Hunters

CARP, Minn. -- It was the kind of thing you'd see at any deer camp -- blaze orange everywhere, coffee brewing on the woodstove, chili heating in the kitchen -- but there was something special happening at the Levasseur camp in Lake of the Woods County on this second Saturday of Minnesota's firearms deer season.

The spirit of camaraderie, of sharing the magic of the hunt with others, was the order of the day.

For Steve Levasseur, who built the 24x38 log cabin that overlooks the Rapid River southwest of Baudette, Minn., about 10 years ago, there's a lot of history here. The small town of Carp exists only in memory now, but it's where Levasseur grew up, where he's hunted and killed his fair share of deer since he started going afield nearly 50 years ago.

These days, Levasseur says, it's not about him shooting a deer. It's about helping others experience the thrill of the hunt and the simple pleasures of camp life.

Deer might not be as abundant this year as they've been some other seasons, but there was no shortage of hospitality last weekend.

WILLARD BAY -- Rescuers spent hours looking for three hunters in Willard Bay after a call for help Saturday night.

One of the hunters texted his wife to call 911, Box Elder County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Kevin Potter said.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Busted!

Only 25 yards away and nibbling steadily closer, the big doe grazing on the left already had been converted into 50 pounds of chops, steaks, roasts and venison burger in my mind when something caught her eye.

She gave me a laser stare for 10 seconds without raising her head, then whistled an alarm snort, wheeled and bounded over the side of the hill with her two companions hot on her heels.

I thought I was pretty well camouflaged in my tree, which was at the edge of an open area with a thick screen of leaves behind the stand to help hide movement. But she apparently picked up something when I turned on the camera to take a photograph.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho -- Eastern Idaho authorities say an elk hunter has been hospitalized in serious condition after being attacked by a bear Saturday morning.

LOS ANGELES  — Three California condors found in northern Arizona and southern Utah have died of lead poisoning and three others had toxic levels of lead in their bodies, prompting conservationists to urge hunters to use non-lead ammunition and to carefully dispose animal carcasses that condors could feast upon.

DENVER -- After years of watching sales of elk licenses slide, Colorado wildlife officials are launching a nationwide ad campaign to bring more hunters to the state.

The trick will be convincing people who pay hundreds of dollars for a nonresident hunting license in some states that the 23 million acres of public land and 300,000 elk in Colorado are the best in the West.

"We have exceptional elk hunting. It's very good in many of the western states," said Al Langston of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. "It's up to the hunter to decide what system fits."

The Colorado Division of Wildlife gets about two-thirds of its $110 million budget from hunting and fishing licenses, but sales of elk licenses in Colorado dropped by more than 37,000 from 2005 to 2009, with revenue falling by roughly $8 million in that time, Director Tom Remington said.