We are proud to announce the addition of interactive data modules from Tinbu LLC. Tinbu's patent-pending technology is used by leading online and wireless media companies in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Latin America and we are very glad to be partnered with them.

  We currently have three easy to use interactive modules on our site, Weather, Gas Prices and Lottery. We’ll add a Flight Tracker module once it comes on-line from Tinbu.

  The interactive modules give you the ability to customize them to the data you want to see most often like you local weather forecast, gasoline prices locally or across the country and the ability to check your lottery numbers from all the major lotteries around the U.S. without having to surf many different web sites.

  You’ll find links to Tinbu’s interactive modules all over our site. Just look for the little icons at or near the top of all our section home pages or click on the following links. It’s safe, easy and fun to do! Try them all!

  www.backwoodsbound.com/ugas.html
  www.backwoodsbound.com/ulottery.html
  www.backwoodsbound.com/uweather.html

  To find out more about Tinbu's interactive content modules visit them online at www.Tinbu.com.

  It was finally the weekend. Spring turkey season had arrived and all Neal Windley of Norfolk, Virginia, wanted to do was get to his farm, change into his camouflage and get into the woods. What he found when he arrived not only put a halt to his weekend of hunting, it also cost him thousands of dollars in repair and prevention.

  Windley’s hunt camp was demolished. Windows were broken, a television and other items were missing and the once clean and comfortable house had been turned into a disaster area. Sadly, that was not the first time this had happened. Vandals had trashed his camp two other times. Sweeping up glass and filling out police reports were not what he had in mind when he and a good friend originally bought the land in the early 1990s.

  "Our farm has most of the conveniences of home, and I guess that’s what makes it so appealing to be there," Windley said of the camp located in southeast Virginia. "It’s a personal thing to be violated like that. It really makes me angry."

  In all, more than $3,000 worth of damage and loss of property occurred during the three break-ins. This prompted Windley to spend an additional $1,200 on preventative measures, such as installing a security system and new dead-bolt locks.

  "It’s a shame to know we have to go through all this trouble just to hunt," Windley said.

  In rural Edgefield County, South Carolina, there are many hunt camps, and each summer, they become a target for thieves and vandals. According to Edgefield County Sheriff Adell Dobey, taking a few precautionary measures can ensure your possessions will be just as you left them last hunt season.

  "The best way to prevent someone from breaking in is to give the appearance that someone is home," Dobey said. "Leave a radio or television playing, put your lights on a timer or leave an unused vehicle in the driveway. These are good ways to keep trespassers away."

  Another way to keep your hunt camp safe is to make the local authorities aware that you are going to be away. Talk to the sheriff’s department, U.S. Forest Service and local conservation law enforcement office in the area. Each of these offices makes regular patrols and can help protect your hunt camp.

  According to Capt. Mike England of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, leaving keys to your property’s gates is a good way to help your local conservation office watch your place while you are away.

  "The relationship between you and your local ranger can play an important role in keeping your hunt camp safe," England said. "Different hunting clubs will contact us and give us a list of their phone numbers, their vehicle descriptions and a key to the gate. This allows us to keep an eye on things during non hunting seasons."

  The following are a few additional tips for keeping your hunt camp safe during the off season.

  * Make sure to take as many of your valuables with you as possible to eliminate the risk of them being stolen while you are away.

  * Make sure all your valuables are locked away. Spending a few more dollars on quality locks and dead bolts will deter thieves and vandals that much more. Though costly, installing a security system is another way to have piece of mind that your possessions are safe.

  * Record all serial numbers and put distinguishing marks on all items. By keeping a record of serial numbers, it will help police recover stolen items, such as ATVs, electronic equipment or generators. Put marks or recognizable numbers on tree stands and blinds. This can help law enforcement agents identify these items in the field if they are stolen.

  * Photograph expensive goods and keep them in a safe place. Photographs can better help police identify stolen items.

  * Make sure you have insurance. Keep your insurance policy up to date and make sure it includes boats, ATVs or any item that may not be covered under a standard homeowner’s or renter’s policy.

  * Make friends with a year-round resident in the area or neighbor and ask them to keep a watch over your property. Offer them a benefit, such as a place to ride their horses or allowing them to cut hay in one of your fields, in exchange for keeping an eye on your hunt camp.

  * Post no trespassing signs at all entrances and along property lines of your land.

  * Construct gates at every entrance to your property, and keep them locked. Criminals are less likely to steal large or heavy items, such as appliances, if they have to carry them long distances.

  * If possible, store ATVs, tractors, riding mowers and boats inside locked sheds or barns. Lock and secure these items inside the barn as well. Even if thieves break into the building, having everything locked up separately may frustrate them and deter them from stealing everything.

  * Hide keys (or keep them with you) to outbuildings, gates, ATVs, etc. If a burglar breaks into your house or lodge, you don’t want to provide them with easy access to everything else on your property.

  In the event that a break-in does occur, make sure you contact the local authorities immediately and stay clear of the crime scene until they arrive.

  "As soon as you observe that there is a break-in, stop where you are and call 911," Dobey said. "Moving around the crime scene and touching things may destroy critical evidence that might be valuable in the case."”

  The NWTF is a 450,000-member grassroots, nonprofit organization with members in 50 states, Canada and 11 foreign countries. It supports scientific wildlife management on public, private and corporate lands as well as wild turkey hunting as a traditional North American sport.

