Patent Application
20150069118
The invention relates to documenting and the management of harvested wildlife.
Parks and Wildlife management across the United States have several methods for reporting the quantity and type of wildlife that are harvested by hunters and landowners. Several methods are in place to report harvested wildlife in the United States, but all methods are extremely expensive, labor intensive, and none have ever been extremely successful or accepted by the hunting population. Most if not all of these tracking methods require manual registration on the part of the hunter or landowner, by phone or computer to register harvested wildlife. Then these records that are filled in by hunters must be manually entered into each state's database.
The term “deer” hereinafter is used as an example for harvesting or killing wildlife across the United States. It should be recognized that using the term “deer” is only an example and not specific to deer but all types of wildlife. State, government, and local agencies worldwide are dedicating hundreds of man-hours and millions of dollars trying to accurately document the type and quantity of harvested or accidentally killed wildlife.
Wildlife harvest reports are useful because state and government agencies and deer hunters utilize them to identify the densest deer populations. Then they can quantify the numbers for planning the next year's hunting permits or, in the case of hunters, their next year's hunting excursions. Some states use the harvest reports in an effort to break down harvesting by each county, game type, place the animal was killed and hunter type. This enables or identifies trends of harvesting and deer population over a period of time.
Some county and state deer harvest reports are funded in part by the purchase of hunting licenses and tags. Funding that has come from the government has been either cut drastically or eliminated altogether. This lack of funds has resulted in some states not updating their deer harvest statistics for several years.
Most states try to collect harvested wildlife using information from ear tags that are required to be attached to animals immediately after each animal is killed and before the animal is removed from the location of the killing. The identification must be an approved tag supplied by the state and must be attached to the animal. The approved tag records, in ink, the date of harvest on the tag. Other states require harvest report cards that are manually filled out by hunters. By law these report cards must be turned in to the state. Several years ago in one state, it was reported only 40% of hunters who harvested a deer turned in their report card. The loss of information due to unreported harvesting requires the state office to estimate the deer harvest, making it difficult, if not impossible, for hunters to plan their hunts and much harder for the state to estimate the quantity of deer that can be allowed to be harvested or the number of permits that could be given out.
Tagging laws also vary from state to state, but, in most cases, an animal must be properly tagged immediately after the kill and before being moved from the spot of the kill. In some states, tags must be marked with the date of the kill as well as other information. All tags must be signed. In some states, metal self-locking tags are required, but whatever tags are used must be securely tied to the animal.
Many hunters follow through with whatever is required to report the wildlife harvested and believe it is their responsibility to report taking of wildlife. Of course if at any time the hunter does not abide by the states laws, major fines are imposed. The problem worldwide is to find a reliable and simple method to report and document the wildlife harvested. With the current method of collecting harvested wildlife, hunters must stop by a reporting station to register their kill, have a computer available with an internet connection to report their harvest online, or as in some states, call a hot-line called Telecheck to report the wildlife harvested.
The Telecheck system requires the hunter to call an 800 number, figure out which number to enter to get to the correct extension to report his or her kill, and then enter in his or her required information by keypad on the phone into an automated system. After this process is completed, the system gives the hunter a check number, which is needed to enter into a log to be processed. The process creates a harvest report containing the information the hunter entered in by telephone and has to be reviewed manually by state employees. This method is extremely labor intensive and time consuming. Unfortunately it is the only method available to access the impact of the previous year's harvest. This method enables those states with the Telecheck system to determine possible changes to the following year's license allocation, bag limits, season lengths, and possible policy changes.
Some states require that certain kinds of animals be presented to a game department official for inspection and tagging within a specified time after the kill. For example, within 72 hours of killing a bear in Wyoming, the hunter must “present the pelt and skull to a district game warden, district wildlife biologist, or department personnel at a Game and Fish Department Regional Office during business hours to register the killed animal. The pelt and skull must be presented in an unfrozen condition.
In Utah, mountain lion hunters have 48 hours to bring the lion to a conservation officer or division office. For permanent tagging, the information that must be presented by the hunter includes the date of harvest, the sex and age of the animal, body size measurements, any areas hunted, the weapon type used, and the hunter's hunting methods. Sometimes a hunter must possess a conservation or habitat permit in addition to a tag. Failure to comply with the specifics of the state where the animal is taken could result in a confiscated animal, a fine or both.
