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Hunting is a form of survival to sustain the needs of someone may it be for nourishment, for entertainment or for trade. People in the early times, did hunting as a way of living since food was not as easy as buying in the market like what we have right now. The search for animals in the wilds was the common way to eat hearty meals with a simple use of bows and arrows or even spears.

As the early Homo sapiens were known to be great hunters, we also have creatures that have a keen eye for this task. We call them birds. They own the air and the atmosphere. No other creature could fly better than they could as they were built with wings to reach places for survival. They are the hunters that thrive in the wind and devour creatures of the land. In addition, sometimes, they are the common victims of extinction because of the unruly use of hunting for sport. Let us know some of them and small bits of information about them.

The falcon

They are the birds from the kingdom Animalia that belongs to the family of Falconidae. These birds of prey have the gift alertness, as their vision is more than normal. It is easy for them to spot their prey and seize them. They are also built for speed as they have broad wings. This also gives them the ability of changing direction as easy as 1-2-3. You see these species in the logo of the Atlanta Falcons. Aside from that, one of their species (Peregrines) is now listed as one of the endangered species.

The Eagle and Hawks

They are birds of prey from the same kingdom mentioned above but this time belongs to the family of Accipitridae. Eagles are big in terms of size and wings. They have great color combination and their trademark is their white tail. Despite the dominant color on their body, their tail is always white when they reach adulthood. Female species are normally bigger than males. On the other hands, hawks are also strong birds and are much known for their alertness. They were also known to be one of the most intelligent birds based on their Avian IQ test results. The American Bald eagle is one of the endangered species. Hawks are the used as part of the logos of Atlanta basketball team.

Owls

These are birds of prey that thrive at night. As they say, they are nocturnal. They have great visions and they fly silently. They have big eyes and keen hearing senses that allows them to accurately locate even the faintest sound of their prey. They do not even have to turn their head to see where their prey is located. They also have powerful claws that are used to capture their prey. Owls were mail carriers in the movie Harry Potter.

Because of their powerful and cunning skills in attacking, their prey fears them. Because of this, they are commonly used to be parts of logos of various team sports (like Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles). However, despite of their greatness, still we need to help preserve them.

A first-time hunter should be ready for anything. The first step to prepare for your first hunt is to ensure you have the right equipment, clothing and gear that you will need. The last thing you want is to forget a crucial necessity, but you don’t want to be lugging around superfluous items either.

Equipment

You will need your own rifle, whichever make and size suits you best and is appropriate for the kind of animal you are targeting. Telescopic sights will also come in handy, depending on your prey and method of hunting. A sharp, heavy hunting knife is essential on a hunt. It can be useful for other work duty functions, depending on your choice of knife. The best blade for the occasional hunter would be a clip point knife, which is utilitarian enough for hunting, skinning and other field cleaning tasks, but also useful for other normal duties.

Clothing

Bring a sweater, hunting jacket, heavy socks and gloves, a wool cap and good footwear. Hunts often occur in the early morning or late evening, when the animals are most active and feeding, and these times of day can be chilly. Plastic ponchos make too much noise in movement and the material can be shiny and bright so bring a rain suit or jacket instead.

Personal Items

A flashlight will come in handy in the dark. Make sure you check the batteries. Binoculars are also advisable, to help spot prey or other wildlife. Hunting can be a tedious, quiet activity if your prey doesn’t materialise, so bring along a good book or a journal to write in. Insect repellent will come in useful; however some hunters prefer to use a head net as prey may scent repellent. Water, hot drinks, snacks, medication, a first aid kit and personal toiletries will make your hunt more comfortable. Don’t forget your camera!

Gear

To store all of this, you will need a duffle bag that is water repellent, a soft gun case for your weapon and a few boxes of ammo. If you intend to bring cuts of your game home, pack meat bags and an extra duffle bag to store them in. Alternatively you can bring a cooler to keep the meat fresh. You will also have to bring along both your weapon and hunting licenses. For your own safety and navigation, bring along a digital GPS or compass.

Before heading for the woods to pursue a prize deer or elk, it is important to become familiar with a contagious neurological disease that may affect the animals you are tracking. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) attacks small portions of the deer and elk population found in various states within the U.S. Once an animal becomes infected with the disease, the brain suffers a distinctive spongy deterioration. As a result, infected animals suffer an assortment of symptoms, including the loss of their bodily functions.

Scientists and hunters have been aware of Chronic Wasting Disease for more than 30 years, as it has been known to strike free-ranging populations of mule deer in the past. Today, only four species belonging to the family Cervidae have shown a natural susceptibility to the disease. They are the mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and moose (Alces alces). The exact origin of the disease is unknown and researchers may never learn how and when CWD first made its mark.

CWD-Infected Regions

It was a quite a long time before researchers learned that the disease stretched beyond their previous belief that CWD only affected wild animals in small locations about northeastern Colorado, southwestern Nebraska, and southeastern Wyoming. To date, Chronic Wasting Disease is now found in wild deer roaming about northern Illinois, central New Mexico, Kansas, Saskatchewan, southern Wisconsin, central New York, West Virginia, and Utah. Moose in Colorado have also tested positive for the disease.

Additionally, commercial gaming farms located in Colorado, New York, Kansas, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Montana, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Minnesota, Saskatchewan, and Alberta have also produced CWD-infected animals.

How to Pinpoint Chronic Wasting Disease

One of the most glaring symptoms of deer and elk infected with the disease is the loss of body condition. Significant changes in behavior also arise. Infected animals may walk in a repetitive manner; display lowered head and ears; may illustrate a wide-based stance or showcase subtle ataxia (uncoordinated muscle movement); and exhibit slight head tremors. Infected deer usually dwell about water sources or riparian regions (wetlands, woodlands, and grasslands with surface water).

