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Bob Zink

Are snowy owls in trouble? It’s a topic wide open to debate

Featured, Home Page News, Minnesota, Nature Page & Night Sky /

I remember clearly my first encounter with a snowy owl. I was driving in western Minnesota, in Pope County, looking for winter birds, when I noticed a white object sitting on top of a light pole. My heart raced as I got closer and realized it was, in fact, a snowy owl. 
It was obliging and stayed on the pole while I approached and took photos of it, which I still have (somewhere, in a box …). Snowies are pretty tame, because where they spend most of the year, they don’t see many people.

Are snowy owls in trouble? It’s a topic wide open to debate Read More »

Do geese get scared? The Swedes aimed to find out

Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, Minnesota, National Hunting, National News, Nature Page & Night Sky, News /

Throughout much of their ranges, different species of geese cause agricultural damage. For example, an older figure for the western United States noted that crop farms lose as much as $30,000 annually to geese. A Canadian researcher concluded that prairie-wide losses due to waterfowl ranged up to $10 million annually.

Do geese get scared? The Swedes aimed to find out Read More »

Forensics, law officers, and teamwork work together to nab poachers

Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, Minnesota, National Hunting, National News, News /

The use of DNA to identify individuals has been a mainstay in the legal system for a couple of decades. The advantage is clear: DNA is not affected by people’s perceptions, judgment, and instead is mostly unambiguous. In contrast, even eyewitness testimony can be wrong. 
Below I recount a personal experience from well over a decade ago in which my forensics laboratory helped catch wildlife violators from a distance.

Forensics, law officers, and teamwork work together to nab poachers Read More »

Deer, you, and COVID-19; what’s the connection?

Featured, Hunting, Minnesota, National Hunting, National News, News /

Concern about the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, or SARS-Cov-2, pandemic has waned and doesn’t garner as much media attention as it did when it emerged. However, COVID-19 (shorthand) the virus is still present and actively mutating, creating new strains that merit watching.

Furthermore, it has been confirmed that the virus is found in white-tailed deer. This obviously presents some issues, given the frequency with which we hunters consume venison.

Deer, you, and COVID-19; what’s the connection? Read More »

For those hunting and exploring in snake country, is the fear of being bit really justified?

Featured, Features, Home Page News, Hunting, Minnesota, National Hunting /

Going hunting or hiking in a state with venomous snakes? Read on.
Some evidence suggests that we’re born with a fear of snakes. Personally, I have gone both ways. I once kept snakes as a teen, which mostly ended when my large garter snake (note, they are not “gardner” snakes) escaped its cage and lived somewhere in our house for a couple of weeks. This sent my mother into a snake-fearing frenzy in which every step she took was preceded by careful inspection of where her foot would land.

For those hunting and exploring in snake country, is the fear of being bit really justified? Read More »

Bob Zink: PETA meets the Dunning-Kruger zone

Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, Minnesota, National Hunting, Opinion /

I admit to being a bit behind regarding my grasp of PETA.
The last thing I remember was that we all chuckled when we heard that in 1995, Michael Doughney registered the domain peta.org as “People Eating Tasty Animals.” Alas, in 1996 Doughney was sued by the extremist organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and ultimately was forced to surrender the domain. However, once you’ve heard that PETA stands for people eating tasty animals, you can’t unhear it, so there’s that, at least. It’s still what I think of, almost 30 years later.

Bob Zink: PETA meets the Dunning-Kruger zone Read More »

What do estimates of bird populations tell us about these species?

Featured, Home Page News, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nature Page & Night Sky, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin /

How many birds are there, anyway?
If you wonder about the number of birds of a given species, you can access some remarkable current data here. It’s a joint effort between Partners in Flight and the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies.
You’ll learn that the American robin is apparently by far the most common bird in the United States and Canada, with an estimate of 370 million, followed in second place by the blue-gray gnatcatcher and chipping sparrow, both at 230 million.

What do estimates of bird populations tell us about these species? Read More »

Bob Zink: Post-party illnesses a reminder of how to cook bear meat

Featured, Features, Home Page News, Hunting, Minnesota, National Hunting /

I have friends who have varying degrees of meat aversion. One will eat fish, but no other meat. One has a pet pig and will eat nothing with pork in it. Another is a “locavore.” Some are strictly vegetarians, and I know a couple of vegans. And then there is part of my immediate family whose reaction to game meat is “ish.” No hope for them.

Bob Zink: Post-party illnesses a reminder of how to cook bear meat Read More »

Scientific abstract scrutinizes two human deaths, but there’s no evidence CWD has jumped species barrier

Featured, Featured, Featured, Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, National Hunting, National News, New York, News, News, News, News, News, News, News, News, News, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin /

In Minnesota and beyond, resource agencies across the country are managing elk and deer populations infected with chronic wasting disease.

Scientific abstract scrutinizes two human deaths, but there’s no evidence CWD has jumped species barrier Read More »

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