Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
A famous Yellowstone National Park bull elk has been killed apparently by the Canyon wolf pack, which was observed feeding on his carcass. The animal-rights whackos have this blood on their hands. This is what emotion gets us instead of relying on science, facts, and wildlife biologists. The sorry report is here…
MISSOULA, Mont.– The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit by several animal rights groups seeking to return gray wolves in the Great Lakes region to the Endangered Species List. If granted, Judge Beryl A. Howell will consider RMEF positions in her U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. Read more
Didn’t have time to apply for a spring turkey license? Options are still available. The first is to purchase a Hunt 234 license, a statewide hunting license valid for all open areas, except public lands in Unit ZZ (southern Lower Peninsula). Hunters who did not apply for a license earlier this year can still purchase a Hunt 234 license until May 1. After May 1, Hunt 234 licenses will be available only to those who applied. Read more
By Glen Wunderlich
When we think rodent, most of us may envision mice, rats, squirrels or 10-pound groundhogs. But, what if rodents grew to 50 pounds or more and lived right here in Shiawassee County? Well, lock your doors; they’re here!
Castor Canadensis is even known to kill humans, as evidenced this month when a fisherman in Belarus, Russia bled to death after being attacked and bitten by one, which severed an artery in his leg. If you’ve yet to picture the beast, it also goes by the moniker of North American beaver.
Weeks ago I discovered a poplar limb cleanly stripped of its bark lying alongside the Osborn Drain near home. Closer inspection revealed it had been chewed off by a beaver. I walked the edge of the waterway looking for more clues such as a dam or lodge but none was found, so I blew it off.
Weeks later, when a number of poplars were found chewed off at the water’s edge, my concern grew.
Poplar cut by beaver
We’ve got enough flooding already with all the spring rain and a beaver dam would be less than welcome. Oh, I know how useful the busy buggers are to the ecosystem by maintaining wetlands, but aren’t humans already required to do so by law?
A few years ago, the DNR had to remove them from the same drainage, because some homeowners’ needed a boat to get to their front door. Read more
We have one chance to defend the right to hunt, fish and trap from out-of-state anti-hunters for good.
Norfolk, Va. — PETA will soon have some impressive new weapons at its disposal to combat those who gun down deer and doves. The group is shopping for one or more drone aircraft with which to monitor those who are out in the woods with death on their minds. PETA aims to collect video footage of any illegal activity, including drinking while in the possession of a firearm, a common complaint from those who live near wooded areas; maiming animals and failing to pursue them so that they die slowly and painfully; and using spotlights, feed lures, and other hunting tricks that are illegal in some areas but remain common practices among hunters. PETA currently has its sights on Australia-based Aerobot and its state-of-the-art remote-controlled CineStar Octocopter. Read more
The Scientific Wildlife Management package (Senate Bills 288 & 289 and House Bills 4552 & 4553) will:
· Establish a right to hunt, fish and trap in state law.
· Allow the Natural Resources Commission to designate game species and issue fisheries orders.
· Provide $1 million in conservation funding for fish and game management and research.
· Provide free licenses to active-duty members of the military.
The anti-hunters, led by the Washington, D.C.-based Humane Society of the United States, are attacking this legislation because it means they won’t be able buy their way onto Michigan’s ballot to take away any more hunting rights. They’re even telling their members that it will lead to “dog, cat and horse” hunting, just as they lied about the wolf management law by telling people it would lead to “aerial gunning from helicopters.” And they’re repeating these lies to your legislators.
In 1996, hunters, anglers and trappers banded together and passed Proposal G to manage wildlife using sound science and defeat the anti-hunters’ attempt to limit bear hunting rights. In 2006, we were silent and the anti’s took away our rights to hunt doves. Now they’re back, like a wolf that’s lost its fear of humans, to attack your hunting rights one by one. What happens now is up to you.
Please call your state representative and state senator and tell them you support the Scientific Wildlife Management package. Don’t let the anti-hunters be the only ones your legislators hear from!
By Glen Wunderlich
It was incomprehensible to me that Wisconsin does not have a hunting season for woodchucks, but sure enough, it’s true. State Representative Andre Jacque (R) from De Pere, however, has prepared a bill to remove the burrowing rodents from protected status. That’s right. They’re protected in Wisconsin, while in adjacent Michigan the season is open year-round with no limit.
Apparently, Wisconsin is short on qualified weather forecasters. Or, maybe it has a soft spot for the varmints because the city of Wausau has a baseball team dubbed the Woodchucks. The DNR can’t offer a reason for protection, either.
Predictably, Wisconsin’s chapter of the Sierra Club’s director, Shahla Werner, thinks hunting woodchucks (or, groundhogs in some circles) is just plain irresponsible, because she’s never heard of anyone eating them. Read more
Recent data reported by animal rights charity group, PETA, reveal the anti-group killed 89.4% of dogs and cats placed in its shelter at the Virginia headquarters in 2012. Read more
This from Michigan United Conservation Clubs…
Contact: Tony Hansen, Chief Information Officer; thansen@mucc.org 269-420-9510
Statement from MUCC Executive Director Erin McDonough On Anti-Hunter’s Petition Collection Process
“We are not surprised that the group ‘Keep Wolves Protected’ was successful at purchasing the signatures required for a ballot referendum with funds provided by the anti-hunting organization, Humane Society of the United States. We are, however, saddened by the waste of resources expended by a group that claims to support wildlife in an effort that will ultimately delay science-based management of wolves,” said Erin McDonough, Executive Director of MUCC. “The coalition and Washington-based HSUS have openly boasted about the fact that they would spend between $3 and $6 per signature to obtain the necessary signatures in an effort to force their agenda on the people of Michigan. As true conservationists, we see that as a tremendous waste of resources that could have been put to use to actually help aid conservation efforts, improve habitat and ultimately make a real difference for wildlife.” Read more