Category: Hunting

Users-Pay to Support Michigan Pheasant System

By Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)

Recalling a Michigan pheasant hunt in the ‘70s on a farm in Chelsea, it was big-time fun!  We donned our orange jackets and made sure our hunting licenses were secured on our backs and at the crack of the official starting time of 10am on October 20th off we went into the standing corn.  The anticipation was similar to that of opening day of deer season and for good reason:  Success was inevitable.

The colorful game birds may not have been as plentiful as they were in the ‘50s, but pheasant numbers were substantial enough to motivate hunters to hit the fields.  In fact, schools were closed on opening day and up to one million pheasants were taken per year.  More recently, however, with habitat loss and the older generation fading from the throng of licensees, the take has tumbled to less than 60,000 roosters annually.

To get sustainable numbers of wild pheasants, Michigan needs large-scale habitat restoration at various levels.  The operative word here is wild, because pen-raised birds do not fare well, as we have learned from failed turkey experiments years ago.  It’s all about habitat.

In the meantime, a new Michigan pheasant hunting license, now available for purchase, will generate funds for a pheasant release program.

The $25 license is required for anyone 18 and older who plans to hunt pheasants on any public land in the Lower Peninsula or on lands enrolled in the Hunting Access Program. Private-land pheasant hunters statewide and hunters on public lands in the Upper Peninsula do not need the pheasant license. Additionally, lifetime license holders, hunters 17 and younger, and those hunting pheasants only at a game bird hunting preserve do not need the pheasant license.

“The new public-land pheasant hunting license will provide funding to continue a pilot pheasant release program that was conducted in 2019,” said Sara Thompson, Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division Species Management Unit supervisor. “The pilot program was very popular with participants, especially among new hunters who were able to harvest a bird for the first time.”

Passed by the Michigan Legislature in 2020, the new law requiring the public-land pheasant hunting license has a sunset date of Jan. 1, 2026.

The license is on sale now at Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses or over the counter at license retailers. Hunters must have a 2021 base license to purchase the 2021 pheasant license.

Money from the new license will be placed into an account to be used only for the purchase and release of live pheasants on state-owned public lands with suitable pheasant habitat. Releases will be conducted during the regular pheasant season, which runs from mid-October through mid-November.

Pheasants are expected to be released at the following state game areas in 2021:

  • 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)

The free pheasant endorsement required in 2019 and 2020 has been discontinued and is no longer required for hunters pursuing pheasants.

Information about pheasant hunting regulations and season dates will be in the 2021 Hunting Digest, which will be available around July 1 at license agents and online at Michigan.gov/DNRDigests.

The good ol’ days may be behind us, but the new user-pays system is sure to provide hunters a taste of what it was like.

Hunting, Wildlife

Michigan: new pheasant license to fund pheasant release program

A new Michigan pheasant hunting license, now available for purchase, will generate funds for a pheasant release program.

The $25 license is required for anyone 18 and older who is planning to hunt pheasants on any public land in the Lower Peninsula or on lands enrolled in the Hunting Access Program. Private-land pheasant hunters statewide and hunters on public lands in the Upper Peninsula do not need the pheasant license. Additionally, lifetime license holders, hunters 17 and younger, and those hunting pheasants only at a game bird hunting preserve do not need the pheasant license.

“The new public-land pheasant hunting license will provide funding to continue a pilot pheasant release program that was conducted in 2019,” said Sara Thompson, Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division Species Management Unit supervisor. “The pilot program was very popular with participants, especially among new hunters who were able to harvest a bird for the first time.” Read more

Hunting

Hawk Releases ‘Office’ Box Blind

Irving, TX – The brand new Hawk ‘Office’ box blind provides comfort and reliability to hunters as a superior box blind. With insulated interior and exterior steel surfaces as well as an insulated powder coated steel floor, the ‘Office’ is a next-level box blind that is built to last. This unit gives stealth a new meaning with insulated steel walls and a steel foam insulated floor topped with a 1’’ high-density rubber mat. The ‘Office’ measures 6’ x 6.5 tall and ships fully assembled so that it is field ready. With the addition of the ‘Office’ unit, Hawk continues to help hunters succeed!

