Charlotte.com: Outdoors

Wild goose chase fails - for now

Mon, 12 May 2008 07:32 EDT

The volunteers launch two kayaks onto the misty pond in the University City area and glide quietly across the water, while three others creep along the bank with nets.

Their mission? To catch a goose with a nail through its neck.

With a rustling flap of wings, the male Canada goose, which the team believes was attacked with a nail gun, is airborne and then sliding to a stop on the other side of the pond. The kayaks turn around. And the volunteers on the banks trudge through thick mud to the other side of the pond, where they'll try again.

For Jennifer Gordon, founder and director of Carolina Waterfowl Rescue, this is a typical Sunday.

On any given day, her group -- Charlotte's only organization dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating injured and abandoned water birds -- receives about 30 calls about birds. Some are reports of birds injured by predators; others are people frightened by birds attacking their reflections in windows. But more and more, Gordon is getting calls like this: a bird intentionally injured by a human: run over, shot, burned and even poisoned.

Last year Gordon's group rescued about 900 birds and typically sees between 60 and 100 cruelty cases a year, which include the abandonment of domesticated water fowl. Her peak season starts in April and she has already had 10 cruelty calls, more than normal for this time of year.

"The cruelty is getting worse as the (human) population is growing and pushing animals out of their habitat," says Gordon. "People just need to be more tolerant. They need to educate themselves. Most of all, they need to understand that there is a humane solution for every problem that you have with wildlife."

Gordon doesn't know why people harm wild birds. "Some people are just sick," she says. Others may become angry and frustrated about a situation and not know what to do, she says.

Gordon worries the goose at the pond off Prosperity Church Road could get blood poisoning from the nail, so she wants to get him to a vet. At the same time, the volunteers are concerned about stressing the goose by chasing him too much, as that might lower his resistance to infection.

They approach his mate, who is sitting on her nest. They scoop her up and the male charges the group, wings extended and honking loudly. He narrowly evades their nets.

Gordon discovers four eggs in the nest that have gone bad from being too close to the water. The group now faces a dilemma.

Normally, in a case of bad eggs, the rescue team will remove them so the mated pair can move on and try again in another location. Otherwise they will stay with the bad eggs indefinitely, despite the fact that they will never hatch.

In this case, however, they want the male to stay where he is so that he can be cared for so they leave the eggs where they are.

Catching the elusive goose is certainly not the first challenge faced by Gordon and the approximately 20 volunteers of the group. They lost their rescue center, off Idlewild Road near Mint Hill, earlier this year when the owner chose to sell the land.

They've found a new, temporary home on private property off Providence Road in Matthews, but they're still searching for a permanent home. The group runs entirely on donations.

But Gordon, who has been known to leave work at Wachovia Insurance Services in a dress and heels to rescue an injured goose, and her volunteers stick with it.

"I just have a massive passion for these birds," says volunteer Deanna Epps. "I just hate to see them hurt and I want to do whatever I can to help."

After several hours and no success in catching the goose, the team huddles on the pond's bank, soaking wet, caked in mud and very tired. They decide to leave antibiotics in pieces of bread to stave off infection.

They'll try again later in the week with more volunteers and a clam-shell trap that can be sprung from a distance.

Besides, there is a group of baby ducks that was trapped by a Matthews homeowner that needs to be picked up. The team loads up its gear and heads on to the next call.

Want to help? Need help?

Carolina Waterfowl Rescue can be reached online at www.cwrescue.org, by e-mail at waterfowlrescue@aol.com or by phone at 704-668-9486. They need donations and volunteers, as well as a permanent site for their rescue center. If you need help with an injured bird, use the above contact information. Please note: the group cannot accept song birds.

When brains meets bass

Sun, 11 May 2008 07:47 EDT

This 47-year-old business woman had never seriously picked up a rod and reel until a year ago and, when she did, knew little about hooking a bass.

Then Dierdre Davison learned the sport with the speed of a post-spawn largemouth chasing a school of shad.

So three weekends ago, there was Davison, competing in a major bass tournament on Lake Norman and catching 18 pounds, 13 ounces of fish in two days. She was the only woman to make the Top 10 cut, beating out 190 other co-anglers.

On the final day, the Tega Cay, S.C., angler landed five fish weighing 6 pounds, 15 ounces, good enough for fourth place and $8,000 on April 26 in the FLW Tour National Guard Open. (Winner among 200 pros was Sean Hoernke of Magnolia, Texas.)