  For more information on the National Wild Turkey Federation, call (803) 637-3106, check out their web site at www.nwtf.org or e-mail questions to nwtf@nwtf.net.

  Snakes More Active In Warmer Weather

  Human encroachment on wildlife habitat is the number one threat to wildlife populations worldwide and snakes are no different.

  Snakes are most active in the spring and early summer. They are emerging from their wintering burrows (hibernation) and are seeking food and it’s also the mating season. Human snake encounters will diminish, as we get later into summer and the weather warms, but they're still present.

  If a snake enters your home or property and you believe you need professional assistance, you may contact one of the many Wildlife Control Operators in South Carolina or in your state. These are private contractors who provide a service for a fee.

  "Snakes are our friends. Many species have a voracious appetite for small rodents, rats and mice. These rodents destroy food supplies and spread disease," said DNR herpetologist Steve Bennett. "In fact the species most commonly found around people’s homes, the rat snake, is probably there looking for mice and rats."

  If you encounter a snake, stay away from it and move in the opposing direction. Given the chance, snakes will go out of their way to avoid any interaction with people.

  Homeowners can take steps to minimize the occurrence of snake encounters on their property. Keep the grass and other vegetation mowed or cut-back, eliminate any accumulation of trash, debris, rocks, decaying wood piles, etc, that snakes would find as suitable habitat, cover or shelter.

  Venomous snakes of Georgia and South Carolina pose little threat to humans who learn to observe them but otherwise leave them alone. Also, as many as half of all bites by venomous snakes are mild or "dry" bites in which little or no venom is injected.

  More than half of U.S. snakebite victims were bitten while handling the snake, and more than two-thirds saw the snake before being bitten, but attempted to kill, capture, or harass it. Or they failed to move away or maintain a safe distance. Exercising good judgment in most of these situations would have easily prevented snakebite.

  DNR protects and manages South Carolina's natural resources by making wise and balanced decisions for the benefit of the state's natural resources and its people. Visit their web site at: http://www.dnr.sc.gov/

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  Economic Impact of the 2007 Pheasant Hunting Season Hits Record Level

  PIERRE, S.D. — The combination of 1.5 million acres of marginal cropland enrolled into the Conservation Reserve Program and favorable nesting and brood-rearing weather conditions set the stage for something special last fall in South Dakota.

  With the highest pre-season pheasant population since 1945, approximately 78,000 resident and 103,000 nonresident pheasant hunters harvested just more than 2.1 million ringnecks during the 2007 pheasant season.

  While pursuing South Dakota ringnecks, these hunters stayed in local motels, purchased gas and ammunition from local convenience stores and stopped in cafés and restaurants across the state. In 2007, resident and nonresident hunters spent an estimated $219 million dollars during the pheasant season.

  Estimates of expenditures by resident and nonresident upland game hunters while hunting in South Dakota were based on formulas from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation-South Dakota and were adjusted for an annual inflation rate of 3 percent. These county-specific spending estimates were generated by applying mean per-hunter spending estimates to the number and distribution of pheasant hunters as derived from the 2007 S.D. GFP upland game harvest surveys.

  "We had great conditions and great success in 2007," Wildlife Division Director Tony Leif said. "Now all South Dakotans must turn their attention to the continuing debate on a new Farm Bill. The loss of approximately 300,000 acres of Conservation Reserve Program land in 2007 and more on the horizon makes it a priority for us to work with our congressional delegates and speak out for the future of South Dakota wildlife."

  To view the statewide report containing county-specific information, please visit the GFP Web site at http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/hunting/Pheasant/Economics.htm.

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  Tiger Muskie Challenge — Finding Fish That Are Free Of Disease

  Aquatic diseases in other parts of the country could affect tiger muskie fishing in Utah.

  A tiger muskie is a cross between a Northern pike and a muskellunge (more commonly referred to as a "muskie"). Tiger muskies are sterile fish that can't reproduce.

  Utah has a disease-free population of Northern pike in Recapture Reservoir in southeastern Utah. But the state doesn't have any muskies. And finding disease-free muskies outside of Utah is getting harder.

  "We recently learned that muskies we were going to get from Nebraska have a virus that could harm many of Utah's native fish species," says Drew Cushing, warm water sport fisheries coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources.

  "Leatherside chub and least chub — two species that are on Utah's Sensitive Species List — are among the fish in Utah that could be affected by this virus," he says. "We know a lot of anglers are going to be disappointed, but we can't afford to bring this virus into the state."

  DWR biologists are continuing to look for muskies outside the state. But diseases that are spreading through the Midwestern and Eastern parts of the country are making it difficult to find muskies that are free of disease, Cushing says.

  Northern Pike

  If the DWR can't find muskies to continue its tiger muskie-stocking program, the agency might switch to stocking sterile Northern pike.

  Sterile Northern pike are created by taking eggs from Northern pike and treating them with a heat process. The pike that hatch from the eggs are sterile. It's easier for biologists to control a fish population if its fish can't reproduce.

  "Northern pike don't grow as big as tiger muskies, but they can still reach 40 inches in length. That's a big fish," Cushing says.

  Cushing says tiger muskies are often referred to as the "fish of a thousand casts" because that's how many casts it can take to catch one.

  "Northern pike, on the other hand, feed more aggressively and are easier to catch," he says. "They put up a great fight. They also taste a lot like walleye, so they're great to catch and eat."

  For more information, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR's Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700 or visit their web site at: http://wildlife.utah.gov/index.php