In some states such as Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New Hampshire, the use of mandatory deer check stations is required to manually report harvested deer. Unfortunately for the hunter, failure to comply with deer check stations can result in healthy fines.
Compiling deer harvest records for Massachusetts and several other states that require recording and reporting deer harvesting is strictly by a manual process. This process begins in October, when check stations are supplied with report forms, metal tags and envelopes for submitting carbon copies of hunter-reported deer. This system does not allow for updates being received throughout the year but is the only method in place that allows states to compare each year's data.
There is no consistency in reporting wildlife that was harvested. Some Massachusetts check stations submit reports on a weekly basis as requested; a few wait until the end of the season to return all the collected information at one time. Sometimes, Department of Natural Resources (DNR) personnel must visit individual check stations to retrieve harvest records that have not been turned in. The DNR must make every attempt to collect harvest records from each check station in order to try and analyze data before announcing a total deer harvest figure.
As check station reports are received at the DNR field offices, their staff must begin to enter the data manually. The volume increases dramatically once the firearms season begins. Additional staff from other locations must be called upon to assist in entering everything from tag numbers assigned to reported deer to the sex of the deer, equipment used by the hunter, and the county where the deer was taken.
The information is manually merged into one data base in early to mid-February. The pink carbon copies from the manual reports are sorted by county employees and stored in Bloomington for three years. The data base then must be checked for accurate spelling and to ensure there are no duplicate tag entries. This method costs the states millions of dollars in man hours.
For example, the requirements to report a kill by phone to register a Big Game Kill in North Carolina for bear, deer, and wild turkey, the following must be performed. Before moving the animal from the site of kill (where the animal fell), the hunter must validate his or her Big Game Harvest Report Card by punching or cutting in the appropriate cross-hair symbol that correctly identifies the big game animal harvested. The animal must then be registered by reporting the harvest within 24 hours and by recording the authorization number on his or her Big Game Harvest Report Card or Bonus Antlerless Report Card. Reporting must be done within 24 hours of kill and before the animal is skinned, dressed, or dismembered for consumption. If the animal is left unattended, for example in a cooler, before registering, it must be identified with the hunter's name, hunting license number and date of kill. If the animal is left with a processor or taxidermist, donated to Hunters for the Hungry or given to someone else, the authorization number from the state must be attached to the carcass.
The Big Game Harvest Report Card now includes a 9 digit Harvest ID number below each authorization line next to the name of each animal type. Hunters must locate the Harvest ID number next to the animal type they harvested and provide this number when registering the harvest through a cooperator agent, the telephone reporting system or the online reporting system. Hunters who obtain their license and big game privilege by phone will be given their Harvest ID numbers during the call. If the hunter harvests a big game animal before receiving the Big Game Harvest Report Card in the mail, the hunter must immediately, upon receipt of the Big Game Harvest Report Card, record the authorization number for the reported harvest on the line above the Harvest ID number he or she used when reporting the harvest.
In Delaware, the administrative code for natural resources and environmental control includes the following. With regards to attaching tags, each licensed person who hunts and kills a deer shall, immediately after the killing and before removing the deer from the location of the killing, attach an approved tag to the deer and record in ink the date of harvest on the tag. An approved tag shall mean an Antlerless Deer Tag or Doe Tag received with the hunting license, a Delaware Resident Quality Buck Deer Tag, a Delaware Resident Hunter's Choice Deer Tag, a Delaware Non Resident Quality Buck Deer Tag, a Delaware Non Resident Antlered Deer Tag, an Antlerless Deer Damage Tag, or an Antlerless Tag purchased in addition to the hunting license tags. Any unlicensed person not required to secure a license shall make and attach a tag to the deer that contains the person's name, address and reason for not having a valid Delaware hunting license.
With regards to the retention of tags, the tag required when attaching tags to a killed deer shall remain attached to the deer until the deer is processed for consumption.
When registering deer, each person who hunts and kills a deer shall, within 24 hours of killing said deer, register their deer by phone or over the internet through systems authorized by the Division. After registering a deer, hunters will be given a deer registration number. This number must be recorded in ink on the approved tags attached to the deer. It shall be unlawful to knowingly enter incorrect information when registering a deer.
In Ohio, every person who kills a deer must immediately fill out the temporary tag with the date and time the deer was killed. Attach the completed temporary tag to the deer at the place where it fell.
