Alaska Fish & Wildlife News
November 2005

Shocking Bears
Electric Fences for Bear-Country Campers

By Riley Woodford

Wildlife biologist Tim Peltier didn't see the brown bear sneaking up on his campsite. He just heard a loud “pop,” and when he turned, the bear was running away.

Peltier was working in Hallo Bay in Katmai National Park. He and his campmates were cooking dinner when the bear approached them from behind. Fortunately, they had surrounded their camp with an electric fence, powered by a 12-volt car battery and a solar charger.

“She contacted the fence,” he said. “And it worked.”

Livestock-style ...   Bear Fences ArticleContinued

Amazing Antlers:
Fast-growing Bone a Seasonal Phenomena

By Mary Kay Salwey

Many deer hunters and wildlife watchers eagerly search the woods in winter and early spring for sheds, the discarded antler racks from buck deer. People sometimes call these horns, but these are antlers, not horns.

Antlers are temporary projections of bone grown and shed each year. Though the bone looks quite solid, it has a honeycombed structure at the microscopic level. Antlers arise from a pair of pedicels, knobby, skin-covered nubs atop the buck's skull. The pedicles are the “buttons” ...   All About Antlers ArticleContinued

A Human Element in the Bureaucratic Process

By Nancy Long

Boards Support is not something you find at the lumber yard or in a hardware store, although it works in much the same way; upholding and supporting the board, and often going unseen.

In Alaska we frequently read and hear about the Board of Game or Board of Fisheries, the two groups responsible for adopting fish and wildlife regulations. The boards are supported administratively by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) but function independently. The boards meet several times ...   Boards Support ArticleContinued

Editorial: Tough Love

By Wayne Regelin

In Alaska, it is not uncommon to see a moose calf wandering around without its mother. Sometimes, the cow is just a few feet away hiding in the brush. Other times, she is nowhere to be found. When Alaskans see any lone, young or injured animal, it tugs at their heart strings. Their immediate and instinctive reaction is to call the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to ask them to rescue or save the animal, which, they argue, would not likely be able to survive on its own.


In a ...   Tough Love ArticleContinued

Recipe: DUCK AND MUSHROOMS

By from the ADF&G cookbook

ducks, quartered
4 T. butter
1 can beer
1 C. small, whole mushrooms
1/4 C. green onion, sliced
2 bay leaves
2 T. cornstarch
parsley, snipped
wild rice
½ t. salt
pepper

Brown ducks in 2 T. butter in a Dutch oven. Drain off excess fat. Stir in beer, mushrooms, green onions, bay leaves, 1/2 t. salt and a dash pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours until tender. Remove duck and discard bay leaves. Measure pan juices and add additional ...   Duck and Mushrooms ArticleContinued