Category: Blog

As part of these winter 2021 health assessments, researchers recorded information on fat stores, general health, and collected blood samples and nasal swabs before donning a GPS-equipped radio collar. The blood samples serve several purposes, but together with the nasal swabs, they contribute to a national effort to monitor wildlife diseases. In this case, Congress provided the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) $300 million through the 2021 American Rescue Plan to specifically search for SARS-CoV-2 in wildlife species. Deer are a species of interest because they share the same primary host cell receptor for SARS-CoV-2 (hACE2) with humans, meaning they are susceptible to infection by this virus. The USDA surveillance effort is producing a growing body of information to help us understand if deer play a role in the spread of this virus.

Although this is the first time the virus has been detected in mule deer, white-tailed deer in the east show a surprisingly high rate of exposure to SARS-CoV-2. For example, 40% of 385 whitetail samples collected between January and March 2021 in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New York contained antibodies showing they had been exposed to SARS-CoV-2.

To make sure they weren’t mistakenly detecting some other common coronavirus, the researchers took pre-2020 deer serum samples from the freezer in those areas and tested them. The results showed that deer were not exposed to SARS-CoV-2 until the global pandemic wiped out the human population. Other tests in the east showed that many whitetails were exposed to the virus in Iowa (33%), Ohio (36%), Staten Island, New York (15%), Quebec (5.6%), Ontario (6%) and Texas. (0-94% among captive installations). Interestingly, researchers in several of these studies were able to show that the viral strains circulating in the human population at the time were the same ones carried by deer. It is clear that deer are exposed to the virus from humans and then spread it among themselves.

So are humans giving deer COVID-19? Not quite. Deer are exposed to the virus that causes it, but no deer with clinical signs of being ill with COVID-19 have been documented. Deer do a good job of social distancing from humans, so it’s not clear how deer could become infected with this virus. However, all evidence points to contact with humans or human waste. Humans and whitetails interact much more in the eastern US because deer have adapted to our presence and roam our backyards eating our bushes and gardens. With denser human and deer populations in the West, we had reason to believe that deer exposure to SARS-CoV-2 would be less frequent, but not non-existent.

The now famous MG1129 contributed a deep nasal swab along with 249 other deer captured last winter. All of these swabs were sent to the USDA National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins, Colorado, but MG1129 was the only one positive for SARS-CoV-2. His sample was then sent to their National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa for a second opinion and they confirmed it as a Delta variant on March 22. Nasal swabs identify animals that are actively shedding the virus due to recent exposure, but looking for antibodies in the blood allows wildlife health professionals to detect past exposures to the virus. The researchers also collected blood samples from nearly all of those same deer and are currently validating the test results. However, preliminary findings indicate that at least 5% of sampled deer may have been exposed to the virus at some point.

Keeping disease experts awake is concern that SARS-CoV-2 circulates independently in the deer population, spreading from humans and slowly mutating as it passes from deer to deer. If that happens, the virus could mutate in ways that would make it more dangerous if it were to spread to us later. If a virus circulates and changes separately from humans, that means no humans are adapting to these viral changes along the way. Turns out there are a couple of cases that don’t help disease experts get back to sleep.

Mink are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Surveillance in the Netherlands documented that the virus was circulating in 16 mink farms and mutating into a slightly different version. Intensive testing at the time detected the mutated mink version of the virus in 68% of mink farm workers, most of whom developed symptoms of COVID-19. Fortunately, there was nothing unusual about her symptoms.

More recently, research identified a very different version of the Omicron variant circulating among 6% of whitetails sampled in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Genetic evidence indicates that it was circulating in deer separate from humans for quite some time. This altered version of Omicron was later detected in a person who worked closely with deer. This was the only human case identified and was apparently no more dangerous than other variants.

Despite the widespread occurrence of this virus in deer and the potentially problematic scenarios one can imagine, experts are not concerned that deer will perpetuate the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Ginger Stout, a wildlife veterinarian with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR), said, “There is no evidence that deer are playing a significant role in spreading SARS-CoV-2 to wildlife. people, and the available research suggests that the chance of contracting COVID-19 from an animal is quite low.”

UDWR’s Kent Hersey and Brigham Young University’s Brock McMillan handled MG1129 during capture operations last December; manipulated in a very literal sense, meaning they had their hands in their mouths as they peered into the dark to see and feel the wear pattern on their teeth to determine their age. Eight to 10 people helped restrain and process her, but there were no reports of anyone having flu-like symptoms afterward. The only thing they got out of that interaction was the knowledge that she was about 2.5 years old.

