U.S. fur sales hit $531 million last year, reaching a 17-year high, according to Euromonitor International. That’s up from $337 billion in 2014.
That's great news for conservation, as natural fur production requires healthy ecosystems, with clean unpolluted streams and waterways.
Apparently it's okay to piss off your stand. Now you know, or so I was told.
I am a big fan of November camping. I like the long nights, the chill in the air, the darkness coming around 5 PM. Usually it’s a quick scramble to gather firewood, get the wires connected up for the lights, stove lit and fire burning as the sun rapidly drops below the horizon. But then the sun sets, the fire is blazing, and you can start cooking dinner.
A cold beer, a warm fire. Listening to the NPR news, analyzing the results of the recent elections. A few shotgun or riffle blasts in the distance, as the hunters make their final try for the night. The flicker of the fire, the smell of dinner cooking on the camp stove — maybe pizza or rolls in the camp oven, and some soup on the second burner.
The hour progresses and the sky gets progressively darker. I toss some more wood on the fire, check on the food on the stove. I listen to sounds of woods at night, look up at the stars. Throw on another layer as it’s getting chilly. Have some dinner, and settle down for a long winters night.
Hunters who display deer carcasses in their yards could be subject to a $50 fine if a proposed ordinance passes in Wausau.
Members of the Public Health and Safety Committee on Monday will consider the ordinance, which is a response to complaints by some members of the community, according to city documents.
A recently released report conducted by scientists working for the Audubon Society suggests that Pennsylvania’s state bird is at-risk of leaving the state, due to climate change.
The report, which looks at what would happen if or when the earth’s climate would warm another 1.5 degrees, 2 degrees or 3 degrees in the summer and winter, analyzes the increased heat’s impact on birds. It predicts that the Ruffed Grouse will search for a cooler climate, as the bird is known to thrive in cooler weather, even severe winters.
The Ruffled Grouse in the story looks like he is having a bad day. Or maybe a bad century. Climate change sucks. You would think they might want to do something about it, says the boy with the big jacked up truck who likes burning things.
I got a big, fully engorged one on my stomach yesterday and I pulled it with a tick key I keep in my truck. I’ll monitor it for a Lyme rash but do far no bulls eye.
Ticks and Lyme disease are a growing part of life with our changing climate. Better management of our forests and pastures including controlled burns, timber harvests and removal of invasive species can help reduce the tick threat but not eliminate it.
Life is to be lived and enjoyed, not worry much about wearing out the bearings in your body. Face it, you’re going to wear out eventually and be landfill in a cemetery or incinerated in a crematory just like everything else in this world. None of us are going to live forever, so get out, take risks enjoy the wilderness.
But definitely use DEET or Picardin. The later is wonderful, much less nasty than DEET. Carry a tick key, check for ticks and bulls eye rashes. Go to your doctor if you think you have Lyme disease. But most importantly, enjoy life and woods while you still can.
"Harvesting beaver castor is a very delicate process. You must have a sharp knife, this is used for lure and other items."