Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

Joint project in Ontonagon County, MI grows trees for the future

A cooperative seed collection effort in Ontonagon County will produce trees to be grown at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in the western Upper Peninsula –Michigan’s largest state park.

Recently, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Ontonagon Area School agriculture class and White Pine Electric volunteers gathered on a beautiful fall afternoon to collect maple tree seeds and oak acorns at the Porcupine Mountains.Volunteers work to prepare collected maple seeds and oak acorns for planting.
The seeds and acorns will be used to grow seedlings to be planted in the Porcupine Mountains. Read more

Wildlife

Unwanted Beavers

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

poplar tree felled by beavers

By Glen Wunderlich

On an early morning deer-scouting trek on my Shiawassee County property, I was prepared to cross the Osburn Drain via a makeshift bridge consisting of an aluminum ladder section and boards.  But, there was just enough water covering the boards to make me rethink my route.  “Wait a minute”, I thought.  We hadn’t had enough rain to raise the water level that much; something’s up.  The immediate proximity revealed the answer:  beavers!

Several poplar trees near the bank had been chiseled off about a foot from the ground – obviously the handy work of some of Michigan’s largest and most industrious rodents. 

more poplars chiseled off

more poplars chiseled off

Hiking downstream to the road, where large concrete culverts form a bridge, I could hear the unfamiliar roar of water passing through.  On the south side the water level was well over the banks; to the north a relatively normal to low level was noted.  It was here that the beavers chose to flood the area to their liking.

Something had to be done before the water level got much higher or the road would be flooded and folks downstream would face ponds in place of their driveways.  Checking the trapping regulations, I discovered the season begins November 10th in our area.  Insofar as I’ve never attempted to trap beavers and had no such gear anyway, I thought even if I were to be successful, it might be too little too late.  So, I telephoned Chad Fedewa, our local wildlife biologist, in search of direction.

Chad was quite familiar with a plight such as mine and indicated that beavers are well established in our area, as evidenced by many such experiences over the past few years.  He couldn’t say that there is some type of influx of beavers recently and pointed to many documented encounters with the critters since the 1980s.

Since private property was involved, his solution was to issue a nuisance permit, which would allow the taking of up to 5 beavers before trapping season officially begins, but it was forbidden to keep the pelts per the permit; disposal required burying or a landfill.  Shooting them was not a legal option and was duly noted on the permit; only foothold, body-gripping, or conibear-type traps may be used or certain specific snaring devices.  Well, that’s just dandy! 

I then contacted a friend, who had offered to help earlier when the beavers made some half-hearted damage in the spring of this year and then vanished.  The trouble is that my friend has no experience trapping beavers and is a relative trapping rookie himself; he also had no such traps and would have to be educated in procedures, as well.  The situation seemed a bit too urgent for all of this, so I thought maybe a call to our county road commission and drain commission could get some action insofar as the road and bridge’s integrity was threatened.

Here’s what I learned:  Friday is not a good day to get anyone’s attention!  One office had no Friday hours and the other had a recording perfectly enabled to log my call.  By the end of the day, there was no return call.  My hope is that some action can be taken to break up the dam, but it’s beyond my personal capacity.  Besides that, without removing the beavers, it’s futile anyway, because in little time, the dam is reconstructed.

Meanwhile, the water rises.

Wildlife

Make Chestnut Hill’s Fruit Trees Part of Your Habitat Management Program


Managing your hunting land so that it provides the best possible nutrition and holds deer on your property throughout the hunting season can seem like an enormous project every year.That project can be much easier if your habitat plan included a mix of Chestnut Hill fruit trees. Chestnut Hill has lines of fruit trees ranging from ornamentals to commercial orchard foundation trees, and a big part of their research focuses on using fruit trees as long-lasting, high-quality wildlife food plots.

For deer hunters who manage their own property or lease, planting fruit trees can both increase the quality of nutrition available to deer and help hold them on your property throughout the season. Once established, the trees produce food every year at less cost than annual food plots – and for deer, a crop from fruit trees is like candy. Read more

Wildlife

Mexican Wolf Recovery Program Finds Evidence of Cross-Fostering Success


The Arizona Game and Fish Department and our Wolf Team partners have had success placing captive-born wolf pups with wild packs to raise as their own. The practice, known as cross-fostering, helps to bolster the genetic diversity of wild wolf packs. Read morePhoenix, AZ.— In their native habitat of the southwestern United States, the success of cross-fostered pups among the Mexican wolf population is being documented due to dedicated and collaborative efforts among several agencies and organizations, including the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the Chicago Zoological Society (CZS), the Endangered Wolf Center (EWC), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The organizations are working together to reintroduce the species to its native habitat in the American Southwest and Mexico.