A hunter uses a holder to protect the tag from the elements. The hunter attachs a piece of string, wire, etc. to the temporary tag and protective holder before the hunt, and needs to carry a pen or pencil and a watch to fill out the temporary tag. The temporary tag must remain on the deer until it is permanently tagged. Once a temporary tag is detached from the permit, it is illegal to hunt or pursue deer with a hunting device without purchasing an additional valid deer permit.
For multiple deer permit holders, the first deer taken in the day must have been temporarily tagged before hunting or pursuing another deer.
Hunters with deer permits must use the temporary tag from the permit. Landowners and tenants who take a deer on their land and any other person not required to purchase a deer permit must make and attach their own tag with their name, address, and date and time killed. This tag must be attached to the dead deer immediately in the field at the place where it fell.
Instructions instruct the hunter to:
In Wisconsin, starting with the Fall 2011 Wild Turkey season, hunters must register their turkey online or by phone. No in-person registration stations will be available. All deer killed must be registered in the unit of kill or in an adjoining unit. Deer killed in the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Management Zone must be registered in the unit of kill or in an adjoining unit within the CWD Management Zone. All these requirements must be followed by the hunter on the Internet, online.
In Minnesota, there are three ways to register harvested deer. They include the following. (1) By Internet, the hunter goes to Minnesota's Online Licensing Center to register his or her deer. A confirmation number will be given, which must be recorded on the license in the appropriate area. (2) By telephone, the hunter uses the Interactive Voice Response (IVR). The system will accept either key punch or voice (e.g., press or say 1). He or she is asked to record a confirmation number so a pen must be in possession to complete the registration process. To register the hunter's deer using the IVR system, following the steps must be performed and are printed on the hunter's deer license. Step one is to dial 1-888-706-6367 to get into the system. Step two is to enter the Harvest Registration Number that appears on the license. It's a 9-digit number that links back to the person and license type. Step three involves entering the 3-digit area where the deer was killed. The system will only accept valid deer permit areas. Step four requires entering the date the deer was killed. Step five involves entering the type of deer—adult male, adult female, fawn male, fawn female. The final step of the system gives a confirmation number that must be written on the license in the appropriate area. (3) A hunter can register harvested deer at a walk in registration station. Registration stations display large, orange “Big Game Registration” signs. The person whose tag is on the deer must personally present the deer at an official registration station and receive a big game possession tag. The tag must be attached to the hind leg, ear, or antler where the site tag was attached.
The inconsistent records resulting from the various manual reporting systems used in different jurisdictions makes it impossible to accurately track the millions of wildlife harvested by hunters, killed by motor vehicles, or killed by other means. Landowners are unable to determine how many animals are harvested on their land. State and local agencies spend significant man-hours to track wildlife and still lose revenue by not accounting for harvested game.
It is an object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for a more reliable and simplified method of reporting harvested wildlife, which includes those killed by hunters and landowners, those accidentally killed by motorists, those dying of natural causes, and those dying by other means.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment, a tag, including machine-readable coded information preferably including a unique identifier for the tag and a second unique ID of a person or group to whom the tag is issued, is uploaded to a database and linked. When an animal is killed, or a dead animal is found, the tag is then attached to the dead animal. The tag is then scanned by a device having geographic information, such as from the global positioning system. An image of the dead animal along with the location information is uploaded, such as through a cell phone communications system, a satellite communication system, wireless internet, or other communications system, into a database. The unique ID of the reporting person is automatically included in the upload. The database can be optionally queried by law enforcement personnel to confirm the legality of the kill, by game management officials to track wildlife, by a landowner to determine game harvested on his land, or others.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiments disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing.
It is recognized that all hunters must carry a hunting permit (license) to legally hunt wildlife not only in North America, but essentially worldwide. This preferred method will reliably document and report wildlife harvested by hunters.
In preferred embodiments, a regulatory system requires a tag or other electronically readable device to be attached to the harvested animal at the time of the kill. The tag includes a machine-readable code that can be linked with to the person holding the license.
