JULY 6, 2011 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 21
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Rare bear incident has people talking in Eureka Black bear kills calf near Town of Eureka by Marty Seeger Leader staff writer EUREKA – Seeing a bear in the northwoods isn’t anything new, and a bear that attacks the bird feeder for a free and easy meal isn’t exactly new either. But a bear that killed a calf near the Town of Eureka has generated a lot of conversation over the past few weeks, mainly because of the way it happened, and because the incident is so rare. On Monday, June 13, Shaila Johnson took her daughter to swimming lessons at around 1:45 p.m., and returned just under two hours later to find the fence had been knocked over. Inside their fence had been a calf that her daughter was taking care of as part of a 4-H project. She had been planning to show the calf off at the fair. The Johnsons don’t have any other livestock on their five-acre property, but are given a calf each year by relatives to show at the fair. A large tract of wilderness surrounds the area roughly four miles south and one mile east of Cushing. Johnson immediately called her uncle Bob and cousin Kyle Swanson, who owns the calf, to inspect what had just hap-
It didn’t take much for a bear in the Town of Eureka to knock down this enclosure where Shaila Johnson’s daughter was keeping a calf to show at the fair as part of a 4-H project. Incidents like these are rare according to the local wildlife damage specialist. – Photo submitted pened. the calf a few hundred yards from their “I just wanted to know what it was, and house. The bear had taken a single but why it did this,” said Johnson, adding that large bite out of the calf’s spine, but nothit was easy to see where the bear had drug ing else. Her cousin and uncle took sev-
eral pictures of the scene and were put in contact with wildlife damage specialist Chad Alberg, who is part of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service through the United States Department of Agriculture. Alberg confirmed right away that it was a bear that had taken and killed the calf. “We handle bear complaints throughout the year and livestock killing, but with bears it’s pretty rare,” Alberg said. Authorities attempted to trap the bear during the following week but to no avail. Alberg said it was a one-time deal, and uneventful. Things have been relatively quiet since the first bear incident, and Alberg has received no other reports of any calves being taken by bears. He also stresses that they can’t act on these kinds of cases without someone first reporting that they’ve happened. Johnson, meanwhile, continues to see several bears during all hours of the day in her area, and several people continue to call and inform her of other sightings of bear in the area. Johnson did say that it is possible that two other nearby farms sustained an attack on one or more calves, but neither the DNR, nor the USDA or APHIS have been contacted since that attack on her calf.
Gov. Walker schedules signing date for SB93 Current laws on rifles and shotguns will remain unchanged by Marty Seeger Leader staff writer MADISON – Gov. Scott Walker is scheduled to sign concealed carry into law this Friday, July 8, at 2:30 p.m. Senate Bill 93 will allow Wisconsin citizens to carry concealed weapons, which includes handguns, tasers or stun guns.
Fourth of July fun There’s this thing I have with fishing with other people – I don’t like it – and on most fishing outings I prefer to go alone. That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy fishing with friends and family. They’re alMarty ways welcome to come along, but with most of Seeger my friends living in other counties, and a daughter not quite old The enough to tightly grasp Bottom a fishing pole, it’s mostly me, and that’s Line the way I’ve always liked it. Some call it therapy – my wife, Laura, calls it “Marty time,” while others consider it odd. I just tend to simply think of it as fun. But, during the Fourth of July weekend, fishing can be downright depressing. Last year I’d vowed not to try and fish during another holiday weekend, as jet skis and speedboats turn lakes into a swirling mess. A circus is almost certain on every boat landing, and while I’m not advocating against a person’s right to a great time on the water, anglers are wise to pick another time during the summer to try their favorite fishing holes, or sim-
The law could take effect as soon as October. Walker plans to sign the bill at the Grand Lodge Hotel in Wausau, which is located near the heart of Sen. Pam Galloway’s 29th Senate District. Galloway first introduced the concealed-carry bill, which has undergone several changes since being introduced. Initially the bill offered no training requirements but eventually passed the state Assembly on June 21 with a vote of 68-27. SB93 introduced a training requirement along with several other changes to make the bill a “shall issue,” as opposed ply join in the Fourth of July fun and leave the poles at home. With limited time on the water already this summer, I opted to go fishing anyway. Just the thought of it sounded great, and once again, I was alone. I traveled to one of my favorite lakes first, but the normally quiet lake was a zoo, and I didn’t even get out of my truck. Another lake, which I’ve deemed the “Dead Sea,” was busy too, but with the evening winding down I opted for the Dead Sea, and got exactly that. On the bright side, the casting was therapeutic, but far from inspiring, as the heat was nearly unbearable, and the fishing was terrible. I did boat a few crappies that might have fit nicely in a can of sardines, but that’s about it. Fortunately, my friend Neil had been begging to go fishing lately, and with the next morning off, which happened to be Monday, July 4, we decided to meet halfway on a favorite Barron County lake. As is always the case with Neil, we must fish walleye, and do it only one way by trolling crawler harnesses, or Lindy rigs. It’s been an effective walleye catching tool over the years, but has yielded fewer fish more recently. With the Fourth of July weekend, walleye fishing was likely to be even worse unless we met early enough to beat heavy traffic, which we managed to do at precisely 5:30 a.m. For the better portion of the first three hours, we fished slip bobbers tipped with a small jig and leeches. We boated at least one 15-inch walleye while sitting an-
to its original “constitutional carry” format. The Department of Justice will be responsible for issuing the permits. Some of the main components of SB93 will require the person to be 21 years or older and a Wisconsin resident. They must not be prohibited under federal or state laws from possessing a firearm and must undergo a criminal background check, as well as pass a firearms training course. Those who are members of the military, are retired law enforcement personnel or have passed a hunters safety course are exempt from the training. Other training courses by certified state
or national organizations may also qualify as one of the training requirements. Citizens should also take note that SB93 only pertains to “weapons,” which are defined as a handgun, electric weapon, knife other than a switchblade or a billy club. This does not affect how firearms such as shotguns or rifles are currently carried according to the law. Once SB93 is signed into law, Illinois will be the only remaining state in the country to not allow some form of concealed carry.
A healthy-looking bluegill is fit for the frying pan once again during an early-morning Fourth of July fishing trip. – Photo by Marty Seeger chored on a piece of structure in about 9 feet of water. We also caught a few nice bass, and some quality panfish, which I reluctantly threw back until we began trolling with crawler harnesses later in the morning. Still, even on the Fourth of July, the lake seemed to be all ours, and the warm, light, morning breeze made the morning perfect. To make things even better, I caught Neil having a little bit of fun switching
back to slip bobbers, and allowing me to keep 15 chunky bluegills for dinner. I can’t wait to get back out again and try slip bobber fishing. It’s easy, effective and a lot of fun. But in order to use slip bobbers again, I’ll need to ask Neil to join me, since he’s the one with the depth finder. Turns out that fishing with friends or on a holiday weekend isn’t such a bad thing after all.