Hunting News for July 23

Goat man

This July 15 photo shows the ‘goat man’ in white near Ogden, Utah.

UTAH – Goat man could be victim of hunting season, police fear
A man spotted dressed in a goat suit among a herd of wild goats in the mountains of northern Utah has wildlife officials worried he could be in danger as hunting season approaches. Phil Douglass of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said Friday the person is doing nothing illegal, but he worries the so-called “goat man” is unaware of the dangers. “My very first concern is the person doesn’t understand the risks,” Douglass said. “Who’s to say what could happen.” Douglass said a man hiking Sunday along Ben Lomond peak in the mountains above Ogden, about 40 miles (64 kilometres) north of Salt Lake City, spotted the person dressed like a goat among a herd of real goats. The person provided some blurry photographs to Douglass, who said they did not appear to have been altered. Wildlife officials now just want to talk to the man so that he is aware of the dangers. There’s no telling what his intentions are, Douglass said, but it is believed he could just be an extreme wildlife enthusiast. MORE

NEW MEXICO – Shuffling at NM wildlife agency triggers concerns
An effort to reorganize the New Mexico Game and Fish Department is sparking criticism from environmentalists. They’re concerned that moving biologists and recovery experts into the wildlife division will mean less attention and funding for threatened and endangered species and other nongame animals. Agency officials say that’s not the case. A lightning rod for controversy, the department is again sitting at the center of a longstanding debate over how it balances conservation and the interests of hunters and anglers. Hunting and fishing license fees are what fund most of the department’s work. MORE

IOWA – CWD found southern Iowa
State officials have verified the first case of chronic wasting disease in the state in a white-tail deer on a hunting preserve in southern Iowa. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said Friday the deer in Davis County was verified with the disease this week. Officials said it is an isolated case. There is no evidence that the disease can spread to humans, pets or domestic livestock such as cows, pigs, sheep or goats. MORE

Califoria measure targets hunting with dogs

Sequoia, a treeing walker coonhound used by Josh Brones to hunt bears and bocats, peers from her enclosure in Brones’ pickup.

CALIFORNIA – Measure targets using dogs to hunt bears, bobcats
When Josh Brones turned on his pickup truck, Tanner, Sequoia and Dollar began to bark. The three are treeing walker coonhounds, and these hunting dogs were ready to hunt. As Brones let them out of their kennel one by one, each ran a lap around the truck and then jumped into a crate in back. ”They’re living animals with this overwhelming desire to get out and run and get out and hunt, and it would be tremendously selfish to deny them that opportunity,” Brones said Tuesday. He was about to take them to a Glenn County spot just west of Maxwell where he often hunts. His canines, and others like them, are central to the controversial practice of using dogs to hunt bears and bobcats. Senate Bill 1221, by Democratic Sen. Ted Lieu of Torrance, would ban their use. The Senate narrowly passed the measure, 22-15, in May. It’s now pending in the Assembly. MORE

IDAHO – Wolf season now open all year
It’s not open everywhere, but Idaho hunters now have the option to kill wolves all year. This year’s newly approved wolf hunting season allowed hunters to begin killing wolves on private land in the Panhandle Zone starting July 1. The rest of the state will open for wolf hunting on Aug. 30, and most trapping areas will open Nov. 15. Previously, Idaho’s 2011-2012 wolf hunting season was open 10 months throughout most parts of the state. During that time, hunters killed 255 wolves and trappers killed 124. Hunters are allowed to purchase five wolf tags, but half the state’s zones only allow hunters to use two tags in that area. For trappers, five tags may be purchased and used in all trapping zones except the McCall-Weiser Zone. MORE

Filed under: Morning roundup, California, Idaho, Iowa, New Mexico, Utah

Hunting News for July 20

Brady Ellison

Brady Ellison of Payson, Arizona aims for gold in the 2012 Olympics.

ARIZONA – Young archer aiming for gold
Brady Ellison started competing in the Junior Olympic Archery Development Program while growing up in Payson and now this young archer is aiming for Olympic gold in London this summer. Brady Ellison, born in Globe, Arizona in 1988, could very well become known as the best archer ever. In fact, that is one of his ultimate goals. Currently, Brady is ranked number one in the world and is the odds-on favorite to win Olympic gold in London. Last year, Brady won gold at three World Cup events as well as the World Cup Final and the Olympic test event. While these competitions have honed his skills, they haven’t changed his basic character. He is at heart a country boy with a love of the outdoors. Brady is an avid angler who enjoys harvesting fish with his bow and arrow. Hunting is another passion. A Coues whitetail deer head and a Corsican (long-horned) sheep head are displayed on his bedroom wall. While growing up in Payson, Brady spent many autumns hunting deer, which he says helped him immensely in his archery career. His grandfather is a rancher and outfitter/guide, his dad is a taxidermist, both are avid hunters and anglers. MORE

NATIONAL – 10 tips for hunting wolves
Wolf hunting seasons have been opened in the West and are scheduled to open in the Midwest this fall. But hunter success rates are painfully low. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation conducted a survey polling 710 wolf hunters from last season and of all the respondents, only 7 percent killed a wolf during the Idaho and Montana hunts. What’s even more interesting is that 20 percent of the successful hunters said their kill was because of a coincidental encounter. Here’s what those guinea-pig wolf hunters learned during their first season. Use their advice when you go on a wolf hunt of your own this fall. MORE

