Category: Wildlife

Goldfinch

MI DNR details fall webworm and tent caterpillar differences


Fall webworms showing up in Marquette County trees and shrubsThe Michigan Department of Natural Resources has received numerous recent reports of “tentA fall webworm webbing over leaves with worms present. caterpillars” in trees and shrubs in the Upper Peninsula, in particular, Marquette County.

“These are actually fall webworms,” said Bob Heyd, DNR forest health specialist. “They are often confused with eastern tent caterpillars, which occasionally infest fruit trees.”

Heyd said the way to tell the two species apart is through behavior. Read more

Wildlife

Breeding Duck Populations Still High in 2016

JACKSON – The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Canadian Wildlife Service, along with other partner organizations, recently completed their annual waterfowl breeding population and habitat surveys on the breeding grounds in the northern United States and Canadian provinces. These surveys monitor waterfowl populations and critical wetland habitat conditions, which are directly related to the number of birds which will head south during the fall and winter. Estimates from these surveys are used to help set hunting season frameworks like bag limits and the number of hunting days. The overall North American total pond estimate, a measure of wetland habitat quantity, decreased by 21 percent from the estimate in 2015. However, wetland habitat availability was similar to the long term average, and the total breeding duck population estimate decreased by only two percent from 2015 estimates and remained well above the long term average. Read more

Wildlife

Michigan CWD Causes Changes for Hunters in Lower Peninsula

By Glen Wunderlich

The push to minimize the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is under way. Much like a surgical process to remove suspected cancer, as stewards of our natural resources, we hunters are the “surgeons” of the woods.

“With the detection of CWD-positive deer in the southern part of Clinton County, we need to better understand the magnitude of the disease in those areas,” said Chad Stewart, Department of Natural Resources deer specialist. “Expanding our surveillance to include those areas is key at this point, and we need help from landowners and hunters within the expanded zone to help us with this effort.”

The Michigan Natural Resources Commission expanded the Core Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Area to include 17 townships. This area, which will continue to be referred to as Deer Management Unit (DMU) 333, now will consist of Lansing, Meridian, Williamstown, Delhi, Alaiedon and Wheatfield townships in Ingham County; DeWitt, Bath, Watertown, Eagle, Westphalia, Riley, Olive and Victor townships in Clinton County; Woodhull Township in Shiawassee County, and Oneida and Delta townships in Eaton County.

The CWD Management Zone also has expanded; it now will include the remainder of Clinton, Eaton, Ingham and Shiawassee counties, as well as all of Ionia County. The expanded Management Zone will be referred to as DMU 419.

Other regulation changes include:

  • Banning deer feeding and baiting on all properties within the Core CWD Area and Management Zone.
  • Opening Eaton and Ionia counties to the early antlerless deer season.
  • Allowing roadkill deer in the Core CWD Area to be possessed and kept with a DNR-issued salvage tag from a law enforcement officer or DNR employee, as long as the head is submitted to a DNR biologist, biologist appointee or check station.

Continuing from last year, other regulation reminders include the following:

  • Those hunting within the Core CWD Area are required to present the head of all hunter-harvested deer within 72 hours of harvest to a DNR deer check station.
  • Hunters leaving the Core CWD Area are required to present the entire carcass of all hunter-harvested deer originating from the Core CWD Area within 72 hours of harvest to a DNR deer check station. (A list of deer check stations is available at gov/deercheck.)
  • All live free-ranging deer from within the CWD Management Zone or Core CWD Area are prohibited from being rehabilitated. Permittees located within the CWD Management Zone or Core CWD Area may no longer rehabilitate deer.

CWD affects members of the deer family, including elk and moose. It is caused by the transmission of infectious, self-multiplying proteins (prions) contained in saliva and other body fluids of infected animals.

Since the May 2015 discovery of chronic wasting disease in a free-ranging, Michigan white-tailed deer, 5,631 deer have been tested for CWD in order to gauge the extent of the disease across the landscape. Of those tested, seven deer were confirmed positive for the disease in Clinton and Ingham counties.

In an effort to induce hunters to kill more does and to have them tested, the DNR is discounting antlerless deer license fees to $12 for a resident antlerless deer license and $12 for the first antlerless deer license purchased by non-residents, for deer management units in the Core Area and Management Zone.  DMU 333 has unlimited antlerless licenses that may be purchased without application beginning Sept. 8 at 10 a.m.