This unit has an ultra-dark black interior, preventing shadows and allowing for easy movement to help make the perfect shot. Oversized horizontal windows along with the vertical windows allow archery hunters the ability to shoot out of any window. The windows are equipped with eaves to help keep hunters dry, even in the most adverse weather conditions. The ‘Office’ windows are a one-handed operable silent window system that is made of residential glass. The door is a full-frame “RV” style door with a handle and secure lock. Read more

Hunting

Muddy’s Merge Wireless Camera: Clearer Images, Faster Trigger Speed

Wireless Camera for 2021

Irving, TX – Muddy Outdoors is home to the highest quality of products for serious hunters. From tree stands, trail cameras, box blinds, and safety harnesses, to all kinds of great hunting accessories, Muddy pushes the limits of hunting with innovative and advanced products. Today, Muddy is expanding its impressive arsenal with the new Merge wireless camera! The Merge wireless camera sets a new standard for the Muddy brand with clearer images and faster-triggering speed. The all-new Merge will let serious hunters rest easy at night knowing they have a top-notch product from a brand they can trust.

The Muddy Merge takes clarity to the next level capturing images up to 26 megapixels, which is 10 more megapixels than Muddy’s Manifest! That means even clearer and sharper images for the hunter. The updated burst mode allows hunters to capture up to 6 crystal clear images per triggering, bringing together quality and quantity. Beyond clearer images, Muddy’s Merge has blazing speed with a 0.4 trigger speed, meaning fast just got faster!

Muddy was able to create the all-new Merge with a solid base from other outstanding products in their arsenal. With an 80-ft detection and IR range, a Matte finish PIR sensor, a quick scan QR code set up, and much more, the Merge will continue to carry the outstanding features and legacy of current Muddy wireless cameras. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Pheasants Forever in Montana Selected for $6.4 Million Regional Conservation Partnership Program Award

Big Game HIP focuses on iconic species with ancillary benefits for upland birds

Malta, MT –Pheasants Forever and twelve dedicated partners have been selected to receive a major Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) award from the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) totaling $6.4 million for habitat delivery efforts in north-central Montana. Matched dollar-for-dollar through partner contributions, the Big Game Habitat Improvement Project will focus on outreach and technical/financial assistance programs to farmers and ranchers for improving grazing operations, restoring grassland habitat, and retaining intact rangelands on 60,000 acres in one of the state’s most coveted big game migration corridors.

“Pheasants Forever’s Big Game Habitat Improvement Project is set to make a landscape-level impact for wildlife habitat in north-central Montana,” said Hunter VanDonsel, Pheasants Forever’s Farm Bill biologist and the primary grant writer for the RCPP award. “This massive effort will work closely with local communities to improve grazing systems and anchor intact grazing lands that are vital to wildlife migration and wintering habitat. When we focus on Prairie Grasslands Region improvements for Montana’s world-class big game species – elk, mule deer, and pronghorn – upland birds such as sage grouse, sharptails, pheasants and partridge all benefit. This project wouldn’t be possible without amazing partnerships led by producers ranging from the Canadian border to the Musselshell Plains.”

The Regional Conservation Partnership Program promotes coordination of NRCS conservation activities with partners that offer value-added contributions to expand the nation’s collective ability to address on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns. NRCS announced on Monday its intent to invest$330 million in 85 locally driven, public-private partnerships to address climate change, improve the nation’s water quality, combat drought, enhance soil health, support wildlife habitat and protect agricultural viability. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Johnny Morris Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund Awards $300K Grant to The National Wild Turkey Federation

Landmark grant to provide support for priority NWTF local and national projects, including the Western Shared Stewardship Initiative

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Johnny Morris Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund is proud to announce it has awarded a $300,000 grant to the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) to benefit priority local and national conservation projects including the Western Shared Stewardship Initiative, a unique partnership set to address urgent wildlife habitat needs, wildfire challenges and watershed improvements in the western United States. The landmark grant, enabled by noted conservationist and Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris and generous Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s customers who round up purchases in stores and online to the Outdoor Fund, is a gamechanger for the NWTF’s critical conservation needs in 2021.

“I want to give Johnny and his entire team, as well as Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s customers who support the Outdoor Fund, a resounding thank you for their continual support the advancement of our outdoors lifestyle,” NWTF CEO Becky Humphries said. “Our partnership with Bass Pro and Cabela’s is the result of two organizations dedicated to conserving our nation’s natural resources and preserving our hunting heritage. Contributions from the Outdoor Fund will continue to drive the NWTF mission to unprecedented heights and expand our past successes even further.”