WEST VIRGINIA – State to use cameras to gauge elk population
State wildlife officials are using motion-sensitive cameras and salt licks to track elk in seven southwestern counties in an effort to determine the size of West Virginia’s elk population. Wildlife officials also want to know whether the elk are reproducing or wandering across the border from Kentucky. The cameras are being installed in Wayne, Lincoln, Boone, Mingo, Logan, Wyoming and McDowell counties, which comprise an elk management zone established by the Division of Natural Resources. ”We’ve had confirmed reports of elk for the past several years in southern West Virginia,” DNR assistant wildlife chief Paul Johansen told The Register-Herald. MORE

Missouri deer conservation

Two men with the Missouri Department of Conservation are shown trapping deer during an effort to relocate deer from a Taney County preserve to other areas of Missouri where the white-tail deer population was dwindling.

MISSOURI – Deer nearly depleted in early 1900s
The link between today’s statewide deer abundance and a single tract of land in Taney County is a well-documented — but largely forgotten — chapter of Missouri’s outdoor history. Deer are thriving in Missouri today. Current estimates place the state’s whitetail numbers at more than 1 million. Biologists theorize that there are more deer in Missouri than ever before. Deer can be found in forested habitat, in grassland areas, in urban areas, in agricultural areas — in short, virtually everywhere in Missouri. That’s a far cry from Missouri in the early 1900s. Unregulated hunting and habitat destruction had depleted whitetail numbers to the point that many biologists feared deer would soon be gone for good. In 1925, a statewide survey estimated Missouri’s deer population at somewhere around 400. That number may have improved slightly by the time the Missouri Department of Conservation formed in 1937, but the population was still low enough that the chance of it being snuffed out entirely was an eyebrow-raising reality. MORE

OHIO – Wildlife officers hunted deer while on duty
An Ohio wildlife officer has been placed on unpaid leave after state investigators found that he and two other officers in the southwestern part of the state hunted deer while on the job. A Thursday report by the state inspector general accuses field supervisor David Warner of hunting while on duty in 2008, 2009 and 2010. The watchdog’s review also accuses wildlife officer Matthew Roberts of hunting while on duty during the 2010 deer gun season. Wildlife officers are tasked with enforcing state hunting and fishing laws. MORE

ARKANSAS – Proposal to ban duck blinds draws criticism
A proposal by the state Game and Fish Commission to eliminate duck blinds at wildlife management areas in northeastern Arkansas drew sharp criticism from legislators and hunters during a legislative committee meeting today. The proposal, which the commission is scheduled to vote on at its Aug. 16 meeting, would ban permanent duck blinds at the St. Francis Sunken Lands and Big Lake wildlife management areas, the only two wildlife management areas in the state where permanent duck blinds are allowed. The commission also is proposing to ban overnight decoy spreads at those areas and the Dave Donaldson Black River Wildlife Management Area, also in northeastern Arkansas. A 30-day public comment period on the proposals began today. MORE

Jack Hanna

Jack Hanna takes a break from the Grizzly Bear Rendezvous to spend some quality time with the goats on his ranch.

MONTANA – Hanna host grizzly bear rendezvous
Cars parked all along the hillside as 197 guests checked out bear traps and spoke with regional grizzly bear experts and biologists for the Grizzly Bear Rendezvous at Jack Hanna’s home near Woods Bay on July 13. Hanna has hosted the rendezvous for the last five or six years to raise funds for the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks’ grizzly bear management efforts. He described grizzlies as an “icon species” like the killer whale, koala and penguin. He said if grizzlies aren’t properly managed someone will get hurt or killed and that could lead to the destruction of the species and a piece of Montana’s culture. “If we can’t save the icon species, we can’t save anything,” Hanna said. “This state represents one of the best ecosystems, not only in the United States, but probably throughout the world.” MORE

Filed under: Morning roundup, Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, Montana, National, Ohio, West Virginia

Hunting News for July 19

Wisconsin wolf zones and quotas

Wisconsin wolf zones and quotas

WISCONSIN – State board approves quota for Oct. wolf harvest
The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board on Tuesday unanimously approved a plan to harvest as many as 201 wolves in a hunting and trapping season scheduled to begin in October. The plan, advanced in an emergency rule by the Department of Natural Resources, is intended to exert higher harvest pressure in marginal or poor wolf habitat and less in the core wolf ranges in the central and northern forest. A crowd of 120 people overflowed the meeting room at the Holiday Inn and Conference Center. Forty-three people testified; most asked for a reduced quota. In addition to the seven board members, DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp and Land Division Administrator Kurt Thiede were in attendance. DNR wildlife manager Bill Vander Zouwen said the agency’s goal is to reduce the wolf population but retain a “viable, sustainable population.” The DNR estimated the wolf population at 815 to 880 animals in late winter. The wolf was removed from protections of the federal Endangered Species Act and returned to state management in January. MORE

