Category: Hunting

New Funding Encouraged for Non-Game Species

GW:  I find this proposal to be a sincere approach to the manner in which funding by animal-rights groups has been decimated through frivolous lawsuits by gaming the system.  Equal Access to Justice reforms have been stalled by Democrat leadership in the U.S. Senate by Harry Reid and will never happen, because his animal-rights supporters count on the money to fuel anti-hunting drives across the country.  “…Goals and actions [include] identifying and developing new sources of dedicated, long-term funding for federal, state, and tribal fish and wildlife agencies to support conservation and hunting…”

MISSOULA, Mont.- Four Boone and Crockett Club members are serving on a panel charged with developing new funding mechanisms for conservation. The goal is bridging the funding gap between game and nongame species – a concept heartily endorsed by the Club.

The 20-member Blue Ribbon Panel on Sustaining America’s Diverse Fish and Wildlife Resources was announced at a recent Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies meeting.

Download Blue Ribbon Panel
brochure here.

The panel is co-chaired by Johnny Morris, CEO of Bass Pro Shops and regular member of Boone and Crockett Club. The panel also includes three professional members of the Club including Becky Humphries, Steve Williams and John Tomke. Read more

Animal Rights, Fishing, Hunting, Wildlife

Maine Bear Hunting Issues and HSUS

On Nov. 4, Maine residents will vote on Question 1, a ballot initiative foisted upon them by a special-interest group and funded almost entirely by out-of-state monies. At stake is the ability of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to properly manage black bear populations in the Pine Tree State. Question 1 seeks, in effect, to ban bear hunting. The initiative would make it illegal to hunt bears over bait, with dogs or by trapping. In the impenetrable forests of Maine, those three methods account for 93 percent of the yearly harvest from the state’s robust population of 30,000 black bears.

Question 1 would hamstring the fish and wildlife department’s ability to scientifically and effectively manage black bears in Maine. The consequences being an unhealthy increase in bear populations, increased human-bear conflicts, increased management costs to taxpayers and economic losses that reverberate throughout the state. This has proven true in other states where the Washington D.C.-based Humane Society of the United States, which has organized and funded more than 97 percent of the $2.1 million campaign, has successfully passed similar measures – most notably in Colorado, Oregon and Washington. Read more

Animal Rights, Hunting, Wildlife

NRC Youth Conservation Council invites youth bloggers to share stories about Michigan’s great outdoors

One year after launching its blog, the Natural Resources Commission Youth Conservation Council is opening up that public platform – http://michiganycc.wordpress.com/ – to young outdoor voices across the state. The Youth Conservation Council, established by a Natural Resources Commission resolution in 2012, provides a forum where a diverse group or conservation-minded teens can talk about and take action to protect, promote and enhance Michigan’s outdoor recreation opportunities – including everything from hunting, fishing and trapping to hiking, wildlife viewing and camping.

The YCC blog was one of the council’s first projects, initially providing a place where members could share their own outdoor experiences. Now the Youth Conservation Council wants to hear from the rest of Michigan’s young outdoor enthusiasts. Read more

Fishing, Hunting, Wildlife

Dansville State Game Area shooting range opening Nov. 1

The Department of Natural Resources today announced that its Dansville shooting range in Ingham County – located at 1819 Kelly Road in Mason, within the Dansville State Game Area – will reopen Saturday, Nov.1, after extensive renovations have been made to the facility. The range will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday through Monday, and closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. The last shot will be fired at 4:45 p.m. Plans are to close the range for the winter Dec. 15 and reopen in the spring as weather allows. Read more

Firearms, Hunting

11-year-old hunter bags rare albino deer

While it was once illegal to kill albino deer, it is perfectly legal now in Michigan as of 2008.

This amendment –

Removal of Protection for Albino and All-White Deer Wildlife Conservation Order Amendment No. 8 of 2008 removes the protection for albino and all-white deer, and establishes the open/closed status for antlerless deer license sales for each DMU.

It is burdensome to the hunter to determine if a deer is an albino deer or meets the definition of an all-white deer while afield. There is no compelling scientific reason to protect these deer.

Details of the deer killed by an Oceola Twp. youngster are here…

 

Archery, Hunting, Wildlife

Make Whitetails Do A Double-Take – Keys to Bringing Bucks to Decoys

The buck stood at the edge of a picked cornfield about 250 yards away. Even at that distance I could see he was a definite “shooter.” Rather than skirting the field and coming by my stand just off of the corner, he cut straight across the middle. What to do? I picked up my rattle-bag and cracked it as hard as I could. He stopped and turned his head in my direction. I hit the rattle-bag a second time and he came on a steady trot in my direction. Once he reached 100 yards he slowed to a fast walk and started to swing downwind. Long story short – he stood 80 yards downwind of me, hardly moving a muscle for almost five minutes. His only movements were his ears searching for “the two bucks he had just heard” and his nose waving in the breeze scanning for other supporting evidence. He turned and slowly disappeared over the ridge.

What makes a state of affairs seem real to you? If you can see it, hear it, smell it, touch it – the more senses we satisfy, the more that scenario seems real. This is also true for whitetails? By using different techniques a hunter can appeal to a variety of the whitetails’ senses at once. On that day I sure wish I would have had some scent set-up or a decoy placed out to draw his attention and coax him in the final 80 yards. Read more

Hunting

Michigan Hunting Reference

Whether it’s your first time out or the continuation of a family tradition, the outlook is outstanding for a great Michigan deer hunting season. Don’t miss your chance to put a trophy in your sights.