Inquisitive and outgoing, Davison has gone from zero to 60 in becoming an accomplished weekend angler. She first wanted to learn how to fish so she could join her husband, Rick Latta, a hobby angler. Davison approached fishing in a crash-course manner, learning from a guide, watching pros and by competing in local tournaments. "She's amazing," said Latta, who fishes from the bow of their boat. "Catching fish behind me."

Davison got a taste of payday fishing in FLW's Bass Fishing League and loved it. Today, with eight tournaments behind her, she now aspires to qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup in 2009, the national championship for FLW Outdoors circuits.

She explains her success with terms such as "business model," "goal setting" and "gap analysis."

First, it's helpful to understand Davison's profession. She's co-founder and business coach for Metanoia Consortium in Fort Mill, S.C. She's a graduate of Duke University's Business Coaching Institute and has a master's degree in organizational leadership.

Practicing what she preaches, Davison overlaid a business model on the sport of bassin'.

"First thing I did was to get a coach," Davison explained one morning last week on Lake Wylie where, in two hours, she caught six keeper largemouths. "What really makes coaching successful is when you've got a goal. And my goal is to make it to the championship.

"After that, you get your plan (about) what do I need to do. In that, you're doing a needs assessment or gap analysis. Where are the gaps? From there, I thought, well, OK, one of my biggest weaknesses is that I don't know how to fish.

"So I talked to a local pro, Rusty White (a Rock Hill fishing guide). So he started working with me," she said. White taught her Bass Fishing 101 last summer.

"She had little or no experience handling a rod and reel," White said. "(But) she grasped basic concepts pretty quickly. She's always trying to figure things out."

Davison didn't ask husband Rick to teach her because of their contrasting personality types (he's quiet and reserved) and different learning styles. At home, he provided tips and techniques.

In her first big tournament, at Florida's Lake Okeechobee in January, she finished a respectable 51st of 200 co-anglers. Tournaments randomly pair pros and co-anglers each day. Pros guide the boat to fishing positions, fish from the bow and get more prize money. Co-anglers fish from the stern. Many are highly skilled fishermen and veterans of dozens of tournaments, said FLW Outdoors spokesman Dave Washburn. At Alabama's Wheeler Lake in March, she dropped to No. 152 (of 184 co-anglers) but teamed up for a day with fishing superstar Larry Nixon of Bee Branch, Ark. Nixon called her "Little Miss Duke University," which she accepted with good humor. In return, Davison began mining Nixon's expertise. "He said, `what are you throwing?' "Davison recalled. `You put that down.' I said `yessir.' " He told her to switch from a Texas-rigged lizard to a shaky head.

It's now her go-to lure. The shaky head consists of a 7-inch-long soft plastic worm, in green pumpkin color, hooked to a 1/8- or 1/4-ounce ball head jig. Using light, 8-pound test line, she crawls, shakes and hops the worm along the bottom. "Working a shaky head is like a first date: Subtle and polite," she observed.

Davison plans to compete in FLW tournaments this summer, including Lake Champlain, N.Y., where she'll sing the national anthem.

She said bass fishing, where finesse can trump power, lets the sexes compete as equals. "It's an open field that doesn't discriminate against men or women."

Book reviews: View at the end of hike

Sun, 11 May 2008 09:05 EDT

Hiking to North Carolina's fire lookout towers. The history of North Carolina's premier hunting dog. And a guide for birding trails along the N.C. coastal plain. These are the topics of three new Carolinas-related outdoors books. Here's a preview of each.

HIKING NORTH CAROLINA'S LOOKOUT TOWERS

by Peter J. Barr, John F. Blair, Publisher

271 pages, $14.95

Mostly erected in the 1930s, '40s and '50s to spot wildfires, lookout towers remain perched on mountaintops across the western part of the state.

Many are on public lands, such as national forests and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, providing elevated platforms for hikers to get panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.

Author Peter Barr of Concord describes 26 towers, historic information, descriptions of the views, landmarks and nearby trails. "Fire lookouts in North Carolina are a dying breed. Their use for fire detection long finished, most towers have been abandoned and have fallen victim to vandalism and neglect," writes Barr, director of the N.C. chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Association.

