Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
Goldfinch
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Wildlife officers from the Grand Junction area have completed their investigation of the reported bear attack and mauling on the Grand Mesa Saturday evening, concluding that the injuries to the individual were not caused by a bear. Read more
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced today that a 46-year-old man was injured Thursday evening in a suspected attack by a black bear in Greenwood Township, Clare County. The man was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and released.
At approximately 7:30 p.m., the man was alone in a ground blind, hunting for porcupine. The man said a black bear came from behind, knocked him over and attacked him. Using his hunting knife, the man stabbed the bear, which scared it off. The bear is thought to be injured. Read more
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources today announced confirmation of gray wolf occurrence in Emmet County, marking the second confirmation of wolf presence in the Lower Peninsula since 1910.
Late last week, the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians received confirmation from Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, that scat submitted for DNA analysis by the tribe in 2014 was from a male gray wolf.
Genetic testing also confirmed that the wolf was not likely to be an escaped captive, since it closely matched genetic information taken from northeast Ontario wolves.
In March 2014, tribal biologists discovered tracks and collected scat from Emmet County. DNR Wildlife Division staff then visited the site with biologists from the tribe and agreed the tracks appeared to be from two separate wolves. Read more
Efforts by a Michigan Department of Natural Resources crew to band ducks at the Portage Marsh in Delta County were showcased recently on an episode of “Discovering,” a weekly outdoors program produced by Brian Whitens and broadcast at on WLUC-TV6, Marquette.
The duck banding was part of the DNR’s goal to manage for sustainable populations of wildlife species. The DNR’s objective is to manage game populations to provide hunting and trapping opportunities while maintaining populations in balance with available habitat, land use practices and stakeholder values. Read more
By Glen Wunderlich
As one of four boys growing up in rural Massachusetts, Howard Stowe was destined to be a farmer. Accordingly, his high school vocational agriculture curriculum at Arms Academy in Shelburn, Massachusetts was geared toward just that. However, a particularly astute teacher convinced his parents that Howard had potential beyond the farm and helped arrange funding to the University of Massachusetts. That vision changed Howard’s life.
After graduating high school in 1944, Howard earned a bachelor’s degree in animal husbandry at UMass and came to Michigan State University, where he earned a master’s degree in animal nutrition 11 years later, after a two-year stint in the Army. In 1960 he earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and married Barbara, who earned her PhD in textile chemistry at North Carolina State University. With stops that included the University of Kentucky, Howard joined the medical faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Later, the Stowes both were faculty members at Auburn University.
In 1977, Howard returned to MSU CVM’s Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, where he resumed his nutrition interests. He established the Nutrition Section in the Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory in 1979 and was a founding member of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (ACVN).
The Stowes have since added to their noteworthy legacy at MSU by establishing the Howard D. and Barbara S. Stowe Veterinary Nutrition Residency Endowment. This endowment will support a nutrition residency position at MSU CVM.
The Stowe’s endowment is as logical and needed as it is generous, says Dr. Tom Herdt, professor in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences and head of the Nutrition Section at MSU. “Dr. Stowe was one of the founders and moving forces in the creation of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition. In order to foster the growth and effectiveness of this veterinary specialty college, it is imperative that adequate training programs exist. The DCPAH Nutrition Section, and MSU CVM, are outstanding places to provide such training.”
In 1978, the Stowes purchased a 160-acre farm, including a house built in the 1840s in rural Owosso, so that Howard could return to his roots – although this time around it would be more of an avocation.
Stowe Residence
On the north side of the Looking Glass River was sheep pasture land, which was sectioned off with wire fencing replete with rocks piled along the fence lines. Howard removed it all with the aid of his 1952 John Deere model B tractor and his own muscle. He has also recounted how he seeded the fields to alfalfa with a chest-mounted spreader.
Some 20 years ago, I was granted permission to hunt the land and will be eternally grateful for the opportunity to remove some varmints and to stock my freezer with venison over the years. And, I will always remember last year’s successful spring turkey hunt, after which I sunk my pickup truck in the inconspicuous and unforgiving mud on the way out. Without hesitation, the old John Deere and Howard teamed up to get me on my way.
The historic property is slated to be sold at auction through Sheridan Realty and Auction Co. September 16th. Consequently, Howard and Barbara are now turning another page in life’s book and will make Reston, Virginia their home in the twilight of their years.
Wood-Sided Barn
On behalf of those you’ve touched and those fortunate students on the horizon, I thank you, Howard and Barbara, for the opportunities and memories of the past and those yet to be conceived.
Food plots are one of the most important tools for deer hunters and managers. The best food plot programs are designed for both bigger antlers, healthier deer, and healthier soils. GrowingDeer.tv’s newest video has tips on how it can be done in a variety of conditions and budgets. Click here to watch this video online today! Read more
Each September, thousands of visitors make their way to Pennsylvania’s elk country to experience for themselves the wonder of the bugling season.
And while there’s nothing quite like seeing a giant bull up close, or feeling your rib cage resonate as it lets loose an ear-splitting bugle, there’s an opportunity this year to get a glimpse of Pennsylvania’s prime time for elk – without ever having to leave home.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has installed a camera on State Game Lands 311 in Elk County, in a field that is off limits to people, but that typically is a hub of elk activity as the bugling season heats up. The camera was installed with help from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Bureau of Forestry. Video and sound from the camera are being live streamed on the Game Commission’s website, www.pgc.state.pa.us, and some good-sized bull elk, not to mention turkeys, deer and other wildlife, already have made appearances. Read more
It’s no secret that Michigan offers some of the best Canada goose hunting anywhere in the world. But many waterfowl hunters, whose perspective only covers the last 30 years or so, might have a hard 
time believing it wasn’t always that way. Michigan’s resident Canada goose population – which produces the lion’s share of the annual harvest – was virtually nonexistent a century ago and not especially noteworthy five decades later.
“Back in the ’50s, it was a rare thing to see a Canada goose in this state,” said Barbara Avers, the waterfowl specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. “It was rare for hunters to kill a goose. It was a pretty big deal. Read more
Whether you’re a hunter, a wildlife enthusiast or just someone who enjoys an occasional walk in the woods, this 60-second video will help you properly identify the black rat snake, should you ever come across this species in your travels. If you are fortunate to see one of these important Michigan residents, take some time to enjoy it, but please leave it in the wild. Look for more videos in our series into the fall.
“We’re really excited about the survey results for the Great Lakes piping plover and Kirtland’s warbler,” said DNR Field Operations Manager Keith Kintigh. “To have both of these species reach record numbers this year shows what great partnerships can do for wildlife conservation over time.”
Piping plovers are migratory shorebirds that nest in three distinct populations in the northern United States and Canada (the Great Plains, the Atlantic Coast and the Great Lakes) and winter mainly along the Gulf Coast. In the Great Lakes, they live near shorelines and beaches and will nest in depressions of sand with rocks, shells or sticks, which can be easily disturbed by beachgoers. To protect their young, they often will distract perceived predators with a “broken-wing” act.
In 1983, there were only 13 breeding pairs of Great Lakes piping plovers in Michigan. This year, more than 158 chicks have been banded in Michigan, Wisconsin and Canada, with more than 58 nests found in Michigan alone. Of the 58 Michigan nests, 43 were in the northern Lower Peninsula and 15 in the Upper Peninsula. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore had the highest occurrence of nests in the region. Read more