Outdoors Maryland; 902

Coming up it's a chase through field and forest for a happy pack of pups a brushless rabbit and the Charmed company of farmers and the call of the Wild Turkey is a fanatical one for calm of large lovers of an exhilarating hunt for Maryland gobblers. Next. Outdoors Maryland is produced in cooperation with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources via an art inspired by nature. Let's get that right.

Here you gently tell me. What I'm. Hearing you say. It's a rainy winter morning in mid-January along the banks of the Chesapeake Bay area and the hills bridges green hills from southern Maryland are on the move. The ground is soft and muddy difficult terrain for the spectators who follow behind the pack. Yeah ok my. Hurry. Bring your. Heavy fog and mist make it difficult to see too far ahead. Wait wait wait. The hounds are anxious to pick up the first scent of their quarry. The cotton tail rabbit right. The huntsman Mickey had this one of the younger women beagle masters in the country keeps them in check

mine. Hurry up hurry up hurry up. Each year the hills bridge big goes for Maryland win awards at the national field trials in Virginia for their keen noses and their ability to drag rabbits that are one of the better beagle packs in the country. As a result making this has developed a strong following within the big Ling community. No matter what the weather people come out each weekend to see how she works with her dog. Within minutes of reaching the woods the Beagles are on the trail of a rabbit and Mickey Addison springs into action. Charles Smith is an old hand at the sport of big bling. Well right down they just jump a

rabbit back here in a little piece of copper between the road in the field. I saw him run down the road maybe 20 feet in front of him. There was a slight chase. People lost him momentarily and they're picking him up right now they're coming back up this way and he's going back to where we jumping. We get back up here we're likely to get with him again to make a see the rabbit. I think. This would have big wingers been around for centuries a tradition passed down from one generation of country gentry to the next. First in England where it began and then later in this country the sport is nothing more in essence than giving chase to a rabbit. But the ritual is important the huntsman's assistance for instance like Charles Smith or call who present their job is to help keep the homes together and try to spot the rabbit.

The rabbits basically made a circle he's come back to where we jumped it we were within 150 feet right now where you get to people have seen him at least in and noted that by saying Tally ho and that indicate that game it's been cited. The sport has its own unique vocabulary. The Beatles don't mark for instance they speak to the rabbit. The huntsman in turn speaks to the how. Even the horn helps direct the dogs and cheer them on. And they listen to the calls I make. I make calls that say where I'm going if I'm changing direction whether I want them to stay with me whether I want to just spread out whether it's the end of the day. Despite the enthusiasm for the chase the last thing these big losers want is actually to catch the rabbit. It's definitely not if you don't support it lots of kids people of all ages they come out with us and what it

is it's an excuse to get out in the countryside. We're invited by landowners throughout Charles Prince George's Calvert and St. Mary's County and enjoy the countryside. If we have a good run on a rabbit of an hour an hour and half. Nobody wants anything to happen that Bonnie. We want that money to have more bodies. This would then involved in big Ling is observing the hounds track the quarry knowing that the wily rabbit will usually evade capture. It's unusual to catch one. It's a matter of chasing and there are any number of places that they can go first of all they can rely on their speed and their wits and and pull the hounds otherwise they'll run down in a hole. The whole country is just covered with ground all called and they're easy. Easy for them to escape. OK what somebody needs to go get. My Mustang. On this rainy day this scent is

good. Moisture helps to trap the animal sound and keep it in the air and so the beagles have found the trails of several right. Well that's right it would run out that little extra would stay upright by the way and he's going into a hole. It's gone in a hole and escape at the object of the case is to account for the rabbit either by catching him or by going. To account for the rabbit that Manges successful chase. Mickey hadis is pleased with her hounds. I'd say to them for me exceptionally well it's a fairly good sounding day but since you're so young that gets them very excited so I don't know if you're noticing they're hopping down looking rather keen so the puppies are. Having a good day.

