Climate Change Hurting New Hampshire Hunters

Warmer temperatures and extreme weather fueled by global warming took their toll on New Hampshire's moose hunting season:

Warm weather was one of the factors that attributed to the decrease in the overall success rate, according to biologists. Because moose have already grown their heavy winter coats, they tend to bed down during the day during unseasonably warm weather and wait until nightfall to move about when temperatures drop. Some hunters also reportedly cut their hunts short to head home before the arrival of developing Hurricane Sandy.

It was easiest bag a moose in the north, toughest in the south:

Preliminary numbers show moose hunters having the highest success in the North region at 82 percent, with 73 percent in the Connecticut Lakes Region, 64 percent in the White Mountain Region, 51 percent in the Central Region, 45 percent in the Southwest Region and 35 percent in the Southeast Region.

It's part of a broader trend - temperatures in New Hampshire have risen about three degrees in the last 150 years. (Note that the Eastern Moose is far from endangered - with natural predators like wolves and cougars wiped out, hunting is actually needed to control the population.)

Polls show that even though sportsmen lean conservative politically, they firmly support cutting carbon pollution. Global warming isn't an abstract idea to them - they're already seeing the effects of climate change in the places they hunt and fish, whether it's overheated moose in New Hampshire, a tick explosion in Massachusetts, threatened fish breeding grounds in Florida, or duck habitat drying up in the Plains.

Climate Change Fueling Tick Invasion in Western Massachusetts

Catching up on some posts that got lost in the shuttle before the election. Got this email from friend in western Massachusetts in late October:

I was bow hunting yesterday afternoon for the first time this year. At the end of the hunt, I picked 14 deer ticks off of me. I have never seen this kind of infestation as bad as this. It makes you not want to wonder out into the woods. In the 31 years that I have been hunting this area, I don't think I've pulled 14 ticks off me total. Very discouraging.

Deer ticks are one of the nasty creatures that are thriving thanks to climate change. Massachusetts officials expanded the allowed take for deer hunters on Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket this year due to extremely high deer populations.

People freak out at sightings of black bears, which very rarely attack people. But we let 30 million tick-carrying, car-smashing deer wander around without a worry, because Bambi.

"All Hail the King" Trumps Virginia Sportsmen's Rights?

After an encounter on the Jackson River in western Virginia where he's fished his whole life, Marc Smith is ready to revolt:

A couple of years ago I went back down to this area while fishing for browns on a section of the Jackson River (just below the dam at Lake Moomaw) with my buddy Dan Wrinn. We did okay – couple nice 10 inch browns. But what really caught our attention was us literally wading up to a sign posted on an oak tree on the bank that puzzled us. It read: “Kings Grant Land. No fishing. No Trespassing.”

Huh? is right. After all my years spending time in this area, and on the Jackson, I have never seen this sign. After some digging, now I know. This land along the Jackson was granted by King George III of England way back in the day. I am talking 17th century before there was even a thought of Virginia, much less the United States. Guess this even trumps state law. [...]

The Virginia Supreme Court have upheld this and many other Kings Grant claims in Virginia and in other eastern states. Crazy I know. Read the latest on a lawsuit involving Kings Grant land & anglers. This is huge. All anglers are watching this. This could set tremendous precedent.

"This isn't merry ol England where the peasants and commoners have no say or right to hunt or fish on the Kings Land. This is America – and 2012 America," Marc concludes. "No, we have waters and wildlife held in trust for all to enjoy." Learn more from the Virginia Rivers Defense Fund.

NWF Action Fund Event at Ben's Next Door

Just got home from a fundraiser for the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund. It took place at Ben's Next Door, the new upscale companion to DC icon Ben's Chili Bowl.

I've had some fun capturing events primarily through pictures of food, so I thought I'd snap this one -- the urban flavor of Ben's Chili Bowl half smokes with some outdoors necessities, a TargetGlobalWarming.org cap and Bud Light:

Sportsmen Target Global Warming

The Green Miles spent Tuesday on Capitol Hill, where the National Wildlife Federation released its Sportsmen's Letter asking Congress to confront climate change.

More than 670 groups signed on in all. Sportsmen from as far away as Alaska came to DC to join us for the letter release and to lobby their members of Congress to support climate action.

You can read all about it on Daily Kos!