SALT LAKE CITY — Several years of ongoing drought conditions and the extreme drought this summer have decreased mule deer populations across the state. Here are a few things people hunting deer and elk this fall should know.

Drought impacts deer by decreasing their body fat (because there are fewer plants and available food sources on the landscape). If the does have poor body fat and nutrition, it leads to smaller fawns, and those fawns have a decreased chance of surviving. If an adult deer has too little body fat at the beginning of the winter — especially a severe winter — it will often not survive the winter months.

The current deer population in Utah is roughly 320,000 deer, which is the lowest total number of deer in the state in several years (although not as low as 2010 or the early 2000s). While hunting bucks doesn’t impact the total population growth rate, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has decreased the total hunting permit numbers for the last several years in order to better manage to the buck-to-doe ratios outlined in the management plans. Read more

GW: Good for a crow hunter, too.
NEW HAVEN, Mo. – ALPS OutdoorZ, premiere manufacturer of extreme-duty hunting packs and gear for big-game hunters, has released a new, professional-grade dove belt just in time for the 2021 upland season.

The new Deluxe Dove Belt is built to work with any dove hunting style or environment. A key feature is the two “hold-open” shell pockets that flank the hunter’s torso. Use one pocket for live cartridges and the other for empties. The pockets are supported by a rugged, two-inch web belt with a tough SR buckle that is fully adjustable for an optimal fit and comfort.

In addition to the shell pockets, the Deluxe Dove Belt comes with a large game pouch for bird storage. The pouch features a TechMesh bottom to provide air flow on those warm, early season hunts and to promote fluid drainage and easy clean-out. A separate water bottle pocket is included and also comes with a TechMesh bottom for condensation drainage. All pockets can be removed and adjusted for custom performance and easy cleaning.

The Deluxe Dove Belt is made of durable 600D fabric in either Brown or Mossy Oak® Shadow Grass® Habitat™ camo. Overall weight is 1 lb., 12 oz. Read more

Pearl, Mississippi– Whether hunting an area lacking the proper trees to use tree stands or conditions dictate the use of ground blinds – or if hunters prefer the comfort and flexibility of using a ground blind – Millennium Treestands’ new-for-2021 GB100 Buck Blind is a feature-filled luxury option amidst a sea of run-of-the-mill competitors.

No matter where they hunt, most hunters need the same things from any ground blind: concealment, comfort and durability. The GB100 Buck Blind provides all of that and more. It has a heavy-duty powder-coated steel frame built with SteelTOUGH Construction and SilentHUNT Design to keep it quiet. Also, it boasts a heavy-duty water-resistant exterior shell, and a 7-foot interior height to allow even us big boys to stand up and stretch or take standing shots at game.

Far tougher than pop-up blinds, the GB100 Buck Blind isn’t going to disintegrate or blow away, as it weighs in at 83 pounds. Stake it down using the included ground stakes, or secure it to a platform for even more stability. This roomy 7.3 x 4 foot blind can easily accommodate multiple hunters.

Each of the numerous windows can be configured for hunting with a rifle, crossbow or vertical bow – and each window has an adjustable shooting rest. Even the door doubles as a window, so hunters can see what’s happening out back. Black windows and an all-black interior provide the ultimate in hunter concealment.

The GB100 has loops on the outside of the heavy-duty water-resistant soft-shell fabric for brushing it in to help break up its outline. The Buck Blind is another Millennium Treestands product designed and built by the pioneers of the exceptional hunting experience to provide good service for a long time to come.
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MISSOULA, Mont. – The Boone and Crockett Club and Pope and Young Club have just released a definitive 250-page scoring manual that will serve as the guide to the processes and procedures to correctly assign a Boone and Crockett or Pope and Young score to any Fair Chase® big game trophy.

The manual, How to Score North American Big Game, is an effort to simplify and streamline the big game scoring process. Members of both Clubs’ records committees spent years collaborating and refining the manual.