Hersey, McMillan and a huge army of collaborators and volunteers captured 577 mule deer and physically handled 1,100 ungulates this year in Utah. Like MG1129, none of these animals showed symptoms of COVID-19. Deer only shed the virus in the environment for just three to five days after becoming infected, so just because a percentage of the population has antibodies from a past exposure doesn’t mean we should quarantine for the season of deer

How these deer were exposed to the virus in the first place remains a mystery. MG1129 was captured a few miles from the nearest town and her GPS collar shows that she is doing well. Their locations give no indication that they visit the city. With 1,215 mule deer currently GPS-collared in Utah, they have a good handle on the factors affecting deer populations in the state. Hersey said, “We have had no deaths that would cause us to suspect COVID-19, and there is no evidence that it is affecting any deer population in the state.”

There is also no evidence that people can get COVID-19 by preparing or eating meat from an animal infected with SARS-CoV-2. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it takes only 3 minutes at 160°F, 5 minutes above 149°F, and 20 minutes above 140°F to completely inactivate this virus.

The best source of reliable information on this topic is always acronyms like USDA and CDC, not other combinations of the alphabet associated with the media. As the USDA continues its surveillance and study of the relationship between deer and SARS-CoV-2 circulation, we will learn much more in the near future. For now, there is no cause for alarm and no need to do anything different.

Featured image via Randy Larsen.

Nature often requires us to push ourselves, but it’s important to know our physical limits. I learned this lesson the hard way and it literally cost me a million dollars.

What is freezing?
Frostbite is a cold-related injury in which body tissues in the affected area freeze. Similar to burns, there are multiple levels of frostbite based on varying degrees of cellular damage. Frostnip is the first stage of the condition, followed by shallow and deep frostbite.

Frostbite can affect any part of your body that is exposed to extreme cold for too long. Extremities such as the ears, nose, cheeks, fingers and toes are the most susceptible. When subjected to cold, blood vessels throughout the body constrict to conserve heat, so the body prioritizes keeping the core warm over the extremities. This is why they are more likely to freeze.

With frostbite, the temporary near-freezing of tissues, the skin turns red, cool to the touch, and may begin to feel numb. Detection of color changes may be more difficult in people with darker skin. If you heat the skin soon after, there will be no permanent damage. If you experience frostbite, continued exposure to cold can result in the next stage: superficial frostbite.

With superficial frostbite, ice crystals begin to form inside the skin as it freezes. This injury will cause permanent damage to the affected tissue. At this stage, the skin may feel hot and itchy. The skin may also appear white and fluid-filled blisters may appear.

With deep frostbite, also called full-thickness frostbite, the skin may feel numb again. Large blisters will form, and the tissue will often turn black and hard as it dies.

With shallow and deep frostbite, you don’t want to rewarm the skin if there’s any chance the tissue will refreeze.

What to do if it freezes
If you experience frostbite, rewarm your skin as soon as possible. Be careful of overheating near a fire. It’s hard to tell if you’re burning if the affected area is numb. It’s safer to warm your hands or feet in a friend’s armpits or stomach. If you’re alone, get into a sleeping bag with a hot water bottle or hot stone. Be sure to wrap hot objects in wool so you don’t burn yourself.

If you have reached frostbite territory and there is a chance that the damaged tissue will refreeze, then you should not reheat the injury. The freezing and thawing process results in aggravated damage that exacerbates the problem.

Rewarming in the field is often difficult because the correct process requires submerging the affected area in a container of water at a recommended water temperature of 98.6 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit. In most cases, the best thing to do is get off the field and treat the cold injury in a controlled environment.

How to prevent frostbite
The best ways to prevent frostbite may seem obvious: dress appropriately and keep warm. But this may be easier said than done. Changes in weather, vehicle accidents, navigational errors, and other unexpected circumstances can result in longer-than-anticipated exposure to the elements. With that in mind, here are some tips to prevent frostbite.

Stay hydrated and fueled. Dehydration and lack of calories reduce the body’s ability to circulate blood. The decreased circulation makes it more difficult to keep blood moving to the extremities, and less blood in the extremities means less heat. Therefore, drink plenty of water and eat nutritious snacks to protect the most vulnerable areas of your body.

