Category: Hunting

Michigan Pheasant Restoration Initiative

Made up of many partners, MPRI is a conservation initiative to restore and enhance Michigan pheasant habitat (grasslands), populations, and hunting opportunities on private and public lands via pheasant cooperatives.

A Mid-Point Accomplishments Report, detailing the work the coalition completed in the first five years of the MPRI partnership, is available for review. The 2016 MPRI Annual Report is also available.

Michigan Pheasant Season Outlook

“A few years ago, Outdoor Life magazine rated Michigan’s Thumb in the top 10 places in the country to go wild pheasant hunting, which points to the fact that pheasant hunting is still alive and well in our state,” said Al Stewart, Department of Natural Resources upland game bird specialist. “The DNR and our partners are making progress towards creating more quality pheasant hunting opportunities with the Michigan Pheasant Restoration Initiative, a collaborative effort to revitalize Michigan pheasants.”

While pheasant populations have been in decline for several years, pheasants can be found in southern Lower Michigan and in some areas of the Upper Peninsula. The best counties for pheasant hunting are in south-central to mid-Michigan and into the Thumb.

There are some localized concentrations of birds elsewhere based on habitat availability. Stewart advises hunters to look for warm-season grasses, especially idled farm fields. Late-season hunters can have success in cattail and shrub lands adjoining picked agricultural fields.

A Ring-Necked Pheasant Status Report for Michigan has recently been completed and is available for viewing.improve close to 3,500 acres.

Hunting, Wildlife

Michigan: Federal Lab Confirms Montcalm County Deer Had CWD

With archery deer hunting season under way, DNR urges all hunters to take harvested deer to area check stations

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, confirmed Wednesday that a 3 1/2-year-old female deer taken during Michigan’s youth deer hunting season in September has tested positive for chronic wasting disease.

The animal, harvested in Montcalm Township in Montcalm County, is the 10th free-ranging deer in Michigan found to have chronic wasting disease. The youth hunter who harvested the deer opted to take the animal to a Department of Natural Resources deer check station and then submitted the animal for testing – steps the DNR strongly encourages hunters across the state to take during the 2017 deer hunting seasons. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

The Buck Stopped Here

By Glen Wunderlich

The southeast wind had changed my plans for the opening afternoon of archery deer season. However, strategic options were in place and it was time to head to a little-used ladder stand overlooking a trail through the trees. It wasn’t the most comfortable stand but it was one of the few that would position me properly to exploit the benefits of hunting with the slight breeze in my face.

Opening day usually means more of a scouting experience – a way to gather information that could be used on future hunts. Little did I know that this would be my last archery stand of the generous season with my Horton Vision crossbow.

Horton Vision Crossbow

My friend, Joe and his lady friend, Diane, would occupy a two-person portable ground blind at the edge of a lush 4-acre food plot looking into the wind. It wasn’t long before Joe radioed to inform me that two 8-point bucks were locking antlers and putting on quite a show.

Meanwhile, I had nothing to report other than some annoying ground squirrels that kept me on alert, while the sun succumbed to prime time.

Over the airwaves, Joe indicated there was a much larger buck that had entered the picture, but at some 60 yards, it was beyond ethical for a reasonable chance and never got closer to him.  Then, he watched as a 9-point buck had appeared and moved to about 20 yards of his blind, but one careless movement on Joe’s part sent the quality deer back into the tall trees for good.

Two raccoons kept my attention, as they foraged for acorns in a nearby oak tree after sunset. With darkness descending, a yearling 6-point buck could be heard, as it traveled along the trail heading my way. I had already made up my mind to pass on the youngster, when it stopped directly in front of me at 15 yards. With its nose to the ground, it was sniffing the deer urine I collected from “yellow snow” and had applied to my rubber boots as scent cover.

Behind the yearling on the same trail came another deer and I could make out some headgear in the waning light. It was adorned with some unusual tines that were obviously rather long, although I never took the time to start counting them. This larger buck converged on the spot with the inquisitive 6-point buck and came to a stop.

At the sound of the arrow’s launch, both bucks sped off into the trees, but the unmistakable lighted nock hit its mark as the brilliant red light danced out of sight. Experience dictated it was time to relax and I headed back for a field-dressing kit, where Joe, Diane, and I would prepare for recovery of the prize.