TEXAS – Drought could spread Hemorrhagic disease
Yesterday the NOAA (National Oceanographic & Oceanic Administration) confirmed that the drought plaguing much of the nation is the worst in over 50 years. That’s obviously bad news for farmers—and the rest of us–but the outlook might be equally grim for whitetails and the folks who hunt them. Hemorrhagic disease (HD), which includes EHD and blue tongue, goes hand-in-hand with drought and heat. Biologists in areas where these outbreaks occur are keeping an eye out for the first signs of deaths associated with the disease. MORE

IDAHO – Idaho bighorns lack respect from state leaders
Idaho’s bighorn sheep are coveted by hunters, only a handful of which are allowed to hunt them each fall. They are a prize for wildlife viewers and a symbol of the wildness that set’s Idaho apart from much of the world. Yet Idaho lawmakers have turned their backs on efforts to keep bighorns separated in their native range from domestic sheep, which can transmit diseases that have decimated bighorn herds in areas such as Hells Canyon. MORE

Livingston County buck

Livingston County buck. Photo by John Adamski

NEW YORK – DEC announces deer season extension, youth hunt
Clarkson’s Gerry Rightmyer is an avid hunter, participating in both archery and firearms season in New York for big game. By the time the fall is over, he’s pretty whipped. “And now I’ve got two more weeks to hunt,’’ Rightmyer said. He’s not complaining. On Wednesday, the state released new regulations regarding whitetail deer hunting that benefit both bowhunters and youth hunters in New York’s Southern Zone that encompasses the Rochester region. Starting this fall, there will be a three-day youth hunt beginning on the Saturday of Columbus Day weekend during which licensed hunters ages 14 and 15 can kill a deer with a firearm. MORE

CALIFORNIA – LETTER: Get-piggie plan a wild goose chase
I write in response to the July 7 “Cleveland National Forest takes aim at wild pigs“: The wild pig is classified by the California Department of Fish & Game as a “Big Game” animal and a wildlife resource like deer, elk, and bear; each requires the purchase of a special tag from California Fish & Game in order to hunt. A California hunting license ($44.85) plus a Pig Tag ($21.34) is required to hunt pigs; 60,000 pig hunters contributed almost $4 million to California in license fees in the past year and harvested several thousand wild pigs. Therefore, it is appalling that the U.S. Forest Service is conducting a “sham” exercise to obtain public comment when their plan is to attempt to eradicate wild pigs, currently classified as “Big Game” by California, by shooting them from a helicopter —- a very costly and inefficient and ineffective method. MORE

COLORADO – Online surveys create food for thought
The Gunnison country deer herds are — in the immortal words of anchorman Ron Burgundy — kind of a big deal. People know them. And as Colorado Parks and Wildlife embarks on the initial stages of updating management plans for the three mule deer herds in the area, staff biologists are encouraging people to share their knowledge via a modern twist. Management plans typically are revised every 10 years, taking into consideration biological factors such as population performance and habitat condition. But social factors such as hunter preferences and conflict issues also are measured, offering everyone a voice in the process. For the first time, wildlife officials are offering online surveys to get statewide opinions on herd management. Three short surveys posted under “Things to Know” on the Parks and Wildlife website (wildlife.state.co.us) will be used by wildlife managers to learn more about the public’s attitudes toward mule deer and hunting in the Gunnison Basin. MORE

Filed under: Morning roundup, California, Colorado, Idaho, New York, Texas, Wisconsin

Hunting News for July 18

Bobcat

Bobcat numbers are on the upswing in New York and the state is proposing opening up more areas to hunting and trapping of the felines.

NEW YORK – LETTER: Serious study of bobcats needed
I am in complete agreement with Tom Woodman’s June 25 commentary “N.Y. needs to save its bobcats.” My question is: Does anyone really know the condition and numbers of bobcats in the state? I have talked with hunters who have not seen or heard a bobcat in 50 years. I guess trappers take some as they do fishers. I have been concerned since reading a National Geographic piece on the pending extinction of the Iberian lynx. Only 225 remain of this 25-pound wildcat native to Spain and Portugal. And that’s brought back from only 100. Someone didn’t know what was happening with those cats. Hunting, road kills and habitat loss, in addition to loss of prey, caused the wildcats’ near-extinction. Lynx hunt rabbits, which were found to be over-hunted and diseased. These lynx would not breed if rabbits were scarce. The article ended with a sound statement, “Improving life for the wild lynx is the best strategy.” MORE

WYOMING – Game and Fish to survey deer hunters
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is conducting a survey of deer hunters around the state. The state agency plans to contact 2,400 deer hunters in its first such survey since 2005. Both resident and nonresident hunters will be polled. Susan Boston with Game and Fish says it’s valuable for the department to get information and feedback from hunters. The survey will ask hunters what sorts of things affect the quality of their hunts. Hunters also will be asked questions about mule-deer hunting opportunities. A survey of elk hunters is planned in November LINK