The windy and dry conditions common with cold weather make frostbite more likely. These circumstances accelerate transepidermal water loss that cools and dries the skin. Have a neck gaiter that can cover your nose and cheeks and make sure you have a good hat that covers your ears. Protect as much of your skin from the wind as you can.

On winter trips to the countryside, I like to carry hot stones in my pockets to warm my hands. Those “Hot Hands” packs work fine too. Even if you don’t want to get used to wearing these items, they are good to have in your daily winter kit. Windmill on the arms is a good way to get the blood flowing back into your hands.

In my experience, the feet are the most difficult part of the body to keep warm. Survival depends on the core staying warm, so our bodies go to great lengths to achieve this. We can live without a foot, but not without a heart. Feet often get trapped inside boots, making temperature regulation difficult.

Stockings: In the winter, socks and shoes are equally important to get it right. If you haven’t already, start wearing wool socks and don’t look back. Wool is my choice for socks, glove liners, neck gaiters, base layers, pretty much everything except a waterproof layer, obviously.

Depending on the situation, I’ll wear two pairs, or even three for extreme cold conditions. Always carry extra socks and change them. At the end of the day, put on dry socks. When you return to the vehicle at the trailhead or campsite, change them. Our feet sweat, so there will almost always be moisture in our socks. For the nights, always have dry socks reserved for sleeping. For extended stays in the wild, make sock drying a priority.

Don’t wear socks, shoes, long underwear, or anything too tight. It is very important to let the blood move. Any restriction of circulation creates a vulnerability to cold injury. If you are doubling socks, make sure they are two different sizes that overlap comfortably and loosely.

Boots: Make sure your feet have room inside your boots and that you can wiggle all your toes. Shoes that don’t fit well can increase your chances of frostbite. Compression of the toes restricts circulation and reduces the insulating properties of the socks.

For longer stays in the field, boots that can be dried in the field are an absolute must. I won’t buy a winter boot that doesn’t have removable liners, and wool felt liners are the best. Wool liners allow you to dry them by the campfire or wood stove without worrying about damage.

My favorite winter boot is the mukluk style shoe. I appreciate the width of the toe box, the lack of a heel and the feeling of being barefoot. There are mukluks made for both dry and wet conditions. “Dry” mukluks are made from breathable materials that allow moisture to escape, a crucial component of happy feet. “Wet” mukluks sacrifice some breathability, but they’re worth it if you’re going to be walking in puddles or wet snow.

In addition to the foot care mentioned above, I like to “smoke” my feet. Around the fire in the morning or evening, I make sure to keep my feet in the smoke of a campfire and dry them before putting on my socks.

Mental attitude
There are tons of tips and tricks to help you prevent frostbite. But perhaps the most important factor is attitude.

It’s easy to ignore what our body is telling us and move on. That’s how I ended up with frostbite on my toes. He was on the History Channel show “Alone,” surviving in the field and competing for a million dollars. It was December and I was in the Northwest Territories living off the land, eating rabbits and tracking porcupines. I spent the day outside doing what I had to do to survive: gathering firewood and checking my line of traps. I could feel my toes being uncomfortably cold and then numb. I knew I only had a few hours of daylight left and I wanted to use it, so I thought I’d warm my feet after dark. By then it was too late; The damage was already done. The medical team had to remove me from the situation to avoid further injury, ending my hopes of winning the competition and a lot of money.

Don’t be the tough guy or girl and ignore numb fingers and toes. Stop and heat them up. Accidents happen and you may find yourself in a situation where warming up is not an option. If there is an option, choose it. It’s not worth the permanent damage that could keep you from enjoying the outdoors in the future. Even if frostbite does not result in amputation, permanent damage can occur. Frozen tissue is permanently sensitive to cold and future freezing injury. You will have to be even more diligent in taking care of your body when it is cold. Frostbite injuries forever change the way you enjoy winter.

When tracking an animal, it is necessary to pay close attention to details and changes in the terrain. We must use all of our perceptual abilities to navigate the landscape. It is equally necessary to turn our consciousness inward. To thrive we need to listen to the signals our body gives us. Frostbite taught me that self-care is a survival skill.

Until next time, may your fingers be greasy and your toes warm.

Troy Cornett, 30, of Granite Falls, North Carolina, had been chasing the bird for years before finally hunting it down on April 9, 2022, the opening day of North Carolina’s statewide spring turkey season. North.

