SCI Members on This Morning’s “Today Show “ on NBC

Between 7:40 and 8:00 a.m. this morning, (Safari Club International) SCI members Tess and Andrew Talley will appear on NBC’s “Today Show” along with SCI President Paul Babaz. The Talleys will recount the savage social media attacks they suffered after social media trolls dredged-up a photo when she took an old giraffe on a legal hunt in South Africa.

The appearance is part of SCI’s new communications effort to engage the media in order to get the facts about the good things hunters and hunting do around the world –and countering the lies of anti-hunters with the best science-based research possible. SCI recognizes the danger of direct engagement – misinterpretation- but says it is an “acceptable risk” in order to counter the so-called “facts” used by anti-hunting groups.

HSUS Attack On Alaska Hunting A Sham

The Humane Society of the United States doesn’t let facts get in the way of anti-hunting propaganda meant to mislead the public about hunting in Alaska even when their venom taints practices of Native Alaskans and subsistence hunters in the process.
In a recent blog, HSUS claimed, based on a poll they apparently paid for, that most Alaskans oppose recent proposed changes there that roll back oppressive Obama-era regulations and put management of wildlife squarely in the hands of the state, where it belongs.
For the most part, the types of hunting attacked by HSUS are practiced by native Alaskan and subsistence hunters, on a relatively limited basis, and not by trophy hunters.
Safari Club International supports the State of Alaska’s authority to make decisions about how to manage their wildlife and, for the most part, have left it to the State and the native Alaskan communities to address questions about the specific methods.
The National Park Service first announced the proposed rule withdrawal about six weeks ago. Since then, the antis have launched a propaganda campaign as part of their overall efforts to end all hunting.
“It is the biologists — who spend their careers studying how to manage and conserve Alaska’s predator and prey wildlife populations — who should be the ones who decide how Alaska’s wildlife should be managed – and not individuals who do not have all the facts,  who were the likely participants in the HSUS-funded poll,” said SCI President Paul Babaz.

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The Dwindling Doe Harvest

The year was 1999. We were on the cusp of a new century. The Yankees won the World Series for the 25th time. The Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl for the second time, and more importantly from a deer management perspective, hunters shot more antlerless deer than antlered bucks for the first time. That was definitely cause to follow Prince’s advice and “party like it’s 1999.” That was a landmark year in the history of deer management. Decades of legal and cultural protection of antlerless deer produced harvests dominated by antlered bucks. This strategy worked well during the early and mid-1900s as sportsmen and managers worked to restock decimated deer herds. However, it was counterproductive to healthy herds and healthy habitats once deer herds recovered.

In 1999 the QDMA was 11 years old. For just over a decade, QDMA founder Joe Hamilton and other early Quality Deer Management (QDM) pioneers taught hunters the benefit and need of increasing the antlerless harvest, and in 1999 deer hunters changed the tide of deer hunting history (see the chart on the facing page). The white-tailed deer harvest in the chart is from the 37 states east of the Rocky Mountains in the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast. These states are home to 97 percent of the whitetails and 97 percent of the hunters in the U.S., and they provide an accurate account of whitetail harvests in the U.S. from 1989 to the present.

During the next decade, the QDM philosophy grew, and so did the antlerless harvest. From 1999 to 2009 hunters shot far more antlerless deer than antlered bucks on an annual basis. The next decade started the same, as the ratio of antlerless deer to bucks remained similar through 2013, but the 2014 hunting season marked the start of a significant three-year slide in antlerless harvests. From 2011 to the present, the antlered buck harvest has fluctuated some, but it has been fairly similar over those years. Conversely, the antlerless harvest has declined by 17 percent during this time period, reaching a low point in 2016. In fact, in 2016, for the first time since the 1990s, we nearly harvested more antlered bucks than antlerless deer! The 2016 antlerless harvest was the lowest it has been in nearly 20 years, and the difference in the antlerless and antlered buck harvest was only 11,693 deer. This was a difference of less than 0.5 percent out of the 5,648,835 deer harvested.

From 2003 to 2016, the antlered buck harvest remained nearly identical (2,820,586 vs. 2,818,571 bucks), while the antlerless harvest declined 24 percent (3,701,814 vs. 2,830,264 antlerless deer). This is a difference of 870,842 antlerless deer and over 174 million venison meals! This is a huge deal for hunters, deer managers, herds and habitats everywhere. It also places an even larger reliance on American agriculture to feed society. The protein from those 174 million venison meals needs to be replaced with increased beef, pork, poultry or soybean production, and the additional acreage needed for this often results in habitat loss for deer and other wildlife species.