We picked up the blood trail and found the expired buck no more than 50 yards from the site of the encounter.

Opening Day Shiawassee County Buck

After field dressing the animal, we hung it in the cool 40-degree air for the night and got it to the processor after icing it down the next day, because of the unseasonably warm temperatures.

At the Rose Lake deer check station, workers confirmed the buck to be no less than 3 ½ years old, but the age will still be checked in Iowa, as it is tested for Chronic Wasting Disease.

The season was short, but it couldn’t have been sweeter.

Hunting

AZGFD asks hunters to help keep Chronic Wasting Disease at bay


Arizona remains CWD-free due to surveillance efforts.

PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department is asking hunters to continue doing their part to help keep Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a neurodegenerative wildlife disease that is fatal to deer and elk, at bay.All successful deer and elk hunters are encouraged to bring the head of their harvested animal, especially bucks and bulls, to any department office statewide between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The preferred method for delivery is to place the head in a heavy-duty plastic trash bag, and keep it cool and out of the sun. Read more

Hunting

The Patriot For Up-And-Coming Predator Hunters

The FOXPRO Patriot is the perfect option for the up-and-coming predator hunter. It comes standard with 35 high-quality FOXPRO sounds, an additional 100 free sounds, and has the ability to hold up to 300 sounds. The Patriot offers maximum portability with its lightweight, rugged ABS housing. The unit comes with a single high-efficiency horn speaker that delivers a crystal-clear, high-quality sound with great volume. You can connect an external speaker to the jack on the side of the call for even more volume. The Patriot also has an auxiliary jack for use with an approved device such as the FoxJack 5 decoy. The FOXPRO Patriot features an enhanced remote with an elastomeric keypad for effortless use, even with gloves. It also has category files for easy navigation through sounds. The remote has a power on/off switch, volume up/down buttons. Scroll up/down, a mute, and much more. Read more

Hunting

Montcalm County, MI deer suspected positive for chronic wasting disease

A 3 ½-year-old female deer taken during Michigan’s youth deer hunting season is likely to be the 10th free-ranging deer in the state found to have chronic wasting disease. The animal was harvested in Montcalm Township in Montcalm County, and preliminary tests indicate the animal may be positive for CWD. The DNR is awaiting final confirmation from the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Next Level Electronic Call from Lucky Duck

Next Level Electronic Call from Lucky Duck

Baldwin, WI- Lucky Duck Premium Decoys introduces the new Revolt electronic game call. Years in the making, the Revolt is one of the new additions to Lucky Duck’s ground-breaking electronic game call lineup. This remote controlled, high-output e-caller features ear piercing volume, one-of-a-kind sound library, motorized decoy, additional tweeter speaker, and remote controlled rotational base system that lets you broadcast sound 360 degrees.

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Hunting

Figuring The Wind with Ballistic Wind Kit

Of the many factors related to accurate shooting, wind is the trickiest, as wind can change frequently and can even be different between distances due to topography.

While velocity and bullet drop can be calculated fairly easily with the proper numbers, how wind affects bullet trajectory must be determined through years of experience, unless using the Wind Kit available with the Ballistic App Advanced and iPad Editions.

The Ballistic Wind Kit uses the JBM ballistic engine’s wind capabilities to allow shooters to account for nearly any possible wind situation. In fact, the wind kit allows users to quickly program the most complex wind scenarios. Read more

Hunting

HSUS Spearheads Arizona Ballot Issue to Ban Mountain Lion Hunting

In November 2018, the world’s wealthiest animal-rights organization intends to ask Arizona voters to ban mountain lion, bobcat and other big-cat hunting. Operating under the name ‘Arizonans for Wildlife,’ the campaign is really being spearheaded by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). The group filed language on September 25 with the Arizona Secretary of State’s office to allow the signature-gathering process to begin in an effort to qualify the issue for the 2018 ballot. If the language is approved, the HSUS-led group would have to gather 150,642 valid voter signatures by July 5, 2018 to qualify for the election on November 6, 2018.

The language filed by the anti-hunting group would remove mountain lions and bobcats from the state’s list of huntable species. Under the proposed language, mountain lions and bobcats, along with jaguars, ocelots and lynx, would be called “wild cats,” and be prohibited from hunting or trapping. Read more

Animal Rights, Hunting
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