Outdoors
2B • Daily Corinthian
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Season brings out the worst in some hunters As much as sportsmen look forward to the opening of deer season, many others in the non-hunting public dread it and are glad when it is over. Wildlife violations related to deer hunting is not anything unusual. Deer being shot from public roads, property damage caused by trespassers and head-lighting have long been problem areas for as long as deer have been roaming the landscape. That’s the reason I told myself earlier this year I wasn’t going to write about anything concerning deer hunting wildlife violations. It’s to be expected some infractions
will occur. Recently though, I’ve had a change of heart after hearing David t h r o u g h Green the grapevine sevOutdoors eral complaints. These offenses were not what I would call minor, nor are they typical, but I do find as troubling. People used to headlight or commit other unsavory acts in trying to bag a big buck, but the acts of crime I’ve heard about lately go far beyond that. It seems deer season brings out the worst in
some people and some will go to extremes. The stories I’ve heard through the rumor mill are not about folks taking big bucks illegally, but taking any deer by any means with no regard to seasonal bag limits or the laws set for that particular season. If it’s brown, it’s down. That must be what these folks are thinking. I’ve heard of people taking double and even triple the number of doe deer allowed to be taken in a season. But what’s even more troubling is how they are being taken. The stories include headlighting, hunting over bait in a lighted area at night
and using modern guns during archery season and the primitive weapons season. There’s no reason for committing such acts. Mississippi allows its hunters to legally harvest five doe deer per year, which is too many as far as I’m concerned. Three bucks can also be taken, which, if combined with a limit of doe deer, makes for a total of eight deer for the freezer. That should be enough for any family. If not, there are always hunters around looking to give a deer away. Some enjoy the hunting more than the meat. So, why in the world
would these people stoop to hunting in such unethical ways and shoot every deer that walks up? I don’t know the answer to that question. I can only speculate. But I do know this. These people are not legitimate hunters and they’re sure not sportsmen. A sportsman may make a mistake or two every now and then — usually unintentional — but they sure wouldn’t blatantly abuse wildlife game laws. These crimes are not only against wildlife but against sportsmen as well. Area deer herds are still in good shape and hunting appears bright for the future, but it won’t
be if these ridiculous and corrupt acts are allowed to go unchecked. If you see or hear concrete facts about wildlife violations being committed in your area, contact your local wildlife conservation officer or call 1-800-Be-Smart. (Daily Corinthian columnist and Alcorn County resident David Green is an avid hunter and fisherman in the Crossroads area. Anyone wishing to share their own unique outdoor story or have any news to report pertaining to the outdoors, David can be contacted at dgreen_outdoors@yahoo.com.)
Estimating age of deer in the field part of deer management BY JAMES L. CUMMINGS Conservation Corner
Deer management is becoming more important to hunters with each hunting season. Some clubs have selective harvest strategies that are used to meet certain goals. The criteria can include gender, minimum antler measurements
and minimum age. In order for these strategies to work, hunters must be able to accurately judge the deer in the field. First we will discuss bucks. A 1.5-year-old buck sometimes resembles a doe with antlers. Their muscle characteristics are not as developed as older bucks so their features include a slender neck and
long, thin legs with thin hindquarters. Their average weight is 115 pounds. If the buck is closer to 2.5 years old, the hind quarters will be thicker and there will be some neck swelling present during the rut. Their average weight is 150 pounds. The average inside spread of the antlers is 12 inches. A 3.5-year-old buck
weighs approximately 170 pounds and the chest will appear deeper than the hindquarter area. There is noticeable swelling during the rut but a distinct junction between the neck and shoulders. The average inside spread of the antlers is 14 inches. At 4.5 years of age, a buck will have most of his adult body size and weight.
The waist will be as deep as the chest and the neck will be fully developed and blend into the shoulders. The average weight is 180 pounds with an average inside spread of 15 inches on the antlers. A buck with a sagging belly and neck and shoulder area that appears to form one big mass is usu-
ally between 5.5 and 7.5 years of age. His legs will appear shorter, his eyes will look squinty and muscle tone will begin to decrease and he will tend to have a swayed back and a potbelly. Remember, to accurately estimate the size and age of deer takes years of practice in the field.
and Sassafras tea to clean out their “innards.� She enjoyed eating possum and sweet potatoes.