The white tom made its first appearance on Cornett’s family’s hunting grounds in 2019 in an area where he hunts white-tailed deer every fall.

“I was deer hunting in 2019 and I saw a flock of probably 18 to 20 birds, and I thought, ‘What am I looking at?'” Cornett told MeatEater. “I was looking at him, and he was just going in and out of the herd. I couldn’t really get a good look at it and finally, just before they flew in to roost, I was able to focus and thought, ‘That’s a completely albino turkey.'”

The tom that Cornett glazed exhibited a genetic defect known as leucism. It is a form of partial albinism that can manifest itself in a full set of white feathers, like those sported by the bird Cornett ultimately killed, or in a mixed phase of black and white color commonly known as “smoke gray.”

An all-white, leucistic eastern wild turkey is a rare bird, with some turkey experts estimating that it occurs in only one in tens of thousands. It may be even rarer than completely black melanistic turkeys or “red” erythristic birds.

“Only a few of these birds die each spring, or at least you only see photos of a couple,” wildlife researcher and wild turkey expert Mike Chamberlain told MeatEater. “It’s impossible to put a number on it, but it’s extremely rare.”

Chamberlain said that birds like Cornett’s are commonly mistaken for domesticated or crossbred turkeys, as their all-white color phase is reminiscent of some breeds of domesticated turkey.

“A domestic fowl would obviously have a bigger head and bigger ducks,” he said. “It would also be much larger on the body and wouldn’t have the rough scales on the legs.”

As evidenced by photos Cornett later posted on Instagram, the bird was completely white with not a black or brown feather in sight. His spurs were light in color, almost pinkish, and juxtaposed against his white breast plumage was a sizable black beard.

Oddly enough, another tom turkey with a case of “extensive leucism” was killed earlier this year in Kentucky’s Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area.

That one was caught by a hunter from Greenville, South Carolina named Cliff Timmons. Timmons killed that bird during a two-day, limited-entry hunt that is exclusive to the Land Between the Lakes.

“It was completely unexpected,” Timmons told MeatEater. “He came in with another bird and they were gobbling like crazy. When I took him to the game control station, the forestry guy was scared because he had never seen one.”

After seeing his leucistic turkey for the first time in the spring of 2019, Troy Cornett decided to go after the white bird in earnest. He set up tracking cameras near the edge of the field where he had first seen it, and in the spring of 2020 he was shocked to discover that the tom had somehow survived the winter.

“Our 10 acres are full of game, but they’re also full of predators,” Cornett said. “A bird like that sticks out like a sore thumb every day of its life. It had to be a difficult task to survive year after year.”

Cornett hunted the gobbler a lot during the 2020 and 2021 spring seasons. He had close encounters, but it never quite happened.

“I almost rebuilt it in 2021, but he busted me,” Cornett said. “That was heartbreaking because I was sure a predator would catch it after that season, that or they would just poach it because of its rarity.”

Then came the winter of 2021. Cornett was checking the trail cameras he uses year-round for deer on his property when the resident white tom did another unlikely encore.

“I took a couple of months off from hunting to get my trail cameras going without giving the turkeys much thought, and there it was,” he said. “I was like, ‘What are the chances I can go after him three years in a row? I have to kill him.’”

The opportunity Cornett had been waiting for finally arrived on April 9, 2022, but the scenario did not unfold as he had envisioned.

“I got there early and heard a bird come out of the coop so I got as close as I could,” he said. “I did a flying laugh and banged my hat on the ground, trying to sound like a bird coming out of the chicken coop, and immediately heard something behind me.”

When Cornett looked over her shoulder at the approaching noises, she saw a young coyote approaching on a rope.

“I shot him with two shots,” he said. “So, I only had one shell for the rest of my hunt that day.”

With the coyote close, only one shell left, and the stillness of the morning broken by two shots from his 12-gauge pistol, Cornett began to feel a nagging sense of doubt.

“I shot the coyote at 6:59 am,” he said. “After that I started asking myself, ‘Am I leaving? Am I going to look for more shells? am i still hunting? Have I ruined my hunt? All these things go through my mind.”

He opted to stay in the field and continue the chase for several more hours, but the white tom never appeared until he got up and decided to return to the truck.