The morning air is brisk and cold as the hills bridge big players head out for another day of rabbit chasing. This time along the Patuxent River. When do you go round that way. That. Ought to be a pretty good day. We've just been here in this little finger that comes out from the swamp. It goes down to the Patuxent. It sounds as though they found a rabbit already. But it's the side of a rabbit that really gets the big news excited. Suddenly the rabbit was there. We just give you the rabbit here come hounds on it right now. They're coming up through here he squashed me down through the. Honeys going over into the muck and that's me. In this case the dogs not only spoke to the rabbit but they were able to trace the quarry into a

hole. Yeah that's one of the hole. In the leg would you be glad they've accounted for the rabbit. The fun part for me is the communication I have with my hands and the challenge each day when you go out how weather center is going to be good or bad and I love going to all the different farms were able to go to. This was pleased with the performance of her young house. Yeah I don't I don't do well with people with dogs I'm fine right. Yeah so are you donut. Apparently the beauty of it for me is getting outside being outside and sharing that with my hands. That's the beauty. I'm out in the rain in the sauna snow. I'm out some of the beautiful days each year and that's what I try to hang out with mine. It's a fixation for son nearly an obsession for others

among hunters. The turkey as Corey can't be matched. Creeping into the woods before daybreak decked out in full camouflage. The turkey hunters job is to outsmart the bird with calls. Carefully listening for reply. And their willingness to turn heel and quickly march toward the new mark and a new mark. The turkey reigns as supreme fall in Maryland's forests. Still it's not uncommon to go a whole day without even seeing a turkey. What pushes turkey hunters on. Doug Winfield a wildlife biologist for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources has been hunting Turkey for 35 years. It's not necessarily the gobbler. But it's the gobble and that really is what it is.

Oh just 21. We can go out on a morning and we may never even see that bird. But if we can hear that gobble off in the distance. There. Yeah. A four way yes. It's the excitement that that gobble. And seeing that bird come in arouses in me just. Sort of again. So. Yeah. It's a tough one. Yeah. I just checked. Mike's lottery. The DNR is director of wildlife and heritage. Another element the first time that sets it apart is the length of time that you're in contact with the Lhari either visually or audibly and

be very long and so the adrenaline pumps and and the excitement flows for a very attractive period of time. And from right now with probably a lot of stuff somewhere in this area. And put the decoys out on this road so they can see him from here and here. We could sit on this side of me that way we can see anything coming from down there. It's just. A. Wild turkey so cautious words carefully learn techniques of calling and patience are required to bring them into sight.

Their eyesight is tremendous. They can stand in one position and see about 300 degrees around them without moving so they have a tremendous eyesight their hearing is also very acute. I know that in hunting them all these years and with calling that a bird can be 200 or 300 yards off and I can I can to listen to a yelp or a clock or something like that and and actually watch or find that bird come in looking right directly at me although being in a in a blind or or camouflaged bird can come right in and has the propensity to be able to pinpoint where that sound is coming from. During the spring turkey hunting season Woodfield agreed to guide and slaughter

Slattery has yet to bag a gobbler after four seasons of hunting. They hunt together on three different days on their first outing. The opening day of the season they run across a gobbler. Yes. Well we we got all of that and of course cold with no trusty box call and we heard a gobble right away. And of course it was behind us though we all scrambled. Say. Oh.

This. Judge the distance be about between 30 and 35 yards would be appropriate and I fired the trigger and I saw the bird scramble and and then unfortunately fly away. Doug looked over at me with kind of a sad smile on his face.

They searched but could not find the bird. Was he fatally wounded. Our Slattery only knocked away a few feathers. I was surprised to see him you know his way it looked when I shot it looked like he was so right. Lots of times and then No no he didn't squat and then go OK when I shot. His wings went completely backwards like that. Oh. Anything. He was right with that. I'm pretty sure he was right with that little. Green is leaf and out right. Then he returned to the place from which lottery fired to get their bearings when it seemed like a shot of 30 to 35 yards was in reality a shot of about 45 yards was a little bit taken that shot. I did definitely misjudged the distance and you know what hit thing but that's what happens. And upon further inspection of course we then had a responsibility to search diligently to make sure that we had left the bird in good shape.

The Gobbler escaped without great harm. Slaughter is philosophical about his role as Hunter. I consider I think of any time that sort of interaction with wild animals to a great responsibility and ultimate responsibility and conduct myself honorably to treat animals that I am hunting with. What I would consider to be dignity and respect is a tremendous responsibility. I don't take it lightly. Not for a moment. And strength to take on a mysterious and ever changing by nature often dismissed as mere back waters to the ocean. These calmer lagoons nourished their own unique ecosystems they were highly sensitive and responsive to change.