NEW MEXICO – Hunting bill stirs up Senate race
An environmental group that is part of a coalition behind a $2 million dollar advertising blitz supporting U.S. Rep. Martin Heinrich’s campaign for U.S. Senate has joined sportsmen groups in pushing his legislation to improve access to millions of acres of public land. The measure introduced by Heinrich, D-N.M., calls for an inventory of all public parcels larger than a square mile where hunting, fishing and other recreation are allowed but where access is blocked. It also asks agencies to acquire easements and rights of way for improving access. MORE

MISSOURI – Cape Girardeau approves deer hunting inside city
Deer hunting will be allowed inside Cape Girardeau city limits beginning this fall. After months of controversy, the Cape Girardeau City Council gave final approval Monday to an ordinance that will allow bow-hunting of deer within city limits, starting this fall. The Southeast Missouri reports opponents of the deer hunt vowed to begin collecting signatures on petitions to rescind the deer hunt. They contend the hunt is inhumane and the city could have found another way to reduce the deer population. MORE

OREGON – Hunting not allowed a Make-A-Wish
In 1998, Matt Pattison of Eerie, Penn., was losing his battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma when the Make-A-Wish Foundation denied his request. Not only was the 19-year-old just over Make-A-Wish’s age limit, but his dream — for an Alaskan moosehunt — put the international nonprofit in a tough spot with certain donors, among them animal rights and gun control activists. A year later, while Tina Pattison mourned her son, Make-A-Wish made its stance official — no hunting-related wishes. So with donations collected at Matt’s funeral, Pattison founded her own nonprofit to facilitate hunting and fishing dream trips for youth age 21 and younger with life-threatening illnesses. A decade later, Hunt of a Lifetime has financed and led all-expense-paid hunting trips for more than 650 children, operating with a volunteer network in 48 states and three foreign countries. MORE

WISCONSIN – Deer report aims for better hunt
Why do so many deer hunters dislike the state Department of Natural Resources? Gov. Scott Walker’s deer czar, James Kroll of Texas, just provided two pretty good reasons after nearly nine months of study:

  • The “ineffectiveness” of the state agency’s efforts to eradicate chronic wasting disease.
  • The agency’s complicated process for regularly estimating the deer population.

Both factors have led to frequent changes in hunting rules, frustrating hunters, breeding distrust and taking too much of the fun out of this Wisconsin tradition. MORE

Filed under: Morning roundup, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Hunting News for July 17

Grey wolf

Wolves in Minnesota and Wisconsin have gone from being protected as an endangered species into the gun sights of hunters in a little less than a year.

WISCONSIN – Is Wisconsin crying wolf too many times?
Wolves in Minnesota and Wisconsin have gone from being protected as an endangered species into the gun sights of hunters in a little less than a year.Beginning in October, 201 of the 800 wolves can be killed or trapped in the Badger State, the state Department of Natural Resources announced last week. In Minnesota, as of this week it appears they can hunt or trap 400 of their 3,000 wolves a year in a plan moving through the state Capitol. The federal government took the wolf off the Endangered Species protection for Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan in January. The argument for the hunt in Wisconsin is that the state has more than 800 wolves in its population and they are threatening livestock, dogs and people. Most of the packs run north of Highway 8 way up north but there are some in the central region as far south as Marquette County. Lawmakers say they have to protect farmers’ animals. And they’re allowing hunters a full arsenal to do it with. Wolves can be hunted with firearms, bows, crossbows and leg traps. Bait, dogs and electronic calls are also legal. But in 2010, only 47 calves, 34 dogs, 16 cows, and six sheep were killed in Wisconsin. The dogs were usually out hunting bears, but in some cases they were family pets. MORE

NORTH DAKOTA – Pronghorn numbers too low for hunting
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is recommending that the pronghorn antelope hunting season stay closed after a survey shows the population is 20 lower than last year. Big Game Supervisor Bruce Stillings in Dickinson said the population estimate has dropped to about 3,600 pronghorn. In 2007, the population was estimated at 14,000 head. The last year North Dakota had a pronghorn season was 2009. Stillings said three severe winters and weak fawn recruitment has left an aging population with few prime-aged breeding females. MORE

WEST VIRGINIA – Elk hunting in W.Va.?
Thanksgiving week in West Virginia ignites anew an age-old tradition of fanning across the rugged mountains in search of deer, and if a hunter is successful, the foray translates into a 200-pound buck. Imagine coming home with an animal four times as heavy with a massive rack and meat that isn’t that far away from beef. Granted, the day of stalking elk again in West Virginia could be years away, but some elk are here, and a conservation group known as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is already laying the groundwork for the future. MORE

CALIFORNIA – COLUMN: Proposed law to limit hunting does more harm than good
State Senator Ted Lieu represents District 28, composed of several Southern California coastal cities. So why has he co-authored Senate Bill 1221 – which prohibits the use of dogs to pursue bears and bobcats, when it has no relation or impact on his district’s geography? These cities contain plenty of cougars, but not in the traditional sense of the word. Currently the law allows dogs to pursue any big mammal as long as they follow the rules outlined in their hunting license. SB1221 would prohibit the use of dogs to pursue any bear or bobcat at anytime UNLESS they’re used by federal, state, or local law enforcement officers when carrying out official duties. MORE