Among those nearest Charlotte are the 40-foot-high Flat Top Tower at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park near Blowing Rock (built as an observation tower) and Walker Top fire tower near Morganton, at 100 feet the highest tower in the mountains.

STRIKE & STAY/THE STORY OF THE PLOTT HOUND

by Bob Plott, History Press

188 pages, $22.99.

North Carolina's official state dog since 1989, the Plott hound is widely used in the mountains for hunting black bears.

The breed was brought from Germany to America by Johannes Plott and his brother, Enoch, in 1750. The Plott family made their way through the Piedmont and members settled in the Waynesville area.

Author Bob Plott of Iredell County, the great-great-great-grandson of Johannes Plott, relates the history of the hounds and the ability of different dogs in a pack to "strike" (pick up the scent), to trail a bear and to "bay" it (contain it or drive it up a tree until the hunter arrives).

"The 2007 Plott hound is a respected big game dog, coonhound, show dog, search and rescue dog, field trial competitor, and official state dog and a great family pet," Plott writes.

THE NORTH CAROLINA BIRDING TRAIL/COASTAL PLAIN GUIDE

University of North Carolina Press

172 pages, $18.95

The guide lists 102 birding destinations in 16 groupings across the coastal plain, the first of three regional guides for North Carolina, and includes maps, site descriptions and color photos.

Non-profit seeks money to preserve shore access

Sun, 11 May 2008 09:04 EDT

CONSERVATION

The loss of public access along the N.C. coast to private development has prompted the formation of a non-profit organization to help raise money to purchase boat ramps, fishing piers and beach accesses.

The N.C. Public Access Foundation, founded by outdoors writer Mike Marsh of Wilmington and Al Baird of Fort Mill, S.C., president of the N.C. Fishing Pier Society, can accept tax-deductible donations. They said in a news release that the legislature will fund $20 million in access projects in 2008.

"But that amount of funding is just a drop in the bucket compared to an estimated need of $500 million just to maintain the state's existing level of public access," the release said. -- Jack Horan

Broad River stocked with 25,000 shad fry

FISHERY

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources stocked 25,000 American shad fry in the Broad River last week, with most of the fish released above Columbia Dam fish passage at Columbia.

The stocking is the beginning of a large-scale program to stock millions of shad fry each year to restore the migratory, ocean fish in the Broad and Santee river systems. -- J.H.

Don't take storm dangers lightly

Sun, 11 May 2008 02:05 EDT

While working in my backyard a few weeks ago, I was reminded of the power of lightning strikes.

To the southwest, a small black cloud was drifting along in an otherwise unintimidating sky. What happened next was scary. A bolt of lightning suddenly struck a neighbor's tree and split it down the middle. Thank goodness it didn't hit a person (me), or a house (mine).

According to a National Weather Service release, "Thunderstorms most likely to develop on spring and summer days, but can occur year-round. Strong winds, lightning strikes, and sharp drops in air temperature can change an otherwise placid day on the water into a frightful and dangerous experience."

Here are a few severe weather tips to consider before you go boating.

• Check the weather forecast before leaving the dock. The National Weather Service provides continuous updates on VHF/FM channels WX1, WX2, WX3 and WX7, a new Mooresville VHF channel. The outing should be reconsidered if the forecast calls for numerous and severe storms.

• Since the sound of thunder travels at the speed of one mile per five seconds, a lightning strike witnessed from afar is three miles away if it takes fifteen seconds to hear the thunder. Even if you miscalculate the number of seconds between the lightning and the boom, remember that thunder is seldom heard from more than five miles away. Upon hearing it, one should immediately seek shelter or take steps to safely ride out the storm.

• Don't wait for the first clap of thunder to seek safe harbor. Keep an eye on the southwestern sky, where most storms that affect Lake Norman will develop. Rising cumulonimbus (thunderhead) clouds are indications of developing storms. When the clouds begin to darken and become anvil in shape, a severe storm is already in progress and one should seek immediate safety.

• Sailboats and others made of wood or fiberglass are particularly vulnerable, since their profiles project above the water surface and act as lighting rods. In the event of an approaching storm, lower antennas, masts, outriggers and even graphite fishing rods; all are equally dangerous electrical conductors. Cease all fishing activity and stay off the radio. If it is not practical to return to shore, consider dropping anchor(s) and riding out the bad weather.