The Rise and Fall of major species can depend upon a seemingly random confluence of events both natural and manmade. There's one rule of thumb for research in coastal days Expect the unexpected. Just ask these scientists with the Department of Natural Resources. With assistance from the National Marine Fisheries Service. They've launched a multi-year study of scallops in Chincoteague Bay. It's a dynamic mix of peculiar shellfish and a quirky environment. Michell to now ski as a shellfish biologist for the project. Scallops are unusual for a number of reasons they have eyes. They have locomotion and that they swim about and they also are hermaphrodites. They have both male and female sex organs at the same time. These particular scallops are remarkable for one reason more they are thriving in take ballet where scallops have been extinct for 70 years.

The scallops were planted in the bay in an effort to discover whether conditions are ripe for the shellfish to re-establish and scientists have chosen a protected cove for their experiment across the bay near pyrite islands. All right we're going to be heading over across from Johnson Bay across to take to it a cove called Green Run Bay This used to be an old inlet here back in the 1870s and that's why it's a deeper channel through here. The scallop pens are down right off acetate Island where it's well sheltered. This area of Maryland only supported by the large population. We find. Very old now and still throughout the day. Dr. Mark Homer is principal. Investigator for the project. Years ago based Gallup disappeared I think that.

Several of the. Current that caused the bay scallop the most important one was the disappearance of the aquatic vegetation beds because of the disease in the decades since over the tide has turned again in Chincoteague Bay stabilization of the Ocean City in lead in the 1930s and more recently returned to sea grasses have restored near perfect conditions for scallops here. By the mid 1990s scientists were wondering why haven't scallops returned to these native waters with the demise of the oyster ever called the bays and collapse the white clam population. It's important or either nature or or government or major bivalve think and that's what we hope to be able to do for now the planet scalloped so protected in pens from voracious predators like the blue crab.

Each pen sequesters a different generation of stock scallops. After the scallops grow for a time the scientists harvest small samples from each pan by suction branch for study of growth and reproduction. Key indicators of long term viability. We've had extremely high survivorship these gallops up north they occasionally lose as much as 90 to 95 percent of the scallops over the winter. We've been averaging about a 20 percent we're dealing primarily because we've had very mild winters with these scallops from the oldest Pan are hardy survivors of the original half million planted in 1997. The surprise of the longevity is topped only by their amazing fertility. The scallops are kind of unusual because they have actually spawned what a third time. Formally they they spawn once or maybe twice and a couple of seasons. And here they are about this one. But if there are time

which is unprecedented. Sex the sample scholarships for study at the Oxford dissecting out the go Ned right now. Scallops are home Aphrodite's they have both male and female sex organs simultaneously. They're both contained within this little appendage here. It's it goes back to the laboratory where they cut it into very thin sections and examine it under a microscope. They can tell what stage of the reproductive cycle the scallops are in. This will help us determine whether they can reproduce in the bay or not. And that's the whole premise of this project was to see if they can establish a self-sustaining population of scallops. And they have to do it on their own. The next batch of samples has been harvested from a more recent stock.

These are some of the scallops we have planted in the fall of 1998. And have a our geriatric scallops here from the 1907 you can see the difference in size. Hopefully these guys will get to that size if not larger maximum size for scallops would be about three and a half inches. When you see the scallops hopping around or swimming around they're actually using jet propulsion. They're squirting water through their valves Jette themselves around it. It's an escape response from predators or from unfavorable environmental conditions like at the bottom so to still think one of the ways scalloped sense their environment is through rings of pearly blue eyes along the top and bottom shelves. The ISO is an extension of an organic sensory organ

scallop called the mantle which also has those tentacles there. It allows the scallop to detect light chemical and tactile stimuli. In addition the mantle responsible for shell production. And. The scientists are also called evading a stock of so-called wild scholars collected by climbing boats from Southern Chincoteague Bay a place in fact where no scallop should be. Discovery of this natural run again some species in the bay was another of the surprises so the research. Requiring nimble adaptations to the original reply. When we were planning this project. There were no scallops and things that we introduced in northern Berry on the radio and the radio and ironic twist clamorous have been finding scallops out in the

wild in the southern part of the UK. They're clearly different from ours. They're there of the Southern variety. Concentric there. From where. The scientists are exploiting the apparent natural recurrence of my planting the wild scallops they collect in pans near the northern variety they have already planted the idea. See if the two will hybridise or intermingle since they're both at the extremes of their range they might produce an animal that's more fit for this area than either one of zone the protected pens will be torn down and all of bay scallops will be on their own. So far they rebounded with exuberant and creative resilience. Although the future of scallops and Chincoteague Bay remains shrouded in mystery there is good reason for hope. Yeah.

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