BROOKVILLE, Pa. (September 5, 2017) — Slipping, slippage and hair shedding are terms that taxidermists use to describe hair loss on capes, hides and skins when the hair falls out of the hide. It is a term that you don’t want to hear. Epidermal slippage can occur before, during or after tanning and occurs due to bacteria getting into the hair follicles. The follicles begin to decay, and the hair falls out of the hide. Properly preparing the hide in the field by spraying it with the Koola Buck Anti- Microbial Spray will prevent this from happening.

Surface pH at the time of harvest is neutral at 7.0, but as heat, dirt and other debris begin to contaminate the surface, the pH begins to rise. By applying the Koola Buck Anti-Microbial Spray on the cape, the pH level is significantly lowered, which also greatly lowers the growth of bacteria thereby eliminating hair slippage. Simply put: avoid bacteria; avoid slippage.

The Koola Buck Anti-Microbial Spray is ideal for use on game meat as well. Game meat is a precious commodity and hard to come by, so why not give your meat all the care it deserves. Simply use the Koola Buck Anti-Microbial Spray directly on the meat to keep bacteria from growing. Read more

Goose season begins Friday; hunters should be aware of new aggregate bag limits

It’s time to head to Michigan’s lakes, fields and marshes to hunt geese starting tomorrow. The Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters that big changes to regulations this year include a dark goose and light goose aggregate bag limit.

Canada geese, white-fronted geese (or specklebellies) and brant are now part of a dark goose aggregate daily bag limit. From Sept. 1-30, the dark goose aggregate daily bag limit for Canada geese, white-fronted geese and brant is five, only one of which can be a brant. After Sept. 30, the daily limit for dark geese is five, only three of which can be Canada geese and only one of which can be a brant.

In simpler terms, hunters can harvest five dark geese per day in September, only one of which can be a brant. All five dark geese harvested could be Canada geese. After Sept. 30, hunters still can harvest five dark geese per day; however, only three of those can be Canada geese, and only one can be a brant. Three Canada geese can be harvested daily after Sept. 30, and the remainder of the aggregate daily bag limit can be filled with two white-fronted geese or a white-fronted goose and a brant.

An aggregate bag limit is also in place for light geese, including snow, blue and Ross’s geese. Hunters may harvest 20 light geese per day during goose seasons. Read more

In the newest video on GrowingDeer.com they have an episode full of tips and useful information as deer hunters prepare for bow season and fall food plots! Dr. Woods helps local hunters with tips for improving their hunting grounds. Then advice for getting a new bow dialed in before deer season and a bow hunter’s practice regime for late summer. The episode wraps up with details on how to put in easy fall food plots. Click here to view the video today! Read more

Tuesday, Aug. 29, is the first day of the 2017 elk hunting season’s Hunt Period 1, taking place for 12 days in total:

• • Aug. 29-Sept. 1

• • Sept. 15-18

• • Sept 29-Oct. 2

A total of 100 state hunters – 70 antlerless-only hunters and 30 any-elk hunters – will get the opportunity to hunt for elk this season. Read more

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters that antlerless deer application results are available. Application results and leftover license availability can be found at mi.gov/deer.

Any leftover antlerless deer licenses not issued in this drawing will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Tuesday, Sept. 5, at 10 a.m. EDT until license quotas are met. Read more

For those who plan to hunt outside of Michigan this fall, it is important to note that regulations related to the importation of harvested cervids (such as deer, elk or moose) have changed substantially.

Hunters who harvest a cervid in any other state or province can bring back only the following cervid parts into Michigan:

• • Hides.
  • Deboned meat.
  • Quarters (legs that do not have any part of the spinal column or head attached).
  • Finished taxidermy products.
  • Cleaned teeth.
  • Antlers.
  • Antlers attached to a skullcap cleaned of brain and muscle tissue.

Read more

Michigan is in its fourth year of an experimental early teal hunting season; this year, that season runs Sept. 1-10, 2017. These small ducks, especially blue-winged teal, are some of the earliest duck species to migrate each fall.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service granted Michigan the opportunity for an additional year of experimental teal hunting. Michigan met the criteria for allowable non-target attempts and harvest and passed the experiment. The decision to operationalize the teal season was made in June 2017, and Michigan will have the opportunity for a regularly occurring early teal hunting season beginning in 2018. Read more

MISSOULA, Mont.—The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s online digital platform, the Elk Network, is now available as an app.

“Approximately 77 percent of Americans own a smartphone and elk hunters certainly rank among them,” said Steve Decker, RMEF vice president of Marketing. “We designed the Elk Network to be mobile-first and mobile-friendly. The new Elk Network app is a logical step and easier way for users to keep up to date on all things elk, elk hunting and elk country.”

The app features highly visual and informational content updated on a daily basis. It also allows users to receive alert notifications as posts are made. Read more