ARIZONA – WOW!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IDAHO – BLM orders sheep out of bighorn land
Idaho’s political leaders have gone the extra mile to help private sheep ranchers continue to graze their flocks in bighorn sheep habitat, with limited success. For years, federal agencies and the Bureau of Land Management were forced by the clout of the Idaho congressional delegation to back off efforts to protect bighorns from the diseases domestic sheep carry. While the Idaho Department of Fish and Game tried to restore the bighorns that are among the top trophies for hunters and are icons of the western mountains, Idaho’s elected leaders were seeking to limit the agency’s powers. MORE

GEORGIA – Hunting expansion proposed for Bond Swamp
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced a proposal to expand hunting at Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge as part of a larger expansion of hunting opportunities at various refuges nationwide, fulfilling the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997. MORE

Filed under: Morning roundup, California, Georgia, Idaho, North Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Hunting News for July 16

Colorado Mountain goat

Mountain goat and kid on Mt. Evans earlier this summer. Wildlife experts say goats could be crowding out bighorn sheep. Photo by Richard Seeley.

COLORADO – Mountain goats may be crowding out bighorn sheep
In 2008, the US Department of Agriculture conducted a study in Yellowstone National Park to see if mountain goats affected the population of bighorn sheep. Their conclusions provided a sobering outlook for Colorado’s state mammal. “The high probability of bighorn sheep dying of pneumonia following contact with mountain goat support the conclusion that the species should not occupy the same ranges,” the study stated in its conclusion. There is no significant evidence of mountain goat species pushing the Rocky Mountain sheep out of their native environments in Summit County, but wildlife managers such as Sean Shepherd from Colorado Parks and Wildlife are managing the populations of the two species based off this research. The population of bighorn sheep in Summit County is not clearly defined by local wildlife managers, but the population of mountain goat falls somewhere between 300-400. “Bighorn sheep winter in areas that are rugged and hard to reach, which make them hard to track,” Shepherd said. “We estimate populations of mountain goats to be in the low hundreds, while we’ve counted 50 or so sheep in the Montezuma area and a population in Eagles Nest area.” MORE

NEW HAMPSHIRE – Nashau alderman proposes banning hunters from dressing wild game in public
A city alderman has drafted legislation that — if approved — will prohibit hunters from dressing wild game in residential areas that are within public view. Alderman-at-Large Mark Cookson has proposed the new ordinance, which he says is constituent driven. The legislation states that it shall be unlawful in a residential zoning district to slaughter, dress or skin animals or fowl. The regulation does not apply to wild game or fowl (legally taken for sport and not to be sold), or poultry and livestock that are dressed in an enclosed area not open to public view. It goes on to say that no wild game or fowl that is intended to be dressed as permitted shall be delivered between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. “It is not intended to limit or discourage those who enjoy hunting, only that they be cognizant of their surroundings and neighbors when dressing game, or when having their game processed in a residential zone,” Cookson wrote on his blog, explaining there are now several instances where game has been processed in public view, including the cutting of limbs with a saw. MORE

ARIZONA – No CWD disease in Arizona elk, deer herds
Testing of nearly 1,200 deer and elk killed during Arizona’s latest hunting season shows the animals weren’t infected with chronic wasting disease. The disease that attacks the brains of deer, elk and moose has been found in animals in Utah, New Mexico, Colorado and Texas. The Arizona Game and Fish Department says no cases have been detected in Arizona, where tens of thousands of animals have been tested since 1998. The department says the highest areas of concern in Arizona are game management units along the state’s border with Utah and New Mexico. MORE

Hunting dogs

Gen Murofushi and his two dogs, Taro and Yuki, hunt the San Diego County backcountry for wild pigs on a recent hunt. Photo by Ed Zieralski

CALIFORNIA – COLUMN: Hunt with dogs is walk unspoiled
Some would call it a hunt, but what it really was a good walk unspoiled with dogs on a sun-baked, hot summer morning in northern San Diego County at the base of the Palomar Mountain range. Deer danced up steep hillsides in front of us. An irritated redtail hawk announced its presence above us in a huge oak tree. And below us, in the dusty trail, the ground was pockmarked with old and fresh tracks from deer, turkeys and yes, wild pigs. Gen Murofushi and I were hunting wild pigs, and yes, his two talented dogs, Taro, a 3-year-old male, and Yuki, a 1½-year old female, went off leash and tore into the brush. We anticipated that pig scent would get these superstar hunting dogs running and barking. But it never happened. Murofushi told me later that 90 percent of the time he goes out with his dogs, there is no chase, no kill. But there’s a reason why Murofushi uses dogs to hunt pigs and bobcats, and there’s a very good reason others in the state use dogs to hunt bears. The state Legislature likely will pass a bill (SB 1221) soon that will ban the use of dogs to hunt bears and bobcats. But avid hunters like Murofushi see that as a big mistake by a misguided Legislature influenced by the Humane Society of the United States and other animal-rights extremist groups. MORE

