Iowa
PHEASANT HUNTERS: BE WARY OF METH LABS
With Iowa's pheasant population at a 10-year high, the roughly
225,000 pheasant hunters heading to the farm fields and pasture
areas should expect a banner hunt. Unfortu |
nately, some hunters will also stumble
across the remains of meth labs.
"Meth is the worst drug that we've ever seen, and I've
been at this for over 30 years," said an agent with the
Division of Narcotics Enforcement (DNE) in the Department of
Public Safety. "Nobody is immune from this drug."
Meth cooks spend the majority of the spring, summer and fall
cooking the drug outdoors, in remote places in Iowa's countryside.
"As the harvest progresses, meth cooks will move from the
cornfields to the ditches, under bridges, to abandoned farmsteads
and to the timber," said Rod Slings, recreational safety
program supervisor for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
"They are always looking for an out-of-the-way place to
make it, and those places are also popular with hunters."
Slings said if hunters find a backpack or duffel bag laying in
the field, they should leave it alone.
"Hunters would be well advised to not pick up or open a
backpack or box or gas can laying out in the middle of nowhere.
It was probably left there intentionally and probably has the
remains of meth ingredients," he said. "Don't pick
it up, don't go near it. This is bad stuff and can be regenerated
simply by picking it up or even moving it."
"At first glance, many meth labs and meth lab dump sites
resemble harmless trash or litter," said Marvin Van Haaften,
Director of the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy.
"However, materials used to make meth may cause burns or
respiratory problems if you touch the waste products or inhale
gases that may spew from them."
Other items hunters should be on the lookout for are coolers,
thermoses and buckets. Slings said if someone sees any of these
items, they should not touch anything, get out of the area immediately
and call the local sheriff's |
department, 911, or *55 on their cell phone.
No clue is too small, Van Haaften said. It is vital that hunters
and the public contact local law enforcement if they suspect
suspicious behavior or activity.
"We routinely hear stories about someone finding a new gas
can laying in the ditch and pick it up to take home and the chemicals
inside explode injuring the person," said another agent
with DNE. "Even experienced law enforcement officers have
gone to the hospital after handling these containers."
Meth labs are no longer concentrated in central and southern
Iowa. Agents have been raiding sites all across the state. If
hunters come up on an active meth lab, the DNE advises them to
not confront the cooks and to leave the area immediately.
"Meth cooks are by nature paranoid and violent," the
agent said. "They are getting more and more sophisticated
and elusive."
Michigan
Dove Sportsman's Society Gets Behind Michigan Dove Hunters
The Dove Sportsman's Society, a national, nonprofit conservation
organization made up of sportsmen and conservationists, has stepped
up to the plate in support of Michigan House Bill 5029 to introduce
the first dove season in the state.
Working in concert with Representative Susan Tabor, the Dove
Society has rallied hunters and conservationists statewide to
get behind the bill. "We support this proposed legislation
because it is sound wildlife management," says Jerry Allen,
the Dove Society's founder. According to the US Fish and Wildlife
Agency, there are over 450 million doves that produce annually.
Without the management tool of hunting, far less than half would
survive to breed again the next year.
Hunting is responsible for a minimal percentage of the overall
dove population annually, and Michigan biologists have evidence
that there are ample doves to support a statewide hunting season.
The Dove Sportsman's Society urges all sportsmen and women to
write or call their legislators as soon as possible in support
of HB 5029.
For more information about the Dove Sportsman's Society or this
bill, see www.dovesociety.org or call (803) 637-5731.
Minnesota
First prairie chicken season since 1942 a success
Ninety-three hunters, who purchased licenses for Minnesota's
first prairie chicken season in more than 60 years, gained an
experience of a lifetime as well as harvesting a total of 115
birds in the season completed Wednesday, Oct. 22, according to
the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
"By any measure, this first hunt was a great success,"
said Lloyd Knudson, DNR |