“I searched for hours and didn’t hear or see a bird,” Cornett said. “So I decided to get up and walk back to my vehicle. Then I stood up and took a couple of steps, and I saw him strutting across the field, walking right up to me, and he was with nine other birds.”

Stunned by the lucky break, Cornett immediately went into stealth mode. He dropped to the ground, stripped off his backpack, and began to crawl in the direction of the genetic anomaly he’d been chasing off and on for three years.

“I watched it through my binoculars for just a few minutes, and for the next 30 to 40 minutes, I crawled like 30 yards trying to get into position,” he said. “I had to avoid it because I was running out of property to hunt. It was heading in the direction of a neighboring property line.”

Cornett eventually crawled to within 45 yards of the unconscious bird and removed its only shell.

“I had a shot and I just sent it down and said a little prayer,” he said. “He failed once, and I said, ‘Yes!'”

But the long-running saga of Cornett’s once-in-a-lifetime leucistic was not over yet. After it was dropped, the bird jumped high into the air (about 6 feet according to Cornett) and then flew to land just in time for his strutting siblings to attack it.

“All those other toms that were with him went after him,” Cornett said. “They chased him around the field for just a couple of seconds, but it felt like forever to him.”

As Cornett watched from his hidden position, face down on the other side of a nearby wood, the white tom started running in his direction. At the end of his flight of strutting companions, the white bird ended up lying down 10 yards from Cornett’s skin.

“He just runs and lies down and starts coughing and shaking his head. He’s into something real, and there’s a log between me and him the size of your forearm,” Cornett said. “With no weapon and no backpack, he had the ability to be agile, so I just jumped up and jumped that log as fast as I could and took off and started running. I could have taken two steps before he could stand next to him and grab him by the throat.”

Conrett said he then quickly dispatched the injured bird by spinning it around in a cartwheel fashion.

“I don’t want to be vulgar, but I could feel the crack and I knew it was over,” he said. “I knew that the story had finally come to an end.”

The bird weighed approximately 15 pounds, sported an 11.5-inch beard, and had 1¼-inch spurs.

Once the trophy was in hand, Cornett went virtually straight to the local taxidermy shop.

“I pretty much drove right there,” he said. “When I handed it over to the taxidermist, he said, ‘Man, I don’t know if you know what you killed, but I do, and man, this is a special specimen.'”

As a longtime guest on the Netflix series of MeatEater, including an episode featured in Part 2 of Season 10, he has become a huge influence when it comes to small game hunting. That’s why I picked it up to talk about one of my favorite times to hunt cottontail rabbits: late winter and early spring. As you’ll learn, it’s not the easiest of tasks, but it does require a skill set that Kevin believes is slipping away from modern society.

“It takes a bit of effort to get out and wade through the brambles and cut yourself. You have to be able to wield a shotgun and shoot something that’s running,” Kevin told MeatEater. “I grew up with a BB gun in my hand. I would shoot everything: sparrows, mice, rats, you name it. That’s just part of growing up. I graduated with a better air pistol, a .22, and then a shotgun. People don’t have the same skills anymore, but I would like to see more people hunting rabbits.”

Kevin’s desire for more rabbit hunters is due in part to a decline in their habitat, which can be attributed to different land management practices and a lack of demand for small game. But Kevin also thinks it’s a really fun way to spend the “off season.” Deer and duck seasons are over and turkey season is only a few months away, leaving a perfect window to chase rabbits. So with that in mind, here are some tips on how to hunt cottontail rabbits in late winter.

The cottontail ecosystem
Let’s start from the 30,000 foot view. As you navigate Xmaps, there are a few key things to look for. Like any other animal, Cottontail rabbits need shelter, water, and food to maintain a healthy population. But those needs look different for these rabbits than they do for many other mammals.

“You want open cover fields with mature borders, smaller trees and young trees. As for the big trees, you have to stay away from them,” Kevin said. “If you see an old house, junk cars, old barns, or bare foundations, those are always good places.”

Essentially, you are looking for small to medium sized growth bordering open areas for rabbits to feed on grasses and young trees. While tall native grasses are also good habitats for rabbits, Kevin notes that it’s nearly impossible to hunt them effectively, so he avoids those areas entirely. Other key habitats include patches of heather, blackberry bushes, and small, dense thickets.

“If you’re not bleeding, you’re not hunting cottontail at the end of the season,” he said.