NEVADA – Protecting habitat key for mule deer along Reno-Verdi
Mike Piercy was readying his Truckee home for winter one afternoon when he “pretty much tripped over” a strange-looking device on the ground. It was a calling card from deer No. 79897. With mule deer numbers dwindling, biologists have been tracking deer and studying their annual Reno-Truckee migration to identify critical habitat that must be protected to maintain the herd. Deer No. 79897 was tranquilized by biologists on Reno’s Peavine Peak in January 2010 and fitted with a satellite collar. The doe sported the device throughout the winter and in the spring as it wandered to its summer digs in the Truckee area. MORE

KENTUCKY – Landowners and hunting liability
Jeff Spainhour had some unvarnished advice for the 40 or so members of the Quality Deer Management Association’s Derby City chapter who gathered at the Kingfish Restaurant on Thursday night to hear a panel discussion on hunting liability and hunter and landowner rights. “I’m here to scare you,” said Spainhour, a partner in the Kiely Hines Insurance Agency and the 3rd District director for the League of Kentucky Sportsmen. “You want to carry as much (liability) insurance as you can afford. Proper protection is your responsibility. You’d rather be a little overinsured than underinsured, (because) in my world it only takes one act to ruin your life.” MORE

TENNESSEE – 5th elk permit to be auctioned on eBay July 19-29
The fifth permit for participation in Tennessee’s fourth managed elk hunt will be awarded to the successful bidder in an eBay auction to be held from July 19-29. Proceeds from the auction benefit the state’s elk restoration program. Since the elk hunt was implemented in 2009, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) has donated a permit to a Non-Governmental Organization to join four others who were selected from a computer drawing. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Foundation (TWRF) is the recipient of this year’s donated special take permit. MORE

Filed under: Morning roundup, Arizona, California, Colorado, Kentucky, Nevada, New Hampshire, Tennessee

Hunting News for July 13

Western stemmed points

Western stemmed point found in Oregon point to early hunting.

OREGON – Stone tools enliven ‘earliest Americans’ debate
They’ve been hunting in Oregon a long, long time. Scientists studying how North America was first settled have found stone spearheads and darts in Oregon, US, that date back more than 13,000 years. The hunting implements, which are of the “Western Stemmed” tradition, are at least as old as the famous Clovis tools thought for a long time to belong to the continent’s earliest inhabitants. Precise carbon dating of dried human feces discovered alongside the stone specimens tied down their antiquity. It has published the scholarly findings of an international team investigating the Paisley Cave complex in south-central Oregon. Researchers, led by Dennis Jenkins, describe a range of projectile points discovered 1-2m (3-7ft) down in the cave sediments. ”Mostly, we’re looking at discards; these are broken and left behind,” said the University of Oregon archaeologist. ”Most of these appear to be dart points and have been cast at an animal and broken in the process of being used,” he told reporters. MORE

MONTANA – Deer on Malmstrom Air Force Base to be shot
Wildlife agents have started killing more than a dozen mule and white-tailed deer trapped on Malmstrom Air Force Base by perimeter fence built in 2010, with base officials saying they are a hazard to operations. Malmstrom chief of conservation Jason Gibbons tells the Great Falls Tribune (http://bit.ly/N8WUFm) that U.S. Wildlife Services agents began shooting the deer this week after state wildlife officials issued a permit June 28. ”We wanted to address this issue with the deer before the numbers got too high,” Gibbons said. The estimated population of 13 deer on the base could increase to 36 in three years, said Channing Howard of Wildlife Services. MORE

COLORADO – Magazine names Craig among country’s best outdoor locales
Since Outdoor Life Magazine began compiling a list of the top 200 towns in America for sportsmen in 2008, Craig has made the top 100 each year. But, the city has never had a ranking as high as this year’s. Craig vaulted 57 spots from 2011, earning 20th on the outdoor list. Outdoor Life made changes to the criteria for top towns in 2012. Instead of considering socioeconomic aspects of each town, the magazine chose its rankings based entirely on hunting and fishing opportunities available in each city. MORE

NEW YORK – DEC changes deer hunting regulations
The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has adopted rules affecting deer and bear hunting in New York, to implement certain aspects of the state’s Five-Year Deer Management Plan. “With these changes, DEC has started implementing several strategies of the recently adopted Management Plan for White-tailed Deer,” Commissioner Joe Martens said. “Though the management plan addresses much more than deer hunting, these changes emphasize the value of hunting as a tradition for New Yorkers and as the primary tool for deer management.” MORE

ARIZONA – Panel explores options besides bow-hunting ban on preserve land
Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve Commission could explore options other than a ban to tackle the controversy of bow hunting in the preserve, said James Heitel, commission chairman. While there haven’t been any formal requests to outlaw archery hunts in the preserve, some residents have questioned the practice amid concerns about hiker safety and waning wildlife populations. MORE

MONTANA – Commission OKs new wolf hunt rules
Montana wildlife commissioners approved new wolf hunting rules Thursday that allow trapping and the killing of up to three of the predators by one trapper. The move came after the officials waded through thousands of written comments regarding management of the species that evokes strong emotions.The new rules approved on a voice vote closely resemble regulations in Idaho and follow a hunting season when Montana hunters failed to reach the quota of 220 wolves. Wildlife managers will allow some trapping, lift most quotas and expand the length of the season. In addition, Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials plan to ask Montana legislators to pass bills to further expand the hunt through measures such as electronic calls. MORE