What’s causing this change in antlerless harvest? Several factors own a piece of the blame. There are fewer deer today than a decade ago. Many states have purposely reduced deer herds through expanded antlerless opportunities and bag limits, so the extreme antlerless harvests of the early 2000s aren’t as necessary today.

Fawn recruitment rates plummeted from an average of 0.81 fawns per doe in 2000 to 0.58 fawns per doe in 2015. That means it takes nearly two does to recruit one fawn today. Fawn recruitment rates are impacted by predator numbers, habitat quality, herd management programs, and other factors. We could debate which factor is most important, but the reality is there are significantly fewer fawns recruited today than a decade or two ago, so deer herds don’t need to be harvested as aggressively to keep them in balance with what the habitat can support.

We’ve also had two “100-year” hemorrhagic disease (HD) outbreaks in the past 11 years: 2007 and 2012 went down as two of the worst HD years in history, and impacts were noticeable to deer herds in several states. Other factors such as severe winters, droughts, and habitat loss are at play too, but one last significant factor is hunter willingness to shoot antlerless deer.

There’s been an increasing trend over the past few years of hunters in numerous states shooting more antlered bucks than antlerless deer annually. This is expected in places like New England, but not in our productive “heartland.” In the 2016-17 deer season, over half (six of 11) of the states in the Southeast shot more bucks than antlerless deer. This should not be happening in deer-rich Louisiana, South Carolina or Tennessee. Even worse, in the Midwest eight of 13 states shot as many or more bucks as antlerless deer. States like Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin should be shooting far more antlerless deer than bucks, but that’s not the case today. In 2016-17, hunters in Michigan, Minnesota and South Dakota shot three bucks for every two antlerless deer. This has to stop. I’m fully aware there are areas today with deer herds below what the habitat can support, but there are numerous places with states urging hunters to shoot more antlerless deer that we’re not taking advantage of and pulling the trigger. In the 2016-17 season, 21 of 37 states (57 percent) shot more bucks than antlerless deer, and we need to reverse this trend. Read more

Michigan: Apply for antlerless deer licenses starting July 15

Antlerless deer license application period: July 15 to Aug. 15

Some areas of the state have a limited number of antlerless deer license applications available, making applying for that deer management unit important for some. Private-land applications do require a landowner phone number, so have it ready.

Young hunters, 16 and under, can buy antlerless deer licenses over the counter July 15- Aug. 15. Don’t miss out!

Any leftover licenses that remain will go on sale Sept. 10 at 10 a.m. Read more

It’s Michigan fall turkey application time

Fall turkey license application period: July 1 to Aug. 1

Portions of Michigan are open to fall turkey hunting – a great way to put a turkey on your Thanksgiving table! The season runs Sept. 15 to Nov. 14.

Fall turkey hunting allows the DNR to stabilize or reduce wild turkey numbers in certain areas of the state to meet local goals based on habitat conditions and public feedback.

Find more information and buy an application online at michigan.gov/turkey.

Share your opinions on future Michigan bear management

Michigan is home to an estimated 12,000 adult black bears. To guide bear management throughout the state, the DNR, with assistance from tribes and many others interested in maintaining a healthy black bear population, developed the state’s first bear management plan in 2009.

Now, the DNR is working to revise that plan and is encouraging the public to help. A questionnaire (available at https://www.research.net/r/BearPlan) has been developed to capture opinions, which will be accepted until July 31, 2018.

“The plan we have been operating under for almost 10 years has been a great tool,” said DNR bear specialist Kevin Swanson. “We want to make sure that the plan is still meeting the state’s and others’ needs, or determine if changes are needed to ensure a thriving bear population for future generations.” Read more

2018-2019 federal duck stamps on sale Friday, June 29

MEMPHIS, Tennessee –  The new 2018-2019 federal duck stamp goes on sale Friday, June 29. The stamps, which cost $25, are valid from July 1 through June 30, 2019. Purchased by millions of waterfowl hunters, wildlife enthusiasts and collectors every year, duck stamps help raise money to purchase and protect wetlands for ducks, geese and other wildlife species.

“Duck stamps are one of the traditional ways hunters and others invest in wetland and waterfowl conservation,” said DU CEO Dale Hall. “We encourage everyone, whether they hunt waterfowl or not, to buy one or more duck stamps to help conserve our precious wetland resources. The federal duck stamp is a powerful tool for conservation in the United States. Every year the program raises more than $38 million used to purchase and protect wetlands in the National Wildlife Refuge System. These habitats benefit waterfowl and numerous other species of wildlife. It’s an incredibly successful program we should support and be proud of.” Read more

Michigan: results of 2018 elk and bear hunt drawings now available

If you applied for a bear or elk license during the May 1-June 1 application period, you can now view your results.