Weather can also be a factor in effective cottontail hunting. Right after a snowfall, small game can be much easier to track, and cold temperatures will also cause animals to move. The same goes for light drizzle and fog. If you’re running dogs, Kevin waits until the frost melts because scents can be hard to follow in sub-zero temperatures.

read the sign
Reading rabbit signals can be a great introduction to trail keeping in general because they leave behind key identifying information. While hunting late in the season means you’ll find smarter and more cunning animals, there are also some advantages. Much of the rabbits’ habitat has been knocked over by weather, winds, and predators, meaning they’ll be a little more concentrated in the right areas. But, as Kevin said, “You have to have rabbit signs before you can hunt rabbits.” Here are some things to look for.

Roads: Once you’ve surveyed your surroundings, start looking for small game trails in and out of the brush. They will be especially concentrated around food sources like blackberries and honeysuckle.

Sunshine: Particularly in the cold of late winter, rabbits like to bask on south-facing slopes. If you can find an elevated, sunny area near dense brush, you will probably find a rabbit.

Faeces: Kevin has a good tip for rabbit droppings. There are two kinds. The dark green droppings are fresh. But rabbits are coprophagic, meaning they eat their own feces, so if you come across poop that is a soft, almost white color, it means it has been redigested. It also means that he may have found an excellent location for established rabbit populations.

Fur: Rabbits will shed and scratch their fur against young trees and undergrowth as well, so keep an eye out for loose bits of fur on the ground or clinging to small limbs and rough ends.

bite marks: Rabbits’ large front teeth are constantly growing, so they need to chew on wood and brush them to keep them worn down. Watch for teeth marks, which are often made in small parallel grooves on branches and young trees.

Drive the roads: Areas with high rabbit populations generally go hand in hand with the killing of roadkill and predators. So, if you’re exploring an area, be sure to drive along the roads and look for roadside rabbits, dead or alive. That may mean you are in the right place.

Find Parts: Lastly, Kevin has some key tips for spotting rabbits through the brush. These wary animals have survived so long into the season for a reason: They can be difficult to identify. “Don’t look for a whole rabbit. Look for an eye or an ear. Just a piece of rabbit,” he said. “When you look, try not to visualize a whole rabbit because you won’t see a whole rabbit.”

Take your time (and bring a stick)
Particularly in late-season cottontail hunting, rabbits will have nerves of steel. You could be standing just inches away from them without even knowing it, so slowing down during the hunt is a key strategy.

“Take your time. I’m pretty impatient, that’s why I like dogs,” Kevin said. “I like to cover ground. But now I’m a lot slower and I take my time, which has really helped. game that I put in the back of my hunting bag. I’ll take it out, sit down for a while, rest, watch the dogs and look around. I’ve learned that you have to be patient this time of year.”

If you are hunting with a group, this rule also applies to how you walk through a field or brush. Like heavily hunted upland fowl, rabbits late in the season have learned that their best chance is to sit still, so if you’re going to drive them off, you need to walk in a zig-zag to cover most of the land. Also, bring a stick to stir up clumps of weeds, bushes, and anything else that might be hiding a cotton boll. You can also try an old-fashioned disco.

“If you have two or three friends, it’s better to be in a line and not be apart,” Kevin said. “That way you push the rabbits away and they don’t run after you. You will see them like this. Instead of zigzagging, just line up in a row. If you are going to hunt a field, stay together. Walk, stop and talk, turn around and keep them going. If they can, they’ll slide in behind you if they get that chance.”

X marks the spot
An advantage of hunting rabbits late in the season is that the habitat is reduced. Finding one rabbit can mean finding multiples.

“This time of year is pretty good because they’re starting to come together to breed,” Kevin said. “It’s like fishing, where 10% of your lake will house 90% of your fish. I think it’s the same with rabbits. We have seen it on many public lands. Everything looks the same. But for some reason, there are certain parts that always have rabbits.”

In general, Kevin pointed out that a rabbit’s range is probably no more than 200-300 yards tops, so if you start seeing a few rabbits, there’s a good chance there are more nearby. It’s just a matter of taking your time and working your way through a dense layer.

equipment recommendations
Kevin’s personal choice for cottontail hunting is a 20-gauge shotgun with a slightly larger shot size, maybe size 5 or 6. Some public hunting lands require steel shot. For steel loads, Kevin recommends larger shot sizes, like 3 or 4. In my own personal experience, 7 1/2 shots can be hard to get out of a rabbit, especially if it’s a body shot, so that the biggest loads are the best. But, if you’re a confident shooter, smaller shot sizes will work just fine.

