By Glen Wunderlich

Before the internet days, most of our information came from the printed word in the form of newspapers, magazines, and books.  Back in the ‘80s, a friend, Don, introduced me to The Varmint and Crow Hunter’s Bible by one Bert Popowski (1962) – a 185-page collection of black and white photos, drawings and expert advice on varmint hunting strategy.  I was able to borrow the book and gobbled up and digested as much as possible about crow hunting, in particular.

So exciting were the revelations to me, that I shared some of the wisdom with a work associate and let him take the book home to review.  That’s the last time I ever set eyes upon the how-to reference manual.  And, when it came time to break the news of the book’s disappearance to Don, I could sense the disappointment; he cherished the book, as well.

Many years later, I was able to obtain a copy of the book from ebay and decided to wrap it up as a Christmas gift for Don.  I’ll never forget the look on his face when he exclaimed that the “present” was the best gift he had ever received.  As I’m sure anyone will understand – given the circumstances of my generous giving – I sure couldn’t ask to borrow the book again, so I found a copy for myself and have held it closely ever since.  (By the way, the book is available in used format yet today on sites such as Amazon for a couple of bucks!)

Ol’ Bert was knocking down crows by the hundreds on a good day and tallied some 80,000 to 100,000 crows in his lifetime.  And, he did it without aid of electronic calls and battery-operated decoys.  He mastered the myriad crow calls and enticed them within close range through mouth-blown calls in a day when there was no closed season or limit on the number that could be taken.

Crows have since been protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1975 – a federal act resulting from a formal treaty signed by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. However, under this act, crows may be controlled without a federal permit when found “committing or about to commit depredations upon ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, livestock, or wildlife, or when concentrated in such numbers and manner to constitute a health hazard or other nuisance.”  In addition, states are permitted to regulate crow hunting through established seasons of no more than 120 days per year; Michigan’s seasons are August through September and February through March.

One question frequently asked is why one would hunt crows.  I can honestly say that I’ve never eaten crow voluntarily – only figuratively.  However, when it comes to crows – those critters that spread diseases, destroy agricultural crops, and kill baby song birds and eat the eggs of game birds – it’s not about what I eat; rather, it’s about what they eat and destroy.

Recently, I watched helplessly, as a lone crow robbed the nest of robins and flew off with a newly hatched baby bird.  All the neighboring birds could do was scream bloody murder.  All I can do is to fight back with my shotgun.

No doubt, few will measure up to the likes of Bert Popowski, but in our own way, we can even the score incrementally, while honing our wing shooting in the “off season” that’s now in.  For those in states other than Michigan, make sure to check your regulations.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – They were almost absent from Ohio until 2009. But since then, the number of blacklegged ticks found in Ohio has grown significantly. The bad news: Blacklegged ticks carry Lyme disease.

A new study conducted by Ohio State University and the Ohio Department of Health has found that blacklegged ticks and Lyme disease are now an emerging public health concern in Ohio, as tick populations carrying the disease have become established, particularly in the eastern half of the state.

“Ohio had a low incidence of human Lyme disease, which is largely attributed to the absence of the transmitting vector, the blacklegged deer tick, in the state, ” said Glen Needham, professor emeritus of entomology in the university’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and one of the study’s authors.

“However, evidence presented in this study suggests that the blacklegged deer tick is becoming established in certain areas of Ohio. ” Read more

On state-managed land in southern Marquette County, there stands a grove of nearly 500 mature Siberian crabapple trees that are thriving – branches heavy with fruit, ready to feed a variety of wildlife this fall, including deer, bear, ruffed grouse, turkeys and songbirds.

The trees will provide a critical food source for wildlife still recovering from a tough, long winter and late spring – a time when the presence of abundant mast (fruit and nut)-producing trees and shrubs can make or break the game of survival in the Upper Peninsula.

While the crabapple trees today look like a natural part of the state forest’s landscape, they actually were hand-planted by Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division staff in 1983 as part of an effort to enhance habitat in forest openings – a goal that remains a priority for the Wildlife Division today.

In fact, in 2014 Wildlife Division staffers in the Upper Peninsula were able to greatly ramp up tree and shrub planting efforts for the first time in years due to recent increases in hunting license fees and the addition of the $11 base license required of all hunters, which specifically funds improvement of habitat and hunting opportunities. Read more

Washington D.C. – Today, Zambian Tourism and Arts Minister, Jean Kapata, announced that the ban on hunting, which was enacted in January 2013, has been lifted. Safari Club International (SCI) and SCI Foundation maintained that the ban was counter-productive to the conservation needs of Zambia, and today’s decision should be heralded as a win for sustainable-use conservation.

“SCI and SCI Foundation commend Minister Kapata on his decision,” said SCI Foundation Joe Hosmer. “Like most range states, Zambia relies on hunting revenue for most of their conservation funding, so maintaining sustainable hunting is crucial to their wildlife’s survival.” Read more

Eighty years ago – Aug. 22, 1934 – the first duck stamp was sold. Since then, thanks mostly to hunters, the stamps have generated more than $800 million and helped secure over 6 million acres of wetland habitat in the U.S.

The Boone and Crockett Club marks that day as a major milestone in the North American conservation movement, and says the 80th anniversary is worth remembering.

“Duck stamps were one of the key funding mechanisms that brought many waterfowl species from vanishing to flourishing. Other bird, mammal, reptile and amphibian species benefitted, too,” said the Club’s Keith Balfourd. “This should be a point of pride for all hunters. It certainly is for Boone and Crockett, whose members played an important part in the history of North American waterfowl, including the duck stamp.”

Historical facts: Read more