Two respected scientists recently released a study that shows the extinct California wild turkey is in the same genus as the modern wild turkey, and could possibly still exist if not for human influence.

  Dr. Ken Campbell and Dr. Zbigniew Bochenski with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County found more similarities than differences between California wild turkey fossils from the La Brea tar pits and modern wild turkeys.

  "This is excellent news for turkeys and turkey hunters of California," said Dr. James Earl Kennamer, National Wild Turkey Federation senior vice president for conservation programs. "We are pleased that this study confirms what we’ve maintained all along, that wild turkeys have long been a part of California’s natural environment."

  The few differences found between the two birds were in the breastbone, the wishbone and the beak, which was slightly broader and flatter on the California wild turkey. Most other bones showed little or no difference between the two birds.

  "Evidence shows that the California turkey is in the genus as the wild turkey," Campbell said. "They were closely related. The California turkey was a turkey."

  According to Campbell and Bochenski, a combination of factors led to the California wild turkey’s extinction. The hypothesize that a dryer climate may have concentrated turkeys close to water sources during the same period that Paleo-Indians migrated to California, which might have led to hunting pressure. These factors could have easily pushed a stressed species into extinction.

  "It is a reasonable hypothesis because turkeys are limited to areas with water, and people would naturally locate near water sources," Campbell said. "In a drying climate, this would have given the Paleo-Indians easy access to a tasty bird."

  While the cause of the disappearance of the California wild turkey is a theory, the fossil evidence from the La Brea Tar Pits confirms that a species of wild turkey once roamed the Golden State and interacted with most modern species of California. What remains unknown is exactly what combination of forces led to their final extinction.

  "We may never know exactly why the California wild turkey disappeared," Kennamer said. "However, we know that they were closely related to the wild turkey we know today. This shows that turkeys shouldn’t make a negative impact on the ecosystem of California."

  For more information about the National Wild Turkey Federation or its efforts to bring turkeys back to the state of California, call (800) THE NWTF or visit their web site at: www.ntwf.org.

   Man! Did my 2006 deer hunting season live up to the phrase “Series of Unfortunate Hunts“. Rain, freezing temperatures, long days, short nights, equipment failures, I went through it all. Of course at the time I took it all in stride but looking back, it really sucked. Let us travel back in time. To a time of innocence’s in early October 2006 when the leaves were just turning colors and I was still naïve about the fall season. (Okay, cue the reminiscing music and start the wavy fade out.)

  (Fade in to a tree stand in southern Illinois) It’s an early October afternoon as I sit in my stand located in a small grove of trees about twenty yards from a fencerow with a small patch of clover between them. It’s a good spot as I’ve seen deer come out in the evening to partake of a little nourishment. I had hunted this area before but there’s no reason to dredge up bad memories. With my new Matthews Switch-Back laying across my lap, I was there to make amends.

  About an hour before dark, I heard some noise across the fence. Less than a minute later a deer jumped the fence and came out to the edge of the field. Of course my heart surged as the adrenaline hit my system and slowed just as quickly as I saw it was a small 4-point buck. I watched him until he got his belly full and ventured on down the hill to continue his evening stroll. Though he wasn’t a shooter, it was still a thrill to watch him. I just hoped something would come along before dark that would be a shooter or should I say a shooter-at-er.

  I didn’t wait long. With about fifteen minutes of shooting time left a doe came across the fence in the exact same spot the little buck had. She munched around on the clover but from where my stand was set, kind of around the corner in the only straight tree in the grove, I couldn’t get a clear shot at her. As it grew dark, I just could make her out in the shadows. And if I was a betting man and I’ll give you even odds that I’m not, I would swear that another deer had joined her. Not wanting to spook them, I stayed in my stand until I couldn’t see any more.

  After they wondered off, I eased out of my stand as quietly as I could. When I stepped out of the trees into the field it was like daytime. The full moon had risen early. The grove of trees I was in had kept the clover patch in its shadow. As I walked to my four-wheeler I saw more deer out in field. They would just have to come back the next day to play.

  After hunting a different stand the next morning and not seeing a deer, I decided to try and find a better spot near the clover patch to move the ladder stand to. There was a large tree in the fencerow that was setup perfectly over the clove patch with the setting sun behind it. I had passed on this tree before as it was pretty big around and would be difficult to put the stand against but I was determined set it somehow. I had to tie a piece of rope onto the chain and sling it around the tree so I could reach it. After a few try’s, I had the stand secured. After losing my balance and almost falling off the ladder while trimming some limbs, I was set for the evening hunt, bruised leg and all.

  To save some time that afternoon, I opted to ride my four-wheeler across the field and park next to the fence behind my tree. My fence rows are really grown up so there are a lot of low hanging limbs and tall grass to hide the four-wheeler in and under. Of course this would come back to bite me in the butt.

  As the sun was setting that afternoon, I caught something moving out of the corner of my right eye. I jumped back, if there is such a thing in a treestand as I watched these big, black ants come boiling out of a hole on a semi-rotten limb no more then eighteen inches from my face. I lucked out as they formed a trail going up the limb rather then down toward the trunk and toward me. I sure didn’t need to have ants all over me.

  As time wore on I was still waiting for something to show when I heard a squirrel jumping from tree to tree making its way up the fencerow. Suddenly he stopped. Something was different to him. Something just didn’t belong there in its path. It was me. He proceeded to read me the riot act for the better part of fifteen minutes. I whistled at him. I grunted at him. I even made kissy noises to try and drive him away but he just wouldn’t budge. He finally shut up and scrambled back the way he had come. Finally, I could get back to the task at hand.