“Because Boone and Crockett and Pope and Young both have missions to maintain records of big game animals for use by wildlife managers and hunters alike, it just made sense that we work together to produce one, definitive scoring manual,” said Justin Spring, director of Big Game Records of the Boone and Crockett Club.

Measuring the antlers, horns and heads of big game animals and publishing those measurements began more than a century ago by members of the Boone and Crockett Club. These records originally were developed as a means of recording data on species thought to be going extinct from habitat loss and unregulated harvest. Today, Boone and Crockett Club records remain a way to gauge the success of conservation and wildlife management programs. In addition to its prestigious history and tradition, Boone and Crockett scoring is strongly associated with the highest tenets of fair chase and hunting ethics.

While the Boone and Crockett Club accepts entries taken with any legal weapon, the Pope and Young Club was founded in 1961 to maintain the records of animals taken with only bow and arrow. Read more

While populations remain strong, dry breeding conditions across the vast prairie pothole region likely led to poor duck production

“The prairie pothole region — the most important duck production area on the planet — is almost universally dry. There will be far fewer juveniles in the fall flight, and that’s unfortunate because the best seasons are those with an abundance of young ducks.” — Dr. Frank Rohwer, president and chief scientist of Delta Waterfowl

BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA — Delta Waterfowl forecasts that poor breeding conditions in the prairie pothole region will result in a smaller fall flight than waterfowl hunters have experienced for many seasons. The Duck Hunters Organization expects that while blue-winged teal, green-winged teal and gadwalls had average to below-average production, other key species fared worse, including mallards and, even more so, pintails, wigeon and canvasbacks. However, favorable conditions were available to eastern-breeding ducks — essential to the Atlantic Flyway — and to boreal-nesting species such as bluebills and ring-necked ducks.

“This is a unique year in that the prairie pothole region — the most important duck production area on the planet — is almost universally dry,” said Dr. Frank Rohwer, president and chief scientist of Delta Waterfowl. “A lot of the prairies were dry the past two springs as well, but at least there were pockets of areas with good wetland conditions. But this year we likely had poor duck production due to many birds overflying the prairies, and those that stayed showed reduced renesting effort and low brood survival. There will be far fewer juveniles in the fall flight, and that’s unfortunate because the best seasons are always those when you’ve got an abundance of young ducks winging south.” Read more

At 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, dispatchers in Lake County received a 911 emergency call from a man who said he had fallen and broken his back.

The call then dropped because of poor reception.

Unfortunately, the call hadn’t lasted long enough for computer systems at the dispatch center to track the location of the caller. Deputies at the Lake County Sheriff’s Office began trying to determine whom the phone number was registered to.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officer Josiah Killingbeck was on patrol when he heard about the distress call from Lake County Dispatch personnel. Consulting other officers, Killingbeck learned the phone number belonged to a 75-year-old man from Hudsonville.

The man’s son told police his dad had gone to the Whiskey Creek area, southeast of Ludington. He planned to get tree stands ready for the upcoming deer hunting season.

The son said his dad’s truck should be parked alongside the road.

“Whether you are hunting, hiking or trail riding you should always share your plans with a family member or friend,” said Lt. Joe Molnar of the DNR Law Enforcement Division. “In the plan, you should list where you are going to be and when you expect to return. You should also include any alternate locations you may be at, in case weather or other conditions change your plans. Sharing this information could be the difference between life and death if you are injured and cannot call for help.” Read more

Visit Michigan.gov/Turkey Aug. 16 to check your drawing results.

Leftover fall turkey licenses:

• If you applied but were unsuccessful in the drawing, and you have a current base license, you may purchase a leftover turkey license online or from any license agent on a first-come, first-served basis for a one-week period beginning 10 a.m. EDT Aug. 23.
• If you did not apply for a fall turkey license, you may purchase any limited-quota licenses that remain as of 10 a.m. EDT Aug. 30 if you have a current base license.