Lastly, practice with moving targets along the ground. Rabbits aren’t necessarily hard to kill, but if you can practice with a tighter pattern and moving targets, you’ll be able to save as much meat as possible by guiding the rabbit around and shooting at its head. The smaller pattern of a 20 gauge or even a .410 will also help, along with a modified choke. Spend some time on the sporting clays course at your local shooting club to practice these trick shots.

A quick safety note
As you hunt, keep an eye out for strange behaviors by whitetail rabbits. While very rare, they can potentially transmit tularemia (also known as “rabbit fever”), an infectious disease that can spread to humans and could be dangerous if not quickly diagnosed and treated.

“My grandfather always told me not to shoot a rabbit sitting down,” Kevin said. He says that he could be sick. Rabbit fever was a big deal when he was growing up and it still exists. You hear about it from time to time.”

Live rabbits infected with tularemia may appear confused, sleepy, and unafraid of your presence. So if a cottontail is too easy to shoot, that could be why. And, if you’re cleaning any rabbits, be sure to wear gloves and wash your hands thoroughly. A liver covered in white spots is an identifier. Again, tularemia is rare, so use common sense and protection and you’ll be fine.

A part of me is hesitant to write this article because rabbit hunting seems to be a hidden gem these days. Once the duck and deer seasons are over, I usually have public land to myself and more than a few rabbits to chase. But, as Kevin pointed out, interest has waned, which means conservation efforts and habitat have also waned. So perhaps the best thing we can do for rabbit hunting is to wave the banner for rabbit hunting. It’s worth a shot.

Regardless, chasing cottontail rabbits will make you a better hunter. You’ll learn how to read signs, take photos as you go, and process meat that may be my favorite wild game meat: buttery, tender, and soft. If you can think of something better to do in the doldrums of February, I can’t wait to hear it.

This ruling means that if wildlife officers want to investigate a potential game violation on private property, they first need a warrant. While many see this as an affirmation of the private property privileges guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, others are concerned that it may hinder enforcement of rules intended to protect public wildlife.

Private owners vs. TWRA
This particular court case began when two landowners sued the TWRA for infringing on their rights under the Tennessee Constitution and the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Terry Rainwaters and Hunter Hollingsworth own 126-acre and 95-acre parcels of land, respectively. Each property is landlocked and can only be accessed via a private driveway marked with a “No Trespassing” sign. Both owners search for their properties with family and friends.

TWRA Officer Kevin Hoofman first entered the Rainwaters property in September 2016 to investigate possible pigeon baiting. He took several photos and returned the next November to investigate possible deer baits. At the time, he set up a US Fish and Wildlife (USFW) trail camera on the property and took footage of Rainwaters and his family and friends on the property as they hunted. While Rainwater was never found guilty of violating the wildlife law, the same cannot be said for Hollingsworth.

Hoofman began investigating the Hollingsworth property in December 2016 and took images of the deer bait. He returned in the fall of 2017 and documented Hollingsworth harassing waterfowl, a state and federal crime. At the time, Hoofman teamed up with USFW Special Agent Kyle Lock to investigate possible federal crimes. After installing USFW tracking cameras on the property and interviewing Hollingsworth, law enforcement officers charged the owner. Hollingsworth was tried and convicted of baiting pigeons in 2018, a federal felony that carried a $3,000 fine and suspension of his hunting privileges for three years.

Both Rainwaters and Hollingsworth say they have a constant sense of anxiety stemming from the fear that TWRA officers or rear cameras are lurking somewhere watching them on their property at any moment. Because Article 1, Section 7 of the Tennessee Constitution protects people from “unreasonable searches and seizures,” the landowners decided to take this matter to court. Although TWRA argued that its actions were justified and lawful, the court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. They were also awarded the $1 they requested as restitution.

“It’s a huge relief that the court recognized that searching my property without permission and without a warrant was unconstitutional,” Rainwaters told the Justice Institute. “It’s even better to hear that the court doesn’t think anyone else in Tennessee should have their rights violated in the same way. I’m going to sleep a little better tonight knowing that state officials have to respect my property rights.”