In some embodiments, the machine readable code may be a bar code, a QRS code, or a radio frequency identification (RFID) code embedded in a microchip, such as an RFID microchip complying with ISO 11784 or 11785. This method of documenting harvested wildlife incorporates software that reads the barcode on the tag placed on the animal (by means of a smart phone, tablet, laptop computer, or other general purpose computing device programmed to implement the invention, or by means of an device manufactured specifically for reporting killed wildlife directly to government or state agencies). The smart phone (or specific device) takes a photo of the animal and documents the GPS location. The smart phone application also directs the hunter to check off or manually enter state specific information about the animal such as sex, estimated age, etc. Then the software transmits the information identifying the hunter, the vital statistics of the animal killed, a photograph of the animal and the location as indicated, for example, is GPS coordinates to a database accessible through a computer network via, for example, a private website, state agency or government website. This eliminates thousands of man hours and employees needed to enter information manually into a database. Fewer mistakes are made and the information is extremely accurate because all information is collected and uploaded automatically by a computerized handheld device immediately after the kill.
The information can be accessed by local government personnel, local authorities, game wardens or whoever is designated to legally view the information.
Local authorities, law enforcement officials and game wardens can employ a handheld scanner and at any given time they can scan the tag that has been attached to the deer or wildlife to ensure the killed animal has been reported as required by law. This scan can be done when the animal is on the landowner's property, being transported down the highway by automobile, in any public place, and even after the animal has been taken to a processing establishment. Regulations could require that the tag must follow the processed meat until the owner picks it up from the processing house. If at any time the tag is scanned and it has not been registered, a fine will be assessed on the person in possession of the animal. If there is no tag on the animal a fine will be issued immediately.
All land owners want and need to know when an animal has been killed and removed from their land to track the population of harvested animals. This new method of tracking harvested animals will give landowners immediate access to animals killed on their property. When the hunting permit is scanned to the state or government agency, the GPS location and photo is documented and a copy of the harvested animal is automatically emailed to the land owner for his records or the land owner can access his land to view the information. The land owner will have the option to require any hunter to show possession of the new scanning device or software on their smart phone before they will be allowed to hunt on the owner's property.
When an animal is found killed on the roadway, the normal procedure is to notify the county authorities, DPS (Department of Public Safety) or DOT (the Department of Transportation) then those agencies do their best to remove the carcasses out of traffic as quickly as possible. But these carcasses aren't always removed from the side of the road by the DOT. Sometimes the DOT contracts with a private company to clean up the carcasses. With the new device and concept the DPS, local, county & state authorities, and private entities contracted by the DOT will either be required to own or have access to the new scanning device. Now many animals that are killed by motorists or by other unknown means can be documented and accounted for by simply taking a photograph of the animal and pushing a button. The device will send the GPS location and photo of the animal to the state or government database automatically, so these animals can be documented and tracked.
After the tag is attached, the user uses an electronic device, such as a mobile phone running an app, to scan the tag, reading the information on the tag, and uploading the information to a database. The information that is uploaded is a combination of information read from the tag and information determined independently of the tag. Some of the information determined independently of the tag may be information derived from the device, such as a device identifier, class of user identifier, or individual identifier or positional information, such as GPS coordinates, determined by the device. Some of the information can be one or more photographs captured by the device or information manually entered by the user on a keyboard or touch screen. The uploaded information is associated in the database with information that was uploaded at the time the tag was issued, such as the person or group to whom the tag was issued. The information uploaded from the field is matched with information uploaded when the tag was issued using the unique identifier associated with the tag.
In some embodiments, the scanning software for smartphones or other computing devices can be downloaded free of charge from the state or governments website. In some implementations, those who don't possess a smart phone or other device can be required to pay a refundable deposit for a scanning device from the business or state agency where they obtain their hunting permit. If the permit is obtained on the internet on-line from the permitting agency, the hunter will be required to use a credit card or debit card to obtain a scanning device. Then the device will be shipped to them through the best method decided by the permitting agency, USPS, UPS, FedEx etc. The hunter will be required to pay for the non-refundable shipping and handling cost but the deposit for the device will be refunded when it is returned to the agency or any designated place of return by the state or government (gun shop, licensing agency, Wal-Mart etc.). With this new concept, software and devices will be extremely accurate and easy to use for hunters, agencies, etc. Simply stated, the process of the present invention is far better and simpler than previous methods for reporting harvested animals by hunters or killed animals by motorists.
This new method of reporting harvested animals will be more accurate and simple to use than any method used in the past. It will document the millions of animals and deer that die each year due to traffic accidents, disease, predators and starvation—which far exceed the numbers killed by hunters. This documentation will include quick and accurate reports, including precise location of deer and other animal populations that die due to an illness known as Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) which is said to infect the animal population.
