Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters that fall turkey hunting applications now are available. Applications went on sale July 1 and will be available through Aug. 1. The application fee is $5. Applications and licenses may be purchased at any authorized license agent or online at www.mdnr-elicense.com. Read more
Blaser USA and Sporting Classics are companies driven by passion: passion for the outdoors, the hunting industry, and the future of our hunting heritage. Blaser’s customer magazine is even titled Passion, and Sporting Classics has been wholly devoted to preserving “the heritage, the romance, the art of hunting and fishing” since its inception in 1981.
The two companies are brimming with excitement about their work, but they want to hear from you, the public, about your passion for hunting and its future. In a joint contest, Blaser and Sporting Classics are looking for essay and video submissions for the subject, “Hunting has a future, because . . .”
It’s a powerful question, calling for a profound statement; and as a lover of the outdoors, of wildlife, of hunting, it’s one you should answer. Contest submissions can be made in a number of ways. Essays of 150 words or less and videos of one minute or less both qualify you to win. The contest is completely free and no registration is required. Read more
USFWS Rejects HSUS Petition to List Wolves as ‘Threatened.’
LANSING—Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) praised the decision by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to reject a petition seeking to list gray wolves in the United States as “threatened,” under the Endangered Species Act. The USFWS announced its findings yesterday.
“This decision by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists confirms that wolves are biologically recovered in the western Great Lakes and that state management plans, like Michigan’s, are sufficient to sustain the wolf population and are the appropriate way to manage wolves in the region,” said Amy Trotter, deputy director for Michigan United Conservation Clubs and a member of the Michigan Wolf Forum.
The petition was filed by the Humane Society of the United States and other anti-hunting organizations including the Center for Biological Diversity, the Fund for Animals, the Detroit Zoological Society, National Wolfwatcher Coalition and the Detroit Audubon Society. It requested that gray wolves in the conterminous United States, except for the Mexican Gray Wolf, be listed as “threatened,” which would preclude any state from holding a hunting season for them for any reason. The USFWS ruled that the petition lacked “substantial scientific or commercial information” necessary to consider it any further.
Among its findings, the USFWS stated that wolves in the conterminous U.S., which are made up of multiple distinct population segments of gray wolf, are not likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future due to any of the five listing factors, and that HSUS’s claim that they have to be present in all unoccupied suitable habitat to be considered recovered is “based on a misinterpretation of the Act.”
The USFWS further stated that state management plans are sufficient to sustain wolf populations in recovered areas, including where hunting and trapping is allowed. Read more
In the newest video online at www.GrowingDeer.tv check out a big, new buck picked up by the Reconyx trail cameras! Then, watch to see how they protect their food plots against heavy rains that would usually cause erosion. Click the above link to see all this and more today! Read more
A quality pair of gloves to protect your hands from the elements can make all the difference during an outdoor outing. Whether it’s screaming across the lake at first light headed for a topwater bite or toughing it out in the duck swamp during a winter storm, STORMR gloves allow wearers to hunt and fish comfortably through even the harshest conditions.
STORMR has revolutionized outerwear through technology and processes. The result is ultra-thin materials to provide full range of movement and comfort, combined with superior warmth and exteriors that are windproof and waterproof.
Looking for the perfect gloves for hunting, fishing, or other outdoor activities? STORMR offers a diverse line of specialty gloves. Read more
The Department of Natural Resources today announced that the results of the 2015 bear hunting license drawing have been posted at www.michigan.gov/huntdrawings. A total of 6,951 bear licenses were available during the bear application period (May 1-June 1).
A total of 112 leftover bear licenses are still available in the Bergland Management Unit (Sept. 25-Oct. 26) and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis as follows: Read more
The Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters to check their 2015 elk license drawing results, now available on the DNR website at www.michigan.gov/huntdrawings.
Two elk seasons will be held in 2015. The first season will run Aug. 25-28, Sept. 11-14 and Sept. 25-28. The second season will run Dec. 5-13. An additional season may be held Jan. 13-17, 2016, if the DNR determines the harvest insufficient to meet management goals. Read more
Nonlead Ammo PosterStarting July 1, 2015, nonlead ammunition will be required when hunting on all California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) lands and for all Nelson bighorn sheep hunts anywhere in the state.
CDFW reminds hunters who plan to hunt bighorn sheep or at any CDFW wildlife area or ecological reserve where hunting is allowed on or after July 1, 2015 to acquire nonlead ammunition well ahead of their hunt. Hunters are also encouraged to practice shooting nonlead ammunition to make sure firearms are sighted-in properly and shoot accurately with nonlead ammunition. Nonlead ammunition for some firearm calibers may be in short supply so hunters should plan accordingly. Read more
Wireless Image Transmission to Mobile Devices
Grand Prairie, TX- Stealth Cam, introduced in the year 2000, quickly became the leader in scouting camera innovation. Continuing to advance technology to the next level, Stealth Cam introduces the next generation of feature-packed scouting camera for 2015 advanced scouting cams, the GXW. This 12.0 Megapixel- 3 resolutions; 12.0mp, 8.0mp, 4.0mp, integrates 45 ‘BLACK’ IR emitters with a 100-foot range making it great tool for land management, property security, or for hunters tracking potential trophies through their mobile devices. Read more
New audiences like small game and varmint hunters and ranchers targeted
PHOENIX — California condor conservation achieved a milestone last hunt season with a record number of big game hunters in the species’ core range voluntarily using non-lead ammunition or removing lead-infected gut piles from the field to prevent condors from feeding on them.
In Arizona, a total of 91 percent of the big game hunters voluntarily used non-lead ammunition or removed gut piles from the field. In Utah, 84 percent of big game hunters in the core range did the same.
Now, condor reintroduction partners are expanding voluntary lead reduction efforts towards new groups that can also help keep condors from ingesting lead as the birds scavenge carcasses other than big game that might contain lead. New groups being targeted in expanded education and outreach efforts include small game, bird and varmint hunters, and those that dispatch sick or injured animals in the field, such as ranchers or law enforcement agencies. Read more