Warrantless Guardians
In most states, rangers have a unique power in law enforcement. Federally empowered by court precedent and established legal doctrines, they have a greater ability to conduct warrantless searches than police or administrative inspectors. However, many state laws also specifically state that wildlife officers may enter private land without a warrant but with just cause.

The “open ranges” and “naked eyes” doctrines give conservation officers the authority to observe and enter private land that they can see from a highway or public area to stop or document crime. The 1924 US Supreme Court case, Hester v. United States, found that the Fourth Amendment did not protect “open ranges.” In that case, the Supreme Court ruled that there is no reasonable expectation of privacy in open fields, defined as “all open land beyond the boundaries of a house.”

The plain sight doctrine applies when an officer “can detect something by using one or more of his senses.” These observations can occur as pre-intrusive (outside looking onto private land) or post-intrusive (already inside private land). For post-intrusion observations to be lawful, the officer must have justifiably intruded and have probable cause to associate the property with criminal activity.

The article “Fishing for Evidence: The Broad Warrantless Search Powers of Game and Fish Wardens” published by Hastings Quarterly Review of Constitutional Law, delves into the complexities of this power.

“While this combination gives wardens greater ability to conduct warrantless searches than police or administrative inspectors, it may also erode constitutional protections for individuals subject to warden searches,” wrote author Michael O’ Connor. “The result is a constitutional dilemma: a tension between the individual’s right to privacy and the state’s interest in enforcing the law and protecting the environment.”

The two state code provisions, 70-1-305(1) and (7), which the Tennessee court found unconstitutional authorize the search of constitutionally protected property by TWRA agents. The court found these provisions to be “unreasonable” and “dangerous to liberty” and therefore in direct violation of Article I, Section 7 of the Tennessee Constitution.

Who is looking after your wildlife?
This court case vividly depicts that tension between law enforcement and private property rights. A landowner violated federal wildlife law and probably wouldn’t have been caught if the officer hadn’t placed a trail camera on his property. So do our state and federal governments need laws that allow officers to enter constitutionally protected private land without a warrant?

“We wouldn’t need any of these laws if people acted within the regulations established through biological science,” said Ryan Callaghan, director of conservation for MeatEater and host of the Cal’s Week in Review podcast. “Unfortunately, some people are more likely to behave if they think a conservation officer might be watching and won’t be hampered by a private property sign.”

Still, many hunters in Tennessee and elsewhere wonder what the functional consequences of this changing legal understanding will be. Richard Simms, a former TWRA employee and current outdoor writer, detailed some what-if scenarios of what could now happen in Tennessee at Chattanooga’s. Channel 9 News:

“An officer receives an anonymous phone call that someone is illegally hunting deer,” Simms said. “It’s 1am and the judges are fast asleep, plus an anonymous phone call would never reach the threshold for a search warrant, even if it could be applied for in a timely manner. The officer is heading to the remote area on a public road. In the distance, he or she sees a spotlight streak across a green field and focus on a large deer. A high-powered rifle shot splits the night and money falls. However, the only way the officer can get to the area quickly is through a private farm road where the officer is now prohibited from going. She sits and watches through binoculars as tiny figures load the dollar onto the truck and disappear from view at the opposite end of the field.”

Simms shows that this new ruling will also affect the application of fishing regulations.

“An officer is out on boat patrol on Lake Nickajack,” Simms suggested next. “The officer watches through binoculars as a man fishing off shore catches multiple largemouth bass, most of them smaller than the legal limit of 15 inches. Each fish goes into a cooler. However, the officer is prohibited from setting foot on private land to enforce the law. Most likely, by the time he was able to get a search warrant, the illegal catch would be cleaned and eaten.”

While Simms wrote these scenarios hypothetically, he urged readers to understand that they are not entirely hypothetical: Similar scenarios play out in Tennessee every day.

“I don’t think this will affect wildlife management per se, but I can see how this will affect conservation officers’ ability to collect urgent evidence,” Callaghan added. “The legal system will have to adapt and issue court orders in a more timely manner.”

Because 86% of Tennessee’s land is private, the state’s methods of granting guarantees will undoubtedly need adjustment. It has not yet been determined how they will approach this new form of management.

“This case is a great example of why wildlife management is not easy,” Callaghan concluded. “The American model is extraordinary in that the game is owned by the people and the state manages it in trust, but the game knows no boundaries of ownership. How do we equitably protect the public ‘property’ that moves daily across public and private borders?”