Hundreds of millions of dollars can be used for other needs of the state and government agencies due to the efficiency and effectiveness of this new technologically advanced device and software.
The identifying information, photograph, and geographic information can be uploaded together or separately as well as at the same time or at different times. The information upload can be performed by any electronic means, which can include though a global computer network, though a satellite communication network, or through a telephone network.
The database can be a computer readable database containing information in electronic form which includes the images of the dead animals, geographical information describing the position of the dead animal, animal specific information such as sex and estimated age and identifying information of the person to whom the tag was issued. The database can also compile the information in the database of animals killed in a specific geographic region into a summary.
The field use device 220 can be a smartphone or some other electronic apparatus. A computer system, such as a website, can be programmed to receive first information regarding the issuance of a tag, which includes encoded machine readable identification information, permitting a hunter to hunt, to store the first information in a database, to receive electronically from the person whom the tag was issued second information including an image of the dead animal, geographical information describing the position of the dead animal, and identifying information of the person to whom the tag was issued, to decode the machine-readable identification information, to store in the database the second information, to associate in first information with the second information using the decoded identification information, and to output upon request a confirmation.
A multitude of field use devices 220 can send information to, and/or receive information from, the computer 210 simultaneously or at different times. Each field use device 220 can separately communicate with the website and/or database 210 to upload information, for example, of kills of hunters in various locations. A multitude of issuing devices 200 can also send information to the computer 210 simultaneously or at different times.
While the embodiments above are described with respect to wildlife harvested by hunters, the invention is not limited to that application. Embodiments of the invention are useful, for example, is tracking wildlife killed by vehicles, wildlife dying of natural causes, including marine wildlife washing up onto beaches. By creating a database that includes the location of wildlife, information identifying the reporting individual, and preferably a photograph of the dead animal, wildlife can be managed and animal deaths can be tracked.
A preferred method or apparatus of the present invention has many novel aspects, and because the invention can be embodied in different methods or apparatuses for different purposes, not every aspect need be present in every embodiment. Moreover, many of the aspects of the described embodiments may be separately patentable. The invention has broad applicability and can provide many benefits as described and shown in the examples above. The embodiments will vary greatly depending upon the specific application, and not every embodiment will provide all of the benefits and meet all of the objectives that are achievable by the invention. The term “bar-coded tag” may also include microchips or other types of computer-readable labeling media.
It should be recognized that embodiments of the present invention can be implemented via computer hardware, a combination of both hardware and software, or by computer instructions stored in a non-transitory computer-readable memory. The methods can be implemented in computer programs using standard programming techniques—including a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium configured with a computer program, where the storage medium so configured causes a computer to operate in a specific and predefined manner—according to the methods and figures described in this Specification. Each program may be implemented in a high level procedural or object oriented programming language to communicate with a computer system. However, the programs can be implemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In any case, the language can be a compiled or interpreted language. Moreover, the program can run on dedicated integrated circuits programmed for that purpose.
Further, methodologies may be implemented in any type of computing platform, including but not limited to, personal computers, mini-computers, main-frames, workstations, networked or distributed computing environments. Aspects of the present invention may be implemented in machine readable code stored on a non-transitory storage medium or device, whether removable or integral to the computing platform, such as a hard disc, optical read and/or write storage mediums, RAM, ROM, and the like, so that it is readable by a programmable computer, for configuring and operating the computer when the storage media or device is read by the computer to perform the procedures described herein. Moreover, machine-readable code, or portions thereof, may be transmitted over a wired or wireless network. The invention described herein includes these and other various types of non-transitory computer-readable storage media when such media contain instructions or programs for implementing the steps described above in conjunction with a microprocessor or other data processor. The invention also includes the computer itself when programmed according to the methods and techniques described herein.
Computer programs can be applied to input data to perform the functions described herein and thereby transform the input data to generate output data. The output information is applied to one or more output devices such as a display monitor.
In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . .” To the extent that any term is not specially defined in this specification, the intent is that the term is to be given its plain and ordinary meaning. The accompanying drawings are intended to aid in understanding the present invention and, unless otherwise indicated, are not drawn to scale.
Although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods, and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure of the present invention, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present invention. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.
This application claims priority from U.S. Prov. Pat. App. No. 61/841,734, filed Jul. 1, 2013, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61841734 | Jul 2013 | US |