Check hunt drawing results online or call a DNR Customer Service Center or 517-284-WILD to find out if you were successful. If you used a DNR Sportcard to apply, please call us at 517-284-WILD to get your results.

More than 7,100 bear licenses and 200 elk licenses were available for the 2018 fall hunting seasons.

There are 203 leftover licenses remaining for the Bergland third-period bear hunt, available to Michigan residents only.  Points will be reset to zero for those who buy a leftover bear license, except for comprehensive lifetime license holders. Leftover licenses will be sold as follows:

  • July 9, 10 a.m.: Comprehensive lifetime license holders who were not selected for a license can get a free leftover license.
  • July 16, 10 a.m.: Unsuccessful applicants can purchase a leftover license.
  • July 23, 10 a.m.: Any remaining licenses will be available to the general public. Read more

Choosing a Michigan Deer Hunting Optic

By Glen Wunderlich

Choosing a deer hunting rifle scope can be a daunting proposition.  To simplify matters, let’s begin with some basics designed to determine what’s best for the task of a typical Michigan hunt.  For purposes of clarity, the focus will be on magnifying optics, rather than crude iron sights or red dots, although both of the latter can be effective under the proper conditions.

 

As we age, our eyesight demands better optics.  Younger people have the advantage of possessing larger pupils – the black circle in the middle of the eye that lets light in through an optic nerve to the brain.  However, at the age of 60, light gathering is a bit more than half as much as that of a 30 year-old; by age 70 it’s less than half.  And, when we think of prime-time deer hunting – when deer are most active – it occurs when light is less than optimal.  This is when the decision to get a bargain at the local Cheap Mart may prove to have the costly unintended consequence of being out of business early.

 

A big objective lens – the lens at the forward end of a scope – can really help a youngster who’s able to use the available light it affords.  But, the old-timer’s light gathering ability is limited by his smaller pupil and thereby gains no advantage.  His money is spent more wisely on better glass and coatings.

 

Often overlooked disadvantages of large objective lenses include the sheer size and weight, plus the center of the reticle requires higher mounting, which in turn becomes problematic for several reasons. 

 

First, having a scope mounted higher will cause the shooter’s cheek to be uncomfortably higher on the comb of the gun.   This may seem relatively inconsequential, but if positioning is unnatural, it can be harder to get aligned.  Secondly, a high line of sight relative to the bore can mean accuracy issues, when a shot is taken at distances unequal to that for which the firearm was sighted in.

 

Target scopes with parallax adjusting capabilities and fine crosshairs may allow a shooter to show off when punching paper at the range; however, a deer hunter’s needs are different.  Low light can mean those fine crosshairs will not be visible, when heavier crosshairs will still be effective afield.  One may not be able to shoot the wings off flies, but deer hunting is the task at hand and the proper optic will pay dividends when the chips are down.

 

Higher magnification may seem to make sense, but it too can be problematic – especially when a close-up opportunity is presented; compromising field of view can mean lost game.  It’s a common problem and completely avoidable with the proper equipment.  If we understand a critical rule of safe gun handling, then we know not to use a firearm’s optic to identify a target.  That’s the purpose of binoculars!

A hunting scope with lower magnification and superior glass is better suited for Michigan’s whitetail deer.  Good glass can be a fair trade-off for complicated features that can hinder effectiveness afield.  Simplicity has its rewards.

New Cirrus Wind Indicator®

Victoria, TX- Cirrus Outdoors changed the wind detection game with the launch of the Cirrus Wind Indicator®. “We tested the indicator for several years before bringing it to market. Being the first wind indicator on the market to utilize true vaper technology we had to make sure everything was right. Over the last year we developed our base unit into the ultimate hunting tool. Our product development team built the technology to not only have the best wind indicator on the market but the best multi tool as well.” Said Jim Angott President of Cirrus Outdoors.

The new Cirrus Wind Indicator® features three multi colored LED Lights. (red and white) This new lighted unit allows hunters to monitor and check the wind and thermals in total darkness or extremely low light. Not only do the lights help you detect the wind but they can be used as a flashlight when needed as well. Not only will the Cirrus Unit work as a wind checker and a flashlight built into one compact design, it will also act as a USB charging bank for your phone. “With all the technology, we take into the woods I find myself looking to downsize on how much I take with me to the stand. While testing the new Cirrus Wind Indicator® I had a flashlight, charger, and most important a wind indicator that all fit into my pocket.” Mike Hecht General Manager of RubLine Marketing.

Cirrus Wind Indicator® is available at several fine retailers across the country as well as several online retailers.

MSRP $44.95

 

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