In April 2016, five Mexican wolf pups were born at Brookfield Zoo in Illinois. As part of the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program, two of the pups were placed in the den of the Arizona-based Elk Horn Pack of wild wolves with the intention that the pack’s adults would raise the two with its own litter. In this process, known as “cross-fostering,” very young pups are moved from a captive litter to a wild litter of similar age so that the receiving pack raises the pups as their own. The technique, which has proven successful with wolves and other wildlife, shows promise to improve the genetic diversity of the wild wolf population.

Read more

Wildlife

Deer-Vehicle Collisions Peak During the Rut. Use These 8 Tips to Avoid Trouble

ATHENS, GA – As the peak of the rut approaches in most of the whitetail’s range, so does the peak of deer-vehicle collisions. The Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) offers suggestions based on scientific research to help motorists avoid unwanted encounters with whitetails.
While the peak of the deer breeding season, or “rut,” varies in timing throughout North America, the majority of whitetails breed from late October through December, with a peak in November.
The peak in breeding also brings a peak in deer movement, and this puts more deer in roadways than at any other time of year. Numerous scientific studies have shown a strong correlation between breeding dates, deer movement, and deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs).

“Bucks are covering a lot of ground during the rut in search of does, they’re chasing many of those does, and until they are receptive, many of those does are running from the bucks,” said Kip Adams, QDMA’s Director of Education & Outreach and a certified wildlife biologist. “A lot of these deer are crossing roadways in the process, and that’s why we see a peak of deer-vehicle collisions in November.”

It is estimated that more than 1 million DVCs occur annually in the United States, resulting in approximately 200 human fatalities and nearly $2 billion in property damage. Here are some tips that can be effective at helping motorists avoid deer on highways. Read more

Wildlife

Conservation Groups File Notice of Intent to Sue Over Camp Perry Wind Turbine Project

Project Could Set Precedent for Wind Development on Great Lakes Shoreline
Washington – American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) have filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the Ohio Air National Guard (ANG) for violations of the Endangered Species Act and other federal laws in the course of planning to build a large wind turbine at its Camp Perry facility in Ottawa County, Ohio. Close to the shores of Lake Erie, the site lies within a major bird migration corridor and would be the first wind energy development on public land in this ecologically sensitive area.

In a letter sent yesterday by the Washington, D.C.-based public-interest law firm of Meyer Glitzenstein & Eubanks to the ANG and other federal officials, the two groups assert that ANG has unlawfully compromised and short-circuited the environmental review process for the Camp Perry wind facility. The letter states that the development of the project is taking place in violation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA), and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Read more

Wildlife

Trophy Care Afield

By Glen Wunderlich

It was a snowy scene in the Upper Peninsula’s Iron County 30 years ago, when I pulled the trigger on a wall-hanger buck.  I had never taken anything worthy of a mount before then, and if I knew then what I know today, I would have gone about the process of field dressing quite differently. 

 

My mistake centered on ignorance of how to prepare an animal for taxidermy – mostly because I never even considered anything other than getting the beast cooled off and into the truck.  After slicing the animal through the ribs, as always, I later learned that the hide was ruined for a shoulder mount and I had to pay for another cape. 

 

Here are some tips from professional taxidermist, Nick Saade of Lansing, who shares his wisdom so you may have the best results with your prize.

 

Head and neck shots are to be avoided.  If you have time to make a good shot and already know you have a trophy in your sights and may choose to mount it, a shot at the heart and/or lungs is best.  A good taxidermist can hide many mistakes, but is not a magician.

Taxidermist, Nick Saade, with a Michigan buck

Taxidermist, Nick Saade, with a Michigan buck

 

If you can avoid dragging the animal, do so.  A rope around the neck is a bad idea and so is dragging by the rear legs.  Be prepared with a sled or alternate method of moving the animal.  If you must drag the deer, attempt to keep the head and neck areas off the ground during the process.  And, never hang an animal by the neck.  Stuff toilet paper or paper towels in the nostrils and mouth to prevent blood stains.

 

Skin the animal right away and keep it cool.  Do not cut into the ribs and cut about 4 inches behind the shoulders and roll the hide up toward the head.  If you are not experienced, it’s best to keep the head intact and let your taxidermist do the intricate skinning around the face.  Get it to the taxidermist as soon as possible.

 

If you cannot bring the animal to your taxidermist immediately, freeze the hide without using salt.  Obviously, this is not always possible, but it is the preferred method.

 

If you are in a remote area, salting the hide will lock in the hair so it doesn’t “slip” and ruin the cape, but not just any salt is good; only non-iodized salt or Kosher salt is to be used.  Fleshing will be more difficult as a result later, but is doable.

 

Keep it dry.  Wipe out any excess blood and do not use any plastic bags for storage.

 

Taxidermist Nick Saade keeps a few extra capes in stock, in the event damage is beyond repair and will cost $100 on average.  However, if your trophy is much larger than average, a replacement cape can add as much as $300 to $400 to the job.

