Bears remain active during fall hunting seasons

Fortunately, three archery hunters are uninjured after two recent encounters with grizzly bears in the Taylor Fork south of Big Sky.

The first encounter involved two hunters on Sept. 29. They were hunting in the vicinity of a known elk carcass when they saw a grizzly bear. To make their presence known, the hunters yelled at the bear. The bear reportedly came toward the hunters, and they each fired once with handguns. Both the bear and the hunters left the site without further incident.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff learned of the encounter on Oct. 1, and after interviewing the hunters, determined it was unlikely the bear was injured.

On Oct. 3, a lone hunter reportedly encountered a grizzly bear at close range. The bear charged, and the hunter deployed bear spray, which stopped the charge. The hunter left the area and reported the incident to FWP. Read more

Whether you’re in the marsh, standing in flooded timber, creeping quietly through heavy brush or in any other hunting situation, wet hands quickly sap your dexterity, comfort and confidence. When the weather turns cold and wet, even the best hunters can lose focus fast. Cold, soaked hands don’t just make for a miserable morning—they can cost you a shot, a bird or a trophy. The right waterproof hunting glove does more than just block moisture: it must balance protection, warmth, grip and shooting precision.

Enter Hunt Monkey, the performance-driven hunting glove line built with next-level waterproofing, insulation and grip technologies to keep your hands dry, warm, and ready no matter what the conditions throw your way.

Rain, snow, sleet, and wet brush are the hunter’s constant adversaries. Once water penetrates your gloves, insulation loses efficiency, fingers go numb and trigger control becomes sloppy. That’s where Hunt Monkey’s advanced waterproof glove technology stands apart. Read more

Rooster pheasants will be released on 13 state game/wildlife areas throughout southern Michigan this fall. Releases will take place Oct. 20-Nov. 14 and Dec. 1-31, coinciding with pheasant hunting season.

Release locations:

• • Cass City (Tuscola County).
  • Cornish (Van Buren County).
  • Crane Pond (Cass County).
  • Crow Island (Bay and Saginaw counties).
  • Dansville (Ingham County).
  • Erie (Monroe County).
  • Lapeer (Lapeer County).
  • Leidy Lake (St. Joseph County).
  • Townline 16 (Bay County).
  • Pointe Mouillee (Monroe and Wayne counties).
  • Rose Lake (Clinton and Shiawassee counties).
  • Stanton (Montcalm County).
  • St. Johns Marsh (St. Clair County).

Read more

Arkansas’s two-weekend alligator season wrapped up in the predawn light Monday morning, and when the last harvested alligator was checked, hunters had tallied 205 alligators, narrowly edging out the previous record of 202 harvested in 2023.

According to AGFC Herpetologist Amanda Bryant, hunters surpassed the initial quota of 204 with one additional harvest.

“We’re really happy with the outcome this year. We always want 100 percent of the quota to be filled so it’s great when that happens,” Bryant said. “The quota is exceeded when multiple hunters take an animal in the same night and only one or two animals remain to close the season. It’s pretty common. We set the quota a few animals short of the total needed harvest with this in mind.”

Hunters on public land filled 26 of the 38 drawn public land tags available. The success rate of 68 percent was an improvement over last year’s 58 percent hunter success on public land.

“Almost every hunter who puts in some time on the water in Arkansas’s public alligator hunting areas will see a legal alligator to harvest. Getting within snare or harpoon range can be tricky, especially with some of the larger ones,” Bryant said. “And a lot of unfilled tags are the result of hunters holding out for a larger alligator and running out of time; but hunters were actually more successful this year than last year.” Read more

Sept. 24, 2025
Contact: Brent Rudolph, 517-730-8802

Deer hunters taking part in Michigan’s Oct. 1-Nov. 14 archery season could see a strong statewide harvest, even as they encounter varying conditions – from the results of heavy snowfall in parts of the Upper Peninsula to an outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease in the southern Lower Peninsula.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ newly published 2025 deer hunting preview indicates this year’s deer harvest could be strong overall – mirroring a robust 2024 – but that hunters should be aware of several factors.

In addition to the potential for lower deer numbers in high-snowfall areas of the U.P. and the ongoing EHD outbreak in the southern Lower Peninsula, the devastating March 2025 ice storm in the northern Lower Peninsula could affect hunters as well.

“Overall, the 2024 deer season was a pretty good one, with hunter participation and deer harvest all generally steady or increasing from the prior year,” said Brent Rudolph, the deer, elk and moose management specialist for the DNR’s Wildlife Division. “Variability within each region occurs every year, but for 2025 the wild cards include the borderline severe winter conditions in the U.P., potential ice storm impacts on access to hunting locations in the northern Lower Peninsula and the ongoing EHD outbreak in the southern Lower Peninsula. Hunters always benefit from being prepared, and these are extra factors to look out for this year.” Read more

The cool front that brought rain through much of Arkansas on Monday did little to hinder the effort and results of the state’s alligator hunters, with 162 successfully bringing home a gator during the first weekend of the 2025 hunting season.

All public and private alligator zones will remain open during the second and final weekend of the hunt, which begins 30 minutes after sunset Sept. 26 and ends 30 minutes before sunrise Sept. 29.

“All alligator hunters on private land and those who drew a Millwood Lake permit need to be sure and call the hotline (833-345-0398) or check www.agfc.com/alligator before they go on their hunt each night to make sure the quota hasn’t been filled,” AGFC Herpetologist Amanda Bryant said. “I update the hotline and website every day, and each of these quota hunts has the potential to close as early as the first night of the next hunt. I’d advise alligator hunters to keep that looming quota in mind if they think about passing up any opportunity this weekend.”

Each year, many alligator hunters put off taking alligators that offer them a chance to fill their harvest tag in hopes of finding a larger alligator, and each year many hunters go home with nothing to show from their hunts. Read more

Sept. 22, 2025
Contact: Jeremy Wood, 231-340-3770

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources invites public comment on proposals to expand the deer hunting season on Beaver Island and to improve the island’s forest diversity.

Proposal: Expand deer hunting season on Beaver Island

Deer hunters on Beaver Island would have an additional 20 days of antlerless-only hunting under a DNR proposal to help simplify hunting regulations and control the island’s deer population.

The proposal would add both early and late antlerless firearm deer seasons for the 2026-2028 hunting seasons.

Public comment on the proposal can be submitted through Oct. 31 to DNR wildlife biologist Jeremy Wood at WoodJ26@Michigan.gov. In the email subject line, please indicate “Beaver Island Deer Proposal.” A summary of public input will be provided to the Natural Resources Commission, which has final authority for establishing deer hunting regulations. Read more