Cayuga Heights, NY officials determined that sterilizing female deer would be the answer to its over-population issue.  Considering that the cost per animal wound up being some $3,000 each, not counting fees for studies, maybe there’s a more efficient way.  Any guesses?  Details here…

GW:  An ESA failure with hope from hunters…

WASHINGTON- -The U.S. House and Senate will consider Dallas Safari Club (DSC)-backed legislation that would exempt from endangered species protections three antelope species nearly extinct in their native countries but thriving on ranches in Texas.
The exemptions would clear the way for ranchers to maintain their herds and to offer hunts for these game animals without government intervention. Read more

By Glen Wunderlich

Now that Michigan’s first wolf hunt is over, one thing is clear:  hunters did not wipe out our wolf population.  In fact, only about half of the kill quota was met, or more precisely, 23 of the maximum quota of 43.  That won’t stop the anti-hunting-anything contingent from furthering its emotionally founded cause to prevent another wolf hunt.  It also won’t stop wolf hunting advocates from squaring off all over again in the political arena this year.

Predictably, the protections afforded the gray wolf over the decades would end eventually based on the remarkable growth of the wolf population, which is far beyond recovery goals established under the Endangered Species Act.

The wolf hunt was the state’s first to feature online and call-in reporting of killed wolves and allowed hunters to get text alerts or to check a given hunt’s status via a state website.  The system also ensured that no over-killing would take place.  From a management standpoint, the system worked as planned.

But, groups like Keep Michigan Wolves Protected (KMWP), an arm of the world’s largest anti-hunting organization, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), is still kicking and screaming.  Read more

This from the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance…

As sportsmen and women are gearing up for the year ahead, the fight for the future of hunting appears headed for the ballot box next fall as ballot issues are popping up from coast to coast.  While the November election might seem far off, hunters and trappers across the country are hard at work preparing for the upcoming battles.

In July, we reported on the ongoing fight over Michigan’s wolf management program.   Now, sportsmen are staring down the barrel of two ballot initiatives that seek to bar the state from designating wolves as a game species.  Sportsmen, not willing to sit idly by, have begun to fight back – and are circulating petitions for a citizen-initiated law to counter the anti’s efforts.  If successful, the law would ensure the ability of the state’s Natural Resources Commission to designate game species. Read more

Trappers’ success rates are much more than hunters and this group wants to grow its influence of wolf control.  Details here…

House Bill 4993 (now Public Act 246) was signed into law by Governor Rick Snyder (R) on December 21.  HB 4993 creates a Wildlife Management Public Education Fund to be managed by the Michigan Wildlife Council.  This nine-member council will be responsible for establishing a comprehensive media-based public information program aimed at promoting Michigan’s abundant wildlife resources and educating the general public on the role that sportsmen play in the conservation of these resources. Read more