Good time critters

Good time critters

 

Nick recreates a dramatic Michigan State football win over Michigan in 2015 with ground squirrels

Nick recreates a dramatic Michigan State football win over Michigan in 2015 with ground squirrels

Animal magnetism

Animal magnetism

Pipe dream or nightmare

Pipe dream or nightmare

Unlike taxidermists that only dabble in the business, Nick’s full-time business is taxidermy.  He strives to get all jobs done within four months, which allows for a fair amount of drying time at a most reasonable cost of $400 for shoulder mounts.  I have found Nick to be quite imaginative with his displays of all mammals, fish, and birds and he can be reached at his shop at 517-485-3669.

Hunting, Wildlife

USFWS Decision on Importation of Lion Trophies from South Africa

On October 20, Director of US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) Dan Ashe announced the decision regulating the import of sport-hunted lion trophies under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) from South Africa. The United States will not allow the import of lion trophies taken from captive lion populations in South Africa. However, wild and wild-managed lions from South Africa will receive import permits.
Safari Club International and the hunting community has been waiting for a decision on which range nations would be approved to import lion hunting trophies to the United States since USFWS listed the African lion under the ESA in December 2015.

As for other lion-range countries, Ashe says USFWS is still reviewing permit applications for those areas. The four African nations, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, will only receive permits to import sport hunted lion trophies if USFWS receives sufficient evidence of the long term benefits to their wild lion populations.   USFWS along with CITES has recognized the importance hunting plays in conservation. Ashe stated USFWS determined, “that sport hunting of wild and wild-managed lions does contribute to the long-term conservation of the species in South Africa,” and continued to explain that, “lions are not in trouble because of responsible sport hunting.”

This conclusion is a blow to the anti-hunting rhetoric put forward by organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States and International Fund for Animal Welfare. The USFWS’s conclusion contradicts the assertions made by these anti-hunting organizations. The on the ground facts and the science simply did not support their position.

Not only does hunting enhance the survival of many species but also enhances the communities that support hunting on their land. Communities benefit from trophy hunting through hunting concession payments or other hunter investments, which typically support improved community services like water infrastructure, schools and health clinics; gaining jobs as guides, game guards, wildlife managers and other hunting-related employment; and gaining access to meat.
SCI will continue to work with wildlife authority agencies, in conjunction with professional hunting associations, to provide a clear link between the hunting of lions and the enhancement of the species. Scientific principles, not the emotionalism of anti-hunters, should provide the foundation for the management of wildlife and habitat.   Read Dan Ashe’s announcement on the Huffington Post here.

Animal Rights, Hunting, Wildlife

Court Orders Feds To Release Mexican Wolf Recovery Plan

By — Etta Pettijohn

A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to do what it should have been doing all along: establishing an updated recovery plan for the Mexican Gray Wolves.

Last Monday U.S. Judge Jennifer Zipps, in the District of Arizona, approved an agreement reached last April between environmental groups, the states of Utah and Arizona, and the FWS, to complete a recovery plan by the end of November 2017. The agreement sets parameters for management of the reintroduction program, including where they should be allowed to roam, and to establish population targets.

The New Mexico Game and Fish Department (NMGF) declined to join the settlement, although it did intervene in the lawsuit, after the FWS released pups into the wild, despite the NMGF declining the issuance of a permit to do so. Read more

Wildlife

Sportsmen’s Alliance Presents Oral Arguments in Wolf Case

On Oct. 18, attorneys for the Sportsmen’s Alliance, the federal government and the state of Michigan presented oral arguments in their appeal of the ongoing Great Lakes wolf case. Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota were joined by other states in support of the appeal.

In December 2011, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed wolves from the list of endangered and threatened species, restoring management oversight of the species to Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Unhappy with that delisting, and the subsequent possibility for a wolf hunt, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) sued. The HSUS lawsuit sought to return wolves to Endangered Species Act protections.

Despite overwhelming evidence that wolves are not only recovered, but thriving, in the Western Great Lakes region, in Dec. 2014, a Washington, D.C.-based, U.S. District Court Judge ruled that until the apex predators were deemed recovered throughout their entire historic range – which means from New York City to San Francisco – they could not be delisted. The Sportsmen’s Alliance and the federal and state governments appealed this ruling.

“Under the lower court’s ruling, it doesn’t matter that wolf numbers in the Great Lakes states are two or three times higher than the recovery goals adopted by the federal government in the 1990s. The ruling by the lower court means that until wolves are found in Chicago, Seattle and New York, wolves cannot be managed appropriately by state wildlife experts in the Great Lakes states,” said Evan Heusinkveld, president and CEO of Sportsmen’s Alliance. “The ruling makes absolutely no sense, is legally and factually incorrect, and spells disaster for the future of the Endangered Species Act, wildlife and our entire ecosystem, which is why we’re appealing it.” Read more

Animal Rights, Wildlife
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