Upcoming

"How to Throw a Cast New and Keep Bait Alive." Free seminar by Craig Price and Gus Gustafson. Gander Mountain, Exit 36, Mooresville, 6:30 p.m. May 20. Details: 704-658-0822.

Tip from Capt. Gus

Thunderstorms are often first noticed by static crashes on an AM radio receiver. The louder and more frequent the interference, the closer you are to the storm.

Hot spots

Bass fishing is good to very good. Largemouth are holding close to shore, and large schools of spots can be found on dropoffs and deep brush piles. Stripers continue to feed aggressively at dawn, dusk and after dark. Best areas are Reeds, Rocky and Hicks Creeks.

Lake level

The water level is currently 1.7 feet below full pond and holding. Water surface temperature is in the 60s and low 70s.

Fishing Gus

Gustafson

Whitewater slalom trials to be televised

Sat, 10 May 2008 08:47 EDT

The U.S. Olympic Team Trials for whitewater slalom racing at the U.S. National Whitewater Center here last month will be broadcast from noon-1 p.m. Sunday on cable channel MSNBC.

The program was taped April 25-27 during races to determine the 2008 U.S. Whitewater Slalom Senior National Team and for individual athletes' points that will eventually determine the U.S. team that will go to the Beijing Olympics.

The overall television package for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials features more than 46 hours of coverage for 14 sports on NBC and its family of networks.

Anglers at Catawba -- beware of snakehead

Thu, 08 May 2008 07:25 EDT

Notebook

Anglers at Catawba -- beware of snakehead

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is reminding anglers fishing the Catawba River and its lakes to look out for the snakehead, an exotic, predatory fish that could expand its range into N.C. waters.If anglers suspect they have caught a snakehead, keep it, freeze it or place it on ice and report the fish to the commission by calling 919-707-0220.

An established snakehead population could reduce the number of popular game and nongame species, affecting angler catch rates.

An angler reportedly caught a fish from the Lake Wylie backwaters last May and thought the fish was a bowfin. He took photographs of the fish before releasing it near Belmont. Biologists later identified the fish as a northern snakehead. -- Observer News Services

Disabled sportsmen to get a boost, literally

Disabled hunters and sportsmen will soon get a birds-eye view of deer and other wildlife, thanks to a partnership between the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the N.C. Handicapped Sportsmen.

The two groups purchased 10 hydraulic lifts that will allow disabled sportsmen to be lifted 20 feet.

The lifts, which are attached to trailers, can be moved to any area of the state for the commission's special permit hunts for disabled sportsmen, which occur several times each year. -- ONS

A productive outing for 4 area anglers

Four friends from the greater Charlotte area aren't likely to forget their first surf-fishing trip to remote Portsmouth Island on the Outer Banks.Phil Fowler of Tega Cay caught a red drum measuring 46 inches. Darrell Martin of Lincolnton reeled a red of 45 inches to the beach.

Randy Nance of Concord and Jason Meyer of Charlotte both caught several bluefish in the 8-10 pound range. -- TOM HIGGINS

Catches of the week

• Flathead catfish of 68 and 40 pounds at Lake Norman, by Phillip Price of Marion, N.C.

• A 49 1/2-inch red drum in the surf on Hatteras Island, by Karen Roberts of Wilmington.

• Red drum of 50 and 48 inches in the surf at Ocracoke Island, by Nathan Wright of Hickory.

• Twelve dolphin ranging from 20-26 pounds, blackfin tuna and a 54 1/2-pound wahoo, by a party fishing aboard the Miss Laura out of Georgetown (S.C.) Landing Marina with Chris Twitty.

• A 19.75-pound red snapper out of Ocean Isle Beach, by Linwood Wynce of Shallotte.

• An 8.3-pound sea trout near Ocean Isle Beach, by local angler Brandon Sauls.

• An 8.2-pound black drum at Bogue Inlet Pier, by Tracy Shoaf of Broad Creek.

Outdoors Calendar

Thu, 08 May 2008 07:25 EDT

FESTIVALS

Today: Subaru River Jam, 7-10 p.m., U.S. National Whitewater Center, music by acoustic pop hip-hop artist Scott Smith, and raffle to benefit the U.S. whitewater slalom national team.

May 24-25: White Squirrel Festival, Brevard. Information: 828-884-3278 or log onto www.brevardnc.org.