Rutherford Weekly

Thursday, May 20-May 26, 2021 www.rutherfordweekly.com 828-248-1408 Rutherford Weekly - Page 9 Email: Email: events@rutherfordweekly.com events@rutherfordweekly.com Mail or Drop-Off: Mail or Drop-Off: 157 W Main St, • Forest City, NC 28043 157 W Main St, • Forest City, NC 28043 *Publisher has fi nal decision of which photos appear in print, per available space. We Want Your Kids Sports Photos! •Basketball •Baseball •Softball •Soccer •Archery •Equestrian •Etc! We Want Your Outdoor Photos! We Want Your Outdoor Photos! Hunting, Fishing, Playing Ball, Etc. Hunting, Fishing, Playing Ball, Etc. Sportsman's Corner Sportsman's Corner Email: events@rutherfordweekly.com Mail: 157 W Main St., Forest City, NC 28043 Phone: 828-248-1408 *Publisher has the fi nal decision of which photos appear in print, per available space. Jimmy is a very experienced and seasoned duck hunter. He's also taken his share of deer. He, however, has never had the thrill of seeing a strutting tom walk in front of his shot- gun- that is until the other day. I hap- pened to be with him when he wrote this new chapter. That morning, a vocal gobbler seemed less than 150 yards away. I was surprised how quickly we were able to work a bird that we actually had a chance of calling in. I was the caller, and while he responded to my call, he never made the move our way. And after a thirty minute back and forth, the place went quiet. So, I just let him know, every ten minutes or so, that this lonesome (and fake) hen was hanging around. More than an hour passed with nothing. But about ten minutes be- fore we were leaving, Jimmy noticed this bright red, white, and blue gobbler come sauntering in. I quickly set up my camera to fi lm while trying to coach my hunter to be pa- tient as this beautiful tom strutted in closer and closer to our decoys. I could hear Jimmy's breathing get sporadic, but I knew he would make a good shot on the bird. After closing the distance to about twenty yards, he took the shot and his trophy hit the ground. I got out of the blind as fast as I could to jump on this bird to eliminate any chances of him getting away. And the morning that started with unrealized hope ended with understood certainty and with a new story to share. A few weeks ago, Christians all over the world celebrated Easter. The story of Easter is also the story of how a morn- ing that started with unrealized hope for Jesus' followers would end with understood certainty, and a new story to share. The days and hours after Jesus was crucifi ed were fi lled with despair. His followers had sensed how close his kingdom really was. They had experienced his nearness and the nearness of his reign. There's no doubt the antici- pation of his plan was in every believer. And then something happened that no one expected. He died, and all the world went quiet. In fact, his followers returned to their places and to their normal life with nothing to talk about except for what might have been. But just when no one expected, a victory took place. It was the certainty of the physical Jesus. And over 500 people witnessed his appearing. And they began to tell a new story. This story was not about Jesus' mes- sage or the miracles he performed, but about a resurrec- tion. It was about someone who was dead, coming back to life. Does it sound strange? Ludicrous? Impossible? It did to them as well. And yet the proof was on the ground - not lying dead but living and moving and reminding them of his previous promise to rise again. And today, for every follower of Christ, our story is not mainly one of doctrines and deeds, but of a God/Man who predicted his own death, burial, and resurrection, and pulled it off. By By Gary Miller Gary Miller Aiming Outdoorsmen Toward Christ GARY MILLER Contact me to speak at your next event. www.outdoortruths.org gary@outdoortruths.org GARY MILLER MAYSE MFG. CO., INC. www.maysemfg.com www.maysemfg.com ©Community First Media Community First Media Forest City 828-247-1871 2410 US 221S; Hwy 74 bypass to exit 178 (Hwy 221), south 1 mi on right. Corner of Hwy 221 & Shiloh Rd. M-F 8am-5pm • Sat 8am-12pm Storage Buildings, Gazebos, Carports, Garden Flags, Man Cave Decor, Concrete Statuary, Concrete Steps, & Poly Outdoor Furniture! We are a We are a Big Green Egg Distributor Big Green Egg Distributor. . Grills • Accessories • Supplies Grills • Accessories • Supplies Metal building's Metal building's starting at starting at $ 1160 1160 Now offering carports/garages Now offering carports/garages up to 60 ft. wide & 20 ft. walls up to 60 ft. wide & 20 ft. walls Finance & Rent To Own @mayse_mfg Results from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission's annual deer harvest summary indicate hunters across the state reported harvesting 169,973 deer during the 2020-21 hunting season — a 9.1 percent increase compared to the average harvest the last three seasons. Of the deer harvested, 50.8 percent were antlered bucks, 4.7 percent were button bucks and 44.5 percent were does. Most deer were harvested with a gun (76.9 percent), followed by blackpowder (9.7 percent), bow (7.7 percent) and crossbow (5.7 percent). Deer harvests increased in all zones (Deer Zone Map). In the Western Zone, deer harvests increased by 23.7 percent; 8.4 percent in the Northwestern Zone; 12.3 percent in the Central Zone; 3.7 percent in the Northeastern Zone; and 6.5 percent in the Southeastern Zone. The 2020-21 deer hunting season was the third season following implementation of signifi cant rule changes intended to improve herd condition across the state. These changes included a statewide antlered bag limit of two and an antlerless bag limit of four. Earlier this year, Wildlife C o m m i s s i o n Biologist Jon Shaw conducted a webinar called Managing NC's Deer Herd: A Look at Databases & Key Metrics explaining in detail how the Commission uses the reported harvest and other data to monitor the herd. "Reported harvest data provide valuable trend information that biologist use, in combination with other recurring agency surveys and biological data, to monitor the herd. These data indicate we continue to move closer towards meeting density, sex ratio, and age structure objectives across most of the state," said Shaw. The 2020-21 reported harvest is likely infl uenced by both increased deer numbers and hunter effort. "The pandemic resulted in more time at home and opportunity to engage in outdoor activities for lots of people. The increase in new hunters and overall hunter participation is an encouraging trend that we hope will continue in the future" Shaw said. Other reported fi ndings include: • Deer harvested on game lands comprised 3.3 percent of the total harvest. • Dog hunting comprised 19.3 percent of the harvest in counties where hunting deer with dogs is lawful. • 85 municipalities and communities participated in the Urban Archery Season or Community Deer Management Assistance Program, and harvested mostly (82.4 percent) antlerless deer. The Commission posts annual harvest summaries on its website, as well as live harvest reports, which are available anytime throughout the hunting season. For more information, visit the Commission's white- tailed deer page. North Carolina's Deer Harvest Increased in 2020-21 Season Article provided by: ncwildlife.org. "The pandemic resulted in more time at home and opportunity to engage in outdoor activities for lots of people." - Jon Shaw, NCWRC biologist "I'm not use to this much attention." Get noticed in the classifi eds! 828-248-1408 Advertising@RutherfordWeekly.com BIG time results! NORRIS MERCHANDISE 2011 S. Lafayette St. (Hwy. 18 S) Shelby, NC • 704-482-8464 www.norrismerchandise.com Hours: Mon - Fri 8am - 5:30pm • Sat 8am - 3pm Prices....Never This Low Again Prices Increase Soon! SAVE NOW! SAVE NOW! 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