COLORADO – Over-the counter hunting licenses on sale in Colorado
Over-the-counter big game licenses are being sold as this week, Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced in a news release. The licenses, which are for elk and bear hunting in the state, went on sale at 9 a.m. Tuesday and will be available through the upcoming hunting seasons or until supplies run out, depending on the license type, the release stated. Over-the-counter licenses include the statewide bull elk tags for second and third rifle season, which are unlimited in number and available through the rifle seasons. Statewide archery either-sex or cow elk licenses are also available as unlimited over-the-counter licenses until the archery season ends on Sept. 23, according to the release. MORE

Filed under: Morning roundup, Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New York, Oregon

Hunting News for July 12

Female bowhunters

Female archers line up their shot at the new indoor range at Drape’s Archery Shop in Piffard.

NEW YORK – Female bowhunters on the rise
You haven’t met a hunting enthusiast until you’ve met Chad Draper. “Archery has been a passion of mine since I was 13, 14-years-old,” said Draper. “My dad got me my first bow and I started competing in the 3D archery in 1995 and started building my own custom bow strings.” Bows, arrows and all sorts of different hunting equipment cover the walls at Drape’s Archery in Wadsworth. The store is recently equipped with a long target range, where customers can practice their shot or try out bows they may want to purchase. “I was making my own bow strings, building arrows, doing custom work for people in my basement for years and everybody told me, ‘You’re crazy, you’re good at this — you should be doing this for a living, or at least part time,’” Draper said. MORE

WISCONSIN – Panel urged changes in deer program
Wisconsin should adopt a program used by 20 other states to help manage its deer herds, modify but not discontinue its use of the Sex-Age-Kill population model and take a more passive approach to managing chronic wasting disease in the southern part of the state. These were among the leading recommendations of the nine-month review of the state’s deer management practices by the Wisconsin white-tailed deer trustee and committee. The overall goal? ”It’s about improving the relationship between the DNR and hunters and landowners,” said James Kroll, named deer trustee in October by Gov. Scott Walker. “It boils down to getting people working together for the betterment of the hunting tradition, the deer herd and the habitat.” The 135-page report was made public Tuesday by the governor’s office. MORE

WISCONSIN – Consultant criticizes both state, hunters in deer report
Wisconsin wildlife officials should scrap local deer population goals, let landowners hold hunts on their property and establish better connections with the public, a consultant hired by the governor concluded in a report released Tuesday. Texas researcher James Kroll’s study focuses largely on the Department of Natural Resources’ shortcomings but takes hunters to task, too, saying they expect the agency to maintain a herd so large the landscape can’t support it. His plan offers the two sides a chance to compromise and save Wisconsin’s hunting traditions from disappearing, he said. “This is a reset button,” Kroll said of his recommendations. “If we’re going to continue to have the hunting heritage in Wisconsin, we’re going to have to do this.” MORE

TEXAS – CWD found in Texas deer
Two mule deer taken recently from west Texas tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease, the first time the invariably fatal illness affecting deer and other cervids has been documented in Texas, adding urgency to proposals by wildlife and animal health officials to prohibit or severely restrict movement of susceptible animals from that corner of the state. ”This is definitely not a crisis,” Clayton Wolf, wildlife division director for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said of the confirmation Monday from theNational Veterinary Services Laboratories that two of 31 mule deer shot along the Texas/New Mexico border were infected with the incurable disease which can be spread to other cervids. The wildlife agency shot the animals as part of a plan monitoring the disease. MORE

SOUTH DAKOTA – Hunters might trade less deer for more geese
South Dakota hunters will be able to shoot fewer deer but more geese this fall, under rules approved Tuesday by a legislative committee. Concerned that populations of deer in many parts of the state are too low, the state Game, Fish and Parks Commission is significantly scaling back the number of does hunters will be able to harvest. “In many areas of the state, we are interested in increasing the numbers of deer and antelope that we have,” said Tony Leif, director of the wildlife division of the Department of Game, Fish and Parks. “If you’re going to either reduce or grow your deer herd, you primarily do that with the breeding component of the population, the does. They’re the ones who have the fawns.” MORE

Aspen colorado elk

A wary herd of elk gathers off of Owl Creek Road between Aspen and Snowmass Village.

COLORADO – State officials may allow more hunting of Aspen elk herds
The sizes of two elk herds in the Roaring Fork Valley are larger than Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers prefer, so the agency will consider selling more hunting licenses to reduce the numbers or increase the management goal. The Avalanche Creek elk herd has been managed since 1988 with an objective of having about 3,300 animals. An estimated 4,450 elk remain in the herd, according to the Parks and Wildlife Department. That herd generally ranges south of Highway 82, from Glenwood Springs to Independence Pass, including the Redstone, Marble and Maroon Bells areas. That comprises game hunting unit 43 and unit 471.