Be prepared green arrow

Buck standing in sunlight
woodcock in natural habitat doe standing in a field Man and boy hunting
Still time for timberdoodles
The reasons to hunt woodcocks in Michigan are nearly as plentiful as the birds themselves. Don’t miss your chance to take advantage of this Fall tradition.

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Smaller is better
Although the smallest member of the deer family found in Michigan, white-tailed deer are a favorite of hunters and can be found in every county in Michigan.

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Pick your spot
Finding the perfect hunting spot can be a challenge. Let Michigan’s interactive maps help you find the one that’s right for you.

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Hunting

Aimpoint Launches New Carbine Optic

Chantilly, VA – Aimpoint, the originator and worldwide leader in electronic red dot sighting technology, has announced the introduction of a new sight designed specifically for modern sporting rifles such as the AR-15. This new product, known as the Aimpoint Carbine Optic (ACO), expands upon the company’s already proven designs and focuses these features into a high quality, entry priced optic.

This new sight was developed with the modern sporting rifle owner in mind, and the ACO is ready to mount and shoot directly out of the box. A full suite of branded accessories, such as front and rear flip covers, an anti-reflection filter, and spare battery holders are available from dealers, and allow users to customize the sight to fit their specific requirements. The ACO pairs a 30mm aluminum alloy sight tube with an extremely rugged fixed height mount designed to provide absolute co-witness with AR-15 backup iron sights. A two minute of angle (2 MOA) red dot is utilized to allow maximum target acquisition speed and accuracy at all distances. The ACO is completely waterproof, and offers one year of constant-on use from a single 1/3N battery. Read more

Firearms, Hunting, Self Defense

HSUS Manipulates Judicial System in Attempt to Muzzle Biologists

GW:  Nothing new here about those that would change man’s relationship with animals by any means to thwart the only means to genuine conservation:  hunting.

On top of spending millions of dollars to buy the Question 1 ballot initiative, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is also trying to muzzle the most trusted source of information about bears in Maine, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&W). On Sept. 30, Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting sued the department because the agency is telling voters that unregulated bears pose a significant risk to public safety.

“From the start, the wildlife management professionals have been opposed to Question 1,” said Evan Heusinkveld, USSA vice president of government affairs. “They have made sure that people know that bears are dangerous predators, especially when in close proximity to people.”

Banning the most effective means to control the state’s bears will lead to an exploding population and a drastic increase in dangerous human-bear conflicts. All across the country people are being attacked by bears, and those states don’t have nearly as many bears as Maine does. That is why Question 1 is dangerous, and that is what HSUS does not want the public to hear.

On Thursday, Oct. 8, Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting asked the court for a temporary restraining order in an effort to pull TV ads off the air featuring wildlife agency personnel and their opposition to Question 1.

“The antis know that the biologists and game wardens are a trusted source of information for Maine voters, so now they are hoping to find an activist judge who will clean up their mess,” said Heusinkveld. “Not only is it the responsibility of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to explain to voters how this would impact them, it would be negligent if they didn’t speak up. This issue truly is a concern for public safety and we’re proud the department has taken the initiative to stand up and speak out about the danger Question 1 poses to all Mainers.” Read more

Animal Rights, Hunting

Ideology Masquerading as Science

The Humane Society of the United States is a radical animal “liberation” group run by longtime activists who have a vision to eliminate society’s use of animals. That’s not just animals for food. For instance, HSUS president Wayne Pacelle has said “I don’t love animals or think they are cute” and “I don’t want to see another cat or dog born.”

So it’s especially rich that Pacelle had a blog post this week titled, “Cruelty and Ideology Masquerading as Science.” Pacelle takes issues with the recommendations of some wildlife experts that Mainers be allowed to use baiting in order to hunt bears. HSUS is pushing a ballot measure to ban this practice next month.

But who’s letting ideology drive their point of view?

On one hand, you have wildlife biologists defending the use of Maine’s practices on scientific grounds. According to the experts, baiting is needed because black bears are hard to hunt, especially in Maine’s dense woods. Banning baiting will make it harder to hunt them, and therefore there’s a likelihood of unwanted bear-human encounters increasing. See New Jersey, which after banning bear hunting entirely re-instituted hunting a few years ago following problematic encounters.

On the other hand, HSUS is trying to silence the expert voices. The group has filed a lawsuit against Maine to try to stop state employees from speaking out against the measure. (State officials have even received threats.)

While experts line up on one side, on HSUS’s side there isn’t exactly what you’d call a grassroots campaign. Over 96% of the funding for the Maine ballot group has come from HSUS or its lobbying arm. The ballot group’s leader, Katie Hansberry, is an HSUS employee and lawyer from Massachusetts, and Pacelle, who has been going door to door in Maine, is a lobbyist who lives in Washington, D.C.

Hopefully Mainers tell HSUS they can handle their own issues just well enough. And hopefully they see that this ballot campaign isn’t about trying to make hunting “fairer” or easier—HSUS has an ideological opposition to hunting and wants to make it more difficult, even if the consequences aren’t so great for residents. Read more

Animal Rights, Hunting
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