama state waters to nine miles

from the previous 3-mile limit. Sen

Richard Shelby spearheaded the

effort to make all five Gulf states

fisheries management boundaries

the same at nine miles.“With the nine miles of state

waters, the department (ADCNR)

will have more options for managing

the fishery than before,” Blankenship

said. “The 9-mile limit puts us on equal footing with

Florida and Texas. More importantly, it makes it easier

for the fishermen because we have a consistent 9-mile

boundary. For the last few years, there has been a dispute

between the state and federal governments as to where

state jurisdiction ends and the federal jurisdiction begins

“Senator Shelby was able to include the legislation inthe omnibus spending bill, and state officials are working

with our congressional delegation to make that 9-mile

limit permanent.”

In other Gulf fisheries action, the Gulf Council moved

forward with an amendment that would increase the daily

creel limit on king mackerel from two fish per person

to three fish per person. Blankenship said recreationa

anglers have not reached the quota on king mackerel for

several years. The proposed king mackerel limit still has

to go out for public comment and won’t likely change

until the 2017 season.Also, in a previous Council meeting, the size limit

on amberjack was increased from 30 inches fork length

to 34 inches fork length (from tip of nose to fork in the

tail). l

PHOTOS: (David Rainer) Although anglers are reporting an

abundance of red snapper, it appears the snapper season is

again going to be a short one for the private recreationa

anglers.


40/44


Wildlife Cooperatives Can

Increase Hunting SuccessBy Jerremy Ferguson, Technical Assistance Coordinator,

Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries

M ost of us can only dream about owning or

controlling enough property to contain even

a single deer’s movements, much less those

of an entire population. To achieve this goal, one would

need access to several hundred or up to a few thousandacres, depending on the habitat type and quality. Due to

the fragmented land ownership pattern across Alabama,

having access to this much property in one area is tough.

Hunting clubs and managers across the state and country

have begun forming cooperatives to help them better

reach their goals.

Cooperatives are groups of landowners,

managers and hunters who collaboratively

work toward common wildlife oriented

goals. These usually include education

of the group, habitat enhancements andharvest strategies. Through cooperation

and consolidated efforts among neighbors,

smaller tracts of land managed together

have the advantages of the cooperative in

its entirety.

Cooperatives can vary in acreage, organizational struc-

ture and number of members. Goals of the cooperative

will often be set at its initial formation and will evolve as

the habitat and wildlife management goals develop. It is

important to remember to work together toward common,

published goals and to monitor progress. These goalsshould be specific and measurable so annual progress

reports can be compared. Participants in the cooperative

should be ready to commit to the program for a minimum

of three years and should not expect overnight results.

Depending on management strategies, habitat types and

participant commitment, positive results may take up to

five years or longer.

Set realistic goals such as the following: increasing

lactation rates and/or average adult doe body weightsincreasing average body weights and/or antler score for

3.5-year-old bucks; improving acres of quality habitat; or

reducing yearling buck harvests. Goals should be evalu-

ated annually and fine-tuned as the cooperative advances

Communication and morale is vital to the success of

any cooperative. Typical ways of keeping partici-

pants interested and committed are through

annual reports, newsletters, group workdays

and scheduled hunts. It is important to

remember that each participant has dif-

ferent time constraints, and mistakes arepart of the process of education. Along

with these mistakes come improvements in

the habitat, hunting, life-long relationships

and, after seeing results, a positive influence

on neighboring landowners.

Forming a cooperative can be a time-consuming

and trying process but the results are worth the effort

Increasing the amount of acreage under similar manage-

ment and people working toge

ACE Magazine Winter 2016

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Transcript of ACE Magazine Winter 2016