Two grizzly bears were removed last month due to cattle depredations in southwestern Montana.

One bear was killed in the Gravelly Mountains after several instances of sheep depredation. These conflicts happened despite multiple attempts to avoid them, including guard dogs, moving sheep to new areas, and hazing the bear.

The second bear was killed on private land in the Paradise Valley south of Livingston after chronic cattle depredations. The landowner moved cows twice, but conflicts continued.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services removed both bears on Aug. 21 in consultation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

Specialists with FWP and Wildlife Services work to help landowners, producers and communities avoid bear conflicts. Promptly reporting bear conflicts can make a difference for the health of the bear and the safety of communities. Some corrective management efforts, when applied early, can be effective in discouraging bears from being close to humans and livestock and reduce future conflicts. Read more

Invasive pest continues to spread within Michigan

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) detected invasive spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) in Wayne County with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirming the finding. This confirmation follows an extensive survey across 20 counties, during which MDARD identified additional populations of this invasive pest in Monroe, Wayne, and Oakland counties. While spotted lanternfly had previously been detected in Monroe and Oakland, these surveys revealed new infestations in each location. Read more

Most recent case of epizootic hemorrhagic disease confirmed in St. Joseph County

A common viral deer disease has made a return to St. Joseph County after a three-year hiatus, with additional counties likely to follow. Over the past several weeks, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has received reports of over 120 probable cases of epizootic hemorrhagic disease, primarily from counties in the southwestern Lower Peninsula.

The DNR Wildlife Health Section and the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory recently confirmed the EHD virus in a free-ranging white-tailed deer from St. Joseph County. Several other counties are awaiting lab confirmation.

EHD is a viral, sometimes fatal disease found in wild ruminants such as white-tailed deer, mule deer and elk.

“Although early reports indicate 2024 could see a significant outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease in pockets of Michigan’s deer population, this isn’t necessarily unusual,” said Chad Stewart, acting supervisor of the DNR Wildlife Division’s Sustainable Populations Section. Read more

The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) applauds the effort to restore desert bighorn sheep in the Lone Star State’s Franklin Mountains State Park.

Historically, desert bighorn sheep were native to Texas. With the settlement of the Trans-Pecos Region of Texas, native wild sheep populations declined rapidly, becoming extirpated by 1960. Through hard work and dedication, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), the Texas Bighorn Society (TBS), private landowners, and dedicated sportsmen and women collaborated to restore desert bighorns to many historic mountain ranges.

“Recently, wild sheep populations in Texas have declined dramatically because of health-related die-offs associated with pathogen transmission from non-native aoudad,” explained Kevin Hurley, WSF’s VP for Conservation. “Franklin Mountains State Park is one area identified by TPWD and TBS that is free of aoudad, making it the perfect location to re-introduce desert bighorn sheep safely.” Read more

A male Black-throated Hummingbird is a rarely photographed but wide-spread western hummingbird (photo by Mason Maron).

Among the northern-nesting hummingbirds – Ruby-throats, Rufous, Broad-tailed, Caliope; even Anna’s and Allen’s Hummingbirds – the nesting season and post-fledging period is complete for 2024. Now there are probably 2 or 3 times as many hummingbirds of each species migrating south with recent fledglings bolstering populations. Certainly, now the center stage is our feeders and flower gardens as they provide food, shelter, water, and resting areas; and the importance of these resources can’t be underestimated.

The best part about fall hummingbird migration is that the dynamos are not in such a rush during late summer; not like they were during their spring migration to nesting areas. But that’s a good thing as the hummingbirds that stopover will likely spend additional time in our yards, neighborhoods, school campuses, business properties, and church yards, as long as they find what they need. Read more

Good news for elk, whitetail deer, black bears, small mammals, wild turkey, grouse, songbirds and many other species.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation allocated $893,336 that leveraged an additional $1,528,310 from partners for 14 habitat enhancement, land conservation and access, and research projects in Kentucky, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

“Nearly 5,000 acres of wildlife habitat will be enhanced and more than 1,700 acres will be conserved including improved or expanded public access for hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities,” said RMEF Managing Director of Mission Operations Jenn Doherty.

Project List: Read more

With Vermont’s bear hunting season starting September 1, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department reminds hunters that the sale of bear paws and internal organs of bears is prohibited by a new law.

“Vermont State Game Wardens have investigated cases where people from out of state have approached Vermont hunters to purchase bear paws and gallbladders which are valuable in Asian countries,” said Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Christopher Herrick. “Vermont was one of the few states that still allowed the sale of bear paws and gall bladders that are re-sold on the black market.” Read more

The pull of an airgun trigger, the thwap of a dart hitting the rump of an elk, and the barely-above-a-whisper call over the radio: “Dart is in” are all followed by a couple of minutes of quiet observation. One can feel a sense of anticipation from the silence of the assembled enforcement officers and wildlife biologists.

They watch as the elk ambles a few feet, looks back and licks at the dart in its backside a few times, and finally, starts to rock and sway as the immobilizing drug begins to take effect.

It goes down slowly, and then suddenly – and then, one last call over the radio that spurs a flurry of activity: “He’s down.”

The young bull elk that Fish and Game staff darted and relocated from a Boise neighborhood on the evening of Aug. 21 went about as quickly, efficiently, and safely as such an operation can go. Less than 30 minutes separated the deployment of the dart and the moment the elk stood again upright in a horse trailer, awaiting transportation to a release site far away from the bustling intersection of S. Federal Way and E. Bergeson St. near where it was found.

Looking solely at these 30 minutes on a warm August evening in Boise, one might come away with the impression that darting and relocating an animal in real life isn’t so different from the movies. But then, they wouldn’t be seeing the whole picture.

“This went as close to perfect as we could have hoped for, and that’s a testament to the professionalism of our staff,” said Regional Supervisor Josh Royse. “But they don’t all go like this, even when you play them perfectly.” Read more