Despite their dwindling appearance, infected animals still continue to eat, but consume smaller amounts of food. As they near the terminal stage of the disease, they will drink a lot of water, frequently urinate, excessively drool, and salivate, which often causes the hairs located on their chin and neck to appear wet. Once clinical disease sets in, death is an inevitable outcome.

Tips for Hunters

Public health and wildlife officials do not discourage hunting in regions where deer and elk may have been exposed to CWD, yet stress the importance of exercising caution. This includes:

- Wearing latex or rubber gloves when field dressing a catch.

- Avoiding the shooting, handling, or consumption of any animal that looks sick or is acting out of the ordinary. For instance, a healthy elk will not come in close contact with a human.

- Do not saw through the bone of an elk or deer instead bone out the meat of the animal. Make sure to avoid cutting into the brain or backbone (spinal cord).

- Exercise minimal handling of the spinal tissues and brain.

- After completing the field dressing process, always wash your hands and equipment.

- To avoid consuming infected meat, make sure to stay away from the following parts of the animal: spleen, eyes, brain, spinal cord, tonsils, and lymph nodes. To remove remaining lymph nodes that may carry the disease, make sure to cut away all fatty tissue.

- If you rely on commercially processed deer or elk, make sure that your animal is processed on an individual basis to avoid the addition of contaminated meat from other animals.

- When an animal tests positive for CWD, properly discard the meat.

To make sure that an animal you have killed is not infected with Chronic Wasting Disease, testing of tissues is highly recommended. The initial step of testing involves screening (named ELISA), which quickly detects abnormal proteins in animal tissue that takes between four to six hours for results. If abnormal protein is detected, another test known as the immunohistochemistry (IHC) process is conducted, which usually analyzes tissue samples taken from the brain, tonsils, and lymph nodes of an animal.

Following the above tips are suggested in order to successfully avoid the rare possibility that a neurological disease may develop as a result. To date, not enough evidence has surfaced to prove that CWD-infected meat possesses fatal consequences.

Bird hunting has become a very popular hunting pastime. While some hunters like the element of hunting over water for birds such as ducks and geese, many more prefer what is know as upland bird hunting. The upland birds are those such as pheasant, grouse, quail, and partridge that live exclusively on land. This can be much easier for many hunters in a few different ways.

For the hunter who prefers to hunt waterfowl, his biggest investment, other than perhaps his dog, is buying a boat. While some hunters walk the peripheries of ponds or flooded areas, the best way to bag a trophy is heading to the bird’s territory; the water. While many hunters prefer using a boat and enjoy being on the water, many more do not. Especially for the newcomer who isn’t sure what he prefers yet, buying a boat right out of the gate can be an expensive investment he may not even use. The upland bird, however, stays exclusively on the land hiding in underbrush and thickets in the forest or prairie. The hunter needs to scare the bird from its hiding place so he can get a shot at it.

Another element of the waterfowl hunt is the dog. When hunting from a boat and downing birds, your trophy will always fall into the water, so using a bird dog is almost necessary to retrieve it. However, the upland bird hunter can get away without the use of a dog. A well-trained dog can, however, add a priceless element to any hunt by tracking down the bird for you. The upland bird dog is trained for a great sense of smell and keen eyesight so not only can he see where your bird fell, but will be able to track it if it’s only wounded. Another great asset will be the dog’s ability to flush the bird out of it’s hiding place. He’ll be able to detect any movement and alert the hunter to a bird’s presence.

If keeping dry while hunting sounds like something for you, then upland bird hunting is the perfect choice. Other than a weapon and hunting apparel, a hunter has little investment to make into his sport, and it offers just as much of a challenge as waterfowl. Many of the popular states for upland hunting are in the northern regions such as South Dakota, and it is also popular in the United Kingdom.

While there are any number of hunting accessories that a raccoon hunter may say is the most essential to a hunting trip, because raccoons are nocturnal, seeing them is the most important thing. For this reason the most important raccoon hunting supply is a light source of some sort. The hunter has a few options, some better than others, though really it comes down to his personal preference.

Because the raccoon is nocturnal it can make for a very frustrating, and sometimes dangerous hunting situation. Not only will the light allow the hunter to see when walking through the woods, it will help him spot raccoons because their eyes reflect the light.

Many people think choosing a light source for raccoon hunting is simple enough, a flashlight does the trick. But this isn’t always the best option for every hunter; carrying around a flashlight, and a gun, and any other necessary supplies, such as leashes for your coon dogs, can be cumbersome and impractical. While it is nice to have control of where exactly the light beam hits, all in all it’s more of a pain than it’s worth.

Another option innovative raccoon hunters have found is to mount a light on their gun. This is a great option because the hunter’s hands are free with the light beam still heading in the general direction as the hunter walks, yet this can also be a huge safety concern when hunting with a party. Most other hunters will not appreciate a gun being waved around in every direction.

The best option the raccoon hunter has found for a hands free light is the light mounted on a hat. While it may not make a good fashion statement, the beam will be exactly were the hunter needs it be, and he’ll have his hands free to do other things. The downside to this option is that it is slightly more expensive than the other lighting options; for the part-time raccoon hunter hauling a flashlight may work best, but for a hunter spending any real time in the woods searching for coons, the mounted hat light will be the best option hands down. While there are other supplies that will be necessary for raccoon hunting, this one is the most important, not only for safety reasons, but because a hunter must be able to see his quarry in order to bag it.