Finally, a few words are in order to clarify how sharpshooters are involved in the CWD management process. Through June, 2016, deer tested through sharpshooting efforts contributed to 17 percent of the total sample (769 out of 4,558) in the CWD Management Zone but interestingly, have contributed to 66 percent of the total positives.

Additionally, sharpshooters are not shooting deer in the entire CWD Management Zone but are operating entirely within two miles of known CWD-positive deer but only with approval from landowners including how many deer the sharpshooters may take.

The process will be a long ride, but it appears we are on the right road.

Hunting, Wildlife

National Deer Alliance Launches New Website Geared To Informing and Uniting Deer Hunters


FAIRFAX, Va. —The National Deer Alliance (NDA) has recently developed the organization’s first comprehensive website to keep deer hunters informed about deer issues across the country, while also providing important updates on NDA’s work.The new site makes it easier than ever to sign up for a free membership, and is home to the NDA Action Center, which allows deer and hunting advocates to easily contact legislators about matters important to ensuring the future of North America’s most popular big game animal. Additionally, the site will feature a President’s Blog, penned by NDA President and CEO Nick Pinizzotto, and an editorial section that will highlight the latest news in the deer world. Read more
Hunting, Wildlife

MI antlerless deer license applications on sale until Monday

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters that the application period for antlerless deer licenses ends Monday, Aug. 15.

Hunters may apply for one license in any open deer management unit (DMU) statewide; a nonrefundable $5 fee is charged at the time of application. Hunters may apply online at E-License, or at any authorized license agent or DNR Customer Service Center.

Drawing results and leftover license availability may be viewed beginning Sept. 1 at mi.gov/deer.

Any leftover antlerless deer licenses not issued in the drawing will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Sept. 8 at 10 a.m. EDT until license quotas are met.

The 2016 antlerless deer license quotas for each DMU can be found at mi.gov/deer. Please note, DMU 333 has unlimited antlerless licenses that may be purchased without application beginning Sept. 8 at 10 a.m. Read more

Hunting, Wildlife

Grizzly bears heading east from the Rocky Mountain Front

 

By Winston Greeley – Montana FWP

CHOTEAU – Mike Madel of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has been amazed at the number of grizzly bears heading east from the Rocky Mountain Front this spring.

“This is probably the spring of all springs in terms of grizzly bear movements out onto the high plains and the river bottoms. I have never seen as many sub-adults way down the Marias river, down the Teton, Muddy Creek,” Madel said.

Grizzlies historically roamed eastern Montana’s prairie, but in the last century diminished to smaller, more mountainous areas of Montana.

Read more

Wildlife

Help prevent the spread of oak wilt; don’t move firewood

Now that the season has shifted to August – well past the “no pruning of oak” time of year (April 15 to July 15) – there still are steps residents can take to minimize the spread of the deadly oak wilt disease.

Notably, Michigan Department of Natural Resources forest health experts say not moving firewood is critical to limiting oak wilt. Wood from oak wilt-killed trees can produce spores, which can infect healthy oaks if they’re wounded in spring the following year.

According to Bob Heyd, DNR forest health specialist, oak wilt is a serious disease of oak trees. It mainly affects red oaks, including northern red oak, black oak and pin oak. Red oaks often die within a few weeks after becoming infected. Because white oaks are more resistant, the disease progresses more slowly.
Read more

Wildlife

Food Plot Prep with Less Spraying

By Glen Wunderlich

They asked Cassanova, man, what you got,

that makes all the women think you’re so hot?

He said, my little secret, boys, believe it or not,

is, I get up early in the morning…Roger Miller – I get up early in the morning

The wisdom of these lyrics haunted me, as I headed out at dawn on my 1948 Ford 8N tractor to hitch up the disk harrow to the 3-point.  Nothing to do with Cassanova mind you; it was the idea of an early start on a food plot project that had almost gotten away from me.  Almost.  My plan was to dodge the pending heat warnings.

By adhering to a policy of reduced weed-killing spray (glyphosate) to a maximum of one application per season, it meant some good, ol’ fashioned tilling of the soil as the primary means of weed control.  There is conflicting advice being circulated relative to spraying non-selective herbicides and typically it involves more spraying than the more ecologically conservative single dose per season.  However, if plants develop strong resistance to chemicals, nothing is gained and that’s the danger.  In fact, much is lost.   With that in mind, I’m on board with the less-is-better approach.

One small site had been disked several times already this season, and as a result, had remained in relatively in good shape.  But, that doesn’t mean the weeds ever stop growing; it just means they’re not as fearsome and defiant as they would be if left to grow all season.  What had sprouted since the last session with the tractor was easily minced into the soil.

