LANSING, MI — Michigan United Conservation Club’s (MUCC) Executive Director Erin McDonough was tapped to co-chair a Blue Ribbon Panel on State Parks and Outdoor Recreation created by Governor Rick Snyder in an Executive Order (E.O. 10 of 2011) announced Friday.

“I am excited for this opportunity to serve on such an important panel with such a distinguished group of members who are committed to Michigan’s future as a leader in outdoor recreation opportunities,” McDonough said. “Michigan’s state parks amass more than 25 million visitors annually and are a key component of our outdoor heritage and our economic turn-around.”

The Blue Ribbon Panel is charged with taking a comprehensive look at Michigan’s state park and outdoor recreation system Read more

(Columbus,  Ohio) If  you feel you are being squeezed as a hunter or angler, you are not alone. More  and more hunters, anglers, recreational shooters, and trappers are facing more  restrictive laws, less access, reduced opportunities, and fewer options.

The  restrictions and attacks have occurred at the local, state and the national  levels. Much of this has been caused by subversive laws passed in part because  of back-door politics and deep funding by the animal rights lobby.  Among these groups that are working against  YOU are the Humane Society of the United States, PETA, ASPCA, Center for  Biological Diversity and many others.

But help  is on the way!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JM48L0Jci4&feature=player_embedded

Thanks  to the newly formed Sportsmen’s Issue Defense Fund (SIDF), developed by the U.S.  Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA), the future of hunting and angling looks much  brighter.  Read more

The link below shows a good photo of the recently spotted Cougar in Houghton County.  The DNR says its the same cat that was captured on a trail cam in Ontonogan County.  Interestingly, it has a radio collar but the origin of the mountan lion has yet to be discovered, although some western states have tracking programs.  It will be interesting to find out just how far this cat has traveled.

http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2011/09/dnr_cougar_spotted_in_houghton.html

9/23/11

In case you have not heard, the U.S. economy is slow and federal dollars are scarce. Tax dollars are being very closely watched under public scrutiny. Now, there are less of those tax dollars to watch thanks to the former Fund for Animals, alias Humane Society of the United States.

Back in 2003, the Fund for Animals (this group merged with and is now HSUS) sued the U.S. Department of Interior and its director Steve Williams, plus former director Dale Hall. The charge: that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). These charges targeted the USFWS ruling that permitted hunting on 60 units of the National Wildlife Refuge system, and the lawsuit covered periods ranging from 1998 through 2003.  The U. S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation and others intervened in the case on behalf of sportsmen.

At great expense, the USFWS reviewed and update the NEPA status and findings on those 60 refuges. On April 13, 2011, a federal judge ruled that the USFWS new information met the criteria and hunting could continue on the listed NWRs. HSUS lost its lawsuit. Then, however, HSUS filed on July 12, 2011 for “an award of a portion of the attorney’s fees and costs.”

The result: the USFWS must pay the defeated HSUS $116,000.00 dollars. Can you say fleecing or milking the system? Read more

By Glen Wunderlich

The new 2011 Hunting and Trapping Digest by the Michigan DNR is now available and contains this season’s hunting rules and regulations.  However, absent from the
pages is the reference to the new state law (passed after the rules were published), that allows hunters of 10 years of age and above to hunt deer, bear, or elk with firearms.  The change is part of the Hunter Heritage Act, which creates a new mentored hunting program and eliminates the minimum age requirements for hunting in 2012. Read more

Below is a link from the Kalamazoo News to a bill that would allow farmers to kill more nuisance deer by signing up more shooters.

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2011/09/legislation_would_allow_michig.html

We had some good quality whitetails , although the numbers are down so far.  A good ending to an 11-year old’s initial attempt at a deer with a crossbow will be shared in next week’s column.  But, here’s a peek at her trophy:

Brooke's First Deer

And, another young lady gets a dandy in the rifle zone but she used a compound bow.  Great job!

Courtesy of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance
9/23/11

If you have held a bow these late summer days or will be holding one in the weeks ahead as bowhunting seasons open across America, you are not alone. Bowhunting is a popular American pastime with millions taking to the woods each fall. Hunters can pursue deer—the most hunted species with a bow—or bear, elk, pronghorns and many species of small game. Those up for a challenge also hunt pheasants and other upland game with bow and arrow. Before you grab your bow and head afield, however, know the requirements—and be prepared. Read more

Washington, DC – Today the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted Safari Club International’s (SCI) motion to participate as an intervenor against constitutional challenges to wolf delisting legislation filed by two sets of animal-rights groups. SCI is joined in their intervention by the National Rifle Association of America (NRA). Read more