Like the NWTF, the Johnny Morris Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The Outdoor Fund encourages more than 200 million Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s customers to round up purchases to support conservation partners and projects that connect new audiences to the outdoors, protect and conserve wildlife habitat across America and advocate for sportsmen’s rights and the outdoors, a mission that closely aligns with the NWTF’s. Read more

Hunting

Boone and Crockett Club Calls for $45 Billion Infrastructure Investment in Forest Management and Restoration

MISSOULA, MT– Today, the Boone and Crockett Club released a new fact sheet outlining the need for $45 billion in federal infrastructure investments in forest management and restoration on federal lands over the next decade. The document notes that the U.S. Forest Service has over 80 million acres of land at moderate to high risk from catastrophic fire and that there are millions of acres in need of reforestation when high-intensity fires reduce the potential for natural regeneration. The Club notes that President Biden’s American Jobs Plan outlined a goal to, “Maximize the resilience of land and water resources to protect communities and the environment,” and that forest management must be a significant part of this investment. Yesterday, Colorado’s Senator Michael Bennet introduced the Outdoor Restoration Partnership Act that would address these forest management funding needs; his state was one of several that witnessed unprecedented damage during the devastating 2020 fire season.

“Restoration and management of America’s national forests is an investment in our natural infrastructure that protects our communities, municipal water supplies, and fish and wildlife habitat – and provides natural climate solutions. These projects also deliver jobs to American workers in communities across the country,” commented Club President Jim Arnold. “The Boone and Crockett Club calls on Congress to make an investment of $40 billion in federal forest management and $5 billion in reforestation over the next 10 years to make our forests more resilient and reduce our risk of catastrophic wildfires.” Read more

Fishing, Hunting, Wildlife

Pheasant licenses available online, in store — planning for fall release underway

Michigan pheasant licenses are now available for purchase online or through in-person license vendors for the 2021 season.

A pheasant license costing $25 is now required to hunt public and hunter access program (HAP) land in the Lower Peninsula for those 18 years of age or older. The pheasant license was created through passage of HB 4313 in 2020. All license monies will be used to purchase and release pheasants on state lands.

In 2017, Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC)  member Ken Dalton brought forward a resolution at the organization’s Annual Convention asking that staff lobby legislators to create a pheasant stocking program aimed at recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3) of hunters. Dalton’s resolution also asked MUCC staff to find funding for the program.

In late 2018, MUCC successfully secured general fund money to initiate a two-year pheasant stocking pilot program. The first year of the program (2019) was completed, and a DNR study was conducted afterwards to determine metrics. The second year of the program was eliminated because of COVID-19 and shifting budget priorities for the administration and legislature.

The pheasant license and its passage are a testament to the grassroots strength that MUCC harnesses, said MUCC Executive Director Amy Trotter. Read more

Hunting

FOXPRO Releases Scout Pack

Lewistown, PA — FOXPRO continues to be the leading innovator within the predator hunting industry with the recent release of the Scout Pack. The Scout Pack is a carry pack specifically designed to exceed the expectations of today’s predator hunters.

The FOXPRO Scout Pack holds and protects your portable FOXPRO Game Call (except all Prairie Blaster and Krakatoa models). The FOXPRO Scout Pack can transform from a traditional carry bag into a vest pack that will make your hunt more comfortable when on-the-go. This pack features a remote holder compatible with all FOXPRO remotes and also features fold-down side pockets with mesh screen that allow you to operate your XWAVE while it is still inside of the bag. Designed specifically for the XWAVE, but will also house other smaller FOXPRO callers as well as your hunting accessories. The Scout Pack features moly webbing on the exterior of the bag so you can further accessorize by adding your own moly attachments. D-rings on the bottom of the bag will allow you to add a seat for extra comfort in the field making the FOXPRO Scout Pack a necessary addition for today’s Predator Hunter. Read more

Hunting

BIG 8 PRODUCTS Releases Turkey Beard Hanger

Atlanta, GA – April 15, 2021 – BIG 8 PRODUCTS®, your go-to for tough, DIY taxidermy products, has recently released a new product––Turkey Beard Hanger.

The Turkey Beard Hanger is BIG 8’s new solution to displaying turkey beards. It takes seconds to install the beard into the bottom of the Turkey Beard Hanger. The beard grip uses friction fit tabs to hold the beard in place. No tools or glue are required, which means no mess, and no hassle. Another key feature of the Hanger is the ease of switching out the beards whenever you’d like.

T.J. Eads, CEO of BIG 8 PRODUCTS® said, “Every turkey hunter we have met saves their beards – big or small. There are very few taxidermy options out there for displaying turkey beards. Therefore, we have spent the last year refining the best Beard Hanger for all turkey hunters. Our ‘Flex Fit Grip’ design allows you to mount your beard in seconds at an affordable price that looks great; after all, those memories matter.” Read more

Hunting
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