With extreme heat forecasted, there would be no better time to work the soil up in another area that had been a brassica plot last season.  In the springtime, the site was too wet.  After that, the heavy, low soil turned to a brick-like surface compliment of the fourth driest June since the year 1900.  The little 6-foot disk wouldn’t have enough weight to penetrate the soil.

We needed rain and just enough had fallen to give me the break I needed.  Fortunately, the weeds didn’t have much green in them and became victim to the repeated churning action of the steel implement.  Additionally, if you have yet to apply necessary lime and fertilizer, get it done before the disking to give it a chance to break down and to be most effective.

Here’s the plan that utilizes only one spray per season – and, it worked perfectly for me last year.  About 10 days before ideal planting time – which is the first to second week in August – make the final pass with the disk and fit the field, as if to plant.  Allow the weeds to sprout for about 10 days; then use that lone spray on young, sprouting plants, thus eliminating them from competition with the food plot seeding to follow.  Because there is no residual effect to the soil from glyphosate, seed can be broadcast or drilled almost immediately.  Without this crucial step timed before planting, weeds will germinate right along with the food plot seed.

The final step after broadcasting seed is to push the seed into the soil with a cultipacker.

Cultipacker

Cultipacker

Then, there’s nothing left to do but enjoy the results.

Wildlife

Arizona: Game and Fish Wants Sierra Club to Retract Fundraising Letter for False Statements About Condors

Solicitation makes statements “not supported by science”

GRAND CANYON, Ariz. — The Arizona Game and Fish Department is asking the Sierra Club to retract a fundraising letter that makes false statements about Arizona’s endangered condor population. The department (AZGFD) says untrue claims were made about hazards to condor health in a fundraising letter from Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club. In his June 24 fundraising appeal, Brune claims a link between uranium mining and condor health. Read more

Wildlife

Follow These Tips for Better Soil Prep

WEST POINT, MS – The late summer/early fall planting season is quickly approaching, and for those that live in the far North, it’s here. Preparing a good seed bed is an important and often underappreciated step of the planting process. The following are tips for better soil preparation for planting seed this season.

It is really tough to prepare a good seed bed when trying to disc or till under massive amounts of green vegetation. A disc or tiller simply can’t work as it is supposed to with the tonnage of grass and weeds in the way. A properly timed, non-selective herbicide application can kill the unwanted weeds and dry them down so equipment can function much more efficiently, saving a lot of tractor/ATV time and fuel.

Many who are unfamiliar with herbicides are afraid of spraying a non-selective herbicide like Roundup® (glyphosate) in fear that it may affect their planting. Glyphosate is a contact only herbicide and has no soil or residual activity. In other words, if it doesn’t touch the green tissue of a living plant it is ineffective. This allows for spraying very close to planting time to help the plot get a jump start on any weeds. The ideal timing for mowing and spraying can take 2-4 weeks before planting to really get good results, so the time to act is now.

Read these tips for good pre-planting herbicide applications:

  1. Read the label. The information on the herbicide labels contain great information and will identify what weeds it kills and what the recommended rate is.
  2. Spray when grasses or broadleaf weeds are young and thriving. If the field is tall and overgrown, the results will often be less than desirable. If weeds are already tall and mature, mow first and return a few days later to spray the new re-growth, even if it is minimal.
  3. For optimal results, use AMS (ammonium sulfate). AMS will increase the effectiveness of the herbicide by helping the weeds readily trans-locate the herbicide to the roots for a good kill.
  4. Don’t skimp on water. Many times the correct amount of herbicide is used but not enough water is added to thoroughly spray the field. In a pre-plant burn down, always try and use 15-20 gallons of solution per acre.
  5. Know the size of the field so you can apply the appropriate amount of solution. To practice and calibrate the sprayer, find a field and measure it with a GPS or use a range finder to determine the acreage. Fill the spray tank with just water and take note of the speed you travel and the amount of water you apply over the known area. This will eliminate guesswork and yield better spray results.

These tips are courtesy of Mossy Oak GameKeepers. GameKeepers offers consumers the latest information and products for total land and wildlife management. We’ve learned our lessons the hard way and through www.gamekeeperclub.com, GameKeepers magazine and TV series on Pursuit Channel, we share and explore the way of the GameKeeper.

To have your planting questions answered, call 662-494-4326. Read more

Wildlife
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