Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
Once again the 2017 Black Lake sturgeon season in Cheboygan County, Michigan, was a quick one, lasting just over an hour. The Department of Natural Resources announced the results of this year’s season, with the recreational harvest limit of seven fish being attained, along with the additional harvest of one fish. Read more
ALEXANDRIA VA, – Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is asking its more than half-million members – and any recreational boat owner concerned with having a safe fuel supply – to petition the Trump administration and Congress to reform the ethanol mandate, also known as the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In a communication to members, BoatUS urged boaters to go to Fix the Ethanol Mandate to easily send a communication to their legislator in Congress and President Trump.
“Boaters must act now to get a fix to ethanol policy rolling in the new year,” said Government Affairs Manager David Kennedy. “Our members have an important role in this process and we’re counting on them to make their voices heard.” Read more
On February 6, twenty-seven sportsmen’s conservation groups sent a letter to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy in support of House Joint Resolution 69, which would nullify the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) rule, “Non-Subsistence Take of Wildlife, and Public Participation and Closure Procedures, on National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska.”
This final FWS rule contradicts the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s constitutional mandate to manage the state’s wildlife resources for sustained yield, which is affirmed in the Alaska Statehood Act, the Alaska National Interests Land Conservation Act, and the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act.
H.J. Resolution 69, introduced by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Member Congressman Don Young (AK), requests that Congress eliminate this rule to allow appropriate state-based management of natural resources in Alaska, as existed prior to finalization of the rule. This Resolution is anticipated to be voted on the House floor on Wednesday, February 15.
CALL TO ACTION: Contact your U.S. Representative and request that they vote “yes” to H.J. Resolution 69 on the House floor.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz announced decision to abandon H.R. 621, which would have seized millions of acres of public lands and waters
WASHINGTON – Following pressure from Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and numerous other sportsmen’s interests and businesses, Rep. Jason Chaffetz announced last night his decision to abandon H.R. 621, legislation that would have mandated the sale of more than 3 million acres of public lands in Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Wyoming.
BHA President and CEO Land Tawney offered the following response to the decision by the congressman from Utah:
“Representative Chaffetz should never have introduced this ill-conceived bill, but the instant and overwhelming response by sportsmen and women forced him to listen and ultimately abandon H.R. 621, which would have seized millions of acres of public lands. His fellow lawmakers should take note of the ire and rapid response by hunters and anglers. We aren’t going away. Read more
Just a few years ago, the state of Michigan, and along with it, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), had a big challenge on their hands. Around 200,000 people had left the state, where unemployment was peaking at 15% after nearly 800,000 jobs were lost over a 10-year period. Public perception of the agency was low, so the Michigan DNR went to work to gain public support and win back anglers. Read more
Scientists at the UMass School for Marine Science and Technology are reporting a major advance in a new technology to use video to survey the fish stocks in the fishing grounds of the North Atlantic.
When most people see a cedar fence post or an old, broken cedar limb on the ground, Dave Kober sees a trout; or a perch; or maybe, a bluegill.
Kober carves fish decoys.
Decoys have long been used by ice fishermen to lure large fish – generally pike, but also sturgeon and others – within range of the spearing hole, though some hook-and-line anglers use them as well.
Dave Kober shows off a perch decoy outside his shop near Cadillac.Primarily turned out by home-shop artisans, fish decoys were once manufactured by major bait companies – James Heddon’s Sons Co. in Dowagiac produced them decades ago – but the homemade models have become highly collectable, unique examples of American folk art that can fetch six figures.
Kober, 78, has been carving decoys since he was a young boy.
“It’s grandpa’s fault,” said Kober. “My grandfather was an ardent hunter and fisherman and he liked to carve decoys. He taught me everything I know I guess. I started it as a hobby. Read more
CLEVELAND — The bodies of two men who fell through the ice while ice fishing on Sandy Pond in Oswego, Monday, were recovered following a search by the Coast Guard and first responders from partnering agencies.
Shortly after 11 a.m., a watchstander at Coast Guard Station Oswego received a call from 911 dispatch stating that a good Samaritan reported seeing individuals in the water about one-quarter of a mile offshore in Sandy Pond. Read more
Bass lures like these, which contain lead, are banned from many federal waters by an executive order President Barack Obama issued as he was leaving office.
Obama’s 11th Hour Edict Labeled Anti-Fishing
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — On the day before President Barack Obama left office, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued an edict to ban lead fishing tackle and ammunition from hundreds of thousands of acres of land and water managed by that agency. Executed without stakeholder input, the controversial action has sparked outrage from fishing and hunting communities.
National Conservation Director Gene Gilliland said that B.A.S.S. “joins our state fisheries management agency partners and ASA (American Sportfishing Association) in calling on the new administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to put a hold on the order. Read more
As the winter fishing season gets under way, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources reminds anglers that DNR staff again will be interviewing them about their fishing trips. The DNR appreciates anglers’ cooperation in obtaining these critical data for fisheries management.
Fisheries Division creel clerks will ask anglers, through brief interviews, about how long they fished, what species they targeted, what they caught, and where they live. In a few instances, the clerks will ask to measure or weigh fish and take scale samples to gather key biological information about anglers’ catches. Read more