2022 pheasant release locations

This year, pheasants will be released during the Oct. 20-Nov. 14 regular pheasant season on nine state game areas throughout southern Michigan:

• Cornish (Cass County).
• Crow Island (Bay and Saginaw counties).
• Erie (Monroe County).
• Lapeer (Lapeer County).
• Leidy Lake (St. Joseph County).
• Pinconning Township (Bay County).
• Pointe Mouillee (Monroe and Wayne counties).
• Rose Lake (Clinton and Shiawassee counties).
• St Johns Marsh (St. Clair County).

Important:

A base license and a public-land pheasant license are required to hunt these areas, and all regular hunting regulations apply.

The bag limit is two male pheasants daily, with four in possession. These restrictions apply at release locations.  Read more

Bozeman, Montana- The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) will again raise money for wild sheep conservation in Montana by auctioning the 2023 state-wide bighorn sheep permit. The Sheep Show® Convention and Expo for all things mountain game hunting and wild sheep conservation will be held in Reno, NV, January 14-16, 2023.

“We’re honored,” explained Gray N. Thornton, President, and CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation. “This is what we do. Raise critical funding for wild sheep conservation that is not available from any other source. In this case, from passionate hunter-conservationists willing to step up for the opportunity to hunt a special animal and give back in a big way to that resource.”

2023 will be the 37th consecutive year WSF has put this tag up for auction at its annual convention. In its first year (1986), WSF raised $76,000. In 2022, the successful bid was $360,000. Over the past ten years, the Montana Tag has averaged $348,500. Read more

By Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)

Better safe than sorry.  We’ve all heard these words of wisdom, but unless we’ve had a good scare, or an accident, these words to the wise tend to fall on deaf ears.  And, falling on deaf ears may result in falling on the ground, if deer hunters fail to follow safety guidelines when hunting from trees.

One in three persons using treestands will experience a fall in their lifetime.  Still feel like gambling?

Recent designs in full body harnesses have made antiquated belts obsolete.  Certainly, with costs between $50 to $200, they’re not inexpensive but neither is a broken neck or back.

Any time you are above ground, you are in danger and need to protect yourself. Hunters need to use a Full Body Fall Arrest Harness System (FBFAHS) that meets stringent industry standards.

However, just wearing a harness is not enough. The second component in the safety system is a lifeline or safety line that attaches securely to the tree, and then connects to the hunter’s FBFAHS. This is an integral part of the safety system. It will support the hunter’s weight without breaking, and the inclusion of a Prusik knot allows a hunter to be connected during ascent and descent, as well as when sitting in the stand. The Prusik knot slides easily going up and down, but if there is a sudden fall, the knot tightens immediately, helping to prevent serious injury.

Help?  If you are stuck hanging onto a tree with no means to go up or down, you’ll need help.  That’s why a cell phone could save your life but it must be kept on your person.  No cell service?  It’s good to know that before you climb.  In that case, you’ll need someone on the other end of a two-way radio who can be contacted in the event of an emergency.  Hunting with a friend is another means to avoid catastrophe.

In your new safety vest/harness, you’ll want to tote a few essential tools, as well, including a sharp pocket knife and folding tree steps.  With a knife at hand, a climber can cut straps loose and tree steps can give you a place to stand during the recovery process.

Another option is one more device:  Primal Treestands’ Emergency Descender (wwwPrimaltreestands.com).

After just a few minutes of hanging in a treestand harness after a fall, the leg straps can interrupt blood flow to and from your legs, causing a deadly condition known as suspension trauma, which can cause pain, unconsciousness and even death within as little as 15 minutes.

The Emergency Descender lowers the hunter to the ground automatically and hands-free immediately after a fall. Even if a hunter is unconscious or injured, the Emergency Descender can provide an automatic and gradual descent to the ground.

It can be used with the hunter’s current full-body safety harness, as long as the harness meets ASTM standards for a fall-arrest system. The weight range for users is 120 to 300 pounds.

The Emergency Descender is small enough to fit into a coat or safety harness pocket, weighs less than 2 pounds and allows the hunter to be attached to a tree at 25 feet from the ground.

At a suggested retail price of only $50, the one-time-use Emergency Descender is an affordable, simple, life-saving system.

In addition, universal shooting rails are approximately $40 and can be added to a stand for insurance against falls, while doubling as rests to steady shots and I’ve installed one at each of my treestands.

It’s easy to learn how to use modern safety devices, and if you are at all confused, plenty of quality instructional videos are available online.  Be safe and live to hunt another day.

Whitetails Unlimited has committed $30,000 towards it’s Tree Stand Safety Initiative where a Hunter Safety Systems Ultralite Flex harness and Muddy Safe-Line will be awarded via a free drawing at each WTU event this year. In addition to the safe-line and harness giveaways, WTU field staff also takes 5-10 minutes during each event to inform attendees of the importance of tree stand safety. Hunting from elevated stands of all types creates an inherently dangerous situation because of something that pulls on us every day – gravity. While tripping over a root or rock and hitting the ground can cause injury, most of these injuries are relatively minor. However, a fall from a much greater height – like a tree stand – can result in a much more serious or life-changing injury, or even death.

The numbers are surprising: one out of three hunters who use an elevated stand will be injured. Those are not good odds. Any time you are above ground, you are in danger and need to protect yourself. Hunters need to use a Full Body Fall Arrest Harness System (FBFAHS) that meets stringent industry standards. Single-strap belts and chest harnesses have proven to be unsafe; and in fact, single strap belts can themselves cause serious injuries or death.

But just wearing a harness is not enough. The second component in the safety system is a lifeline or safety line that attaches securely to the tree, and then connects to the hunter’s FBFAHS. This is not just a hunk of random rope, but an integral part of the safety system. It will support the hunter’s weight without breaking, and the inclusion of a Prusik knot allows a hunter to be connected during ascent and descent, as well as when sitting in the stand. The Prusik knot slides easily going up and down, but if there is a sudden fall, the knot tightens immediately, helping to prevent serious injury. Read more

Going afield to hunt for small game or scout for deer season? Pick up a fall turkey license to have a shot at harvesting a wild bird for Thanksgiving.

Remaining fall turkey licenses are on sale now for everyone.

Purchase a license online or over the counter wherever DNR licenses are sold. Download the new Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app to buy licenses, look up regulations, get notifications from DNR, and much more.

Bill Miller to head communications team at The Duck Hunters Organization

BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA — Delta Waterfowl has promoted a veteran outdoor communicator, experienced team manager and lifelong waterfowl hunter to the role of communications director.

Bill Miller, continuing a nearly 40-year career in communicating the outdoor experience, has been a longtime contributor and Duck Dog columnist for Delta Waterfowl magazine and the staff writer for the Duck Hunters Organization since 2019. His previous positions included executive editor at Revo Brand Group on their “50 Campfires” multi-media property and vice president of media development and production at North American Media Group where he oversaw editorial, art and production teams for 12 magazine titles and their TV/video production department.

“Bill has equal passions for hunting, conservation, and communication,” said Joel Brice, Delta’s chief conservation officer. “With all of his amazing experience in the outdoors and the business of communications, he told me the one thing he felt he lacked before coming to Delta was a truly worthy cause to work toward. He says he has found it with us, and his outstanding, enthusiastic, take-on-any-task work ethic here proves it.” Read more