Limited-entry permit-tag draw includes antlered mule deer on world-famous Kaibab Plateau

The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) once again will be providing hunters with a chance to draw an additional elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, and pronghorn permit-tag, while generating revenue to support wildlife conservation efforts across the state.

New in this limited-entry permit-tag draw: An opportunity to hunt antlered mule deer on the world-famous Kaibab Plateau. This single permit-tag is for Game Management Units 12A and 12B between Aug. 1 and Sept. 12. AZGFD also has added additional units in which to hunt elk, deer and pronghorn. Read more

Arkansas bear hunters harvested 765 bears during the 2023 hunting season, topping the record by a margin of 100 bears, according to a presentation given by Myron Means at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s March 21 meeting at the Lodge at Mount Magazine State Park.

Means, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Large Carnivore Program coordinator, said hunters took 665 black bears during archery, muzzleloader and modern gun seasons in 2020, and harvest remained in the high 400s the next two years.

Last year’s record is likely attributed to an earlier opening day of the bear archery season in Bear Zones 1 and 2. Recent seasons opened on the third week in September to be concurrent with deer archery season, but bear hunters in 2023 were able to get out on Sept. 13, a week and a half earlier. Read more

By Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)

On March 28, the nation’s largest statewide conservation organization, Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC), filed a legal suit against Michigan’s Natural Resources Commission (NRC), challenging the three-month closure of the coyote hunting season.  This action follows an inexplicable maneuver by the commission to revert to protecting one of the leading killers of new-born fawns – the ubiquitous coyote.  Accordingly, MUCC and its members will learn just how expensive the commodity of principle can become.

At the March NRC meeting with a 4-2 vote, the commission opted to close the coyote hunting season from April 16 through July 14 annually through the adoption of Wildlife Conservation Order #1 of 2024. MUCC testified in opposition to the closure but its pleas fell on deaf ears.   “The record is unambiguous: The commission has not heard or cited any scientific literature or rationale justifying the closure,” said MUCC Chief Executive Officer, Amy Trotter. “Meanwhile, there were hours of public testimony on the practical benefits of coyote hunting during the spring season, while being reinforced with cited literature.”

“The [MUCC] board voted unanimously to take this action, consistent with MUCC’s mission,” its president, Rob Miller, said. “MUCC was founded on the belief that game management decisions should be grounded in science and insulated from political and social pressures. This is a foundational issue for our organization, and we were obligated to act on behalf of Michigan’s conservationists.”

Mark Spencer, president of the Michigan Trappers and Predator Callers Association, said the idea that trappers and predator callers are behind the closure is misguided.  Interestingly, the commission explained that regulation changes were considered because of stakeholder requests and subsequent feedback from the “furtaker user group”.  Even if it were true, it doesn’t constitute science-based logic – a charge with which the NRC is saddled.

“The stance taken with litigation clearly shows the trappers and predator callers of Michigan are firmly united behind the principles of science-based management,” Spencer said. “Our groups present a united front to ensure our outdoor heritage is protected and grounded in science for generations to come.”

The NRC is a seven-member public body whose members are appointed by the governor to a term of four years and subject to the advice and consent of the Michigan Senate.  Overwhelming voter support resulted in the adoption of Proposal G in November 1996, which vests exclusive authority in the NRC to regulate the taking of game.

The two sides will now lock horns.  However, one over-arching element is even more important than merely changing rules and it is the issue of acceptance by those that hunt.  A case in point relates to Wisconsin’s failed Earn-a-Buck regulation that required hunters to take a doe before being allowed to take a buck during its deer season. Even with science behind the regulation, hunters screamed and kicked enough that the rule was overturned.

Specifically, if anyone thinks that hunters in our Upper Peninsula will understand and cooperate, doesn’t know much about Yoopers, either.

Ducks Unlimited proudly presents its 2023-24 Season in Review, a comprehensive analysis of waterfowling across the United States, focusing on a year marked by unique environmental challenges and conservation efforts.

The report offers a detailed overview of the environmental challenges and achievements encountered over the season, enriched by insights into specific phenomena such as El Niño and its implications for waterfowl habitats.

The 2023-24 waterfowl hunting season faced unparalleled challenges, marked by adverse weather conditions and ecological stresses. Despite an initial improvement in breeding conditions over 2022, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Breeding Population and Habitat Survey (BPOP) revealed a troubling 7% decline in total duck populations across the Traditional Survey Area, indicating the most significant drop in nearly 15 years. Read more

For the first time since 2013, statewide elk harvest came in below 20,000.

It didn’t take a whole lot of rubbing the crystal ball to forecast a less-than-stellar mule deer harvest in 2023 because of the severe winter that preceded it. And with last fall’s harvest stats now available, the story that commenced after one of the worst eastern Idaho winters on record can be told.

Ironically, it may have been the opposite weather that contributed to the lowest elk harvest since 2013. Warm fall weather with little precipitation often creates poor hunting conditions, but weather or not, the statewide elk harvest dropped nearly 2,400 animals compared to the prior year.

But not all deer and elk harvests were down. White-tailed deer harvest had a modest bump—and the first increase in four years—signaling herds may be recovering from a large disease die-off in 2021.

“It was kind of a screwy year,” said Toby Boudreau, Deer and Elk Coordinator. “I think everyone expected the mule deer harvest to drop significantly, but we’re hopeful the mild winter will speed up their recovery, or at minimum, get it off to a good start.”

The elk harvest is a bit of a head-scratcher. Anecdotally, Fish and Game heard reports from experienced elk hunters who were not finding elk in their usual spots during fall, and suspect weather may have been a significant factor. Read more

Wyoming hunters had one of the most successful elk hunting seasons on record in 2023-24, with nearly a five percent increase in harvest compared to the previous season, according to the latest elk harvest survey report. During the season, hunters spent more than 480,000 recreation days in the field and harvested nearly 29,000 elk. Over the last decade there has been an increasing trend in elk harvest. Read more