While we are in the early stages of deer hunting season, a lengthy National Deer Association treatise has been written on how much venison a hunter can expect from a white-tailed deer.

First, the message stated that deer sizes varied greatly among regions of the United States, that the Midwest and North produced heavier deer than those in the Deep South, and that deer were generally heavier during the first few days of the season and most of the time. lose weight in late fall and winter, when food sources are scarcest.

So the first thing most good hunters do is field dress their reward. This involved removing the viscera. Then, after removing the skin and bones, the general rule of thumb is that a hunter will have about 48% of that total weight in meat.

So a 90-pound field-dressed doe will produce 43 pounds of venison, and a 130-pound field-dressed buck will put 62 pounds of boneless meat in the freezer.

The only thing the article highlights is making sure a hunter can use more meat if they become as proficient as a processor, i.e. using neck meat and being able to cut close to the bone. Other parts of the deer can also be used, including ribs, flanks, chest and shanks.

We won’t go into detail about what has been written about the organs, although the hunters we know indicate that the heart and tongue make excellent meals.

Beware of reef fishermen

Because many fishermen off our state’s reefs complain so bitterly about years of restrictions on catching red snapper, it might be a good idea to attend the Gulf Fisheries Management Council’s public engagement session of Mexico scheduled for November 18.

That’s enough progress for the 5 to 8 p.m. session that’s part of the Federal Recreational Initiative for an overview of how what the feds call an assessment of “past and current recreational reef fish management strategies and explore” works. potential innovative management”. approaches that could be applied in the future.

Just so you know, the current administration has invested $2 million in fisheries management councils and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission to help coordinate plans to achieve more efficient data and to better allocate fishery resources to recreational activities. and commercial sectors.

The goal of this initiative is to create a working group comprised of individuals representing “major Gulf recreational fishing interests, including private fishermen, for-hire operators, associated maritime industries, and advocates.”

This session will focus on reef fish, which include snappers and groupers among many species.

You must register for this webinar: register.gotowebinar.com/register/384340229051154517

Record catches

Five new first-place fish have entered the Top 10 of Louisiana fish records.

One of them, a blue racer, came in the Fly Fish division. David Melton won first place with an entry of 2.01 pounds.

The other four belonged to the Rod & Reel division, namely: Clayton Downing 0.9 pound black bullhead; Jesse H. Shaffer Southern kingfsh of 1.34 pounds; Louis Chevalier IIthe enormous 46.22-pound yellow grouper; And, Joe VonThronEqually impressive is the 20.68 pound king snapper (yes, we have some off our coast!)

Records are maintained by the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association. Need more? Email: [email protected].

Major honor

The State Fish and Wildlife Law Enforcement Division received the Southern Region Law Enforcement Award for the division’s actions during the Operation Dry Water Weekend campaign June 4-6, a statewide effort to reduce boating accidents due to impaired drivers.

Law enforcement officers arrested 25 boat operators who, upon testing, were found to be driving or operating a boat while impaired.

More water

Delta Waterfowl and State Wildlife and Fisheries partnered on a project on a new main water control structure on the Russell Sage Wildlife Management Area’s Bean Basin, a project that improved nearly 300 areas for waterfowl and other migratory birds.

The Northeast Louisiana chapter of Delta Waterfowl, based in Monroe, used funds from its annual banquet to fund the project. Each of Delta’s 325 national chapters is allowed to retain up to 20% of fundraising projects in its “Waterfowl Heritage Fund” to assist with local conservation projects.

Russell Sage WMA’s 38,213 acres are in parts of Morehouse, Ouachita, Richland and Caldwell parishes.

Oh no

Three Acadiana-area men are facing federal migratory bird penalties after Fish and Wildlife field officers cited them for allegedly taking doves over a baited area.

They are 65 years old Paul Eaison73 years old William Stagg and 71 years old William Voitier who were found in a field in Lafayette Parish.

Here’s what anyone is considering violating gambling laws: Social media is a powerful tool these days and there are many eyes and ears everywhere. These three were put into the hands of officers by a call to Wildlife and Fisheries.

And another

Derek Mayea42; Jonathan Cowart41; And, Archangel Ja’veyian21, were cited as agents of the State Law Enforcement Division for allegedly catching crabs in traps that did not belong to them in Six-Mile Lake near Morgan City. Again, the three were found after complaints about the activity were phoned to Wildlife and Fisheries, and officers “…set up surveillance on the area and observed the three subjects attempting to removing crabs from crab traps that they did not own or were not authorized to care for,” according to the agency report.

If convicted, the Franklin men face fines of up to $950 and up to 120 days in jail.

The reward

Tips like these last two can pay off.

Earlier this month, the Louisiana Operation Game Thief Board of Directors distributed $4,900 in rewards to tipsters who led enforcement officers to 15 cases involving 26 subjects and 51 total citations.

At its quarterly meeting, cases reviewed included deer, migratory game birds, alligators, turkeys, small game and commercial fishing.

Operation Game Thief is 40 years old and was founded to “preserve and conserve Louisiana’s natural resources.” It operates thanks to private donations.

LOGT operates a toll-free 24-hour hotline — (800) 442-2511 — and all calls remain confidential.