Wildlife Wall Decor

The bear is one of the most respected creatures in the animal kingdom representing both ferocity and nobility.  In addition, the United States is home to a number of the world’s bear species, including the North American Grizzly which remains one of the few truly wild creatures left in the world.  In fact, Grizzly attacks are common in certain wildlife refuges in the United States, and hikers, backpackers, and campers are encouraged to carry animal pepper spray.  Despite the Grizzly’s rough demeanor, it is a gentle creature that fiercely protects its young, illustrating the animal’s nobility. 

The Grizzly bear as well as several other species are celebrated in North America, with bear decor, bear apparel, and bear figurines quite common and desired by children and adults. 

In your travels for hunting and fishing in the timbered hills, lakes, and streams of Arkansas, be sure to visit Eureka Springs.  There’s a quick preview of Eureka Springs in the December 2008 issue of Southern Living magazine, on pages 37 and 38.  The city is full of charm, history, and elegance, and is located just one hour south of Branson, Missouri.

The hunters and fishermen can shop the largest Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, MO, just 1/2 hour north of Branson.   While the husbands hunt or fish, their wives can take in the shows at Branson or do their shopping in Eureka Springs.

It was a joy to read about all the unique species of wild turkeys roaming the East and Southern states of the USA.  The article I’m referring to is pages 98 - 101 in December/January 2009 Outdoor Life Magazine.  The article mentions that in Florida alone, there is estimated between 80,000 and 100,000 turkeys.  In the last seven years, my wife and I have traveled almost every State and visited many of the national forests, and we have never spotted wild turkeys, although I have heard them in the trees.

On the other hand, while traveling north of Spokane, Washington, in spring of 1999, near the Colville National Forest on Highway 395, traffic was stalled for nearly twenty minutes while a flock of 22 wild turkeys drifted across the highway.  Travelers were fascinated with the wild birds’ lazy behavior and vocal chatter.  It was a royal event as we watched them stroll and fly to shelter.

In addition, I marveled at the respect travelers showed towards the preservation of wildlife in this area, a rare and unusual sighting, indeed. 

Should you have an IRA and are approaching 70 years old, you might want to read Ducks Unlimited, November 2008, page 29.  DU has an article that explains tax benefits for US citizens 70 1/2 years and older.    “At age 70 1/2 years, you must begin taking distributions from your IRA whether or not you need this additional income stream.” 

For relief, Congress has approved a gift method using your IRA.

The value of the increased distributions can be used as a donation.  For example, Ducks Unlimited can use the gift toward waterfowl conservation and the donor avoids an additional tax burden from these distributions. 

Check it out!  . . . And support the sport of hunting wild ducks and geese.

Last year my wife and I took the Royal Carribean Cruise to Alaska.  Returning to the Port of Seattle, we stopped at Victoria BC and visited Butchart Gardens.  On the way there, we stopped at the Butterfly Gardens.  Both experiences were memorable.  Both were especially colorful and unique in their environmental creativity to present nature’s flowers, plants, and landscapes. The gardens provide natural foods and fresh water for many species of Butterflies, Hummingbirds, and other winged creatures.  There were plenty of opportunities to purchase wall art for interior decor as a reminder of our spectacular trip.

Brett Favre is not only a champion football quarterback, but he is also a lover of animals.  At least it appears that way by the Wrangler advertisement in a magazine I read just recently.  The ad shows a beautiful chocolate lab playing ball with Brett.

See more pet images by visiting Mr. Ed’s website . . . Just click on the underlined keywords, pet images.

To see a nice display of wildlife wall art, visit the Bull Market in Troy, Montana.  A tempting picture of the produce department is in the Field & Stream magazine, September 2008, page 22. 

This reminded me of the many traveling stops we made at a small grocery store in North Bend, Washington, in the 1960’s.  In the Meat Department, on the fresh-wrapped meat counter, they sold “Bird Balls.” In the winter months, wild birds needed food . . . Right?   Well, the market manager created and wrapped two balls of ground-up beef suet (excess beef fat), then rolled them in wild bird seed.  It was a marketing tool for conversation, a merchandising tool for sales of waste products (suet), and a great environmental tool for conservation: feeding the wild birds when their food supply and body energy were needed during cold weather. 

I’m always looking for unique websites that my readers might reap some benefits from.  Here is a great website that has a wide variety of bird houses for many types of wild birds.   BestNest also supplies accessories and feeders for wild birds and other wildlife, including houses for Bats, Bees, Butterflies, Ladybugs, Squirrels, and Toads.  To discover a great website, just do a Google search: http://www.bestnest.com

Here is good news for Salmon fishing in the Seattle Area streams.  When NASA Engineer, Andy Batcho, retired, he saw the need to build a Salmon fish hatchery to help bring back the almost extinct supply of Salmon in the rivers near Seattle.  Congratulations are in order to Andy for his 25-year conservation efforts.  The count of Salmon is growing and has leveled off at 400.  An estimated count in 1920 was 1000 fish.  Thanks to Andy’s team and his dedication for the restoration of wild fish. 

This article is in the Field and Stream magazine, May, 2008, page 41.

It would not surprise me if there were more than one hundred migrating duck species in the world.  While reading the September 2008 issue of Field & Stream magazine, I was very interested in “The Fall Flight Schedule” of seven migrating ducks; “How to Hunt” them and their “Migration Behavior.”  Should this interest some of my hunting and fishing readers, the article is found on page 52.