Category: Hunting

Michigan Board Recommends $40.3 Million to Enhance Outdoor Recreation

Gov. Rick Snyder applauds quality of life improvements

The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund board this week recommended $40.3 million in grant recommendations for outdoor recreation development and land acquisition projects to the state Legislature.

This funding will support a variety of outdoor recreation improvements including expanded public access at popular fishing destinations, additional snowmobile and multiuse trail easements that give users broader access to more trails, facility and playground improvements at urban parks, planning and construction for new trails and connectors, trail-resurfacing projects and wildlife and habitat enhancement projects.

“The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund has a proven record of supporting expanded opportunities for more Michiganders and tourists to experience quality public outdoor recreation,” Snyder said. “This year’s recommendations could help improve the quality of life in a very Pure Michigan way.”

The board recommended a total of $40.3 million for projects in 2018, including $19 million in recreation development and $21.3 million in land acquisition projects. Read more

Fishing, Hunting

Michigan’s December grouse season offers chance to expand hunting horizons

By Katie Keen

With Michigan’s most popular hunting season – firearm deer – now put to bed, some hunters might not be ready to call it a day just yet.

The December ruffed grouse season, Dec. 1 to Jan. 1, offers an entirely different hunting experience for deer hunters who just can’t stay still, are always second-guessing the blind they chose or just want to get a few more miles out of their base license.

The base license – which all Michigan hunters already have, as it’s required to purchase other hunting licenses – is the only license needed to hunt ruffed grouse.

“I go because I’m crazy, I guess,” said Michigan Ruffed Grouse Society member Aaron VanderWall. “I would religiously go out on New Year’s Day, despite conditions, in hope of killing what would be both the last grouse of the season and the first grouse of the next year.”

Deer hunters who have never tried bird hunting might consider calling that friend or family member who’s always talking about his hunting dog, suggested Al Stewart, Michigan Department of Natural Resources upland game bird specialist. Read more

Hunting

Arizona: GFC Opposes Initiative to Ban Hunting of Wild Cats

“I like to describe it as ballot box wildlife management versus scientific management of wildlife,” said Commissioner Kurt Davis, of Phoenix.

PHOENIX – At its regular December meeting, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission passed a motion in opposition to a proposed ballot initiative that would ban the hunting of mountain lions and bobcats and restrict management of the state’s wild cats by the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

The proposed initiative has not yet qualified for the ballot, but the Commission regularly takes positions on federal and state legislation with potential impact on the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) and the management of Arizona wildlife. The Commission voted 4-0 “in opposition to the initiative related to wild cats, and to affirm that the department has all the tools necessary to manage our state’s wildlife.” Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

SCI Supports President Trump’s Decision To Protect Public Land Access

TUCSON, ARIZONA—Safari Club International today announced support for the decision by President Donald Trump and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke to protect access to public lands in Utah. Following a review of 27 National Monuments, President Trump announced he intends to reduce the size of Bear Ears and the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments in Utah.

 

“We at Safari Club International (SCI) applaud the decision of President Trump and Secretary Zinke to protect access to millions of acres of public land in Utah. We are thankful that this administration — unlike the previous — conducted a thorough review of these monuments, and listened to the input of hunters and sportsmen when making this important decision. With this announcement, the Trump Administration is affirming the benefit of traditional land uses, such as hunting and recreational shooting, to our nation’s resource management,” said SCI President Paul Babaz. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Michigan Pheasant Restoration Initiative Goals now available online

The Michigan Pheasant Restoration Initiative has developed a document outlining the coalition’s goals for the next several years. Work outlined in the Michigan Pheasant Restoration Initiative Goals for 2016-2020 is already under way.

The Michigan Pheasant Restoration Initiative aims to create small game hunting opportunities, increase wildlife populations, improve hunter satisfaction and help Michigan’s economy. Landowners can get involved – and can get technical and financial assistance – by forming cooperatives to create and enhance pheasant habitat. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Flex Your Hunting Muscle With A Swagger All-Terrain Bipod

Nothing is more critical to gun-hunting success than a steady hold. It doesn’t matter how tightly your gun groups at the range. If you can’t keep the crosshairs steady on the shoulder of a giant buck, you’re going to miss – or worse, make a wounding shot. If only range-like accuracy could be achieved in the hunting woods.

That was the thinking that brought the folks at Swagger Bipods to create their All-Terrain Bipods.
Hunters have sought better in-the-field accuracy for decades. Traditional bipods, portable rests, blind bags – such products help, but they all fall short in critical areas. Swagger Bipods provide a steady hold, even in the most stressful situations, and in any terrain or stand setup.

If you’ve tried a non-attached bipod, you probably don’t use it today. In addition to being another item to carry and forget, such bipods often cause more issues than they solve. Whether it’s trying to get the bipod set up after you see a big buck, or whether it’s the inability to adjust the bipod when that buck is on the move, traditional bipods and shooting sticks cause delays and rushed shots.

The Swagger All-Terrain Bipod Field Model is a revolution in mobile, adaptable support. Read more

Hunting

Two Iowa hunters injured in Audubon County

AUDUBON COUNTY, Iowa – Iowa Department of Natural Resources conservation officers responded to a hunting incident around 3:30 p.m., on Nov. 25.

Arthur Goupille, 56, of Negaunee, Mich., was hunting pheasants in Audubon County when his gun discharged hitting two members of his hunting party standing about six feet away.

The group had completed a drive and was taking a break when the incident occurred. Goupille’s gun fell over, discharged, and struck the nearby hunters. The hunters were taken to the Audubon County Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. They were treated and released.

Hunting

Arizona Elk Habitat Gets a Boost


MISSOULA, Mont.—The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation awarded $212,970 in grant funding for 15 projects that enhance Arizona’s wildlife habitat and hunting heritage.The grants benefit 7,464 acres across Apache, Coconino, Maricopa, Navajo, Santa Cruz, Yavapai and Yuma Counties. There are also three projects of statewide benefit.

“One of the major issues that threaten quality habitat in the desert Southwest is the invading presence of conifer species which tend to choke out vital native forage for elk and other wildlife. This funding will assist to thwart that spread,” said Blake Henning, RMEF chief conservation officer. “RMEF also seeks to bolster the next generation of hunters by directing grant funding toward eight Arizona projects that include youth camps, hunts, programs and similar events.”

RMEF volunteers in Arizona generated the funding through chapter banquets, membership drives and other events.

Here is a sampling of the 2017 projects, listed by county: Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Proud To Be A Hunter

I am a hunter and I am proud of who I am and what I do.

Hunting is the age-old human imperative that bridges oceans and weaves diverse cultures in ways not otherwise possible.

When I hunt in Africa, I am proud to be able to meet the people in the villages there, understand their culture and be part of helping to make their lives better and more rewarding. By hunting, I become part of both their cultural experience and of the natural order of things around them. As a hunter, I enrich their lives with Nature’s bounty, and as fellow human beings on Planet Earth, they enrich my life.

I pity those eco-imperialists who oppose hunting from afar. Their negativity defines them and limits them from understanding some of the highest forms of human experiences and some of the most effective ways to assure that there are healthy wildlife populations in the future. These antis barely, if ever, lift a finger or deliver a dollar or a scrap of food to help those who live in the bush. They don’t do a single thing to enhance wildlife. The only word they know is “no.” By seeking to deny me and other hunters our culture, they seek to impose their beliefs onto those who will suffer first and foremost from the devastation the antis’ dreams most certainly will cause, if realized. Read more

Hunting
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