Alfred and Albert South, two of Malissa’s nephews, would routinely catch possums for her. She
would put them in a cage for a week, feed them and then kill them by putting a wood mule trace across their neck to break their neck. After skinning and gutting the possums, Malissa baked them in an iron pot over a fire with sweet potatoes. She would keep the pot covered until it was necessary to pour the grease off. Malissa also cooked turnip greens mixed with pork salt. She liked cooking poke sallet, and she poured the water off twice before adding the poke sallet to the turnip greens. She then finished cooking the greens with some salt and bacon grease seasoning. According to Helen Jane’s memory, Sarah Malissa did not have teeth. She dipped snuff. Malissa had Helen Jane chewing sweet gum tooth brushes by the dozen. Malissa placed her little toothbrush into her snuff metal box. When she needed snuff, Helen Jane walked to Mr. P. T. Woodruff’s Store to purchase it. Mal-
issa insisted the snuff had dots on the bottom of the container or she would have to take the snuff back and exchange it. Back during that time (not now), the dots pertained to when the “hot� was made; however, Malissa thought it was the strength of the snuff. The snuff she preferred was in a dark brown bottle, possibly a Rooster or Garret snuff brand. Malissa and her greatgranddaughter, Helen Jane, were very close. Malissa was constantly telling her family about the Civil War, and Helen Jane remembers listening to her recollections as she bathed her after Malissa had suffered several strokes. Malissa was never totally disabled but she could not use her right arm and dragged her right leg. Her family helped her move around. About two weeks or more before Sarah Malissa died, she woke Helen Jane up and said that Jesus came to the foot of her bed and told her he was coming back for her in a short
time. About two weeks later, she had a stroke. She lived several days with her family sitting with her day and night. A little bird tried to get into the window all day, the day she died. After she died, the bird left and never came back. Sarah Malissa was bathed and put on a layout board that had been in the family for years. After she was dressed, she stayed on the board until the casket was brought to the house the next day. Mrs. Myrtle Hart took the family members to Corinth the next morning to purchase two silk scarves to go around her head. Sarah Malissa Bryant Mayo looked like an angel when she was laid to rest at the Palestine Community Cemetery.
WOMAN CONTINUED FROM 1B
stomach), tar plaster, poultices (for chest colds)
WHY BUY FOREIGN MADE WHEN YOU CAN BUY AMERICAN AT A LOWER PRICE
$8999
LANDMASTER LMC4 CREW CAB UTV
• Subaru OHV 4-stroke V-twin engine with five year warranty • 653cc with 33.6 ft. lbs. of torque at 2500 RPM • 4-wheel hydraulic brakes • Double A-Arm front suspension • Articulated rear swing arm suspension with quad adjustable shocks • Low oil pressure warning light • 25� tires for 14� ground clearance (8� to gearbox) • Oil filled Dana-Spicer Trans Axle with Locking Differential • 1200 lb. towing capacity • Available in red, green, white, black or camo (white, black or camo available at additional cost)
LANDmaster LMC4 Crew Cab UTV
ASK ABOUT OUR LOW RATE FINANCING
Sid’s Trading Company 2293 Highway 25 South Iuka
662-424-0025 “Git ‘er did at Sid’s�
(Daily Corinthian columnist RaNae Vaughn is board member and in charge of marketing and publications for the Tishomingo County Historical & Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 203, Iuka, MS 38852.)
Legal Scene Your Crossroads Area Guide to Law Professionals ) ($ LAW FIRM, PLLC ) *
Odom and Allred, P.A.
BLAYLOCK ) - - ( ' MERRY CHRISTMAS / )
$
AND "
/
* *
HAPPY NEW YEAR # )( !*
/ #
/ (
* (
For unto you is born () *& ! this day, in the City of David, a Saviour, which
Attorneys at Law
( ! & % Serving Northeast Mississippi’s legal needs...
" ! $ $ ! # v (Payment Plans available) ! " ! % ! ' $ & % " $ "! ! " ! v # " ( # " ! $ v " "! $ " !
is Christ the Lord. # ' $ "# +++ - ( ' +.) ( Luke 2:11 * % ($ *& ) ($ ) * ( (* * - )* . * ( () , )* *& )
www.blaylocklawďŹ rm.com
404 Waldron Street • Corinth, MS _________________________________________ ' 3
- 1 / 2 1 * ' 0 / 1 . 2 & & 2
662-286-9311 William W. Odom, Jr. Rhonda N. Allred Attorney at Law Attorney at Law bodom43@bellsouth.net rallred@bellsouth.net ___________________________________________ &'& # $ ) #(& , ! "' #" & # $ ' # & "#' " ' ", ' ' #" # +$ ' & ' "
* ' " , * $ $ #$ # (" ' " ($' , # #(" " # ! ' #" ) ($#" %( &'