  Right about sunset I heard some noise behind me, across the fence in the field. I was well hidden behind the tree so whatever it was couldn’t see me but of course, I couldn’t see them either. Standing up and peering around to my left I could see a deer through the limbs and leaves. Actually there were several does in the field and heading around behind me.

  Just as I got turned around to the other side, a deer spooked right in front of the four-wheeler. I guess she had been walking or grazing near it when suddenly she realized it was there and busted which made the others also scatter. Rats! I hadn’t planned on them coming from that direction. Which might not have been too bad, but there weren’t any shooting lanes on that side. Rats again! Hoping more deer would show up before dark, I stayed put.

  In the last few minutes of shooting time, I got fidgety and turned on my LED pin light. It looked good to me and it must have looked good to the doe across the field. She scared the bejesus out of me when she blew. Her fawn didn’t seem to notice that mama was alert as it continued to jump and play around next to her. Even though I had taped up the gaps around it a, she must have seen just a peep of it up in the tree. It didn’t matter. They were to far away and probably would not have reached me before dark if they were even headed my way. After a few minutes, they continued on their way.

  As I came out of the driveway that evening heading back to the house, my headlights caught sight of a really nice 8-pointer across the road in a field. He wasn’t over fifty yards from me and I got a good look at him. He was definitely a shooter. Nice spread and mass. I could only hope that I would get a chance at him later that month or hopefully the next month during gun season. Yeah right!

  A few weeks later I was back giving it the old college try again. Again, no deer were seen in the morning but I was really looking forward to the evening hunt.

  It was a repeat of the last evening I was there only this time with deer in the field behind me. I had heard and then saw several deer once again behind me and wasn’t able to get a shot. The lousy son-of-a-guns had elected to eat grass rather than the clover. Who would thunk it.

  My hunting partner Kenny had made the trip with me this time and had seen the deer or rather the deer had seen him coming up the driveway heading back to the truck. They startled him when they blew at him. After a minute or so, they had had enough and took off up and over the hill. I was still in the stand and had wondered what had made them booger out.

  Arriving at the truck I told Kenny about the deer and he then told me they had spooked because of him. It sure is nice when your buddies lend you a helping hand. He then proceeded to spin a yarn about seeing “the biggest deer I have ever seen in my life” silhouetted against the darkening sky on the top of a hill while watching the does scatter. The top of the hill wasn’t a hundred yards from me but I never saw a thing.

  "He had a monster rack" Kenny said "and his belly almost dragged the ground." The story gets better every time he tells it. Next thing you know Bigfoot will be riding him. But it’s his lie and he can tell it anyway he wants.

  A couple of weeks later, we were headed to Oklahoma to do some muzzleloader hunting. That story has already been told but I can tell you here that things didn’t get much better. I did manage to take a doe but not without my usual misfortunes.

  We’ll continue the 06 saga another time. Until then, Jim Bob.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Proposes to List Polar Bear Under ESA by US Fish and Wildlife Service

  On December 27, 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to list the Polar Bear as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act, citing as the primary causes global warming and the loss of arctic sea ice which the bears use as a platform for hunting the seals on which they feed. The FWS is giving the public 90 days to comment on the proposal.

  After reviewing the comments and scientific materials submitted, the FWS will reach a final decision whether to list, probably in early 2008. This proposed listing marks the first time that the federal government has proposed listing a species under the ESA primarily due to the alleged impacts of global warming. Although listing under the ESA would not affect the legality of hunting in Canada or any other foreign country, it could bar hunters from importing their trophies into the United States without obtaining additional authorization from the FWS.

  Court Says Oregon Can Ban Hunting of Captive Exotic Species by SCI

  On November 8th, 2006 the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that "Oregon wildlife officials have authority to prohibit hunting exotic animals on enclosed ranches in what are called ‘canned hunts’."

  The court also said the Legislature has given fish and game officers the power to regulate the hunting of such animals as fallow deer from the Mideast, Axis deer from Europe and Sika deer from Japan, raised on large, fenced game ranches. "Not all animals need to be 'wild' to qualify as 'wildlife' under the statutory definition," the court said. The commission involved in the lawsuit was backed by HSUS, which said the practice of hunting captive animals violates the spirit of "fair chase" among hunters."

  Golden Alga Back in Texas

  Fish kills caused by naturally-occurring, toxic golden alga are occurring at several lakes and river systems in North and West Texas.

  An active fish kill on E.V. Spence Reservoir north of San Angelo has affected largemouth bass, white bass, and other species; however, 99 percent of the estimated 316,500 fishes killed so far are 3-5-inch gizzard shad.

  High golden alga concentrations are believed to result from a strong cold front that came down around the first of December 2006 allowing the golden alga to multiply rapidly while other algal species' growth slowed considerably.

  E.V. Spence experienced a similar fish kill immediately following the first major cold front in December 2005 and stayed toxic through May 2006.

  Another West Texas water body, Red Bluff Reservoir also has an active golden alga kill in progress in the upper section on the Texas/New Mexico border. No estimated losses are available from that reservoir at this time.

  Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Inland Fisheries biologists and outside partners are also monitoring several other water bodies, including Possum Kingdom reservoir, which showed low concentrations of golden alga during the middle of December 2006.

  The upstream end of Lake Whitney also shows elevated golden alga levels, although no dead or stressed fishes have been seen or reported from there yet.

  Lake Granbury also is reporting increasingly yellow-colored water, and the potential for an alga bloom there appears to be high.

  Information about golden alga and fish kills, including the current bloom status for various river systems and reservoirs in Texas, is kept updated on the Department’s web site at: www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwater/water/environconcerns/hab/ga/

Answer to bonus question: Abraham Lincoln faces right instead of left on the penny