MINNESOTA – Hunting opportunities likely to expand at Minnesota Valley Refuge
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing enhanced hunting opportunities on 16 national wildlife refuges in 14 states, including waterfowl hunting in Minnesota at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. At Minnesota Valley, migratory bird hunting areas will be expanded, as will areas for upland game hunting and big game hunting. The refuge is also open to sport fishing. For hunting regulations on the refuge, go here. Notice of the proposal was published in the Federal Register  July 11. The public has until August 10, to comment. See the proposed rule and instructions on where to submit comments here. MORE

MISSOURI – Missouri deer hunting

Filed under: Morning roundup, Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin

Camo wedding ring? Might have to renew my vows.

I’m fortunate to have a wife that understands my hunting obsession. Okay, maybe it would be better to say she tolerates it? So, what better way to show my appreciation for all my wife puts up with than to renew our wedding vows? It would be the perfect statement of my love and devotion.

Especially if I can get one of these killer titanium camo wedding rings from Fable Designs. I’m sure she would understand. Right?

Titanium camo ring

Titanium camo ring.

Filed under: General interest

Hunting News for July 11

Wisconsin deer hunters

Wisconsin deer hunters.

WISCONSIN – Deer expert’s report recommends less specific population goals
Texas deer expert James Kroll has said all along he believes the state Department of Natural Resources can solve many of its deer management problems by simply listening more to hunters and landowners. Tuesday, in a report issued after nearly nine months spent studying Wisconsin’s deer hunt, Kroll recommended that the agency not only listen to hunters and landowners but actually involve them in coming up with general goals at the local level for deer populations and for how many deer should be killed each hunting season. Less emphasis on specific deer population goals and more public involvement in management decisions lead the list of recommendations from Kroll, the Texas deer expert hired by Gov. Scott Walker to address hunter complaints about deer management in Wisconsin. Kroll also recommended simplifying the regulatory process by setting goals and quotas every 3 to 5 years instead of every year. And he said a more “passive” approach to managing the fatal deer illness chronic wasting disease is necessary, rather than the DNR’s approach of drastically reducing populations in affected areas. MORE

WISCONSIN – ‘Deer Czar’ and crew release report
For many years , Wisconsin deer hunters have complained about whitetail management in their state. This doesn’t make them unique: Deer hunters always want more and bigger animals in their sights — like the two Wisconsin bucks above, killed during a recent November season. Oddly, a politician turned the complaints into a political issue, promising that, should he be elected, he’d have the state’s DNR studied, or investigated, or reviewed, to determine whether the agency was competent, and if so, whether it was pursuing deer management correctly in the Badger State. Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign promise came true today, Tuesday, with a report issued by Dr. James Kroll (“Dr. Deer”) that Wisconsin DNR Commissioner Cathy Stepp says will take time to digest. So it will — it’s fairly exhaustive. The full report can be found here. Meanwhile, here’s the report’s Executive Summary. MORE

IDAHO – Boise sells Hammer Flat to Fish and Game
The Hammer Flat deal is finally done, which means the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s 34,000-acre Boise River Wildlife Management Area just increased by 705 acres and the city of Boise’s fund to purchase open space just increased $4.23 million. The agency will permit hunting, although details are being worked out. Also still being worked out is whether hang gliders will be able to use popular launching spots on the property, and whether public uses such as hiking and biking will be permitted. Fish and Game is putting together a long-range management plan for the site, once slated to become a 1,350-home development perched atop a plateau overlooking Lucky Peak Reservoir. The plan will be open for public review in December or January; Fish and Game will adopt the plan in the spring. MORE

COLORADO – Wildfires and the impact on hunting
Record wildfires have destroyed upwards of 500 homes in Colorado this year, with months of the wildfire season still remaining. I live in the foothills, and I’ve been on edge for a few months now. The woods are so dry that you can feel it, and we’ve seen time and time again this year how much damage can result from a single lightning strike or dumbass shooting at an incendiary target. I know quite a few families that have either been evacuated or placed on standby for evacuation. I don’t know anyone who has lost a home, but my heart certainly goes out to those families. As do my thanks to the firefighters who have been working to contain these fires. MORE

NEW MEXICO – More than 2,000 elk licenses up for sale
Young hunters who did not draw a big-game license will have another shot to go hunting this coming season. The Department of Game and Fish, beginning at 10 a.m. on July 18, will put more than 2,000 antlerless elk licenses up for sale. The online sale will be first-come, first-serve on the department website, www.wildlife.state.nm.us. The sale includes almost 1,500 licenses for hunters using any legal weapon and 540 licenses for hunters using muzzle loaders or bows, said department spokesman Dan Williams. Per state statute, for the first 14 days, the sale will be open only to New Mexico resident youths younger than age 18 who successfully applied, but were unsuccessful in drawing any big-game license this year. MORE

COLORADO – Elk country to benefit from RMEF grants
Rejuvenating wildlife habitat being invaded by noxious weeds and encroaching pinyon/juniper is the main theme in a list of Colorado conservation projects slated to receive 2012 grants from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. The RMEF funding commitment totals $263,232 and affects 19 counties: Alamosa, Archuleta, Boulder, Conejos, Delta, Fremont, Garfield, Grand, Gunnison, Mesa, Mineral, Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Park, Rio Blanco, Rio Grande, Routt and San Miguel. MORE

Filed under: Morning roundup, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Wisconsin